Class Note 1996
Issue
May-June 2026
Class Note 1996. In our 30th year as alumni, ’96s continue to be recognized for the awe-inspiring contributions they make across the business world and the larger global community alike. Massive kudos go out to our own Joseph Marcheso, music director for the Opera San José, California, who received a formal commendation in late January from the mayor and city council of San Jose in recognition of his dozen years of musical leadership across more than 25 productions by the Opera. Emily Wicker, Partner at Clifford Chance LLP, accepted the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading DEI Award on behalf of Advancing Women in Aviation Roundtable. Morgan Flatley, McDonald’s global chief marketing officer and head of new business ventures, celebrated the corporation’s recognition as one of Fast Company’s “2025 Brands That Matter”; Morgan was named one of Fast Company’s “CMOs of the Year.”
Many classmates scaled new heights by writing new chapters in their already storied careers. Tiernan Sittenfeld was named president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, the 107-year-old nonprofit national parks advocacy group fighting to protect America’s national parks. Kira Lawrence was selected to lead the University of Massachusetts Clean Energy Extension, a role combining her academic and clean energy skills to accelerate the commonwealth’s energy economy. Emilio Mena joined the board of directors of the National Summer Learning Association, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding high-quality summer learning for young people across the country. Mark Buschmann assumed the role of managing partner and co-CEO at Ensis Partners, an independent, boutique restructuring investment banking and advisory firm. Jason Casavant started a new position as chief innovation officer at Synterex, a clinical and regulatory consulting firm specializing in agile methodology, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies. Beth Jacob shared that she had joined Governing for Impact (GFI) as director of development and communications; GFI utilizes the expertise of strategists and policy experts in administrative law to safeguard vital systems of government from executive branch overreach. Justin Heather joined the economic development incentives team at Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLP, where he looked forward to leveraging his legal and economic development skills in his homebase of Texas and beyond. Chyi Gary Chen was named a new corporate law partner at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP in Irvine, California. Cameron Turner jumped headfirst into his role as head of AI at Patagonia, where he looked to work with the retailer’s talented data team and software engineers to find ways for AI to “save our home planet.”
Advancing the esteemed literary tradition of our class, Chris Newell (whose third children’s book, If You Lived During the American Revolution, was published in early February) was awarded the Junior Library Guild’s “Gold Standard Selection”—bestowed by librarians and educators for works providing extraordinary reading experiences for children and young adults. Other recent class publications include Scott Anthony’s Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World; Brad Parks’ 13th murder-mystery novel The Flack; and Maryam Kia-Keating’s children’s book A Suitcase Full (a picture book to be released in August about a little girl whose family is forced to flee Iran for safety).
Lastly, let’s give a rouse for our own Holden Spaht and the Spaht Family Foundation, which generously endowed a Dartmouth Peak Performance (DP2) leadership program to advance Dartmouth student-athlete well-being. The foundation was established to address issues related to climate change, the arts, and youth mental health and in honor of Holden’s late sister, Dr. Lindley Spaht Dodson. A pediatrician and attending physician at Dell Children’s Hospital, Lindley was killed in January 2021 while working at her medical clinic in Austin, Texas, where her actions that day saved the lives of others present.
—Garrett Gil de Rubio, 1062 Middlebrooke Drive, Canton, GA 30115; ggdr@alum.dartmouth.org
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Many classmates scaled new heights by writing new chapters in their already storied careers. Tiernan Sittenfeld was named president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, the 107-year-old nonprofit national parks advocacy group fighting to protect America’s national parks. Kira Lawrence was selected to lead the University of Massachusetts Clean Energy Extension, a role combining her academic and clean energy skills to accelerate the commonwealth’s energy economy. Emilio Mena joined the board of directors of the National Summer Learning Association, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding high-quality summer learning for young people across the country. Mark Buschmann assumed the role of managing partner and co-CEO at Ensis Partners, an independent, boutique restructuring investment banking and advisory firm. Jason Casavant started a new position as chief innovation officer at Synterex, a clinical and regulatory consulting firm specializing in agile methodology, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies. Beth Jacob shared that she had joined Governing for Impact (GFI) as director of development and communications; GFI utilizes the expertise of strategists and policy experts in administrative law to safeguard vital systems of government from executive branch overreach. Justin Heather joined the economic development incentives team at Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLP, where he looked forward to leveraging his legal and economic development skills in his homebase of Texas and beyond. Chyi Gary Chen was named a new corporate law partner at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP in Irvine, California. Cameron Turner jumped headfirst into his role as head of AI at Patagonia, where he looked to work with the retailer’s talented data team and software engineers to find ways for AI to “save our home planet.”
Advancing the esteemed literary tradition of our class, Chris Newell (whose third children’s book, If You Lived During the American Revolution, was published in early February) was awarded the Junior Library Guild’s “Gold Standard Selection”—bestowed by librarians and educators for works providing extraordinary reading experiences for children and young adults. Other recent class publications include Scott Anthony’s Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World; Brad Parks’ 13th murder-mystery novel The Flack; and Maryam Kia-Keating’s children’s book A Suitcase Full (a picture book to be released in August about a little girl whose family is forced to flee Iran for safety).
Lastly, let’s give a rouse for our own Holden Spaht and the Spaht Family Foundation, which generously endowed a Dartmouth Peak Performance (DP2) leadership program to advance Dartmouth student-athlete well-being. The foundation was established to address issues related to climate change, the arts, and youth mental health and in honor of Holden’s late sister, Dr. Lindley Spaht Dodson. A pediatrician and attending physician at Dell Children’s Hospital, Lindley was killed in January 2021 while working at her medical clinic in Austin, Texas, where her actions that day saved the lives of others present.
—Garrett Gil de Rubio, 1062 Middlebrooke Drive, Canton, GA 30115; ggdr@alum.dartmouth.org