Alumni of Distinction
The University of Mary Washington “Alumni of Distinction” display in George Washington Hall recognizes alumni who have made significant accomplishments and brought honor to the University.
Note that this display will be refreshed every five years, with the next update scheduled for 2027. Honorees are chosen by the Alumni Association Board of Directors, Campus Display Coordinator, Chief of Staff, Campus Environment Committee Chair, and members of Student Affairs. To nominate yourself or another alum for this distinction, complete this form.
Martha Abbott
Class of 1972
MDFL: Spanish – College of Arts and Sciences
Martha “Marty” Abbott is executive director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), an organization representing language teachers and professors of all languages. Previously, Abbott worked for over 30 years in Fairfax County Public Schools, where she served as a foreign language teacher and coordinator, and as director of high school instruction. Abbott has served on numerous national task forces, including the National Foreign Language Standards, the ACTFL K-12 Performance Guidelines, and the InTASC Standards for Beginning Teachers. She was also on the steering committee for the National Assessment of Educational Progress Foreign Language Exam and served on the College Board’s Academic Advisory Committee. Abbott was UMW’s Educator in Residence in 2014, president of the Foreign Language Association of Virginia in 1996, chair of the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in 1999, and president of the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages in 2003. In 2004, Abbott received UMW’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. She has also received the ACTFL Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in K-12 Foreign Language Education, the Robert Ludwig National Distinguished Leadership Award, and the Merita Award from the American Classical League. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve a four-year term on the National Security Education Board. Abbott received her B.A. in Spanish with a minor in Latin from the University of Mary Washington and an M.A. in Spanish linguistics from Georgetown University.
Rola Abimourched
Class of 2004
International Affairs – College of Arts and Sciences
Rola Abimourched is the deputy director of investigations and gender equity at the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), an independent labor rights monitoring organization. As part of the management team, Abimourched works on organizational strategy and internal policies, including leading efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable work culture and a workplace policy to address gender-based violence and harassment. She coordinates the WRC’s factory investigations and approach to gender equity. She also manages the labor rights monitoring program in Ethiopia and Lesotho, including working closely with partners in Lesotho and the U.S. to establish groundbreaking agreements to address gender-based violence and harassment in garment factories in Lesotho. Prior to joining the WRC, Abimourched was an investments manager with Humanity United, where she managed a diverse portfolio of grants addressing forced labor and labor exploitation in the South Asia to Arab Gulf migration corridor. She specializes in issues related to migration, human trafficking, gender, and labor rights. Abimourched earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University.
Sajia Ahrar
Class of 2012
International Affairs – College of Arts and Sciences
Political Science
Sajia Alaha Ahrar received a master’s degree in social justice and human rights (MAIS) from George Mason University in December 2020. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington in just four years with a triple major in human rights, political science, and international affairs, as well as a certificate in Middle Eastern studies. She speaks English, Persian (Dari, Farsi), Urdu, Hindi, Pashto, and basic Arabic and Spanish. Ahrar has years of comprehensive experiences of advocacy, leadership, program management, event planning, volunteer recruitment, and case management, working with people of different communities in Northern Virginia since her first year at UMW. Currently, she is CEO of the Kindness Sharing Project, an international nonprofit organization 501(c)3. Previously, she worked as a victim advocate, equity impact workgroup lead member, and social services specialist with the Domestic & Sexual Violence Services Division of the Department of Family Services and the Domestic Violence Action Center. Ahrar has also worked as a community development advocate, program manager, and case manager for FACETS. She has won many awards, including the Ambassador of Youth, Peace, and Global Goodwill and the second Project of the Year for her advocacy, writing, public speaking, and peace-building practical efforts. Ahrar also received the Talent Scholarship from UMW in 2008, and she was named Best Poet of the Year for Afghanistan and the United States by International World Poetry, Canada, in 2011. She was appointed as the ambassador of youth and peace for Afghanistan and the United States by Canada in 2012. She received the Big Heart Award from FACETS for her tireless efforts of helping people in need, in 2016. Ahrar received the Global Goodwill Ambassador award in 2018. Ahrar has been using these skills extensively to advocate for equity, equality, fairness, and justice to support human rights.
