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 The Columbus School of Law at Catholic University

Where Are They Now?

Congratulations to our alumni!  We would like to hear about your recent achievements -- please send your updates by filling out the alumni information updates form or email us at cualawalumni@law.edu. 

 

April 11, 2008: The newest members of the law school's Board of Visitors sat for a group portrait in the atrium of the Columbus School of Law. The vital advisory board added many new members in 2007-2008 and now numbers more than forty.

 

 

Classmates Updates

April, 2008

 

 

1975   

Kenneth L. Lewis was elected chair of City Connect Detroit’s board of directors in April. City Connect Detroit was established by Michigan grant makers, Detroit city officials and nonprofit organizations to tackle the problem of chronically under-funded human service programs by the federal government. Lewis is a shareholder with the Detroit office of Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest law firms. Lewis’ areas of practice include civil rights, commercial litigation, education law, labor and employment litigation and municipal law.

1976
Mary S. Elcano was appointed interim president of the American Red Cross in November 2007. She is also the agency’s CEO. Prior to her service with the Red Cross, Elcano spent 18 years as a lawyer with the U.S. Postal Service.

1977

J. David Seay is vice-president of Healthcare Educational and Research Fund, a part of the Healthcare Association of New York State. Seay began his new duties in Jan., 2008.

 

1978

Robert Y. Hirasuna has been named general counsel for the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. Hirasuna has more than 27 years of experience as an attorney specializing in energy law. He was a partner with various law firms in Washington, D.C., and in Texas, representing all segments of the natural gas and electric industries. He also has been special counsel for policy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where he led some of its major natural gas initiatives.

 

Richard A. Pacia is president-elect of the Rhode Island Bar Association. He will formally assume the post on July 1, 2008. A resident of North Providence and principal of the Pawtucket law firm of Pacia Law Associates, Pacia is a fellow of the Rhode Island Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation, founding director and past president of the Justinian Law Society, and founding director and past secretary of the St. Thomas More Society. Pacia received the Rhode Island Bar Association's Pro Bono Publico Award in 1994 and its Continuing Service Award in 2003. He and his wife, Alexandria, have two children, Richard and Nicholas.

 

1979

Douglas Ochs Adler has joined the Washington, D.C. office of Vedder Price P.C., as a member of the firm's Equipment Finance Group. Adler most recently served as lead counsel for the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the official export credit agency of the United States. He provided legal advice to loan officers in the financing of large aircraft as well as complex project finance transactions and was also instrumental in the development of derivative products for use in a wide range of financing structures. Adler has significant expertise, both in the U.S. and abroad, in the areas of project and structured finance, as well as in the aviation and maritime sectors.

 

1980

Theodore 'Ted' Remley Jr. has been named an American Counseling Association Fellow for his extensive service and scholarship contributions to the counseling profession. One of the highest awards the ACA grants, fellows are members of professional distinction who have been recognized for significant and unique contributions in professional practice, scientific achievement and governance, or teaching and training, and have made important contributions to the counseling profession. Remley is an education professor at Old Dominion University.

1981

Col. Wendy L. Kelly was the subject of a two-part series in the Philadelphia Inquirer during December 2007. The newspaper examined her transition from federal prosecutor in Philadelphia to the Army’s “executive producer” of America's forthcoming terrorism trials against 80 detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Kelly’s formal title is director of operations of the Office of Military Commissions. She is charged with supervising a process that includes drafting terrorism-trial rules, reviewing proposed formal charges against detainees, and construction of a state-of-the-art courthouse.

 

Joseph A. LaSala Jr. has been named senior executive vice president, general counsel and secretary for Discovery Communications, the world’s largest nonfiction media company. Based in the company’s Silver Spring, Md. headquarters, LaSala will report to President and CEO David Zaslav. LaSala joins Discovery from Novell, Inc. In his new position, LaSala will be responsible for the legal affairs of the company and will serve as the principal legal advisor to the company’s management team and board of directors. Discovery Communications’ 100-plus worldwide networks are led by the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and The Science Channel. The company reaches more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 170 countries.

