20th Reunion Class of 1997

Reunion Recap 

Thanks to all who returned to campus for the 20th reunion celebration. We had 126 alumni come back to campus to share in the festivities! There's no doubt folks enjoyed being back on campus. Great opportunity to reengage with old friends, and in some cases, develop new bonds. Impressive to learn of the diversity of the experiences and the multitude of the successes for the Class over the past 20 years. Many attendees were reminded of the remarkable learning environment that is Wesleyan, from the caliber of the education, to the campus, to the students and instructors who populate it. There were many remarks about the positive developments in the physical plant, and how heartening it was to see so many of the old traditions intact. And after 20 years, everyone can still party like college students and dance like no one is looking! We will no doubt have a bigger crowd for 25!

Here are some highlights from the weekend:
• Carter Bays, Sean Brecker, Kimberly King, Maggie Suniewick, Craig Thomas, and Santi (Santigold) White participated in a few interesting WESeminars
• Santi White also received the Distinguished Alumna Award.
• Kimberly King, David Levin, and Yinghai Xie were all recognized with the Wesleyan University Service Award.

There were lots of photos and even more laughs (check out Facebook for additional pictures, and this video interview with Carter and Craig).

Fundraising update:
$65,508 is committed to the Wesleyan Fund towards a goal of $100,000 by June 30, 2017. Since the 15th reunion, the class has raised $251,000. Gifts can be made here. All contributions will be matched with $500 to financial aid by the Board of Trustees.

For information, contact Britt Richard at (860) 685-4840. GO WES!

Reunion Committee Members

  • Justin Clark
  • Dara Katz
  • Kimberly King
  • David Levin (Co-Chair)
  • Josh Suniewick
  • Maggie Suniewick
  • Marisa Uchin (Co-Chair)

Events

Thursday, May 25, 2017

2:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for a final weekend schedule (with updates and event locations), meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more.
Usdan University Center (show in map)

Friday, May 26, 2017

9:00 AM to 11:30 PM
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for a final weekend schedule (with updates and event locations), meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more.
Usdan University Center (show in map)
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Welcome Picnic Lunch
Join friends, classmates, and family members for lunch when you arrive on campus for the weekend.
TICKETS: This lunch requires advance purchase/registration. Lunch is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th Reunion classes). Lunch is complimentary for WESeniors (Classes of 1940 through 1966) and their guests. To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are WESeniors plan to attend this lunch.  Please click on the Friday lunch option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes and parents and families of graduating seniors will be charged the following for lunch:
$20 per person for all other adults and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Russell House Lawn 
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR The Future is Female: Wesleyan Women in the Workplace

