2022FALL FALL 2022 Resistance & resilience INSIDE: PHILANTHROPIC WOMEN 10 HOUSING MARKET INSIDER 26 AN HONEST CON MAN? 36 THE MAGAZINE OF JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY MADISON
MADISON MAGAZINE Stranger skies An ominous, purple sunset lurks above Wilson Hall. Beware, first-year students! Full Frame
FALL 2022PHOTOGRAPH BY TREY SECRIST (’15)
Because of his summer lab research on proteins with faculty mentor Oleksandr Kokhan, Deaquan is prepared. Our university is being seen for who we are — because of students like Deaquan. A new classification by the Carnegie Commission from a master’slevel to a doctoral/high research university moves JMU from the regional to the national rankings. That’s Being the Change.
Before Deaquan Nichols graduates early from JMU in 2023, he will par ticipate in the Honors Semester pro gram at the University of Oxford. After graduating, the Biology major plans to attend medical school with the ultimate goal of becoming a neurosurgeon.
To learn more about the new classification, http://j.mu/being-seenvisit
NICHOLS PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVE ADERTON (’19)
Being seen for who we are.
So, it is excellent news that in both years of our current biennial budget allocation from Virginia’s General Fund, JMU will receive $6 million increases in our base budget to help the institution catch up to its better-funded peers. Such an investment will pay strong dividends in enhancing the already stellar Madison Experience. Plus, it will bring JMU closer to equity among its peers, which is critical in times when upward pres sures on costs have put pressure on tuition even as we seek to increase access and afford ability for students from all backgrounds.
Because many people focus on such percentages rather than actual dollar amounts, however, JMU is perceived as increasing by the same amount. Increases in our base budget will help to reduce this historical disparity.
Caitlyn Read (’10, ’18M), director of state government relations at JMU, said in the article: “When you look at some of the schools that have historically received less state funding, they tend to be schools like JMU, Longwood or Mary Washington that all started as institutions to educate women, because it used to be cheaper to educate a woman. Now, we know that’s not our reality.”
— CAITLYN READ (’ 1 0, ’18M), director of state government relations
You would never know it based on our reputation for excellence, but JMU has been Virginia’s lowest-funded public institution on a per in-state student annualized basis for years. In fiscal year 2021, JMU received $6,200 per student, well below the $8,250 aver age for four-year institutions. Our recent rise to a doctoral/high research institution in the Carnegie Commission classification puts us even further below the $8,646 average for our type. Given that JMU is regarded as one of the top schools in Virginia, you should be proud that we accomplish a lot with relatively little. JMU graduation rates are among the highest in the commonwealth, JMU stu dent and alumni satisfaction have been in the mid-90% range for years, and the uni versity’s reputation among lawmakers in Richmond for being an excellent steward of taxpayer money is sterling. We pride our selves on being efficient overachievers!
Please thank elected officials in your district for their commit ment to education in the commonwealth overall — and especially for the elevated investment in JMU this past legislative session. While you might hear in advertising for investment funds that “past per formance is no guarantee of future results,” I can promise you that investments in the dedicated faculty and staff members at JMU will continue to pay strong dividends in the lives of our students and alumni, and in the economic vibrancy of Virginia.
“When you look at some of the schools that have historically received less state funding, they ... all started as institutions to educate women.”
3FALL 2022ALGER PHOTOGRAPH BY CODY TROYER; WILSON HALL BY TREY SECRIST (’15)
Thank you to the thousands of dedicated benefactors who care deeply about our institution and students. Meaningful stories about the impact of your generosity are in the Unleashed section of these pages.
Jonathan R. Alger president, James Madison University
New state budget addresses history of funding disparity
And given JMU’s relatively low tuition, when JMU raises tuition by, say, 3%, it is a much smaller increase in actual dollars than other schools raising tuition by the same per centage, because their base tuition as a starting point is much higher.
Presidential Perspective Efficient overachievers
fter extended negotiations in the Virginia General Assembly, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the com monwealth’s two-year budget on June 21, months later than in typical years. But for James Madison University, it was worth the wait. JMU received more tuition moderation funding as well as added financial aid for students. Even more significantly, the new budget includes additional base-adequacy funding, which aims to put JMU on more equitable financial footing — after years of under funding — relative to other Virginia public colleges and universities.
Finally, in other positive financial news, JMU donors took giving off the charts this past fiscal year — literally! You might be aware that Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison University doubled annual giving to the university; fiscal year 2021’s then-record of $23.2 mil lion was the seventh consecutive year that giving remained in the $20 million neighborhood annually. But this year’s total of $34.7 million absolutely blew away past records — another indicator that more and more alumni and friends of the university are engaged and also see JMU as a wise investment. That’s “Supporting Student Suc cess,” which is the theme of this issue of Madison
A
The reasons for JMU’s relative underfunding from the com monwealth are many and historical. A recent piece in our student newspaper, The Breeze, stated, “This is the result of the univer sity’s founding as an institution educating women and its reputa tion of making the best of a sometimes underwhelming operational budget.”
Students raised $90,000 for Hubbard’s mom’s medical bills. She experienced JMU’s “Culture of Kindness” firsthand as a student, and now she’s witnessing it as the parent of a JMU student. Her collegiate career would not have been as successful if not for the support of others. This issue’s theme is “Supporting Student Success.” On Page 9, read about how the JMU Honors College helped set up Belinda Addae (’21) for success. On Page 16, say ¡Bienvenidos! to six new College of Arts and Letters professors who bring Latinx perspec tives to enrich our student body. On Page 26, find tips on navigating the hot housing market from an alumna entrepreneur and founder of a successful realty company. On Page 40, discover a new campus program supporting first-year students of color who are STEM majors . On Page 61, meet a Duke acting on Broadway whose greatest JMU takeaways are the relationships he formed — including meeting his now-husband.
Brian Charette Special Assistant to the President, Strategic Planning and Engagement
Chief of Staff Arthur Dean I I ( 93 ’99M) Associate Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Anthony Tongen Research
Associate Vice
) Vice
Brent Lewis Associate Vice
Sincerely, Khalil Garriott (’04) executive editor, Madison magazine @khalilgarriott I admire all these Purple People who support student success in ways big and small.
Vass
President PARENTS
Robert and (’85) (’09) COUNCIL (’91) and (’90) (’18P/’20MP, ’18P/’20MP, ’22P)
RobertDEANS Aguirre Arts and Letters Bethany Blackstone Honors Michael
Performing Arts
Heather Coltman
Don
n A third fraternity hosted a “Smash-a-Thon” with a gutted clunker car outside of D-Hall that students could pay to demolish with a sledgehammer
Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs
Elizabeth and Curriculum and Scholarship Busing and
CraigCHAIRS
University Marketing & Branding Caitlyn Read
n
Kolvoord Integrated Science
Mike Davis
Supporting student success
Editor FALL 2022 Vol. 45, No.3 BOARD OF VISITORS 2022–23 Maribeth D. Herod (’82), Rector Christopher Falcon (’03), Vice Rector Richard “Dickie” Bell Teresa Edwards (’80) Jeffrey E. Grass (’92)
Director of Athletics
Kimberly
Student Affairs Rudy Molina Jr. Vice Provost, Student Academic Success and Enrollment Management Towana Moore Vice President, Administration and Finance Elizabeth Oldmixon Vice Provost, Faculty and Curriculum Chris Orem Director, Institutional Research Andy Perrine
Hollie Hall Dean of Students na Harper (’77,’81M,’86Ed.S.)
Jack Knight Senior Assistant Attorney General and University Counsel
Oldmixon Faculty
4 MADISON MAGAZINE GARRIOTT (’04) PHOTOGRAPH BY HALLE FORBES (‘19) I
Pinello
It’s been said that purple is the color of admiration. I admire all these Purple People who support student success in ways big and small. Go Dukes!
Anthony Tongen Vice Provost, Research and Scholarship Mary-Hope Executive Director of Communications and University Spokesperson
n Another hosted a 48-hour “Couch Potato-a-Thon” outside the Student Union and solicited sponsors’ pledges for every hour they sat on the couch playing video games.
JonathanPRESIDENTR.
VICE PROVOSTS Cabe Halpern Programs Molina Jr. Student Academic Success and Enrollment
Health and Behavioral Studies Melissa Lubin Professional & Continuing Education Bethany Nowviskie Libraries Samantha Prins Science and Mathematics Linda Thomas The Graduate School ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TrippOFFICERHughes
Engineering Mark L’ Esperance Education Fletcher Linder University Studies Sharon Lovell
Nick Langridge (’00,’07M,’14Ph.D President, Advancement President, (’96, ’00M) President, (’86) President, (’10, ’18M) Director, State Government Relations Sparkman-Key Associate Provost, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Academic Affairs
Student
Deborah T. Johnson (’78) C. Lynch (’91) P. Major (’92, ’20P) Suzanne Obenshain
John C. Rothenberger (’88) Michael Stoltzfus Craig B. Welburn (’96) XaiverWhiteS.Williams Representative
The fraternities got creative:
Narketta
Letter From the Matthew A. Gray-Keeling (’05) Maria D. Jankowski
I received a touching Letter to the Editor from Angela Hub bard (’93) about “A Culture of Kindness,” Madison’s Spring/ Summer 2022 cover story. When Hubbard was a freshman, her mom was diagnosed with cancer and required a transplant not covered by insurance. Hubbard wrote, “As a single parent with a kid in college, her medical bills became a daunting burden. My Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority sisters jumped in and began a fundraising campaign involving multiple sororities and fraternities.”
Linda
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Student Affairs Melissa Lubin Chief Economic Engagement Officer Tim Miller
And on Page 63, check out a graphical representation of a visionary group of women providing scholarships for future Dukes and women-focused programming for all.
One hosted a “Viking Week,” soliciting sponsors for brothers to forgo bathing, deodorant and teeth brushing for a week — the only exception: bathing in Newman Lake. “As you can imagine, their body odor alone helped raise aware ness,” she pointed out.
Jack
Vice
Donna L. Harper (’77, ’81M, ’86Ed.S.), Secretary
Management
Business Rubén Graciani Visual
Vice President, Access and Enrollment Management
University
JeffPRESIDENT’SAlgerCABINETBourne
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1946 YWCA GROUP COURTESY OF THE SCHOOL MA’AM ; HOLMES (’07) BY JIMELL GREENE; CAMPBELL (’95, ’20M) BY OLIVIA SANTOS (’20); BEACH CLEANUP PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS; MRD PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CATRINA TANGCHITTSUMRAN (’03); CURRY (’03) PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BRIAN CURRY 1 Full Frame A foreboding sunset over the Quad signals a fading summer BY TREY SECRIST (‘15) 3 Presidential Perspective JMU receives additional funding from the state to help level the playing field 4 Letter From the Editor Supporting student success BY KHALIL GARRIOTT (‘04) 7 Contributors, Staff Soundbites Get to know the people behind the stories 8 Unleashed JMU giving at an all-time high; alumna addresses immigration reform; celebrating 10 years of Women for Madison; humble beginnings in Appalachia lead to student scholarships 16 News & Notes Expanding Latinx perspectives with new CAL faculty cohort; Paralympians come to campus; Furious Flower Executive Director Joanne V. Gabbin retires; Fulbright recipi ents and Gilman scholars; Faculty Focus; three administrative positions filled 21 Brag Sheet ”Talking points,” a way to brag about JMU Contents 30 Yuri Nemoto (’46) helped pave the way for Asian American students at Madison. Pair of Marching Royal Dukes raise funds for brothers with rare syndrome (See back cover) 10 philanthropy at JMU 44 Dukes showed up to volunteer for JMUYOU Serve Day on April 9. 26 Kim HolmesLally (’07), a Baltimore realtor, shares tips for navigating the housingFALLmarket.2022 5 36 CurryBrian (’03) pulls back the curtain on the art deception.ofABOUT THE COVER: Yuri Nemoto (’46) as a sophomore in The School Ma’am, Madison Col lege’s yearbook. Her life story is an important one, especially amid today’s climate.
JMU prohibits sexual and gender-based harassment, including sexual assault, and other forms of interpersonal violence.
The Spring/Summer 2022 issue’s “Culture of Kindness” cover and article is spot-on. Honestly, I might frame the cover and would love to see JMU brand the slogan on T-shirts, hats, etc. Congratulations on capturing the spirit of JMU! Go Dukes!!!
Thanks to your editorial team, my day started off on a great note as I enjoyed my cup of coffee and picked up my copy of Madison . The cover literally brought tears to my eyes. As a graduate of the Class of 1993, I experienced the “Culture of Kindness” firsthand as a student, and now I am witnessing it as a parent of a student. For years, I’ve tried to explain the culture at JMU and the only way to describe it is, in fact, a “Culture of Kindness!”
Letters to the Editor
— Brett McLaren (’04) EDITOR’S REPLY: Brett and I lived on the same floor our first year. I replied that I’m glad he enjoys Madison, and that it’s a total team effort. Also, I told him that there are so many ways to reengage with the university and lots of exciting things hap pening here. He’s co-founder and chief strategy officer of a high-growth consulting com pany in the Washington, D.C., area that employs many JMU alumni and has been voted a best place to work by numerous publications. I look forward to reconnecting and helping him find opportunities he’s passion ate about to engage his talents and time with his alma mater!
Angela Hubbard (’93)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Please see Page 4 for the story about how Angela’s family experienced JMU’s culture of kindness during her student days.
— Nan Okarma, Lola Jones Stanco’s (’56) daughter withReconnectingJMU Hi Khalil, I’m not sure if you remember me from our JMU days, but I just saw your letter in the latest Madison magazine. I had no idea you worked for the university. Very cool! My company hires many JMU alumni who seem to get bet ter and better (no offense to our graduating class!!), and I always aspire to reconnect with JMU and help. If you come across any opportunities that you think would make sense, please let me know. Otherwise, congrats on the amazing job doing awesome work for our alma mater!
‘Culture of Kindness’
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: James Madison University does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, race or color, height or weight, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation or belief, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, parental status (including pregnancy), marital status, family medical or genetic information in its employment, educational programs, activities and admissions. JMU complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination, affirmative action and anti-harassment.
“For years, I’ve tried to explain the culture at JMU and the only way to describe it is, in fact, a ‘Culture of Kindness!’”
As a parent of a sophomore, I was reminded of JMU’s culture the minute we stepped on campus with my daughter, Caroline, for orientation and move-in day. Students were so welcoming and quick to share their positive experiences at JMU. Gentlemen from Theta Chi fraternity greeted us outside of Dingledine Hall to unload our two carloads of stuff. My husband, Mike (’92), and I have visited numerous times this past year. During each visit, we were entertained by all the students who wanted to spend time with us, learn about our time at JMU and hear about how we have maintained lifetime friend ships with our friends we met during freshman year. (So much so, that our children think they are cousins.)
6 MADISON MAGAZINE FALL 2022 Vol. 45, No. 3 EXECUTIVE EDITOR Khalil Garriott (’04) MANAGING EDITOR Jim Heffernan (’96, ’17M) AmyEDITORCrockett (’10) CREATIVE DIRECTOR Bill CarolynARTThompsonDIRECTORWindmiller (’81) ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Haley CONTENTKristenEDITORIALSerenaDESIGNGarnettASSISTANTJohnsonINTERNEssexPRODUCTION TEAM Steve Aderton (’19) Olivia Santos (’20) Cody Troyer Julia Weaver (’21) ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY Cathy Kushner (’87) CAMPUS CONTRIBUTORS Alumni UniversityParentDonorAthleticsRelationsRelationsRelationsMarketing & Branding FOR ADDRESS UPDATES: Email: advancementgr@jmu.edu or call 1-855-568-4483 CONTACT THE MADISON STAFF: Email: madisonmag@jmu.edu or call 540-568-2664 Madison magazine, JMU, 127 W. Bruce St., MSC 3610, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 For Class Notes, go to jmu.edu/alumni Madison is an official publication of James Madison University and is produced by the Division of University Advancement for alumni, parents of JMU students, faculty, staff and friends of JMU. Editorial office: JMU, 127 W. Bruce St., MSC 3610, Harrisonburg, VA 22807
The responsibility for overall coordination, monitoring and information dissemination about JMU’s program of equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, Title IX and affirmative action is assigned to the Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX.
Inquiries or complaints may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX: Amy Sirocky-Meck, Title IX Coordinator, 540-568-5219, www.jmu.edu/oeo oeo@jmu.edu (REVISED JANUARY 2020)
goodHeartwarming,news Your article, “A Culture of Kind ness” in the Spring/Summer 2022 issue of Madison, was so heartwarming. It brought back all the warmth of my Madison College/JMU days. Thank you so much for continuing to go in this direction and report as you did. I hope you do it again. In the current “news” climate, it is especially necessary and heal ing to remember so much good is being done everywhere. — Louise Schullery Cox (’67) Keep up the great job I’m sure you hear positive feed back all the time, but we just wanted to tell you to keep up the good work with Madison maga zine! It does a great job of telling the story of our university. Rob Abbott (’97) and Todd Davis (’99), @JMUsportsblog Gratitude from ‘Girls of ’56’ We just saw online that our submission about a group of friends and graduates who still get together 65 years after graduation was included in the latest issue of Madison. Thank you for publish ing; the “Girls of ’56” are thrilled!
“I led the vision for a ‘Dance for Parkinson’s‘ video that atheirinspiredofHelpingcommunityillustratedengagement.totellthestorystudentswhowerebyassistingcommunitywasprivilege.”
Becca Evans (’18, ’20M) earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication. As the communications and marketing specialist in the College of Arts and Letters, she oversees the college’s communication and brand ing strategies, social media and more. Evans wrote about CAL’s new, Latinx cohort hire on Page 16 and AAAD’s new director on Page 20.
Morgan Vuknic is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication and a Music Industry minor. During the school year, Vuknic writes for the culture section of The Breeze and for the College of Health and Behavioral Studies, is an account coordinator for Bluestone Communications and social media chair for Students Against Sexual Violence. See her coverage of the Paralympians who visited campus on Page 17.
42 Dukes for giving Two students leave lasting impact on local community BY KRISTEN ESSEX
FALL 2022 22 JohnCole son (’19) won CFPA thePerformerNationalofYear.
43 Skate of mind
50 years of Iota Alpha chapter; Staff Emeriti Association reunites; Celebra tions; scholarship thank-you letters; inaugurations; landing a Broadway role
Recovering the life and legacy of Yuri Nemoto (’46), Madison’s first Asian American student BY MEG MULROONEY
Staff Soundbites
Photographer alumnus brings his passions into focus BY AMY CROCKETT (‘10)
Contents (CONT )
How have you supported the success of a JMU student?
30 Resistance and resilience
36 The good liar Alumnus, “D.C.’s most honest con man,” weaves a web of deception BY JIM HEFFERNAN (‘96, ’17M)
54 Class Notes
Residential learning community supports first-year STEM majors BY KRISTEN ESSEX
40 Haynes Scholars program
KHALIL GARRIOTT (’04) executive editor “I offered portfolio reviews to give sopho mores constructive cri tiques of their graphic designs. Teaching students to be successful includes learning from mistakes and having the right attitude.”
Serena Johnson, a design assistant in University Marketing and Branding, is a senior Graphic Design major. She is actively involved in GIVE, a volunteer organization at JMU. She loves traveling to gain experience and inspiration for her designs. Her passions are package design, brand identity and web design. She will pursue a career in graphic design after graduation. Johnson designed this issue’s By the Numbers on Page 63.
Jen Kulju (’04M) is a passionate, results-oriented writer, journalist and communications/marketing professional with experience in cor porate America, local government, television news and higher edu cation. Kulju serves as the communications and marketing director for the College of Visual and Performing Arts/Forbes Center. She earned a B.S. in Business from Miami University, and a Master of Arts in Technical and Scientific Communication from JMU. Read her Q&A with a Musical Theatre-major-turned Broadway actor on Page 61.
Jamie Shaver Marsh is a creative marketing strategist for Uni versity Marketing and Branding. Marsh returned to JMU after a decade in Dallas, where she taught English as a second language to new immigrants and refugees, and became a homeschooling mom. She helped launch Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and has written for magazines, radio stations and websites. Her story about Women for Madison appears on Page 10, and her feature on schol arships for Appalachian students can be found on Page 14.
44 Alumni for Life Alumni unite for JMYOU Serve Day; JMU connection leads to career experi ence in Puerto Rico; JMUAA president shares goals for fall; unforgettable Bluestone weekend; making magic in Disney studios; environmental justice at watchdog nonprofit; Mixed Media
22 JMU Nation Update on key sports facilities; remem bering Lauren Bernett and Tom Kuster (’95); 2021-22 Athletics highlights
26 Bright Lights
”Enjoy the journey” of first-time home buying, real estate CEO says BY KHALIL GARRIOTT (‘04)
7
Contributors
SERENA JOHNSON design assistant “Working with students, there was a lot of trial and error with filming and editing. To see them have lightbulb moments when I showed them how to do something on a camera was exciting. I love seeing students learn and grow.”
