Class Notes

Tina Cummings Frisse ’69 wrote a children’s book called The Nodders, a whimsical story about magical creatures who leave special treats for nappers while they snooze! A Nodder will peek in to see if a child is napping. If the child is asleep, a small treat will be tucked into her NapPouch for a surprise upon waking up. This rhyming naptime book for ages 2 to 5 encourages children to look forward to snuggling in their bed. Chrissie McClure ’71 is a contact tracer for the Metro Nashville Department of Health. She completed her training last July alongside Isabel Kennon ’15. Vernon Rose ’71 was chosen as one of Nashville Business Journal’s 2021 Women of Influence. The women on the list are female leaders making a difference in Music City. Vernon serves as the executive director of the Nashville General Hospital Foundation.

Vernon Rose Laura Parrish ’73 is now retired from her position as a librarian for the Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera at the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library in Delaware. As director of student media at West Virginia University, Adell Crowe ’74 received the 2020 Distinguished Adviser Award by the College Media Association, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to serving collegiate media advisers. The award is presented to a faculty member who has had five years or more college student media advising experience. Adell retired in November and moved back to Washington, D.C. The Tennessee Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates presented Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle ’75 the Judicial Excellence Award for her outstanding contributions toward Tennessee’s fair and impartial rulings, in addition to her leadership both in and outside the courtroom. Jeannette Charlet Goddard ’77 of ChefWorks and Lee Phillips Oakley ’79 of Oakley’s Southern Delights released a new book, Tried and True: A Celebration of Food and Friendship. The book includes recipes, both old and new, as a distillation of their life, knowledge, and experience. In March, Amy Grant Gill ’78 appeared on the TODAY show with Ellie Holcomb, performing “A Woman,” the debut single from the FAITHFUL: Go and Speak album. Ellie is the daughter of Amy’s Harpeth Hall classmate, Debbie Hogue Bannister ’78. The United Way of Westchester and Putnam in New York recognized Jeannette Warner ’78 with the 2021 Spirit of Caring Award. Frontline worker Col. Dr. Rachel Tidman Kaiser ’80 is an emergency medicine physician at Ascension Saint Thomas West and a colonel and emergency physician in the U.S. Army Reserve. She had the exciting experience of attending a reception at the White House for frontline personnel in December 2020.

Melissa Norton Carro ’81 wrote her first novel, Mt. Moriah’s Wake. She has over 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, including owning

her own business, Norton Carro Communications. She also writes a weekly blog, In the Middle, about life in the sandwich generation and is currently working on another novel, Bagels at Nine. Melissa is the manager of clinical placements at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Ellen Smith Simpson ’82 returned to Harpeth Hall this fall as a before and aftercare staff member.

Dr. Mary Laird Warner Stewart ’82 assumed the newly created associate chief medical officer position at Swedish Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. In her new role, she will partner with the chief medical officer to ensure high-quality, patient-centered care by leading clinical and quality initiatives that support consistent clinical performance and practice standards across the hospital. She is a board-certified medical intensivist and pulmonologist. Billboard named Jacqueline Saturn Dakar ’86 one of its 2020 Women in Music Executives. Jacqueline is president of Virgin Music label and artist services, formerly Caroline Records. Julie Riven Dretler ’89 recently became a licensed realtor at Fridrich & Clark Realty, LLC. Katie Sergent Cour ’90 was voted as one of the 2020 Most Admired CEOs by the Nashville Business Journal. She serves as president and CEO of the Nashville Public Education Foundation. Holly Sears Sullivan ’90, Amazon’s director of worldwide economic development, is the current chair of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry board. The board, composed of 54 executives from across Tennessee, oversees a chamber that is a chief business voice in state politics. Also, the Nashville Business Journal named Holly to its “Power 100 2020: Disruptors List.” Leigh Fitts ’91 began a new position as director of operations at Daigh Rick Landscape Architects in Nashville, Tennessee. She previously served as an architect and project manager at Hastings Architecture for almost 14 years. Three alumnae have been selected for a Harvard Business School leadership program: Tara Scarlett ’91, Lissa Smith ’91, and Marcie Allen Van Mol ’92. In June, the participants from 14 cities across the country will engage in a case study on “urban and rural regions collaborations and strategies for economic resilience.” Langford Barksdale ’92 was one of two artists featured in The Bulletin, a central Oregon news publication. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Georgia, pursued additional art studies in Switzerland and Massachusetts, and taught and painted in Aspen, Colorado. She now lives in Bend, Oregon, where she paints full time. The Nashville Business Journal named Marcie Allen Van Mol ’92 to its “Power 100 2020: Connectors List.” She was also named one of the honorees for Billboard’s 2020 Women in Music Executives. Anna Ruth Brown Kimbrough ’94 was named a partner at the Nashville-based commercial and residential architecture design firm Studio 8 Design. She has demonstrated her design talent excellence throughout her career but has taken on more leadership responsibility and become a vital part of the firm as it continues to grow. She is a registered architect and LEED-accredited professional with over 20 years of industry experience. Jennifer Towbin ’94 is a hospitalist in Chicago, Illinois. She has worked with COVID-19 patients since March 2020. In addition, Jennifer is a medical director which allowed her to help with the transition as surgical floors were converted to COVID-19 floors. Reese Witherspoon’s ’94 media company Hello Sunshine was named to TIME magazine’s “2021 TIME100 Most Influential Companies.” The company directive is to “create work that centers women, showcasing their agency and offering a glimmer of hope.”

