Alumni Affairs

most ecologically diverse natural area in the southern United States with a significant variety of species of plants and animals, many of which are rare, some of which are considered threatened or endangered. The organization and its members believe that because the Apalachicola River ecosystem belongs to all of us, we have a shared responsibility to preserve it for future generations.

Cameron Lewis Barton is one of the Riverkeeper’s passionate supporters and, in October 2020, she made her second RiverTrek, a kayaking trip down the entire 106-mile length of the Apalachicola River, in 5 days. The goal of this trip is raising both awareness and funds to help protect and restore the Apalachicola River Basin. As part of the journey, Cameron and other participants met with historians, local officials, naturalists and scientists to learn as much as they could during their wilderness immersion experience. As a RiverTrek member Cameron concluded, “I enjoyed the group and peacefulness of the river. It is simply powerful and beautiful and worth every effort to protect it!” Beyond the trip, Cameron takes the knowledge and experiences she gains back to her Maclay middle school science classroom and helps her students explore the river and learn about its ecology. Through sharing an understanding of the unique ecosystem and the importance of the river’s health, she is developing another group of ambassadors for this special area – way to go, Cameron! Congratulations to designer and artist, Daniel Wingate!! Danny opened his premier flagship store for WINGATE COLLECTION in Munich, Germany in mid-October 2020. From their website: WINGATE COLLECTION is the brainchild of his visionary, international experience in the women’s luxury market. Ageless, Sizeless and Fearless are the key words and design philosophy for Daniel Wingate. WINGATE is a two season concept each year that is produced exclusively in Europe and innovative in its inclusive designs for all women of today. WINGATE is proud to also invite an array of in-residence designers that personify great design made in Germany to the space to share and create a new dialogue with customers through special events and a curated, eclectic product offer. WINGATE Store is featured in AD Architectural Digest Germany this month in the news sections: Stores to watch! Interior concept by Schönbuch - all made in Germany.

Marcia Warfel has been named President of the Club 25 Women “Women to Know” in partnership with the Tallahassee Democrat. Marcia is the Director of Public Relations for Tallahassee Woman Magazine and a servant leader/community advocate for women and girls. A woman that wears many hats, Marcia is an emergency management professional that has over 20 years of experience. She is CEO of Maxim Strategies and Solutions consulting firm, and she is excited to be finishing her Master’s degree at Florida State University.

Matt Hill continues his work with Green Again Madagascar, a non-profit organization, whose mission is to restore damaged rainforest reserves in Madagascar. The restoration not only involves replanting trees, but also a long-term commitment to assisting the recovery of this ecosystem. In the last 100 years, 87% of Madagascar’s rainforest has been lost. One of the fundraisers to support these efforts is a coloring book that Green Again has put out. Like Matt’s daughter Nirina Gladys, young children can have fun while learning about the rainforests in Madagascar. It’s a great bonus that several Maclay students’ artwork is included in the coloring book! You can

support Matt and his work by purchasing these color books via Amazon.

Blake Dowling and his team at Aegis Business Technologies have done it again! In summer 2020, the company was, once again, named to Florida Trend magazine’s list of the best workplaces in Florida and ranked at #7! John Roland has begun an exciting new role at his beloved alma mater Samford University. He is thrilled to be serving the Howard College of Arts & Science as the Director of Advancement.

Congratulations to Jay Smith! On January 14, 2021, at its annual meeting, Jay was installed as the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman. We know you will do great things, Jay!

Jean (Young) Hallman, 93 has accepted the position of Director of Communications at Covenant Academy. She and her family live in Macon, Georgia, where she owns Greenhouse Marketing, fosters backyard farming within her community, and enjoys a house full of kids. Jean is excited about this new opportunity to promote excellence in Classical Christian Education.

Dustin Odham continues his work with Franklin Covey in the field of education as Managing Director. In January 2021 he launched a podcast titled Change Starts Here. If you are a parent, educator or work with kids in any capacity you won’t want to miss this first episode. It’s all about unleasing human potential in education. You can find Dustin’s podcast: podcast.apple.com

Congratulations to William Smith – the new President of Capital City Bank for Leon County!!