63 By the Numbers Visionary reach of the Amethyst Circle EVANS (’18,’20M), JOHNSON AND SHAVER MARSH PHOTOGRAPHS BY JULIA WEAVER (’21); COLE JOHNSON (’19) BY CATHY KUSHNER (’87)
CODY TROYER manager of content production
It takes a village Total giving includes gifts of all sizes from individuals and organizations, and benefits all areas of the univer sity. Among the highlights of FY22: n 18,328 donors n 13,471 gifts of $250 or less, accounting for more than $1 million n On Giving Day, 4,777 donors raised $1,035,165 for 152 campus causes. n Five seven-figure gifts totaling $10.65 million n Donors gave more than $9.7 million to scholarships. n Donors gave $4.8 million to endowed accounts.
8 MADISON MAGAZINE
Giving to JMU has grown exponentially since Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison Uni versity launched in 2015.
D onors gave more than $34.7 million in charitable gifts to JMU during fiscal year 2022, shattering previous records of fiscal-year giving to the university.
“Then what happened next epitomizes what we know about JMU,” Langridge said. “A sense of purpose and unity drove giving to new heights; it felt like a family rallying to provide care and pave the road forward.”
Donors shatter giving records in FY22
GIVING DAY GROUP PHOTOGRAPH BY GRACE ZACHARIAS (’22); SCOREBOARD BY JENNY MARTY (’22)
— Pam Brock
Another big reason for this year’s increase was the $11.4 mil lion contributed by corporations and foundations. JMU’s largest grant of $2 million came from the private Mellon Foundation to preserve the digital future of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, the nation’s first academic center devoted to Black poetry. At $6.2 million, giving to JMU Athletics also increased in FY22, due in large part to donors who stepped up to help make it more feasible for JMU to join the Sun Belt Confer ence. Giving to Athletics increased by $2.1 million, from $4.1 million in FY21.
While giving to JMU has been on a steady upward trajectory over the last eight years, the jump from FY21 to FY22 represented a change in an order of magnitude. The trend coincides with the eight years of Unleashed: The Campaign for James Mad ison University , which also concluded on June 30. “What we saw this year was the power of people believ ing together,” said Nick Lan gridge (’00, ’07M, ’14Ph.D.), vice president for University Advancement. “With the War den Scholarships Match, Dukes Unite, Women for Madison, Giving Day and so many ele ments of the Unleashed cam paign, it happened several times this year. We defined a priority, with a clearly stated goal, a demonstrable outcome and an urgent timeline.
Total giving increased by $11.5 million, or 33.2%, for the 12 months ending June 30, topping FY21’s $23.2 million, which itself sur passed all previous years’ giving totals.
Addae served as a counselor for the institute for the next two years, guiding and inspiring students to make the same decision she did. “It’s amazing to see all these bright-minded students come and explore college,” she said of the experience. “You can just see them thinking about things and growing in that … but more importantly, them seeing, ‘I can do this.’”
Bilingual in Twi — a dialect spoken in her native Ghana — and English, the Intelligence Analysis major and Political Science minor studied immigration courts and how the various laws and decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court affect those applying for immigrant status. She specialized in Black immigration, which receives fewer resources, aid and media attention.
“The capstone was the perfect way to encapsulate my life and the things that I did [at JMU],” she said. “My big picture is immigration — making it real for people who don’t understand it.” Her passion to help others extended to her involvement with JMU’s Summer Honors Institute, a program designed to give high-school students a glimpse of college life. Addae attended the summer prior to her senior year. She credits the experience with changing the trajectory of her life.
She used the experience to inform her podcast series on immigration, which is the result of her Honors capstone project. Addae plans to enroll in law school in the next few years to become an immigration attorney. She currently serves as a community-engagement specialist at Church World Service, a refugee resettlement organization in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Since graduating in May 2021, Addae has worked in the medical field with pregnant women who are considered high-risk.
Eyeing the big picture
“When we think of [Black immigration], sadly, we think only of the Hispanic or Latinx community, but there are people who look like me going through immigration issues, but we’re kind of invisible in that space,” said Addae, who came to the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals aid program.
FALL 2022 9
Each Honors student creates a unique path within the Honors College , and Belinda Addae (’21) was no exception.
E UNLEASHED
For her senior capstone project, Addae conducted interviews with members of the Harrisonburg community to learn how society has shaped their views, reviewed numerous immigration cases, and spoke with refugees about the immigration and integration processes.
“It really changed my perspective on how hard I have to work to get the things that I want,” she reflected. During that week, a fellow student pushed Addae to apply for DACA, another decision that changed her life.
“There are people who look like me going through immigration issues, but we’re kind of invisible in that space.”
Honors College graduate plans to tackle immigration reform
BELINDA A DDAE (’21) ADDAE (’21) PHOTOGRAPH BY JULIA WEAVER (’21)
— Anna Christensen Belinda Addae’s (’21) life changed direction after she attended the Sum mer Honors Institute.
Addae hit the ground running in the Honors College. As a teaching fellow for faculty members Alysia Davis and Jared Diener, she gained experience in facilitating and public speaking — invaluable exposure for the legal career ahead of her. The opportunity also led her to become a leadership consultant for the Student Leadership Center, which teaches leadership skills through workshops, personality assessments and more. She was also president of the African Student Organization and joined Student Ambassadors , giving tours and connecting with prospective students to encourage them to attend JMU. In addition, she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first historically Black sorority.
To about Women for Madison and the Amethyst Circle,
visit Womenamethyst-circle.shtmlwomenformadison/jmu.edu/for Madison marks a decade of redefining philanthropy First 10 scholarships to be awarded this fall JOIN MOVEMENTTHE
“We have so much fun. Everyone knows women draw energy from being together, but this is not just a book club or ladies who lunch,” explained Bowers, past WFM EAC chair. “The participants in the Amethyst Circle are philanthropists at heart. We see a need for schol arships at JMU, and we are willing to help with our time, our energy and our collective financial firepower.” This has meant passionately recounting her college story and then asking her friends to join.
10 MADISON MAGAZINE WOMEN FOR MADISON PHOTOGRAPHS BY KATIE LANDES, MIKE MIRIELLO (’09M), OLIVIA SANTOS (’20), ELISE TRISSEL, CODY TROYER, HOLLY VEENIS, JULIA WEAVER (’21) AND THE DOWNTOWN CREATIVE
“Hearing those stories, that’s how I got interested,” Karen Rothen berger (’93) recalled. “I didn’t know Wilma in college, but now we’ve met for coffee, gone for walks together, because of Women for Madi son.” Rothenberger has donated to JMU before, but she said this is different: “For many years, my husband [John (’88)] has been super involved with JMU with his spe cific college. I have loved that for him, and I was a supportive stay-at-home mom. But this opportunity was for me; it’s a way that I want to connect with my alma mater.”
learn more
At each event, large or small, the group always featured JMU students sharing how scholarships have made the Madison Experi ence possible for them. This led to WFM’s most audacious initiative, the Amethyst Circle, in 2021. In just two months, members of the giving society raised a half-million dollars for scholarships. Their incredible efforts were also part of a national cultural shift, according to the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s 2018 giving report. Across the U.S., the number of giving circles tripled from 2007 to 2017, and the phenomenon was gen der-specific. Surveyed women cited “the ability to leverage their funds” for bigger impact, adding they sim ply find it more fun.
One of JMU’s most impactful scholarship efforts — raising $1 million every two years — isn’t tied to an individual donor. That means that Wilma Cairns Bowers (’83) won’t see her name added to a building anytime soon. “That’s OK,” she said. “This group of philanthropists — and we are just that — hopes to produce the same results, in a new way.” This fall, these philanthropists are celebrating the first 10 schol arships awarded by Women for Madison’s giving society, the Ame thyst Circle. As WFM marks a decade of helping women engage with the university, this smaller group of 138 donors (and grow ing!) will see major results as 10 first-year students receive $5,000 awards, renewable for all four years of college.
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Starting in 2013 with a few visionary women who wanted to engage with JMU, WFM has grown exponentially through wordof-mouth marketing, social media, webinars, wine tastings, regional events and a biannual summit. Over the next decade, inspiration for accelerating women’s giving emanated from WFM executive advi sory council members, who invited friends to intimate giving circles in their homes with ambitious fundraising goals.
Rothenberger shared her story at WFM’s 2019 “Women Who Amaze” summit. “I remember we talked about that word — philanthropist — and how very few of us have been labeled as such and directly asked for money. We weren’t necessarily the ‘head of household,’ but we wanted to be asked. We want to change lives, and few things change a life more than getting access to Friendseducation.”AngelaRussell (’85) and Barbara Bouldin (’87, ’20P) attended that summit together. “It resonated with me that these women who were sharing, they had such powerful, generous hearts,” Russell said. Now she’s vice chair of the WFM EAC and works to spread the word. “I’ve told friends while sipping drinks at a wedding reception. I’ve posted on Facebook,” she said. “My message is this: ‘Hey, there are brilliant young minds who need to be at this school. Even if I can’t be a big donor, I can tell the story and help to open those doors.’ Somebody “We see a need for scholarships at JMU, and we are willing to help with our time, our energy and our collective financial firepower.”
WILMA CAIRNS BOWERS (’83)
— Jamie Shaver Marsh
“That’s how Angela explained it to me,” Bouldin remembered. “I had been to the sum mit, but I wasn’t ready to take on this identity of a philanthropist for myself. Our culture says philanthropists are the people with the really big, big dollars. Only old men, right? But this group is all different people from all different places with an underpinning in the love we have for JMU.” She describes her time on campus, as a student and later a parent, as warm, intimate and life-giving. “My cup is full when I leave JMU. Every single time. My giv ing back is simply the overflow of that feeling.” Roni Jennings (’84) also feels grateful — and empowered. As a high school teacher, she is tired of seeing smart, deserving students receive disappointing financial aid packages from colleges. “Families feel totally deflated. For many, college is in no way affordable,” she said.
2012: Women in University Advancement collaborated on the idea of an all-women’s philanthropy group. They asked: “Is this something JMU women want?”
2013: “Clearly, it is,” said (’93,Evans-GreviousVanessa’97M) with a laugh. “But to start, just five or six of us got together for day,brainstorming.someInoneweliterallyframed out what would become WFM from a list of our interests: inspirational conferences, social events, a support net work, philanthropy. There was a lot of excitement. The ideas were pouring out.” This visionary group also included first lady Mary Ann Alger, Beth McConnell Bliss (’84), Leslie Gilliam (’82), Judy Strickler (’60) and Kathy Thomas (’78). Evans-Grevious, already serving on the Board of Visi tors, volunteered as the first chair for WFM’s EAC.
2013: With an event at Montpe lier, the home of James and Dolley Madison, WFM’s Cynthia Cline (’83, ‘20P), now senior director of Strategic Gifts, and Debbi Long (‘04, ’11P) welcomed more pioneering energy from Susan Allen (’10P), Susan Brown (’84), Anne Marie Elles (’91), Donna Fowlkes (’72), Sallie Funkhouser (’67) and Elizabeth Martin (’85) (L-R): Alumnae visionaries like Rothenberger, Russell, Jennings, Bowers and Bouldin empower women’s philanthropy through the Amethyst Circle.
Together, they are. Cannie Campbell (’95, ’20M), WFM executive director, said more scholarships are on the way. “We still need 62 more women to step up and join us, but I fully expect and hope that we will have a huge cel ebration at our spring summit. Our vision is to announce we’ve reached that first $1 million goal and to see our first 25 recipients lining the stage as we clap — not for us, for them.”
FALL 2022 11 held that door open for me, and I’m sure not going to let it close on someone else.”
Because WFM’s Amethyst Circle is focused on scholarships, Jennings wanted to invest what she could. “As a teacher, as a mom, as a JMU grad, it was like, ‘Yes, we need to do this.’”
LOOKING BACK AT AN EXCEPTIONAL DECADE
2018: A Richmond, Virginia, rally featured Centennial Scholars talking about the impact of their JMU scholar ships. Their words resonated with Karen Rothenberger (’93). “I’m an educator, and I know how an education can change people’s lives, their family’s lives. There was one Centennial Scholar story told that day that really moved me. I kept thinking, ‘Yes, I want to get behind this,’” she said.
WILMA CAIRNS BOWERS (’83)
2014: Carly Fiorina, CEO and then-JMU Board of Visitors member, spoke to the group about the potential for women in philan thropy, and Mary Ann Alger hosted a circle at Oakview.
thropy Award in recognition of her work to launch the Dukes Pay It Forward Schol arship program along with her husband, Mike (’76, ’77M). More than 25 other likeminded donors have created these scholarships. “I can’t pay anyone back, but I can pay it forward,” Kathy said.
There was a palpable buzz about pooling our funds to benefit individual students.”
“There was a palpable buzz about pooling our funds to benefit individual students.”
2020: Beth Bliss (’84) made the lead gift for the $25,000 WFM EAC chal lenge that drew 100% council giving. Tradi tionally, the council leads JMU’s Giving Day advisory board challenges, col lectively giving nearly $12,000 annually toward the Giving Day Challenge Fund. With yet another 2020 EAC gift of $24,000 toward the Madison for drive,emergency-scholarshipKeepsitwastimetoscale up women’s giving momentum beyond the council.
2017: WFM’s signature En Blanc Dinner, alumni and speakers, plus lanthropistingposthumouslythropysummit.denceaccommodationsovernightinresihalls,markedthefirstTheSpiritofPhilanAwardwasnamedforpioneerWFMmemberandphi Leslie Flanary Gilliam (’82).
2017: Bowers created the Dolley Madison Dukes Pay It Forward endowed scholar ship fund by host ing a giving circle in her home. She and her guests contributed $25,000. “As I told my story about creating that scholar ship, I think it was a bit of a catalyst,” she said. “Many women told me they liked this targeted, specific approach.
12 MADISON MAGAZINE
2018:DirectorExecutive CampbellCannie(’95,’20M) is inspired to build the organization further after a seminar with a national women’s giving con sultant. Campbell and Bowers hosted a leadership retreat for EAC leaders and staff. “We could now see that we could change the face of phi lanthropy at JMU,” Campbell said. “It became our mantra.”
The Amethyst Circle is the firstof-its-kind giving society at JMU. It harnesses the collective power of women’s philanthropy to raise $1 million every two years.
2015: At the Open ing Doors Rally fea turing keynote speaker Pat Southall Smith (’92), WFM EAC member and Centennial Scholar Chiquita King (’09, ’11) issued a call to action: “Which door will you open?”
2019: Headlined by top alumni speakers includ ing Jamie JonesMiller (’99), Jennifer Marshall (’01) and Tina Fox (’94), the “Women Who Amaze” summit drew 130 women to campus for a weekend of activities, including a stand ing-room-only First Ladies brunch at Oakview with Mary Ann Alger. Angela Russell (’85) said she signed up for everything: “a brunch, a scav enger hunt, a speed datingstyle event with mentoring, workshops. I really loved it.” She would soon join WFM’s EAC and is now vice chair.
2019: Kathy Thomas (’78) received the Leslie Flanary Gilliam (’82) Spirit of Philan
2020: Current WFM EAC vice chair Jamie Jones Miller (’99) is called to join the council. “I bleed purple, right? It was an easy ‘yes.’ I’ve been a donor or a vol unteer for the institution
2022: This fall, Amethyst Circle Scholarships are offered to JMU students for the first time. As of press time, 10 were awarded.
“What really stood out to me was that these women were bold.”
The event, designed by vol unteers, included Stephanie Forbes (’92,’93M), Mary Margaret Prange (’01), Tiffanie Rosier (’95), and Karen Rothenberger, and was based entirely on input from women in the greater JMU community. “What really stood out to me was that these women were bold,” said Barbara Bouldin (’87, ’20P), who is helping to organize the 2023 sum mit. “I was honored to come into this collective body of diverse women with a com mon trait of a love for JMU.”
2023: WFM will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the May 19-20 “Women Who Amaze” summit. See more WFM history online at edu/womenformadison.jmu.
2021: Campbell and the EAC started quietly seeking 10 Amethyst Circle found ers to contribute $15,000 each in seed money for endowment and scholar ships for immediate use. Within eight weeks, more than 40 women stepped forward. There are now 65 founders, surpassing $950,000 in giving.
2021: The virtual “Women Who Amaze” summit shat tered attendance records.
13FALL 2022 UNLEASHED visit j.mu/summit2023 to learn more
WITH KEYNOTE SPEAKER
2021: At the summit, Dawn Smith Barnes (’93) thystlaunchannouncedofficiallytheoftheAmeCircleandasked for 200 members to join her and the founders to meet the $1 million goal for scholarships.
Women for andinvestsorsuniversityconnectencouragesMadisonwomentowithoneanother,leaders,profesandstudentsastheytheirtime,talentsresources.
BARBARA BOULDIN (’87, ’20P)
Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Lindsay Czarniak (‘00) SAVE THE DATES Fri. & Sat., May 19-20 since the day I left,” she said. “But this is different. This is also about helping women become more comfortable with making financial deci sions and with asking their friends to give.”
2022: The Amethyst Circle seeks 62 more women at the $5,000 member level to meet the goal of providing all 25 scholarships.
2020: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WFM events went virtual, including a series of popular lunchtime webinars that continue today.
“It was hard,” she said. “But it’s harder now. A first-generation student like me, they’re already coming in behind the financial eight ball. There are few summer jobs that could cover today’s costs, no matter how many shifts they pick up.” Mowen’s future wife, Sue Cumpston (’82), arrived as a first-genera tion freshman that fall, facing her own set of challenges. “I was totally overwhelmed,” Cumpston remembered. She moved from a rural
I 14 CUMPSTON (’82), MOWEN (’80) AND TOMLIN PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE ADERTON (’19)
In the summer of 1978, Grease was the word and Trapper Keepers were the new, must-have school supply. A year at JMU cost about $3,000 (tuition, room/board and books) for out-of-state student Lori Mowen (’80), which she earned by working 16-hour days inside a hot Corning Ware plant. While learning to balance campus life — Accounting classes, field hockey, new friends — Mowen also needed a substantial paycheck.
Investing in their roots Alumnae create scholarship for first-gen students from Appalachia Lori Mowen, left, and together.wouldlivesenabledExperiencesMadisonbelieveCumpstonSuetheirthetheybuild
MADISON MAGAZINE
UNLEASHED West Virginia home with out indoor plumbing or hot water, determined to change her life in Harrisonburg. “At first, I was just thrilled with the accommodations,” she said with a laugh. Cumpston was a bright student with big dreams who punched her ticket to col lege with the help of the fledg ling Pell Grant program.
— ALYSSA
— Jamie Shaver Marsh
POPULATION DATA COURTESY OF APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COMMISSION. VISIT ARC.GOV FOR MORE. “I’m so thankful to have scholarship support, and to have met Lori and Sue. They’re such amazing people and completely get where I’m coming from.” TOMLIN, junior
Watch Mowen and Cumpston’s 2022 Stewardship Luncheon video and speech on find ing common ground in their humble beginnings as first-generation college students.
HOW THEY MADE THEIR GIFT Created two scholarship endowments to benefit students long into the future by naming JMU as a beneficiary in their wills Funded one of the scholarships over five years so they can see the impact of their giving in their lifetimes Made that scholarship possible today by funding immediate awards for a student of population 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher
APPALACHIAN DIVIDE Percentage
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For years after the couple graduated, they talked about helping others in the same situa tion. “We’d get the letters and magazines from JMU, and we always thought, ‘You know, we really want to do more,’” Mowen said. Now, they’ve started a scholarship for first-genera tion students from the Appala chian region. “I just wish we’d done it sooner,” Mowen said. “It’s been incredibly rewarding.”
This year’s recipient, junior Alyssa Tomlin, “definitely has the work ethic needed to stick with this and make change happen,” Cumpston said. Dur ing her sophomore year, Tom lin worked 25 hours per week in addition to commuting more than an hour for classes. “I’m so thankful to have scholarship support, and to have met Lori and Sue,” Tom lin said. “They’re such amaz ing people and completely get where I’m coming from.” Tom lin’s goals are similar to those of her mentors: to earn a Business degree and eventually travel the world. This year, Mowen and Cumpston will visit Antarctica (the last continent they haven’t explored) and begin planning a study-abroad scholarship. “Being able to help JMU students has made us feel like we are making a con tribution to our global community,” Mowen said. “We take to heart the challenge of Being the Change we want to see in the world.”
