Class notes

1976

AMY WAGNER

I live in St. Thomas, USVI, and would love to see any classmates visiting or sailing to Paradise!

1977

COL. ADRIAN BOGART

Adrian has been the Commandant of Cadets at the Virginia Military Institute since the summer of 2021.

1981

ASHLEIGH DANKER

(FORMERLY NANCY DANKER)

After 34 years of practicing law in Los Angeles, I retired last year. I’m still enjoying life in Manhattan Beach, where I have lived for 29 years.

1987

TURK LEWIS

After 10 years living in Jupiter, FL, my family has relocated to Baltimore, where I am serving an incredible D.C.-based non-profit organization, Hope for Henry. This non-profit is reinventing how hospitals care for children and their families through innovative, scientifically tested programs that help hospitalized kids confront the challenges of serious illness, adhere to their medical plans, and thrive. We are on course to bring our program to more than 100 hospitals across the nation. I hope to see some of my fellow alumni in my travels.

1989

MICHELLE HALPERN

I am happy to share that I am currently working as a real estate agent in New York City and happy to help any Portledge friends and family find a great home in NYC.

1992

GREGORY PECK

I live in Sherman Oaks, CA, with my 12-year-old son Otis and our family. I own and operate the Crescent Hotel in Beverly Hills and am otherwise a real estate developer. I coach Otis’s local Little League team when I am not working.

1998

BRADLEY GOTTFRIED

My first son, Colton, was born in December 2022.

2000

CHRISTINA VILLECCO

I was heartbroken to hear about the passing of our beloved teacher and mentor, Mr. McIlvain. In happier news, three Portledge alumni are working together on the same team at Pilot RB based in New York. The strong alumni connection brought me to Pilot in 2012, where I joined Keith Merkler ’89 and most recently brought Jason Becker ’00 to the team. I hope to be back for a campus visit with Emily Lavelle ’00, Amy (Hochfelsen) Naltchadjian ’01, and Navi Bindra ’00 soon!

2005

ALEX STEINBERG

Happy to share that as of April 2023, I have been promoted to Partner at DLA Piper LLP (U.S.) and continue to serve on the Portledge Alumni Council.

2006

JOHN OSEI-TUTU

As of April 2023, I joined the law firm Bradford, Edwards & Varlack LLP as a partner, leading their sports law practice group.

2007

MICHELLE L’ESPERANCE

I have been named Director of Production Management and recently celebrated six years at Revolt TV (a music-oriented digital cable television network founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs).

MARY GRACE DONALDSON

On May 27, 2023, Mary Grace married Anthony Cipriano of Glen Cove. Gauri Bhatia ’07 was a bridesmaid, and Emily Edwards-Bourdrez ’07 and her family attended.

ALYSSA CARRETTA (RUIZ)

Our third child, Matteo Christian Carretta, was born on March 14, 2023, joining his siblings Joseph, 3 years old, and Domenica, 1 year old.

JOY CLARKE

Is currently living in Washington, D.C., and is the Assistant Principal at E.L. Haynes Charter School

2008

LIANA HALE

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Client Strategy Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

ELIZABETH LANZA

I am an associate Attorney at the Law Offices of Neal Rosenberg, specializing in special education law. My daughter, Madeline, is currently attending her first year at Portledge in pre-nursery.

2009

TAYLOR HOLZE

In her first year coaching the Girl’s Varsity Hockey team at Portledge, the team captured the WIHLMA Championship.

2010

Robyn Worrall reports that Stephanie Hegarty ‘10 and Anker Johansen ‘09 were married on April 1st! After meeting at Portledge in high school, the two were mostly admirers from afar but, of course, knew about each other and reconnected years later when Anker reached out to Stephanie to get together. The rest is history. Last year, in February 2022, Anker popped the question, and the two tied the knot on April 1st in South Carolina. Many Portledge alumni were in attendance!

BEN SHAPIRO

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Business Development Agent at Keppler Speakers!

MONIQUE KELLY COLAIZZO

I am still happily working in the math department at Portledge, and I am grateful for my high school students who push me to be a better teacher each day. In January 2022, Joey shocked me with a beautiful proposal at Stratton Mountain. We spent the better part of the year renovating our house in East Northport, training our puppy Remi, and planning for our wedding day in August. I hope to see everyone at an alumni event in the near future. If you’re ever on campus, come say hi!

DAVID WILSON

My wife, Laura, and I celebrated the birth of our first child at the end of March. We had a baby boy named Jack! and I’m happy to share that, as of April, I have started a new position as Account Executive at Plaid.

2011

BENJAMIN LOBLEY

On February 11, 2023, Benjamin got engaged to his law school sweetheart, Julia Santo.

2012

ISABELLA MURATORE

I am currently working as a postdoc at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. I have been hired to start a job as an assistant professor of Biology at the U.S. Naval Academy starting next year. Also,

I am engaged to Wilson Guillory, who is also a biologist, and our wedding is in July.

MARTINE KROWN

Emma Chernoff and Matt Crockett were married at the end of 2022. Classmates Martine Krown, Alexandra Roll, and Lisa Dourmashkin joined guests in celebrating the bride and groom.

2013

RONEN (RON) SARTENA

This year we welcomed a baby boy!

