Hi everyone!

I hope all is well with my fellow 2003-ers!  Not too much to report this time, but what we do have is super exciting, so here goes!

JJ Bell writes that she finished the Marine Corps Marathon this fall – her third time running this marathon, and her fourth marathon overall!  I was lucky enough to see her run past when I was spectating during the 2012 MCM, so it’s good to hear she did so well again this year without my moral support.  (Just kidding, JJ – congratulations on a great accomplishment!)

Next, a wedding!  Elizabeth Ide-Niemann got married to Captain Gregory Niemann on October 5th, 2013 in Siler City, NC.  Torrey Campbell ’04 was a bridesmaid, and Elizabeth’s little sis Amanda Reinken ’05 was in attendance as well.  Congratulations to the happy couple!

And speaking of happy couples – Taryn Chubb is now wearing her Hood ring on her right hand!  She and Dr. Mark White were engaged in October of 2013.  Last I talked to Taryn, she said their plan was to get married in 2014, most likely in the late spring/early summer, in her home state of Kansas.

And another engagement – mine!  Shortly after we bought a house in Leesburg, VA this summer, Matthew MacDonald and I (Leah Giambarresi) got engaged!  We plan to get married in September 2014 in the Frederick area.

I think that’s all we have for this round – everyone, keep those updates coming!

Hi everyone! I am excited to be our new class reporter––and even more excited that I have received so much news to share from our classmates. First, everyone should put June 7-9, 2013, on their calendars for our 10-year reunion! Jennifer Fair Milas and I are co-chairs, and we have been working with the office of alumni relations to put together a great weekend. Speaking of Jen, she had a pretty exciting summer. She was married on June 23, 2012, to Matthew Milas and then promoted to tax manager at McLean Koehler Sparks & Hammond on July 1, 2012.

Carolynne Fitzpatrick Keenan recently started a new job as a public affairs specialist for the Frederick National Laboratory (FNL), down the road from Hood at Fort Detrick. Naomi Levine Levinthal accepted a new position with The Advisory Board Company as a consultant in healthcare information technology. She will work out of her home office in Cary, N.C., where she recently moved. Her new address is 5031 Cary Glen Boulevard, Cary, NC 27519. Elizabeth Stacks Millhouse currently lives in Monterey, Calif., where her husband Scott is studying at the Naval Postgraduate School. She is working at the Dudley Knox Library on campus and although she misses the East Coast and all of her family and friends there, she really likes the weather in California! They have two spoiled dogs and were expecting a baby girl at the beginning of February.

I also heard from Kaye Brown Hamilton, who has been pretty busy. She recently returned to the states after living and working in Adelaide, Australia, for three years. She was married there on Sept. 23, 2011, to Australian Adam Hamilton and followed that with a United States ceremony and reception on June 23, 2012. After working as a school-based counselor for two years in Baltimore, Atiya Smith began a doctoral program in counseling in fall 2012 at the Univ. of Rochester, N.Y. She plans to study identity development, the impact of social support on the success of students of color and, multicultural issues in counseling, testing, training and clinical supervision. Atiya is also an adviser to underrepresented undergraduate students interested in pursuing advanced degrees. She is participating in research focusing on children in foster care; leads a young musicians group; and offers private lessons to young violinists and participates in community service activities sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Lee Goetz just finished her doctorate in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She defended in October 2012 was set to graduate in December. Her thesis research was crosslinking lignocellulosic fibers and nanocellulose whiskers with a polymer system, then evaluating the material properties and crosslinking chemistry, with a focus on improving water absorption. She moved back to her hometown in June 2011 and has been working for Contact Technologies, Inc. Her email address is leeanngoetz@yahoo.com.

Julia Sirak Pacilli recently changed positions within Montreat College in North Carolina. She went from being the Asheville regional campus director to the director of enrollment effective July 1, 2012. She also started her doctorate in education with a higher education specialization in June 2011 with Walden Univ. Lauren Guerieri McCrea and her husband Jessop welcomed their son Henry Jessop McCrea on June 18, 2011. After finishing a tour as group surgeon for II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, including a deployment to Afghanistan, Stephanie Bulka Smith has moved back to Maryland, along with her husband Kevin Smith ’05 and their daughter Allison who is 4½ years old. Steph is now stationed at Quantico as a family physician. As for me, Leah Giambarresi M.S.’10, C’05, I had a lovely visit with Larry Smerk, MBA ’06, Mary Northrup Smerk, M.S. ’07 and Taryn Chubb this fall. Larry and Mary just built a new house in Springtown, Texas, where they are living with their kids: Wesley, 4½; Cassie, almost 2 years; and their newest addition, Marcus Emmett, who was born on July 30, 2012. Taryn also has some exciting news to report––she finished her doctorate at Cornell Univ. this August. She is working at East Central Univ. in Ada, Okla., as assistant professor of art and the director of the Pogue Art Gallery. Keep your updates coming, and I cannot wait to see everyone at reunion weekend!

Class Reporter: