Alumni Class Notes

  • Michael Ullman ’84 published Household Deformation: The Rise and Permanence of Modern Homelessness, which provides a comprehensive explanation of homelessness in the United States and challenges the current narrative around homelessness. The book explores the consequences of key societal norm changes, anti-family housing policy, and the federal government’s definition of homelessness. Ullman has worked in homeless services at the national, state, and local levels for more than 25 years.

  • Jessica Schrier ’09 PMP, PMI-ACP (M.S. in MIT ’17) is starting a new position as Audit & Assurance SC at Deloitte.

  • Brett Mencin (M.S. in MIT ’16), Chief Security Officer, Vice President of Enterprise Vetting & Analysis, moderated the Trusted Workforce 2.0 & Suitability panel at the ClearanceJobs Connect Conference, which took place Sept. 18-19.

  • Mary Owen ’00, Partner and Head of Strategy at The Cashmere Fund and Partner at Forma Capital, spoke at the ADISA Annual Conference and Trade Show Sept. 29 about alternative investments and The Cashmere Fund. The Cashmere Fund is a public interval fund venture capital fund, that invests in early-stage startups and growth-stage companies. Forma Capital is an early-stage venture capital fund focused on using influence to accelerate brand and company growth in sports, health, and wellness. Owen previously worked for her uncle, Ralph C. Wilson Jr., and his management company, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Enterprises from 1997 to 2014. A key member of his executive leadership team, Owen played a strategic and operational role with all of his business and philanthropic interests, including the Buffalo Bills. In addition to her team-level responsibilities, she was charged with representing Wilson at the league ownership level for 12 years, where she was appointed and served on the Super Bowl Advisory Committee, the International Committee, and served on the board of the NFL Foundation. Owen was honored in 2011 to be named a Game Changer by the Sports Business Journal. The inaugural class for this award for women in sports.

  • Jeffrey A. Marquis (M.S. in MIT ’21) and Lori Brown-Simmons (M.S. in Engineering) have launched Fractional Firm Advisors, which helps mid-sized law firms access Big Law-level financial and operational talent on a fractional or outsourced basis. The firm provides fractional and outsourced CFO, COO, and CHRO services designed to strengthen law firm profitability, operational resilience, and leadership capacity nationwide.

  • Will Sexauer ’19 was promoted to Senior Development Manager at Lawson. He leads the development team in sourcing development opportunities, feasibility and due diligence, conceptual design, and business development. Sexauer joined Lawson in 2021 and recently served as Acquisitions Manager, where he was instrumental in expanding the company’s footprint into key markets. His work has contributed significantly to Lawson’s pipeline of affordable housing developments throughout Virginia. In his new role, Sexauer continues to work closely with Lawson’s acquisitions, finance, design, and construction teams to help create quality affordable housing developments for Virginia families. Lawson manages and owns about 5,000 apartments and continues to grow, with 1,200 units under construction or development.

  • Anna Peck ’13, Founder and CEO at Smash Foods, is part of the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women North America Class of 2025, representing a group of “high-growth, woman-founded companies across the U.S. and Canada that span a variety of industries—from technology to professional services to health care.”

  • Dave Gardner ’05 has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Incyte, effective Sept. 22, 2025. In his new role, Mr. Gardner serves as a key member of the executive leadership team and be responsible for the company’s strategy and business development. With more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology investing and advising, Mr. Gardner most recently served as Partner on the Therapeutics Team at Rock Springs Capital Management, leading strategy across Oncology, Neurology, Immunology and Rare Diseases. Prior to that, Mr. Gardner spent a decade at BlackRock as Vice President and Equity Research Analyst, responsible for the Health Care sector.

  • Thomas Gayner ’83, CEO of Markel Group, sat down with Barron’s Andy Serwer to discuss Markel, its origin story, its holdings, and Berkshire’s succession plan as part of the “At Barron’s” interview series. The Aug. 22, 2025, interview is titled “This CEO Follows the Buffett Playbook. He’s Winning.”

  • Frank Kumpuris ’01 is an Executive in Residence with The Stephens Group, the private investment firm backed by the Witt Stephens and Elizabeth Campbell families. In this capacity, he will partner with Stephens Group’s investment team to identify and evaluate new opportunities, conduct due diligence, and support the growth and transformation of its portfolio companies. Mr. Kumpuris brings more than two decades of operating and strategic experience across technology-enabled services and financial services. Most recently, Mr. Kumpuris served as Chief Operating Officer for Insurance Platforms Global Operations and Head of the Policygenius Marketplace at Zinnia, where he managed the integration of Policygenius’s digital marketplace business after its 2023 acquisition. Before Zinnia, he led operations at Policygenius, where he scaled revenues, expanded into new product lines, and developed strategic partnerships with leading insurers and distributors. Earlier in his career, he oversaw city expansion and strategic partnerships for Alphabet’s Google Fiber business, and worked as a Consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York and London, advising global financial institutions on growth strategy, transformations, and M&A. He lives in Little Rock, AR, with his wife and two children, and serves on the board of the CHI St. Vincent Foundation.