KRISTIE KELLY

Kristie Kelly most recently completed her Master’s Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Since 2018, she’s been working in the Spacecraft Power Engineering Group in the Space Exploration Sector at the Johns Hopkins

Right: Ron Sartena’s new baby boy

Applied Physics Laboratory. She has worked as an Analog Test Engineer and FPGA Engineer on two NASA missions, Europa Clipper and Dragonfly, which are set to launch in October 2024 and June 2027! Kristie has also had great success in her athletic career, playing for two professional sports teams! In 2019, she played professional ultimate frisbee with the NY Gridlock (League–PUL), and since 2022, she has been playing professional tackle football with the DC Divas (League–WFA). She is excited to hit the field as a cornerback this upcoming season which begins April 22nd!

2014

ALISA SHVARTSBART

This is my first year as a doctor in Sydney, Australia, and I am planning my wedding!

LUKE COHEN

I am currently an MBA/MSF graduate student at Northeastern University.

2015

KOOROSH LEIBOWITZ

Koorosh and his brother Brandon released an album titled Breakfast with their band, Brake, in 2021. You can find their material on Spotify/Apple Music under B R a K E. Additionally, Koorosh is currently restoring a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle in his free time. Koorosh also curates and sells vintage clothing and other oddities to clients all over the world under the name Been Thriftin.

Connect on socials/Get in touch:

Instagram: @KooroshTheKing / @ BrakeTheBand / @BeenThriftin

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/kooroshleibowitz

Spotify: B R a K E (spaces in between each letter)

HUNTER MESTMAN

I am an artist with Generation Drop LLC, an artist with the mission to create a drop of inspiration with every creation.

2017

JILLIAN NARBY

I’m thrilled to announce that I will be joining the Premium Service team at UBS Arena. I’m excited to call the home of the Islanders my own again.

2018

KAYLA GUO

I am excited to share that I will join The New York Times D.C. bureau as a

2023–2024 Rosenbaum fellow after I finish up my year as an intern in the Transportation Policy office of Politico.

2019

SPENCER HAZEN

I graduated from High Point University a semester early and got my dream job as a Junior Designer for the New York Islanders! With the Islanders, I work with the creative team to create graphics for social media, inside UBS Arena, email blasts, promotional items, and more.

EVAN RUBINSTEIN

I have accepted a cyber security customer adviser summer internship offer at Rapid7 based out of Arlington, VA.

2020

DYLAN NEWITZ

I am thrilled to share that I have accepted an offer to join the National Basketball Association (NBA) Internship Program this summer. I will be a Creative Services Intern in the Marketing department of the NBA.

SOPHIA ADAMS

I am excited to share that I have accepted an offer to join the team at AlphaSights as a 2023 Summer Associate in their New York Office!

2021

JULIET SIEGEL

Hi everyone! I am currently majoring in Advertising at the University of Texas at Austin. Some updates about my career are that I have now hit 2 million on

TikTok and almost 300,000 subscribers on YouTube! I have now worked with companies such as Netflix, DoorDash, YesStyle, and more, focusing on making content about television shows, body positivity, and more.

2022

SEAN SWEENEY

This year I joined Phi Delta Theta at the University of Miami. As an aspiring business student, I have been striving to begin my professional career working as a branding consultant for OmniLearn Corp. Additionally, this summer, I will be working in New York City as a Student Associate Process Engineer at Madison Square Garden Entertainment as well as directing the third annual Diane Fund – Day of Play fundraiser benefiting families impacted by cancer.

Mahan Mostafavi

So far, I have joined the chess club (which is run by a former Portledge Student, Skyler Mott) and a business club called TAMID which works with Israeli start-ups on consulting and investing. Additionally, I have joined an intramural soccer team that plays in the fall and spring. I plan to follow the pre-med track at Lehigh, but I am also considering taking some business classes next semester.

Zaire Baines

In his first year as an Emmanuel College basketball team member, he was named to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Rookie team. He also earned a pair of GNAC Rookie of the Week nods while averaging 11.5 points per game.

Welcome

by Kim Leonard

Dear Portledge Families,

Happy summer, everyone! I hope everyone is feeling refreshed after a wonderful school year and is ready for the 2023–2024 school year. As we reflect on the last year, it’s important to acknowledge our successes and recognize ways in which we can improve. As the President of the Parents Association, I want to extend a warm welcome to all of our new and returning families. Being part of such a supportive and engaged community is a pleasure.

I am the proud parent of two Portledge students, and I am personally grateful for the exceptional education that my children receive. The dedicated faculty and staff have helped shape them into curious, confident, and compassionate individuals. I am proud to be a part of a school that puts such emphasis on academic excellence, character development, and community service.

The Parents Association consists of a group of parents who are involved with the school and partake in community building, planning student events, and being a collective parent voice at Portledge. As a member of the Parents Association for the past several years, it has been a wonderfully rewarding and enjoyable experience. I am excited to partner with all of our families this year in my new role as President.

The Parents Association is committed to supporting Portledge in any way we can. We host events that bring our community together, such as Founders Day (save the date for September 30) and The Portledge Gala scheduled for Spring 2024. We support fundraising initiatives that help provide the resources that enhance the student experience. And most importantly, we work hard to ensure that our school continues to be a place where students thrive and feel a sense of belonging.

As we prepare for the upcoming academic year, I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that Portledge remains a premier independent school. I am confident that with the dedication of our faculty, staff, parents, and students, we will have a great and enriching year.

Thank you for your continued support.

Best regards,

Kimberly Leonard Maxwell ’24, Penelope ’27