class notes
1970s
Nancy Michael Schwab, BSEd Elementary Education ’73, retired from Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools in 2013.
1980s
Bill McClain, MBA ’82, has written two books that reflect both 40 years of corporate strategic planning and a futuristic vision of the next decade. The first, Strategic Planning in This Age of Disruption (Amazon, 2018), reflected on the arriving digital transformation technologies and their impacts on society. The second, The 4 Horsemen: Envisioning 2030 (Amazon, 2021), deals with COVID, politics, social unrest, and the arriving digital transformation of the early 2020s, and then applies the understanding of the interrelationships to more clearly see 2030. Kristina Rose, BA Sociology ’84, was recently appointed by President Biden to lead the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). Previously, Rose spent nearly 20 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, serving in numerous roles including as deputy director at OVC, as acting director and deputy director for the National Institute of Justice, and as the chief of staff
for the Office on Violence Against Women. Kenneth Sosne, MBA ’86, has retired after working for 28 years in the federal civil service. He and his wife are doing nonprofit development work for a food pantry and enjoying the outdoors on the Delmarva. Ken Budd, BA English ’88, MA ’97, wrote a feature for the Washington Post Magazine in May 2021 on why men struggle to tell each other “I love you,” based on his friendship with his old roommate from the Mason student apartments, Todd Cullop, BA English ’90. Additionally, Budd’s 2019 piece for the Washington Post Magazine, “The Moral Dilemma of Volunteer Tourism,” appears in the 2020 edition of The Best American Travel Writing.
1990s
Cindy Squires, BA International Studies ’90, was named the CEO of the American Composites Manufacturers Association. M. Brian Blake, PhD Information Technology ’91, was named president of Georgia State University by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Marcia Friedman, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’91, recently published her second cookbook, The
Essential Jewish Cookbook. The book includes a brief history of Jewish culinary traditions along with 100 recipes. Her first cookbook, Meatballs and Matzah Balls: Recipes and Reflections from a Jewish and Italian Life, was published in 2013. In June 2021, she received the honor of membership in Les Dames d’Escoffier, a prestigious international culinary organization. Brian Trent, BS Public Administration ’91, MPA ’95, has been appointed vice chancellor for business affairs for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He previously served as the executive officer for the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. Dave Alpern, BA Speech Communication ’92, recently published the book Taking the Lead, with a foreword by Joe Gibbs. The president of Joe Gibbs Racing—the winningest team in NASCAR history— Alpern shares the secrets of succeeding in business and in life. Alpern, who started his career as an unpaid intern selling T-shirts for the team, shares the
wisdom he’s learned over his three-decade career in NASCAR. Richard Beck, PhD Public Policy ’93, published Engaging the Organization in Effective Performance Management—Translating Vision into Results after retiring in 2018 from a 37-year federal career at NASA and the U.S. Department of the Interior. He also taught Performance Measurement (PUAD 720) for several semesters as an adjunct instructor at Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government. The book is based on his dissertation research at Mason and career experiences, and it presents a holistic approach guided by three main principles to help government agencies realize the vision established by their leadership. The book is available through Amazon and Kindle books. Jennifer Enriquez, JD ’93, recently received a Becoming Beloved Community grant to continue working with children ages 4 to 12 to dismantle racism. Enriquez and a colleague developed a workshop to prepare people to talk to kids about race.
Grace A. Cular Yee, BA Psychology ’93, owner of Pineapple7, a full-service travel firm, has been recognized by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the Top Travel Specialists for 2021. Michele Davidson, BSN ’93, PhD Nursing ’99, recently opened Chesapeake Bay Psychiatry, her own psychiatric practice focusing on perinatal mental health. In 2021, Davidson was elected to the board of directors of Postpartum Support International, where she has served as the postpartum psychosis coordinator for the past 11 years. She is also celebrating her 30th wedding anniversary with her husband, Nathan S. Davidson II, BSN ’96, MSN Nurse Practitioner ’98. They reside in Chesapeake, Virginia, with their four children. Paul Arnett, BA Administration of Justice ’94, MA Sociology ’00, was selected by the Eastern District of Virginia Federal Court to serve as the next chief U.S. probation officer. He has worked in the probation field for the past 25 years. Beom Joon Yun, BS Finance ’97, has started his own
What’s New with You? We are interested in what you’ve been doing since you graduated. Moved? Gotten married? Had a baby? Landed a new job? Received an award? Submit your class notes to alumni.gmu.edu/whatsnew. In your note, be sure to include your graduation year and degree. Fall 2021 M A S O N S P I R I T | 45
