Hello, ’00s! Another guest column here from Brian Feldman.
Melissa (Lafsky) Saleh reports: “My husband, Kareem Saleh, and I spent the pandemic having two daughters as well as founding and building FairPlay AI, the world’s first fairness-as-a service company. To date we have raised nearly $25 million, including a recent funding round with participation from JP Morgan. We are focused on building responsible AI into the systems that move our society—and our lives—forward in a time where safety and fairness to all consumers is deeply at risk.”
The American Cancer Society awarded Dr. Omar Rashid the St. George National Award for his dedication to end cancer as we know it for everyone. Since 2015 he has been practicing surgical oncology in his hometown in South Florida, publishing cancer research, mentoring students, and serving as southeast Florida board chair for the American Cancer Society and on its Cancer Action Network national board of directors.
After relocating to Puerto Rico with her family, Melissa Roth Richards was selected as one of four women to represent the island on the Puerto Rico pickleball national team. This past October the team competed and won the Pickleball World Cup in Lima, Peru. More than 30 countries competed at the tournament, and the small island beat out countries including India, Venezuela, Peru, and the mainland United States to win the gold! Melissa, a lifelong athlete, said that pickleball brings more joy than any other sport she has played and hopes anybody reading will give it a try! Since 2021 Melissa and her husband Dan Richards, Tu’03, have lived in Puerto Rico, where they run their travel risk and crisis response company, Global Rescue. They share kids Samantha (11) and Jackson (9). Melissa hopes to see lots of classmates at reunion. For those who want to play pickleball, get in touch!
Film editor Ilya Magazanin has been cheering on fellow Dartmouth ’00 film editor Chuck Divak, who finished editing work on Chimp Crazy. The documentary premiered on HBO in August, has a 96-percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is on pace to be one of HBO’s most-viewed docuseries. Chuck was recently nominated for a 2025 American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Documentary Series.
Finally, and heartbreakingly, Jessica (Moltisanti) Anthony reports that Michael Anthony tragically passed away on December 10, 2024. The son of Robert N. Anthony Jr. ’69, M.D., and the late Dr. Bonnie Anthony, Michael was a loving father and an accomplished and beloved veterinarian. He owned Haddon Vet in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. In January Michael’s family and hundreds of friends, clients, and community members joined to celebrate and honor his life, including his siblings Scott ’96 and Patricia ’90 and friends Jennifer (Hickey) Peoples, Jason Peoples, Tom Caputo ’96, and Sarah (Lenczner) Caputo ’97. The Michael J. Anthony Memorial Fund has been created in Michael’s memory to enhance a local dog park and provide emergency assistance to pets in need; memorial donations may be made to P.O. Box 364, Marlton, NJ 08053.
—Kate (Ryan) Stowe, 91 Waterman Place, St. Louis, MO 63112; dartmouth2000secretary@gmail.com