Celebrate Wesleyan women in the workplace! Wesleyan women from across the decades will come together to talk about their career paths, the struggles they've faced and the successes they've achieved, and share their perspectives on what it means to be a woman in the workplace. Bring your own stories and add your voice to the conversation; interactive audience participation is encouraged for a robust, engaging group dialogue. Want to join the conversation, but aren’t on campus? This seminar will be live streamed and can be viewed online.
Speakers: Vanessa Burgess ’77, P’13, ’18 is a Trustee Emerita, a member of the volunteer leadership committee, a class agent and resides in New York City. She was a psychology major and her senior thesis was "A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Autism" in Ghana and the U.S. Her career in finance began at OPIC in D.C. where she traveled extensively throughout Latin America and the Caribbean while earning an MBA in International Finance.  From OPIC she went to Wall Street where she spent sixteen years in the Health Care Investment Banking Group at DLJ/Credit/Suisse. She currently manages a portfolio of publicly traded securities and advises early stage health care companies; Madelyn Colon ’77 was CT Assistant State Treasurer from 1999 to 2005 and a Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of the State Treasurer. During her career in public service, she also served as Executive Director of the City of Hartford Redevelopment Agency, leading the city’s redevelopment program during the 1990s. Madelyn has collaborated with City Managers, Mayors, public officials, local residents and community stakeholders to advance mission driven programs throughout her career, and has a M.P.A and M.B.A from the University of Hartford, Barney School of Business. She is currently a consultant in public policy and community development and lives in Farmington, CT. Kimberly King ’97 is the Director, Ad Sales Marketing for Travel Channel and Great American Country at Scripps Networks, where she is responsible for increasing advertising revenues and sponsorship sales by developing marketing programs to support advertising products and services for their lifestyle brands. Kim was previously the Senior Manager of Brand Solutions at Viacom Media Networks' brand BET Networks. Also an accomplished writer,  her byline has appeared in Essence, Playbill, The Source and more. Kim holds a Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing and a Professional Certificate in Digital Media Marketing from New York University and her BA in Government from Wesleyan University. She continues in her service efforts as a volunteer member of the Wesleyan Alumni of Color Network, the Wesleyan Fund and on the Board of the Oliver Scholars Program. Betti Packman ’07 is a case team leader with Parthenon-EY, specializing in deep consumer research. In addition to project work, Betti manages MBA recruiting and diversity and inclusion efforts for Parthenon-EY. Prior to working in management consulting, Betti spent a number of years working on political campaigns. Betti holds her M.B.A. from The Wharton School and majored in Government at Wesleyan. Gabrielle Sellei ’87 is the founder of Sellei Law, LLC, a business and entertainment law firm in the Philadelphia area, and a co-founder of Women Owned Law, a national organization devoted to women entrepreneurs in the legal services sector.  She received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1995. Meng-Ju (Renee) Sher ’07 is an assistant professor in the physics department. She received her bachelor’s degree in physics from Wesleyan in 2007 and PhD degree from Harvard in 2013. She then spent three years at Stanford for postdoctoral research and teaching training before coming back to Wesleyan in fall 2016. 
Sponsored by the Wesleyan Women's Network.
Class of 1965 Classroom (002), Public Affairs Center (PAC)

5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
President’s Reception Honoring Leadership Donors and Volunteers

Please join President Michael Roth '78 and the Wesleyan Board of Trustees at a reception celebrating members of the Wesleyan Leadership Societies. Wesleyan Leadership Societies—the Wesleyan Circle, the 1831 Society, the Olin Associates—recognize the extraordinary commitment and support of Wesleyan leadership donors and volunteers. By invitation only.
President’s House Lawn

5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Red, Black, and Green! All-College Dinner
Join friends, classmates, and family members for an informal, eco-friendly buffet dinner in the Marketplace at the Usdan University Center.
TICKETS: This event requires advance purchase/registration. Dinner is included in the registration fee for WESeniors (Classes of 1942-1966) and members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes). To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are WESeniors plan to attend this dinner.  Please click on the Friday Red, Black, and Green Dinner option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes, parents and families of graduating seniors will be charged the following when they register:
$20 per person for adults and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Usdan University Center
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Shabbat Services
Please join Wesleyan’s Jewish chaplain, Rabbi David Leipziger Teva, and the Wesleyan Jewish community for Shabbat services. All are welcome. No reservations necessary.
The Bayit, 157 Church Street
6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
20th Reunion Reception for the Class of 1997
Room 311, Allbritton Hall(formerly top floor of Davenport Campus Center)
7:45 PM to 10:00 PM
Shabbat Dinner
At this special dinner for returning alumni, graduating seniors, and their families, we will welcome Shabbat with song, food, and joyful fellowship.
TICKETS: This dinner requires advance purchase/registration.
$20 per person for all and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center
9:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Stargazing
View some celestial wonders through the renovated 20-inch Clark refractor.  Weather permitting.
Van Vleck Observatory
10:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Friday Night Annual Reunion Party
All are welcome! Come dance the night away and mingle with classmates, fellow alumni and graduates. Featuring alumni bands The Straw Dogs and Balloon.
10  p.m.-11:30 p.m.: The Racquets with band members Sam Beck '17; Jared Feinberg '17; Ryan Breen '17; Jeremy Freeman '17
11:30 p.m. - 1 a.m.: Balloon with band members Nick Earhart '07; Nick Nauman '07; Michael Hurder '07; Owen Roberts '07
Eclectic

