Alumni notes
An appeal to the COA alumni community on behalf of Julián Vélez Álvarez ’15
In December 2024, Julián Vélez Álvarez ’15 was involved in a serious hit-and-run car accident in his hometown in Mexico. Over the course of life-saving surgery, Julián lost his left leg to amputation. While Julián and his family and friends are deeply grateful that he survived, the road to recovery and rehabilitation is daunting and costly.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support Julián’s path to recovery. The aspiration is that with the right support, he will not only recover his day-to-day mobility and independence but also find his way back to the activities which bring him so much joy and purpose: dancing, martial arts, fencing, and climbing. Support Julián through a direct donation to the campaign.
1976
Craig Kesselheim ’76 and his wife, Beth Dilley, spent 2024 visiting one of Maine's 16 counties each month. They randomly picked county, month, date, and a letter of the alphabet out of envelopes on their 42nd anniversary, and then matched those random letters to towns within the selected county. (Somerset County "F" = Fairfield). They have four more counties to hit in 2025. Despite 30+ years as Maine residents (mostly in Southwest Harbor) they have learned a ton of new geography and history, found a lot of hidden beauty, traveled miles of two-lane roads, befriended many strangers, and eaten at diners, take-outs, restaurants, and inns along the way. They dubbed their local adventures, "New to ME."
1977
Alexandra (Brown) Conover Bennett ’77 was recently presented with an award by Maine Governor Janet Mills and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Deputy Commissioner Tim Peabody. It reads: “It is with deep respect that I announce Alexandra Conover Bennett as a 2024 recipient of the Fly Rod Crosby Outdoor Lifetime Achievement Award. Alexandra is well known in the North Maine Woods. She has embodied the spirit of the quintessential Maine guide for over 45 years. She has mentored many in a variety of outdoor skills, and to this day continues an apprentice program that teaches her students the art of carving a wooden paddle. Always a champion of conservation, she has fought to keep the Maine woods accessible and available for all… It is for her dedication to passing on a Maine Way of Life, her love of mentoring all in the outdoors, her impeccable outdoor skills she readily shares, and her commitment to education and teaching new generations the importance of self-reliance, conservation, and expertise in the outdoors that I proudly present her with this award.”
1979
Andrea Lepcio ’79 left her position as health and fitness director at the Neighborhood House to focus on her online fitness business, Mighty Fit, and to have more time to write. She lives in Bar Harbor with her mom, who will be 90 in April. “It's like watching my future flash before my eyes,” she says, “but all lovely and nice to have this time together.”
1985
This year, Neil Mick ’85 received his fifth degree black belt in Aikido. As a visual artist who has been featured in Who's Who in American Art, his work has been shown in galleries and shows across the country.
“Hi everyone!” writes Cynthia Chisolm ’85. “I’ve been living and teaching kindergarten in North Carolina for the past 12 years and loving every minute of it. I had major spinal surgery in April and I’m relatively pain free for the first time in over three years. I’m considering retirement in a couple of years and moving back to New England. My dream is to live in a cohousing community and paint full-time. I’d love to hear from you, old friends!”
1991
Rebekah (Resnick) Padgett ’91 is still in Seattle working for the state’s Department of Ecology and recently took on a new role as statewide lead on aquatic permitting for clean energy. “As I write this, I’m visiting South India for a wedding function and enjoying time with the family that adopted me while I was doing socioeconomic research here on sabbatical in 2019-2020.”
1992
Christie Denzel Anastasia ’92 has worn many hats for the National Park Service (NPS) across the country. She was present at the Frances Perkins National Monument proclamation signing in Washington, DC on December 16, 2024, and she is now the program manager for the Perkins monument, which is the newest NPS site in Maine. This national monument will inspire current and future generations to understand and uphold the government's role in providing social justice and economic security for all. One woman can change the world.
Darron Collins ’92 has co-edited a volume called Unfurling Unflattening that will be released by MIT Press in 2025. That volume, a look at how Nick Sousanis's graphic novel Unflattening has been used throughout higher education, also includes a piece Darron authored called “The Profound Nudge” that details the use of Unflattening in COA's Human Ecology Core Course. Additionally, Darron has joined the Cromwell Harbor Foundation as its first executive director. He is working with long-time COA trustee and former Board of Trustees chair Will Thorndike in this role. The foundation is dedicated to supporting early career scholars and the newest, most innovative nonprofits around the globe.
