Russell L. Fischer (CAS’80) of Palm Beach, Fla., is included in the 2007 Who’s Who in the World and Who’s Who in America. He is a member of Club Colette in Palm Beach and the Williams Island Club in Aventura. E-mail him at RF3300@aol.com.

Cindy Gold (CFA’80) of Skokie, Ill., is an associate professor of theater and head of the acting area at Northwestern University. She recently played Gertrude Stein in Frank Galati’s and Stephen Flaherty’s musical Love Repeating, coproduced with the Museum of Contemporary Art and About Face Theatre Chicago. The musical’s original cast recording will be released in 2007. Contact Cindy at c-gold@northwestern.edu.

Steven Maurano (COM’80) of Cranston, R.I., was recently appointed associate commissioner of higher education for external affairs by the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education. Steven is a partner in Providence public relations firm Duffy & Stanley, where he has been working for the past 22 years.

Elizabeth M. Simpson (CAS’80) of San Francisco, Calif., is a clinical social worker and psychoanalyst. She is an associate clinical professor in the psychiatry department at the University of California, San Francisco, and a faculty member of the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute and the Oregon Psychoanalytic Center. E-mail her at redsw95@aol.com.

Bonnie (Kramer) Benson (SAR’81) of Wynnewood, Pa., is a speech pathologist in Philadelphia and an advocate for early intervention services. Contact her at bbenson371@comcast.net.

Barbara Soluri Cokorinos (CFA’81) of Maplewood, N.J., has been administrative director of the department of design for stage and film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for more than 15 years. She lives with her husband, Phil, and two sons, ages 13 and 6.

Ralph Grassia (SMG’81) of Buzzards Bay, Mass., is regional vice president of Jack Conway & Company, an independently owned real estate firm. He was recently named 2006 Realtor of the Year by the Greater New Bedford Association of Realtors, for his service to both the local communities and the realtor community. E-mail Ralph at Rgrassia@jackconway.com.

Gene Barton (LAW’82) of Wayland, Mass., is a principal in the corporate and securities group in the Boston office of the law firm Fish & Richardson. Previously, Gene was a partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston.

Stephanie L. Battle (SMG’82, CGS’80) of New York, N.Y., became engaged to Jan K. Horsky on September 17, 2006. Stephanie was recently made global director of talent management at Alcoa in New York, and Jan is an officer and research scientist at Columbia University’s department of biomedical informatics. A 2007 wedding is planned.

Cheryl F. Bragg (GRS’82,’86) of Potomac Falls, Va., is a developmental, clinical, and school psychologist. She was recently selected for inclusion in the 2007 edition of Marquis Who’s Who in America, for her 20 years of work on behalf of special needs children and their families.

Gene Jones (CAS’82, CGS’80) of Norfolk, Va., was named executive director for high schools for the Norfolk public schools. E-mail him at gjones@nps.k12.va.us.

Karen R. Koenig (SMG’82, CGS’80), a therapist, an educator, and an expert on the psychology of eating, published her second book, The Food & Feelings Workbook: A Full Course Meal on Emotional Health (Gurze Books, 2007). Her first book, The Rules of “Normal” Eating, was published in 2005. Visit her Web site at www.eatingnormal.com or e-mail her at kkoeniglics@comcast.net.

Kathleen Mulligan (CFA’82) of Santa Maria, Calif., is a resident artist at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts Theatrefest. She recently played Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and will play Maggie in The Man Who Came to Dinner, in spring 2007. Contact Kathleen at windy94@verizon.net.

Thomas Riccio (CFA’82) of Richardson, Tex., is professor of performance studies and art and technology at the University of Texas at Dallas. His book Performing Africa: Remixing Tradition, Theatre, and Culture (Peter Lang Publishing) will be published this spring. Thomas recently won a prize for distinction in playwrighting from the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation. Contact him at thomas.riccio@utdallas.edu.