“I had a belief that this was going to pay off someday,” Cumpston said. “I remember walking down the steps toward the railroad tracks by Godwin Hall after my first exams. That was the moment when I knew I’d made a good choice. I felt I’d learned more in a semester at JMU than I had in my entire high school career.” Her choice did pay off. After meeting at JMU, Mowen and Cumpston said their Mad ison Experiences enabled the lives they would build together: advanced degrees, stable careers and a love of international travel. “We are proof that education is one key to breaking the cycle of poverty,” Cumpston said. “And it’s more than academics,” Mowen added. “JMU is also where I got exposure to different people from different backgrounds. It was a place to explore myself, and it’s where I decided who I wanted to be and how I wanted to see the world.”
1970-1979APPALACHIAUNITEDSTATES1980-1989 1990-1999 2000-2008 2009-2012 2013-2019 7.4% 10.7% 11.1% 16.2% 14.2% 20.3% 17.6% 24.4% 21.3% 28.5% 24.7% 32.1%
15NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE PHOTOGRAPH BY SCGERDING/GETTY IMAGES FALL 2022
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THE COHORT MEMBERS ARE:
Elim Hernandez comes to JMU from the Univer sity of Oregon as an canHispaniccopywritingtion,guageSpanglish,code-switching,bilingualism,areasHisArtsSchoolprofessorassistantintheofMediaandDesign.researchincludelanintensificaadvertising,andAmericonsumers.
NEW
Jason Baltazar, a doctoral candi date at the Uni versity of Kansas, joins the candiasporicmultiethniclativeforms,writing,includeresearchfessor.andepartmentEnglishasassistantproBaltazar’sareasfictionhybridspecufiction,andAmeriliteratures.
“The College of Arts and Letters is fortunate to have faculty who have worked in this area for years and forged strong bonds with our local and statewide Hispanic community,” CAL Dean Robert Aguirre said.
Following the success of the first College of Arts and Letters cohort hire in 2021, CAL pursued another cohort focusing on Latinx studies in various fields. The growing, interdisciplinary area cuts across traditional fields of inquiry and supports JMU’s commitment to community engagement. As the demography of the student body changes and the Latinx population grows in Virginia and the nation, faculty expertise in this broadly defined field will become more important.
CAL welcomes Latinx studies faculty cohort
Verónica Dávila Ellis is an assis tant professor in the Depart ment of mancesoundqueermusic,studies,CaribbeanincluderesearchCultures.eraturesLanguages,ForeignLitandTheirareasLatinxandculturalpopulargenderandtheory,andandperforstudies.
María DelgadilloJosé , an assistant profes sor in the Eng lish andtiesbetweenaryinterdisciplinLatinfemaleandwonder,includesHersityfromcomesdepartment,toJMUtheUniverofHouston.researchfantasy,genderhorrorinwritersinAmerica;collaborationhumaniandscience;bilingualism.
“During meetings with these candidates, I was so impressed with their academic excellence, but even more with their desire to join the CAL community as well as the local community, which is such an important asset to our faculty experience at JMU.”
— KARINA KLINE-GABEL, assistant dean — Becca Evans (’18, ’20M)
F 16 MADISON MAGAZINE COHORT PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS &News Notes FALL 2022
“With the successful completion of our cohort hire, these efforts will be multiplied, bringing Latinx perspectives to writing and media, racial and social justice, communication, politics, transnationalism, bilin gualism, gender/sexuality and varieties of policy-inflected research.”
Reslie Cortés, a doctoral candi date at Arizona State University, joins the School of performance.turalnialism,Ricoincluderesearchformer,directorfessor.antionCommunicaStudiesasassistantproAwriter,andperCortés’areasPuertoanddecoloandculandracial
Eduardo Duran comes to JMU from UCLA as an assistant profes sor in the Sociol ogy department. His Latinoftheanthethecalphenomenologimedicalculturalinterestsresearchincludesociology,sociology,sociologyandsociologyofsenses,withemphasisonexperiencemigrantsfromAmerica.
— Morgan Vuknic
Paralympians educate teachers on diversity, equity and inclusion
— KARI MILLER ORTIZ, USA sitting volleyball player
“You’re going to mess up; you’re going to have bad days, but you have to keep going and learning,” Ortiz said. “All of the awesome moments will outweigh the bad ones. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“Diversity, equity and inclusion are all important, because those are the things that make us better both in the workplace and at home,” Ortiz said. “We need to be able to add the different pieces together. If everyone was a Steve or if everyone was a Trey, then we’d be missing a bunch of pieces on our Competingteam.”inthe 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Serio and Jenifer brought home gold medals for Team USA. Retiring after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro — where she led Team USA to its first gold medal in sitting volleyball — Ortiz was still involved in the next Paralympic games as part of NBC’s broadcasting team. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty surrounded the Tokyo Games. “As a performance athlete, you’re very wellequipped to deal with success and failure,” Serio said. “But you’re not well-equipped to deal with uncertainty, and that’s what the last two years have been for all of us. Winning makes it worth it, so [Tokyo] was a great experience, but it was hard for us athletes to stay on top of our game.”
Jenifer remembers having a close-contact scare where the team had to quarantine and was not allowed to leave their rooms. He said it was hard not to dwell on negative thoughts. He focuses on the positive and strives to change the narrative about disabilities.
NEWS & NOTES PARALYMPIAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY JULIA WEAVER (’21) 17FALL 2022
“We need to be able to add the different pieces together. If everyone was a Steve or ... a Trey, then we’d be missing a bunch of pieces on our team.”
“It’s hard, because when you’re trying to find yourself as a kid, it’s like, ‘Why am I dif ferent? Why is everyone looking at me?’” Jeni fer said. “Then as an athlete, when you’re on the court and you mess up, you hold all of the negative thoughts within yourself. For me, I’ve been trying to focus on the positive. I’ve been trying to live in the moment and not let the negative thoughts weigh me down.”
“PSL combines Paralympic ideals and values with educational activities to pro mote engagement and education related to parasport, inclusion and sociocultural norms,” said Cathy McKay, Kinesiology professor and event organizer. Serio, Jenifer and Ortiz each bring some thing unique to their respective sports.
Paralympians and Team USA wheelchair basketball players
Steve Serio and Trey Jenifer, retired Team USA sitting vol leyball player Kari Miller Ortiz and three accomplished wheelchair basket ball players came to JMU in February. They taught students about their respective sports and how to change the perception of disabil ity through the Paralympic Skill Lab. This was the sixth year JMU hosted the skill lab and the first in which a teachereducation workshop offered more than 65 pre-service and in-service teachers the oppor tunity to learn how to execute parasport activ ities in the K-12 physical education setting.
Through his sport, Serio wants to create an environment where people with disabili ties can thrive and not shy away from things they’re told they can’t do.
During surgery to remove a tumor, Serio’s spinal cord compressed, paralyzing him at 11 months old. Jenifer was born without legs, and Ortiz lost her legs in a car accident when she was in college. Each Paralympian diversifies the parasport field.
While Jenifer has been part of the skill lab before, this was Serio’s first time at the uni versity. He said it was a great experience to see the emphasis on inclusion and embracing differences. Serio and Jenifer enjoyed seeing the students engaged in different Paralym pic sports, since many of the participants will have futures as teachers.
Pre-service and in-ser vice physical education teachers learned how to incorporate sitting volleyball and wheel chair basketball.
Ortiz said parathletes need to push through the hard moments. Self-belief is integral for any person with a disability who wants to pur sue sports, according to Ortiz.
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careerNEWS & NOTES GABBIN
Furious Flower Poetry Center is grateful to everyone who joined in person and virtually for sending Gabbin off into her next chapter in style. The center extends a special thanks to Furious Flower’s Amisha Anderson, Megan Medeiros and Jessica Carter; the College of Arts and Letters’ Robert Aguirre, Siân White and Becca Evans; JMU Libraries’ Bethany Nowviskie, Kate Morris and Tiffany Cole; the Ian Buchanan Quartet; Rooker; Carter Douglas; the Furious Flower Advisory Board; Karen Risch Mott and Sybil Davis; and Jessea and Alexander Gabbin.
O
The recipients are Whitney Arietta, Matthew Boyd, Rebecca Sherman, Rachel Stegmeier, Kyle Chambers (’18, ’21M), Elise Wulchin, Lauren Evers (’22), Kelly King (’18), Ani Davis and Anne Griggs (‘21M). Alternates are Kendra LaFave (’22) and Cameron Wade (’21) The Fulbright Program is “the flag ship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. govern ment, and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of aca demic or professional achievement.
In addition, seven JMU students were recognized as Gilman Scholarship recipients in Spring 2022 (joining two recipients in Fall 2021).
Literary luminary retires from JMU Joanne Gabbin launched Furious Flower Poetry Center, left indelible mark on Madison in 37-year EVENT PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE ADERTON (’19)
Fulbright and Gilman recipients announced Joanne V. Gabbin served as a visionary leader, building key relationships with schol ars, poets and partners, as well as conceiving, overseeing and fundraising special projects and events supporting the preservation and perpetuation of Black poetry at large.
— Megan N. Medeiros (’17, ’21M) I n the 2021-22 academic year, 10 JMU students and alumni received Fulbright U.S. Student Grants, and another two were alternates.
The Gilman arewisheddisciplines.studyencouragesScholarshipandsupportsabroadacrossallTheGilmanrecipientswhotoberecognized Kristen Waltman, Mary Tolentino Baez, Hanna Dunn (’22), Emilia Petty and Noelle Cooper in the spring, and Deaquan Nichols and Elizabeth Wyatt in the fall. — Khalil Garriott (’04)
n June 30, Furious Flower Poetry Cen ter marked the retirement of Joanne V. Gabbin, its founding executive director. Gabbin started as a professor in the Eng lish department in 1985 and quickly rose to director of the Honors Program, a position she held until 2005. In 1994, Gabbin organized an event initially intended to honor Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks — but quickly became the first Furious Flower Poetry Conference. After the second successful conference a decade later, JMU chartered the Furious Flower Poetry Center to be led by Gabbin. Following an immensely successful 37 years of service to JMU, Gabbin leaves the center in the capable hands of new Executive Director Lauren K. Alleyne and Assistant Director L. Renée. The retirement reception was a jubilant jamboree in Gabbin’s honor, replete with live music and special messages from JMU President Jonathan R. Alger, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Coltman and manyThanksothers.to the generosity of Gabbin’s friends and loved ones, an $80,000 donation was made to Furious Flower Poetry Center in her name. Gabbin was presented with a number of gifts, including a lovely metalwork piece created by Mark Rooker, professor of Art and head of the JMU metals and jewelry program.
awardsofthroughJMUSpotlightingprofessorsthelensesscholarship,andservice
severeofneedstinuinginitialgramstatewideandsityMasonfromreceivedExceptionalities,FoundationsofDepartmentprofessorassistantintheEducationaland$61,160GeorgeUnivertodevelopimplementaprotomeettheandconeducationofteachersstudentswithdisabilities.
Sara Snyder EDUCATION Snyder,
NEWS & NOTES
Brent Finnegan INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATION IN HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Finnegan, director of JMU’s Health Education Design Group, was awarded $217,800 from Early Impact Virginia to complete full Spanish trans lation, uleswebsitetheandVisitingVirtualnarrationdesign,andvideographyforHomemodules,tomaintainRapidResponseandVHVmodatIIHHS.
Conley McMullen BIOLOGY McMullen, profes sor of whichpoisonousreport aboutWHSV-TVcommentaryprovidedBiology,expertinanewsthehemlock,wasidentified in Strasburg, Virginia, along the Shenandoah River. McMullen, an expert in pollination biol ogy and plant systematics, described the significant risk to animals if the plant is consumed. “It contains a little chemical called coniine, an alkaloid that is deadly to animals. So, it’s not really the sort of thing you need to worry about unless you thought that there were cattle around or individuals who might not know what it is,” he said. McMullen is the author of Flowering Plants of the Galápagos . He has visited the archipelago more than 30 times since 1983 to conduct fieldwork.
Paul Copley ACCOUNTING Copley, professor of Account ing and RSM Faculty Scholar, received the Enduring Lifetime Contribution Award for 202021 from the Government and Nonprofit Section of the Ameri can Accounting Association, the organization of academic accountants. The award recog nizes Copley’s exemplary service to accounting education and research over the course of his long career, and was recently presented at a luncheon in Washington, D.C.
FACULTY FOCUS
Information Systems and Introduc tion to Finance: Financial with co-authors Frank J. Fabozzi of Johns Hopkins University and Francesco A. Fabozzi of the Stevens Institute of Technology. Drake and her co-authors dive into risk management, budgeting decisions, company analysis and investing in common stocks. This is Drake’s 13th book and her fifth for finance professionals.
19FALL 2022
Blyer said, “JMU is a special place, and I am honored to advocate for the health and well-being of our community. Students face many challenges as they balance academics with their personal well-being. I look forward to walking with students through this journey and to creating a campus culture that allows students to thrive.”
After a nationwide search, Student Affairs promoted Kristina Blyer (’12M, ’16DNP) to associate vice president for health and well-being. Blyer will develop and manage a comprehensive, holistic approach to health and well-being at JMU, and directly supervises the Counseling Center, University Health Center and University Recreation Center.
“This appointment is a great honor. JMU is well positioned to become, in the field of inclusion, a lead institution that has already demonstrated drive and talent for modeling inclu sive practice and its consistent application,” Carter said.
Blyer received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Eastern Mennonite University. She began her JMU career as a registered nurse, holding multiple roles as she completed her degrees, and most recently serving as director of the University Health Center and adjunct instructor in the School of Nursing.
NEWS & NOTES PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS20 MADISON MAGAZINE
“The collective passion that nourishes AAAD is humbling and joyous to witness, and I cannot wait to be part of it,” Phillips said. “It is my privilege to serve as a mem ber of AAAD’s leadership. I look forward to building upon the center’s cur rent excellence and discover ing exciting opportunities for innovation in the field of Afri cana studies at JMU.”
“Dr. Kristina Blyer will continue to be an incredible leader for the JMU community in her new role as associate vice president for health and well-being,” said Tim Miller (’96, ’00M), vice president for Student Affairs. “She has always impressed me with the care she shows her team, and the energy and passion she brings to her role as a leader. I am eager to see how she will bring her talents and insights to the task of a more comprehensive, holistic approach to the health and well-being of the JMU community in the years to come.”
New DEI vice president, chief diversity officer
— Mary-Hope Vass “The collective passion that nourishes AAAD is humbling and joyous to witness, and I cannot wait to be part of it.”
Leaders
Phillips’ extensive research interests include postcolonial literature and theory with a focus on depictions of food, waste, and everyday life in culinary writing and postcolonial fiction. Her work has been pub lished by Routledge, Women’s Press, Narra tive Culture and The Projector: A Journal on Film, Media, and Culture, addressing every thing from cookbooks to food on the big screen and beyond.
New director of AAAD and professor of English New associate vice president for health and well-being
“Dr. Phillips has been an active AAAD supporter and collaborator for the past couple of years, and we couldn’t be more delighted that she will be bringing her energy, exper tise and leadership here to JMU,” said Mollie Godfrey, previous AAAD director.
Malika Carter is JMU’s new vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. She was selected as a result of a highly competitive nationalCartersearch.comes from the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry. In 2017, she joined the SUNY ESF community as its first CDO. She has also served as CDO for SUNY Upstate Medical University and is the chief executive officer of Passion4Pivot LLC, a social justice consulting firm. Before begin ning her work at SUNY ESF, she was the inau gural CDO for Worcester, Massachusetts.
— DELORES PHILLIPS, AAAD director tapped for key administrative roles
Carter earned her doctorate in Philoso phy with a concentration in Institutional Analysis from North Dakota State Univer sity; a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont; a Bachelor of Sci ence in Middle Childhood Education from Cleveland State University; and an Associate of Art degree with a concentration in Stenog raphy from Cuyahoga Community College. Among her numerous awards and accom plishments, Carter was presented with the Harriet Tubman Freedom Fund Award dur ing the Syracuse NAACP’s 42nd Annual Freedom Fund Virtual Dinner in 2021. The award, the organization’s highest honor, is given annually to a person whose extraordi nary leadership and efforts have contributed to eradicating racial injustice, promoting social equity, and advancing and improving the community at large.
The African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Center hired Delores Phillips as its new director. Phillips also joins the Depart ment of English as an associate professor with“Ittenure.wasthe welcome I received in my first Afri cana Studies Workshop that cemented my com mitment to AAAD,” said Phillips, who joined JMU from Old Dominion University. “Since then, I’ve learned of the wealth of AAAD’s activities at and beyond JMU, and immedi ately wanted to contribute to its wide-ranging network of courses, study-abroad opportuni ties, conferences, workshops, sister univer sities, and JMU faculty, staff, students and community members.”
— Student Affairs
— Becca Evans (’18, ’20M)
Connect with us For a complete list of all university social media links, please visit j.mu/socialmedia
“It’s a celebration of our fac ulty’s success and the accom plishments of our alumni,” said Stephanie West, the school’s director. West said outreach by student organiza tions at regional and national meetings is also bringing the school’s brand to the attention of the greater hospi tality“Addcommunity.tothisour experiential learning programs with indus try partners and an exceptional internship program, and you have a solid foundation for edu cational excellence,” she said.
As loyal Madison readers, you are also brand ambassadors for James Madison University. This feature is a one-stop shop of JMU’s recent rankings and recognitions. Use it to brag about JMU and help spread the word! #3 in the U.S. for Master ’ s Universities for 2021 (Washington Monthly) #3 in the U.S. for Best Bang for the Buck Southeast Colleges for 2021 (Washington Monthly) award new JMU Libraries magazine
“This program aims to support local students who want to succeed in higher education but might not have the opportunity to do so on their own.”
TALKING POINTS
“A student’s educational opportunities should not be limited by their financial situ ation, family history or disad vantaged backgrounds,” said Amanda Sawyer, an associ ate professor of Middle, Secondary and Mathematics Education, who will oversee the program. “This program aims to support local stu dents who want to succeed in higher education but might not have the opportunity to do so on their own.” Students in the program participate in weekly tutor ing, monthly activities and a summer program. Addi tionally, students have an opportunity to earn monthly and summer stipends throughout the year. The program aims to build on the success of JMU’s wellestablished, early academic outreach initiatives, such as the Professors in Resi dence and Valley Scholars programs, to increase access to postsecondary education opportunities by supporting local students through pub lic-private partnerships.
HIGH HONORS
— AMANDA SAWYER, associate professor of Middle, Secondary and Mathematics Education CoE grant will encourage first-gen, at-risk students to further education Global recognition for Hart School jmu.edu/madisonMadison@JMUJamesMadisonUJames@JamesMadisonUniversityJamesMadisonUniversityMadisonUniversitymagazinemagazine
JMU will receive $1,437,685 to create a JMU Upward Bound Program at Harrisonburg High School and at Spotswood High School in Rockingham County, supporting 30 to 35 students at each school.
To arrive at its results, CEO world surveyed 185,000 gradu ates, industry professionals, employers and recruiters in 96 territories between Nov. 15, 2021, and Feb. 22, 2022. Rankings were based on seven metrics of quality and reputation: perceived globalbrands influence, recruiter responses, employer feedback, job-placement rate, admission eligibility, specialization and academic reputation.
The program’s goal is to help first-generation college stu dents and at-risk students find academic success and gradu ate from high school. Further, the program encourages enroll ment and graduation from postsecondary education.
ment’s emergence as a leader in its category has been acknowledged by CEOworld maga zine, a respected voice among senior executives and other business leaders across a wide range ofInindustries.itsMarch issue, the New York-based publication awarded the Hart School a berth among the top 50 hospi tality and hotel-management schools in the world for 2022.
The JMU team that worked on the magazine includes includes Jenne Klotz, Kristen Shuyler, Heather Holsinger, Bethany Nowviskie and Emily Blake. View the issue at https://lib.jmu.edu/ about/magazine-2020-2021.
21FALL 2022 BRAG SHEET
Top
The Hart School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Manage
The College of Edu cation will receive $1.4 million over the next five years to help eligible highschool students in the Shenandoah Val ley overcome social, emotional and academic barriers to achieve success in edu cation beyond high school.
for
The inaugural 2020-21 JMU Libraries Magazine won the American Library Association’s PR Xchange Award for External Communications. According to ALA, the award “recognizes the very best public relations materials produced by libraries in the past year. Entries are evaluated on content, originality and design by a team of experts in public relations, graphic design, communications and marketing.”
