Class Notes

Cher Aguinaldo, Cris (Recto) Ricafort, Eli (Nelle) White, ’70

Eleanor (Nelle) White ’70 Jeanne DeFazio ’72

Janet Adam, Mary Wahlberg ’73

1950s

Virginia (Markham) Davenport ’51 was married to her late husband Stephen for 63 years, and had the opportunity to travel the world with him. Her two boys, grandchildren, and great grandchildren keep her busy. Missing many old classmates, including Sr. Richard and Sr. Patrick, and still playing tennis at 90 — but not as vigorously! Busy with charitable groups and enjoying life.

Helen (Condon) Sitchler ’59 was recently honored as “Volunteer of the Quarter” at China Camp State Park in San Rafael where she has volunteered in the China Camp Museum and led tours of the historic shrimping village for over 20 years.

1960s

Susan Keeney ’64 met her soulmate in 1977 and was finally able to marry her in 2013. They will soon be celebrating their 44th year together.

Alice (Small) Munley ’65 volunteers weekly with one of her therapy dogs in the first grade reading program of a local elementary school.

1970s

Cher Aguinaldo ’70 reminisced with classmates Cris (Recto) Ricafort and Eli (Nelle) White about their time at Dominican. They will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary Reunion in May, 2020.

Sue Stephenson ’70 has a lot to celebrate. Two of her children recently married, and the third will tie the knot in April. She is also thrilled to announce that her first grandchild arrived in October, 2019.

Rita (Lago) Furnanz ’70 lost her husband Les in January. They had recently celebrated 50 years of marriage in October 2019.

Eleanor (Nelle) White ’70 formed Ava’s Kitchen, a feeding program for children in a depressed community of Malipay in the Philippines, after her family spent years battling for custody of her granddaughter Ava. Each Saturday, Eleanor and her family deliver food for almost 200 children every week. They have also organized medical missions, brought mascots and treats, and received countless donations of books and school supplies for children in need. This volunteer activity has enriched Eleanor’s life and provided valuable lessons to everyone involved. Jeanne DeFazio ’72 completed her latest book, Specialist Fourth Class John Joseph DeFazio: Advocating for the Disabled American Veterans. Additionally, her book Keeping the Dream Alive was featured in the 2019 Harvard Magazine Holiday Edition booklist.

Janet Adam and Mary Wahlberg ’73 hosted a memorial service at Dominican in September to honor Eileen Schiller Paine ’73. Guests attended mass in Benincasa Chapel in Edgehill Mansion and then unveiled a plaque in Eileen’s memory, blessed by Fr. Bob Haberman, in Angelico Concert Hall. Mark Jordan ’75 played music at Mass and at the plaque unveiling. Eileen’s husband Bob and daughter Carie were also in attendance, along with Frederick Adam ’74.

Yolanda Sanchez-Peterson ’75 is now living in Bend, Oregon with her husband Dennis. As grandparents, they enjoy being a part of their daughter’s extended family. After volunteering with one of the first Threshold Choirs in the Bay Area for 12 years, she has now begun a Threshold Choir chapter in Bend. Being associated with this amazing organization and singing for hospice patients has been a deeply enriching experience.

Dr. Julie Jordan ’75

Mirjam (Mimi) Rang ’81

Brigid Richards ’87 Patricia (Bedrosian) Dorward ’95 Tara (Gillen) Shetz ’99

Dr. Julie Jordan ’75, pianist, Steinway Artist, Founder and Artistic Director of the New York Concerti Sinfonietta, has supported countless international soloists from leading conservatories and universities as they debuted in prestigious venues abroad in the Julie Jordan Presents series. Additionally, Julie has showered her community with wonderful concerts and connected musicians from across the U.S. and globally. Presently, Julie Jordan is offering masterclasses at Pace University for the Global Asia Institute which features local adult students and music teachers.

Deborah (Simmons) Kespert ’77 has been blogging for five years at The Outspoken TULIP, a Christian blog post for women. She writes about Reformed Theology, discernment and current evangelical trends, and weekly Bible Studies. Blogging has been emotionally, spiritually and sometimes even financially rewarding for her. She applies many of the writing skills she gained from Dominican and illustrates the blog posts with her own digital art creations.