Chad Worcester (COM’82) of Eden Prairie, Minn., is studio executive at Allen Interactions, a custom designer and developer of e-learning solutions. Previously, Chad was senior e-learning designer at Wilson Learning Corporation and vice president of product development at Mastery Point Learning Systems.

Alison Lee Freeman (CFA’83) of Georgetown, Maine, is a chantey singer who mixes traditional songs of the sea with renovated folk songs. Visit her Web site at www.alisonleefreeman.com.

Suzanne (Horowitz) Meyer (COM’83, CGS’81) of Mooresville, N.C., is the author of The Complete Guide to Owning and Operating a Successful Welcome Service Business, a business manual available at www.welcomeservicebusiness.com. She is the founder of the Welcome Committee, an advertising and marketing firm targeting newcomers to the Charlotte region. Suzanne lives with her husband, Bryan, and their three children. Contact her at welcomecomittee@alltel.net.

James McDonald (SMG’84) of Southington, Conn., is vice president of Related Management, a real estate company in New York City. He is also an adjunct professor of real estate accounting in the real estate graduate program at New York University, and is an officer in the New York City chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management. Contact James at jmcdonald@related.com.

Bridget Brodie (COM’85), of Scottsdale, Ariz., was recently promoted to vice president of SPARK, a national marketing and communications branding firm based in Tempe, Ariz. She has been with SPARK since 2001. She has grown the company’s client base nationally, launched a monthly magazine for the firm, and established and overseen the company’s charitable foundation. She has three sons and is active with her church’s youth programs.

Maureen Amaral Gay (CFA’85) of Dunstable, Mass., continues to perform on clarinet, saxophone, and flute throughout New England, appearing with classical and theater organizations. Recently she was the featured clarinetist in the Anne Murray show. She has performed with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Lyric Opera Company and at the Providence Performing Arts Center and the North Shore Music Theatre. E-mail her at maureenamaral@aol.com.

Robyn (Weisen) Landis (COM’85) of Vashon, Wash., a songwriter, author, and environmental advocate, placed first in the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Songwriting Competition and second in the acoustic/folk category in the Unisong International Songwriting Competition, in summer 2006. She has won 24 songwriting honors since her first CD was released in November 2004. Check out Robyn’s music at www.shortandsweetmusic.com or contact her at rlandis@drizzle.com.

Melissa Maxwell (CFA’85) of New York, N.Y., writes that her play, Salt in a Wound, was nominated for five Black Theater Alliance Awards in 2006: best play, best writing of a play, best leading actress in a play, best featured actress, and best lighting design. Visit Melissa’s Web site at www.melissamaxwell.com.

Scott Weighart (CAS’85) of Brookline, Mass., is a faculty member in Northeastern University’s cooperative education department. He recently published Exceeding Expectaions: Mastering the Seven Keys to Professional Success (Mosaic Eye Publishing, 2006). His first book, Find Your First Professional Job: A Guide for Co-ops, Interns, and Full-Time Job Seekers (Mosaic Eye Publishing) was published in 2005. Scott is also the primary BU hockey correspondent for the Web site U.S. College Hockey Online (www.uscho.com).

Joseph Zaks (LAW’85,’89) of Naples, Fla., a partner in the law firm Roetzel & Andress, wrote a chapter on estate planning for the book Inside the Minds: Best Practices for Structuring Trusts and Estates (Aspatore Books).

Bruce Blake (COM’86) of Boston, Mass., is a senior writer and account executive for the Plymouth Rock Group of Companies, an insurance and financial services firm based in Boston. E-mail Bruce at bbblake@hotmail.com.

Valerie (Wall) Hedrick (CFA’86) of Concord, Calif., announces the birth of Rhys Joseph Hedrick on August 17, 2006. “Rhys was born at home and welcomed immediately by siblings Calvin, Patti, and Mark Hedrick, and daddy Andre Hedrick,” Valerie writes. “He’s been listening to choral music since before birth and currently accompanies me to choir practice every Thursday and Sunday.” E-mail her at valandre@astound.net.

