In honor of the Class of 2020, we flipped the Class Notes section of Wofford Today for this issue. Congratulations on these and other accomplishments. We hope you’ll continue to send in your life updates to alumni@wofford.edu and your story ideas to woffordtoday@wofford.edu.
2020
Lucas Cerbelli is an investment banking analyst with 7 Mile Advisors in Charlotte, N.C.
Catie Cronister graduated from the University of San Francisco with a master’s degree in data science. She began her career as a data scientist for Oncocyte in early September.
Taven LeBlond is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Michelle Malsch is working at Parkside Pediatrics in Greenville, S.C.
Rebecca Marziale is enrolled in the doctor of physical therapy program at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C.
Mary Kathryn McGregor is a member of the class of 2025 at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, S.C.
Abbie Nance is a patient advocate at AccessOne in Fort Mill, S.C.
Reagan Owens is a consulting analyst in the office of the CEO at MUSC Health in Charleston, S.C.
Sam Ross is an agency and operations senior specialist at InvestiNet in Greenville, S.C.
Wells Williams is manager of Lizard’s Thicket in Columbia, S.C.
2018
Blakely Elizabeth Graham and Drake H. McCormick were married on June 19, 2021, at Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church in Georgetown, S.C. The couple resides in Charleston, S.C. Drake is a financial advisor with Synovus Securities in Charleston. Blakely is completing dental school at the Medical University of South Carolina’s James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine.
2017
Scottie Kay Auton has been named Spartanburg County’s communications manager. Before joining the county, she was a reporter with WSPA-TV in Spartanburg.
Evan Hammond, a financial advisor and field director of Northwestern Mutual’s office in Charleston, S.C., was selected as a 2021 honoree of the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 recognition.
Andrew Novak and Madison Myers ’19 were married on Dec. 19, 2020, in St. Simon’s Island, Ga. In August, Andrew became the second golfer in Wofford program history to earn his PGA Tour card by securing a top-25 season finish on the Korn Ferry Tour.
2015
Mills Reigel and Joe Nelson ’16 were married on May 29, 2021. The couple resides in Philadelphia, Pa.
2014
Maria Davenport graduated with a master’s degree in public health from the University of Florida in spring 2021. She is a senior clinical research coordinator at the University of Virginia Cancer Center, where she coordinates all of the clinical trials with lung cancer patients.
Mackenzie “Mack” Walker has been promoted to senior vice president and director of capital markets at Deephaven in Charlotte, N.C. He joined the company six years ago and was previously vice president of capital markets.
2012
Hayes Brown reached the semifinals of the 40th U.S. Mid-Amateur Golf Championships in September. His path to the semifinals included a victory over the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Hilary Riley Hozey has been named assistant professor of pediatrics at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Va., where she teaches medical students and works as a pediatric hospitalist.
Emily Howe Learned and Michael Learned were married on Sept. 4, 2021, in Charlotte, N.C. She is the human resources coordinator for the town of Waxhaw, N.C.
Caroline Franks Mahoney and Carter Mahoney welcomed a son, Evan Richard Mahoney, on Aug. 24, 2021. The family lives in Charlotte, N.C., with their golden retriever, Magnolia.
2011
William Thomas Mills, senior brokerage associate at Trinity Partners in Columbia, S.C., has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievement and leadership in commercial real estate.
Dr. Douglas S. Schultz Jr. has joined Midlands Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery in Columbia, S.C. A member of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Hip and Knee Surgeons, he specializes in joint arthroplasty and total joint replacement.
2010
Mark Chappell Jr. has been named a partner in the law firm of Chappell Smith and Arden in Columbia, S.C.
2009
John Robert Barth recently became a franchise owner of The Flying Biscuit located at 936 Harden St. in Columbia, S.C. Plans are to open in mid-November or early December.
2008
Sarah Hite Kennedy and Whitner Kennedy III ’09 welcomed a daughter, Virginia Kabrich Kennedy, on Aug. 19, 2021. She joins big brothers Jay and Grady. The family lives in Spartanburg.
2007
Daniel Larisey has been promoted to credit analyst at ServisFirst Bank in Charleston, S.C. A Charleston native, Larisey moves into this role with 15 years of experience in the banking industry.
Shane Nichols was inducted into the Radford (Va.) High School Hall of Fame on Oct. 2, 2021. Nichols, who played basketball while at Wofford, is currently an assistant men’s basketball coach at Radford University.
2006
Chris Shugart has been named chief mortgage officer of Southern First Bancshares in Charleston, S.C. He is a certified mortgage banker who has over 15 years of experience in the industry.
2004
Riddick Ackerman IV and Brooke Ackerman welcomed their daughter, Mary Clements, on Sept. 28, 2020. They have two sons, Penn and Briggs. The family resides in Walterboro, S.C.