 

Barbara Renk Merlie recently joined Friedman Schuman Applebaum Nemeroff & McCaffery, P.C., of Elkins Park, PA, where she specializes in municipal law, land use, and zoning. She is married to Alfred J Merlie, 1981.

 

Paul H. Sighinolfi was appointed by the Maine Supreme Court to chair the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar. The appointment was made in November 2007. Sighinolfi practices with Rudman & Winchell Law Offices in Bangor.

 

1982

John C. Livengood has joined PinnacleOne as associate vice president of construction claims services in Washington, D.C. An architect and an attorney,  Livengood has experience on a variety of projects including office buildings, stadiums, educational institutions, hospitals, wastewater treatment plants, power plants, industrial facilities, correctional facilities, roadways and bridges, military bases, air and rail facilities, warehouses, microwave communication facilities, and high-rise apartment buildings.

 

Michael T. Missal was the court-approved examiner and author of the final report in the bankruptcy proceedings of sub-prime loan specialist New Century Financial Corp, one of the nation’s largest lenders. Missal, a partner at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP, was appointed by the Justice Department in 2007 to begin an eight month investigation into New Century’s accounting and financial reporting practices, loan origination operations, audit committee and internal audit department, and system of internal controls. The Final Report also identified possible causes of action that may be available to the New Century estates. A former senior counsel for the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, Missal has also served as lead counsel to the examiner in the WorldCom bankruptcy proceedings.

 

1984

John S. Brunette was appointed as the new chief legal and administrative officer for Bethesda, Md–based Iridium Satellite. Brunette oversees all of Iridium's legal and administrative affairs. Working closely with the board of directors and its committees, he serves as a key member of the executive leadership team, and provides a broad-based business and legal perspective on a wide range of strategic, tactical, operational and administrative matters including corporate law, securities, tax law and finance matters, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, international operations, insurance,   advertising, litigation, governmental affairs, human resources and capital programs.

 

Wayne R. Walker has been appointed to serve as an independent director on the board of directors for the Roo Group, a New York City-based advisor to businesses that desire to leverage their digital media assets. Walker is the managing partner of Philadelphia-based Walker Nell Associates. He has more than 20 years of experience in corporate law and corporate restructuring. Prior to establishing Walker Nell, Walker was the principal of Parente Randolph, LLC, an accounting and consulting firm in Philadelphia. He previously served as senior counsel of DuPont Corporation and as former chairman of global charity for Habitat for Humanity.

 

1985

William J. Andrle Jr. is vice president of wireless alliances and spectrum strategy at 

Northrop Grumman Information Technology in Chantilly, Va.

 

   Thomas C. Cardaro has been named president-elect nominee of the Maryland State Bar Association. He will run for election in June, 2008 and is slated to be president in 2009-2010. Cardaro is a partner in the Baltimore City law firm of Cardaro & Peek, LLC. Cardaro

Richard A. O'Connor was named to Connecticut Super Lawyers in 2008 and 2007. Published in all 50 states, Super Lawyers magazine names attorneys in each state who received the highest point totals as chosen by their peers. O’Connor is a co-founder of Sachner & O'Connor of Middlebury, Conn. He was recognized for his work in medical malpractice defense. O’Connor was also recognized by Super Lawyers magazine in 2004-2006 in the New York and New England districts. He and his wife, Beth, are the parents of three children.

Gregory F. Ugalde is president of the T&M Building Company and also serves as a representative in the Connecticut legislature. His oldest daughter, Kathleen, is slated to graduate from Fairfield University in 2009.

 

1986

Richard C. DesLauriers has been appointed to the position of deputy assistant director of the counterintelligence division for the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he is responsible for all counterintelligence operations conducted by the FBI. DesLauriers is stationed at the bureau’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

 

1987

Cherie R. Kiser has joined the Washington, D.C. office of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP as a partner, it was announced in April. She will be managing Cahill’s D.C. office. Kiser has been at the forefront of the expansion of new entrants into the voice and data communications markets since 1990, and has assisted large communications companies in all aspects of their telecommunications and broadband strategies including the provision of general advice and representation before the FCC and state regulatory agencies. Earlier in her career, Kiser was a senior regulatory attorney for Sprint Communications Company.

