Reinvention from QVC to Garnet Hill

Currently serving as the president of direct-to-consumer retailer Garnet Hill, Connie Hallquist (MBA ’91) has experienced a broad range of roles and a number of reinventions during her career.

Hallquist came to Darden as a career switcher. After working in banking trading currencies (putting an undergrad French degree to unorthodox use), she was searching for a long-term career and a transition into marketing. Imposter syndrome reared its head at first. “I had so many doubts,” she recalled, but ultimately, her learning team eased the stress when she realized, “We’re all here to help each other.”

Hallquist’s career-switch gambit worked, as she landed a brand management job at Kraft Foods after Darden. When the dotcom boom reached a fever pitch in 1999, Hallquist took a leap. She founded Gold Violin, which sold products for senior citizens. When the NASDAQ crashed in 2000, one week after the company shipped its first product, Hallquist had to think outside the box — and she found an unlikely lifeline in TV shopping network QVC. Hallquist found herself in the unenviable position of needing to go live on-air at the last minute. “This was about company survival,” she said. “I either did this, or we would go down in flames. So I dug deep, I pushed outside my comfort zone, and I walked onto that stage set and spent the next four years on live television saving our company.”

But another inflection point came through the sudden loss of her husband, Brian Cowan (MBA ’91), to brain cancer in 2019. “Everything happened so fast,” she said. “He was 61 when he passed away, the picture of health. I never even conceived of something like that happening.” Navigating grief took time. “There are things in life — it could be divorce, loss of a spouse, loss of a parent or child — that you’ll deal with during your career. How you handle that if you have a busy career or you’re in a leadership role, how you come out the other side, nobody talks about that. We have a long way to go.”

After taking a year to process the loss, help manage the sale of Cowan’s company and spend time with their children, Hallquist wondered what she would do next. She knew she had plenty of options in theory, but “it was really hard at that point. I had always been recruited. I had never been unemployed. I was a little lost.” But her powerful network worked its magic, and today Hallquist is leading as president of Garnet Hill through the shocks of COVID, remote work and beyond.

— Molly Mitchell

gust, they bought a place on Burnside Island in Savannah, Georgia. When Connie sent in their note, they were on a month-long trip to Portugal and Spain. Their move is scheduled for early October so by the time you read this, they will be Georgia residents. Connie wrote, “Once we’re settled, we’d love to see anyone coming through the area!”

Dorothy Batten is happily settled in Charlottesville, but her son, Hunter, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, has recently relocated to San Diego, California, where he will be training on the MH-60R helicopter. Do you remember the winery, Oakencroft, off Barracks Road about halfway between town and Foxfield? Dorothy bought it a few years ago and has been renovating the winery and bringing the vineyards back to life. They have been making wine for two years now. Next time you are in Charlottesville, be sure to visit for a wine tasting. Their new tasting room opens in March 2023.

Dan Phillips continues to move swiftly through water. He and his wife, Kelley, traveled to Colombia this summer where he competed in the Masters Pan American Championship where he won a gold and a silver medal.

Basil, of course Basil Morris, sends his best to the class and his hope that our next reunion will be in person, because that Zoom thing is just not the same. Basil is the chief strategy officer at Hanover Insurance. He leads a team that analyzes the future of property and casualty insurance and develops their long-term strategy. That includes innovation, mergers and acquisitions, and diversity and talent — all the stuff they trained us for at Darden. He splits his time between headquarters in Worchester, Massachusetts, and home in Columbus, Ohio. His most exciting news is his two granddaughters: Milan, age 4, and Sarya, age 4 months.

Tim Krongard is still in Baltimore, Maryland, but doing an entirely different thing, operating a company rather than investing in one. He bought a local company that sells commercial dishwashers and the chemicals for them as well as products for commercial laundry machines. His customers include restaurants, country clubs, assisted living providers, caterers and hotels in Maryland; Washington, D.C.; and northern Virginia. Frances continues to work with Potomack Company Auctions in Alexandria, Virginia, where she does appraisals and helps people sell their estates, collections and individual art pieces. Both kids have grown up. His son graduated and is working for a forestry company in Alabama and volunteer firefighting, and his daughter is a senior at Elon University.