Jennifer Bangoura
Class of 2008
Art History – College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Jennifer Davis Bangoura is the director of career innovation for Nexford University and a consultant for the Future of Learning Fund, an early-stage venture capital fund to invest in models of learning that prepare Africans for the future of work. Dr. Bangoura works globally in higher education and career services, where she lives out her belief that finding a career you love and creating the future of work is about building community. She is a board member of Development Gateway: an IREX Venture, an advisory board member of the Peace and Collaborative Development Network, and active in PEO International, an organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for women worldwide. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, she worked on environmental programs related to shea butter and reforestation and served as a communications specialist for a USAID-funded teacher training and literacy program. Dr. Bangoura received her Doctor of Education degree in organizational change and leadership from the University of Southern California, a Master of Arts in international education from the SIT Graduate Institute, and a Bachelor of Arts in art history and French from the University of Mary Washington. She currently lives in Malawi with her family.
Allison Baranski
Class of 2018
Economics – College of Arts and Sciences
Allison Jakubek graduated from UMW with a B.S. in Economics in 2018. She serves as a Senior Supervisor in the Statistics and Data Management Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Alli oversees supervisory and compliance analysts who analyze bank report data to support a safe and stable financial system. She received the President’s Award for significant contributions to data literacy initiatives.
Marion Blakey
Class of 1970
XPFS – College of Arts and Sciences
Marion Blakey serves as director of many corporations and organizations, having retired from Rolls-Royce North America as chair and CEO in 2018. Before that, she headed the Aerospace Industries Association, providing the leading voice for the aerospace and defense industry. From 2002-07, Blakey was administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, operating the world’s largest air traffic control system and managing 44,000 employees as well as a $14 billion budget. She also served as chair of the National Transportation Safety Board. During this time, Blakey and her husband spent 13 months traveling in Asia and by motorcycle around the perimeter of Australia.
Jalen Brown
Class of 2019
MDFL: French – College of Arts and Sciences
International Affairs
As a Mary Washington undergraduate, Jalen Brown double majored in international affairs and French, and worked as a resident assistant and an Eagle Landing desk attendant with the Office of Residence Life. He also became a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and of the Phi Sigma Iota, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Pi Gamma Mu honor societies. Upon graduating in 2019, he moved to Troyes, France, to teach English in a French middle and high school in Bar-sur-Aube with the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF). After a year of teaching English, he moved to Reims, France, to pursue a master’s degree in production, logistics, and procurement management: sustainable logistics and supply chain management at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne; he graduated with honors in 2022. In concert with his studies, he gained work experience through a five-month internship and a yearlong work-study program in the agri-food and chemical industries as a logistics assistant. He volunteers with the French agency Campus France to promote French higher education abroad as an e-ambassadeur and co-manages The Francofile, an online project where he shares his life as an American in France.
Erik Bruner-Yang
Class of 2007
Business Administration – College of Business
An agent of alternatives, Erik Bruner-Yang creates space. Through his Washington, D.C.-based concept development company, Foreign National, he offers an alternative: food and space as commons. There exists a constant dialogue of community, culture, and progress. His restaurants are always pushing the conversation of what the future of dining can mean. With a variety of accolades, Bruner-Yang has been recognized for his work for the restaurants Maketto, Brothers & Sisters, Spoken English, and ABC Pony. In 2020, Bruner-Yang started a program called The Power of 10 Initiative, which helped facilitate grants for small businesses across the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative distributed over $1.2 million to 65 independently owned restaurants to serve over 350,000 meals to communities in need. Bruner-Yang was recognized by the Kennedy Center as one of its Next 50, a 2021 list of 50 leaders leading the way forward through art and action.
Julia Cribb
Class of 2019
Psychology – College of Education
Julia Grass Cribb, who grew up in Frederick, Maryland, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Mary Washington in 2019, followed by a master’s degree in elementary education from UMW’s College of Education in 2020. She began her teaching career in August 2020 in Spotsylvania County, earning the Teacher of the Year Award from Spotswood Elementary for the 2021-22 academic year.