Steve Pohoryles (SMG’86) of Rockville, Md., is a mortgage loan officer with Beacon Mortgage, a division of American Home Bank, N.A. He and his wife, Cindy, have three children, Anna, 9, Joseph, 5, and Jillian, 3. E-mail Steve at spohoryles@ebeaconmortgage.com.

Mandy (Kerman) Rittenberg (COM’86, CGS’84) of Weston, Fla., lives with her husband, Jay, and their three sons, Grant, Logan, and Blake. She writes, “I would love to hear from any old friends, especially the gang from Myles!” Contact Mandy at touchdownmom3@aol.com.

Cornell William Brooks (STH’87) of Lake Ridge, Va., is senior pastor of Saint Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church in Reston, Va. He is also an attorney, serving as senior counsel for the Office of the Inspector General of the Federal Communications Commission. E-mail him at cornellwilliambrooks@aya.yale.edu.

Anne Birge James (SAR’87) of New Hartford, Conn., is an associate professor of occupational therapy at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, Mass. Previously, she was an assistant professor for the graduate program in occupational therapy at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and on the faculty of the University of Hartford, the University of Puget Sound, and the School of Rehabilitation Medicine of the University of Washington.

Michael Travis (COM’87) of South Hadley, Mass., announces the birth of his daughter, Ambiana Snow, on January 9, 2006. “I am a stay-at-home dad and love every minute of it,” he writes. “I also work part-time from home managing an e-commerce website. I invite my former classmates to check out our blog at www.lifewithmochiandcolleen.blogspot.com.” Contact Michael at mochi17@msn.com.

John Jeffire (SED’88) of Clinton Township, Mich., writes that his novel Motown Burning (Trafford Publishing, 2006) received its first local review, in thedetroiter.com. “Motown Burning is raw — the emotions, powerful, and the images, brutal,” the reviewer wrote. “The dialogue is coarse and gritty and paints an uncompromising portrait of war. It is through this language and Jeffire’s rich imagination that history comes to life.”

Paige Wilds Kern (COM’88, CGS’86) of Los Angeles, Calif., is vice president of marketing at Careers Partners, a professional talent management and human capital deployment company. Previously, Paige was manager of creative advertising at Artisan Entertainment. She earned an M.B.A. at Loyola Marymount University last May. Contact her at paige.wilds@thecareerpartners.com.

Keith Robinson (CAS’88) of Greensboro, N.C., division regulatory manager for Vaspar Corporation, recently was recognized by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) for his efforts to increase safety. Keith was “key in mobilizing the ASSE North Carolina members to support a bill that would ban youths under the age of 18 from using cell phones while driving,” according to the ASSE. The law was passed last summer.

Georgette Geller-Petro (CAS’89) of Mahwah, N.J., was appointed divisional executive vice president for the northeast division of AXA Advisors LLC and manager of its Stamford, Conn., branch. She lives with her husband, Walter, and their two children, Adam and Julia.

William Krekstein (SMG’89) of Ambler, Pa., is a partner at Nelson, Levine, de Luca & Horst in Blue Bell, Pa., a national law firm devoted to the insurance industry. In September 2006, William was a featured speaker at the international Association of Special Investigative Units 21st Annual Seminar and Expo on Insurance Fraud.

Karen Levine (GRS’89) of Bedford, Mass., is a psychology instructor at Harvard Medical School and clinical director of autism and developmental disabilities at the Cambridge Health Alliance’s Children’s Center for Child Adolescent Development. She was recently one of two recipients of an $80,000 grant from the Deborah Monroe Noonan Memorial Fund, which funds innovative and collaborative research, demonstration projects, and pilot studies designed to improve the quality of life for children with disabilities. She and her collaborators will study a new drama-based social pragmatic intervention approach to teaching social skills to adolescents with developmental disorders.