A note from your humble scribe, Steve:

“Sometimes we do great things, but it is better when your children do them and make you proud. Sarah was part of the team from The Washington Post that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in May for their coverage of the January 6th Insurrection — before, during and after. Her photos of the “melting” infamous enabler Rudy Giuliani went viral. In my TV world, old gold is best. Top Dog resurrected our FDA-cleared medical device, the BeActive Brace for sciatic back pain, and it is hitting the charts on a wide rollout on TV, Amazon and the retail shelves, which is not what it used to be before COVID-19.”

A note from your humble scribe, Heather: “This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Camp Stawderman in Edinburg, Virginia, originally founded in 1929. Situated in a beautiful location in the Shenandoah Valley, the girls’ camp is near and dear to Jeanne Mockard’s heart. She grew up spending summers at the camp as a camper, graduated to being a camp counselor and now she and her partner, Valerie, run the place! I spent a fabulous afternoon with Jeanne at the beginning of the summer as they were doing final preparations before the campers arrived the next day. Running Camp Strawderman is a universe away from Jeanne’s life living in Boston, Massachusetts, and being interviewed for her financial expertise on CNBC. Running a camp throws interesting new challenges her way. She manages a huge property, a whole lot of horses, staff, campers, counselors and occasionally has to cajole ornery equipment back to life. This fall, they hosted a huge group of Darden students for a weekend of “glamping” (I used that word specifically to give Jeanne a chuckle) and hiking before the school year starts. Mountains, hiking, fresh air and very limited internet access. True bliss. If Jeanne invites you to visit, it would be criminal not to take her up on it!”

1991

Christopher Black; Laurel Peltier chrisblack0545@gmail.com laurel.peltier@gmail.com

As Laurel Evanson Peltier and I reflect on this past year, we are so thankful for your increased engagement and the very social way that our class has renewed relationships. Our D’91 Wine-n-Zoom meeting on 16 May 2022 had over 30 guests. We are planning a second Wine-n-Zoom for late January 2023. And the D’91 Summerfest Philadelphia was an epic dinner for 12 classmates at Ro and Martin King’s home on 31 July 2022. Lastly, does anyone remember the infamous pink D’91 Cookbook? No worries, it’s been digitized and can be found here: issuu.com/greenlaurel7/docs/darden_ class_1991_cookbook.

D’91 Spotlight — our private LinkedIn group — has grown to 100 members at this address: linkedin.com/groups/9151939/. Please join D’91 Spotlight to see posts and re-posts of classmates. Thanks to our class engagement, D’91 is also celebrating continued high giving participation at just under 40 percent for the past two years. We are 30 years out and those are impressive results! Our Darden community is so thankful!

I continue to stay in touch with my study group member Karen Boecker. Karen sent my niece Alice to visit me here in Washington, D.C., from London, U.K., this summer. It was great fun being called “Uncle Chris” and being taken out to dinner in Georgetown. Alice is a mini-me of Karen and shared how her incredible mom semi-retired from over 30 years in private banking last year. Karen writes that she is now doing some ad hoc client consulting in real estate and wealth management (i.e. when she feels like it …) and spending time traveling, volunteering and catching up with friends coming through London, including Julie Mollick Hallowell and Shin Furukawa

(MBA ’92).

Phil Bowman writes: “We’ve settled in on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. We’ve come here for 18 months as volunteers at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). Our job is to mentor a group of six amazing students from BYU Hawaii in the Customer Analytics department at Hawaii’s number one tourist attraction. The PCC’s purpose is to protect and nurture the cultures of Polynesia and provide employment for students at BYU Hawaii. If you are on the north shore, look us up. Phil and Gloria Bowman.”

