Brandeis Magazine

An embroidery piece created by Naomi Katz Spinak was part of the 2024 International Juried Exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster, New Jersey. The piece, “American Sampler,” is part of Naomi’s fiber-art series on gun violence.

Richard Maletsky is executive vice president and general counsel at financial services firm Hilco Global. He lives in Highland Park, Illinois, with his wife, Heidi Sachs, and their children, David, Max, and Hannah.

Dori Robinson served as assistant director of the 2023 production of “The Band’s Visit” at Boston’s Huntington Theatre.

David Salama, Heller MBA’24, reports he is enjoying being back at Brandeis as a student in the Executive MBA for Physicians program. “I even had the opportunity be a student of Stuart Altman a second time, after having taken his undergraduate class,” he writes.

Larkin Tackett is executive adviser at MAYA Consulting, which he founded in 2017. The organization helps nonprofits, communities, and educators make meaningful, sustainable impact. Larkin is also the founder of BEN Systems Leadership Coaching, which helps clients learn how to see and use their strengths.

Aliza Saivetz Glasser works in the education department at the Concord Museum, in Concord, Massachusetts.

Michael Schakow, GSAS MA’01, is deputy general counsel at Rivada Networks, a communications technology business working to launch a secure network of 600 low-earth- orbit satellites. He and wife Sarah live with sons Jack (5) and Noam (2) in Rockville, Maryland.

Catherine Walker was a finalist for the 2024 National Teacher of the Year award, given by the Council of Chief State School Officers. Earlier, she was named the 2024 Alaska Teacher of the Year.

Rachel Fiorill is a partner at global law firm Morrison Foerster. She is a member of the litigation department and the national security group, based in Washington D.C.

Pediatrician Eliza Agrest Varadi is chapter immunization representative in the South Carolina chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a member of the executive committee for AAP’s section on administration and practice management. She plans to bring son Daniel, a high school junior, to Brandeis for a campus tour.

Antonella Di Lillo, GSAS PhD’10, is a computer science professor at Brandeis.

An associate in Goldman Sachs’ portfolio management group, Jeremy Scher organized his firm’s booth at Brandeis’ 2023 Business, Consulting, and Finance Virtual Career Fair. The Brandeis alumni from his firm who participated had one-on-one sessions with 30 students. Jeremy is also a graduate student mentor at Brandeis International Business School.

Kat Shea was assistant stage manager for the Classic Stage Company off-Broadway production of “I Can Get It for You Wholesale,” a revival of the musical that made Barbra Streisand a star. The production ran last year from October to December.

Landscape paintings created by Abraham Storer while he was living with family in southern Poland were exhibited at the Wellfleet Adult Community Center, in Massachusetts.

Grace Allendorf became engaged to Karl Pedersen on June 10, 2023. Karl proposed on a Cape Cod beach Grace has enjoyed since she was a child.

Matthew Bloom left his role in traditional finance to become a director focused on digital-asset compliance at Fidelity Investments. He says the change was partly inspired by the LinkedIn posts of Meredith Bodgas, who is now a colleague.

Evan Graber is the fellowship program director in the pediatric endocrine program at Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware.

Adam Herman is associate dean for admissions and student affairs at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. Previously, he led Rice University’s MBA academic programs and student experience. He says he looks forward to reconnecting with Brandeis and Boston-based Brandeisians.

Travis Seifman left his postdoc at the University of Tokyo to become an associate professor at Ritsumeikan University’s Art Research Center, in Kyoto, Japan.

Ali Brand Stern was elected to the Beachwood, Ohio, city council last November.

Sarah Kaplan is the compliance officer at the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey.

Zach Reff and wife Cassidy welcomed their first child, Miles Calvin, in April 2023.

Arnon Shorr is the author of “Brother’s Keeper,” a comic-book short story based on his grandfather’s experience during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. The book is available as an e-book and in print. Arnon holds two creative-writing fellowships this year, through the Jewish Writers’ Initiative Screenwriters Lab and PJ Library’s Sephardic Stories Initiative.

Marissa Collins earned a Master of Science in data science from the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering in December 2023.