Heather Crislip
Class of 1995
Economics – College of Arts and Sciences
Political Science
Heather Mullins Crislip attended Mary Washington because of its highly competitive debate team, which she said was foundational to her as a developing person. “Debate allows you to see that most issues are not black and white, and practice having an open mind by arguing both sides of a given issue,” she said. After Mary Washington, Crislip was a White House intern and attended the University of Connecticut School of Law. She and husband Andrew Crislip ’95 moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where she served as chief of staff to the chancellor of the University of Hawaii and worked in the state legislature. They moved back to Virginia when their daughter was born. Crislip continued her work in higher education and policy fields at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at UVA and Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia (HOME), where she led the organization’s housing counseling, civil rights, and fair housing work. She has since found her home at The Richmond Forum, which works to bring powerful speakers in so that Richmond can learn, and to empower local voices so that Richmond can lead. The organization is doing this through its signature speaker series and extensive work to foster speech and debate programs in local public middle and high schools.
Brianne Doura-Schawohl
Class of 2009
Political Science – College of Arts and Sciences
Brianne Doura-Schawohl is founder and CEO of Doura-Schawohl Consulting LLC, a boutique global government relations firm that specializes in problem and responsible gambling policy. She most recently served as vice president of U.S. policy and strategic development for EPIC Risk Management, a global harm prevention consultancy, conducting work in over 24 countries. Prior to her role at EPIC, Doura-Schawohl served as legislative director for the National Council on Problem Gambling. Her experience includes more than a decade of leadership in advocacy, public policy, government affairs, and communications. Doura-Schawohl’s practice works with executive and legislative branch officials and private sector stakeholders at the international, federal, state, and local levels. She has a history of achievements in U.S. congressional work, including a diverse portfolio of complex problem gambling policy issues. This continues to be invaluable in her ability to make a difference on behalf of people with gambling problems around the world. Additionally, Doura-Schawohl has been featured in numerous international, national, state, and local media, including Bloomberg, CNBC, ESPN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She was named one of the top 100 lobbyists in 2021 by the National Institute of Lobbying & Ethics, was featured as one of the 25 People to Watch in 2022 by Global Gaming Business, and is an honoree of the 2023 class of 40 under 40 Emerging Leaders in Gaming. She serves on the board of Kindbridge Behavioral Health and speaks at conferences and other public events on gaming policy in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia.
Maria Dubiel
Class of 2019
MDFL: French – College of Arts and Sciences
International Affairs
As a Mary Washington undergraduate, Maria Dubiel double majored in international affairs and French, worked as a resident assistant and senior resident assistant with the Office of Residence Life, and became a member of the Phi Sigma Iota, Pi Sigma Alpha, Pi Gamma Mu, and Phi Beta Kappa honor societies. Upon graduating in 2019, she moved to Troyes, France, to teach English in a French middle and high school with the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF). After a year of teaching English, Dubiel moved to Reims, France, to pursue a master’s degree in public law: European integration and global governance at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne; she graduated with highest honors in 2022. She wrote and successfully defended a master’s thesis linking social inequality and climate change in the United States and the European Union. Dubiel completed an internship in a French humanitarian organization, where she worked in digital communications, research, and fundraising. She volunteers with the French agency Campus France to promote French higher education abroad as an e-ambassadrice and co-manages The Francofile, an online project where she shares her life as an American in France.
Carolyn Gomez-Foronda
Class of 1969
English – College of Arts and Sciences
Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda was poet laureate of Virginia from 2006-08. She holds a B.A. from the University of Mary Washington. She also earned her M.Ed., M.A., and Ph.D. from George Mason University. She received the university’s first doctorate, an outstanding academic achievement and service award, and a letter of recognition for quality research from the Virginia Educational Research Association for her dissertation, “Gathering Light: A Poet’s Approach to Poetry Analysis.” In 2007, both universities gave her the Alumna of the Year Award. She has coedited three anthologies, coauthored a poem-play, and published nine books of poetry, including The Embrace, winner of the international Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award. She has received five grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Ellen Anderson Award, multiple first-place awards from the Chesapeake Bay Branch of the National League of American Pen Women, a resolution of appreciation from the Virginia Board of Education for her service as poet laureate, an Edgar Allan Poe Poetry Award, and others. She has published widely, and her poems are featured in two permanent art installations in Northern Virginia as part of the Washington Metropolitan Area Authority, Art in Transit program.
Kristen Green
Class of 1995
American Studies – College of Arts and Sciences
Kristen Green is a longtime reporter and the author of two nonfiction books, The Devil’s Half Acre, and The New York Times bestseller Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County. The latter was a New York Times editors’ choice and received the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Nonfiction and the People’s Choice Award. She has worked as a writer for two decades for newspapers, including the for the Boston Globe, the San Diego Union-Tribune, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and lives with her husband and two daughters in Richmond, Virginia.