 

1988

Paul T. Ryan has joined the Atlanta office of Thompson Hine LLP as of counsel in the firm’s employee benefits and executive compensation practice group. Prior to joining Thompson Hine, Ryan was a partner with Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC. His practice will focus on the design, administration and termination of tax-qualified plans and trusts; analysis of benefit issues and liabilities in connection with corporate mergers and acquisitions; and welfare benefit plan and flexible benefit plan implementation, administration and documentation.

 

Robert A. Sanders was promoted to Captain with the Judge Advocate General Corps of the United States Navy, at a ceremony held April 11, 2008. A former Navy weapons system program contractor, Sanders held defense industry engineering positions working on missile/weapons systems, submarine propulsion systems, and a tactical radio program. After commissioning as a JAG Corps officer, he has served as a legislative counsel in the Navy’s Office of Legislative Affairs and with the Defense Institute for International Legal Studies, which trained visiting Azerbaijan and Nigerian military officers, among many other positions. In addition to his J.D. degree, Sander holds four other Masters degrees. He has numerous service medals and is the father of four children.

 

Christopher R. Walsh was recently named a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Trial lawyers who have demonstrated excellence in advocacy by achieving a trial verdict of $1 million or more are eligible for membership. Walsh is also listed as a Leading American Attorney in the fields of personal injury law and employment law. Walsh and his wife, Nadja Baader, proudly announce the birth of their daughter, Tara Christina, who was born on June 14, 2007.  

 

1989

Lisa Scimeca St. Pierre has been promoted to associate regional director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. She is based in the regional office in Philadelphia. The agency’s mission is to protect the integrity of private sector pensions, health plans and other employee benefits.

 

Kimberly Hubbard Walton was appointed assistant administrator for the office of the special counselor for the Transportation Security Administration, it was announced in December 2007. The office oversees the offices of civil rights and liberties, ombudsman, privacy policy and compliance, Freedom of Information Act, sensitive security information and others. Prior to her role as the deputy special counselor, Walton was the ombudsman for TSA, addressing employee concerns and serving as the central point of contact for all inquiries and complaints from the traveling public.

 

1990

Vittorio N. Muzzatti is the owner of Confidence Title & Escrow, Inc., which opened in January 2006 and is located in Gaithersburg, Md. The company specializes in real estate settlements throughout the D.C. area. It conducts closings in Spanish and English, which has allowed Muzzatti the opportunity to help scores of people to purchase or refinance their home. He and his wife, Lilly, have two girls and a dog named Butterscotch.

 

Mark J. Powell has been awarded the coveted Certification in Criminal Law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy. The designation, coupled with the NBTA Civil Certification he received in August 2006, places him in the very select group of highly specialized attorneys nationwide who have earned dual certifications from the group. The NBTA is accredited by the American Bar Association to certify lawyers in the specialty areas of civil, criminal and family trial advocacy. Powell, a senior partner at Scranton’s historic Powell Law firm, has also been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer by Philadelphia magazine and Pennsylvania Law and Politics. He and his wife, Donna are the parents of four children.

 

Virginia M. Sullivan lives in central New Jersey with her husband and two children. She works as claims counsel for Axis Insurance Services. 

     

                

Mitchell "Mitch" B. Waldman has been named director of acquisition policy for the Northrop Grumman Corporation. In his new position, Waldman will be responsible for coordinating the company's efforts related to pending and upcoming acquisition regulations and policy at the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies, internal coordination of Congressional activities related to acquisition policy and reform, and representing the company at numerous acquisition and related professional associations. Before joining Northrop Grumman, Waldman served as national security advisor to former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.). Waldman has won the U.S. Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Secretary of Defense General Counsel Outstanding Performance Award and the D.C. City Council of Engineering Societies Architect of the Year award.

1991
Adam M. Mycyk left Chadbourne & Parke in August 2007 to join CMS Cameron McKenna, a large British firm, as a partner in its new Kyiv, Ukraine office.

 

1992

Craig V. Burnett was named vice president of Acacia Research Corporation in January 2008. Burnett joins the technology licensing firm from Discovision Associates, a patent licensing company wholly owned by Pioneer Corporation. Having been with Discovision since 1993, Burnett was involved in licensing its optical disc technology to companies located in Japan and Korea. Prior to Pioneer Corporation, he was an attorney with Arnold, White & Durkee and held engineering and marketing positions with Hewlett-Packard, Silvar-Lisco, Texas Instruments, and Harris Corporation.

