April 2012 - Alumni News - Williams College

to have CTE, a degenerative
brain disease caused by repeated
head traumas that has also been
found in professional football
players and boxers. The piece
investigated the brutal culture
of fighting in hockey and the
growing science of concussions.
The piece was a collaborative
effort with a sports reporter and
photographer and jumpstarted
the conversation about violence
in hockey. Over the holidays, I
headed to the Mekong Delta in
South Vietnam as a volunteer
with Habitat for Humanity,”
says Shayla Harris.
Ian Synnott is enjoying Ft.
Greene, Brooklyn, and investment
management out of Rock
Center. “I was recently in
London, where I stayed with Kurt
Knuppel and Johan Kongsli ’98,
in from Oslo, who is doing well.
Over the holidays and into the
New Year, I caught up with Jenny
Keane and Jim Stanton in NYC at
a pickle contest and bon voyage.
Jenny was just back from a bike
tour in New Zealand, and Jim
is enjoying his new(ish) job in
Stamford. I also saw Seth Morgan
and Shayla Harris.”
David Turner is playing Harry
Connick Jr.’s psychiatric patient
in the Broadway musical On a
Clear Day You Can See Forever.
“Everyone asks if he really kisses
me as the lights fade in Act I. But
I’ll never tell! Matthew Swanson,
Christian Vainieri, Kenny Harmon,
Penn Clarke ’96, Matt Alsdorf ’96,
Matt Rouse and my Williams
B entry mates have all come to
support me!” Maria Plantilla got
to go backstage to David’s dressing
room. “It was so lovely to
celebrate his success with him,”
she writes.
“I’m living in Manhattan with
my wife Radhika, daughter
Ashima and son Santosh. I still
work at KBW in investment
banking, covering insurance
companies. I recently saw Peter
Sinclair, who was interviewing
for his new marketing position at
ScoreBig, and Joshua Tripp, who
was also in town for work and
hosted me for burgers, beer and
a very healthy side of steamed
broccoli,” reports Seth Bair.
“I have two daughters, Alison
and Lauren. I am still traveling
between NYC and DC during
the week, working as an advisor
for U.S. EPA Administrator
Lisa Jackson. My wife and
daughters have been troopers
during the past 2-and-a-half
years. While it has been difficult
being away from my family so
frequently, it has been a truly
amazing experience, and it is
still difficult for me to fathom
that there are less than 4,000
political appointees in place to
direct policy for the president.
I am proud of our accomplishments.
I periodically see Ephs
in and around DC, including
Alex Steinberg Barrage,” submits
Charles Imohiosen.
Noah Harlan’s daughter
Mazhira Dahlia Harlan—who
goes by Mazzy—was born on
Christmas Day. In February, the
latest film he produced, Return,
premiered in theaters and on
iTunes/VOD. It was a Williams
project in many ways, directed
by professor Liza Johnson ’92,
produced by Noah, starring
Byron Wetzel's client Michael
Shannon, photography direction
by Anne Etheridge ’92 and coproduced
by Charlie Birns ’09.
“Eric Watson here. Living
in New Paltz, N.Y., and still
coaching soccer at Utica College.
My wife Paola Gentry ’98 is
working at Vassar College in
their admission office. Aracely,
9, and Oliver, 6, are keeping us
very busy.”
Edging on over to the Tri-State
Area… “My wife Michelle and
I welcomed the birth of our first
child, Chloe Jane Hyland. Born
Jan. 5 @ 4:28 a.m. We are now
living in Wilton, Conn. I’m still
with NBC Sports, primarily producing
football, horse racing and
Olympics,” reports Rob Hyland.
Jess Bongiorno says, “My
daughter Mia Rose Bjorkedal
was born July 29. She is already
displaying a great deal of my
late Grandma Rose’s spunky
personality! … I am still enjoying
my career in reinsurance, heading
up property underwriting
for Arch Re in Morristown, N.J.
My husband Nik and I live five
minutes away from my office
with Mia and her ‘big sister,’
Harper, our Boston terrier. We
see a lot of Seth Morgan, since
he is married to my sister, and he
and Nik share a love for drinking
grappa and playing cribbage.
… We spent some time with
Martha (Folley) Bullock, Bevin
Brennan, Nancy Lee and George
and Kari (Lampka) Watson at our
backyard pig roast/baby shower.
I met up with Bevin, Rosie Rubin
and Jawad and Colette Haider
to see David Turner in his new
Broadway show.”
Massachusetts has earned its
own category as well… Matthew
Swanson writes, “Robbi and
I welcomed our third child, a
little boy named August. Our
latest book, Build Your Own
n 1996–97
President: 2012, is an interactive
game that was featured on
BoingBoing.net and rattled the
interwebs on New Hampshire
primary day. … It can be found
at www.idiotsbooks.com/buildyourownpresident.
We're on the
verge of launching a small press
that publishes children's books.”
“Enjoying life in Somerville,
Mass., with our daughter Violet,
who has recently started walking
and thinks she's absolutely
unstoppable,” writes Jardayna
Werlin Laurent.
Michel Ohly reports, “Derek
is still working to slingshot his
custom bra company, Zyrra,
to startup fame and success.
I’m home with the kiddos, now
2 and 4. I am contemplating
re-entering the work force as
a middle school math teacher,
hoping to pass the Mass. teacher
exams this winter/spring. We just
moved to a new house, which we
love. We did spend New Year's
weekend with Kay Kamiyama
and Josh Pierson, with their baby
Leena, and Adam Nesbit. It was
like old times, except our poker
skills are now rusty, we drink
less, go to bed early and get up a
lot earlier the next day.”
“I’m still living in the
Berkshires, eight years now. I just
passed my PhD comps at UMass
in comparative literature, and
I'm currently teaching a Winter
Study at Williams—an introduction
to Old Irish, sponsored
by the Classics. The next few
months for me will be about dissertation
and beginning to look
for a permanent academic job
here in the Berkshires or within
commuting distance,” says
Shannon Farley.
Hilary Hutchinson writes, “I am
emerging from the first year of
life with a second kiddo, (Abigail
Katherine Hutchinson, born
1/10/11). I still work at Google
in Boston and love it. Williams is
still representing against all the
Stanford and MIT alums here—
Iein Valdez, Max Ross and DeWitt
Clinton among them. … I keep
up with Arch Handel and Emily
Manus in the Boston area.”
“All is well in Boston. My husband
JF and I are having a great
time with our 10-month-old
Cordelia. We try to have regular
play dates with Ellie Sosnovik
(daughter of Debbie Goldstein)
and Caleb Ginsberg (son of Steve
Ginsberg ’96). We’re hoping
that they all become fast friends.
I’m still practicing landscape
architecture but have reduced
my hours post-baby,” says Gigi
Saltonstall.
aPril 2012 | Williams PeoPle | 89