As a design team member at Studio Gang, an architecture and urban design firm headquartered in Chicago, Chase Jordan has been a key team member on the renewal of Kresge College, one of the 10 colleges of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Originally designed in the early 1970s by Moore Lyndon Turnbull Whitaker (MLTW) as a post-modern “Italian hill town” in the redwood forest, Kresge College is now in need of restoration and renovation. Studio Gang is working with local architect TEF to renew beloved landmarks while bringing new upgrades to continue the College’s legacy. The unique challenges of the site, which navigates ravines and redwood trees, has driven the contemporary design that will be in dialogue with a beloved, architecturally significant campus. Upon the first phase of construction, Chase shared, “So proud of this project and the team that is working on it!”

has announced a new venture: “I have officially started a small private practice for pediatric occupational therapy called Playful Pediatrics OT, LLC! Please follow me on Instagram (@PlayfulPediatricsOT) and feel free to share with any moms, dads, or caregivers that you may know! I will be regularly posting developmental information, tips, and activities for a variety of age groups. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Thanks for your support!” Congratulations, Ashley – we wish you great success!

Congratulations to Travis Barnes! Though COVID preempted graduation ceremonies, Travis graduated from Georgia State with a Master’s in Finance and a MBA and he is on to a new job!!

Alexander Loeb M.D. is currently in his orthopedic surgical residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Upon completion in July, he will be going to Birmingham, Alabama for a one-year Fellowship in Sports Medicine at the American Sports Medicine Institute.

Chandler Russell has been welcomed as a new member of Envision Credit Union’s Supervisory Committee. Chandler graduated from the University of Alabama earning a Bachelor’s degree and then a Master’s degree in Accounting. She then became a licensed member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Congratulations to Tyler Russell on being named as Chief of Staff at the Florida Department of Children and Families. According to FloridaPolitics.com, “As Chief of Staff, Russell will oversee a team that includes the department’s assistant secretary for administration, chief quality officer, chief information officer, communications director, and legislative affairs director.” Congratulations Tyler!

Lance Watson threw his hat into the 2020 political ring and ran for the Gadsden County Soil & Water Conservation Board. He certainly had a strong background for the job and his constituents agreed – he won!! “My name is Lance Watson and I am proud to be running for the Gadsden County Soil and Water Conservation Board Seat 1. I am a fourth generation Gadsden County resident, where my family has called home since 1898. I grew up enjoying the outdoors with my dad, Sterling Watson, Sr. who served this county for many years. Serving the citizens of Gadsden County was very important to him, as it is to me, and I plan to carry on his legacy of commitment and public service in Gadsden County. As the Deputy Legislative Affairs Director for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), I am passionate about ensuring our waterways and land are well-preserved in my home county, just as they were when I was young. Gadsden County is my home and a very special place to me. My commitment is to always be a strong advocate for its natural resources and all its constituents.”

Nicholas Waddell is in his third year as a PhD student at FSU in the Department of Biological Sciences. He just passed his preliminary exams which is a major milestone in his career. He is now eligible for PhD candidacy rather than being a PhD student. To date, he has two publications. His first publication, “Role of Long Noncoding RNA Gas5 in Cocaine Action,” was published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry. His most recent publication titled, “DNA Methyltransferase 3A Is Involved in the Sustained Effects of Chronic Stress on Synaptic Functions and Behaviors,” was published in the Journal Cerebral Cortex. Additionally, Nicholas is currently the Vice President of the Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Student Association which focuses on science education and outreach while also providing a place for peers to present their own research and leading discoveries in their fields. Congratulations to Maggie Miller! She passed the Georgia bar exam in October 2020 and is now a LLM Candidate in Taxation at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Upon graduation in May 2021, she plans to move to Atlanta, Georgia to practice.

Wynne Casteel graduated in August with his M.S. in Geology (specializing in hydrogeology). He then moved to Houston and has been working several part time jobs while trying to land a geologist or environmental scientist position. His wife Lucy will find out in March where she will be doing her OB/GYN residency so they are excited to find out if they will be in Texas or elsewhere in the coming years. Kayla Osburn graduated from Florida State in 2019 with a BS degree in Environment and Society. Wanting to continue her studies further in the field of Zoology, she was accepted at the University of Pretoria South Africa into their Zoology program. In the beginning of 2020 she moved to Pretoria, South Africa. Unfortunately, COVID hit and South Africa went into stage 5 lockdown. Kayla persisted and shares with us: “I still managed to finish my BSc Honours degree in Zoology. During this degree I wrote a thesis on monitoring female reproductive activity in Aardvarks by using faecal steroid analysis. This year 2021 I will be furthering my studies by starting my Masters in Zoology at the University of Pretoria where I will be focusing on using a non-invasive technique to quantify faecal glucocorticoid metabolites to measure stress in the Striped Hyena.” Wishing you success in your research and your next degree, Kayla!!