Work has begun on the expansion of the Veterans Memorial Park softball venue. The expansion will increase seating capacity to 1,500 with the addition of permanent seating above the current seats along the first- and third-base lines. Also, the project will better position JMU to host NCAA Regional games with improved lighting, new padding surround ing the playing field and additional press-box seating. “We are excited to embark on this expansion project for our softball facility,” said Jeff Bourne, direc tor of Athletics. “Softball has been among our highest-achieving pro grams with multiple conference championships and noteworthy NCAA postseason success. “The program also has deep com munity ties, which have resulted in capacity crowds,” he said. “While we have addressed this with temporary solutions for years, there was a strong desire to pursue permanent structural expansion to match the interest.”
The willsoftballMemorialVeteransParkfieldseat1,500.
22 NATION RENDERINGS COURTESY OF JMU ATHLETICS
The Convo renovation will provide volleyball seating for 900, with an alternate configuration of three prac tice courts, as well as training space for indoor track and field. Addition ally, the facility will be outfitted with locker rooms, coaches’ offices, academic advising, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, equip ment services and meeting rooms for
“The JMU Convocation Center has been an important piece of our facilities footprint for 40 years,” Bourne said. “With the open ing of the Atlantic Union Bank Center, the Convo presented a unique opportunity to update and improve the overall experi ence for multiple sport programs.”
Softball expansion, Convo renovation underway Both projects set for completion in Spring 2023
MADISON MAGAZINE
The work is scheduled for completion in early Febru ary, in time for the first home contests of the 2023 spring season in early March.
Meanwhile, the JMU Convocation Cen ter, the former home of men’s and women’s basketball, is trans forming into a competition venue for volleyball, along with training and support spaces for multiple JMU sport programs.
Convo volleyball court
NATION
James Madison Athletics experienced a pair of tragic losses during Spring 2022 with the passing of softball student-athlete Lauren Bernett and Associate Athletic Director for Integrated Health and Sport Performance Tom Kuster (’95).
A game-day locker room at Sentara Park
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Bernett died on April 25, in the middle of the Dukes’ spring softball campaign. A catcher, she was hitting .336 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs, and ranked 14th in the nation in runners caught stealing. She was First Team All-Conference, NFCA First Team All-District, an ECAC All-Star and Second Team AllState. Bernett was a starter and key contributor to JMU’s run to the national semifinals in the 2021 NCAA College World Series.
— JEFF BOURNE director of Athletics
Kuster died on May 17. He was part of the department’s senior leadership team, overseeing all aspects of inte grated health and sport per formance, while also serving as tennis-sport administrator. His areas of oversight included sports medicine, sports nutri tion, strength and condition ing, and psychology. Kuster was extremely dedicated to his craft, creating JMU’s unique integrated health model to maximize total health care for each student-athlete. Kuster, who joined the JMU sports medicine staff in 1999, was inducted into the Vir ginia Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in January.
23PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JMU ATHLETICS
In Memoriam “Softball has been among our highestachieving programs with multiple conference championships and noteworthy NCAA postseason success.”
JMU cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball, and track and field.
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JMU
The renovation is expected to conclude in Spring 2023. The Convo, which opened in 1982, hosted its final basketball games in Spring 2020, prior to the opening of the Atlantic Union Bank Center. Both upgrades come on the heels of an expansion of Sentara Park that included game-day locker rooms, sports medicine and concessions spaces.
MADISON MAGAZINE24 PHOTOGRAPHS BY CATHY KUSHNER (’87) AND JULIA WEAVER (’21) JMU NATION
James Madison Athletics overcame the COVID-19 pandemic and con ference-affiliation setbacks during the 2021-22 academic year to continue posting department-wide success. In particular, renewed variant outbreaks impacted win ter sports, while all sports experienced the impact of the Colonial Athletic Association’s decision to restrict postseason access for JMU teams after the university’s November 2021 announcement that it would depart for the Sun Belt Conference on July 1, 2022. Despite these challenges, JMU sent five teams to postseason competition, highlighted by football sharing the conference championship and advanc ing to the national semifinals for the fourth time in fiveLacrosseseasons. won the CAA regular season and advanced to the NCAA second round, while cross country, swimming and diving, and track and field also experienced NCAA Championship competition. Field hockey also claimed a conference regular-sea son championship, and swimming and diving and track and field claimed titles in the East Coast Ath leticOverall,Conference.JMU teams went 179-131-2 for a .577 winning percentage. With automatic NCAA qualifi cation removed, JMU managed to place 126th in the Learfield Director’s Cup, which measures NCAA Champion ship achievements across all sports. While lower than JMU’s recent run of five straight top100 finishes, the Dukes still placed fourth in the CAA, fourth in the state of Virginia and third among members of the newly configured Sun Belt. It was a noteworthy year for individual awards with 14 All-Americans, one shy of the department record. Football’s Cole Johnson (’19) won CFPA National Performer of the Year, while Ethan Ratke won the Fred Mitchell Award as the best kicker at all levels of college football outside the Football Bowl Subdivision. He set all-time NCAA career records for field goals and points by a kicker, while moving into third all-time in points by any FCS player at all positions. Seven Dukes were awarded Conference Player of the Year, and five were VaSID State Player of the Year. Six were honored for their combinations of athletic and academic success as CoSIDA Aca demic All-District selections.
2 71 14 5 6
Track and field finished first out of 36 teams to win its first ECAC title.
BY THE NUMBERS Two ECAC championships (JMU was disqualified from CAA
All-DistrictSixofTwoSummerSpring(Winter121Helper-Helperbestcommunity7,085Dean’s71all.577PlaySeven14duplications)bothAcademicthe520automatic(JMUFive3.076Cup126thChampionships)inLearfieldDirector’sfinalfallstandingsdepartmentGPANCAAappearanceswasineligibleforCAAqualification)student-athletesearnedCAACommissioner’sAwardacrosssemesters(includesThreeCAAregular-seasontitles:fieldhockey,swimminganddiving,trackandfieldAll-AmericansCAAersoftheYearwinning%acrosssportsPresident’sListand195Liststudent-athletesdepartmenthoursofservice,fourth-outof100DivisionIschoolsgraduates2021,2022,2022)NationalPlayerstheYearCoSIDAAcademichonorees
Academically, student-athletes across the department posted a combined 3.076 GPA, which ranks second in at least the last 10 years. JMU placed fourth nationally for community-service hours with a department-record 7,085 hours.
2021-22 Athletics year in review BY KEVIN WARNER (‘02), assistant athletic director for communications
Despite the loss of automatic-qualification opportunities in most sports, JMU sent five teams to postseason competition.
n
n JMU surpassed $4 million in annual fund donations for the first time in FY22, eclipsing the previous high of $2.9 million in FY21. That includes a record of nearly 4,600 total donors. Total fundraising surpassed $5 million.
n Football went 12-2 overall and reached the FCS semifinals for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Dukes finished ranked No. 3 in the country in the final FCS poll. Ten Dukes earned All-America honors, with Ethan Ratke earning consensus All-America status. Cole Johnson won CAA Offensive Player of the Year, and Ratke won CAA Special Teams Player of the Year. n Lacrosse went 14-5 and won 11 games in a row, which included knocking off top-five ranked Maryland on the road, before falling in the second round of the NCAA Champion ship at Loyola. JMU won the CAA regular season and was ranked as high as 10th. Molly Dougherty was on the preseason top-50 watch list for the Tewaaraton Award, and Isabella Peterson was added to the list midseason, qualifying for the final group of 25.
JMU had five teams appear in the national rankings in 2021-22, highlighted by football finishing third and ranking as high as second in parts of the season. In addition, lacrosse was as high as No. 10, men’s soccer No. 15 and field hockey No. 24. In pre season polls, softball was No. 17.
Peterson won CAA Player of the Year, Dough erty won Goalkeeper of the Year and Mairead Durkin won Defensive Player of the Year.
JMU finished the regular season ranked third in the FCS in attendance at 21,769, placing JMU in the top four of the FCS in all 10 seasons since Bridgeforth Stadium’s expansion in 2011. JMU would have ranked 86th in all of FBS with that average, ahead of 46 other FBS programs. The Dukes also would have ranked fourth among the expanded, 14-team Sun Belt. For the year, JMU sold 6,853 season tickets. n Men’s tennis posted its best season since 1990, going 14-6, highlighted by No. 1 singles player Holden Koons’ 18-2 mark in singles matches. Koons won CAA Player of the Year, the first such honor in program history.
n
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CATHY KUSHNER (’87) AND STEVE ADERTON (’19) 25 JMU NATION FALL 2022 2021-22 HIGHLIGHTS$4M
Kim Lally Holmes (’07):
BY KHALIL GARRIOTT (’04)
5) Have fun! You’re buying your first home; this is a big deal! It’s easy to get caught up in the emotions of the process, but don’t forget to zoom out, enjoy the journey and have some fun! A good agent will make sure this happens.
2) Get clear on your goals and require ments. You might have a lot of “nice to haves,” but in this competitive market, you might not get everything on your wish list. If you want to build equity and resell in a few years, that house hunt might look different than a property that you intend to turn into a rental and hold onto for a long time.
Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management from JMU and served on the College of Business Student Advisory Council. Her cloud-based realty com pany, Holmes Glorioso Home Group of eXp Realty, provides human-centric real estate experiences infused with authenticity, integrity and enthusiasm. Founded in 2020, it serves the Baltimore metropolitan area, from Pennsylvania to the Eastern Shore and everywhere in between. With several hundred satisfied clients and $42 million in sales in 2021 on her track record, Holmes’ advice is rooted in Holmes,experience.whopreviously was CEO of a different real estate company and a managing consultant with IBM Global Business Services — where she met her husband, Nick, a London native — also reflects on her journey as a business owner, shares tips on entrepreneurship, reveals practical ways to traverse the housing market and reacts to the world-class College of Business Learning Complex . Plus, with JMU’s first season in the Football Bowl Sub division upon us soon, she explains why she’s a huge football fan.
“I have been so impressed with her entrepreneurship and think it’s so cool that her business skills started at JMU,” said Gwendolyn Brantley (’07), Holmes’ Zeta Tau Alpha sister and the person who pitched Madison about profiling her.
4) Communicate. The more your agent knows about your goals, the more they can help you meet them. If your plans change, the more you communicate and ask ques tions, the better experience you’ll have.
Madison magazine: Please share your top five tips for first-time homebuyers to navigate the current housing market.
MADISON MAGAZINE26
3) Have a strategy. A strategy and strong team of professionals around you is so important — your agent and lender are your first two draft picks. The market is dif ferent now than it was two weeks ago, and it will change again two weeks from now.
‘Enjoy the journey’ of first-time home ownership
ith the hot U.S. housing mar ket, Madison reached out to Kim Lally Holmes (’07) , founder and owner of a thriv ing realty company in Bal timore, Maryland, for her practical advice for alumni navigating the market as potential first-timeHolmeshomebuyers.earnedher
1) Hire a great agent and lender, and trust their guidance. You need an agent who not only understands the process to get you through it every step of the way but someone who knows the “market of the moment” in extreme detail. Headlines you hear on a national or local level might not always hold true on a hyperlocal level or in your particular price range. In this indus try, it’s what you know AND who you know. Make sure your agent has all the necessary tools in their toolbox, and/or has a strong team or mentor to bring all of this to the table for you.
W
Bright Lights
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JIMELL GREENE
27
FALL 2022
Kim Lally Holmes (’07) realshoppany2020.HomeHolmesco-foundedGloriosoGroupinThecomisaone-stopforallthingsestate.
Be adaptable and patient, and adjust the plan if needed. Rising inter est rates might mean that you need to scale back your bud get, and that’s OK. If you understand your personal shortand long-term goals and you communi cate them, every thing else will fall into place. If this is your first home, it likely won’t be your forever home. Your needs and goals evolve over time, and your home likely will, too. We often say, “It’s a house, not a spouse!”
Madison: I understand that your company has a unique way of giving back to your community when a transaction closes. Could you please explain that?
MADISON MAGAZINE28
— GWENDOLYN BRANTLEY (’07)
entrepreneurshipherandthinkit’ssocoolthatherbusinessskillsstartedatJMU.”
Madison: What do you think about the new College of Business Learning Complex at JMU?
KIM LALLY HOLMES (’07)
Holmes: When a transaction closes, we ask our client to select from a list of five great causes, and then we make a donation in their honor. The five fabulous organiza tions on our list all mean a lot to us, and we are so proud to be able to give back to the community. We believe that money is good for the good it can do, and part of our mis sion statement is that we always give more than we take. We also volunteer with an incredible orga nization called Love and Lunches. We buy, assemble and donate 100 lunches to vulner able neighborhoods in Baltimore. We have learned that many of our family, friends and clients would love to give back, but they don’t always know where or how. We strive to be a vehicle to help people do that. Last December, we partnered with the Ulman Foundation to adopt two local families for the holiday season. We created an Amazon wish list so other people could contribute, then we wrapped and delivered gifts. It will be an annual initiative for us.
Holmes: Incredi ble!! Can I come back now?! JMU has always been an amazing place to learn and grow, and the university’s com mitment to constantly level-up is so impres sive. We are all part of something truly special!
Madison: How can people set themselves up for future success, given the circumstances of the Holmes:market?
Madison: Could you share one anecdote that speaks to a challenge you overcame on your journey as a business owner?
Holmes: My business partner, Angela, and I both worked on other people’s teams until late 2019, when we made the decision to join forces and launch Holmes Glorioso Home Group. We were so excited to jump in and hit the ground running. We built an entire business plan around sphere-based business, which meant in-person events with our friends and clients every month of 2020. (It was a beautiful business plan — thanks, COB 300!) But we all know what 2020 brought, and it sure wasn’t in-person events! We sent snail mail, dropped off swag gifts at people’s doorsteps, leaned into social media and hosted a successful virtual bingo event. What we really did was find a solution. As real estate professionals, we recog nize that’s really our job every day. We need to find solutions for our clients; the more people we help and the more prob lems we solve, the bigger our business will grow. That approach carries over into everything we do. This industry is con stantly evolving and new challenges come “I have been so impressed with
FALL 2022 29 BRIGHT LIGHTS our way all the time, but we are problemsolvers and solution-finders.
Madison: When not working, I hear that you are a season-ticket holder for the Baltimore Ravens, an avid fantasy football aficio nado and the commissioner of two fantasy leagues. Why do you love football so much?
Madison: How did your Madison Experience set you up for success professionally and personally?
Holmes: I love anything that involves competition and camaraderie. (That’s probably why I was born to be a real estate agent.) During football season, I spend every Sunday either tailgating and going to the Ravens game, or watching away games at someone’s house with a fun group of family and friends. My love language is quality time, and football season means I’ll never have to wonder how I’ll spend my Sundays. My fantasy leagues are a great way to stay in touch with friends I might not see regularly. Both leagues have been running for more than 10 years. One is allfemale, appropriately named “A League of Their Own.” Every year I “host” a draft party, which has now evolved into destina tion girls’ weekends. In addition to my love language of quality time, my big why is to create incredible memories and experi ences for important people in my life.
As a Baltimore Ravens season-ticket holder, Holmes frequently visits M&T Bank Sta dium. (Opposite): Row houses line the streets of Canton Square in Baltimore, Maryland.
Holmes: My college friends are some of my best friends and favorite people on the planet. The College of Business, cou pled with ZTA, gave me four incredible years that I think back on often. The skills I learned at JMU helped me launch a con sulting career immediately after gradu ation and then transition into real estate five years later. But selling real estate and running a team/business are not the same, and I’m very grateful that my education gave me skills to succeed at both. I changed my major/concentration four times. They were all within CoB, but I had to try a few things before I really figured it out. My career path has mirrored that. I started in consulting, transitioned to real estate sales and now run a real estate business. It’s OK to not have it all figured out, and it’s OK to change and adapt over time.
30 MADISON MAGAZINE Nemoto’s 1946 senior portrait in The School Ma’am, Madison arrivedyearbook:College’sSheatMadison in September 1943 to study Dietetics.
Well. I had so many questions after reading that. How had she not been incarcerated along with more than 110,000 other people of Japanese ancestry? What had it been like for a Japanese American to attend an all-white, Southern school during World War II? My research has revealed a compelling story of resistance and resilience. Recovering the life and legacy of Yuri Nemoto (’46), Madison’s first Asian American student Resistance & resilience
By Meg Mulrooney, senior associate vice provost for academic programs and equity
A 31FALL 2022
A few years ago, I purchased a 1944 School Ma’am in a local antique store and was astounded to find pho tographs of a Madison College student named Yuri Nemoto (’46). A quick search of The Breeze turned up a 1943 interview calling her Madison’s first student “of Japanese descent.” In it, Nemoto told the reporter that she was from Los Angeles, came to Virginia on a scholarship to Lynchburg College and transferred to Madison that fall intending to study Dietetics.
NEMOTO PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FUKUI MORTUARY
LITTLE TOKYO PHOTOGRAPH BY CLEM ALBERS/WAR RELOCATION AUTHORITY/ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; NEMOTO FAMILY COURTESY OF FUKUI MORTUARY32 MADISON MAGAZINE
Little Tokyo Nemoto grew up in Los Angeles’ Little Toyko, then the largest community of Japa nese immigrants and their families in the United States. Her father, Moichi Nemoto, arrived as a student in 1904, living first in San Francisco before venturing south. In 1916, he returned to Japan to collect his picture bride, Yai Tsumori. (He called her a picture bride in his naturalization papers.) The couple had the first of five daughters, Hatsu, in 1917, then Kimi in 1919 and Mitsu in 1922. Yuri arrived in 1923, and the youngest, Matsu Florence, was born in 1926. According to her obituary, Yuri Nemoto remembered many aspects of her childhood positively, especially long drives with her parents and sisters. Historian Valerie Matsumoto provided a vivid portrait of the Little Tokyo that Nemoto knew. Of the estimated 35,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who lived there during the 1930s, half were Japanese-born Issei and half American-born Nisei. Yuri attended largely segregated schools and probably participated in one of the many social clubs where Nisei children studied Japanese language and culture. Gender expectations for girls were still very restric tive, and modern Nisei women who wanted to work faced great difficulties. After high school, Kimi Nemoto attended Los Ange les Junior College and found employment as a secretary. Hatsu, by contrast, married an Issei man. Yuri’s older sisters provided important role models for her and might have shaped her determination to go to UCLA in September 1941. Although hyste ria about “enemy aliens” on the West Coast had been building steadily since 1939, few Angelenos expected what came next. Mass removal and incarceration On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese forces launched a surprise strike against U.S. bases in Hawaii, Guam, Wake Island and the Philippines, intending to prevent U.S. military inter vention in the Pacific. Within hours of the attack, FBI agents in Los Angeles, aided by local police, began rounding up Japanese and Japanese-American professionals and businessmen. After President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, entire families received orders to report to so-called assembly cen ters and bring only what they could carry. Stripped of their civil rights, they had no time to safeguard belongings, businesses or bank accounts. The Nemotos were sent under armed guard to the haphazardly con As the Asian American scholar Leslie Bow noted in Partly Colored (2010), whites in the segregated South labeled many people “colored” besides African Americans — these included Asian Americans, Native Americans, Latin Americans and various eth nic Americans, some of whom received preferential treatment as “near white” even as they experienced prejudice. Importantly, Nemoto enrolled at Madison 23 years before the first Black woman, Sheary Darcus Johnson (’70, ’74M), but 17 years after the first Latin American, a woman from Panama. Nemoto’s story expands and complicates what is known about this institution’s transformation from a whites-only women’s school into a desegregated, coeducational university. Ultimately, though, I hope it can inform how we advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at JMU in the present and future.
(Above): In April 1942, Little Tokyo in Los Angeles was the largest community of Japanese immigrants and their families in the United States prior to the mass removal of residents of Japanese ancestry. Families were assigned to War Reloca tion Authority centers for the duration of World War II.
Although hysteria about “enemy aliens” on the West Coast had been building steadily since 1939, few Angelenos expected what came next.
(Right): Nemoto family
verted Santa Anita racetrack grounds to await removal further inland. Living con ditions at all centers were deplorable, espe cially as the population increased. Santa Anita, with more than 18,000 occupants, was the worst. More than 8,000 people occupied horse stalls that still stank of manure. Altogether, the Nemotos spent five months there.
The War Relocation Authority claimed the camps were only detaining people tem porarily until they could be relocated else where in the U.S. The reality, as many schol ars have shown, was very different. Only a small number at each camp successfully received work release. Some got approval to enlist in the armed services or attend college somewhere. Kimi Nemoto, formerly a sec retary, was assigned to work at Rohwer as a teacher and telegraph operator. She applied for work release and eventually secured a job in Kansas City, Missouri. Yuri, once again, found her own means of escape.
Actor George Takei, known for his role as Mr. Sulu in Star Trek, has vivid memories of his long train journey to Rohwer, the barbed wire that surrounded the camp and the sentry tower that loomed over the gate. Inside were 33 residential blocks, each containing 12 unfinished, wood and tar-paper bunkhouses.
