Irad Ben-Gal (ENG'96,'99) of Tel Aviv, Israel, is a professor of industrial engineering at Tel Aviv University.

Kimberly Donaldson (CAS'96) of Wayne, Pa., is a partner in the law firm Chimicles & Tikellis in Haverford, Pa. She has been with the firm since September 1999. E-mail her at kimdonaldson@chimicles.com.

Rel Dowdell (COM'96) of Atlanta, Ga., released his debut feature film, Train Ride, a thriller that takes place on an all-black college campus. The film was an official selection for the 2005 Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival and is available on DVD. Rel is also a COM film lecturer. Check out his Web site at reldowdell.com.

Johanna Fifi (ENG'96, MED'00) of Washington, D.C., finished her residency in Philadelphia and is doing a stroke fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.

Rachel Ratner Hemman (SED'96) of Chatham, N.J., and her husband, Jeffrey, welcomed their second child, Nathaniel Jeffrey, on March 14, 2006. His big sister, Jacqueline Ann, is two and a half. Rachel is on leave from her teaching position but is pleased to announce the completion of her M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. E-mail her at RachelHemman@hotmail.com.

Erin Lacey (COM'96) of Los Angeles, Calif., married Kevin Field on October 8, 2005, in Pasadena, Calif. Her bridesmaids included Holly Syvertsen (COM'96), Erica Tunnicliffe (SAR'96, CGS'95), and Elisabeth Caren (CFA'96). Erin is a script coordinator at Sony Pictures Animation. E-mail her at erinlacey@hotmail.com.

Debra Ochoa (CAS'96) of San Antonio, Tex., is an assistant professor of Spanish at Trinity University, after receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. "It is hard to believe it has been 10 years," she writes, "and even harder to believe that I'm practically a Texan now. Greetings to CAS'96! " E-mail Debra at debra-ochoa@sbcglobal.net.

Elliot Porter (COM'96, CGS'95) of New York, N.Y., started his own business, duplication.net, a CD/DVD duplication service, but is going back to school to become a dentist. Elliot is also an adjunct lecturer in biology at Hunter University. "Everything goes in circles," he writes, "but I suppose my communication degree is helping me communicate efficiently." E-mail him at Elliot@espmgroup.com.

Florent Renard-Payen (CFA'96) of Clinton, N.Y., founded the Tarab Cello Ensemble, which commissions and performs contemporary chamber music for eight cellos by American composers. The group performed at Forsyth Chapel in Jamaica Plain, Mass., in February. Florent also teaches cello at Colgate University and chamber music at Hamilton College. To learn more about the Tarab Cello Ensemble, visit www.tarabcello.com.

Krista Botsford (ENG'97,'98) of Merrimack, N.H., left IBM in May 2005 to join Cooper Perkins, an engineering design firm in Burlington, Mass. She runs a subsidiary of Cooper Perkins, which she helped create shortly after joining. And yes, she writes, she is still racing cars. E-mail her at kbots@5-Trees.com.

Theresa Carroll (LAW'97) of Ann Arbor, Mich., was recently elected a partner of the Dykema law firm. Theresa is a member of the board of directors of New Enterprise Forum, a not-for-profit that helps entrepreneurs prosper, and a trustee of Daycroft Montessori School.

Jennifer Dawn Fitzpatrick (CAS'97) of New York, N.Y., has joined Home Box Office, Inc., as sales administrator for HBO Enterprises, the company's international distribution arm. E-mail Jennifer at jenfitz@alum.bu.edu.

Beth Leembruggen-Kallberg (SED'97) of Nieuwegein, Netherlands, teaches at a college in Amsterdam and continues to work with a BU research group under the direction of Kathie Malley-Morrison, a College of Arts and Sciences professor of psychology. Beth and her husband, Sam, recently returned from a month in Israel. "Sam did training and customer visits with 3COM Israel and I worked on my tan!" Beth writes. "Special greetings to the German cohort." E-mail Beth at ealk@wxs.nl.

Chris Malone (MET'97) of Washington, D.C., is a special agent in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, assigned to the National Security Investigations Division of the Washington field office. E-mail him at christopher.malone@dhs.gov.

Jess Martin (GRS'97) of Arlington, Mass., was one of seven playwrights to receive a Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant in Playwriting this past year. Home, her play exploring the complexity of gender identity, was staged at the Boston Center for the Arts last January. My Yolanda Love will run in July at the Boston Playwrights' Theatre.

Shin Yu "Doris" Pai (CAS'97) of Dallas, Tex., exhibited her work in two shows last spring: Crossing Boundaries: Visual Art by Writers at the Paterson Museum in Paterson, N.J., and Blends & Bridges: A Survey of International Contemporary Visual Poetry and Related Art at Gallery 324 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Tanja Van Grinsven Carroll (GRS'98, GSM'04) and Sean Carroll (GRS'00) of Portsmouth, R.I., had their first child, Evalynn Martine, on July 19, 2005.

