Class Note 1996
Issue
September-October 2023
This summer has been a time marked by new adventures and personal development for quite a few ’96s.
Heather McNemar completed the Tashkent Half Marathon in Kazakhstan in mid-June; she completed the event alongside one of her best running friends, who has been living in-country as well. She writes: “13.1 miles around the city, hitting all our favorite spots and ending in the Botanical Gardens (which was thankfully significantly cooler!).”
Shannon Smith-Bernardin literally set out on an adventure of a lifetime, traveling to Egypt with her husband, Alex, and a few friends in May. Despite delays in arrival of their luggage enroute from San Francisco, she and her group naturally visited the Pyramids and enjoyed multiple scuba dives off the Egyptian coast and an incredible five-hour spa experience (for some much-needed pampering). Weeks later (back home in San Francisco in early June) Shannon said, “Hello to a random guy walking by wearing a Dartmouth sweatshirt.” After discovering they were a ’96 and a ’91, respectively, he walked home and gifted Shannon a couple of his Dartmouth hats!
Starting an exciting new chapter of her life is our own Sansea Jacobson, who announced her engagement to John Miraglia exactly five years to the day the pair met. She expressed that, “Every story is unique, but ours is my favorite!” Congrats to the happy couple!
Continuing her musical legacy from our undergraduate years, Alicia Jennings has spent the 2022-23 season performing as a soprano with the Washington Chorus. The symphonic chorus had a triumphant performance of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on June 3. The Washington Post truly sang the praises of the concert: “I’ve been waiting to hear the Washington Chorus tackle the Ninth since word first surfaced of this series, and it did not disappoint. The chorus was wonderfully balanced: rich and sturdy lows buttressing the crystalline gleam of the sopranos. No small feat when everything is turned up to the 19th-century equivalent of 11.”
On the professional front, kudos are also due to a few of our amazing classmates for their new work adventures. First, congrats to Sara (Solin) Martinez on her new position as director of alumni relations and corporate partnerships for the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. As Sara described it, “I’ve worked in consulting, marketing, and finance and now I’m excited to jump into…higher ed!” Despite her new role, Sara will continue her volunteer support of the Women of Dartmouth’s District of Columbia chapter, where she has served as regional chair for the past few years.
Congrats also go out to Todd Newman, who after four years working as VP for innovation at Keurig Dr. Pepper, charted a completely new course in launching Manium Brands in the spring of 2023. His new company will be dedicated to the cultivation of fresh branding for consumer product goods companies—focusing on product strategy, brand strategy, and commercialization-marketing strategy for emerging established and emerging consumer packaged goods brands.
Also venturing into a new professional chapter was Morgen Sullivan, who announced in May that she was starting a new position as special projects manager at Feeding Northeast Florida, the largest food bank and hunger relief network in the greater Jacksonville area (and surrounding counties).
Lastly, congrats to Laura Fowler, who was officially named chief sustainability officer for Penn State University and director of the Penn State Sustainability Institute. Laura, a teaching professor of law at Penn State Law School and researcher with expertise centering on water, energy, agriculture, and dispute resolution, has been serving in both roles on an interim basis since July 2022.
—Garrett Gil de Rubio, 1062 Middlebrooke Drive, Canton, GA 30115; ggdr@alum.dartmouth.org
Heather McNemar completed the Tashkent Half Marathon in Kazakhstan in mid-June; she completed the event alongside one of her best running friends, who has been living in-country as well. She writes: “13.1 miles around the city, hitting all our favorite spots and ending in the Botanical Gardens (which was thankfully significantly cooler!).”
Shannon Smith-Bernardin literally set out on an adventure of a lifetime, traveling to Egypt with her husband, Alex, and a few friends in May. Despite delays in arrival of their luggage enroute from San Francisco, she and her group naturally visited the Pyramids and enjoyed multiple scuba dives off the Egyptian coast and an incredible five-hour spa experience (for some much-needed pampering). Weeks later (back home in San Francisco in early June) Shannon said, “Hello to a random guy walking by wearing a Dartmouth sweatshirt.” After discovering they were a ’96 and a ’91, respectively, he walked home and gifted Shannon a couple of his Dartmouth hats!
Starting an exciting new chapter of her life is our own Sansea Jacobson, who announced her engagement to John Miraglia exactly five years to the day the pair met. She expressed that, “Every story is unique, but ours is my favorite!” Congrats to the happy couple!
Continuing her musical legacy from our undergraduate years, Alicia Jennings has spent the 2022-23 season performing as a soprano with the Washington Chorus. The symphonic chorus had a triumphant performance of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on June 3. The Washington Post truly sang the praises of the concert: “I’ve been waiting to hear the Washington Chorus tackle the Ninth since word first surfaced of this series, and it did not disappoint. The chorus was wonderfully balanced: rich and sturdy lows buttressing the crystalline gleam of the sopranos. No small feat when everything is turned up to the 19th-century equivalent of 11.”
On the professional front, kudos are also due to a few of our amazing classmates for their new work adventures. First, congrats to Sara (Solin) Martinez on her new position as director of alumni relations and corporate partnerships for the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. As Sara described it, “I’ve worked in consulting, marketing, and finance and now I’m excited to jump into…higher ed!” Despite her new role, Sara will continue her volunteer support of the Women of Dartmouth’s District of Columbia chapter, where she has served as regional chair for the past few years.
Congrats also go out to Todd Newman, who after four years working as VP for innovation at Keurig Dr. Pepper, charted a completely new course in launching Manium Brands in the spring of 2023. His new company will be dedicated to the cultivation of fresh branding for consumer product goods companies—focusing on product strategy, brand strategy, and commercialization-marketing strategy for emerging established and emerging consumer packaged goods brands.
Also venturing into a new professional chapter was Morgen Sullivan, who announced in May that she was starting a new position as special projects manager at Feeding Northeast Florida, the largest food bank and hunger relief network in the greater Jacksonville area (and surrounding counties).
Lastly, congrats to Laura Fowler, who was officially named chief sustainability officer for Penn State University and director of the Penn State Sustainability Institute. Laura, a teaching professor of law at Penn State Law School and researcher with expertise centering on water, energy, agriculture, and dispute resolution, has been serving in both roles on an interim basis since July 2022.
—Garrett Gil de Rubio, 1062 Middlebrooke Drive, Canton, GA 30115; ggdr@alum.dartmouth.org