Class Notes: Spring/Summer 2020-21

'60s

MARCIA (SLATER) JOHNSTON MUS’60 is a founding member and the convener of Make Room @ The Table, which is an affinity group comprised of people engaged in the field of aging and based in Chicago. Founded in July 2020, Make Room @ The Table’s mission is to develop innovative strategies to alleviate social isolation and loneliness among older people. Johnston is a Chicago journalist and advisor to the Harry G. and Charlotte H. Slater Family Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

'70s

ANTHONY LOCKLY ’78 was featured in the “Milwaukee Business Journal” and named a person of innovation by the publication. In April 2019, Lockly launched a software development company called Loc8 (pronounced like “locate”), which provides patent-pending technology to users to analyze digital images from any still or video camera.

'80s

GARY AMES ’81 and his wife, Heidi, recently purchased a condo in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He writes: “Life in Port is quite different than condo living in Cedarburg for the last 14 years. We enjoy the views from our topside deck and feel extremely fortunate to have found such an awesome location. There is always something going on, all within walking distance. If you’re ever in town look us up, we would love to reconnect with alumni!”

LANE MACDONALD ’84 served as USM’s 2021 Commencement speaker on June 12. MacDonald has led a distinguished career in finance, but he is also well known for his exceptional athletic abilities. In 1988, he deferred his senior  year at Harvard University to train for the Olympic Games in Calgary, where he co-led the hockey team with six goals in six games. While serving as captain his senior year, he led the Crimson to their first NCAA title in 1989, which still stands as Harvard’s only national championship in any major sport. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005 and also became the 54th inductee into the Beanpot Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2016, he was part of the inaugural class inducted to the USM Athletic Hall of Fame.

JOEL QUADRACCI ’87 was featured in “BizTimes MKE” for his company’s big idea of generating unity through employment opportunity equity. Quadracci is the chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Quad/Graphics Inc.

DIPAK MAHATO ’89 was named an H&M Global Change Award Winner. Mahato is the founder and CEO of SeaChange Technologies, a company that delivers economical and sustainable solutions for apparel manufacturing wastewater management. He was interviewed by actress Nikki Reed, in collaboration with the H&M Foundation. Learn more, and see the interview, at www.green4ema.org/ema-talks.

'90s

REGGIE CHAMBERS ’94 was interviewed in “Alumni Conversations,” a series published by Harvard Law School. Chambers is a  managing director and chief administrative officer of the Consumer Bank of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Previously, he worked in big law, investment banking, private equity, at the White House, and in management consulting. Outside of work, he teaches the development of economic policies at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He is a 2001 graduate of Harvard Law School.

TALLEAH BRIDGES ’95 produced and co-wrote a documentary film, “My Name is Pauli Murray,” which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 31. Murray was a pioneering attorney, activist, and dedicated memoirist who shaped landmark litigation around race and gender equity.

DR. KRISTIN SCHROEDER ’97 participated in a Zoom call with Will Piper’s ’96 World Cultural Geography class in April. Schroeder, who  serves as a pediatric neuro-oncology doctor with Duke University Medical Center, spends six months of every year treating children with cancer in Tanzania, Africa. Piper’s students had been studying the African continent, and Schroeder discussed what it’s like to live and work in Tanzania.

SACHIN SHIVARAM ’99 was featured in “Insight on Manufacturing” magazine for his work as CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He was also interviewed on the “Khurram’s Quorum” podcast. With degrees from Harvard University, Yale University, and the University of Cambridge, Shivaram was on track to become a lawyer. But after reading Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged,” he was inspired to change course and pursue a career in the steel industry.

'00s

HISONNI JOHNSON ʼ01 co-wrote and directed an independent film called “Take Out Girl,” which is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime video. In addition, Johnson was named the winner of the American Black Film Festival jury award for best director for the film, which depicts a 20-year-old who parlays her food delivery expertise into a profitable drug hustle to save her mother’s failing restaurant. “It's through my protagonist’s choices, sacrifices, and compromised ethics that I deliver a thought-provoking social commentary on how alike we are, regardless of our skin color and social upbringing,” said Johnson.

CHARLIE HOUSIAUX ’02 has been named one of three CSEE Visiting Scholars for the 2021–22 school year. The program is an opportunity for independent school educators to share their knowledge with their independent school peers around the country. Housiaux is dean of students at USM, as well as an Upper School English teacher.

CHARLES UIHLEIN ’02 was featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for his work with Teens Grow Greens Inc., which kept Milwaukee teens employed during COVID-19. Uihlein founded the nonprofit, which develops teens through transformative experiences, and serves as its executive director.

KATIE MORSE RILEY ’03 and her husband, Tofer, welcomed their first child, Grayson Taylor Riley, on Jan. 23.

CHARLIE WRIGHT ’04 and his wife, Victoria, welcomed Elizabeth “Eliza” Henrietta Wright on Dec. 12, 2020.