1997
Walking along Seabury Drive in Bar Harbor on December 19, 2024, George and Kelly Dickson MPhil ’97 ran into some familiar faces: Nishi Rajakaruna ’94, who was visiting Bruce Hazam ’92 and Atsuko Watabe ’93 for a few days before his annual Christmas visit with professor emerita Anne Kozak. The unexpected mini-reunion made for an enjoyable morning.
1999
Over the past two years, Ben Lord ’99 has written and voiced a collection of audio essays on his podcast, I Heart This. They focus on appreciation, complexity, and wonder. He is also a science instructional coach for a school district in southern Vermont where he lives with his amazing wife Laura Casey ’01 and his two daughters.
2000
In December, Jude Lamb ’00 participated in the Bangor Authors' Book Fair and Literary Festival. Her historical fiction book, Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry, is the story of two fatherless boys, set in 1875, not long after the American Civil War. They find many adventures while trying to avoid work, including encounters with cannon balls, old bones, a snake, a polecat, a mysterious book, and dancing pigs. “The thread of the story is based on a time in my great-grandfather's life, as told to my father who later passed it down to me. I turned it into a rollicking adventure story, aimed at 8–12-year-olds and the young at heart. Included in the back matter of the book is the original story, as told to my father, as well as photos of my great-grandfather. One photo includes me… yes, I am old, but he lived to be 97, and I was 10 when he died!”
2001
Rachel Worthen ’01 is now the real estate officer for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. She continues to pursue her love of photography and darkrooms and will be participating in a photography show about small (population 999–2000) towns in Arkansas in fall 2025.
2002
Julia Rowe ’02 has been promoted to senior scientist at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
2003
New job! Zhuna Atkinson ’03 is the new liaison between Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 10 and the State of Idaho regarding all things mitigation and resilience. The position is embedded in the Idaho Office of Emergency Management in Boise. Idaho’s primary natural hazards are flooding, wildfires, and severe winter storms. Zhuna’s job is to facilitate risk analysis relationships between local communities and subject matter experts and to ease the burden of applying for and managing FEMA grants. The goal is to prevent loss of life and lessen damage to built and natural environments before a disaster event occurs.
2008
Jessica Hardy ’08 is currently working as a lifestyle medicine specialist at a longevity-based medical practice in Manhattan helping her patients improve their overall quality of life through the use of nutrition, exercise, and mental health support. Very human ecological! Outside of work, Jessica is actively pursuing ballet training and is set to perform this spring as The Wicked Witch in a local production of The Wizard of Oz. She is also teaching at her ballet studio, offering classes in nutrition, body awareness, and stage presence. November brought a great new adventure: Jessica married her best friend, Colin! They celebrated their love surrounded by friends and family in a speakeasy-themed wedding in New Jersey where they live with their dog, Honey.
2009
Tatiana Aguayo ’09 writes: “Fellow alumni, it makes me so happy to introduce to you my new project, Proyecto Más Animal, which seeks to benefit the animals of Colombia. This is a dream come true! After many years of learning through travel, volunteering, and working at different charities, I decided that 2024 was the right time to start something of my own. I firmly believe that more can be achieved through teamwork, and this is why Proyecto Más Animal looks for collaborations with different charities and foster homes to trap-neuter-return feral cats, find homes, and educate people to benefit the cats and dogs of Colombia. Please follow the project on Instagram at @proyecto_mas_animal, where I will be sharing this important mission. THANK YOU!"
Tess Faller ’09 and her partner Dave welcomed the birth of their son River last December. They live and work at an expedition school and organic farm in New Hampshire.
In December, Neith Little ’09, husband Andrew Davis, and daughter Eloise Davis welcomed Leona Davis to the family. They live in Maryland, in a suburb of Baltimore, where Neith works for the Cooperative Extension Service.
On September 3, 2024, Lisa Kay Rosenthal ’09 and her husband welcomed their daughter, Margo Eloise Rosenthal, into the world and their family through adoption. “Margo is curious, playful, and starts every day with a smile and a wiggle. We couldn't be happier to be a family of three!”
2010
Nina Wish Adler ’10 and David Adler welcomed baby Nathan Jethro to the family. Big sister Diana is thrilled. David, a structural engineer with Silman Structural Solutions, recently completed work on COA’s new campus renovation project. They are excited to bring the kids for a campus visit soon!
Aly Bell ’10 and Christian Millan Hernandez are overjoyed to share the adoption of their daughter, Maria Frances Millan Bell.