Abbas Haider
Class of 2012
Business Administration – College of Business
Abbas Haider, named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2018, is a lifelong entrepreneur. From starting an import and export company in his senior year of high school to establishing a multi-million-dollar international brand in his first year of college, Haider has mastered all phases of the business life cycle. He has served on UMW’s College of Business Executive Advisory Board while mentoring developing entrepreneurs through speaking events such as TEDx, Forbes Summit, and OPEN D.C. He was awarded the 2018 Young Business Alumni Award at UMW, along with being the commencement speaker that year. Haider’s work has been featured in Forbes, Newsweek, BBC World, Bloomberg Business, The Independent Daily, and on many other media platforms, for creating America’s first bullet-resistant clothing line. His company, Aspetto, has been listed on Inc. 5000’s Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. Born in Pakistan, Haider moved to the United States at a young age. He is passionate about innovation and bringing back manufacturing jobs to America. His company is focused on “made in America” defense products and is proud to serve various federal agencies, such as the departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security. He believes that through hard work, passion, and perseverance, anyone can achieve the American dream.
Clifford Hart, Jr.
Class of 1980
International Affairs – College of Arts and Sciences
RUST
After graduating from Mary Washington in 1980, Clifford “Ford” Hart Jr. earned a master’s degree at the University of Virginia. He entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1983, reaching the personal rank of minister counselor by his 2016 retirement. China figured prominently in Hart’s career. He had three postings in mainland China — Guangzhou once and Beijing twice — and retired as consul general to Hong Kong, an ambassadorial position. At the White House, he was the National Security Council’s director for China and Taiwan under President George W. Bush. At the Pentagon, he served as foreign policy advisor to the chief of Naval Operations. Hart’s State Department assignments included director of the Taiwan office, special assistant for East Asian affairs to Under Secretary for Political Affairs Thomas Pickering, and deputy coordinator for post-conflict reconstruction and stabilization. Hart ran the U.S. team that monitored Mongolia’s first democratic elections, and he oversaw crisis management in the State Department’s Operations Center on 9/11. Hart also served in the former USSR, Iraq, and Taiwan. President Barack Obama granted Hart the personal rank of ambassador for his service as special envoy for the Six-Party Talks on North Korean nuclear weapons.
Venus Jones
Class of 1968
Chemistry – College of Arts and Sciences
Venus Jones enrolled in Mary Washington College in 1965. While at Mary Washington, she was one of five black residential students. She completed her requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in just three years. She became the first Black student to graduate from the Mary Washington College when she graduated as part of the Class of 1968. Following her graduation from the Mary Washington College, she enrolled in medical school at the University of Virginia and was the only black woman in her class. She graduated in 1972. Dr. Jones moved to Phoenix, Arizona. There she had a medical internship working with the local Native American population. After that, she moved to San Francisco and completed her residency at the Children’s Hospital of San Francisco. She then continued her education by coming back to the University of Virginia for a residency in neurology, followed by a fellowship in epilepsy. Dr. Jones joined the Air Force and rose to become the chief of neurology while stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. As the only Air Force neurologist on the East coast, Dr. Jones saw patients from all over the U.S. and Europe and acted as a consultant to the Surgeon General. After many years working with the Air Force, Dr. Jones retired from the military at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Kenneth Kidwell
Class of 1989
Music – College of Arts and Sciences
SPEC
David Kidwell has been the conductor of the Holyoke Civic Symphony since 1997. He is also principal accompanist at Enfield Congregational Church, a music director and accompanist at The Hartt School, a keyboardist at the Goodspeed Opera House, and is on the music faculty at Holyoke Community College. Kidwell has performed with the Springfield and Hartford Symphony Orchestras. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Mary Washington and a master’s degree in composition from The Hartt School.