 

    A.B. Cruz III, executive vice president and general counsel for The E.W. Scripps Co, was the subject of a March 26, 2008 profile in In-House Counsel, an online magazine from Law.com. The Scripps Company today employs approximately 9,000 people, and most recently reported $353.2 million in net income.

 

William Gildea III has been hired as vice president of business development for Interactive Intelligence, an Indianapolis-based global provider of unified IP business communications solutions. He is responsible for evaluating acquisition opportunities and for developing new partnerships designed to increase the company's revenue and growth. Gildea has 15 years of combined experience as a financial analyst and attorney specializing in the communications industry.

 

1993

Michael C. DiLorenzo has joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he practices in the national security section of the criminal division. DiLorenzo joins the office from the narcotic and dangerous drug section of the criminal division of the Justice Department.

 

1994

Christopher R. Concannon has been elected as a new director to the board of the NASDAQ Exchange. He is currently the executive vice president of transaction services for the NASDAQ stock market, where he is responsible for the management and operation of NASDAQ's transaction services business.

 

Kathy L. Cooper has joined Sullivan & Worcester to start the firm’s new telecommunications practice in Washington, D.C. She was previously a partner at Swindler Berlin Shereff Friedman.

 

Charles Johnson IV has been promoted to partner in Akin Gump Hauer & Feld’s Washington office, where he practices in the firm’s public law and policy group.

 

Eileen Lynch O'Hara has joined Malverne Realty Company as an associate broker after taking a sabbatical from the practice of law as deputy borough chief in the family court division of the New York Law Department, where she was a prosecutor for more than seven years. O’Hara resides in Malverne, N.Y., with her husband, Tom, and children, Patrick (8), Brendan (6), Aidan (4) and Keely Rose (2).

 

Charles F. Walters was named a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Seyfarth Shaw. He represents and counsels employers from many different industries on the full range of employment and labor law matters. Walter’s traditional labor law work includes arbitrations; collective bargaining; NLRB and court litigation; assisting employers in connection with strikes, picketing, hand-billing and other economic weapons; counseling on subcontracting, work relocations, permanent and temporary closings, and other management decisions; and assisting employers with organizing and decertification campaigns. Walters also regularly acts as lead counsel in employment cases before federal and state courts and administrative agencies and has tried cases before juries and arbitrators.

 

1995

John W. DiNicola and his wife, Brigette, are the proud parents of Ryan Parke, born on April 18, 2006, and Marin Fiona Grace, born on Nov. 1, 2007.

 

 

Sheryl D. Hanley has been elevated to counsel with the global law firm Edwards Angell Palmer and Dodge. She is a member of the litigation department and practices in the firm’s Providence, RI office.  Hanley exclusively represents management in labor and employment matters, including Department of Labor investigations, proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, labor arbitrations, and collective bargaining. She also represents employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state human rights agencies to defend against discrimination claims. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gregory P. Hilton has opened a new law practice in Gardez, Afghanistan. He was recalled to active duty with the U.S. Navy in Nov., 2007. Hilton mentors senior officers in the Afghan National Army. He expects to return to the U.S. in Nov., 2008.

 

1996

Laura R. Biddle joined the financial services group in Alston & Bird’s Washington D.C. office as of counsel. She was previously an associate at Thacher Proffitt & Wood.

 

Kevin I. Goldberg is president-elect of the Maryland Trial Lawyer's Association. Goldberg practices with Goldberg, Finnegan & Mester, LLC, in Silver Spring, Md.

 

Rita C. O'Brien was promoted to administrative judge at the Defense Legal Services Agency, Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals. The office is a part of the Department of Defense. Her promotion was effective March 3, 2008.

 

1997

Michael C. Dell'Angelo was named as a shareholder in the law firm of Berger & Montague, P.C., in Philadelphia, where his practice concentrates on antitrust, securities and complex commercial litigation. Dell'Angelo was also named by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine as a “Rising Star,” an honor conferred on the top 2.5 percent of attorneys in the state who are age 40 or younger.