Parker Durrance is an Atlanta resident now. He loves that this move brings him close to the mountains and friends. Parker has released an album and he has also started teaching history to high schoolers at Wesleyan School which is located in the

Atlanta suburb of Peachtree Corners. Graduating at the end of June with her degree in Nursing, Lindsey Poole started her dream job in November 2020. She has launched her nursing career working at Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee as a MedicalSurgical Oncology Nurse.

graduated Summa Cum Laude from Presbyterian College with a BA in Christian Education and a BA with Honors in Political Science. She additionally received the “Outstanding Senior” award from the Political Science Department and the Joseph O. Nixon Leadership award from the college. Over summer 2020, Emily interned with CWS Greensboro Refugee Program and then it was on to study law at Elon. Emily shares: “I am passionate about advocacy and direct service and hope to continue that work in the future as a Human Rights lawyer.”

toured the country backing up Levi Hummon on lead guitar during the spring and summer of 2019 and then came off the road to finish his senior year of college in the fall. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the music industry took a hard hit and essentially all touring was cancelled for the year. Though there is still a lot of uncertainty as to when it’ll all come back online, he’s been using the time he’s had off to write and release his own music, as well as do session work for others remotely. From Matthew, “It’s definitely been a disappointing year for live music, but I’ve stayed positive and am ready to get back onstage when things are safe again!” At Florida State University, the Karen Myers Award in Interior Design History is given each year to a student who exhibits excellence in and passion for History of Interiors - our Lanier Hicks was the 2020 recipient! Upon receiving her award, Lanier was interviewed for a FSU College of Fine Arts news release and shared the following regarding the impact of the scholarship on her academic career: “The validation I received from this scholarship for my newly found passion in History of Interiors made me recognize my niche in the design world and the importance of leaning into it, rather than to be swept away in the current of what my peers were creating. It has inspired me to keep designing with context and craftsmanship at the forefront of all creative decisions I make to this day.” Lanier graduated from FSU in spring 2020 and now lives in Washington, D.C. where she works as an interior designer for the residential firm of Lisa and Leroy. Mark Salters graduated from Florida State University in May 2020 with his Master’s in Applied American Politics and Policy. He accepted a job with Stateside Associates, a firm based in Arlington, Virginia which tracks and researches state legislation. He began working for them in November as a Legislative Associate. Summerlin Sniffen graduated from Texas Christian University in December 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She will be starting her job as a Registered Nurse at UT Southwestern in Dallas in the Cardiovascular ICU.

Melanie Canfield is in her senior year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where, in addition to her studies, she plays volleyball. The Embry-Riddle Eagles are members of NCAA II and the Sunshine State Conference.

Exciting things happen beyond studies here at Maclay. Zach Karpinski is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida and one of two students in the Department of Chemical Engineering working with space-implementation partner engineers on a project to study gravitational effects on the Faraday instability. The project, funded by an award from the National Science Foundation, seeks to validate models for Faraday instability with defining experiments conducted in the absence of gravity on the International Space Station and comparing these to ground experiments. The project also seeks to determine when the interface saturates to standing waves and when it breaks catastrophically to rupture.

Sameer Ponnaluri, a recent Maclay graduate now studying at UF, worked on a design for a specific part that can help doctors and nurses with their masks. It is a part that relieves stress on their ears, especially when wearing a mask for extended period of times. The part is 3-D printable and Sameer came back to the Maclay campus last summer to use the 3-D printer to print a prototype. Ms. Barton and Mr. Kupiszewski collaborated on this amazing project.

Scott Buchan (’79) and Leslie Thompson July 4, 2020 St. Croix, Virgin Islands

Duffy (’06) and Dean Koskinas August 17, 2020 Founders Park Islamorada, Florida

Macie Wilkins (’11) and Julian Hurtado September 6, 2020 Goodwood Museum and Gardens Tallahassee, Florida Maids of Honor: Morgan Wilkins (’13) and Meagan Wilkins (’17) Bridesmaids: Grayal Allen (’11) and Lindsey Peppers Boomer (’11)

Casteel (’14) and Lucy McCollom September 19, 2020 Perkins Chapel on SMU Campus Dallas, Texas Maclay Groomsman: Miles Bebout (’13) and Greg Jaggears (’14) Maclay Reader: Ellie Casteel (’20) Maclay Friends in Attendance: Samuel Rust (’14) and John Zoll Hogan (’14) 42

(’10) and Andrew Dickson September 26, 2020 Lewiswood Farm Tallahassee, Florida Maid of Honor: Laura Armstrong (’07) Bridesmaid: Lauren Henderson Whritenour (’10)