Nellie King
Class of 1992
International Affairs – College of Arts and Sciences
Nellie L. King was elected president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) in 2022. The organization’s mission is to identify and reform flaws and inequities in the criminal legal system, redress systemic racism, and ensure its members are fully equipped to serve all accused persons at the highest level. King also served as president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL) in 2011. The owner of the Law Offices of Nellie L. King, P.A., in West Palm Beach, Florida, King is known for her zealous and impassioned advocacy for clients and the community. She has handled many complex, high-stakes, and high-profile cases in state and federal courts. In addition to serving in state and national leadership roles, she lectures nationally on criminal defense and constitutional topics. King’s honors include the 2022 Harriette S. Glasner Award from the Palm Beach County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (ACLU-FL), for her dedication to improving the criminal legal system, fighting for the underserved, advocating for open access to public records, and demanding law enforcement transparency and accountability. King received the 2017 Women in Leadership Award, private sector, from the Executive Women of the Palm Beaches. King’s nomination was based on her efforts to recruit volunteers for President Barack Obama’s clemency initiative through the program Clemency Project 2014. This effort sought to right the wrongs of inequitable sentencing policies implemented in the “war on drugs.” King was awarded Mary Washington’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2012 and served on the UMW Alumni Board of Directors from 2010-14. While attending Mary Washington, King served as president of the Honor Council for two terms, a position that piqued her interest in the law. King received her JD from Nova Southeastern University Law School, where she won the Feinrider Moot Court Competition, as well as various trial advocacy awards for her oratory skills and courtroom presence.
Rose Likins
Class of 1981
International Affairs – College of Arts and Sciences
As the eldest of five children in a career Air Force family, Rose McCartney Likins lived in Maryland, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia, where her father retired and her family settled. After graduating from Tabb High School in York County, Virginia, she obtained a B.A. in international affairs and Spanish from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, earning magna cum laude honors and membership in the Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board honor societies. She joined the Foreign Service with the U.S. Department of State upon graduation from Mary Washington and served as a career U.S. diplomat for 32 years. Her overseas posts included Mexico, Paraguay, Bulgaria, El Salvador, and Peru, serving in the last two as the U.S. ambassador after confirmation by the U.S. Senate. In Washington, her assignments included director of the Department of State’s Operations Center, deputy executive secretary of the department, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, and deputy director of the Foreign Service Institute. Likins was awarded the Order of the Horsemen of Madara by the government of Bulgaria, the Order of Jose Matias Delgado by the government of El Salvador, and the Order of the Peruvian Sun by the government of Peru. After retiring from the State Department in 2013, Likins earned a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Maryland at College Park and went to work for the Arlington County Public Library system and ProQuest, a private company providing databases to academic libraries. Likins became director of the Smyth County Public Library in Marion, Virginia, in December 2020. She has been married to John Likins ’81 for 41 years; they have two adult sons, James and Kevin Likins ’15. She speaks fluent Spanish and rusty Bulgarian and enjoys knitting and mystery novels. She and her four siblings engage in spirited Jeopardy! competitions and improvised an online version they played over Zoom during the pandemic as well as a flashlight version played during a rafting trip in Idaho.
Fitz Maro
Class of 2011
Business Administration – College of Business
Fitz Maro is the manager of design technology at Amazon’s Global Brand Innovation Lab. He helps conceive, prototype, and engineer useful, entertaining, and engaging experiences for the world’s largest brands. At the University of Mary Washington, Maro was a starter and co-captain of Mother’s Rugby, served as treasurer of Randolph Hall, and was a member of the Class of 2011. After graduation, he earned a master’s degree in creative technology from the world-renowned VCU Brandcenter, graduating second overall. Prior to joining Amazon, Maro led Pinterest’s global creative technology practice and worked at NYC digital advertising agency 360i, where he co-founded and led their award-winning Innovation + Technology Lab. Maro’s advice to current UMW students: “Be impatient with action, but patient with results. Take on accountability. Earn with your mind, not your time. Don’t play status games. And finally, remember that grades aren’t everything – your best UMW memories won’t be your GPA, but the moments you made with everyone here. Have fun, get involved with sports or a club, float the GB river, throw a party, and cultivate long-term relationships with your professors.”
Ben Maxwell
Class of 2005
Business Administration – College of Business
Economics
Ben Maxwell has spent his professional career with Edward Jones. He became a general partner with Edward Jones in 2020 and was named a Forbes Next-Gen Wealth Advisor in 2021 and a Best In-State Wealth Advisor in 2022. Maxwell is deeply committed to the Fredericksburg community and has served on numerous nonprofit boards. He and his wife, Stephanie Canny Maxwell ’06, a UMW alumna, live in Spotsylvania with their children, Austin and Natalie.