1980s

Mirjam (Mimi) Rang ’81 attended Medical School in Germany before eventually specializing in Radiology. She is happily married with three daughters and her own practice in the center of Frankfurt. Mirjam’s oldest daughter will soon graduate with a Master of Music from UNC Fine Arts which has brought her back to the U.S. a couple of times. Being back in the U.S. still feels like home to her, and she hopes she can eventually participate in an upcoming Reunion.

Carla (Martini) Ferris ’84 has four children who are all married. Her education has progressed to a Master’s degree in Public History which will be completed in 2021.

Meg (Bagley) Sabini ’85 earned a degree in Nursing from Creighton University in 1987. She worked as an Surgical ICU Nurse for 11 years at UC Davis Med Center before returning to school for her Masters in Nursing Degree from Rush University, Chicago. She has practiced anesthesia as a CRNA until this present time. Meg married Maurizio Sabini in 2003 and they have two children; Cherie and Robby. After 10 years in Ohio, Maurizio accepted a promotion as a professor of Architecture and Urban Design, and the family moved to Springfield, MO, where they currently reside.

Brigid Richards ’87 retired from Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, California, after almost 40 years as a public school teacher. Since retiring, she has been listening to audio books, editing her novel about Ireland (where she was born), and her house is cleaner than it’s ever been.

1990s

Janet (Mikulin) Giddings ’92 teaches Religious Studies and Applied Religious Ethics at Santa Clara University and Philosophy of Religion and Applied Ethics at San Jose State University. She was recently a panelist at the Women’s Interfaith Peace Symposium on “Faith and Loyalty to Nation.” She is currently working on a book about the American socialgospel poet, Edwin Markham. She and her husband rescued a cat last year. Whiskers is very vocal and bossy, and they absolutely adore him.

Patricia (Bedrosian) Dorward ’95 completed a second BS degree in Nursing and is entering into her fifth year as a registered nurse. Her daughter, Ryn, will be turning six in July.

Lisa (Biddle) Dedmore ’98 has earned three degrees spanning 15 years. The impact of her Dominican education has become more apparent year after year. The perspective she gained from the professors of honors religion, Sister Patricia’s art history class, and Dr. Rande Webster has contributed to her efforts as a fierce advocate of the under-served. Her 16-year-old daughter is now considering earning her Bachelor’s degree from Dominican and she could not be happier. She knows she will be nurtured, challenged, and will thrive in young adulthood should she choose Dominican.

Kelly (Stovall) Mayer ’04

Dean Aclan ’04

Brandon Davis ’06 Cristina (Ponce) Canete ’05

CPT Michael Ungureanu BA '06

Tara (Gillen) Shetz '99 and Matthew Shetz were married on December 7, 2019 in The Woodlands, Texas.

2000s

Heather Steil ’03 is a career diplomat with the State Department. After serving at U.S. embassies in numerous overseas assignments, she is currently on loan to the Defense Department as a Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commanding General of Central Command in Tampa, Florida.

Kelly (Stovall) Mayer ’04 married the love of her life in 2014 and welcomed her first child, Maddox, in 2017. Due to a complicated childbirth, Kelly underwent a massive blood transfusion and surgery but is now doing very well. She is still using the knowledge she gained from Dominican in her work as a pediatric occupational therapist, and is writing a book about her near-death experience in her free time. She plans to use the book as a platform to advocate for women’s health.

Dean Aclan ’04 has twin boys and a young daughter, and will be celebrating 10 years of marriage to his wife this year. He has been an occupational therapist for 15 years, and currently works at Kaiser Permanente. He keeps in touch with many Dominican alumni, specifically as part of a fantasy football league for nearly 10 seasons. Dean recently moved to a new home in San Marcos, California where his neighbor happens to be DU Alumna Tiffany Hermosa Padilla ’03. Tiffany also has twins and a young daughter.

