Class Notes most important thing in my life. The good: My partner, Stephen Dybas, now lives with my kids and myself and I was appointed the Director of Student Employment at the University of Vermont. The crummy: My sweet mama, Barbara McClements, died rather suddenly on September 21, 2013. Mostly, life is good in Vermont and nothing, not even a ‘low ceiling’, which kept me from flying in for our 20th Reunion, will keep me from attending our 25th!!”
:: C hildren of Mary McClements ’89: Mason, 11, and Eula, 9
Sharon Tinari Pratt ’89 and her husband, Doug, live in Stamford, CT with their two sons, Michael, 13 and Sean, 11. “The boys keep me busy with all of their sports and activities. We recently enrolled them into Greens Farms Academy in Westport, CT, where we were happily surprised to find that the children of two fellow alumnae, Talley Belsinger Ackerman and Brooke Howard McIlvaine, also attend the school. I look forward to getting together with my dear AIS friends at the Reunion!”
:: C hildren of Doug and Sharon Tinari Pratt ‘89: Michael and Sean with LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles #25
1990-1999 Laura Bright Babka ’94 has lived all over in the last 20 years - Montreal, Seattle, Ann Arbor, and Minneapolis. She is now in Plano, TX where her husband was transferred in 2012. She works from home for Target in their marketing department. She has two daughters, Elise, 6 and Charlotte, 4.
Crime fighter holds out case for service Whenever Sandra Moser ’94 hears someone derogatorily refer to a woman as aggressive, she thinks back to the very spirited sidelines of AIS softball games. A-GG-RESS-IVE, aggressive, aggressive, let’s be aggressive was the constant chant of players and fans alike. So she prefers to view such remarks as a compliment rather than an insult. As a federal prosecutor combating gangs, violent crime and then public corruption, Moser has had to exhibit her fair share of aggressiveness, particularly in the arena of law enforcement. And she praises Agnes Irwin for fostering a culture of self-confidence and achievement in which girls intrinsically understand that they can do anything, go anywhere, be anything. “Irwin’s by its very nature is a paradigm for the path to achievement and success by young women,” said Moser, now Assistant Chief of the Securities and Financial Fraud Section, Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. She prosecutes global market manipulation cases, including LIBOR and the Foreign Exchange, in conjunction with foreign regulators. “There is no doubting whether a girl can be the captain of the sports team, whether the student council president will be a she, or if the most outspoken member of Mr. Frank’s history class will be donning a kilt. Undeniably, girls – and more germane to my life today, women – occupy a rightful position of leadership in all arenas,” said Moser. “Not to have to fundamentally question this as I have traversed an often male-dominated law enforcement culture with legitimate challenges for females, has been a gift.” Moser graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning an A.B. from the School of Journalism (graduating first in her class) and a B.A. in women’s studies with a minor in sociology. She earned her law degree (cum laude) at Northwestern University School of Law, where she was also editor of the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. She counts her successful prosecution of gang leaders, drug traffickers and and corrupt politicians, and serving in the most elite unit in the U.S. Attorney General’s office in New Jersey as among her biggest achievements, including the 2009 Bid Rig case that resulted in the conviction of 44 people -- dirty politicians, money-laundering rabbis and the sale of black market organs. The case received international press – and even a spot on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In addition, Moser won the largest wartime bribery case in U.S. history ($5 million), involving a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the construction of a pipeline in northern Iraq. But Moser said she was most proud of continuing the commitment to community service that she developed at Agnes Irwin despite having a very busy career. She is a dedicated volunteer with Puppies Behind Bars, helping to train and socialize service dogs raised in prisons for the purpose of being paired with disabled veterans – most often suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder – of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. “The chance to enrich the lives of individuals within the criminal justice system, the incredible animals, as well as those who have served their country overseas, represents the intersection of so much about which I am passionate,” said Moser, adding that the puppies are primarily raised by inmates, who get to experience unconditional love, something they might not have ever experience. “This brings joy and sort of pride and humanity to (their) lives that is unparalleled.” On the other end, Moser enjoys being able to socialize dogs being paired with veterans who have sacrificed so much for their country, and saved lives. “AIS consistently reinforced the significant value of community service for me and my classmates, and that commitment is something that has never left me.”
www.agnesirwin.org
47