1997
Lauren Mattox Curry has been named chief operating officer in the office of Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp. Curry previously served as director of government affairs and policy for Kemp.
Mel Wilson has joined United Community Bank as branch manager for the Waynesville, N.C., office.
1996
Matt Solomon recently published “Fortunate Accidents,” a book about learning from life experiences. Some of those lessons came while Solomon was a student who received support and encouragement from friends, teammates, coaches and professors. This is Solomon’s first published book, and it’s available in the Wofford College Bookstore and on Amazon. For additional information, visit fortunateaccidents.com.
1994
John Grigsby “Grig” Sawyer has been named graduation and dropout coordinator for Lexington County (S.C.) School District Three.
1990
Murrell Smith Jr., a co-founding partner of Smith Robinson Law Firm, has been named to the 2022 list of The Best Lawyers in America. Smith, a state representative from Sumter, S.C., is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
1987
David Brannock received his M.S. degree in counseling from Milligan University in July. He works as a mental health therapist at a faith-based private practice in Kingsport, Tenn.
1985
Heidi Faber Kerns was recently named as the North Carolina representative on the board of directors of the Southeastern Association of School Business Official. She is in her 11th year as finance officer with Rutherford County Schools. She is active with animal rescue and enjoys time with her rescued cat, three dogs and pig.
1977
David Britt, vice president of Tindall Corp.’s South Carolina Division and a member of Spartanburg County Council, was featured in the Upstate Business Journal in September. In August, he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor.
1968
The Rev. Dr. Will Willimon, a current member of the Wofford College Board of Trustees, presented the three-part Beecher Lectures at Yale Divinity School in September.
FACULTY AND STAFF
Maya Michele Fein, assistant professor of theatre, presented “Tech Olympics: The Game Show,” which integrated theatre knowledge and gamification, at The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival 2021.
Dr. Cynthia Fowler, associate professor and chair of sociology and anthropology, has two new publications. “The Goodfire Campaign: Swaying Opinions about Prescribed Burning While Restoring Fire Adapted Ecosystems in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains” was published in Hotspots Fieldsites, an open-access, online, peer-reviewed publication from the Society for Cultural Anthropology. Fowler and others wrote "When is it Appropriate to Reference Identities, Relationships of Belonging, or Knowledge Lineages in Ethnobiological Scholarship?" It was published in Ethnobiology Letters.
Dr. Kirsten Krick-Aigner, professor of German, received a $10,000 grant from the Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies for research materials and travel expenses to archives and libraries in New York, London and Vienna to conduct research on the artistic legacies of exiled Jewish Austrian artists Bettina Bauer-Ehrlich, Lisel Salzer and Lisl Weil.
Talicia Murphy, director of student activities, in September was inducted into the Florence (S.C.) School District 2 Athletics Hall of Fame. Murphy competed in basketball and cheer at Hannah-Pamplico High School, but excelled in track and field. She won four Class A state championships and was named Class A Player of the Year in 2014, was a four-time all-region selection and holds school records in the long jump, triple jump and 100-meter dash.
Dr. Patricia Nuriel, associate professor of Spanish, co-edited the volume “Interviews with Latin American Women Filmmakers,” a special issue of the journal Post Script: Essays in Film and the Humanities. She also contributed to one of the interviews, “Jeanine Meerapfel’s Films on Memory and the Argentine Dictatorship: A Retrospective.”
Dr. Anne Rodrick’s book project, “Lecturing the Victorians: Knowledge-based Culture and Participatory Citizenship,” has been accepted for publication by Bloomsbury Academic Publishing. Rodrick is Reeves Family Professor of History.
Dr. Grace Schwartz, assistant professor of chemistry, and coauthors have had the article “Incorporating concentration-dependent sediment microbial activity into methylmercury production kinetics modeling” accepted for publication in Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts. Additionally, Schwartz and coauthors have had the article “Consistent controls on trace metal micronutrient speciation in wetland soils and stream sediments” accepted for publication in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
Dr. Patrick Stanton, assistant professor of finance, and Dr. Philip Swicegood, R. Michael James Professor and chair of accounting, business and finance, and others have published the article “Cost-Effective Portfolio Hedging: A Dividend-funded Derivative Approach” in the International Business & Economics Studies Journal.
Dr. James Stevens, assistant professor of finance, published the article “Do Changes in Industry Classification Systems Matter? Evidence from a GICS Change” in the Journal of Real Estate Research. He also co-authored the article “REIT Operational Efficiency: External Advisement and Management,” which was published in The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics.
TRUSTEES
Jodie McLean, a current member of the Wofford Board of Trustees and the CEO of EDENS, one of the nation’s leading private owners, operators and developers of retail real estate, was recently interviewed by The Washington Post on the retail experience post-COVID-19.