CHRISTINE ESCHE ’05 was selected by U.S. Department of State for a 12-week English Language Specialist virtual project  focusing on active and communicative learning with middle and high school English teachers throughout Mexico. Esche’s project is one of approximately 200 that the English Language Specialist Program supports each year.

ELIZABETH SHOVERS WEINMAN ’07 and her husband, Josh, welcomed their daughter, Maya, on Feb. 25. Maya has been enjoying the beautiful scenery northern California has to offer!

COLIN ARDERN ’08 is co-founder and CEO of Applied Bioplastics, based in Austin, Texas. The company was recently selected as the winner of the Social & Cultural category of SXSW Pitch 2021. The SXSW Pitch features 40 interactive technology companies from eight different categories, which virtually pitch and participate in a five-minute Q&A with three judges.

HENRY STIEHL ’08 launched a new restaurant, Riley’s Good Dogs, in Milwaukee. The hot dog restaurant offers a choice of traditional, premium hot dogs and sausages as well as plant-based alternatives. Learn more at www.rileysgooddogs.com.

JACK ULRICSON ’08 and his wife, Danielle, welcomed Natalie Grace Ulricson on Dec. 22, 2020.

'10s

PATRICK LUBAR ’12 along with his father, David, and grandfather, Sheldon, was featured in the May 24 issue of “BizTimes  Milwaukee” in an article titled “The Lubar School.” The cover story explored the Lubar family’s approach to business that has spanned three generations and continues to thrive.

2ND LT. JOHN OSTERMEYER ’16 (right) accepted his commission as an officer of the United States Marines on Jan. 23. His brother, Capt. Billy Ostermeyer ’11 (left), administered the Oath of Commissioned Officers. After completing the six-month course that is required of all Marine officers at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, John will attend flight school at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Billy, who completed his active duty service with the Army in July 2020, is a graduate student at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

EMME WIEDERHOLD ’16 works as a user interface developer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. In her role, she worked with a team to develop an advanced science targeting tool for the Perseverance rover, which successfully landed on Mars on Feb. 18. She also works on the Curiosity rover, which has been exploring Mars since Aug. 6, 2012. “I am fascinated by the exploration of worlds that are unfamiliar and different than what I experience in my day-to-day life,” she said. “Dreaming about alternate realities and environments spikes my creativity and motivation.”

GIANNA AFFI ’18 was pictured in New York’s Times Square, in June, outside the Morgan Stanley global headquarters. For the second consecutive summer she is completing an internship in the firm’s global capital markets division, working as a leveraged finance summer analyst on the healthcare desk. She is also involved in the firm’s diversity efforts. Affi currently attends Duke University, pursuing a bachelor’s in political science and government.

KALENA DORGAN ’18 was honored at Southern Methodist University’s Honor’s Convocation as the recipient of the Temerlin Advertising Institute Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Digital Media Strategy. “I am looking forward to all the learning opportunities this next year as I continue to learn and grow as an advertising student and public relations and strategic communication student at SMU!”

GRACE PETZOLD ’19 appeared in the February issue of “The Water Skier” magazine for her jumps on the USA Water Ski Show Team.

'20s

SHREYA GUNDELLY ’20 was crowned Miss Wisconsin Teen USA 2021 on May 23, the first Indian American to earn the title. Gundelly, a native of Mequon, Wisconsin, currently attends New York University as a pre-med student, and will compete in the Miss Teen USA 2021 pageant on Nov. 27.

NEIL DOGRA ’21 was selected to speak at the virtual TEDxUWM spring conference, “Our City. Our Story.” Dogra’s  presentation was titled “A Selfish Kid’s Guide to Loving Community Service.” He is the student outreach coordinator for the Greater Milwaukee Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness, and participated in a virtual town hall telecast by WISN channel 12. He served on a panel alongside Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and James Wahlberg, executive director, The Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, among others.

BENJAMIN LENIKMAN ’21 recently opened Ground Up MKE, a high-end sneaker and streetwear store, on Brady Street in Milwaukee.

Reunion Weekend Recap

Many thanks to all who attended our virtual Reunion Weekend in June! We enjoyed trivia, virtual tours, an open house reception, and much more. Visit www.usm.org/reunion for recordings of the events and mark your calendars for next year: June 24 and 25, 2022.

Alumni Voices: USM's Partnership on a Path Forward

Many thanks to those individuals who participated in the Alumni Voices virtual event in May, which provided attendees updates on the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) work the school has done from June 2020 through May 2021. It emphasized the value of the alumni feedback the school has received, and its contributions toward the significant progress the school has made. To view a recording of the event, visit www.usmconnect.org.

The discussion included school administrators and the following alumni panelists:

• Raj Bhala ’80: Moderator
• Sumeeta Krishnaney ’92: Board of Trustees, USM parent
• Barbie Brennan Nelson ’91: President USM Alumni Association, USM parent
• Colleston Morgan ’03: Co-facilitator, Parents of Students of Color (POSOC) group, USM parent
• Beny Perez-Reyes ’05: Alumni mentor