Saturday, May 27, 2017

8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for a final weekend schedule (with updates and event locations), meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more.
Usdan University Center (show in map)
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Annual Family Swim
Enjoy a morning swim in the Freeman Athletic Center pool. Towels will be provided.
Freeman Athletic Center (show in map)
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
Cardinal Loop Fun Run (2.1, 3.2, 4.3 Mile Courses)
Start the day off with an exhilarating run through campus.
Meet at the base of Foss Hill (show in map)
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Education and Ideas in Dark Times: A Conversation with President Michael S. Roth ’78 and Leon Wieseltier

Speakers: Michael S. Roth '78 became the 16th president of Wesleyan University on July 1, 2007. Formerly president of California College of the Arts (CCA), Roth is known as a historian, curator, author and public advocate for liberal education. A professor in history and the humanities since 1983, Roth was the founding director of the Scripps College Humanities Institute in Claremont, Calif., a center for intellectual exchange across disciplines. He developed a reputation as a leader in the arts community through his accomplishments as associate director of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles and his success as President of the California College of the Arts in enhancing that institution’s academic quality, national reputation and financial strength. Roth describes his scholarly interests as centered on "how people make sense of the past." He has authored six books, most recently, Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters (Yale University Press, 2014). Leon Wieseltier is the Isaiah Berlin Senior Fellow in Culture and Policy at the Brookings Institution. He has had a long and distinguished career as a writer, editor, and social and political commentator. From 1983 to 2014, he was the literary editor of The New Republic and currently serves as a contributing editor and critic at The Atlantic. Wieseltier holds a bachelor's from Columbia University and was a member of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. At Oxford University, he studied under Isaiah Berlin. He holds honorary doctorates from Brandeis University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and was awarded the Dan David Prize in 2013. He is the author of several books, including the widely acclaimed Kaddish (Knopf, 1998).
Commons, Fries Center for Global Studies, Fisk Hall

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Memorial Service
The service remembers all alumni who have passed away. Individuals are invited to offer personal remembrances.
Memorial Chapel (show in map)
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Crew Reception and Alumni Row
Relive good times on the water.  All former oarsmen, oarswomen, and friends are invited to gather at the boathouse for an afternoon row and refreshments.
Macomber Boathouse, 35 Harbor Drive
11:15 AM to 12:00 PM
Assemble for the Annual Parade of Classes
Seniors and their families are invited to join alumni for this traditional Wesleyan festivity featuring a live Dixieland band. The parade is scheduled to begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. rain or shine, and is followed immediately by the Assembly and Annual Meeting. Look for the class year signs and line-up beside the sign with the year you graduated.  The parade begins on Huss Courtyard (behind the Usdan University Center) and parades around the Memorial Chapel onto McKelvey Green.  All parade participants are encouraged to parade into the Memorial Chapel for the Wesleyan Assembly and Alumni Association Meeting.
Huss Courtyard, Usdan University Center (show in map)
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Wesleyan Assembly and Alumni Association Meeting

This year's featured speaker is distinguished alumnus award recipient, Nicholas J. Rasmussen '87, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center who will speak on "The Pursuit of Public Service in a Politically Divided America: Reflections of a Career Civil Servant." 

The 2017 Distinguished Alumni, McConaughy, and Outstanding Service Awards are presented at this time.

Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented to alumni in recognition of achievement in their professions.
Michele A. Roberts '77
Amy Schulman '82, P'11
Tos Chirathivat '85, P'14,'17
Nicholas J. Rasmussen '87
Isaac O. Shongwe '87
Santi White '97
Robert Lewis Allbritton '92

The James L. McConaughy Jr. Award was established in 1959 by the class of 1936 in memory of James L. McConaughy Jr. '36, the James L. McConaughy Jr. Memorial Award recognizes a member of the Wesleyan family (including students, faculty, alumni, parents, and members of their respective families) whose writing, or other creative achievement, conveys unusual insight and understanding of current and past events.
Matthew H. Weiner '87, P'18

The Outstanding Service Award is presented to alumni, parents, or other members of the Wesleyan community in recognition of outstanding volunteer service to Wesleyan, their community, or the nation.
Rick Nicita '67
Memorial Chapel

1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
WESEMINAR The Future of Digital Media

Join ’97 leaders in the media space for a discussion about the changing landscape of media in the digital age. How will "media" companies craft content that appeals to new audiences? How will these companies continue to deliver compelling media going forward in the climate of ever-changing audience demographics?
Moderator: Christiaan Hogendorn is an Associate Professor of Economics at Wesleyan, and studies the economics of infrastructure industries, especially telecommunications and the Internet.  He teaches classes in industrial organization, the economics of technology, and microeconomic theory.
Speakers: Carter Bays ’97, co-creator and writer of television comedy shows (How I Met Your Mother, The Goodwin Games); Sean Brecker ’97, CEO & CFO of the lifestyle/meditation application, Headspace; Maggie Suniewick ’97, President of Digital Enterprises at NBCUniversal; and Craig Thomas ’97, co-creator and writer of television comedy shows (How I Met Your Mother, The Goodwin Games)and Santi (Santigold) White '97, Brooklyn-based rapper/singer/songwriter.
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall

1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Strolling Magician and Magic Show
For children of all ages!
Andrus Field (show in map)
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Picnic and Festival on Foss Hill
This lively festival of entertainment and games is a great place to connect with friends and family members between WESeminars and other weekend programs. Don’t miss the magic show, tattoos, and more. Lunches are portable and can be picked up on your way to Foss Hill, afternoon WESeminars, or other events and destinations.
TICKETS: This lunch requires advance purchase/registration. Lunch is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes). Lunch is complimentary for WESeniors (Classes of 1942 through 1966) and their guests. To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are WESeniors plan to attend this lunch.  Please click on the Saturday Festival on Foss Hill lunch option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes, graduates, and parents and families of the graduates will be charged the following for lunch:
$15 per person for adults and children (including graduates)
Tent, Andrus Field and Foss Hill (show in map)
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Alumni of Color (AOC)/ Students of Color (SOC) Reception
Please join us at a reception honoring Alumni and Students of Color. All are welcome.
Tent adjacent to the Center for African American Studies
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Alumni Reception
Please join members of the LGBTQ Alumni Network, parents and friends as we welcome graduating seniors to the alumni community.
McKelvey Room, Stewart M. Reid House, Office of Admission (show in map)
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
A Celebration - 20 years of Campus Centers and Student Employment at Wesleyan

Alumni from the classes of 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012; join us for a memorable hour before your class dinners. Come back in time and place to the Old Davenport Campus Center. Meet and greet your fellow student employees who worked for Davenport, Aramark, and Wes Station between 1997 and 2002. Reminisce about the way it used to be with your former supervisors. See if you can remember where the McDonald’s area and the MPR used to be. Then come on over to see Davenport future: the new Usdan Center that the classes from 2007 through 2012 called their home on campus.
Allbritton 311 (former Davenport Campus Center)

4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Annual Reception Honoring Retiring Faculty

All are welcome to honor members of the faculty who retire this year.
Retiring Faculty 2017:

  • David Beveridge, Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics and Professor of Chemistry (attending)
  • John Finn, Professor of Government
  • Albert Fry, E.B. Nye Professor of Chemistry (attending)
  • Peter Patton, Alan M. Dachs Professor of Science and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences (attending)
  • Rex Pratt, Beach Professor of Chemistry
  • Michael Roberts, Robert Rich Professor of Latin and Professor of Classical Studies (attending)
  • Ruth Striegel Weissman, Walter A. Crowell University Professor of the Social Sciences

