Class Note 1996. Happy 2026 to our ’96 family scattered across the girdled earth! As with any new year, many ’96s found themselves reflecting on the roads they’ve traveled and resolving to take new paths ahead.
First, let’s give a rouse to two ’96s who spent their 50th years literally forging new trails.
Dan Kashman spent the milestone year logging lessons learned from business and life—all while running five or more miles per clip. Each run’s video marries sage life lessons with endurance running principles, peppered with professional wisdom gathered from his role as a fractional chief marketing officer for $10- to $100-million companies. Listen to his many sessions by following #runningthroughmymind on LinkedIn. Also getting out and moving reflectively was Marybeth Mattingly, who marked her 50th year with more intimate one-on-one walks (rather than runs) with 50 acquaintances from different aspects of her life, catching up with each person as they walk. Her 29th walk in mid-August included an “unexpectedly long” trek with Kerry (Fiacco) White. While Marybeth couldn’t fit all 50 walks in before year’s end, her plan was to finish out her last few in 2026.
Also forging new paths for herself was Nicole Strauss, who made her figure competitor’s debut at age 51! She worked with staff, coaches, and fellow athletes alike to enter the Organization of Competitive Bodybuilders Chesapeake Classic in November—finishing second place in her class and qualifying for the overall final! She said she felt “blessed, happy, strong, grateful, beautiful, empowered” each time she stepped on the stage.
We also had not one but two ’96s alter their career trajectories by formally throwing their hats into the political ring. And it just so happens both are running as Democrats for U.S. Congress in the 2026 midterm election and are long-tenured physicians! Our own Dr. Thomas Fisher is running for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, while Dr. James Lally is running for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District. Find out more about their respective campaigns at thomasfisherforcongress.com and lallyfornv.com.
In career accolades news, kudos to Alina Mogollon Volk, whose documentary Remembering Big: The Juan ‘Chi Chi’ Rodriguez Story was recognized as “Best Documentary” at both the International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival and the Queens World Film Festival. Alina produced and codirected the film, focused on the life of legendary golfer and humanitarian Chi Chi Rodriguez. Brendan Doherty received the Pi Sigma Alpha award from the National Capital Area Political Science Association in recognition of his service in undergraduate teaching and mentoring at the U.S. Naval Academy (as a bonus Brendan was able to meet up with pal Erika Monahan, friends since 1985!).
Eva Heyman officially launched her podcast Mic’d and Medicated, serving as cofounder, CEO, and host. After an extensive nationwide search, Melissa McCollum was named the new director for the Des Moines (Iowa) Public Library—a big move after calling Los Angeles home since 1999.
In other advancement news: Tom Caputo was named chief information officer for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development; Kristin Johnson is chief compliance officer at Lion Tree; Elizabeth Coleman-Chen is head of product marketing and management at Blue Owl Capital; Justin Steinman is chief marketing officer (CMO) at ModMed; Mario Barge is vice president and chief human resources officer for West Virginia University; and Ilan Tito is interim CMO at BEL USA. Lastly, congrats to two ’96s embarking on new life paths as the new year unfolds. First, congrats to Jeff Botelho and partner Jenny, who welcomed daughter Valerie Margaux on November 4. That same month, Julie Chilton celebrated the “end of her spinster days” with a surprise announcement: “So we did a little thing while in Chicago for a conference—somehow I ended up getting hitched to Andres Martin in the basement of the Cook County Courthouse!”
—Garrett Gil de Rubio, 1062 Middlebrooke Drive, Canton, GA 30115; ggdr@alum.dartmouth.org