Austin Mall (’11) and Madison Blake October 9, 2020 Fayetteville, North Carolina

(’11) and Andrew Winchester October 24, 2020 The Retreat at Bradley’s Pond Tallahassee, Florida Maid of Honor: Gabby Bradshaw Hancock (’11) Bridesmaids: Stacey Fryzel Tuck (’05), Jessica Fryzel (’09), Kelly Hinson (’11), and Barrie Maurey Price (’11) Evan Miller (’09) and Chantal English November 1, 2020 Tallahassee, Florida Maclay Friends in Attendance: Conor Sweeney (’09), Brandon Fabozzi (’09),

and Taylor Miller (’10)

Caroline Hunter (’05) and Jotan Borms January 12, 2021 Aalst, Belgium

Jordan Cavanaugh (’08) and Kayla Elizabeth D’Angelo

November 14, 2020

Newport, Rhode Island Katherine Bixler (’08) and Michael Joseph Oberlies November 14, 2020 St. Helena Catholic Church Clayton, GA Matron of Honor: Cissy Bixler Proctor (’94) Maid of Honor: Emily Beck (’08) Bridesmaid: Aaren Graves (’08) Groomsman: Jack Bixler (’11)

William Owenby (’12) and Anne Moore December 16, 2020 Goodwood Museum and Gardens Tallahassee, Florida Bridesmaids: Victoria Dickeson Owenby (’07), Helen Owenby Errhali (’03), Katherine Moore Groomsmen: John Owenby (’07), Slade Downs (’12), Klauss Dimitri (’12)

Steven Libroth (‘16) and Aubrie Reister December 19, 2020 Jupiter, Florida

June 19, 2020 Jonathan and Andrea Combs (’06) LaBeaud Tallahassee, FL

June 23, 2020

Giles (’07) and Jennifer Langford

Tallahassee, FL

July 16, 2020 Jeff and Dede Meros (’07) Berglund Tallahassee, FL

July 6, 2020 Dane (’01) and Alyson Jordan Orlando, FL

July 29, 2020 Garrett Harrison and Kerry Alexander-Harrison (’17) Santa Rita, Guam

August 2, 2020 Lewis and Jenny Moore (’07) Singletary Tallahassee, FL

August 4, 2020 Adam and Briley Cotton (’08) Gunter Gainesville, FL Joins big brothers Camp (12), Collins (8), and Rawls (4)

James Crew Odham August 12, 2020 Dustin (’00) and Ashley Odham St. Louis, MO Joins big brothers Luke (7) and Noah (4)

August 19, 2020 Chris and Brianne Jablon (’00) Miller Washington, DC Joins big sister Caroline (4) and big brother Robert (2)

October 20, 2020 Jay and Katherine Rosser (’10) Wolfe Tallahassee, FL Joins big brother Hudson (2)

October 16, 2020 Hayes and Madeleine Loeb (’10) Friddle Jacksonville, FL

December 3, 2020 Drew (’12) and Brooke Heffley (‘13) Tallahassee, FL

December 21, 2020 Robby and Carlyn Harris (‘11) Poole Atlanta, GA

January 1, 2021 Paul (’05) and Sarah Sloderbeck Raleigh, NC Joins big brother Amos (3) and big sister Birdie (1¾)

September 24, 2020 Aaron (’01) and Erin Andree Dallas, TX

January 11, 2021 Ben and Molly Drake (’02) Glazner Atlanta, GA

The third Leadership Maclay Retreat will take place in Fall 2021 in conjunction with Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2021. During the retreat, selected participants will obtain a behind-the-scenes view of the School, participate in discussions on the internal and external forces that affect the School’s direction, and learn about opportunities that lie ahead for Maclay. Attendees will also participate in discussions with senior school administrators and take part in generative discussions about the future of Maclay. Leadership Maclay, now in its third year, provides an opportunity and forum for alumni to connect with the school and one another. To date 44 alumni have participated in the program, traveling from 7 states and representing 24 graduation classes.

More information and the application form can be found on the Maclay web site: www.maclay.org/leadershipmaclay All Maclay alumni are invited to apply. Application Deadline: July 1, 2021

Robert Carson Buchner July 15, 2020 Tallahassee, FL Class of 2016 Katharine “Kathy” Willis September 14, 2020 Stevens Point, WI Maclay School Board of Trustees 1983-1986 Nicholas Charles Peters December 31, 2020 Tallahassee, FL Class of 2021

John P. Hutchins, Jr. January 7, 2021 Tallahassee, FL Former Supervisor of Maintenance Denise Elizabeth Brown Stiegler January 10, 2021 Tallahassee, FL Class of 1986

Maclay School 3737 N. Meridian Road Tallahassee, FL 32312 850.893.2138 www.maclay.org

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID

TALLAHASSEE FL PERMIT NO 131

Friend us on

Follow us @maclayschool

Follow us @maclayschool