ALUMNI NEWS
Kinkaid. We also hope to see you at our class party at the home of Brad and Lauren Roemer Morgan! It will be a fun weekend that you don’t want to miss!
1997 Christina Wilson Altenau Houston, Texas Christina.altenau@gmail.com Daniel Jenkins Houston, Texas Danieljenkinsiv@gmail.com
1998 Amy Parker Beeson Houston, Texas amyparkerbeeson@gmail.com Katie Austin recently got engaged to Stephen Colelli of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are planning to get married in Chicago this spring. Liz Riddle Anders’ art advisory and art appraisal business, Liz Anders & Associates, had a successful year. Liz enjoyed co-chairing the inaugural Kinkaid Alumnae & Friends Luncheon in the spring of 2015. She continues to love living in Houston with her son Oliver (3) and her husband David ’97. Joanie Goldstein Aron and her family are finally back in Houston after spending the last three years in Dallas. Their children are both now at Kinkaid. Morgan is in kindergarten, and Andrew is in the second grade. They both absolutely love it, and it has been wonderful for Joanie and Doug ’92 to be back at Kinkaid. Meredith Hopson Beaupre and her husband Andy welcomed their first daughter, Lauren Hatton Beaupre, into their family last summer. They are loving parenthood! Meredith continues to work at J.P. Morgan in Leveraged Finance. Whitney Parsons Brandon, her husband Ross and their two kids, Kirby and Wiley, moved to a farm in Dripping Springs, Texas, last year. Blue Butterfly Farm is an organic and sustainable farm that is open to visitors who are invited to tour the magical farm and gardens, harvest their own vegetables, collect their own eggs and enjoy the heavenly hill country views. This year Vicky and Justin Campbell had their third child, a baby boy named Marvin, on March 20. He, like their other children, is growing very quickly. Their oldest Sidney is in first grade at Pali Elementary in Pacific Palisades, California and is loving it. Their middle daughter Colette (1½) is doing her best to keep up with her older sis-
ter. Justin is still working for Edison International, helping lead their efforts to start a few new businesses. Vicky continues to work as a nurse practitioner with UCLA’s pediatric cardiothoracic practice. Jonathan Carl and his wife Brittney, continue to live in Hodgenville, Kentucky (Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace), where life stays busy with their three joyous daughters, pastoring a church family, mission trips, developing TrustworthyWord. com as an international Christian resource and multiple surgeries for their youngest daughter Alia. Leighton Carl and his wife Jenny had their fifth child this past January, a daughter named Ruth Alice Carl. Ruth joins siblings, Miriam, Zeke, Judah and Esther. They are still living in Waco and “enjoy serving the Lord through their work, kids, church and marriage!” Jill Case will be celebrating her eighth year with Odyssey Aviation Bahamas, a private aviation service provider with five locations in The Bahamas. Jill manages the brand and marketing efforts from her home in Houston. She travels the world and to the Bahamas frequently, but mostly enjoys her time at home with friends and family. Jill recently joined the Board of Directors for Vita Living, a 501(c)(3) social services charity in Houston that provides lifelong support programs for adults and children with disabilities like cerebral palsy and autism. Alex Curlet is living in DC working for Clark Construction. Alex and his wife Catherine had a baby girl, Catherine Margaret Curlet, last December. They are loving being parents and are looking forward to celebrating Maggie’s first birthday. Kasey Buza Davis is excited to report that the Davis family is becoming a party of five. Jack and Charley are anxiously awaiting the arrival of another sibling in May. While waiting for the next big film to come to New Zealand, Jeanne Dear decided to travel to India to get her yoga teachers’ training certificate. Little did she know, way more important plans were already underway. Jeanne and Scott welcomed their beautiful son into the world in March, and while her life has done a complete 180, she couldn’t be happier. Scott, Jeanne and baby Schuyler have recently settled down in a beautiful beach suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. They will be ready to accept overseas guests as soon as they finish unpacking! Heather Heidemann Deiss has been staying busy keeping up Chevron’s Nigeria business activities, vacationing and volunteering. Last year she had two memorable trips to
