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1990s Class Notes
1990
Col. Dan Bunch was appointed to serve on the Klamath County (Oregon) Circuit Court by Gov. Theodore Kulongoski. Bunch has served on Klamath County Counsel since 2006. He has also served in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force, and as staff Judge Advocate for the Oregon Air National Guard 173rd Fighter Wing. In 2007 he deployed to Iraq as part of General Petraeus’s Law and Order Task Force, and was awarded the Bronze Star by General Petraeus after returning from Iraq.
Caroline Oyler has been named vice president and senior counsel at Papa John's in Louisville, Ky. Oyler has been with Papa John’s since 1999, serving as the company’s labor and employment lawyer and providing legal support to the operations and human resources teams. In her new role, Oyler will continue to provide support to the operations, HR, and risk services teams, while also taking on responsibility for overseeing all litigation for the company. She will also take on government affairs, while assisting with the day-to-day management of the legal department. Prior to joining Papa John’s, Oyler was a senior attorney at the law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs in Louisville.
Christine A. Samsel joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck as a shareholder in the employment group. Her practice focuses on advising companies in all aspects of labor and employment law. Samsel is based in Denver, Colo., and will help in the expansion of the firm’s labor and employment practice in California. She was previously with Akin Gump in Washington, D.C.
1991
Tim McEvoy recently started Cameron McEvoy, a litigation boutique in Fairfax, Va.The 10-employee firm specializes in corporate and commercial litigation and has handled claims as diverse as qui tam defense, Clean Water Act claims, and a wide variety of other business-related claims.Notwithstanding the firm’s focus, McEvoy found himself at the Supreme Court of the United States in 2009, with respect to a federal criminal case he handled in 2007.The Court ruled 9-0 in his client’s favor.
1992
Wendy Anderson Terry has been promoted to special counsel in the regulatory and government affairs department at Wilmer Hale in Washington, D.C. She is in the antitrust and competition practice group, where her practice focuses on antitrust law, particularly regarding mergers and acquisitions, general antitrust counseling, and private antitrust litigation.
Virginia Supreme Court Justice Barbara M. Keenan LL.M. was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit by President Barack Obama and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March. She had served on the Virginia Supreme Court since 1991, and is the first female judge from Virginia to serve on the Richmond-based Fourth Circuit.Sean Mahoney is with the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental advocacy group that’s been working in New England for 40 years. He is the director of the Maine office, located in Portland. “Life is good,” he reports.
Matthew J. Thomas joined Reed Smith in Washington, D.C., as partner in the shipping group. His practice focuses on domestic and international maritime and shipping matters, as well as trade regulation issues pertaining to international trade.
1993
Joel Pierre-Louis is senior director of operations at the Dormitory Authority for the State of New York in Albany, where he plans and directs the activities of the human resources office, risk management, records management, and manages the security and maintenance of all the authority’s buildings, grounds, and vehicles. He also represents the Authority in the collective bargaining process, administers agreements, coordinates disciplinary proceedings, and participates in overall planning and development.
Dionne E. Thompson was appointed as the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Chief, Congressional and Legislative Affairs. In her new position she oversees the bureau’s congressional and legislative affairs and serves as the bureau’s primary liaison with Congress. From 2003 to 2009 she worked at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, most recently as Senate liaison in the Office of External Affairs, where she covered electric transmission, natural gas, and hydroelectric issues.
1994
David Haddock and his wife, Klara Matouskova, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Alex, in June.
Donald J. Munro has joined Jones Day as partner in Washington, D.C. Munro is a labor and employment litigator with particular expertise in the transportation industry and is a nationally recognized authority on the Railway Labor Act. He was previously with Goodwin Procter.