Connie Dato English writes: “We continue to be ‘selectively employed’ — I as a career coach (and some executive searches), while Austin does continuous improvement consulting. Austin taught a second-year operations elective at Darden last year too. After 25 years of living near the mountains on C’ville, the call of the sea beckoned … . Austin and I decided we’d like to get closer to the ocean and his family in Georgia. So, we sold our Albemarle County, Virginia, house in June and embraced a nomadic summer enjoying road trips and visiting friends for a while. At the end of August, we bought a place with deep water access on Burnside Island in Savannah, Georgia. We already had a month-long trip to Portugal and Spain planned for September, so we put off fully moving in until early October. Once we’re settled, we’d love to see anyone coming through the area!”

Richard Dodd writes: “Sorry for the radio silence — I still live in London, U.K., with my wife Emma and son Ozzie, age 8. My other four kids are grown up and (mostly) self-sufficient. I was delighted this year to welcome my first granddaughter, Aoife. I don’t feel old enough to be a grandfather! I work in smaller business and mid-caps with private equity, mainly in telecoms and technology. I’ve just joined the board of a fiber telecoms business, backed by a European PE group. I am currently working closely with my long-term business partner selling an aerospace business in the United States. I spend my spare time (such as it) traveling, riding motorcycles, and playing cricket. This summer we managed to complete a long-delayed trip to South Africa in August, which was a real treat. Hope this is what you need and hope to find a chance to catch up with more of the crew soon!”

Pascal Monteiro de Barros is another classmate who is London-based. Pascal writes that he will be celebrating his sixth anniversary at Stirling Square, a mid-market pan-European private Equity Firm based in London, where he is head of Investor Relations and fundraising. Pascal lives between London and Gloucestershire (the Cotswolds), where he spends Fridays and weekends. He often sees Casey Norman, who lives near him. Pascal’s four grown children are strewn across Europe and America (two girls in Paris, France, and Lisbon, Portugal; two boys in Los Angeles and New York City, USA), all U.S. college-educated including one boy — Edward — at UVA. Edward has been working for the company that Guillaume Cuvelier started and sold to Diageo. He writes that “Darden is always near, somehow.” Pascal has agreed to lead the European update during our D’91 Wine-n-Zoom call in late January 2023.

Halsey Cook writes that “After 30 plus years as a corporate gypsy with 10 moves to the Midwest, Northeast and European locations, Michele (you may remember her from Darden days) and I have settled in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where I serve as the CEO of Milliken and Company. That journey was 17 years with Carrier and 12 with Legrand & Sonepar, two French companies in electrical infrastructure manufacturing and distribution. We have had three children (one in France and two in Italy) along the way and are now empty nesters. Milliken is privately held with leading positions in industrial textiles and specialty chemicals, amongst other products. We are investing in acquisitions and retooling core operations as we navigate to capture opportunities in rapidly changing markets — a familiar story for all the members of the Class of ’91, I’m sure!” Halsey suggests that we reach out on LinkedIn — he welcomes a social visit or business collaboration. And he sends his best!

Risa Dimacali continues to live in Tokyo, Japan, astounded that she and husband Brian Burns have been in the country for seven years. Staying in Japan during the pandemic, when the borders remained closed for over two years, gave the couple a chance to explore the more remote prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Kagoshima.

Many thanks to Laurel Evanson Peltier for digitizing the D’91 Cookbook that Clay and Jeannie authored at Darden. Jeannie Tabor writes that she has been in Memphis, Tennessee, for 23 years and has three grown kids (ages 26, 24 and 21). Jeannie is publish- ing director of River City Lifestyle magazine. She loves traveling (mainly to see the kids), tennis and pickleball. Clay Flynn Gill has been living in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Peter Kirby writes that since taking early retirement from IBM in his early 50s, he has served as director on several boards, for-profit and nonprofit, while taking care of kids and home. He spent 2021 as (unpaid) acting executive director at Climate XChange, where he has been on the board for about seven years. Despite their small staff of ten people, Climate XChange has become a key source of information and support for legislators and activists working to improve climate policy in all 50 states. Peter encourages us to check out Climate XChange’s State Climate Policy Dashboard. He really enjoyed the chance to work directly with a young, motivated team, but is glad to have the time back after they hired a new executive director earlier this year. Peter is now running their annual fundraising raffle, giving away a Tesla of the winner’s choice (taxes paid), along with four cash prizes. Visit climate-xchange.org for details.