Jane McDonald
Class of 1988
Sociology – College of Arts and Sciences
Jane McDonald grew up in central Pennsylvania and graduated from Mary Washington College in 1988 with a degree in sociology. With the recommendation of sociology professors Bill Hanson and Joan Olson, she began her career that year with Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) providing support and services to adults with serious mental illness so that they would be able to live successfully in the Fredericksburg community. While working full time, McDonald earned a graduate degree in psychiatric rehabilitation counseling from Boston University in 1992. In addition to various positions at RACSB, she worked with adolescents and their families at Snowden at Fredericksburg, an inpatient psychiatric facility, and in policy development at what was then known as the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services, in Richmond, Virginia. McDonald is a proud single mother of a 15-year-old daughter who is a junior at James Monroe High School, with her eyes on future study of public policy and women’s and gender studies. McDonald retired from RACSB in 2022, after more than 30 years providing community services. She continues to stay involved in the Fredericksburg community through involvement with St. George’s Episcopal Church and other nonprofit community agencies. McDonald acknowledges that she would not be where she is today without the mentorship and guidance of her Mary Washington professors.
Melissa McTernan
Class of 2010
Psychology – College of Arts and Sciences
After graduating with a B.S. in psychology from UMW, Melissa McTernan went on to earn a Ph.D. in quantitative psychology at the University of California, Davis. She then spent two years as an assistant professor at California State University in Sacramento before moving home to the East Coast and starting her current position as a senior research statistician at Boston College. She also teaches graduate statistics at Clark University. She enjoys spending time with her family, especially morning walks for coffee and donuts. McTernan is a proud LGBTQ alum of Mary Washington.
Princess Moss
Class of 1983
Music – College of Arts and Sciences
Princess Moss, an elementary school music teacher from Louisa County, Virginia, is vice president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest professional organization. A champion of children and public education at the local, state, and national levels, Moss served as secretary-treasurer from 2014-20. Prior to this, she distinguished herself with two terms on the NEA Executive Committee, where she served on the Elementary and Secondary Education (ESEA) Advisory Committee. She also served on the Dropout Prevention Advisory Committee, helping develop relevant tools for NEA members. Under her direction as president, the 62,000-member Virginia Education Association (VEA) increased its membership and advocated successfully for greater investment in public education at the state and local levels. She also served as VEA’s vice president and on the Board of Directors for NEA and VEA for over 10 years. The daughter of two school bus drivers, Moss earned her bachelor’s degree in music education from Mary Washington and received the University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2006. She also earned a master’s degree in elementary and secondary administration and supervision from the University of Virginia.
Victoria Parent
Class of 2017
English – College of Education
Victoria deLeón-Parent grew up in Spotsylvania, Virginia. She graduated from UMW in 2017 with her B.A. in English, and again in 2018 with her M.Ed in Secondary Education. At UMW, Victoria ran on the varsity cross country and track and field teams, where she earned all-conference honors and was an Academic All-American. Victoria also worked as a lead consultant in the Speaking Center. Since graduating, Victoria has worked in the greater Richmond area as a secondary English teacher, sponsoring numerous clubs and serving in various leadership roles at her school. In the classroom, Victoria strives to create a safe and engaging environment for students to grow through reflecting on their own identities and experiences, and learning about the experiences of others through literature and stories. Creating a more just, equitable, and empathetic world is at the core of Victoria’s philosophy as an educator. In recent years, Victoria has been honored to work with Virginia Commonwealth University as a member of their action-research cohort for culturally responsive teaching; received funding for her classroom library as a Book Love Grant winner; and most recently has been chosen as a finalist for a R.E.B. Distinguished Educator Award and as a National Board Certified Teacher candidate.
Matthew Paxton
Class of 1997
Business Administration – College of Business
Matt Paxton is one of the top downsizing and decluttering experts in the country. He hosts PBS’s two-time Emmy nominated series, Legacy List with Matt Paxton, and was a featured cleaner on hit television show Hoarders for 15 seasons. Paxton is also the author of the bestselling book Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff. Paxton started cleaning out houses after his father, stepfather, and both grandfathers died in the same year, which is the reason he has been working with families struggling with hoarding and downsizing for 20 years. Paxton appears regularly as a public speaker, television guest, and radio personality, helping families and companies find the upside of downsizing. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and seven kids.