 

Matthew E. Haggerty has been named chief executive officer of Times-Shamrock Communications, a nationwide media organization based in Scranton, Pa., which now owns 42 print properties, 17 radio stations and a distribution company. Haggerty had been general manager of Times-Shamrock Interactive Media since December 2006. A former law clerk, private firm associate and assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Haggerty left the practice of law five years ago to join Times-Shamrock Communications.  

                                

                    

Commander Sean P. Henseler (U.S. Navy JAG Corps) and Major Eugene Y. Kim (U.S. Army JAG Corps) are both currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Henseler is assigned to Multi-National Forces Iraq, while Kim is assigned to Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq.  Henseler and Kim are scheduled to redeploy from Iraq in the early summer of 2008; Henseler will be returning to his home station at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island, while Kim will be proceeding to the Office of the Judge Advocate for U.S. Forces Korea in Seoul, Korea.

Mandinema 'Mondi' Kumbula-Fraser and her husband, Andre, welcomed a son named Farai Anesu Fraser in July 2007. He joins his older brother, Sekayi Anesu Fraser, born in July 2005.

 

  

   

       Todd E. Lehder has been named counsel with Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A., of Woodbridge, N.J.  Lehder joined the firm in 2000 and concentrates his practice in commercial real estate transactions, real estate finance, construction law and commercial leasing.  He is a member of the firm’s commercial real estate team and part of its redevelopment strategic business unit.


 

Nicole Duca Sullivan has expanded her practice and now employs four full-time attorneys. Homan & Sullivan, P.C., of Westborough, Mass., specializes in worker's compensation, SSDI and civil litigation. She and her husband, Todd, are the proud parents of a daughter, Regan, born on Nov. 23, 2006. Regan joins twin brothers, Cameron and Luke, who turned 5 on Feb. 22, 2008. 

 

Armand J. Zottola III has been elected to partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Venable. He practices with the business transactions group. Zottola was previously an associate with the firm.

 

1998

 Michelle J. Dickinson has been promoted to partner in DLA Piper’s Baltimore office. She practices in the litigation group. Dickinson has extensive experience representing clients in commercial and product liability matters. She has litigated matters involving breach of warranty, fraud, construction defect and consumer protection claims; mortgage lending laws; securities class actions; restrictive covenants in employment agreements; challenges to wills and guardianship; wrongful death claims; and sexual harassment claims. 

         

 

 Alexandra C. Gaugler, a senior associate at the Philadelphia law firm of Miller, Alfano and Raspanti, P.C., has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Board of Directors. The organization has a membership of nearly 800 private criminal defense practitioners and public defenders. Gaugler will serve on its continuing legal education committee, which plans and implements criminal law CLE’s throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

 

 

Matthew A. Martel has been admitted to the partnership of the global law firm of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge. Martel is a member of the firm’s litigation department and practices in the firm’s Boston office. He focuses his practice in the area of business litigation. Martell represents both publicly and privately held companies in a variety of matters, including securities class actions, shareholder derivative claims, and litigation arising from mergers and acquisitions, and other shareholder and partnership disputes. 

William J. Meyer accepted the position of vice president and general counsel with Shambaugh and Son, the third-largest specialty contractor company in the U.S. and a subsidiary of EMCOR, a Fortune 500 company. His new position in based in Ft. Wayne, Ind., where the family has relocated. Meyer and his wife, Michelle, recently celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary. They are the parents of twin daughters, Morgan and Kiera, 5, and John Paul, 2.

 

Paul Rivard was promoted to senior partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Banner and Witcoff, an intellectual property boutique firm. Rivard is with the firm’s patent preparation and prosecution practice.

 

1999

Kymberly Hankinson Hernandez serves as employment counsel for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP in Wilmington, DE.

Jennifer H. Pincus has been named as a shareholder and director of Perkins Thompson, P.A. in Portland, Maine, as of Jan. 1, 2008. Pincus and her husband, Josh Silver, are also happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Emma.