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Class Notes

Dr. Rachel Glick Robison ’97 is a board-certified pediatric allergist and immunologist at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She was named as one of the top 100 women in the food allergy community. In addition to her clinical work, she has participated as a site co-investigator for the Chicagoland Metropolitan AsthmaNet Consortium for the AsthmaNet clinical research network and a site principal investigator and co-investigator for multiple clinical trials for food allergy therapy. Cate Connery Bury ’99 was officially recognized as a certified professional photographer by the Professional Photographers of America in March 2021. The Nashville Edit featured Kelleigh Bannen ’99 for her outstanding and passionate work as a musician, singer, podcaster, writer, and broadcaster with Apple Music. She has carved out a new path in her career as the host of The Kelleigh Bannen Show and Today’s Country Radio on Apple Music. As the cornerstone of Apple Music Country and the first female to helm her own country radio show, she does it all, from running the board to curating the music and more. The San Carlos School District in San Carlos, California, appointed Sarah Allen Cassanego ’00 as its newest member of the SCSD School Board. Laura Cade Flippo ’00 returned to Harpeth Hall this fall as additional help for the school’s COVID-19 learning model as a teacher’s aide.

Nashville Business Journal named Michelle Gaskin Brown ’01 to its “Power 100 2020: Connectors List.” Michelle is an attorney and the manager of public policy at Amazon in Nashville. In her role, she supports all public policy and advocacy efforts throughout Tennessee, focusing on Nashville as the location of Amazon’s new corporate operations office. Raleigh Anne Blank Gray ’03 is currently in business development for DraftKings Inc., which is committed to responsibly creating the world’s favorite games and betting experiences by building the best, most trusted, and most customer-centric destination for skin-in-the game fans while developing the most innovative and entertaining real money products and offers.

Margaret Riley King ’03 was chosen as one of the Nashville Business Journal’s 2021 Women of Influence. The women on the list are female leaders making a difference in Music City. She is a partner and literary agent at WME. Also, The Washington Post featured Margaret in an article entitled ”Glennon Doyle doesn’t work alone: The Untamed author and agent Margaret Riley King discuss their creative process.” The magazine Departures highlighted Kimia Ferdowsi Kline ’03 in an article entitled “Meet the Art World Rising Star Kimia Ferdowsi Kline.” Her paintings were shown in several virtual exhibits this past year, including the SWAB Barcelona Art Fair and Galerie C.O.A. in Montreal.