Ethan G. Shenkman joined the U. S. Department of Justice as Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
1995
The Hon. J. Travis Laster was sworn in as vice chancellor to the five-member Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware on October 9. The Wall Street Journal calls the court “arguably the nation’s leading court on corporate and business law.” In an interview on the Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog, Laster said he was looking forward to joining a court that has been praised as one of the nation’s best and whose colleagues are known for their opinions, insights, and scholarship. “This court has a docket where you are deciding very big questions and opinions that get read by corporate practitioners and corporate scholars all across the country. So, it’s an exciting challenge but I am very mindful of those responsibilities and it’s a little bit humbling.”
1996
Corry Andrews and her husband, Barton Biggs, welcomed a son, Ezra William Biggs, born at home on May 19, 2009.Ezra joins sisters Ailey (6), Harper (3) and Marley (3).The family resides in Nelson County, Va.
Christopher Brearton has been named to SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily’s “Forty Under 40” list for 2010, which recognizes the most promising young executives in sports business under the age of 40. Brearton is managing partner of O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles, Calif., and a member of the entertainment, sports, and media practice. He advises national and international sports organizations, motion picture studios, independent producers, financial institutions and investment funds, and television networks in a range of transactions including licensing arrangements, sponsorship agreements, financing, and mergers and acquisitions.
Trey Hanbury and Suzanna Kang announce the birth of their son, Nathaniel George Hanbury, who arrived two weeks early on December 14. He weighed 8 lbs., 3 oz., and measured 20.5 inches. “Mother and baby are doing well,” Trey reports.“Dad is still recovering.”
In November Scott A. Surovell was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates representing the Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County, where he lives with his wife Erinn Madden and their children, Eva, Leia, Mara, and Colin. He still practices law in the City of Fairfax with Robert J. Surovell ’69, David M. Levy ’70, David J. Fudala ’79, Sen. J. Chapman Petersen ’94, and Nathan Rozsa ’08. He is a co-founding partner and owner of Surovell, Markle, Isaacs & Levy, where his practice areas include criminal defense, family law, personal injury, small business litigation, and consumer matters.David S. Thomas has been elected partner in the Palo Alto, Calif., office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he practices in the employee benefits and compensation group.
Tahesha Wright Way was recently appointed an administrative law judge for the State of New Jersey. She resides in Wayne with her husband, Charles, and their three daughters, Fallon, Farah, and Faythe.
1997
J. Stephen Berry has been made partner with McKenna Long & Aldridge in the Atlanta, Ga., office, where his practice focuses on insurance coverage and insurance bad-faith issues, with emphasis on construction defect and catastrophic property damage claims. His practice includes litigation, coverage advice, and policy drafting.
Laura Deddish Burton was recently elected president of the Women’s Professional Forum, an organization of women business professionals in Greensboro, N.C. The group helps professional women connect through monthly networking events, grow as leaders, and serve their community. Burton is with Smith Moore Leatherwood, where her practice focuses on immigration and international law. She was named a rising star for 2010 in North Carolina Super Lawyers and was included in Best Lawyers in America 2010 in the area of immigration law.
Deborah Gramiccioni has been appointed director of the authorities unit by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. She previously served as the state criminal justice director.
Carl D. Gray has been promoted to counselor with Hunton & Williams in Norfolk, Va. He is a member of the product liability practice and focuses his practice on admiralty and maritime law, government contracts law, and construction law.
Thomas P. Kimbis is the director of policy and research and general counsel of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Kimbis will help lead the development of long-term policies promoting solar energy and oversee expansion of SEIA’s market research efforts. He will also provide legal services to SEIA.
Kimbis most recently served as executive director for the Solar Foundation, a nonprofit promoting the increased use of solar energy through education and research. From 2005 to 2009, he served as director of market transformation for the Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP) at the U.S. Department of Energy. While there, he led efforts to maximize opportunities for solar energy commercialization. He also served as acting program manager of SETP, managing a $170 million portfolio.
Left to right are Mario Springer,Caroline Laguerre- Brown and Peter Dernbach
Caroline Laguerre-Brown was appointed associate vice provost for institutional equity at Johns Hopkins University in December. She previously served as director for equity compliance and education in Johns Hopkins’ Office of Institutional Equity.