Cal Lyons writes: “In general all is well here — our experience living in Cape Town, South Africa, has continued to impact all of us in different ways. Both kids are (finally) in high school (I was a late bloomer in terms of marriage) — one looking at international relations programs in college, and the other just starting an IB program at a French Lycée here in Boston, Massachusetts. Career-wise I’ve managed to avoid the commitment of a ‘real’ job, and have continued to consult with nonprofit, philanthropic and corporate leadership on strategies to increase social impact and improve the lives of young children and families. All of my clients are either national or globally focused with visionary leadership and platforms for systemic change. I was especially busy representing multiple perspectives during the recent UN General Assembly week, participating in convenings with policymakers, NGOs, activists and philanthropists at the UN and helping to manage Clinton Global Initiative 2022, with a significant focus on climate change’s devastating impact on young children. Outside of family and work, my passions are travel, living an active lifestyle, and my incredibly cute (and first) dog! I’m still in touch and treasure time with my Darden buddies, including Sharon, Katie, Kate, Mary, Patti and Laurel.”

Brian Morgan writes: “After 25 years in Dallas, Texas, running a small/mid-sized contract research organization, I’m still figuring out what I’ll do when I grow up! My daughter, Valirie, and son, Cole, have grown up and moved on to Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas, respectively.

“My wife Laurie (UVA ’84) has been teaching preschool all the while, and we spend our free time fleeing the empty nest and enjoying live music and great barbeque in Texas. (That, and the cold beer, help us endure the heat and the politics out here.) We share a sailboat with a friend and do some lake sailing. This past January fulfilled a longtime dream to bareboat charter a sloop in the British Virgin Islands. We spent 10 days with our kids reconnecting with the slower rhythms of the water and the wind. No screens, lots of cheap rum and … no bickering! Unexpected. Highly recommended!

“We miss the mid-Atlantic, and one day will move back east. In the meantime, the clinical research work is always interesting, and MedTrials (shameless plug) is a bit of a small player in a competitive industry. No NPV analysis to speak of, but my Darden experience, so long ago, still guides my passion for providing high-quality technical services with integrity.

“I was sorry to miss the Zoom call with classmates I’ve not connected with in so long. Cheers; to the next time!”

Eric Randall writes that he is … still working! He is editor-in-chief of a newspaper covering public education published by a not-for-profit organization. He also has an IPO: income-producing offspring. He is spending his free time biking and skiing. Eric says, “Best to all my Darden classmates!”

Jon Russell continues to enjoy living with his wife and two kids in Knoxville, Tennessee. He writes: “In September and October I’m spending as much time in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, as possible.” He stated that he “might soon connect with John Harris (in Charlotte, North Carolina) and Greg Warmuth (in Boone, North Carolina).”

Dan Yates writes: “After Darden I went to work for Spirit Cruises, at the time the largest dinner boat company in the United States, and managed two boats for them. In 1993 I left and moved to Portland, Oregon, to start a dinner boat company with my uncle, Wayne Kingsley, Darden Class of ’71. We have grown from one 600 passenger boat to two 600 passenger vessels and three 150 passenger vessels, and one shore restaurant. I got married 15 years ago to Maggie, or as my close friends call her, Saint Maggie. I am sure her nickname is not a mystery to those who know me. We currently have four dogs, but a fifth is on its way as my wife competes in sheep herding with our border collies. I still collect books but enjoy work too much to retire. Over the years, several classmates have joined me for a dinner cruise. My treat … come visit Portland.