 

Kristine Maciolek Small and her husband, Kevin, are the proud parents of Gavin Joseph Small, born January 8, 2008.  Maciolek Small is currently a practicing in-house attorney for Toll Brothers, Inc., a residential homebuilder.

 

2000

Elizabeth M. Burke has been elected partner at the Washington, D.C., office of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.

 

Joseph L. Felber has been appointed in-house patent counsel at SanDisk Corporation, Kfar Saba, Israel.

 

D. Randall Gilmer has been elected president of the Michigan lawyers chapter of the Federalist Society for 2008. Gilmer also has recently been appointed to the board of directors of the Dr. Charles Drew Academy, a public charter school located in Ecorse, Mich. Gilmer continues to work at Kupelian Ormond & Magy, P.C., in Southfield, MI, focusing on police liability defense. 

 

Francis J. “Tripper” Ortman III was named a partner in the labor and employment department of Seyfarth Shaw. He practices in the firm’s San Francisco office. Ortman represents and counsels both public and private sector employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. His experience includes the defense of major wage and hour, discrimination and unfair competition class actions, as well as the defense of employers in a variety of claims arising out of alleged violations of the California Labor Code and the FLSA.

 

2001

Heather Frederick Himes has relocated to Orlando, Florida and is practicing in the real estate section of the firm of Akerman Senterfitt.  Her practice focuses on land use and zoning and green development. Himes and her husband, Mike, welcomed a second daughter to the family, and are now the parents of Riley and Alina.

 

Timothy I. Kelsey was named partner with the Charlottesville, Va., law firm of  Boyle, Bain, Reback & Slayton effective Jan. 2, 2008. He specializes in real estate, estate planning, corporate law, zoning and conservation easements. 

 

Capt. Richard 'Rich' O'Brien is currently serving as an Air Force Judge Advocate. He is employed as a litigation attorney at the labor law field support center in Arlington, Va. O’Brien was deployed to Baghdad as a detainee operations attorney during the first half of 2007. He is married with an 18-month-old son and a second child on the way.

 

Dana  J. Thompson was hired as director of federal relations to Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley in April 2007. Thompson and his wife, Shera, gave birth to a son, Chace Arthur, on Jan. 5, 2008, in Washington, D.C.

 

2002

Hugo J. Alfaro was selected in November 2007 to the District of Columbia Superior Court criminal justice act panel as a provisional member of the United States Panel.

 

Ryan M. F. Baron and Christy Marie Lopez, 2002, are the parents of Maxton Michael Baron, born Oct. 12, 2007. The couple was married in October 2007.  Baron is a deputy in the county counsel's office in his native Orange County where he practices in the areas of land use and communications law. Lopez is an associate with the city attorney law firm of Aleshire & Wynder, LLP where she represents cities in the areas of public law, labor and employment, and communications law.

 

Myles J. Edwards joined Access International Advisors LLC, a New York City-based $4 billion hedge fund in April 2007. He is general counsel and chief compliance officer. Edwards oversees legal and compliance activities in the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Guernsey. He monitors the activities of related entities in the Bahamas and London. Edwards is regarded as a noted expert and speaker on international alternative investment regulatory schemes.  

2003
Gary W. Desper was appointed in February 2008 by Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler as an assistant attorney general. Desper provides legal counsel and representation in the areas of real estate, personnel and procurement law to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development in Crownsville, Md. Desper and his wife, Chantal, are pleased to announce the birth of their second child, Garrison Kent Desper, born July 24, 2007, in Columbia, Md.  Big sister Sylvia, age 4, happily welcomed the arrival of her little brother.

Conrad J. DeWitte has joined the civil division of the United States Justice Department as a trial attorney in the intellectual property section. Previously, he was an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Baker & Hostetler, LLP and specialized in intellectual property law.

 

Meryle Freiberg Dunlap and Ted Dunlap are the proud parents of Kaylie Isabel Dunlap, who was born on St. Patrick’s Day, 2008.  Meryle continues to work at the law firm of McNamee Hosea as a litigation associate. 

 

Grayson and Chiarra-May Stratton have recently welcomed their second child, Mac. Their daughter, Jorja, is approaching her 2nd birthday. Gray also recently left the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's division of enforcement to join the litigation group at DLA Piper LLP in Washington, D.C. 

