2020-Present
2022
Gareth Cook has founded the Verto Literary Group, an editorial consulting studio that works with book authors, agents and publishers. Recent projects include the NYT bestselling How Civil Wars Start, and An Ugly Truth, which is being adapted into an upcoming HBO series, “Doomsday Machine,” starring Claire Foy as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. You can learn more at www.vertoliterary.com or write to Gareth at gareth@vertoliterary.com.
Sidney Trantham started a new position as associate professor of practice in the Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology (CDEP) department in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College this fall.
Jeff Stewart writes: “Breakaway Partners was acquired by Komodo Health. What is interesting is the high concentration of Brown folks on the Breakaway side! There is Andrew Laubscher ’07 (married to Amanda Puffer ’05, ’08 ScM), PJ Santoro ’04, and myself (married to Karen Steinig ’91, parent to two sons ’20 and ’24). Also on our team are Andrew Coggins ’18 and Dylan Groos ’19. A nice ‘conclusion’ to a gathering of several Brunonians across a few decades.”
2021
Jeffrey Shesol published Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War. The book chronicles the halting start of the U.S. space program and shows how John Glenn, more than any other figure, carried the nation’s hopes into space and toward John F. Kennedy’s new frontier.
Daniel Newman launched Decode Democracy (decode.org), a nonpartisan campaign to fight online political deception, protect democracy, and hold social media companies accountable.
Beth Wishnie writes: “Lisa Loeb ’90 and I were on a Brown theater reunion several months ago, which inspired her to want to write a musical about the pandemic experience with all the amazing Brown grads we were reconnecting with after all these years. A bunch of the other people in the reunion agreed it was a great idea and so we did it. In the spirit of Once Upon A Weekend, a playwriting festival that Paula Vogel created at Brown years ago, we got 10 different playwrights, matched them with composers and directors, all from Brown, and created 10 seven-minute complete musicals, all taking place from March to November 2020, all on Zoom, and all about finding connection with other people while isolated because of the pandemic. The actors are also all from Brown and include Lisa Loeb, Julie Bowen ’91, JoBeth Williams ’70, Josh Hamilton ’91, Ann Harada ’85, and Rhonda Ross ’93 among many other talented folks. They streamed the musical starting May 20 for four days as a fundraiser for the Actors Fund.”
2020
Daniel G. Newman wrote his first graphic novel, Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy (worldcitizencomics.com), about money in politics, voting rights, and stories of inspiring citizens who are making democracy work better. He is the president of MapLight, a nonprofit fighting online political deception. Contact Daniel at dnewman@maplight.org
Richard D’Abreu Jr., who is a saxophonist, pianist, and songwriter specializing in gospel jazz, has, since COVID-19, done a biweekly one-hour solo performance called “Friday Night Inspiration” live on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube from 7:30 to 8:30 pm EST. His debut CD, Jazz in the Spirit, will be available in physical form (cdbaby.com and other stores) and digital stores everywhere. Visit www.jazzinthespirit.com for more information.
Becky Bleifeld Black and Matt Black ’91 are still living in Paris. Becky writes: “We originally came for my job at the NBA, fast-forward 15 years and we’ve started a nonprofit, Rock U. (www.rock-u.fr), that brings kids together from all over the world to learn responsibility, confidence, and teamwork by playing rock music together. Brunonians whose kids are part of the past and present Rock U. family include Anne Beale ’84, Nicole Williams Roland ’88, Johnny Stein ’88, and Laura Voorhees Victoir ’00. We’ve had innumerable Brown alums stop by as they pass through Paris; please look us up next time you’re here!”
Laila Mehdi writes: “We now have two Brown grads in our house. It was a blast marching in the alumni procession for my son Jack Hilfinger’s ’19 graduation in May. Jack concentrated in computer science and economics. I have been living outside Seattle with my family since 1996. I am a member of the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra and teach private violin and viola lessons.”