Matthew J. Cavanagh (ENG'98) of Lakewood, Ohio, is an associate at the Cleveland law firm Baker & Hostetler. Matthew earned a law degree from Case Western Reserve School of Law.

Heidi Naasko (LAW'98) of Ann Arbor, Mich., is the new coordinator of the pro bono program at the Dykema law firm. Previously, she was a staff attorney at the Women's Survival Center, an organization that provides family law legal aid.

Tuan D. Nguyen (MET'98) of Boston, Mass., is founder, chairman, and CEO of the Asian-American National Committee, Inc. He is also the director of business development at Foxfield Taxi Corporation. "I miss all my friends and great professors at BU," Tuan writes. "Please join us at the AANC." E-mail him at tuandnguyen@alum.bu.edu.

Jennifer Chianese Rifenburg (CAS'98) of Boston, Mass., graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, with a bachelor of science in nursing. Jenn is a registered nurse on the vascular unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. E-mail her a jenncha@yahoo.com.

Michael Feinson (GSM'99), of Washington, D.C., married Brittany Hoff on May 8, 2005, in D.C. Alums in attendance were Jeff Dankey (GSM'99), Anna (McQuiston) Holtzclaw (GSM'99), Chris Milo (GSM'99), Andrew Wolk (GSM'99), and Jodi (Lief) Wolk (GSM'99). Mike is a partner at Innovation Partners International, a consulting business that helps organizations overcome challenges and improve what they do by identifying and building on their strengths and best practices. E-mail him at mfeinson@innovationpartners.com.

Grant Joung (CAS'99) of Melrose, Mass., married Savina Lau Joung on June 11, 2005, in Cambridge, Mass., after eight years together. Grant's brother, Philip Joung (ENG'91), officiated at the ceremony. Grant is assistant vice president of development and admissions services at The Princeton Review.

Lesley Jorgensen Klock (CAS'99) and Christopher Klock (CAS'99) of Tempe, Ariz., announce the birth of their first child, Brendan Thomas, on December 15, 2005. He is a healthy baby and his parents are very proud. E-mail Lesley and Christopher at lesleyklock@yahoo.com.

Eric V. Melin (SMG'99) of Cambridge, Mass., is president of SpiderSplat Consulting, Inc., a search engine marketing company that launched in 1997 out of his BU dorm room. In 1999 he founded philanthropist.org, which matches small-scale grant-seekers with charitable donors.

Jeremy Roach (CAS'99) of Upland, Calif., married Allison Sobek on December 31, 2005, in San Diego. Groomsmen included David Guarnieri (SED'99). Also in attendance were Adam Bialek (CAS'99), Chris Vallens (CAS'99), Armin Azar (CAS'00), Heather Johnson (SMG'01, CGS'99), Jill Pokaski (SAR'99,'01,'03), and Brian Hackman (GSM'07). Jeremy and Allison are attorneys in San Diego. E-mail Jeremy at jeremyroach@gmail.com.

Jeff Roberts (CFA'99) of Salisbury, Mass., was recently awarded a Fulbright fellowship to study Chinese traditional music. He will study the guqin, a Chinese stringed instrument, at Beijing Central Conservatory. He also will compose new works for western and Chinese instruments and explore music traditions in the southern province of Yunnan and Mongolian music in Inner Mongolia.

Jennifer Caouette Storipan (SAR'99) and Jason Storipan (CAS'98) of Avenel, N.J., welcomed their son, Johnathan Jason, on January 18, 2006. Jason is with the law firm Stark & Stark in Princeton, N.J. E-mail them at jencaouette@hotmail.com or jstoripan@hotmail.com.

Susan Streble (COM'99) of Brooklyn, N.Y., is the manager of special events and donor relations at the Brooklyn Public Library, the fifth largest library system in the country. Formerly, Susan managed fundraising events for the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. E-mail her at sstrebel@hotmail.com.

Sergio Tortora (ENG'99) and Michelle Giliberto Tortora (COM'98), of Norwalk, Conn., were married in Marsh Chapel in 2002 and had their first child, Alexa Nicolina, on September 21, 2005. Sergio manages the Six Sigma program and the project management programs for NBC-TV operations and production services. E-mail him at Sergio.Tortora@nbcuni.com.

Jennifer Gregg Valentine (CAS'99) of Dayton, Ohio, earned a master's in information resource management from the Air Force Institute of Technology. In July she will move to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where she will be the combat information transport system program manager. Jennifer gave birth to a son, Weston Robert, in December. E-mail Jennifer at chiefjrg@aol.com.

Andre Weker (CFA'99) of Chester, N.H., and his wife, Kristina, announce the arrival of Natalie Elizabeth on March 31, 2006. E-mail Andre at abw2278@yahoo.com.