 

Devin M. Swaney has joined the New York City office of Winston & Strawn LLP as a capital markets attorney. Swaney is a certificate graduate of CUA’s Securities Law Program and began his career with the National Association of Securities Dealers.

 

Thomas Vecchio has been named among the “Pennsylvania Rising Stars” as voted by his peers and facilitated by Law & Politics and Philadelphia Magazine. Vecchio is an associate with the Philadelphia firm of Dilworth Paxson and concentrates his practice on complex civil litigation, First Amendment issues and insurance coverage disputes. 

 

2004

Lisa Lee Boemmel married her husband, Chris, on Nov. 21, 2007 in Las Vegas. Boemmel works in the assistant attorney general’s office for the state of Florida.

 

Brenna Steinert Lenchak and her husband, Emil Lenchak, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Charlize Emma, on March 26, 2008. 

 

Petula Alston Metzler was elected to a four-year term on the board of directors of the Prince William County, Virginia, Bar Association in January, 2008.

 

Sheila M. Power is currently a realtor with Coldwell Banker, working in partnership with her husband, Larry Chartienitz.

 

Cory L. Zajdel is an associate with the Towson, Md., firm of Quinn, Gordon & Wolff, Chtd., where he represents consumers in class action litigation in federal district and appellate courts across the country, as well as in Maryland state court. Zajdel co-authored briefs in three recently published opinions: Health v. Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Woods v. Stewart Title Insurance Company, and Benway v. Resource Real Estate Services. He also was co-author of an amicus brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals which was signed by a coalition of civil rights groups, that supported the recovery of a reasonable attorney fee under a shifting statute for appealing an adverse trial court proceeding.

 

2005

Alicia Ray Cobb and her husband, Gary, welcomed their daughter, Raya Lynn, on June 28, 2007. The family resides in Quantico, Va.

 

Jennifer Langlois Crawford married Todd Crawford on May 5, 2007. The couple resides in Wynnewood, Pa.

 

Dana R. Davis began as assistant public defender with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in Prince Georges County in of November, 2007.

 

Nicole D. DeCostello and Peter C. Cole were married on December 1, 2007 at The Grand Summit Hotel in Summit, New Jersey. Other 2005 CUA graduates in attendance were Jared Greenstein, Aaron Lee, Grace Chan, Melissa D’Ambrose, Mandi Werner, Machalagh Proffit-Higgins and Brendan Carr. The couple spent three weeks honeymooning in Thailand and now reside in Glen Ridge, N.J.  Cole is an investigating attorney with the New Jersey Bureau of Securities. De Costello is an associate with the law firm of Carroll, McNulty & Kull, L.L.C.

 

Marina Mogil Kozmycz was promoted to captain, United States Air Force, in April 2007. She married David Kozmycz on Dec. 17, 2007.

 

Stephen J. O'Connor has joined the Austin, Texas, office of Tindall & Foster, P.C., where he specializes in immigration law. He is married to Yingying Zhang-O'Connor.

 

Johanna Liparini Oliver married Jason Oliver on September 8, 2007. Her husband works for the U.S. Secret Service. Oliver began a new job with the Hatch Act Unit of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in March, 2008. The couple resides in Washington, D.C.

 

Jessica Aspinwall Springsteen and her husband, George, welcomed their second child, George Aspinwall Springsteen, on Nov. 9, 2007.  They also have an 18-month-old son named Lucas.  

 

2006

Deanna M. Hackworth began as an associate in the Rockville, Md., office of Wolpoff & Abramson, L.L.P. in November 2007, focusing on the firm's consumer collection and consumer litigation practice areas. She became engaged on Dec. 21, 2007, to Angel Rodriguez of Alexandria, Va. 

 

Michael D. Magidson began as an associate in the corporate group of the Tampa, Fla., office of Broad and Cassel in March 2007. He married Ashley Buchanan on May 19, 2007, in Clearwater, Fla.  

 

Cecilia Jardon McGregor has joined Social Security Administration's National Hearing Center as an attorney-advisor.

 

Maia C. Miller is among 12 new assistant U.S. attorneys who have joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Miller has been assigned to the domestic violence misdemeanor unit. She was previously a clerk for Judge Randy Bellows in the Fairfax County Circuit Court, Va.