Jean-Marie Bibb Clark ’04 returned to Harpeth Hall this fall as additional help for the school’s COVID-19 learning model as a teacher’s aide. Allison Milam Diehl ’05 was selected to serve on the Oak Hill School board of directors. She is a program coordinator and counselor at Catholic Charities in Nashville, where she supervises a counseling program for children and adolescents impacted by trauma. Whitney Downs Hermandorfer ’05 was selected to clerk for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. She previously clerked for Justice Samuel Alito. Victoria Schwab’s ’05 latest book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, has garnered outstanding praise as a New York Times, USA Today, National Indie, and The Washington Post bestseller. Ryan McLaughlin Wood ’05, brand manager for UBS in Greenville, South Carolina, was appointed to the UBS Leadership Advisory Council. It is an elite and diverse group of field leaders who work directly with senior management to build upon the tremendous success of the preeminent global wealth management firm. Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis elected eight new partners in the Nashville office, including Lindsay Jacques Irving ’06. Lindsay works with health care companies on mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions. Caroline Anderson Millican ’06 participated in the virtual alumnae perspectives panel in November 2020. Caroline is an aftersales operations senior analyst at Nissan Motor Corporation. Caroline Tanner Everett ’07 has joined the Nashville office of AllianceBernstein as the vice president/director of corporate responsibility. She was formerly a strategy director with BCG BrightHouse in Atlanta for over eight years. Caroline Hallemann Farno ’07 was recently promoted to digital news director of Town & Country at Hearst Magazines. Evaline Franks ’07 spoke to Harpeth Hall’s Global Scholars in December 2020. Evaline is a program officer at Women First International Fund and has participated in women’s rights projects in the United States and abroad. Mary Killian ’08 participated in the virtual alumnae perspectives panel in November 2020. Mary is currently a first year fellow in pediatric cardiology at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Samantha Williams ’08 has a new job as commercial counsel at Colgate-Palmolive in New York City. She and her mother, Gail Carr Williams, were the featured speakers at the fall 2020 mother-special friend-daughter coffee virtual assembly for our Upper School. Meg Zager Glick ’09 founded her own private therapy practice in Brooklyn, New York, in October 2020. In her practice, she specializes in evaluating and treating children with ADHD, disruptive behavior disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and anxiety disorders. Amaryllis Lyle ’09 started working for Honey, a Los Angeles-based tech company. Honey was acquired by PayPal in November 2019, setting a record for the largest tech company acquisition in Los Angeles. As a copywriter on Honey’s creative team, Amaryllis helps create and maintain the voice for Honey’s suite of products. Writing for 17 million Honey members and over 30,000 online retailers presents unique creative challenges, especially in the wake of COVID-19, but she is excited to help shoppers save more money. Katie Martin Taylor ’10 was awarded Tennessee’s Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the Tennessee Council for Social Studies. The award recognizes exceptional Tennessee classroom social studies teachers in elementary, middle, secondary, and civil rights/civil liberties. Eleanor Hudson Callaway ’11 graduated from the University of Texas law school in May 2020. She was admitted to the Texas Bar and now practices patent and commercial litigation with McKool Smith in Dallas, Texas. Eleanor is currently on secondment at Ericsson, working with their IP litigation in-house counsel.

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Class Notes

Kendal Herring Peterman ’11 was selected as one of Metro Nashville Public School’s English language fellows for the 2019-2020 school year. Kendal is in her fourth year of teaching second grade at Cole Elementary in Antioch. “The English Language Fellowship is a selective program, with only 15 available seats. It is funded through a grant awarded from Conexión Américas. The program looks for teachers who want to channel their energy into policy changes at the district and state level and to elevate student voices. The ideal candidate is a visionary, a self-starter, an education leader, and a changemaker.” StyleBlueprint featured Mary Liza Hartong ’12 in its “Southern Voices” series with her story entitled “Crisp: When Reflections of the Past are Impossible to Bury.” Ann Randolph McKenzie ’12 returned to campus in August 2020 as one of the two nurses in Harpeth Hall’s health clinic. In February, Rebekah Webster ’12 was the board member spotlight for the Nashville chapter of Women in Healthcare. She serves as the organization’s communications chair. Rebekah works at Vanderbilt University in research and development, helping to design and optimize an analytical device that can be used for early disease detection, femtomolar analyte quantification, and various pharmacologic studies. Meggie Hill ’13 returned to Harpeth Hall this fall as additional help for the school’s COVID-19 learning model as an aftercare staff member. Emily Martin ’13 has joined The Next Generation Board for The Next Door, Inc. in Nashville. TND is a nonprofit organization that has empowered women for lifetime recovery by providing evidence-based substance abuse and mental health services for 17 years. Emily is the director of client engagement at Elevation Search Solutions. The University of Tennessee Knoxville alumni announced its inaugural class of Volunteer 40 Under 40 award winners, including Erin Anderson ’14. Erin previously worked as a pediatric ICU nurse at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City but has returned to Nashville and now works at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Ellie Osteen Garstin ’14 returned to campus in November as one of the two nurses in Harpeth Hall’s health clinic. Brianna Bjordahl ’15 spoke with Harpeth Hall’s Global Scholar students about global climate change in February 2020. Brianna is a conservation technician at Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy and is a certified leader with Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the climate crisis. Devin Graham ’15 was featured in a Tennessean article entitled “Nashville’s COVID Test Site Angel” for her remarkable ability to “handle thousands of interactions at the Nissan Stadium test site with empathy, kindness, and an uncanny ability to connect with strangers in distress.” Isabel Kennon ’15 is a contact tracer for Metro Nashville Department of Health. She completed her training in July alongside Chrissie McClure ’71. Isabel will attend the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy to pursue a Master of Public Policy. Courtney Dunn ’16 graduated from the University of San Diego in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a minor in Chinese. She earned first honors, magna cum laude, and was on the Dean’s List. Taylor Farrington ’16 graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in landscape architecture and a minor in business. She has accepted a full-time position with Norris Design as a landscape designer in the company’s Denver, Colorado office. Keely Hendricks ’16 was the first-place recipient of the 2020 James Applewhite Poetry Prize. A Morehead-Cain Scholar, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and French. Keely has been teaching English at Jewish Middle School in Nashville and will be participating in a Fulbright program in Senegal. Lucy Massey ’16 graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and economics. She is working part time at the university while helping write

