Alumni Class Notes

  • Felise Agranoff ’04, Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, is a Portfolio Manager of JPMorgan Active Growth ETF, an actively managed style pure-growth ETF launched earlier this month that seeks to outperform the Russell 1000 Growth Index. An employee of J.P. Morgan Asset Management since 2004, Agranoff is a Portfolio Manager for the J.P. Morgan Growth Advantage, Mid Cap Growth, and Mid Cap Equity Strategies. As a research analyst for the growth team, Agranoff has covered industrials, financials, and business services. She is a member of CFA Institute and a CFA charterholder. Agranoff is an industry-recognized portfolio manager, having been named to Citywire’s “Top Female Portfolio Managers in the U.S.” in 2014, and is a member of Citywire’s Amplify “Equities Elite,” a list of 421 top fund managers in the asset management industry.

  • Tara Z. Fisher ’98 (M.S. in Accounting ’99), a Lecturer at American Unviersity, is the author of the book Virginia is for Adventurers, in which a group of friends competes in a scavenger hunt across the Commonwealth. Fisher, who lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and three children, was inspired to share her love of Virginia with readers after traveling to nearly every corner of the state on an outdoor scavenger hunt for LOVE signs. Learn more about the book and the scavenger hunt for readers.

  • David Scott Thompson ’01 has announced that he is joining forces with Doug Rohan, another workers’ compensation attorney in Atlanta, to provide more resources to better serve their clients. Thompson, who has been in Atlanta since enrolling at Emory University School in 2001, will also be helping with marketing.

  • Christopher S. Lee ’05 published his first novel, Between the Shimmer & the Blinding, which debuted at #1 in Genetics on Amazon. A multigenerational family drama, the book centers on a young couple grappling with the decision of editing their embryos to reduce disease risks, inviting readers to probe the meaning of parenthood and legacy in our era of profound biotechnological change.

  • Austin Randolph Palmore (A&S ’15, M.S. in Commerce ’16) graduated in May with a Juris Doctor degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law. After sitting for the July 2022 Virginia Bar Examination, he will begin a one-year clerkship for the Honorable Judges of the Henrico County Circuit Court in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit of Virginia, followed by a two-year clerkship for the Honorable Randolph A. Beales, Judge of the Virginia Court of Appeals in Richmond.

  • Phillip Weinstein (M.S. in Commerce ’17) was named one of Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 professional and philanthropic leaders for 2022 by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, as selected by a committee of business leaders, philanthropic influencers, and young professionals across Middle Tennessee.

  • Kevin Wong ’13, Co-Founder of Lunar, is pleased to announce that their product, a modern hard seltzer that is perfectly blended “in a delicious, harmonious way” with Asian flavors that the founders love, is now available at Whole Foods Market in New York City. In December 2020, Wong says, he walked into his local Whole Foods in Brooklyn “with nothing but a dream, a few Lunar cans, and the passion to share our mission of amplifying Asian American culture and flavors,” and from there built and gathered excitement and passion from consumers and store managers alike in their market. “From homebrewing in my studio apartment three years ago, to Whole Foods naming Yuzu as a top food trend of 2022, to seeing our cans on the shelf at our dream retailer, this is such a surreal moment,” Wong adds.

  • Anna Peck ’13 is Founder and CEO at Chia Smash, which is now available in all Whole Foods Markets across the Northeast, Mid Atlantic, Midwest, and Florida. “In mid-2020, we launched in a single Whole Foods in Manhattan; we spent every week there, getting to know the team, demoing, and keeping the shelves stocked and looking good,” she says. “Over time, we went from one store to three, then to five, and now two years later to over 200.”

  • Paola A. Castillo ’13 and Matthew T. Gregus ’13 (M.S. in Accounting ’14) celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary on May 21, 2022. They were married at St. Dominic Catholic Church in Washington, DC. The couple will be moving to Tampa, FL, with their one-year-old pug, Gnocchi, and continue to work for the federal Risk and Financial Advisory practice of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

  • Jeannette Lichner ’79 (M.S. in Accounting ’80), Non Executive Director at Financial Conduct Authority, was the first interviewee for the “Women Shaping the Future of Finance” series, hosted by Martina Garcia of the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation, a London-based think tank and charity. The fast-paced interview covered a wide variety of topics, including regulation, cryptos, and leadership.