While at Santa Anita, Yuri Nemoto received a scholarship to attend the allwhite Lynchburg College in Virginia. In her Breeze interview, she explained that her family belonged to the “Disciples Church” [Disciples of Christ] in Los Angeles, that members of the congrega tion had arranged it for her and that she “was released” directly from the racetrack facility. It must have been so difficult to leave her family and travel as a young Jap anese-American woman across the coun try. Soon after her classes began in Sep tember 1942, her parents and sisters were transported to Rohwer, Arkansas. While waiting for mail and phone service at the camp to begin, she worried for their safety and they, hers. In the meantime, Nemoto adjusted to the Jim Crow South and her strange new status as “near white.” White faculty and students at the small, Disciplesaffiliated school might or might not have been welcoming. All Nemoto told The Breeze is that she wanted to study Dietetics, and since Lynchburg didn’t have that pro gram, she resolved to transfer.
& RESILIENCE
(Left): The removal notice of all per sons of Japanese ancestry. (Above): Beginning in 1942, the War Relocation Authority rounded up thousands of Japanese families, boarding them on trains to ”assembly centers.”
The 1944 School Ma’am (inset) lists Nemoto’s home address as an incarceration camp for Japanese Americans in Rohwer, Arkansas. The 500-acre, barbed-wire camp was comprised of 33 residential blocks.
RESISTANCE
CAMP, REMOVAL NOTICE AND BOARDING TRAIN PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 33FALL 2022
Rohwer incarceration camp After her freshman year concluded, Nemo to’s initial release from detention evidently ended, and she joined her incarcerated fam ily for the summer. A camp newsletter, The Rohwer Transmitter, announced her as a “vis iting” guest, so it’s clear that she wasn’t stay ing long. Today, there is nothing left of the camp except the cemetery. When she arrived, however, it was an intimidating, 500-acre complex located in swampy southeast Arkan sas, far from any sizeable population centers.
Nemoto could have declined to speak at all publicly, but instead, she bravely persisted in her efforts to educate the campus. She also intentionally joined the International Rela tions Club, known that year for the frequency of “discussions that turned into debates” as Madison students tried to understand the United States’ role in the global war. A strong pro-American/anti-Axis powers attitude pervaded everything at Madison during the war years. There was a Campus Defense Council led by Dean of Women Bernice Varner, a victory garden behind the library, campaigns to buy war bonds, ban dage rolling parties, and a regular column in The Breeze that summarized news about “Japs” and “Nazis.” When Madison’s white women students went to see movies at the Virginia Theater on Main Street, they saw propagandistic news reels that disparaged people of Japanese ancestry as violent, primitive and “cunning.”
34 Madison College Yuri Nemoto arrived at Madison in Sep tember 1943. Given the heightened scrutiny of Japanese Americans and the specific circumstances of Nemoto’s schol arship, her application and matriculation undoubtedly received special attention. Then-President Samuel Page Duke and other administrators would have met with her personally. All of her required Chem istry, Dietetics and cooking classes were held in what was known as Maury Science Hall (now Gabbin Hall). The building was a short walk from her room in Sheldon Hall, one of the residence halls for secondyear students. She would have crossed the Quad for meals in the dining hall on the third floor of Harrison Hall, where she would have picked up mail from her family in Rohwer. Though the only Asian Ameri can on campus, Nemoto’s experiences at UCLA and at Lynchburg prepared her for the challenge of living with hundreds of white Southern women. Campus sources suggest how Nemoto acclimated. Her name first appears in print in The Breeze on Sept. 17, 1943, as the little sister assigned to Maxine Duggar, vice pres ident of the college’s Young Women’s Chris tian Association. The YWCA was among the most important student organizations at Madison. Its annual Big Sister-Little Sis ter program, started in 1909, required that each new student be paired with an upper classman who agreed to serve as a mentor and help “in getting adjusted to campus life.” Nemoto’s religious faith afforded her an entrée, that she would not have had if her parents remained Shinto or Buddhist, into the overwhelmingly Protestant campus. In the first week, she attended a YWCA party for the Big-Little Sister pairs, then YWCA vespers (held in Wilson Hall every Friday) and the annual new student reception at the president’s house, Hillcrest, where she first met the faculty. Everyone would have noticed the school’s “first Asian student.”
“
SHE SAYS ” PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE BREEZE /SPECIAL COLLECTIONS; NEMOTO AND 1946 CLUB COURTESY OF THE SCHOOL MA'AM YURI NEMOTO (’46) Nemoto could have declined to speak at all publicly, but instead, she bravely persisted in her efforts to educate the campus.
Nemoto’s interview in The Breeze on Oct. 1, 1943, soon sparked invitations to address student groups on the subject of Japanese incarceration. She gave her first formal talk to the YWCA in mid-October, then another to Sigma Phi Lambda members in Novem ber. It’s not hard to imagine the way she had to navigate the politics of anti-Asian racism with a white audience. In her Breeze inter view, she carefully noted, for example, that internment was “for purposes of safety to the country as well as safety to ourselves.”
(Clockwise from top right): Nemoto’s senior portrait; in 1946, she was an officer in the Frances Sale Club for Home Economics and Dietetics majors; Nemoto‘s Oct. 1, 1943, interview with The Breeze sparked invitations to address student groups on the subject of Japanese incarceration.
In this climate, whites who routinely enjoyed anti-Black minstrel shows, Old Souththemed dances and other racist activities at Madison in the 1940s surely displayed prejudice toward Asian Amer icans, even as some of them accepted Nemoto. She very likely encountered microag gressions all the time, but she
Although her family remained incarcer ated, Nemoto shifted her public advocacy role. She stepped down as IRC president, for example, and stopped giving talks about the concentration camps. She remained highly visible, however, as a leader of the YWCA cabinet and the Student Council — an elected group that, together with the class officers, formed the Student Government Association. The shift might have been a practical necessity to accommodate her senior coursework, a series of seminars in institutional manage ment, home manage ment and nutrition, along with additional requirements stipulated by the American Dietetic Association. Nemoto’s curricu lum also required her to complete a supervised practicum in one of the on-campus dining facilities and then await her final placement in an off-campus facility. Graduation day finally came in May 1946, and I like to think that some of her family members were able to attend.
RESISTANCE & RESILIENCE NEMOTO PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FUKUI MORTUARY 35FALL 2022 might have experienced more direct forms of racism and discrimination, too, such as name-calling, vandalism of personal items, grade deflation or worse.
A conventional reading would highlight Nemoto’s “triumph over adversity,” but a truer one would emphasize her resis tance and resilience. After graduation, she reunited with her family in Los Angeles, became a wife and mother, and had a long career in health care. Because she passed away in 2018, I can only wonder what she would think of JMU today. She would be pleased to see multiple Asian student orga nizations, the APIDA Caucus , the Asian Studies minor, Japanese language classes and study-abroad programs in Japan. Yet, she would also see that just 4.4% of JMU undergraduates identify as Asian or Asian American — whereas 74.5% identify as white. And she would know that antiAsian hate is rising again nationally and globally. This is especially evident in her LA hometown, where a March 2022 sur vey found that two-thirds of Asian Ameri can and Pacific Islander residents fear rising racial attacks. When I reflect on Nemoto’s story, I know she would want us to follow her example and speak out against racism and bigotry. Her memory reminds us of what Being the Change means.
Legacy: resistance & resilience
Nemoto, shown in a memorial video after her 2018 death, had a health care career after graduating from Madison.
Nemoto continued her educational cam paign into her junior year. In Fall 1944, she organized a special program for the YWCA focused on “world fellowship” and a film series for the IRC in which members consid ered cultures around the globe. When evalu ated as a body, her activities seem connected by the broad theme of human similarities — not differences. This theme was undoubt edly evident in a January 1945 talk she gave to the IRC on “Japanese and JapaneseAmericans in the U.S.” Drawing from her experiences, Nemoto “made known to the members many facts concerning the mass evacuation of 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry” and “gave information about boys of Japanese ancestry serving in the armed forces.” By that time, she was president of the IRC, an officer in the Frances Sale Club for Home Economics and Dietetics majors, and a member of the YWCA cabinet. Her elec tion to these leadership positions indicated her standing in the campus community — so does her induction in April 1945 into Theta Sigma Upsilon, an invitation-only service sorority. But after Victory in Europe Day on May 8, The Breeze offered a sharp reminder of her alien status when the editor urged Madison students to endorse total war against Japan, declaring, “We have to kill the Jap soldier for he won’t surrender. Death on the battlefield is the highest death to the Japs, and it is our own boys who have to fight these tricky, fanatical soldiers.” I can’t tell if Nemoto returned to Rohwer during the summer of 1945 or not. Severe rationing caused President Duke to cancel spring break a few months earlier because of the national shortage of fuel, and travel remained restricted. Where was she when the U.S. bombed Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9? Where was she when Victory Over Japan Day was announced on Aug. 14, 1945 and the surrender documents signed on Sept. 2? I wish I knew. It must have been a very difficult summer. By Sept. 15, she was back on campus for her senior year. Now living in Senior Hall (Converse Hall) and still a member of the YWCA, Nemoto was assigned a little sister, a white woman named Frances Clark Bethel — one of 473 first-years admitted. As a senior, she qualified for a wide array of social privileges, like the ability to return later to campus from a date. While many white men, including newly discharged veterans, enrolled in day classes at Madison, it is unknown if she participated in the post-war frenzy of dating. Historians like Jason Sokol documented the tensions that resulted when white veterans returned to their home communities and resumed old animosities toward Asian American, Latin American and African American neighbors.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Also a professor of History, Mulrooney chairs the Campus History Commit tee. Her research on the history of James Madison University plays an integral part in telling the full story of the institution and people connected to it. If you knew Yuri Nemoto (’46) or have a similar story to share, the committee would like to hear from you at campushistory@jmu.edu
Still, not every trick in The Good Liar can be explained, and by the end of the show, observers can’t help but wonder: How did he know the woman in the front row was thinking of a three-armed man? How did random page numbers in a Harry Potter book end up on a slip of paper inside a fortune cookie? Alumnus, ‘D.C.’s most honest con man,’ weaves a web of deception as a professional magician and mentalist
No small task, given that over the course of the next hour, Curry demonstrates an uncanny ability to read audience members’ minds, reveal intimate details about their lives, guess words they’re thinking of and even unlock their phones.
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“Tonight, I’m going to lie to you,” Curry says flatly at the outset of his one-man show, The Good Liar, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. “Your job is to decide whether what I’m telling you is true, whether it is partially true or whether it is absolutely false.”
(’96, ’17M) Brian Curry (’03) might be a con man, but he’s no liar. Or is he?
Then, about halfway through the show, Curry admits his psychic powers are a ruse. That missing playing card? He memorized the deck. The young woman whom he correctly pegged as “the type of person who tells their friends what they need to hear, not what they want to hear”? A technique known as cold reading — analyzing someone and then offering specific information that applies to most people. The man whom he picked out of a lineup as the secret liar? A study in body language.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BRIAN CURRY (’03) FALL 2022 37 LIAR Brian Curry (’03) has been sevenperformed20audiencesdazzlingforyearsandhasonallcontinents. D
The making of a magician Curry, whose real name is Brian Kloske, was introduced to magic when he was 13. “I grew up overseas, and it was always a struggle to make friends outside of my American schools,” he said. When his family returned to the U.S., Curry entered the sixth grade as a shy, introverted kid trying to find his place in the world. One day, the family had a house guest from Germany who was taking a magic class, and he taught Curry and his brother a trick. “I showed my neighbor, John, and he’s like, ‘Hey, that was cool! Bobby, come watch this.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the greatest moment of my life! I’ve got to learn anotherCurrytrick.’”started reading magic books and learning the tricks of the trade. It wasn’t long before he landed his first gig at Cox Farms in Centreville, Virginia. At 15, he began performing during Sunday brunches at Clyde’s, a popular local restaurant. In high school, he traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, once a week to study sleight of hand in the back of an old magic shop that reeked of cigarettes. He later studied with a professional card cheater, a mind reader and a comedian.
“It has helped me on all sorts of fronts — acting, set design, writing. I use those all the time,” he said. A playwriting course with professor Roger Hall proved especially useful. “I write all my own shows,” he said.
Curry, a professional magician and mentalist, has dazzled audiences with the art of deception for 20 years, performing on all seven continents. Indeed, one of the only truths in The Good Liar is his story about how, as a young magician working in the mall at Tyson’s Corner in Northern Virginia, he became good friends with his boss. “I learned an awful lot about the craft from him,” he said. A year later, the two men moved their show to Disney World, Florida, on the boardwalk. “Our first day there, some guys walked up and pushed him to the ground, put him in handcuffs and took him away. He was a con man who had been on the run for five Afteryears.”getting over the initial shock of being duped by his mentor, Curry began studying the art — and science — of lying, and he won dered if he might one day recreate that sense of deception in a show. “Can I make people feel like they know me and then make them question me as they leave?”
“I remember he was the first person who talked to us about health insurance, like, ‘Hey, what are you going to do? You can only be on your parents’ health insurance for so long.’
“I figured I would do this until I failed,” he said. “I guess I’m still waiting for that shoe to Currydrop.”came to JMU as a Psychology major, but he was also interested in The atre. He knew he was skilled at close-up magic — performing tricks for small groups of people, mostly from his pockets — but he also knew if he wanted to make a career of magic, he would have to learn how to perform on stage. He was drawn to JMU’s Black Box Theatre, a venue that allows lesser actors a place to learn. A General Education Theatre class further piqued his interest and convinced him to switch majors. His stage credits at JMU included Dodge in Sam Shepherd’s Buried Child as well as several, one-act plays and a bit part in the 2002 main-stage production of the musical Carnival . “One of the main characters was a magician, so my job was to teach the guy, who was a good singer, how to do magic tricks,” he said. For his senior thesis in the theatre pro gram, Curry staged a variety show, Magic and Mischief, that included elements of dance — “I was a big fan of the Swing Dance Club” — and comedy. “It was a lot of fun.”
38 MADISON MAGAZINE BRIAN CURRY ( ’ 03)
— BRIAN CURRY ( ’ 03) (Above): Curry is skilled at sleight of hand; (Left): performing on the streets of Old Town Alexandria in 2006; (Below): at Clyde’s, a popu lar restaurant in the D.C. area
Acting coach Tom Arthur was instru mental in Curry’s growth as a performer, and the department head at the time, Bill Buck, offered a wealth of information about the business side of show business.
“I figured I would do this until I failed. I guess I’m still waiting for that shoe to drop.”
“One of the things I discovered later in my career is that being on stage as a magician, you’re still playing a character, so you have to write for that character.”
Curry said JMU, and the theatre depart ment, in particular, which is known for edu cating students in all aspects of production, prepared him well for his chosen career.
For the first half of the show, Curry pretends to be psychic and tries to convert skeptics in the audience. Then in the sec ond half, he pulls back the curtain to expose some of the techniques that mentalists use.
After graduating from JMU, Curry returned to Northern Virginia, where he continued to perform at Clyde’s — which featured wealthy clientele from which he was able to book a steady stream of corpo rate gigs — and on the streets of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. In 2012, he landed the first in a series of jobs on cruise ships, which took him and his wife all over the world. “I had guest status,” he said. “I barely worked.”
THE LIAR
GOOD
“I also remember [Buck] telling us, ‘You’re gonna hate 95% of what you do, but you’ll love the [other] 5% so much that you can’t do anything else,’” Curry said. “And he was absolutely right. So much of our busi ness isn’t performing; it’s contracts, liability insurance, driving to and from a show, set ting it up, breaking it down. The perform ing part is the smallest part.”
Curry also began doing magic shows focused on math, science and reading at elementary schools in Virginia. Before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020, he was logging more than 100 of these shows a year. One day he was reading a book on play writing, and an idea came to him: What if two magicians hated each other? “I sat down and wrote a show called The Magic Duel , in which two magicians compete for a made-up title and the audience votes for the winner,” he said. The show, which Curry described as a passion project, ran for more than five years in D.C. and was successful enough that he passed it down to his part ner in crime. Pulling back the curtain The Good Liar, which Curry hosts a block from the White House, was born in the era of “fake news” and “alternative facts.”
Curry performs regularly at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., a block from the White House.
Even though the show is called The Good Lia r and Curry tells the audience from the start that he’s going to lie to them, “my goal is to get them to believe me,” he said.
“It’s a lot easier to lie to an audience and get them to believe you than it is to convince that same audience that they’ve been lied to.”
“Who would have thought something like the truth would become subjective?” he said.
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“Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, they’re entertained, and they don’t know how I did it anyway.”
“It’s a lot easier to lie to an audience and get them to believe you,” Curry said, “than it is to convince that same audience that they’ve been lied to. So, I go to great lengths at the end of the show to make sure that I can prove to them that what I was saying was true.”
he Haynes Scholars Residential Learning Com munity offers first-year STEM majors who iden tify as part of an underrepresented group a place to grow and thrive at JMU. The scholars live together in or near Hoffman Hall, where they create meaningful connections with other like-minded students and develop skills to succeed in their science, technology, engineering and math courses.
For many Haynes Scholars, a diverse group of education-driven people with bright futures, the program brings an element of inclu sivity to what is a predominantly white university.
“It was great to get research experience in a guided way,” Jasmine White said. “They also provided us with tutors and mentors, which was a big help.”
To Jada White, a sophomore Engineering major, the community provides a network of student support. The program is a “space for minorities in STEM to come together. It helped me establish myself at JMU,” she said.
“Haynes guarantees you will have that community of peers from the beginning,” said Jasmine White, Jada’s twin sister and fellow Haynes Scholar in the Engineering program. “It helped me get out of my shell, because I was quickly exposed to people with different backgrounds.”
40 MADISON MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF HAYNES SCHOLARS PROGRAM
By Kristen Essex (Above): Haynes Scholars play SET in Hoffman Hall. (Inset): Scholars live together in or near Hoffman while taking Calculus classes in cohorts, and making student and faculty connections that help them become leaders in their departments.
Transitioning into a four-university can be a daunting change for underrepresented students, who might not feel as welcome and included as their white peers. The Haynes Scholars community helps these students feel seen, heard and represented.
Connections
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In addition to an inclusive living environment, students are given research opportunities in their respective STEM departments that allow them to be mentored by faculty members and expand their academic experiences. Students have direct access to resources like technology, labs and research facilities.
STEM from community Residential learning program supports first-year STEM majors
“It’s something I think JMU needed,” White said. “It gives some thing to an underrepresented community directly. It shows JMU is also paying attention to the minority groups at the university.”
Prospective STEM students are encour aged to explore what the Haynes Scholars community has to offer. Being a part of an inclusive residential learning community is what makes students like Jasmine White feel “welcome and more comfortable” during their transition to JMU. The program is looking for students who are passionate about living in a supportive community for people of color, and are inter ested in taking calculus classes in cohorts and participating in a one-year exploratory math ematics research seminar. By helping students find their place on campus and connecting them with academic opportunities, the initia tive supports student success in myriad ways.
“We will continue to work with JMU Admissions to recruit students of color to matriculate at JMU and offer opportunities for prospective students to apply early for the Haynes Scholars program,” Taalman said.
“The Haynes Scholars program is really about community, and having a dedicated space will strengthen that community.”
In the 2022-23 academic year, the new est cohort of Haynes Scholars will work with professors Minah Oh and Roger Thelwell to gain programming skills to supplement material learned in their STEM courses. Students will be able to apply these skills to real-world scenarios, including optics and biomedical engineering.
STEM COMMUNITY
Beth Arnold, co-founder and co-director Engineering majors Jasmine and Jada White (front row, left) attended the Haynes picnic. The 2021-22 program welcomed 17 first-year STEM majors in the College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Integrated Science and Engineering.
In Spring 2022, 11 Haynes Scholars traveled to the Virginia State University Annual Undergraduate Research Conference/Symposia to share their work. It’s an example of providing an opportunity to dedicated Dukes eager to make their mark in STEM.
Beth Arnold and Laura Taalman , the founders and directors of the Haynes Scholars program, are passionate about it. As faculty members in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, they were also the teaching/research team for the 2021-22 cohort of scholars. This team will rotate to different faculty in the department each year.
The program also will continue partner ing with the JMU Experimental Mathemat ics Lab to provide opportunities to explore projects that incorporate computing, digital fabrication and 3D printing.
“The Haynes Scholars program is really about community, and having a dedicated space will strengthen that community,” Arnold said.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Haynes Scholars program is the opportu nity for students to participate in research as first-year students. Early experience with lab work and presentations helps them progress toward their degrees, as well as post-graduateAdditionally,studies.students can meet with scientists and mathematicians of color as part of the Haynes Seminar. The seminar course provides a hands-on exploration of science and mathematics.