Nigeria, which included staying offshore a few nights and drinking Turkish tea with the crew of a tanker ship. Scott and Heather enjoyed a fabulous trip to Spain in November 2014. They visited Barcelona, San Sebastian, Granada and Madrid. Despite all the walking they did, it was not enough to work off all the delicious food they ate. The trip also brought back fond memories of Interim Term 1998. She has been volunteering with the Junior League at Star of Hope tutoring children with their math homework, which has been the most impactful placement she’s done in her service with the League. This year she’s also taken on the additional responsibility of treasurer of her homeowner’s association, so now she knows all the neighborhood scoop. Heather and Scott celebrated nine years of marriage in May with a trip to Santa Barbara. Time flies when you are having fun! Mark Dinerstein and his wife Stacey continue to live in Venice Beach, California. On September 9, Ryder Jay Dinerstein was born in Los Angeles. This is their first child, and they are already very proud of the little guy who was just nine weeks old when Mark wrote in with his news. Last November, Mark became President of Knitting Factory Presents, a top 50 concert and event producer in the United States. He has been with KFP since 2006 producing music, comedy, performing arts and experiential food events all over the country in a variety of indoor and outdoor venues. After four years in California, Charlie Escher recently took orders to Destin, Florida, to be one of the Navy’s first instructors for the newest fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning. He’s excited for the new challenge! Ashley Gillespie (fs) and her husband Kyle recently moved from Austin to Seattle, and it’s been quite a change! Kyle is working for a tech company called Tableau, and she is continuing her work in festival production. No kids thus far… Just a couple of Chihuahuas! Laurie Riley Heins and her husband Neill have a new addition. Patrick O’Neill Heins was born on June 30. Maggie (5) and Caroline (3) have been amazing big sisters! Life is crazy but full. Margot Fried Hogan and her husband Brett ’93 welcomed a baby girl into their family in October. Margaret Eleanor Hogan joins big brothers Henry (4) and August (2). Henry started pre-K in the Blue Door classroom at Kinkaid this past fall, and they are loving being parents to a little Falcon. Charles Houssiere continues to work as the Director of Operations and Design at BioTex, Inc. in Houston.
ANNUAL REPORT SPRING WINTER 2015 2016
The company’s MRI-guided laser ablation spin-off, Visualase, was recently acquired by Medtronic. The transition was fully complete as of this past June, leaving Charles just enough time to turn his focus to what is now the most important part of his life. His wife Lisa gave birth on June 26 to a perfect baby boy, Charles Rene Houssiere, whom they call “Cash”. They are so happy to have him in their lives and are feeling very blessed. Brooke McGuyer Hutson continues to enjoy being self-employed at Brooke McGuyer Interiors. She is loving family life as well and her role as mother to son Parker (5) and daughter Caroline (15 months). James Jeter recently got engaged to Sandy Gahagan. They are planning to get married in April in Houston and will likely be honeymooning at The Owl. Ran Jones and his family are still living in LA where Ran continues to work in casting for Undercover Boss. His daughter Juliette just turned two. Steven Kaplan is doing well. He and his wife Erin Finger Kaplan ’04 are expecting a daughter in January. Steven is in his eighth year as an attorney at Plains All American Pipeline and enjoys it. Yoav Kaufman finished his residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery in June. Soon after, he moved his son Ethan (2½) and his wife, pregnant with twins, to Stanford for a one-year fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery. Erika delivered two healthy boys on October 30 named Rowan Jacob and Jude Marcos. Both babies and mother are healthy and doing very well. The Kaufmans love beautiful, sunny California, but they are looking forward to moving back to Houston in August 2016 after the completion of Yoav’s fellowship. He will be working for Kelsey Seybold, performing reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery in addition to hand surgery. Chris Leavitt and his wife Sarah welcomed their second child, a daughter named Clayton, earlier this spring. Chris continues to work as of counsel at the Buzbee Law Firm. Alicia Lee continues to work for the Greater Houston Partnership. She also remains an active volunteer for Kappa Alpha Theta and Child Advocates. This year, she is serving on the Board of Directors for the Junior League of Houston, and she just started her first year on the Board of the Kinkaid Alumni Association. Jamie Smith Luff and her family recently moved to London. Jamie and Martin are really enjoying the city. Their son James is adjusting well too. He’s even beginning to pick up a British accent and is sure to sound
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