  • Nancy Twine ’07, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Briogeo, is pleased to announce that Wella Company, a global leader in the $100 billion beauty industry, has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Briogeo, one of the fastest-growing hair care brands in the world and one of the largest independent Black-owned brands in the United States. Under Twine’s leadership, Briogeo has revolutionized clean and natural hair care, offering effective products and solutions for every hair type, hair texture, hair need, ethnicity, background, and person. Briogeo has grown quickly since its inception and is an award-winning company, having earned the Allure Best of Beauty Award every year since 2018. Twine is recognized as one of the foremost entrepreneurs of a beauty startup in the last decade and has been awarded Entrepreneur’s 100 Women of Impact in 2021, the Goldman Sachs Builders + Innovators Award in 2020, and the Cosmetic Executive Women Female Founder Award in 2019. Wella Company intends to support Briogeo and its strategy to excel at the forefront of sustainable beauty. Briogeo aligns with Wella Company’s deep commitment to building a company with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) embedded into its core. The addition of the Briogeo portfolio of prestige hair care complements Wella Company’s ambitions to deliver more diverse products for all hair types, while expanding clean and green products across its portfolio offerings. “The strength of Wella Company’s Research & Development, digital marketing and global operations, and their ability to reach 91 million hair and nail professionals and followers they serve and support will take our Briogeo brand to the next level,” Twine said. “This is a significant strategic partnership for both sides, and one that is compatible in ambition, philosophy, and culture. In Wella Company we have a committed partner to help our business and our employees reach the next level of growth.  We’re excited to accelerate our expansion and innovation, globally delighting more people in more geographies and through broader delivery channels.”

  • Yi-Xian Ng ’09, Group CEO of EtonHouse, was featured in an April 24 Straits Times article titled “Lunch with Sumiko: It’s a Family Affair at EtonHouse Group of Schools as Son Helps Mum to Oversee Business.” The article introduces him and his mother, Ng Gim Choo, Founder of the EtonHouse group of 120 schools in 11 countries.

  • Sami Siddiqui ’07, President, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen at Restaurant Brands International, was featured in the May 2022 cover story of QSR magazine in a leadership profile titled “One for the Record Books.”

  • Omar Garriott ’02, Global Industry Lead (SVP/GM), Education at Qualtrics, is the co-author of Linked. In the book, he shares advice on effectively using LinkedIn to find your dream job, and recently appeared on WGN-TV to talk LinkedIn tips and tricks!

  • Daewoong Lee ’00, Senior Foreign Attorney at Kim & Chang, has been recognized in Who’s Who Legal 2022 as a national leader for Korea in the construction & real estate and energy sectors.

  • Sam Anderson (Armentrout) ’16 recently started a new position as Data Analyst at CodeSignal. She began her career as a Consultant at FTI, recently holding the position of Director.

  • Kyrsta Small Scully ’90 has been named Controller of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group in Yountville, CA, which runs the French Laundry, Bouchon, Ad Hoc, and other fine restaurants in multiple locations across the country. She supervises accounting and financial matters for all the restaurants and related companies. After a 25-year career in food and beverage at luxury hotels, she turned to the accounting side and earned her California CPA license in 2020 and her CMA in 2017.

  • John “Rut” Rutkowski III ’76 states that his design and Commerce years at UVA have guided him through five businesses and a long career.

  • Chris Stanley ’76 was recently named Professor Emeritus in the Department of Theology and Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure University in western New York. He retired from the university in 2021 after 22 years as a Professor at St. Bonaventure. Dr. Stanley has authored or edited seven academic books and two historical novels, together with dozens of professional articles and papers, in his 31 years in academia. He is looking forward to continuing his writing in retirement. He lives in Allegany, NY, but plans to move to Southern California in the next year.

  • Nicole Darden Ford (M.S. in MIT ’07) joined Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, as Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, on March 21, 2022.

    Darden Ford joins Rockwell from Carrier, where she was Global Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, overseeing global Information Security, Compliance, and Product (IoT) Cybersecurity through the company’s spin-off from parent company United Technologies Corporation. Prior to Carrier, she was Global Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer for Baxter International, where she had global responsibility for Information Security, Information Governance and IT Quality Compliance. Darden Ford began her career in the U.S. military and federal government, including for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, handling security, network engineering, and telecommunications.

    “I am excited about the energy, perspective, and expertise Nicole brings to this critical area and look forward to her contributions in executing our growth, digital transformation, and cybersecurity strategies,” said Chris Nardecchia, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Rockwell Automation. “With over 20 years in IT leadership, Nicole’s extensive knowledge and application experience in forensics, digital transformation, and homeland security practices is a valuable addition to our team.”

    Darden Ford is also passionate about building and growing teams, fostering culture, and focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion. She currently serves on the boards of IT-ISAC, South Florida Tech Hub, and the Lola Mercedes Parker Foundation. She will remain located in Jupiter, FL.

  • Cheryl Kong ’09 and her husband, Jeff, welcomed their first child, Emma, born September 2021. The family lives in New York City, where Cheryl works in real estate investment banking at Morgan Stanley and Jeff works in infrastructure private equity.