Stephen J. Malone, of New York City, was promoted to vice president, employment law, at NBC Universal in July.
Amit P. Mehta has been named partner at Zuckerman Spaeder in Washington, D.C. His practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, complex civil litigation, and appellate litigation.
Shawn P. Naunton has been named partner at Zuckerman Spaeder in New York City, where his practice focuses on commercial litigation, securities litigation, and white-collar defense. He has been recognized as a 2010 “Local Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation.
Samantha Pelosi has joined the consumer and community affairs division of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as an attorney. She is amending the Truth in Lending Regulations regarding mortgage disclosures.
Jason M. Sneed has been appointed to the International Trademark Association’s 2010 Project Team, which is planning the association’s annual meeting in Boston, Mass. Sneed is a partner with Alston & Bird in Charlotte, N.C., where he focuses his practice on trademark and copyright litigation.
Mario D. Springer was promoted to assistant general counsel-real estate at Automatic Data Processing, aka ADP, in Roseland, N.J.
Amy Swift finished her master’s in international studies and is now in Windhoek, Namibia, working as a neutral trial observer on the Caprivi High Treason Trial.
Lori D. Thompson has been named by Virginia Lawyers as one of the “Influential Women of Virginia” honorees for 2010.Thompson is a shareholder at LeClairRyan in Roanoke, where she is an executive officer. She focuses her practice on bankruptcy and commercial litigation.Lori resides in Roanoke with her husband, Mark, and their two children, Sidney (9)and Caleb (6).
1998
Earsa R. Jackson has been appointed director of the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising Litigation and Dispute Resolution Division, which studies and presents a range of approaches to solving legal disputes involving franchises. She officiated the forum’s annual meeting in Toronto, Canada, in October. Jackson was recently named a leading franchise lawyer and “Legal Eagle” by Franchise Times for the second consecutive year. She is the practice area leader for the franchise and distribution group for Strasberger & Price in the firm’s Dallas, Tex., office.
James B. Kinsel co-founded Roeder, Cochran, Parrott, Chandler & Kinsel in Tysons Corner, Va., with William F. Roeder ’67 and Brian F. Chandler ’01.
Curtis Romig and Jennifer Murphy Romig are proud to announce the arrival of their daughter, Elizabeth Kay. Mother and daughter are doing well.
1999
Christine Arakelian has joined Biovail as vice president of corporate development/mergers and acquisitions, and will relocate to Toronto in June.Biovail is a pharmaceutical company focused on the specialty CNS niche.
Stephanie L. Chandler was listed as one of San Antonio’s rising stars in the December issue of Scene in S.A. Monthly. She is a partner at Jackson Walker, where she focuses her practice on securities transactions, reporting and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, technology licensing and commercialization, and general corporate work.
Kyle Courtnall is pleased to announce his engagement to Nancy Clark, M.D., of Annapolis, Md. Kyle operates a private practice in Fairfax, Va., exclusively in the field of criminal defense. He previously served as a prosecutor, public defender, and police academy instructor. Nancy is a vascular surgeon who operates a medical practice, Bay Vascular Surgery, in Baltimore, Md. In addition to her medical degree, Nancy is a licensed attorney. An engagement party was held on February 27 at the U.S. Naval Academy’s Alumni House in Annapolis, Md., with over 60 close friends and family in attendance.
The couple will be married on October 16 at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Annapolis, with a reception to follow at historic Kent Manor on the Maryland Eastern Shore. A honeymoon destination is still to be determined; possibilities include the French Riviera or a South Pacific island resort. They will reside in Annapolis.
Julie Mitchell and her father, Gerard Mitchell ’69, of Stein, Mitchell & Muse, recently obtained a plaintiff's verdict in a medical negligence case in the District of Columbia Superior Court.
Matthew S. Petersen was elected chairman of the Federal Election Commission for 2010. He was nominated to the commission by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in June 2008.
George O. Peterson has opened his own firm, Peterson Saylor, in Fairfax, Va. The firm focuses on fiduciary and business litigation.
