Tulanians: Class Notes

Lee P. Gary Jr. (A&S ’63, PHTM ’10) graduated from the National Emergency Management Basic Academy operated by FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He was also awarded a Visiting Fulbright Research Scholar grant to the University of Malta School of Public Health for 2025-2026 to teach and conduct research. During 2025, he was a Fulbright Specialist at the University of Makeni in Sierra Leone. He was also invited to present his research article on the importance of sanitation and hygiene in disease control at the XI Malta Medical School Conference in Valletta, Malta, in December 2025.

Tim M. Berra (G ’67, G ’69) received a “Friend of Darwin Award” from the National Center for Science Education for his work promoting the teaching of evolution. His latest book, “The Peopling of Polynesia: From Taiwan to Easter Island,” was published by Acclaim Press.

Frederick Lukash (A&S ’69, M ’73) published “The Hypocritical Oath,” a medical murder mystery set in New Orleans.

Whit Rummel (A&S ’69) released his first book, “The Accidental Picasso Thief,” co-authored with art-crime scholar Noah Charney. The book blends memoir and a true-crime investigation to tell how Rummel’s family became caught up in a 1969 Picasso theft in Boston — complete with an FBI investigation, mob rumors and a daring “reverse heist” to return the painting.

Kevin Ducote (A&S ’71) presented “Community Engagement in the Various Rounds of Naming and Renaming K–12 Public School Buildings and Campuses in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA” to the International Society for Educational Planning at Nelson Mandela University.

Marlene Eskind Moses (NC ’72) was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Nashville Public Education Foundation at the Public Schools Hall of Fame Luncheon on Sept. 30, 2025. Awardees have shown exemplary leadership and service in the community and are inspiring examples of the talent cultivated by Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Neal Brantley (A&S ’73) won Best of Show and First Place in Opaque Painting at the Selma Art Guild’s Annual Art Competition in Selma, Alabama.

George F. Indest III (SLA ’73, L ’80), president and managing partner of The Health Law Firm, was named to the Florida Super Lawyers list for 2025, which recognizes the top 5% of attorneys in the state.

David McLain (M ’74) was inducted into the Royal College of Physicians in London. His medical practice was named Best of Alabama 2025 for rheumatology by “The Guide to Alabama.”

Joseph V. Trahan III (A&S ’76) was inducted into the Defense Information School Hall of Fame in recognition of his extraordinary and lasting contributions as a public relations professional.

Christopher Morris (A&S ’80) was awarded the master designation by the American College of Rheumatology. He is one of 16 awardees from the 10,000-member medical organization and the only one in private practice to earn the designation. The award recognizes members who have made contributions to the organization and the medical specialty throughout their careers.

Sandy Rosenthal (B ’81), the brain behind Levees.org and host of her own podcast, was featured in the documentary “Leading Ladies of Hurricane Katrina,” which highlights four women whose leadership shaped the city’s recovery after Katrina.

Paul Friedrichs (A&S ’86) stepped down as the inaugural director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy in early 2025 and now serves as a professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University. He also acts as a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The American Medical Association honored him with its 2025 Annual Award for Outstanding Government Service by a presidentially appointed official. He and his wife, Rita, also a physician, live in Alexandria, Virginia.

Sue Strachan (NC ’86) published her second book, “The Obituary Cocktail,” through LSU Press as part of its Iconic New Orleans Cocktails series. Her first title in the series was “The Café Brûlot.”

Chief Judge William Pryor (L ’87), of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, delivered the address at the New Life Member Luncheon during the American Law Institute’s 2025 annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The Florida Law Review also published a keynote address, “Modesty in Originalism,” that Pryor delivered at the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Inaugural Originalism Conference.

Christopher Moffett (B ’91) joined SK Commercial Realty as president of SK Investment Group, bringing more than 25 years of real estate and finance experience to the role.

Kevin Barron (B ’92) was promoted to vice president of payer relations at University Health in San Antonio, Texas. He was recently featured in an article and podcast episode of “Becker’s Hospital Review” discussing University Health’s approach to recovering high-dollar claims and navigating today’s payer landscape.

Elaine Bird Purdy (B ’92) was promoted to associate professor in the faculty of health administration at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University.

Frank DiCristina (E ’93) accepted a position as director of operations with Arxada in Rochester, New York.

Pablo Acedo (B ’94) was appointed CEO of the Raw Materials segment of Grupo Pochteca, a leading Mexican distributor of industrial inputs, bringing more than 30 years of senior management experience to the role.

Sanford C. “Sandy” Coats (TC ’94) joined The Norris Law Firm as a partner specializing in trial practice.

Ananda French Karakaya (B ’96) was promoted to chief of strategic operations and transformation for enterprise applications at the healthcare firm McKesson.

Philip Lawrence (L ’96) directed “The Long Walk: A Dance with Humanities,” which won the award for best documentary at the 2025 Golden Gate International Film Festival in San Jose, California.

Caroline Pogge (NC ’96) became the first University of Kentucky College of Public Health and Healthcare Administration alumna to be inducted into the University of Kentucky’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni. This recognition was awarded for her impactful career, service as an Army officer and commitment to empowering the next generation of public health professionals.