Arnold and Taalman will continue direct ing the program in the fall while seeking new fundraising opportunities. They hope to acquire grants and donations to assist Haynes Scholars struggling to pay for sum mer courses and textbooks. They are excited about the future of the program, including a partnership with JMU’s Center for Creative Propulsion. The entities will begin sharing a physical space in Roop Hall in the fall. They look forward to having a designated location for the scholars to relax and build connec tions, as well as interact with the equipment, use computers, and hold events and seminars.
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Gaby Hirsch (’22)
The students were given complete creative freedom from their SCOM professor, Jenni fer PeeksMease, and the Community Coun seling Center to strategize the best method for raising awareness and funds.
By Kristen Essex
“I believe the CCC realizes how repeatable the process is, so it can enjoy similar success year after year,” Hirsch said. The CCC reached its goal before the event day, shattering previous donation records. In 2021, it received less than $3,000 in donations; this year, it raised $20,658. The first $10,000 was collected before the event even took place.
To learn more about the Great Community Give and how to get involved, visit greatcommunitygive.org.
Students leave lasting impact on local community
Gaby Hirsch (’22) and Kelly Shearer (’22) partnered with the CCC for their senior cap stone class, Advanced Studies in Organiza tional Communication, to implement a peerto-peer fundraising strategy. In the peer-to-peer method, individuals collect donations from a network of donors.
“I’m so glad that we were able to train and create materials for our lessraisingmakingfundraisers,fund-aseffort-aspossible.”
The CCC’s mission is to provide afford able professional counseling services to residents of the central Shenandoah Valley. “This organization does such admirable work, and with access to increased resources, even more community mem bers will benefit,” Hirsch said.
“After helping them raise about $10K through peer-to-peer [fundraising] alone, they were excited and recognized the large impact that peer-to-peer fundraisers have,” Shearer“Puttingsaid.in place a program that increased donations from less than $3,000 to over $20,000 is what I now consider to be my great est contribution to the Harrisonburg community,” Hirsch reflected.
The CCC considered Hirsch and Shearer leaders in the organi zation and created a meaningful, mutually beneficial partnership with them. The organization will continue peer-to-peer fundrais ing for years to come and is thankful for the JMU students’ efforts. Shearer said, “Nonprofits help to make a community come together and help each other out. I encourage everyone to walk downtown and check out these nonprofits, because there are great volunteer opportunities and fun events that are thrown through out the year that build the Harrisonburg community.”
42 MADISON MAGAZINE T he future of the Commu nity Counseling Center is brighter thanks to two Communication Studies majors with big hearts for their community.
The Community Counseling Center in Harrisonburg celebrated a successful day of giving during the Great Com munity Give. The center won the iHeart Media Inc. Board Member prize. (Below, L-R): Gaby Hirsch and Kelly Shearer
I will never forget’
Hirsch and Shearer collected donations for the Great Community Give, a communitywide giving day on April 20 for local non profit organizations. The 2022 Great Com munity Give raised $1,727,489 from 7,126 donors for 125 organizations.
‘Something
The number of CCC donors increased from 26 last year to 102 this year, providing funding for interpreters, parent-child visita tion supervision and family-counseling sessions.
For Hirsch, the experience will stay etched in her memory. “I already know my partnership with the CCC is something I will never forget, mainly because the personal reward of seeing my work translate into program-changing numbers and real success for the CCC is a true sense of personal pride,” she said.
The CCC didn’t have previous experience with peer-to-peer fun draising, but Hirsch and Shearer motivated the group of fundraisers — comprised of mostly counselors and CCC board members — by showing them the difference they could make. The students trained them on how to communicate and ask for donations using materials they provided.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER, GREAT COMMUNITY GIVE, GABY HIRSCH (’22) AND KELLY SHEARER (’22)
By Amy Crockett (’ 10)
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BRANDON PAYNE (’12)
From attending classes in Harrison Hall to skate sessions with fel low Dukes and Harrisonburg locals, he looks back on his Madison Experience with gratitude. “I am so blessed to have been a Duke,” said Payne. “A good amount of the friendships and connections that I made there have stood the test of time, even today.”
Currently, Payne is a photographer for TeamPeople, a media company in Falls Church, Virginia, while also working as a free lancer. He recently released a book, Chromatic, which features more than 11 years of his skateboard photography.
Brandon Payne (’12), at bottom, recently released Chromatic, a collection of his skate board photography over 11-plus years.
Payne majored in Journalism in the School of Media Arts and Design and worked at The Breeze for two years. While at JMU, he became a snowboard instructor and later a snowboard coach at Massanutten Resort.
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View more of Payne’s work at scrandommedia.com, and connect with him on Instagram: @scrandom_bman.
Skate of mind
Payne believes his vibrant social life at JMU made it easier for him to collaborate with people as a photographer. “The old saying, ‘It’s not what you know, but who you know’ has really been a huge factor in my career and success thus far,” he said. “My time at JMU shaped me into the man and go-getter [who] I am today. You meet so many different types of people through JMU, and if you really soak up every bit of it like I did, the rewards are almost endless.”
randon Payne’s (’12) career as a photographer started with becoming a skateboarder. When he was a kid, he would spend hours poring over skate board magazines with photos of tricks, travels and adventures. Payne felt as if the photography pulled him into that world and culture. “I became so excited each and every time a new one was in my hand, because that meant new photos to look at and get inspired all over again,” he said.
Photographer alumnus brings his passions into focus
PHOTOGRAPHS
Alumni Life
O
ver the past year, the Office of Alumni Rela tions has connected with alumni chapter leaders throughout the country to strategize on evolving our alumni-programming opportunities. Many chapter leaders came to the table with positive stories about the Big Event, a student-driven day of service that alumni participate in as well. That program had gone quiet over the last few years, and with an influx of new chapter leadership teams, we wanted to lay the foundation for a culture of commu nity engagement through the chapter program.
Once we set the date for the inaugural JMYOU Serve Day for Sat., April 9, volunteer alumni chapter leaders immedi ately answered the call and began connect ing with local community partners in their regions to set up service opportunities. Eleven chapters from all over the country hosted a wide array of service events that brought together more than 60 JMU alumni and their families, who invested 165 hours of service in their local communities. According to the Independent Sector, an organiza tion that values the national dollar amount per hour of volunteer service, JMU volunteers contributed almost $5,000 worth of rev enue to their communities!
JMYOU Serve Day builds momentum for community engagement
44 MADISON MAGAZINE for
Dukes cleaned up the shore in Hampton Roads.
BY CONOR WEBB (’15), former alumni relations assistant director COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
In addition, Josh Shulruff, assistant director for Alternative Break Programs, contributed to the success of the first JMYOU Serve Day.
(Clockwise from top left): The Harrisonburg Chapter, MetroDukes, North Carolina Tri angle Dukes, Philadel phia Chapter, Tampa Bay Dukes and Atlanta Dukes participated in JMYOU Serve Day.
The Office of Alumni Relations looks for ward to building upon the momentum of the 2022 JMYOU Serve Day by encourag ing service-related programming year-round, not just once a year. The relationships between community partners and alumni chapters have the opportunity to become interwoven into the fabric of how we engage alumni at JMU. Oftentimes, our chapters have established fantastic relationships with local bars and restaurants to host watch par ties and happy hours. We would love to see their relationships with community partners grow as well.
He led a pre-service orientation for chap ter leaders that educated alumni about the importance of creating mutually beneficial relationships with community partners.
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his past year, I had the pleasure of serving on the JMU Alumni Association Student Committee, first as a member and then as president of the organiza tion. While studying in the Hart School of Hospi tality, Sport and Recreation Management, I have had many industry volunteer opportunities: the BMW championship, a conference for Torchy’s Tacos and our big fundraiser, Le Gourmet. A professor of mine had a connection to the JMUAASC and thought I would be a good fit, so I applied to the organization and was accepted. I dove into every opportu nity I could get my hands on in the JMUAASC. I volunteered at campus events, networked with a diverse group of people and worked hard to help improve the campus climate. I learned how important it is to put yourself out there and search for opportunities inside as well as outside of the class room. I strongly believe in going the extra mile to achieve my goals. Through the JMUAASC, I met many wonderful people and made some life-changing connections. One of the best was meeting Bill Luth (’89), exec utive vice president of global store oper ations for Signet Jewelers and a member of the JMU Alumni Association Board of Directors. Bill got his start at Valley Mall in Harrisonburg when he was in college and worked his way up through the company — the world’s largest retail jeweler — which is truly impressive. In September, the Alumni Association held a networking event for the JMUAASC and the JMUAA Board of Directors. We had five minutes to speak with two directors at a time, and within those five minutes of speaking to Bill, my career began. I shared with him that I want to be a corporate event planner, and he connected me with Signet’s director of business support services, Amy Faber, who plans business meetings and incentive trips. Little did I know that this meeting with Bill would open up such an amazing door. Over the course of the next few months, Amy introduced me to the team. After a few informational interview sessions, they invited me to Puerto Rico for 10 days. The trip is part of the incentive pro gram that Signet offers its top-performing employees. I enthusias tically agreed! The company asked me to apply for its newly cre ated internship position for the business support services team, and I did. After a few interviews, I was offered the position of meet ings and incentive business support intern. I immediately accepted!
ALUMNI FOR LIFE
Alumni networking opens door to Caribbean trip, impactful internship BY ALLIE SELZNICK, JMU Alumni Association Student Committee president Allie Selz nick poses for her Signet’s Best portrait. (Inset): Photobooth keepsake shot from her time in Puerto Rico. (Opposite): Selznick with Bill Luth (’89), JMU Alumni Association Board of Directors member
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS AND ALLIE SELZNICK
46 MADISON MAGAZINE T
With about 400 attendees in Puerto Rico, I assisted with arriv als/departures, registration, VIPs, event setup/execution/break down, customer service at the hospitality desk, and anything else the attendees or my team needed. I got to dip into every aspect of an event of that size, which was the hands-on experience I was searching for. I spoke with a few travel directors (professional event coordinators who plan and execute these types of events) about their experiences in the industry. The team was warm and welcom ing from the moment I arrived. They wanted me to learn while I was there and appreciated all the questions I threw their way. When I returned from Puerto Rico, Signet immediately brought me into other ongoing projects. Specifically, I helped with its district managers meeting in June and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hos pital incentive trip in August. For more than 20 years, Signet has helped raise nearly $100 million for the children of St. Jude. For the
As the new president of the JMU Alumni Association Board of Directors, I am very excited about the launch of the JMUAA’s new 2022-26 Strategic Plan, which should guide us to better serve our 150,000-plus global alumni in the coming years. One of the best aspects of the Madison Experience is that it reaches far beyond our years as students. For me, my Madison network and passion for JMU have grown exponentially since graduation day. The JMUAA’s mission is to foster a life long connection to your Madison Experience by cultivating sustained engage ment and investment in JMU. Its vision is “to be the leading connector and primary resource to meaningfully engage alumni, and build exceptional relationships with and among students, alumni and the university to keep Madison traditions alive for future generations.”
Another way to stay connected is to attend local JMU events like watch parties, networking opportunities, happy hours and speaking events. But connections don’t have to happen in formal settings. I love getting a “Go Dukes!” shoutout when I’m traveling.
I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as president and continue building upon the strong foundation established by previous JMUAA presidents. I have been fortunate to not only serve with many of them but befriend them as well. I want to send a sincere thank you to Jamie Jones Miller (’99), Larry Caudle (’82), Heather Hedrick (’00), Eric Bowlin (’02) and, most recently, Dave Urso (’03, ’05M) for their support, friendship and inspiration as I begin my term and continue their hard work. I look forward to meeting you at an alumni event soon, working with you to grow the JMUAA and supporting the institution we love so much! Go Dukes!
47FALL 2022
ALUMNI FOR LIFE Tripp Hughes (’09) JMU Alumni Association president New JMUAA president ushers in autumn with call for engagement SANTOS
One of the best aspects of the yearsfarthatExperienceMadisonisitreachesbeyondourasstudents.
Signet gave me many oppor tunities to show my creative side and bring new insights to the team. It helped me see every aspect of the planning process, includ ing standard operating procedures and best practices. Every week, Signet brought me into new roles with more responsibilities. This internship was a key turning point in my life, because it showed me that I can suc cessfully work with a leading company and be an asset. I learned that I love every aspect of what it takes to put on meetings and trips. I never felt so truly appreciated in a job before. I am beyond thankful to the JMUAA for the opportunities. The association gave me the chance to stay involved in many differ ent projects, like being on the search commit tee for a new hire, planning the Spirit Rock event, volunteering and pioneering the new student committee. The Alumni Association helped me establish new connections with people who want me to succeed. Because of my relationship with Signet, I know what I want to do with my career and have the tool box to do so.
he fall semester is once again upon us and, as it usually is this time of year, it’s an exciting time to be a Duke! Our university is celebrating the successful conclusion of Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison University, which exceeded fundraising expectations to support students and university initiatives across campus. Our studentathletes continue achieving academic and athletic success at remarkable rates, and JMU Athletics is now officially part of the Sun Belt Conference.
There are many different ways you can stay connected to the exciting things happening at JMU. The first is to take two minutes and visit alumni.jmu.edu to update your contact information with the JMUAA. This will help us keep in touch with you and let you know about alumni events in your area. From there, I also encourage you to follow the JMUAA social media accounts. You will find a lot of great infor mation and stories on those channels.
My goal, as your JMUAA president for the next two years, is to engage you and the alumni in your community to help further that mission and vision. Whether you live in Virginia, across the United States or internationally, we want to connect with you and inspire you to engage with JMU. It’s an honor and privilege to serve you, but this is our alumni association. I want to know what you want to see from the JMUAA, as well as how we can best engage you and keep you informed about what’s going on at JMU and with the association.
Finally, make plans to return to campus this fall for the annual Homecoming weekend (Oct. 21-23). If you haven’t been back in a few years, Homecoming is filled with Purple Pride and opportunities to celebrate our alma mater with your JMU friends and family. The JMUAA also hosts some outstanding events in the spring, so I encour age you to save the dates for the Alumni Awards (March 10, 2023) and Reunion Weekend (April 20-22, 2023) as well.
HUGHES PHOTOGRAPH BY OLIVIA
(’20)
T June meeting, I helped contract a DJ, devel oped networking activities, designed info graphics, created the registration site for the St. Jude incentive trip, proofed rooming/ grounds lists, and attended every meeting to listen to my leaders and their partners. Sig net included me at every step along the way. Some of my other responsibilities included processing voucher checks from the incentive trip, survey compilation, set ting up meetings with others in the com pany to learn more and expand my net work, and incorporating Pride Month into our meetings.
Madison College alumna celebrates Bluestone Reunion weekend BY LINDA LOUGHREY (’72)
fter 10 months of planning our Bluestone Reunion with 12 of my fellow 1972 classmates, the reunion was becoming a reality. However, I felt anx ious about traveling across the country since COVID-19 pandemic mandates were lifting. I even considered canceling and not attending. That would have been a huge mistake. After having lunch with a classmate on Thursday, April 21, we received our registration packages for the weekend — com plete with my nametag and a picture of someone I used to know (in my younger years!) as well as a schedule of activities. We met some classmates as we perused the Great Room in the Leeolou Alumni Center, which houses many Madison memories. It really gave testimony to the history and growth of Madison College, now James Madison University. Thursday was set aside for checking in, but our committee members were treated to a delicious dinner at the home of one of our co-chairs. This was followed by a get-together in the Hotel Madison lobby with our classmates and others who were already inducted into the Bluestone Society. It was a marvelous time to Fridayreconnect.arrivedas a sunny day. (Whoever was in charge of weather for the weekend should always be in charge — the weather was primo springtime in the Shenandoah Valley.) We were treated to a panel discussion by JMU students and their experiences as we ate lunch at D-Hall . Now, this was not the Madison College-kind of D-Hall. This was all-you-can-eat (no mystery meals!), with variety as well as tasty delicacies. Sepa rated dining rooms allowed us to sit and chat with classmates while enjoying the cuisine. After lunch, a virtual tour of the university’s academic programs was quite interesting, since the majority of our classmates graduated with education degrees. The options today are endless. The pinning of the Class of 2022, welcoming them as alumni, capped off the day on the grounds of East Campus with the sun slowly setting. At our dinner, Charlie Wymer (’72, ’85M) and Jim Sheldrake (’72) proudly presented a check total ing more than $1 million in our class donations since 1972, with more than $80,000 for 2022. On Saturday, classmates gathered on the Wilson Hall steps for our class picture. In the distance, we saw soon-to-be-grad uates being photographed on the Quad — on the grass, no less, with no possibility of a call down for cutting campus! A tour of Wilson Hall and the buildings around the Quad fol lowed our picture. During lunch, we were treated to a per formance by The JMU Chorale . The most inspiring songs were “Shenandoah” and the JMU Alma Mater. By the time they finished, we were standing and realized how much the singing touched us. A tour of the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum followed lunch, although I decided to go rogue and attend the women’s lacrosse game. Six of the original teammates from ’69 were ’72 graduates. Five of us were fortunate to have a picture taken and agreed to make an effort to return each year to attend a home game. The weekend culminated in the Bluestone Induction Dinner. So many of our classmates, in person or virtually on YouTube, were recognized for the 50th anniversary of our graduation. An “In Memoriam” table and video pre sentation were especially moving, as we remem bered roommates, team mates and classmates who were there in spirit. Know ing that we were the first class in three years to attend this ceremony felt special but emotional. Because of circumstances beyond their control, the classes of ’70 and ’71 never had the opportunity to experience this unique moment. It was probably the only time dur ing the reunion weekend where I felt a pang of sadness. I was honored to light the candle at the front of the ballroom to begin the Induction Ceremony. Every classmate, escorted to the front of the room, was transfixed as their name was called with a photo of them projected on a large screen. As they received their medallions, some from President Jonathan R. Alger, there was a special meaning to reaching this milestone. My main observation was all the reconnecting among class mates. Fifty years may have transpired since we last saw them or spoke, but commitments to stay connected were evident. Our life experiences varied, but the foundations initially laid at Madison College were still strong. Friendships never go out of Asstyle.Ileft JMU on Sunday and drove up Interstate 81, some of the same emotions that I felt 50 years earlier when I left Madison after graduating crept back in my mind. Would I ever see these people again? Would I lose touch with them? This time I knew the answer would be different.
Reflections on my class’ 50th anniversary
48 MADISON MAGAZINE ALUMNI FOR LIFE
A
Our life experiences varied, but the foundations initially laid at Madison College were still Friendshipsstrong.nevergooutofstyle.
49FALL 2022 (Top): Class of 1972 group photo; (Insets, L R): Linda Loughrey (’72) pins a 2022 graduate, acknowledging him as an alum nus; during the Induction Cere mony, Loughrey receives her 50 year medallion from President Alger; Loughrey at the women’s lacrosse game with Nancy Derringer, Margaret “P.A.” Aderton, coach Klaes, Linda Hern Eubanks and Vickie Foster; (Right): Bluestone Reunion weekend participants and Alumni Relations staff PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE ADERTON (’19), JULIA WEAVER (’21), CODY TROYER AND COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
She did not have a clear path forward and thus took part in many different projects, expanding her skill set. “I was all over the place, but that ended up being really help ful in the end,” Grisham said. Now Grisham works for a house hold name — Walt Disney Animation Studios. Her title is production coordina tor, which means she works with multiple departments on visual story animated devel opment of their projects.
Finishing touches
Grisham also contributed to Zootopia+ — the upcoming animated television series based on the 2016 Disney animated film — taking charge of the movement of the hair and cloth ing of all the characters. She currently works in the lighting department for Strange World, a film directed by Don Hall and co-directed by Qui Nguyen releasing in November. Some Disney hits were released during the COVID-19 pandemic, which created new challenges for the creative process.
“We have a cultural trust that is essential to be able to do this job, especially in ainsurewantedtantothertures,plesbiawereofingso“[TheGrishamenvironment,”work-from-homesaid.crew]washelpfulinfindrealexamplesembroiderythatfromColomandrealexamofhairtexandallthesereallyimporthingsthatwetomakewereincluded [Encanto]. Creatively,” the animation process is a team effort, and Grisham does her part by guiding her team members and putting the story and characters first.
it’s an amazing process, and it’s kind of like having your little baby go out into the world,” she said. “I still get emotional when I see somebody dressed up as Pepa or Mirabel at the park.”
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BY SHAYLA BROWN (’20), alumni relations graduate assistant
“Don’t shy away from something you want to try, because it just [might] be another arrow in your quiver. The little bit of information that you learn or take away might just be useful to you later on.”
— ASHLEY GRISHAM (’14) Ashley Grisham (’14) is a production coor dinator at Walt Disney Animation Stu dios. (Insets): Illustrations from the film Encanto show costume designs for the characters Luisa (left) and Isabela (right).