 

John L. Schlageter was appointed general counsel with the Archdiocese for the Military Services in September 2007. The Archdiocese for the Military Services USA spans the globe in its ministry to active duty military and their families. All pastoral needs and concerns are responded to by the staff of the Archdiocesan offices, located in Washington, D.C.

 

Rebecca N. Schwartz is engaged to Jeff Hanscom. Schwartz is a manager with the regulatory and government affairs office of the Telecommunications Industry Association.

 

Emily C. Scruggs is among 12 new assistant U.S. attorneys who have joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Scruggs has been assigned to the misdemeanor section. She was previously a clerk for Judge John Fisher of the D.C. Court of Appeals.

 

Sean Thompson married Jill Laurendeau of Hooksett, New Hampshire, in November, 2007.

 

Jori Frahler Tulkki moved to San Diego, Calif., in August 2007 to accept a job with Gen-Probe Incorporated, a molecular diagnostic company. Tulkki is the associate director for government and corporate affairs, and lobbies on issues pertaining to federal, state and local matters that affect the company. She married Mark Tulkki in July 2007.

 

2007

Danielle M. Benoit has accepted a position as an associate in the telecommunications practice group at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice in Washington, D.C.

 

Alexis E. Buckhannon has accepted a new position as an attorney in the office of the chief counsel at the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

 

 

     Anna Rallis Kouba has joined Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., as an associate in the real estate  group.

 

Lt. Katie A. Moulthrop was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base on Oahu, Hawaii, in November 2007. She is currently the chief of administrative law. She became engaged in December 2007 and will wed in Oklahoma City in September 2008.

 

 

 

In Memoriam

1938

Edward A. Dent Jr. passed away on March 6, 2008 at his home in Washington, D. C. Married to Elizabeth Cox for over 69 years, he is survived by six children, 19 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

 

1941

John Edward "Jack" Ritzert, 89, a Defense Department division chief, died of congestive heart failure Feb. 4, at his home in Lewes, Del. He was a longtime resident of Fairfax City and Lewes. Born in Dayton, Ohio, his family moved to Washington in the late 1920s. Mr. Ritzert's career with the federal government began in 1943, when he joined the Office of Strategic Services. He remained with its successor, the Central Intelligence Agency, until 1961, when he began working for the Air Force. During this time, he played a key role in the review of government security policies that were critical in the establishment of commercial flights between the United States and the Soviet Union. Mr. Ritzert received the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Medal from Secretary of Defense Harold Brown. He retired in 1980, but continued to work with the Department of Defense until 1985. He had a lifelong love of traveling, fishing, boating, music and good food and was a voracious reader. Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Mary Elizabeth Cleary "Betty" Ritzert of Fairfax City and Lewes, five children and six grandchildren.

 

1973

George Didden III died on Dec. 21, 2007, at his home in Chevy Chase, Md., from complications due to sepsis. He was 62. On the day before his death, Mr. Didden and his wife, Kathryn, celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary. For more than four decades, Didden worked with his father, George Jr., and three brothers at the D.C.-based National Capital Bank of Washington, one of the oldest financial institutions in the area. An attorney and banker, Mr. Didden succeeded his father as chairman and chief executive officer of the bank in 1995 and held those positions until his death. Throughout his career, Mr. Didden served on the boards of numerous industry groups and other business and civic organizations. He was president of the District of Columbia Bankers Association from 1983 to 1984. He later was on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

 

1988

Robert A. Spar, 44, died on April 15, 2008 after battling gastrointestinal cancer. A partner in the Baltimore office of Philadelphia-based Saul Ewing LLP, Spar was well known for his work in the technology community. Spar helped found the Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards in 2000, and co-chaired the transactions and strategic alliances team of Saul Ewing's life science practice. Spar's legal expertise ranged from transactional work like mergers and acquisitions to federal, state and local taxation. His community work included serving on the boards of directors for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Research Park and the Greater Baltimore Technology Council. Spar is survived by his wife, Anne, and three daughters: Jennifer, 6; Nicole, 4; and Lindsey, 2.