Irene Rodgers
Class of 1959
Chemistry – College of Arts and Sciences
Irene graduated from Mary Washington College with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1959. She continued her education at the University of Michigan and received a master’s degree in 1961. She then began her decades-long career in the sciences as a chemist and microscopist at the American Cyanamid Company and later as an electron microscopist at Philips Electronic Instruments. In 1969, Irene married James D. Rodgers and the couple relocated to Connecticut. For the next four decades, Irene was an independent consultant to FEI, a premier provider of electron and ion-beam microscopes and tools for nanoscale applications. As the daughter of immigrants, and personally aware of the challenges and inequalities women often faced in establishing scientific careers, Irene developed a passion for encouraging and supporting young women to pursue careers in the sciences. In 2004, she gifted a transmission electron microscope to the University of Mary Washington and volunteered her time and expertise to train faculty and students in its use. Over the next two decades, Irene continued to support her alma mater through her generosity by establishing numerous scholarships, fellowships, and other endowments in support of scientific research and student success. In 2014, Mary Washington recognized Irene with an honorary doctorate of humane letters.
Sheila Shadmand
Class of 1995
English – College of Arts and Sciences
PERF
Sheila Shadmand is the partner-in-charge of Jones Day’s Middle East and Africa region and leads the firm’s global disputes and white-collar investigations practices in the region. She was recently named by Asian Legal Business (ALB) among its MENA Super 50, showcasing 50 standout lawyers in the Middle East and North Africa region. She was also one of Global Investigations Review’s Top 100 Women in Investigations in 2021. And she is consistently ranked by Chambers and Partners as one of the top investigative lawyers in the United Arab Emirates. After graduating from Mary Washington in 1995, Shadmand attended the University of Virginia School of Law. She graduated in 1998 and began working in Jones Day’s Washington, D.C., office. She is an international global disputes lawyer, representing Fortune 500 companies in a variety of litigation, arbitration, and investigation matters around the world. In her 25 years of practice, Shadmand has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg, and other news broadcasts and print media in connection with her work. The Legal 500, which has perennially recognized Shadmand as a leading lawyer, has said she “knows how to navigate the law – and people – to get results.”
Michael Stough
Class of 1986
Business Administration – College of Business
Mike Stough is senior vice president and general auditor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Stough has over 36 years of internal audit, public accounting, IT risk management, and controls consulting experience. He joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in 2012. Prior to that, he was a partner for both PricewaterhouseCoopers and Dixon Hughes Goodman, and served as managing vice president and deputy chief auditor for Capital One. Stough earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mary Washington College in 1986 and a master’s degree in business and information technology from The Johns Hopkins University. He is both a certified public accountant and certified information systems auditor, as well as certified in risk and information systems control. Stough also enjoys spending time outdoors kayaking and boating with wife Susie Ferrett Stough ’85, and he is an avid gardener. Mike and Susie also enjoy spending time with their children, Laura, Mikey, and Carolyn Stough ’22, as well as giving back to the community by supporting several Richmond area organizations, including CARITAS, Habitat for Humanity, SOAR, and Joy House.
Robert Strassheim
Class of 1996
Business Administration – College of Business
Rob Strassheim is a business executive who manages business operations for one of Navisite LLC’s lines of business. In this role, he has helped expand the organization’s SAP business offering and has helped create and manage a delivery organization in Hyderabad, India. Strassheim considers his greatest achievement teaching part time in UMW’s College of Business for over 20 years. He taught and mentored countless students and says his time in the classroom him grow personally and professionally. Strassheim has volunteered on campus in the Mary Washington First capital campaign cabinet, the College of Business Executive Advisory Board, and any other way where he gets a chance to talk about his Mary Washington experience. In 2020, Strassheim was awarded the Frances Liebenow Armstrong ’36 Service Award, which recognizes alumni for their longtime dedication to the University. In 2021, he was appointed to the UMW Board of Visitors, where he currently serves as vice rector.