“Any tool in your toolbelt is always helpful. Don’t shy away from something you want to try, because it just [might] be another arrow in your quiver.”
“For [the animated film] Encanto, I worked in the character department — specifically I was in charge of all the models,” Grisham said. She also works in rig ging, which entails sculpting out and applying authentic features to the characters. “If you think of a puppet, and there are differ ent pulls and bends and things like that, that’s what rigging is — how they make an ‘O’ shape with their mouth or how their fin gers“Overall,bend.”
Alumna helps bring animated Disney characters to life
uring her time at JMU, Ashley Grisham (’14) was a Media Arts and Design major, with a concentra tion in Converged Media and a minor in Theatre. She was a photographer for The Breeze, worked at the costume shop and participated in theatre productions, experiencing both sides of the artistic aisle — cre ator and Grisham,observer.originally from Arlington, Texas, also took part in the JMU in LA program. “That was so helpful for me,” she said. “I came out [to Los Angeles] with the program and stayed. I’ve been out here ever since.”
50 MADISON MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ASHLEY GRISHAM (’14) ALUMNI FOR LIFE
“I look at what the demands of the department are and say, ‘OK, this shot and sequence need to get done. Who’s available to work on it? What are the resources needed?’ It comes down to the director’s vision of each individual scene. The mood is defined by the settings, the colors, the music andGrishammore.” has advice for JMU students who have their hands in many pots. “Any tool in your toolbelt is always helpful,” she said.
Environmentalist addresses deforestation, biodiversity loss and climate change
Follow EIA on Instagram and Twitter: @eiaenvironment.
The international organiza tion achieves its goals, in part, by conducting undercover inves tigations to reveal crimes against the environment and increase transparency, particularly as it relates to corporate activi ties harming the environment.
The inspiring professor enlightened her about the interconnectivity of the world’s biggest challenges, revealing how social institutions perpetuate cycles of poverty, racism and war — all affected by climate change. “I knew these issues existed, but I didn’t realize the scale at which they all intersect and the scale at which government and society enforce it. And that directly impacts the work I do at the Environmental Investigation Agency,” she said.
W hen Jill Harris (’08) arrived at JMU, she was undecided on a major and a career. During a first-year Sociology class, she discovered a passion for global issues thanks to the late Philip Luck.
51
Harris has worked at EIA for eight years, currently as its oper ations and administration man ager. For more than 30 years, EIA has developed and imple mented systemic solutions to protect the environment by focusing on three campaigns: forest, wildlife and climate.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JILL HARRIS (’08) AND ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY Under the radar
Some EIA staff members remain anonymous for their safety. Every 15 minutes, an elephant is killed for its ivory. EIA’s U.S. office in Washing ton, D.C., where Harris was hired, was founded as a result of its groundbreaking investigations into the illegal ivory trade, flowing from Africa through the Middle East to supply markets in Asia. EIA pro vided key evidence that helped secure an international elephant ivory ban in 1989. More recently, EIA conducted an investigation into the largest, planned open-pit mine in North America — Alaska’s “ Pebble Mine ” — that threat ened the world’s biggest salmon-spawn ing grounds and the beluga whale habi tat. Through recorded conversations in 2020, true intentions of the Pebble Mine project were revealed: The copper mine was designed to be a significantly larger, 180-plus-year endeavor.
“Pebble originally said the mine was only going to be a 20-year mine, and it was going to be fairly small,” said Harris, now based in San Diego, California.
The recent documentary Wood depicts how EIA’s forest team operates in the field. The events in the film, and the sub sequent report produced by EIA, led to citizen protests in Romania, resulting in the government releasing Forest Inspector — a transparent traceability system that allows citizens to check the legality of timber in real time on their inspire“Wetakestotingwritingtions.workandmuchrightemphasizedandism,fulbatingasaid.theforestsold-growth“Huge,smartphones.intactrainforests,pineforestsandthearoundtheequatorarelungsoftheearth,”Harris“Keepingthemstandingisveryimportantpieceofcomclimatechange.”ForDukesseekingasuccesscareerinenvironmentalactivHarris—aSociologymajorCriminalJusticeminor—thatchoosingthemajordoesn’tmatterasastheabilitytowritewellcreatively.“ThemostimportantcourseisactuallycommunicaOftenyouneedtobeapressreleaseorputtogetheraproposalasawaysustainthework,andthatatonofwriting,”shesaid.trytomakeitexcitingandpeopletodonate.”
BY AMY CROCKETT (’10) FALL 2022 ® ALUMNI FOR LIFE
“The thing that I’ve learned at nonprofits, especially small nonprofits, is that almost everyone wears multiple hats,” Harris said. (Below): EIA staff take part in the 2019 Washington, D.C., climate strike.
“Without one of these pillars in place, the whole system col lapses,” she said. “We really try to emphasize that each of these areas is equally important in trying to prevent [an] environ mental catastrophe.”
ALUMNI FOR LIFE MixedMedia BOOKS, MUSIC FILM
BY BRIAN FACEMIRE (’03) Koehler Books ISBN-13: 978-1646637126
52 MADISON MAGAZINE
My Life According to Rock Band: Or Fifty-Eight Short Stories About Life, Love, and the Greatest Video Game Ever Made
The modern education system is in dire need of reform. In Experiential Learning, Facemire provides key insights into how to change and break down the old systems and instill new ways of experiencing the educational process through student engagement. The benefits cannot be measured: the greater sense of global awareness, the lifelong memories and the spiritual awakening. And these benefits should not be measured. Experiential learning can be a journey of intense personal worth, and this realm of benefit does not fall within the purview of ethical educational research. As one student put it, “You can’t get the experience any other way.”
Gather: The Business of Coming Together BY DOUG BINDER (’87) Independently published ISBN-13: 979-8787863451 The COVID-19 pandemic forever changed events of all kinds. Now that business and private gath erings are back, a new book inspires readers to make them even more impactful and meaningful.
Divorced as F* in 7 Spiritual Steps BY BERNADETTE PURCELL (’01)
Experiential Learning: A Treatise on Education
Gather: The Business of Coming Together trans ports readers behind the scenes of an industry that is constantly changing, as audiences and technologies transform. A 30-year corporate event producer and creative director, Binder aims for the empathic and provocative — experiences that touch audiences’ hearts and souls. His book reminds readers that attendees are emotional, empathic, com plicated and evolving — not simply data points, homogenous or predictable. In equal parts how-to, manifesto and memoir, and punctuated by “laugh out loud” anecdotes and stories, Gather: The Business of Coming Together provides inspiration and techniques to make events more engaging, effec tive and memorable through experiential design, storytelling, collaboration and management. Whether producing events centered around community, celebration, selling or personal growth, planners will learn to do more to captivate and thrill their audiences by getting back to the basics of what it means to gather. Any reader can gain wisdom to make the time attending gatherings more fruitful and memorable.
Based on Facemire’s own research and experience, Experiential Learning provides a path forward for improving students’ lives.
twelvemonth and a day BY CHRISTOPHER WALTON (’11, ’13M) Wolf & Clover Wolf & Clover’s long-awaited second album, twelvemonth and a day, builds on the band’s innovative, passionate sound. The new album is sure to extend the group’s reach beyond the hundreds of thousands of Spotify listens, radio play in eight countries and praise the band garnered with its self-titled album in 2018 and the 2020 follow-up Live at the Silvan Sessions Twelvemonth and a day focuses on new compositions combined with the influence of the centuries-old traditions of Celtic music. W&C’s interpreta tions of recently composed material by Niall Vallely, Simon Ager, Patrick Ourceau, Michael Dugger, PJ Monserrat and other globally-recognized composers of Celtic music are sure to solidify the band’s contribution to the repertoire. The album is available on major digital platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music and YouTube Music.
ISBN-13:Self-published978-1737811114
Love to be Loved BY EMMA MAIORANA (’14) Braughler Books ISBN-13: 978-1955791229 Love to be Loved follows two brother cats, Bruce and Obie, on an adventure to the nearby rescue ranch. When they arrive — and much to their surprise — they meet a cow who likes to dance, a sunbathing chicken and sheep who play hide-and-seek! Their new friends might not be pets or sleep on a couch and such, but they love to be loved, just as much. Maiorana was inspired to write this feel-good children’s book by the way farm animals respond to love — the same way our pets do. The story teaches kids that everyone wants to be loved, no matter who you are or where you come from.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the book store with your kids, along comes a book with a naughty word in the title, Divorced as F* in 7 Spiritual Steps. If any subject is worthy of profanity, surely it is divorce. As a therapist who specializes in couples therapy, Purcell found the roles reversed when her marriage fell apart. Divorced as F* is a book that only a funny and insightful therapist could write. Purcell, a Psychology major, was so committed to getting her message about divorce recovery to market, she sold her engagement ring to fund the book’s production. Rest assured, she has taken everything she knows from therapy and turned it on herself. Divorced as F* is an insider’s look at divorce that does not let readers get away with lingering on the past and remaining unhappy. Alas, the poor asterisk in the book’s title is doing the yeoman’s job of standing in for all those emotions — anger, disgust, fear, sadness. Purcell writes beautifully and thoughtfully on the topic. In the years following her divorce, she reflected and put together the book she wished she had when she was going through a tough time. In this work, she calls her process and progress seven spiritual steps that eventually journey to a place of healing.
BY CADE WIBERG (’15) Belle Isle Books ISBN-13: 978-1953021694 When 15-year-old Wiberg first laid eyes on the box that held the video game Rock Band under his fam ily’s Christmas tree, he could see his whole future: the face-melting guitar solos he’d play to stadiums of screaming fans, the fame and glory that would follow him like an entourage … But that’s not exactly how it went. Instead of a packed stadium, it was a packed college apartment. He didn’t get to play to thousands of screaming fans, either, but the few, real friends he found along the way, well … that part turned out to be just as epic. With a story for each of the 58 songs available on the original Rock Band, Wiberg dives headfirst into the brutal and beautiful years that shape us into the people we become, and the music that gets us through it all.
53FALL 2022HOMECOMING PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE ADERTON (’19), JULIA WEAVER (’21) AND CAMERON HOUCK (’22); DUKE DOG COMIC STRIP BY JOHN ROSE (’86); LICENSE PLATE COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS ALUMNI FOR LIFE To show your Madison pride wherever you drive and support scholarships for Virginia students, visit www.dmvNOW.com to get your JMU license plate today. SHOW YOUR JMU PRIDE! SAVE THE DATE: OCT. 21-23, 2022
The Student Success Center opened in 2014, providing a collaborative, high-impact environment to support stu dent learning, health and serv ices. The first two floors were designed to foster dynamic interactions; the top floors have additional quiet spaces for individual study. Class
Notes STAFF EMERITI 56 CELEBRATIONS 57 SCHOLARSHIP THANK-YOUS 59 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT 61
FALL 2022OPPOSITE: PHOTOGRAPH BY HOLLY DONAHUE
“The opportunity to be included in the ranks of the highly respected individual and corporate past awardees as well as this year’s corporate win ner, Sentara Healthcare, is a high honor,” Bland said. “Each of these awardees has signifi cantly and widely contributed to the development of Hamp ton Roads as an exceptional community to visit, live and
NOTES
55 70 IN RIAM:MEMO
Bar bara McKnight Benham died on March 4. She was elected president of her senior class and later held various lead ership positions for the Madison College Class of 1970 alumni group, working closely with the Alumni Association to organize a virtual reunion in 2020. She majored in English, and also played tennis and field hockey. After gradua tion, Benham taught English at Manasquan High School for one year before marrying her high school friend and college sweet heart, Bill Benham.
72 Charlie (’85M) and Dianne Wood Wymer (’72) donated a bench to the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum in celebration of Char lie’s 50th class reunion. 77 Gilbert Bland will receive the 2022 Darden Award for Regional Leadership from the CIVIC Leadership Institute. The Darden Award recognizes individuals and corporate leaders who help shape and improve the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.
BenhamMcKnightBarbara(’70)
71 Members of the Iota Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. returned to JMU to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their sorority’s founding. As the first Black, Greek lettered organization chartered on campus on Dec. 11, 1971, more than 150 members celebrated in style from April 29 to May 1. Because of the COVID 19 pandemic, the anniversary weekend was rescheduled from the fall of 2021 to the spring of 2022. Open to the public, My Sister’s Keeper 5K Walk/Run took place on April 30 at University Park. The walk remembered sorority mem bers whose lives left indelible impacts on their communities. All pro ceeds went to a deserving high school senior. To commemorate the sorority’s legacy, Iota Alpha Chapter mem bers curated a library exhibit of artifacts that will be on display as part of a Special Collections project at Carrier Library. Sorority members are renowned for making history on campus by becoming the first Black fencer; first Black woman on the JMU Board of Visitors; first Black “Ms. Madison;” co founder of the JMU Black Alumni Chapter; first Black woman on the president’s Diversity Task Force and first two Black women in the inaugural African study abroad program to CommittedGhana. to commu nity service, sorority members have led and facilitated projects impacting JMU and Harrison burg, including participating in Alzheimer’s, American Diabetes and sickle cell walks; mentor ing girls at Spotswood Elemen tary School; Adopt a Highway; founding the DIVAS girls mentoring program; volunteering at local blood drives and aiding with food collections including the JMU food pantry. Members are also known for supporting students and citizens in Rockingham County by donating items after a major snowstorm, as well as volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club, Lucy F. Simms Con tinuing Education Center, soup kitchen and Brookdale senior living. They have also donated to Harrisonburg’s first Little Free Library. Information on private events, from sisterly gatherings to a Legacy Gala, can be found at https://tinyurl.com/2p8swvuv.
The Iota Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. was char tered on the campus of Madison College by 11 African American female students with fortitude and determination. These women sought to make their mark on Madison by getting involved at the height of the civil rights movement. More than 360 college-educated women have been initiated through the Iota Alpha Chapter with a commitment to sisterhood, scholarship, service and social action as well as Delta Sigma Theta’s Five Point Programmatic Thrust: economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement.
Charlie (’72, ’85M) and Dianne (’72) Wymer at the Arboretum CLASS
The SEA, which is open to retired, full-time classified employ ees who have earned emeriti status and want to continue associa tion with colleagues and the university, has reinstated its monthly luncheon series.
After working with the school’s career counselor, the committee scored the appli cants and was proud to award this year’s scholarship to Jenna Dyke. Unbeknownst to the committee, Dyke’s father, Sean CLASS NOTES (L-R): Barry Duval (’81), Gilbert Bland (’77) and Kathy Warden (’92) uring 2020-21, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Staff Emeriti Association kept in touch by electronic means. Now the organization’s activities and events are back in-person and support its mission of allowing mem bers to actively engage with JMU and the community.
SEA’s premier event is the annual mem bership luncheon with a “State of the Uni versity” address by a JMU administrator.
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82 Kim Miller McCallis ter (’84M) formed a grassroots effort in November 2021 to raise funds for a stu dent graduating from Patrick Henry High School in west ern Hanover County, Vir ginia. McCallister used com munity social media pages to ask for donors who had ties to the high school or to JMU. The idea of paying it forward to a student with intentions of join ing JMU’s Class of 2026 was important as a way to honor the university’s “opening doors” philosophy. McCallister’s hus band, Mitch (’81), and her daughter, Rebecca (’16), also attendedWithinJMU.afew short weeks, local donors had pledged $1,000. A committee created an application with a focus on academics, local community service and a written paragraph to answer the prompt: “JMU alumni are opening doors for future Dukes with this schol arship. How will you make the most of your college experience at JMU, and how do you plan on ‘opening doors’ for future Dukes after you graduate?”
81 Barry Duval, Gilbert Bland (’77) and Kathy Warden (’92) made Virginia Business’ 2022 list of the com monwealth’s 50 most influen tial people.
Prior to lunch, SEA chair Tina Updike (’73) wel comed members and guests, highlight ing livelytation,year.formentsoverviewStudent(’96,paredSEAandhave270campus.designationofincreaseHumanpartnershipgrownThetheandaccomplishmentsinitiativesfrompasttwoyears.associationhasthankstoawithResourcestoawarenessthestaffemeritiacrossAsaresult,classifiedstaffretireesearnedthedesignation,morethan30%areactivemembers.AfteradeliciousmealprebyAramark,TimMiller’00M),vicepresidentforAffairs,providedanofJMU’sachieveandnewdevelopmentsthe2021-22academicFollowinghispresenattendeesenjoyedaQ&AwithMiller.Theeventendedwitharaffle of door prizes donated by var ious JMU departments. The SEA thanks Human Resources for sponsoring this event. For more information about the SEA and upcom ing events, visit jmu.edu/staffemeriti or email staffemeriti@jmu.edu.
The May 26 event was held in the Montpelier Room of JMU’s East Campus Dining Hall, and it began with a reception where attendees could connect with former colleagues and greet new members.
Staff Emeriti Association celebrates return to in-person activities BY TINA UPDIKE (’73), SEA Steering Committee chair
56 MADISON MAGAZINE SEA PHOTOGRAPHS BY OLIVIA SANTOS (’20) work. Over the last three decades, I have joined with many to build upon the efforts of countless, often unsung, past leaders to help improve lives and build opportu nities in our region, especially in under served communi ties. To be person ally recognized for these efforts is not just a salute to my endeavors, but rather a recognition of the importance of the need for a strong inclusive community andBlandworkforce.”ispresident and CEO of the Urban League of Hamp ton Roads. He began his career as a commercial lending offi cer for the Continental Bank of Chicago and served as a vice president of commercial lend ing for the Independence Bank of Chicago. He has been an owner/operator of quick service restaurants for more than 30 years, primarily as a franchi see of Burger King and Pizza Hut. In this capacity, he has owned, constructed and oper ated more than 70 restaurants in Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., employing more than 2,000 team members annu ally. The Burger King Corp. endowed a scholarship in his name at JMU.
4
57FALL 2022
Celebrations WEDDINGS, HONORS FUTURE DUKES
1 Josh Humphries (’15, ’20M) married Ashley Lockhart on March 5 at The Country Club of Virginia. Several JMU alumni and staff mem bers attended the wedding. 2 Megan (Gerrity) Barnett (’16, ’17M) and Andrew Barnett (’11, ’12M) married on Feb. 19. 3 Thomas (’12) and Hannah Borgerding (’12) welcomed their first baby, and future Duke, Lucy Jane Borgerding, on Sept. 17, 2021. 4 Louise Chamberlin (’10) and Omer Al Khanchi (’10) welcomed a son, Jude, on Jan. 12. He joins his 3-year-old sister, Zaya. 5 Sagar Mehra (’14) and Allison (Welborn) Mehra (’14) celebrated their marriage in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after meeting eight years ago at Rose Library, then known as East Campus Library. 6 Tiffany Balbuena Funkhouser (’15) and Andrew Funkhouser (’16) were married on July 3, 2021, at The River View in Lorton, Virginia. Members of their JMU Family, friends and Road Dawg celebrated with them.
6 1 532
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recognizes individuals or groups with demonstrated outstanding contributions to diversity and inclusion at JMU and/or in the com munity. (L-R): John Mitchell (’93), BAC president; Tiffany Brutus (’04, ’06M), former BAC leadership team member; Donna Harper (’77, ’81M, ’86Ed.S.), president’s office representative; Paula Bow ens (’89), former BAC president; Simeon Deskins (’90), BAC lead ership team member; Bettina Mason (’87, ’95M), former BAC leadership team member; Deborah Tompkins Johnson (’78), BAC co-founder and former vice rector of the Board of Visitors.
n David W. Nicholson published the second edition of Philosophy of Educa tion in Action: An Inquiry-Based Approach. Nicholson is a pro fessor of Education at Steven son University in Maryland.
BARNETT BY JESSICA RYAN
58 MADISON MAGAZINE (’98), also graduated from JMU, and the family is recovering from the loss of their home to a fire in the fall of 2021.
(Left): Kim Miller McCallister (’82, ’84M), seated at left, with the paying-it-forward group of JMU Family and friends. (Right): Kelly Evko (’88) with scholarship recipient and future Duke Jenna Dyke. 7 Sarah (Anderson) Stone (’18) and Michael Stone (’17) mar ried on May 14 at Big Spring Farm in Lexington, Virginia. They met while pursuing Geology degrees. Their wedding planner, Jordan (Owens) Snider (’20), runs Boundless Love Events, and florist Aaren Bare is a JMU faculty member who oversees Valley Garden Co. 8 Mackenzie Bayly (’18) and Matt Bayly (’16) celebrated their nuptials with fellow Dukes on Sept. 26, 2021. 9 At the annual JMU Diversity Conference on March 23, the Office of the President hon ored the Black Alumni Chapter with a Compass Award. The award
The committee gathered enough JMU swag to fill two bags to present to Dyke, along with her check, at the May 25 awards ceremony. Kelly Evko (’88) was gracious enough to attend the ceremony and make theThepresentation.scholarship will con tinue next year, and news of it has inspired other alumni in Hanover County to begin tak ing steps to develop their own JMU scholarship.