1992

Asli Eksioglu, ake@derinmermerci.com

Very few updates this time and yet, it’s always good to hear from George Collins who wrote us from Prague, Czech Republic. George transitioned away from finance and launched a new career as an independent musician, releasing his first EP, It’s Been a Long Time, on 16 September 2022. This EP collects five original songs that were released over the previous year and have racked up tens of thousands of Spotify streams and YouTube views. You can check out George’s music and videos on his website, georgecollinsband.com. Congratulations, George, and all the best in this new journey. We all can enjoy your music online and, who knows, maybe at the next reunion.

Another happy update is from Robbie Huffines: “Rick and Kathy (Hercig) Edmunds’ daughter Maggie Edmunds (MBA ’21) married Alec MacIntyre (MBA ’21) on Saturday, 24 September. Chip Caravati and Michael Meyer upheld the Class of ’92’s reputation on the dance floor, but with the bride and groom both in the Class of ’21 they had numbers and youth on their side. Rick’s toast to his daughter and new son-inlaw would have made even our most critical professors proud. Yea Maggie and Alec! They dated prior to Darden. Loved the school and now both work at Bain.”

I (Asli Keskinel Eksioglu) write: “Now that travelling is somewhat okay, I am doing my best to keep myself busy between Alaçatı and Istanbul, Turkey … visited a few friends in Bodrum, Turkey, over the summer twice. Went to Berlin, Germany, to experience a Coldplay stadium concert, which was a magical night, and I am grateful to have another tick on my bucket list. I still wear masks while on the plane (also wore one at the Coldplay concert) and am somewhat proud to say I am a ‘COVID-19-virgin.’ Another wonderful trip was to amazing Cappadocia, Turkey, for a friend’s birthday weekend. I also travelled to Mardin and Antakya, Turkey, both of which have unique energies and fabulous archeological sites. I certainly recommend all of you to travel to my beautiful country and let me know when! I miss you and want to see you more often than every five years.”

Finally, please do keep in touch and write updates, short or long. Take care, be healthy, happy, joyful and enjoy every moment. Sending each one of you love and a big smile.

1993

May Ng; Rebecca Kilduff ngmay2000@yahoo.com beccaindc@gmail.com

Jim Edwards shares: “I’ve now wrapped up my year of chairing the American Bankers Association, which was a great experience allowing me to travel and meet/work with bankers from all over the country on banking policy and regulatory issues. Laura and I are adjusting again to the empty nest world after our daughters moved back to Dallas and Austin, Texas, after the pandemic. We see them often and our son even more as he works in Atlanta, Georgia. Laura and I’ve enjoyed our recent post-pandemic travel to Ireland and Italy. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with everyone soon at our upcoming reunion!”

Congrats to Ken Pawlak on his recent purchase of a condo in Maui, Hawaii! Ken and his wife, Carol, are enjoying the good life in paradise, whether that’s relaxing on the beach, skiing at NorthStar (Lake Tahoe, California), or chilling out in their comfy home in Reno, Nevada.

1994

Tamara Harvey de Dios tamaradedios@yahoo.com

Thirty years ago we met on-Grounds to begin an amazing adventure. Fall of 1992 started two of the best years of my life. That much I know for sure. But time has a way of making some memories a bit fuzzy and many of the details seem to be fading. Here is what I remember: We didn’t have a big fancy building with an arboretum or a five-star hotel. How did we do it with just one kind of ugly building in the middle of nowhere, Virginia? Charlottesville was just a sleepy little town with only a few restaurants and no mall. Tuition was reasonable and one could even pay out-of-state tuition and not break the bank. (Yep — that was me!) We had plain coffee without croissants every morning. We had four sections who bonded immediately over George’s T-shirts and Shifletts and every other case that had a cold call every day. (Elvis, any memories here for you?) We had study groups who helped us figure out how to approach each case. No special tutors or hand-holding were required — just jump in and figure it out. We did it using our collective prior knowledge along with our intellect and/or (mostly or?) our common sense. Who needed to calculate the WACC if the payback was only two months? We were still a bit of a “business school boot camp” and those who came before us said we had it easy because we didn’t have classes on Saturday. The trend continues as I shake my head in disbelief at some of the changes — but that’s progress, right?