a constitutional law textbook for the high school level with Professor Bruce Hamilton from Johns Hopkins. Saffee Croker ’17 graduated early in November 2020 with a double major in psychology and child and family studies from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Karen Dordor ’17 participated in the virtual alumnae admission perspectives panel in November 2020. Karen recently graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor's degree in Anthropology. Mary Blake Graves ’17 graduated from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina with a double major in international business and accountancy and a minor in French. She will continue one more year at the university to earn a Master of Accountancy. Anna Clarke Harrison ’17 spoke at the annual Winterim kick-off assembly in January 2021. She discussed how her Winterim and Global Scholars experiences led her to pursue and receive a Bachelor of Science in public health majoring in health policy and management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kelsey Kay Herring ’17 was inducted into the Alpha Chi National Honor Scholarship Society at Belmont University in March 2020. “Alpha Chi membership is the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont University. Membership requirements are to be in the top 10% academically of all students. Members are nominated by faculty and must have outstanding moral character and display leadership, integrity, and service.” Sophia Howard ’17 received the Distinguished Leadership and Service Award from the Bonner Office of Civic Engagement at Spelman College in Atlanta. Emily Myers ’17 received a Volunteer of Distinction Award for Academic Achievement and Professional Promise as part of the Haslam College of Business. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration and is excited to return to the University of Tennessee this fall for the Master of Accountancy program. Grace Ann Robertson ’17 graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Richmond with a double major in computer science and chemistry. She will attend the University of Tennessee Health Science Center for medical school in Memphis. Mary Triplett ’17 graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in mathematical economics and will be pursuing her Juris Doctor as a Dean’s Scholar at the University of Virginia School of Law. Marguerite Coombs ’18 serves as the vice president of committees for Phi Mu sorority at Miami University in Ohio. This summer, she will participate in a study abroad program at Miami’s campus in Luxembourg. Naomi Haddock ’18 serves as president of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) at Auburn University. She is pursuing a degree in public relations with a minor in marketing. Gracie Harris ’18 was elected chapter president of Kappa Delta sorority at Arizona State University (Beta Psi) after previously serving as vice president of finance. She is majoring in supply chain management and psychology. Maddie Miller ’18 is serving as chapter president of the Beta Omega chapter of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She is a public relations major with minors in both marketing and business at Auburn University. Gabby Kapanka ’19 returned to Harpeth Hall this fall as additional help for the school’s COVID-19 learning model as an aftercare staff member. Millie Kirkland ’19 participated in the virtual alumnae admission perspectives panel in November 2020. Millie is a rising junior at Georgetown University. The University of Virginia’s swimming and diving team won the 2021 NCAA 800 free relay, which included Ella Nelson ’19 and Alex Walsh ’20. The victory marked the first NCAA Championship win in a relay in program history. In June, both Ella and Alex competed in the U. S. Olympic swim trials along with Gretchen Walsh ’21. Alex won the 200-meter IM at the Trials and earned a spot in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Stefanie Chuguluri ’20, Keona Dordor ’20, Amy Gilmore ’20, and Rebecca Viner ’20 spoke to the senior class in April about their transition to college as part of Harpeth Hall’s senior transition to college series. Grace Lebo ’20 is a member of the University of Virginia women’s rowing team and earned a gold medal and summa cum laude on the national Latin exam. Rebecca Viner ’20 was elected as a freshman senator to the student government at Colgate University.

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