Sabrena McCarley ’04, MBA ’09 was chosen to receive The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA) Roster of Fellows, which recognizes occupational therapist members who through their knowledge, expertise, leadership, advocacy, and/ or guidance have made a significant contribution to the profession. She received her award at the Annual Awards and Recognitions Ceremony on March 28 in Boston.

Brian Moore ’05 launched a marketing and business development consulting firm, Brian J Moore & Company, and has connected with Elizabeth (Allison) Thurman ’06, who started a career and talent development consulting company, Ignited Career Consulting. Ignited has become a client of BJM & Company and Brian and Elizabeth are looking forward to their continued work together.

Liz (Bradley) Nix ’06 married Damian Nix in 2007, and they have three children. Liz was the director of web production at a California internet marketing agency, and then became a freelance web developer while residing in Puerto Vallarta, MX for 18 months. She is currently one of the principle web developers in one of the fastest growing companies in Texas. Eugenia Lucas Wandela ’06 is a lecturer at Jordan University College in Morogoro, Tanzania. In January 2020, she was appointed to Director of the Jordan Francis Fund for students who have financial constraints. Her main responsibility is to raise funds that support students in tuition payments and additional fees.

Brandon Davis ’06 and his wife, Melissa, welcomed their son Nathan on November 20, 2019.

Cristina (Ponce) Canete ’07 has been working as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse at magnet hospitals in the Bay Area for 12 years. She is also a board-certified lactation consultant. She lives in Cupertino, married to her college sweetheart Mattie, and together they have three kids and two cats. Cristina enjoys volunteering for Project Cornerstone, watercolor painting, and participating in quality improvement projects in hospital NICUs.

CPT Michael Ungureanu BA ’06, MBA ’07 , is currently deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism. He is supported at home by his wife, Thera BS ’06, MSOT ’07, and children Jack and Preslie (ages seven and five).

Jason Davis ’10

Merriam Saunders ’10

Casey Lee Thorne ’10 Alejandro Moreno ’11

Laurel Druke ’12

2010s

Jason Davis ’10 is an assistant professor of English at Mendocino College. He primarily teaches Critical Thinking and transfer level Reading/ Composition courses. He loves teaching. He is thankful to Dominican University for the excellent education he received. Additionally, Jason has a full and immensely satisfying life as a father and husband.

Merriam Saunders ’10 wrote her first children’s book, My Whirling, Twirling Motor (Magination Press/ APA), and received a starred review from the School Library Journal. Her second book, My Wandering, Dreaming Mind, comes out in April. Both books feature characters with ADHD, as does her middle grade novel, Trouble With a Tiny T, which will be released in 2021. In addition to practicing psychotherapy and writing, she is an adjunct instructor in the Counseling Psychology Department at Dominican.

Casey Lee Thorne ’10 has continued to pursue a career in dance since graduating. She founded Inside Out Contemporary Ballet in 2012, was awarded a 2014-2015 Fulbright Fellowship to Israel, graduated with her MFA in Dance from Mills College in 2018, and became a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Dance at Southern Utah University in 2019. She is a proud Penguin! Alejandro Moreno ’11 helped relaunch Venture Greenhouse Accelerator 2.0 in 2015, graduated a cohort of nine startups and co-founded VenturePad, a coworking space in downtown San Rafael, which turns three-years-old in March 2020. VenturePad won the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Best Green Business Award 2018, Best Shared Workspace and Best Event Venue in the Marin IJ 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards, and Pacific Sun’s Best of Marin 2019 for Best Coworking Space and honorable mention for Best Green Business. VenturePad also won the North Bay Biz Magazine GameChanger 2018, the first startup ever to be named for the award. Alejandro also co-produces the Marin Sustainable Enterprise Conference every fall. Alejandro also builds websites in Squarespace, translates English-Spanish, and helps startups with business plans, strategy, marketing and website content. He has an organic olive tree farm in Tuscany where he spends several weeks a year working on the farm.