Alison Vulgamore Wisnom (NC ’96) was elected to the Board of Directors of the Residential Real Estate Council, an organization with over 20,000 members, and an affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS. She is a broker with Coldwell Banker Realty in Annapolis, Maryland, and ranks in the top 1% of company sales nationally.

Sandra Gustin (PHTM ’97) is the author of the recently released book of poems “Balloons Beyond Our Borders,” which follows three and a half decades of international, cross-cultural work and explores language, landscapes and what unites people across borders. Her work has also appeared in Poetry, AAP’s Poem-a-Day, Silk Road, Anglican Theological Review and Bellevue Literary Review, among others.

Michael Horner (L ’99) recently married Monica Baird and rejoined Reynolds, Horne & Survant as a personal injury trial lawyer.

Christopher K. Ralston (L ’99) was re-elected chair of the National Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). He also continues to serve as community leadership board chair for the ADA in Louisiana and Mississippi. Ralston is a commercial litigation partner and litigation practice coordinator at Phelps Dunbar in New Orleans.

Ian Kramar (TC ’00) was promoted to executive producer of streaming at WWL Louisiana. Kramar has earned multiple New Orleans Press Club awards and an Emmy nomination for newscast excellence.

Vickie Rice (L ’00) Dallas County, Texas, renamed the Mental Health Division and Specialty courts after Vickie Rice posthumously for her work as a public defender.

Jonathan Augustine (L ’01) was named senior pastor of Big Bethel AME Church, the oldest Black church in Atlanta. He also serves on the inaugural faculty at the Hampton University School of Religion and continues his work as an author, scholar and national leader.

Derek Bardell (G ’01, ’02) has been 
recognized as a Distinguished Educator by the national nonprofit Next Gen Personal Finance for outstanding commitment to professional development in real-world personal finance topics.

Joshua Crile (B ’02) attained the State of Florida Lineman Certification for powerline construction.

Rebecca Keithley (B ’03) was promoted to assistant section chief of the FBI’s Financial Crimes Section, where she leads the bureau’s efforts against white-collar crime threats and has directed national initiatives to protect older Americans from fraud and cyber-enabled scams.

Stephanie (Crane) Lieb (B ’03) was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy in 2025 and elected chair of the business law section of The Florida Bar.

Michael J. Hickerson (L ’04) joined Davis Hartman Wright LLP as a partner in the banking and finance, corporate and commercial real estate practice groups in Charleston, South Carolina.

Kevin Williams (SSE ’06) received the Xavier Pi-Sunyer Award from The Obesity Society. Williams also co-hosts the American Diabetes Association’s “DiabetesBio” podcast and was featured in a Journal of Diabetes spotlight in late 2025.

John Gagnon (L ’07) transitioned to a new role in civil rights compliance at the University of Michigan after 20 years of federal service.

Kris Shull-Dunn (A ’07) and her firm, workshopWDXL, received a 2025 Small Project Award from the American Institute of Architects for The Syd, a hotel in New Orleans’ Central City neighborhood.

Michael Braden Wright (L ’07) made history in 2023 as the first African American administrative law judge at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and currently serves as chief administrative law judge at the agency.

Lily Filson (SLA ’08) published “Renaissance Automata of the Villa Pratolino: Magic, Mechanics, and Medici Ambition” with Palgrave Macmillan/Springer, which explores how the Medici family used art, engineering and theatrical wonder to project power.

Benjamin Karp (SLA ’12) has published his first book, “The Leviathan Conspiracy.”

Max W. Fargotstein (B ’14, L ’17), an associate at Duane Morris LLP, was elected president of the board of directors of the Jewish Council for Youth Services in Chicago, which provides early childhood education and camp programs that serve thousands of families annually.

John Owens (SLA ’14) was appointed chief strategy officer for the Arizona Department of Administration.

Logan Hilton (SSE ’16) completed his neurology residency as chief resident and has returned home to New Orleans to begin his first attending position in Covington, Louisiana.

John Kanzler (SLA ’21, SSE ’21) will be graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in May and starting a position as an associate in the energy and infrastructure projects division at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom in New York City.

Hannah Davis (SoPA ’25) was selected as one of 30 artists featured in CONFAB 2025, the Washington Studio School’s annual juried exhibition exploring the role of conversation and connection in contemporary art.

David Clairborne Webster (SSE ’25) has been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps at Quantico, Virginia, where he is stationed.

KEY TO SCHOOLS

SLA (School of Liberal Arts)

SSE (School of Science and Engineering)

A (School of Architecture)

B (A. B. Freeman School of Business)

L (Law School)

M (School of Medicine)

SW (School of Social Work)

PHTM (Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine)

SoPA (School of Professional Advancement)

A&S (College of Arts and Sciences, the men’s liberal arts and sciences college that existed until 1994)

TC (Tulane College, the men’s liberal arts and sciences college that existed from 1994 until 2006)

NC (Newcomb College, the women’s liberal arts and sciences college that existed until 2006)

E (School of Engineering)

G (Graduate School)

UC (University College, the school for part-time adult learners. The college’s name was changed to the School of Continuing Studies in 2006.)

SCS (School of Continuing Studies, which changed its name to the School of Professional Advancement in 2017)