Sarah Strassheim
Class of 2001
Business Administration – College of Business
Sarah Gildersleeve Strassheim is the global CFO for Merkle. She provides senior finance leadership to the global executive team and is responsible for commercial finance initiatives in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, as well as driving enterprise level systems and acquisition integration. Prior to joining Merkle, Strassheim led the finance organization at the U.S. trading office of a commodity company based in Thailand. She started her career at Accenture, where she spent over a decade in global financial and reporting systems roles. She joined Merkle in July 2014, supporting the Digital Agency Group. Her responsibility expanded to include all the business units in North America, including numerous acquisitions. She consistently drives financial performance by balancing an understanding of business with her strong finance background. Strassheim graduated from Mary Washington in 2001 and has given back to the University as a member of the Mary Washington First capital campaign cabinet and the College of Business Executive Advisory Board. She is currently on the UMW Foundation Board.
Brian Whitacre
Class of 1998
Economics – College of Arts and Sciences
Mathematics
Brian Whitacre, who earned bachelor’s degrees in math and economics from Mary Washington in 1998, went on to graduate school and became a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University. He is a national leader in rural economic development, winning awards for his research, teaching, and outreach programs. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, including more than 50 coauthored with graduate students he advised. Whitacre is widely recognized for his expertise on the economics of rural broadband access and use. His research has been cited by the White House and has played a pivotal role in shifting federal broadband policy from its traditional supply-side focus to a more demand-oriented approach. Whitacre is also a seven-time world champion in professional natural bodybuilding and is one of the most decorated competitors in natural bodybuilding history. He credits a lot of his success to his early training days in Goolrick Hall. Arriving on campus as a 120-pound first-year student, he fell in love with training as well as the idea that you can transform yourself through hard work. He remains the only competitor to ever win the top two prizes in natural bodybuilding in the same year, Yorton Cup and WNBF Worlds, in 2015).
David Whitaker
Class of 1992
Geography – College of Arts and Sciences
Arkansas State Rep. David Whitaker (D-Fayetteville) is a 1999 graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law and earned a B.A. in geography from Mary Washington in 1992. In March 2001, he became the assistant city attorney for Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he served until his entry into the political arena in 2009. He is a tenured member of the Arkansas Bar Association’s House of Delegates, and past chair of its Law School Committee and Government Practice Section. Rep. Whitaker was first elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2012, and during his five terms, he has served on the standing committees for City, County and Local Affairs; Public Transportation; Judiciary; State Agencies and Governmental Affairs; and Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development. Whitaker also serves on the Joint Advanced Communications and Information Technology Committee and has served as the House co-chair of the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council. He served as House Minority Leader during the 91st General Assembly. In 2019, the Council of State Governments named him a Henry Toll Fellow.
Jin Wong
Class of 1997
Business Administration – College of Business
Jin Wong graduated from Mary Washington College in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He was a letterman for the men’s baseball team and was named a Division III All-American in 1996. He is a 2011 UMW Athletic Hall of Fame inductee; he was also recognized by the College of Business with the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award in 2011 and the Distinguished Business Alumnus Award in 2021. Wong started his career in baseball with the Atlanta Braves shortly after graduation. He joined the Kansas City Royals in 1999 as their scouting operations coordinator. He has received multiple promotions during his 20-plus years with the Royals and served as assistant general manager in baseball administration for the club when the team won back-to-back American League pennants in 2014-15 and a World Series in 2015. Wong currently serves as vice president and assistant general manager in baseball administration for the Royals, where he assists in strategic planning as it relates to contract negotiations, salary arbitration, and roster management. His responsibilities also include the interpretation and application of the basic agreement and Major League Baseball (MLB) rules, budgetary procedure for baseball operations, and oversight of the club’s video coordination for the MLB team. Wong resides in Leawood, Kansas, with wife Libby, sons Kai and Tate, and their dog, Pippa.
Alexandra Zelin
Class of 2011
Psychology – College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Alexandra I. Zelin recently transitioned into industry as a senior consultant of organizational effectiveness at Wellstar Health Systems, from her previous position as a tenured associate professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Her research, teaching, and service centers around women’s experiences, both in and out of the workplace, with a specialty in sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention. Dr. Zelin has published and presented extensively on women’s issues and has taken an intersectional approach to her work to better give voice to all women. She also conducts trainings related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and organizational change practices to make workplaces more inclusive. In her new position, she is actively infusing DEI-based best practices into the performance management cycle and creating organizational change to support best practices. Dr. Zelin received her Ph.D. and M.A. in industrial-organizational psychology from the University of Akron.