  • Austin Palmore (A&S ’15, M.S. in Commerce ’16) recently completed a two-year clerkship at the Court of Appeals of Virginia, where he was a Judicial Law Clerk to the Hon. Randolph A. Beales (Law ’86). Palmore is now a Litigation Associate with the broad-based civil practice law firm Christian & Barton LLP in Richmond, VA.

  • David Scott Thompson ’01 has joined the Atlanta, GA, office of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer P.A. as a Partner in its litigation section. He will continue to represent corporate clients in all aspects of complex litigation, including trucking, premises liability, and automobile accidents.

  • Jacob Peters ’17 led his health tech startup, Superpower, through a $30 million Series A fundraising process, receiving backing from world-class investors, including Forerunner Ventures. Superpower, dubbed the “world’s first health super app,” is on a mission to make it easy for people to take control of their health, giving members concierge access to hundreds of lab tests that are typically hard to obtain, along with an AI doctor to interpret the results and help them live longer, healthier lives. The company was recently featured in Forbes. Peters founded the company after nearly losing his life to healthcare failures, getting stuck with a $2 million hospital bill and losing half his stomach due to a misdiagnosis and preventable condition. Before founding Superpower, and after graduating from McIntire, he spent a year on Wall Street working at J.P. Morgan, started a venture capital fund called Launch House, and built another software startup, Commsor, which has raised $70 million to date.

  • Richard DeJarnette ’13 and Caroline Massie-DeJarnette (A&S ’13) welcomed their second child, Leon Henry, born March 1, 2025. Leon joins big brother, Hugh, and is the grandson of William Elliott DeJarnette (A&S ’73) and Barbara Jeanne DeJarnette (Education ’78, ’82). The family lives in Richmond, VA.

  • Emily Schade Lee ’16 and her husband, McNally Lee, joyfully announce the birth of their daughter, Meredith Lagler, born April 1, 2025.

  • Joe Iriarte ’09 (M.S. in Accounting ’10) and his wife, Kate, welcomed their first child, Charles Alexander, born a few days before Christmas 2024. The family lives with their pup, Alfie, in the South End of Boston.

  • Jim O’Neil ’88 has been hired by Britain’s finance ministry as Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, a position he started in July. One of Bank of America’s top bankers in the region as its Head of Corporate and Investment Banking in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), O’Neil first joined the bank in 1993 and has experience working in the public sector. Before re-joining the bank in 2013, he spent three years at the UK government body that managed taxpayer holdings in bailed-out banks.

  • Lisa Lawson ’91, President and CEO of The Annie E. Casey Foundation, is the author of Thrive: How the Science of the Adolescent Brain Helps Us Imagine a Better Future for All Children. In the book, to be released Sept. 16, Lawson explores this critical bridge between childhood and adulthood—and how families, communities, schools, nonprofits and employers can help ensure more young people make it across successfully.

  • Ajamu Kambon ’14, CEO and Co-Founder of Deep Root Tribe and Deep Root Records, received the inaugural Afro House Label Maverick Award on Aug. 12 at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. The 21st edition of HollyShorts celebrates House and Afro House music—genres integral to Deep Root Tribe’s artistic identity. This recognition underscores Kambon’s pivotal role in advancing these sounds globally.

  • Jennifer Henry ’05 has been elected Senior Vice President of The Coca-Cola Company. Henry, who recently joined Coca-Cola on July 7, will serve as Head of Strategy and Corporate Development—a critical position that plays a pivotal role in guiding the company’s long-term direction and growth initiatives. Henry began her career in finance, serving as a Leveraged Finance Analyst at Wachovia in 2005. After Wachovia’s acquisition by Wells Fargo, Henry transitioned to private equity, joining Pamlico Capital as an Associate in 2007. In 2009, she joined McKinsey & Company, where she steadily advanced through the ranks, ultimately being named Partner in 2018.

  • Gretchen Walsh ’25 was named the winner of the Honda Cup as the collegiate women’s athlete of the year. The 49th annual award was given in June at the Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards presented by Honda. The award is presented annually to the top athletes in 12 NCAA-sponsored sports. Those 12 are then candidates for an athlete of the year by a panel of more than 1,000 administrations for NCAA institutions.