In May, Robin Kuehn ’10 earned a master's degree in anthrozoology through Canisius University. She’s currently settled with her partner in Highland, New York, working in wolf conservation and serving as a community fellow with PAN Works, a center for ethics and policy dedicated to the wellbeing of animals.
2011
Dylan Pugh ’11 writes: “Hello! I was recently elected to the Maine House of Representatives, representing District 114 in Portland. Alan Fernald ’11 was a core advisor to my campaign. I am also continuing my work as a software engineer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.”
Hazel Stark ’11 writes to announce that “Maine Outdoor School celebrated eight years in business, moved our main office to Ellsworth, and welcomed two new staff members! Also, I bought a house, moved to Surry, and was named one of Mainebiz's '40 Under 40' honorees!’”
2013
Carly Segal ’13 successfully defended her master’s thesis on biodiversity and community ecology in Yellowstone National Park and started a PhD program in ecology and environmental sciences.
In summer 2024, Kate Shlepr ’13 bought a house in the Michiana region of northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan, near her extended family. Her two newly adopted cats and an ever-growing postcard collection are making it feel like a home. Kate is approaching the end of her second year working for the Government Accountability Office where she evaluates science and technology for the US Congress. She would like to direct a cheerful "Hello!" to all her COA acquaintances, and wishes everyone a happy and healthy year to come.
2015
Nadia Kasparek ’15 and James Crawford ’15 were thrilled to welcome baby Arthur in March 2024. They are currently living in Rockland.
2016
Ariana Ybanez ’16 gave birth to her first child with the support of her husband José. Francisco Laan Ybanez (Isko, Francis, or FLY for short) was born December 18, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.
2017
Aneesa Khan ’17 and George Perry were married by Nathan Thanki ’14 in a beautiful ceremony with family and friends in London on June 1, 2024.
2018
Hilary Rose Dawson ’18 recently graduated with a PhD from the University of Oregon and moved overseas for a postdoctoral position at The Australian National University, where she is researching how subalpine tree dieback affects carbon and water cycles in southeastern Australia.
Lights Out, co-founded by Karlë Woods ’18, is a nonprofit arts organization that has been making an impact on the Maine art scene since its inception in 2021. The Lights Out Gallery, known for pop-up shows in unusual and temporary spaces, has grown to inhabit a vintage snowshoe factory in Norway, Maine. The future site to a community art center has grown with two more COA alums, Ben Troutman ’24 and Cordelia Perry ’24, who are co-directing the 2025 Norway Maine Arts Festival. They are striving to showcase exceptional and unique art coming from Maine artisans and craftspeople while building connections to make art more accessible in western Maine.
Hakim Noah ’18 married his love Jesse Rose Komaromi on September 21, 2024 on her tribe's reservation in Kent, Connecticut. They live in Leverett, Massachusetts, where Hakim continues to expand his business, Amherst Massage Therapy. He offers myofascial bodywork, foundation training, coaching, and psychedelic integration/education, which he writes about at littlemushroom.org.
Since leaving COA, Kat Thongdara ’18 got a Master Gardener certification for King County Washington, and is currently finishing her Master Naturalist certification for West Virginia. “I’m currently in Charleston, West Virginia working for Pollen8, a nonprofit that seeks to break the cycle of addiction through treatment, prevention, and reintegration programs for women in recovery. I am the farm manager for their social enterprise Cultiv8, through which I care for and plan out the farm and gardens of Pollen8. I hold community educational workshops on topics such as vermicomposting, propagation, and hydroponics, and I teach our clients cultivation skills, sustainable practice in and out of the garden, and farming and gardening basics. Cultiv8 grows all the food for our farm-to-table restaurant Cafe Appalachia, where we serve a greater purpose with every meal and where together we grow, feed, and teach.”
2023
Over the past year and a half, Gloria Atondeh ’23 has been navigating her professional journey with a mix of challenges and growth opportunities. Two months after graduating, she landed a role as an accounting analyst but left after three months due to unfair treatment. A week later, she secured a position with a different company where she was responsible for implementing cost-saving strategies, only to lose the position when her Optional Practical Training visa expired. This motivated her to pursue further education and work toward a master’s degree in business analytics. By September 2024, she had rejoined the same company as a financial systems analyst. Her dedication and strong work ethic were recognized by the senior vice president, who welcomed her back without hesitation; she was promoted to business project manager just two months later. Currently, she is balancing her role as a manager with her studies, and is on track to graduate in July. She is excited for what lies ahead!