Between now and our reunion in 2024, I will do my best to help us remember what brought us all together, and how we endure as a strong class filled with friendship and life-long relationships with a little business acumen thrown in for good measure.

The past 30 years have been good to our class, so I’ll start with one success story.

Congratulations to Cliff Farrah whose company, the Beacon Group, was acquired by Accenture in September. His consulting firm had grown to over 60 experts in growth strategy, market modeling and mergers and acquisitions advisory. It is always a pleasure to report on accomplishments such as these! Thank you to Doug Fletcher for sharing this story with me before it broke on the Darden Facebook page.

It is also my pleasure to share general life updates.

Mark Kotzer shared the following: “The last two years have been full of change — generally in a good way. I left Liberty Mutual and have been exploring what’s next by doing independent consulting, advising start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs, and evaluating the potential for creating a new, next-gen world’s fair event. I’m not sure where this will all lead but it’s been fun. My wife, Lauren, closed her chocolate store and is now happy working for a tech start-up. Fortunately, I remain very well-supplied with chocolate. We also adopted a retired racing greyhound who excels at being a couch potato. A shout out to Dana Sims for providing some great advice from his experience adopting greyhounds. One constant … still in Seattle, Washington. Will probably be here for life! For those who travel to the northwest, please visit! There is now a critical mass of Darden ’94 in Seattle between me, Dana and Joanna Bressel-Wilder!”

Beware to all classmates who try to share brief updates, because I will ask for more. Mark shared the prior note only because he had shared this with me first: “My wife and I were in France for a wedding and had the great pleasure of visiting Topper Power on his home turf just outside Paris in Versailles, France. It was wonderful to catch up after 20 plus years as if no time had passed. Topper has been living the life of an expat since Darden, based previously in Russia, Ukraine, the Netherlands and now France. He’s married and has a son, age 5, and daughter, age 6.”

That was it for our updates. Thank you so much to Doug and Mark for reaching out — you make my job so much easier! I am also grateful for Facebook where I can glean a few details:

Lauren (Pantos) Murphy, Lea Varelas Medow, Christy Brock Miele and Susanna Jacobus get together annually over a long weekend, and their destination in September was Jackson Hole, Wyoming. From the photos posted they all look amazing in cowboy hats! So glad that our classmates have created life-long friendships and make time to meet up.

On a final note, I was worried that I would have scant news to report, so I decided to pull together a few stats about the Class of ’94. Open call to Andrew Logan if you can come up with more interesting and creative stats for our next Class Notes!

Number with Mystery Jobs (list employers but no job titles): 10

Number with Mystery Lives (no listing for titles or employers): 30 (Are we all happily retired? (I am a member of this group, but prefer the designation “extended sabbatical.”)

Number who claim to work in the C-suite: 31 (including only those with an actual “C” in their title; we have another group of Co-Founders, Founders, Managing Executives, Managing Partners, Owners and Presidents)

Number living outside the United States: 16 (Places we call home include Australia, Bahamas, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Spain and Sweden)

U.S. State with the most Class of ’94 grads: Virginia with 38 (California is a close second with 25!)

Number of businesses that exist with our family names in them: 10

Company with the most classmates who claim to work there: Wells Fargo with 3

We are truly diversified as a class.

Please let me know what’s going on in your lives. The countdown to reunion 2024 has already started — mark your calendars to come to Charlottesville so you can share your stories about your injuries, your travels, your kids, or whatever. Also, please review your Darden profile on the website to make sure your details are correct. My notes will be edited to match whatever you have on this site, so if you use a nickname and it’s not noted there, then my writeup will be edited to match your official record. Plus, Mike Burke and Martha White will appreciate knowing how to reach you.