Derrick Wilkinson ’11 reached nine years at Moss Adams LLP public accounting firm in July 2019. He is always looking for DU accounting students to intern. He lives in Windsor, California with his three-year-old son and five-month-old daughter. Laurel Druke ’12 and long-term partner Jesse Taylor-Vermont got engaged in January 2020. Laurel is working for a nonprofit based out of San Rafael called Beyond Differences, and is Dominican’s Women Leadership and Philanthropy Council Marketing/ Comms co-chair. She is very active in Marin county as a longtime volunteer and activist.

Francesca Whitcomb ’12 just welcomed her first grandchild, James August Carsley, born on January 10, 2020. She was so excited to be there for his birth and described the moment as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. February 2, 2020 also marks her 20th year of working in education. She started at Novato Unified in the office at Lu Sutton Elementary, and is currently in her fifth year as HR Manager at Healdsburg Unified School District.

Laurel Roberts-Meese ’12 opened her private psychotherapy practice in San Francisco late last year. She works with adults around anxiety and trauma, and is trained in EMDR. She is carving out a niche for herself treating food-related anxiety.

Maggie Hibert ’15

Arielle Abelon ’15

Diana Putterman ’19,

Lauren Emenaker ’13 recently received her MBA from the University of Vermont with a focus in Sustainable Innovation. She joined the Vail Valley Partnership in CO this past fall and is supporting the efforts of local businesses and nonprofits in the area.

Monica Rizzo ’13 spent nearly five weeks traveling across India as a Fulbright-Hays honoree. She had the opportunity to visit NGOs, schools, and cultural sites, meeting with educators policy makers and members of the U.S. diplomatic corps. Her cohort explored the intersectionality of caste, class, and culture in India. The trip included starkly contrasted visits to the shanties along the railroad tracks above the slums of Kolkata and the world-famous Taj Mahal. Rizzo’s experience will inform her teaching of ancient India to her sixth-grade humanities students at Willow Creek Academy in Sausalito.

Maggie Hibert ’15 joined Kodiak Cakes in December as the creative team’s Design Coordinator. With her background in marketing, graphic design, and working in the food industry, Maggie is pursuing her dream to perform creative project management for packaging. Uprooting from the Bay Area to Park City, Utah, she thoroughly enjoys eating their 100 percent whole grain flapjacks and becoming the linchpin between product development and packaging design by managing projects. Kodiak Cakes is one of Utah’s Business’ Best Companies to Work For, offering her the opportunity to experience exponential growth within a company.

Arielle Abelon ’15 discovered her passion for makeup and used her degree to start her own freelance makeup artistry business after spending a year in the tech industry. She has worked with companies such as 2K Games, Curology, and was even Yoko Ono’s personal makeup artist in 2019. Since studying abroad in France, Arielle maintained a taste for adventure and continues to travel solo in her spare time.

Diana Putterman ’19 graduated from Dominican with a Masters in Humanities and began teaching English as a Second Language to foreign students. While lesson planning in the teachers’ room, an opportunity presented itself that she had been waiting for — working with the ever-growing refugee population. Today, Diana is writing this class note from Lesvos, Greece, the site of 20,000 refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iran. She is teaching beginning English to refugee teen boys at Gekko School, run by Better Days, one of many NGOs in Lesvos attempting to relieve this human diaspora. REAL, Refugee Education and Learning, is a local northern California NGO, formed by college professors from the Bay Area who recruit teacher volunteers for this effort. Diana is in Greece for a six-week teaching assignment. She recently visited the Moria Refugee Camp with Alison Terry-Evans, the founder of Dirty Girls, an NGO that collects discarded safety vests left behind by refugees who make the treacherous trip across the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece. Alison has been collecting the vests and repurposing them into shopping bags and satchels for sale to help provide clean blankets, sheets and pillows for the many unaccompanied minors that arrive daily to Greece.

Delainey Boyd ’19 is a scheduler in Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher’s DC office. She is excited to help the office maintain the congresswoman’s schedule and cultivate relationships throughout DC and Texas.

Matthew Albert ’20 is employed full-time at Mike’s Bikes, working between the marketing and operations departments. He currently lives near Dominican and stays involved with the community as much as he can.