Meryl Kahan married Ethan Leifer in Woodbury, New York, in September 2023. The following month, she opened her own gynecology and medical aesthetics practice, called SheMD, in Little Neck.

Zachary Masi welcomed daughter Talia Romana on Oct. 19, 2023.

Sarah (Eisenhandler) McGinley is a member of the Bedford, Massachusetts, school committee. She lives in Bedford with her husband, U.S. Air Force Gen. Michael McGinley, and their children, Elle, Claire, and Finnian.

Ava Morgenstern is an associate attorney practicing immigration law at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, in Washington, D.C.

Jessie Pressman is head of consulting at People + Practice, a marketing agency that works with orthodontists, pediatric dentists, and general dentists.

Richard Abott and wife Rebecca welcomed their first child, Eliana, in April 2023.

Leah Berkenwald, Benjamin Sandler, and their friend Sam Aguirre have written a humorous miniseries podcast, “A Feminist Romance Novel Podcast! Temptations at Sweetwater Creek.” According to its description, the series follows what happens when three friends staying at a Texas ranch “are whipped into a frenzy of sex, doubt, and betrayal.”

Jonathan Fischer is the arts and entertainment editor at The Washington Post. Previously, he ran the business, tech, and media section at Slate. He and wife Abra have two daughters, Ayla, 2, and Amalia, 5.

In January, Rachel Hillman was named a Wexner Field Fellow, part of a three-year leadership-development program funded through the Wexner Foundation, which seeks to address pressing issues facing the Jewish community. Rachel is associate director of Northwestern Hillel, in Evanston, Illinois.

Ian Turetsky is a partner at law firm Reed Smith in its New York City office, working as a litigator in the global commercial disputes group.

Sarah Brin is the co-founder of Good Afternoon, a design consultancy specializing in technology and immersive experiences for the cultural sector. She’s been accepted as a full voting member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Rabbi Danielle Eskow; Myla Green, GSAS MA’21/Heller MBA’21; Simon Luxemburg, GSAS MA’21/Heller MBA’21; and Ana Sazonov, GSAS MA’21/ Heller MBA’21, have developed an app called Jewber (the name is a play on “Uber”), which delivers free Shabbat and holiday meals to Holocaust survivors in the Greater Boston area. The effort began during the COVID pandemic.

Rachel Gold is a principal in the carbon-free electricity practice at RMI, an organization dedicated to research, consulting, and lecturing in the field of sustainability. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her partner, Mark.

Kara (Manson) Hume and husband Patrick ’07, welcomed a daughter, Phoebe Carlisle, on Aug. 25, 2023. Kara is a literary manager at a Beverly Hills management and production company. Patrick is a client operations director at a global media localization company. The family lives in Van Nuys, California.

This fall, Emily Kadar and Dave Colonna welcomed the arrival of a daughter. The family lives in New York City, where Emily is director of women’s affairs for New York’s Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Joseph Levitan is an associate professor in the integrated studies in education department at McGill University, in Montreal.

Patrick Mathews is the senior vice president, finance and investments, at Charter Senior Living. Previously, he was executive vice president, finance and business development, at Aviva Senior Living.

Jeffrey Stein and Vanessa Palma were married at the Bendel Mansion, in Stamford, Connecticut, on Sept. 29, 2023. Jeffrey writes, “We received almost 8 inches of rain that day, which will surely be a sign of great joy in our marriage.”

After years of trying, Eric Trachtenberg finally took first place in his fantasy football league, as Tony Ivanov ’09, IBS MA’11; Bobby Morse ’09; and Nelson Rutrick ’09 watched in dismay. Rounding out the league were Jeremy Krell ’09 and Max Wallach ’09, IBS MA’10, who tied for last place. Eric attributes his success to the autodraft.

Jeremy Botwinick and wife Tamara welcomed son Aaron Michael in July 2023.

Stacey Steiner married her high school sweetheart in a small ceremony in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Oct. 15, 2023.

Sierra (Kagen) Zanghi is a freelance court reporter in the Seattle area. She also serves on state and national committees attempting to combat the spread of AI in the justice system and defend equal representation in the legal record. She and husband Angelo welcomed a new baby in September 2023.