84 Lisa Botkin, who majored in Account ing, was appointed executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport. She had served as interim executive director since February. Prior to joining the airport, she spent
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPH
SCHOLARSHIP THANK-YOU LETTER
Lipscomb University, March 29, 2022, Nashville, TN Curtis Slike (’13), a College of Business alumnus of Hender sonville, Tennessee, served as delegate for the 18th Presiden tial Inauguration of Dr. Candice McQueen in the Allen Arena on Lipscomb’s campus. McDaniel College, April 9, 2022, West minster, MD Julie Newman (’86), a College of Business alumna of Phoenix, Maryland, represented the university at the inauguration of Dr. Julia Jasken, the 10th president of McDaniel College in the Robert Joshua Gill Center.
Hollins University, April 22, 2022, Roanoke, VA Jeff Smith (’90), a College of Business alumnus from Roanoke, Virginia, represented JMU at the 13th Presidential Inauguration of Dr. Mary Dana Hinton. University of South Carolina Upstate, April 15, 2022, Spartanburg, SC George Wheeler (’88), a College of Business alumnus from Green ville, South Carolina, served as the JMU delegate at the investi ture of Dr. Bennie Lee Harris, the fifth chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate. Wheeler enjoyed representing JMU and said the event was “beautiful and the weather was perfect.”
Dear Holly and William Mullin, I am a rising senior Dietetics major at James Madison University. I am grate ful to be a recipient of your scholarship fund to support my journey as a first-generation college student. The financial support I have received con tinues to push me forward to achieve my Bachelor of Science in Dietet ics, and propel me to eventually earn my Master of Science in Dietetics from JMU. As a student who always looks for what comes next, this award allows me to stay focused and appreciate the present. As a Valley Scholar, my thoughts of pursuing a college degree and entering the field where I hope to make the most difference in the future has become a reality. I am eternally grateful to have donors like yourselves to aid in continuing what President Alger has always told me to do: DREAM BIG. Thank you for allowing me to dream, then lay the bricks for that dream when I come to JMU’s campus. I appreciate every day I am able to work toward becom ing a registered dietitian, and this generous financial support has strength ened that appreciation even more so. Thank you for supporting me in this journey, and I am more than happy to have you accompany me for the remaining two semesters of my undergraduate studies. I don’t want you to go unnoticed and miss it, and please know it could never happen with out you. Thank you, and I hope these words do justice for my gratitude.
CLASS NOTES
86 “Chris”ChristopherHickey is the director of the Lexington Medical Society in Lexington, Kentucky. 93 Melvin J. Brown became superinten dent of Montgomery Public Schools in Montgomery, Ala bama, on July 1. Brown previ ously served as superintendent of Reynoldsburg City Schools in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. n For mer roommates and lifelong friends Kim (Tufts) Lewis, Lee Anne (Marinaccio) Carlson, Kris tin (Newill) Chandler, Alice (Rid dick) Shaffer and Lara Juenger jointly celebrated their 50th birthdays in St. Martin in Jan uary. n Mari Early was featured David W. Nich olson (’82) Jay Leftwich Jr. BrownMelvin(’84)Lisa(’85)BotkinJ.(’93)
85 Virginia Dele gate Jay Left wich Jr. (R Chesa peake) and state Senator Scott Surovell (’93) (D Fair fax) each won the SIA Legislator of the Year Award by the Secu rity Industry Associ ation. The award is presented to mem bers of Congress and other elected offi cials who have demon strated ognitionment’srulestoaandture.tectandenhancenologyeffectiveiciesingleadershipextraordinaryinadvanclegislationandpolthatencouragetheuseoftechsolutionsthatpublicsafetysecurity,andprocriticalinfrastrucInApril,LeftwichSurovellauthoredbipartisanmeasureestablishstatewideforlawenforceuseoffacialrectechnology.
59FALL 2022 15 years at a private accounting firm. “I have connected with many talented people working for the Shenandoah Valley Air port and have the utmost respect for the knowl edge they bring to the aviation industry,” Bot kin said. “I look for ward to continuing these relationships as executive director of our organization. SHD has a bright future ahead as we continue to expand with a number of excit ing projects over the next few years.” “Lisa’s wealth of experience in finance, airport theatheManagement,leyaPresident’swhereVirginia’scil,giniahasherwillCommissiontheandrelationshipsandaviationisportber,role,”theseamlessprogramsairportemployeeoperations,relationsandimprovementwillenableatransitiontoexecutivedirectorsaidGeraldGarchairmanoftheAirCommission.“Shewellrespectedinthecommunityhasdevelopedgreatwithourfederalstateaviationagenciesoverpast23years.TheAirportisconfidentSHDcontinuetoflourishunderleadership.”Forthepastnineyears,BotkinservedastreasureroftheVirAirportOperatorsCountheorganizationrepresenting66publicuseairports,shehastwicereceivedtheAward.Locally,sheismemberoftheShenandoahValSocietyforHumanResourceaboardmemberofAugustaRegionalSPCAandlongtimefitnessinstructoratStauntonYMCA.
Presidential inaugurations attended by alumni delegates
Heath-Mullin Family Scholarship Endowment for Valley Scholars
Yours, Kaitlyn Good Dietetics major
IN MEMORIAM: Chelsea Washington, a graduate of the School of Media Arts and Design, died on Feb. 28. An accomplished broadcast journalist, Washing ton was an anchor and multi media journalist at a TV out let in Louisville, Kentucky. Previously, she reported and anchored for the Fox affili ate in Oklahoma City, Okla homa, receiving an Emmy nomination. Washington held prior positions at network affiliates in Richmond, Vir ginia; Columbia, South Car olina; and Washington, D.C. She earned a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from American University.
09 Chinah Helmandollar Jew ell, a special education teacher, won Teacher of the Year at Burnt Chimney Elementary in Franklin County, Virginia.
95 Scott Blanchette was inducted into the 2022 class of the CIO Hall of Fame along with the chief informa tion officers of the NFL, Meta, Hewlett Packard and Toyota Financial. Blanchette spent nearly 20 years as CIO of five companies, includ ing three publicly traded companies. He recently retired from the profes sion to focus on his foun dation, which records the oral histories of Viet nam aviators, a passion he developed as a His tory major.
01 Anna A. Skow ronski Mahaney, an experienced hous ing finance attorney based in Ballard Spahr’s Baltimore, Maryland, office, is now co leader of Ballard Spahr’s National Housing Finance Group, widely regarded as one of the nation’s top practices of its kind. Mahaney represents mortgage lenders in commer cial real estate financ ing transactions, includ ing manenting,acquisition,construction,refinancbridgeandperloans,particularlyformultifamily,affordablehousingandseniorshousingproj ects. She also represents real estate owners and developers in real estate finance transac tions. Mahaney joins Ballard Spahr partner Mary Jo George as Housing Finance prac tice co leader. The practice includes more than 40 attor neys in Ballard Spahr’s offices nationwide.
Scott Blanch ette
98 As CEO GridPoint,of Mark Danzenbaker is responsible for execut ing the company’s mis sion to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable energy future by creating a network of smart, effi cient, grid interactive buildings. The com pany recently received a $75 million strate gic investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Shell Ventures.
bakerMarkMahaneySkowronskiAnna(’95)A.(’01)Danzen(’98)ChelseaWashington(’05)
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Members of the Class of 1993 reunited in St. Martin in Janu ary to celebrate their 50th birthdays. Shari Hulin Epps (’93) recently read I Color Myself Different to daughter Skyla: “Our bedtime story tonight was one of the best! And to top it all off, the teacher featured in the book was one of my roommates, Mari Early (’93). Skyla thought that was soooo cool, and now she thinks we’re famous.”
05
12 Gray F. Kidd (’14M) was appointed assistant director and team lead for grad uate programs at the Center for Research and Fellowships at Villanova University.
13 James Blanks, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, joined the Institute for Defense Anal yses as a business partner in the Human Resources Director ate located at IDA’s Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters. IDA is a nonprofit corporation that operates three federally funded research and development cen ters in the public interest. IDA answers the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective anal ysis, leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical and ana lytic expertise.
CLASS NOTES
60 MADISON MAGAZINE in the book I Color Myself Dif ferent by Colin Kaepernick. Illustrator Eric Wilk erson used images of Early to create the char acter Ms. Musa. A life long educator, Early devotes her career to removing barriers and advocating for children.
2022
Kulju: Share a time when you were a part of Dukes working together.
Kulju: What professional experiences prepared you for your role in Company?
Kulju: What does it mean to you to have received a Theatre General Scholarship to study Musical Theatre? Jacob Dickey (’13): Any support to pursue training in the arts is a privilege and a gift. I have been blessed to have had support from a young age, and for that, I am forever grateful.
Kulju: You played a New Yorker in the Broadway musical comedy Company. What did it mean to be a part of a Stephen Sondheim show at a time when his life and legacy are being remembered?
Dickey: In addition to being in the ensemble, I understudy three principal roles in Company. Had I not spent the last four years in a very similar track at Aladdin on Broadway understudying the titular role and a few others, I don’t think the process here would have been quite as relaxed for me. Not that it was easy! Understudying multiple roles is incredibly difficult and requires a very specific set of skills. Four years of practice in a huge Broadway spectacular with a lot of moving parts like Aladdin certainly prepared me for this!
Dickey: If someone could figure out how to send me a pumpkin milkshake from Kline’s, that would be much appreciated.
Scholarship helped Jacob Dickey (’13) land part in musical comedy Company BY JEN KULJU (’04M) FALL Jen
CVPA scholarship recipient and Musical Theatre graduate Jacob Dickey (‘13) walks the red carpet on opening night of the Broadway musical comedy Company.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JACOB DICKEY (’13) ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Kulju: How did the late George Sparks, former dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, impact your college career?
From JMU to Broadway
Dickey: Dean Sparks was a generous and vocal supporter of the arts, and as a Theatre student at a large public [university], that kind of support was essential and affirming. Our program, which has grown tenfold since my days in the Forbes Center, would not be what it is today without his attention and care.
Dickey: I definitely learn by doing, and the opportunities I was given as a student taught me so much about myself as a person and an artist. But it all goes back to relationships for me. I certainly have a lot of life to live (knock on wood), but I can confidently say that relationships are all that really matter. The friendships I formed at JMU, and that I continue to nurture, are some of the most important things in my life. JMU prepared me for life by arming me with a beautiful chosen family!
Dickey: My greatest takeaway from JMU will always be the rela tionships I made. My two cho sen circles were Theatre and A Cappella (Hey, Overtones! Hey, what?), both intrinsically collab orative, creative and social spaces to inhabit. In those spaces, I was lucky enough to work with some of the best people I know every day and form bonds that have lasted long past graduation day — one of those bonds being my husband, Sean Grady (’14)!
Dickey: Everything. Company has been a dream of mine since high school, and to be part of it now, at this exact moment, is surreal, to say the least. A week before his death, Stephen came to our first preview and afterward held court by the theatre bar late into the night. It was a magical evening, and to have had that experience so close to his final moments — while performing in a production he was so proud of — is something I will never take for granted. Stephen was so excited about the show and the audience. He kept telling us to “remember this night and this feeling,” and I will.
61
Kulju: How did JMU prepare you for the real world and what you’re doing now?
Kulju: What else would you like to add?
15 Gregory Houch ins has been cho sen as a Breakthrough Energy Fellow. Founded by Bill Gates, Break through Energy aims to accelerate innovation in sustainable energy and other technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emis sions. This remarkable program helps to accelerate clean energy innovations by providing finan cial and professional resources to innovators working on early stage technologies. The first BE Fel lows cohort is focused on criti cal technology areas positioned to have a significant impact on emissions reductions: elec tro fuels, green hydrogen, zero carbon cement, steel and fertilizer. Houchins received his bachelor’s degree in Physics and Mathematics before co founding CHEMent. CHEMent takes the same cheap and abundant raw materials used to make Port land cement but employs a room temperature, electro chemical process that elimi nates the first 50% of carbon dioxide emissions in the cement making process.
62 MADISON MAGAZINE
Thank you!
18 Alex Grant, a graduate of the College of Busi ness, is now a corporate senior accounting analyst with The Walt Disney Co. Grant gradu ated a semester early from JMU to accept a College Program Internship at Walt Disney World. After the internship, he began a part time parks posi tion that allowed him to pursue a Master of Business Admin istration at the University of Central Florida through the Disney Aspire Program. With the financial backing of Disney and a JMU education, Grant successfully completed his MBA in May 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic. He was offered a project hire position in the finance and accounting depart ment at Disney that led to a full time corpo rate role. At JMU, Grant com pleted a study abroad program in International Business, was a member of the winning team in the Jackson Rainey compe tition and served as SGA exec utive treasurer — all endeav ors that his faculty mentors encouraged him to pursue.
14 Sagar Mehra, a Biotech nology graduate, com pleted his doctorate in Optometry at NovaSoutheastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is practicing at the Visual Health Doctors of Optometry, headquar tered in Northern Virginia.
Breyana Hopkins (’22) Damico Special Education Scholarship in the Department of Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities
HouchinsGregory (’15) Sagar Mehra (’14)
Dear Kevin and Martha Dunbar, My name is Breyana Hopkins, and I am a double major in Health Sci ences and Theatre with minors in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies and Pre-Medicine. I am finishing up my last year at James Madison University, and I am so grateful for all the opportunities I have been afforded because of donors like you. I love to sing, dance, explore and help others. My end goal is to be a pediatrician so that I can help kids be confident in themselves and their health. I am so excited to be able to go to London because of your help! It has always been a dream of mine to travel to Europe and learn more about different experiences and perspectives. I hope that I can enjoy their art, music, culture and history, discovering more about myself in the process. Additionally, I am able to complete my degree by studying abroad — something that I could not do because the pandemic canceled my trip. I am so excited to do something that I have been dreaming of since I was in elementary school and make up for lost time! I am very thankful to you for helping me attend this study-abroad journey! I wish the best for you, and if I could tell you about my experience, I would! Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in or if it is possible. Thank you so, so much from the bottom of my heart. This really means a lot to me.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Damico, As cliché as it sounds, I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher. It was not until high school that I decided I wanted to work with children with special needs. During my four years in high school, I volunteered almost every day at our sister school for stu dents with disabilities. Knowing that I wanted to be a teacher, but not knowing that James Madison University offered any classes in special education, I began my freshman year minoring in Elementary Education. I was very thankful to find out during my sophomore year that JMU offered Inclusive Early Childhood Education, which is when I switched my minor. Once my IECE courses started, they got bet ter each semester. What I have loved the most about them are the connections I have made and how caring my professors have been. I have not had one IECE course where a professor did not care about what they were teaching. The passion I see in each professor has given me that same passion and love for what I am doing. The main takeaway from my courses at JMU has been the importance of inclu sion. Inclusion is such a significant issue that educators face in spe cial and general education. It is so important to me that all children are treated equally in school systems no matter their race, gen der, or physical or mental disability. During my time at JMU, I have learned how to create an inclusive classroom. It is a daunting task to think about as I prepare to have a classroom of my own in a few years. However, it is one of my top goals. I have learned how to make all my students feel valued, and how to assist their learning and interests. I do not want my classroom to feel like there is a divide between students and their abilities. All students are capable of so much, and as teachers, we must give them the tools to embark on those abilities. I am so thankful to be awarded this scholarship and cannot express enough my gratitude to be given this opportunity. Being awarded this scholarship allowed me to continue my educa tion to advocate for children with disabilities and use my knowledge to guide them in their educational and daily lives.
Thank you, Elizabeth Nyman (’22)
Kevin Robert Dunbar (’80) Scholarship Endow ment for the Semester in London Program
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 60 >>>
CLASS NOTES
SCHOLARSHIP THANK-YOU LETTERS
FALL 2022 63 NumbersBy the a visionary group of 200 PLEDGINGWOMEN$5,000 to fund scholarships 1386210 138 Amethyst Circle members including 65 Amethyst Circle founders 10 Amethyst $5,000atSeekingbeenscholarshipsCirclehaveawarded62morewomentheAmethystCirclememberlevel PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELISE TRISSEL; DESIGN BY SERENA JOHNSON WOMEN FOR MADISON’S AMETHYST CIRCLE GOAL is to provide $1 million every two years in scholarships for future Dukes and women-focused programming for all
hotelmadison.com • 540-564-0200 • 710 S. Main Street • Harrisonburg, VA 22801 JOIN OUR JMU ALUMNI CLUB! Get exclusive benefits at Hotel Madison, and stay on campus like you used to. Sign up in the top menu of hotelmadison.com for full details and to start receiving these benefits: n 12% discount from our Standard Daily Rate n 10% discount at Montpelier Restaurant and grace+main coffee shop (excludes alcohol) n Priority access to JMU and/or Hotel Madison sponsored events held at the hotel HOTELEVENTSUPCOMINGATMADISON Football game weekends Winter Wine Weekend Concert series Spring reunions Keep your eye out for future issues of Madison magazine with dates, details, and additional events. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! THE UNIVERSITYMADISONJAMESHOTELOFFICIALOF SOME ROOMS STILL AVAILABLE!
https://j.mu/reservecal And Support JMU Make a gift of $25 or more to the Madison Vision Fund before Oct. 31, and we’ll send you our 2023 JMU Wall Calendar as a thank you. Featured photos were taken by alumni, students and friends, and submitted to our annual photo contest. RESERVE YOUR 2023 JMU CALENDAR Images will be different than shown here: Calendar will showcase the winning pics from our summer 2022 photo contest. Scan the code to reserve your copy today! 152,972 Total living alumni ■ More than 35 alumni locatedchaptersworldwide ■ Free membership ■ Networkingresources ■ Reunion programmingHomecomingand ■ Exclusive communicationsalumni-only To learn more about the J M U Alumni Association, visit alumni.jmu .edu or call 540 -568 - 6234. JMUAlumniAssoc@JMUAlumniJMU Alumni Association JMU Alumni Association map by mymaps com L hrough March 2022 1 5 6 25 26 50 51 200 201 1000 1001 7696 14 618 Alumni by County 0 200 400 600 M es 0 310 620 930 M es 0 100 200 300 M es
See more inspiring stories at j.mu/beingthechange
— ALI KULMAN (’03) joining the marrow registry: helping the Kulman family overcome IPEX COTAforEandJ.com
The Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19 delayed the boys’ return to school. In March, they attended in-person class for the first time in two years. “They’re pretty social, and they were really excited to actually be with their classmates. They’re on the soccer team, and they just get to be normal kids,” Tangchittsumran said. Amy Crockett (’10) (L-R): Eli, Ali, Jacob and Dave Kulman. IPEX Syndrom currently has no cure and is passed down through the chromosome.X
COMEBACK *Consider changing a life by
bethematch.org, or
Because of ongoing treatment and inciden tal costs (travel, food and accommodations) to receive medical care, the Kulman family continues to lean on the COTA campaign for support. The boys are in remission, but doc tors don’t know if the bone-marrow trans plants will last.
“There are a ton of kids who need donors, but their matches just aren’t in the database yet.”
.
In 2018, Jacob and Eli — ages 10 and 7 — were diagnosed with the rare IPEX Syndrome, a life-threatening genetic disorder that causes the immune system to attack its tissues and organs, often affecting the intestines, skin and endocrine system.
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGEPAID Permit 4 Harrisonburg, VA 22801 Madison, MSC 3603, 1031 Harrison Street, Room 3020 Harrisonburg, VA 22807 Division of University Advancement KULMANS PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF SARA MAXIMOFF (’02)
hen doctors told Ali (’03) and Dave (’96) Kul man that their two sons likely would not live to see their 30th birthdays, they had no choice but to give bone-marrow transplants a try.
Jacob and Eli responded successfully to the transplants; daily checkups at the hospital are now once every four months.
MAKING THE JMU Family unites behind brothers’ rare syndrome
W
Syndrome:
Two years later, the Children’s Organ Trans plant Association campaign in honor of Eli and Jacob was launched. Ali’s best friend in the Marching Royal Dukes, Catrina Tangchitt sumran (’03), stepped up as the fundraiser’s community coordinator. Together, they have raised nearly $100,000.
The Kulmans’ lives significantly changed in November 2020 when the boys received an anonymous bone-marrow dona tion through Be the Match, a national marrow-donor program.
“Be the Match has a huge impact for people who need bone-marrow trans plants,” Ali said. “There are a ton of kids who need donors, but their matches just aren’t in the database yet.” Joining the donor registry is as easy as ordering a cheek-swab kit.