In addition, we will honor faculty who retired in 2016:

  • Abraham Adzenyah, Adjunct Professor of Music, Emeritus
  • Philip Bolton, Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus
  • Alex Dupuy, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus (attending)
  • Mark Slobin, Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music, Emeritus

Susan B. and William K. Wasch Center for Retired Faculty, 51 Lawn Avenue

5:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Reunion Class Receptions and Dinners
WESeniors (Classes of 1942–1966) and the Classes of 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012 gather for their Class Dinners and special programs.

WESeniors: Andersen Meeting Room (110), Usdan University Center
1952: Andersen Meeting Room (110), Usdan University Center
1957: Taylor Meeting Room (108), Usdan University Center
1962: Olson Commons, Gordon Career Center
1967: Campbell Reference Center, Olin Memorial Library
1972: Patricelli '92 Theater
1977: Mink Dining Wing, Usdan University Center
1982: Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center 
1987: President's House Lawn
1992: Beckham Hall, Fayerweather
1997: Tent with red flag, McKelvey Green (lawn in front of College Row)
2002: Tent with black flag, McKelvey Green (lawn in front of College Row)
2007: The West Wing, Usdan University Center
2012: Russell House Lawn

TICKETS: Each dinner requires advance purchase/registration. Dinner is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes) and is complimentary for WESeniors (Classes of 1942 through 1966) and their guests. All other reunion classes will be charged the following for dinner:
$55 per person
9:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Traditional All-College Sing
Steps of North College; Rainsite: Memorial Chapel
10:00 PM to 1:00 AM
All-Campus Party featuring The Rooks
All are welcome to attend this year's annual All-Campus Party with The Rooks. Open to all. Don't miss it. Cash bar. ID required. Bar closes at 12:45 a.m. No outside alcohol permitted. 

The Rooks, formed at Wesleyan in the fall of 2011, are equal parts kick-back, head-knock, and get-down; the music you rock to at the party, and the perfect soundtrack for the ride home.

Hard-hitting performances at NYC's Irving Plaza, Mercury Lounge and Brooklyn Bowl, as well as highly successful residencies at Arlene's Grocery and Pianos NYC (second highest grossing residency in venue history) have earned them further acclaim, including Deli Magazine's Artist of the Month award (Feb 2014) and win of the 14th Annual Independent Music Awards in the R&B/Soul category.

After their 2013 EP "Something You Can Take," their 2015 follow-up "Wires," several tours, and more hours watching Beyoncé videos on YouTube than they care to admit, The Rooks are getting into the studio to work on their first full-length album.

Band members: Graham Richman '11, Guitar; Spencer Hattendorf '12, Sax, Vox; Garth Taylor '12, Lead Vox; Connor Schultze, Bass (Manhattan School of Music 2016); Donnie Spackman, Drums; Daniel Papson, Keys (Skidmore College 2012)
Tent, Andrus Field

Sunday, May 28, 2017

8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Registration and Information
Usdan University Center
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Roman Catholic Mass
Memorial Chapel

Accommodations

Residence Inn by Marriott, Rocky Hill
860-257-7500
Rate: $199.95/night
Block cutoff date: 4/28/17

Class Notes

[Read Class Notes]

Please send new notes to the Class Secretary:

Jessica Shea Lehmann
jessica.lehmann@gmail.com

Sasha Lewis
reisenalewisreisen@gmail.com

Your contact information

[Update Contact Information]

Be sure to update your contact information on Wesconnect so that your classmates can get in touch. For fast signup help contact the Wesconnect staff.

Staff Contact

Brittany Richard
Associate Director
(860) 685-4840
brichard@wesleyan.edu