Class Notes

If you have an announcement that you’d like to share with the Friedman School community, submit it as a Class Note. Write to us about what you’ve been up to – seeing fellow alumni, traveling, getting married, having a baby, or changing jobs – we love to hear from you. Your submissions are all the more meaningful at a time when it is more important than ever to stay connected.

This is an archive of older class notes. View the latest class notes.

class notes by year

Azamra Ellie

Jeremy Edelman

2020

My wife, Becca, and I recently had our first child! Azamra Ellie was born in August and we’re so lucky to have her in our lives. She’s already showing interest in Friedman School subjects. :)

Sara Scinto-Madonich

2018

Sara is now a member of the USDA's Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review (NESR) team, the research synthesis and review component of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP). The NESR team conducts systematic reviews to inform federal food and nutrition policies and programs like the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, nutrition education initiatives, and nutrition assistance programs.

Megan Maisano

2018

We're excited to share that we welcomed our first baby, Madeline, to the world this summer!

Emilia Petrucci, N18

2018

Emilia Petrucci, N18, and Kevin Sochovka were married in New Jersey on October 20, 2018. The couple recently moved back to New Jersey, where Emilia is completing her rotations to become a registered dietitian and Kevin works at BlackRock.

Eva (Evie) Tomczyk

2017

In April 2020, I started working as an IRB Administrator at Tufts Medical Center.

Caitlin Matthews, N17, AG17

2017

Caitlin Matthews, N17, AG17, has been serving as Food Systems Coordinator for Tri-County Health Department in the Denver metro area since October 2018. She is responsible for a three-year grant focused on community-driven policy, systems, and environmental change to increase food access at the neighborhood level.

Kerry Criss N17 and Diana Licalzi N17

2017

Drinking for Two, written by alumnae Kerry Criss N17 and Diana Licalzi N17 hit shelves in September 2019. The book advocates the important message of abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy while providing nutritious, non-alcoholic drink recipes. In addition to over 45 recipes the book includes a robust nutrition primer about nutrition during pregnancy.

Dylan Anderson-Berens, N17

2017

Dylan Anderson-Berens, N17, is relieved and excited to say he was hired by CIAT-CCAFS (CGIAR) to research and write a guide to climate resilience for food and ag company members at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Linsey Hartenstein

2016 (MNSP)

Graduated from Yale New Haven Hospital's Dietetic Internship in 2018. Currently working at Whiting Forensic Hospital, a maximum security and enhanced security inpatient psychiatric hospital, providing medical nutrition therapy to adults involved in the Connecticut criminal justice system.

Mireille Najjar

2016

Mireille Najjar, N16, relocated to Southern California, where she earned her Master of Public Health inNutrition from Loma Linda University and became an RD. Mireille began her career as a clinical dietitian at a long-term acute care hospital in the Los Angeles Area, providing specialized nutrition care for critically ill and medically complex patients.

Deeana Ijaz

2016

We welcome a healthy baby girl, Isra Sehr Ahmed on January 17, 2020.

Krista (Zillmer) Lang, N16

2016

Krista (Zillmer) Lang, N16, and husband, Jake, welcomed their first child, Monica Louise, in December.

Deeana Ijaz, N16, MG16

2016

Deeana Ijaz, N16, MG16 began her PhD in Behavioral Nutrition at Teachers College, Columbia University this past Fall. She is currently doing research on the Return to Scratch Cooking Pilot happening in two schools in the Bronx and will be starting her dissertation research this upcoming year to investigate the connections between nutrition and cognition in early childhood.

Julianne Burkholder, N16

2016

Julianne Burkholder, N16, and Seth Burkholder welcomed a baby boy, Leo Michael Burkholder, on November 20th, 2018.

Kate Olender, N15

2015

Kate Olender, N15, moved to Minneapolis, MN and joined Cargill's Corporate Responsibility + Sustainable Development team as the Partnerships Manager, where she focuses on building and strengthening the company's partnerships with NGOs and IGOs around global nutrition, agriculture, and sustainability.

Alison Cross, N15, MG15

2015

Alison Cross, N15, MG15, found that her small community-based project evolved into a full-time commitment in the field of food recovery after graduation. She works independently as a facilitator of food recovery initiatives in several of Boston's metro-west communities.

The purpose of food recovery initiatives is to redirect food waste, that would otherwise end up in the landfill, to food insecure populations. About 40% of the food produced on farms in the U.S. ends up in the landfill, producing toxic methane gases. Much of that food waste is serviceable surplus food (think: batch food in school cafeterias!).

Meanwhile, 1 in 7 Americans faces some degree of food insecurity, many of whom do not qualify for assistance programs such as SNAP. Alison is currently working with about 40 schools, universities, hospitals and continuing care retirement facilities to redirect their wasted food (food recovery initiatives also include composting actual food waste). To date, the redirected surplus food generates about 30,000 meals/year being made available to those in need; the potential (of the communities with whom she is working) is upwards of 100,000 meals/year.

She is also preparing to publish a website this summer - FoodForth - which will address a multitude of food-related issues, from sustainable farming of our food, to food waste in America - and what to do about it - to optimizing the nutritional value of the food we eat. Through her work, and through foodforth.com, Alison hope to raise awareness about food waste, heighten appreciation for the food we have, and empower people to reduce food waste and food insecurity.

Audrey (Esser) Perkins, N14, MG14

2014

Audrey (Esser) Perkins, N14, MG14, and her husband welcomed their daughter Lily Grey Perkins on December 1st, 2018!

Seth (Coburn) Cowan, N14

2014

Seth (Coburn) Cowan, N14, will be starting his dietetic internship with Sodexo in the DC area this upcoming fall.

Andrea Guillot, N11

2011

Andrea Guillot, N11, and fiancé, Derek Gaston, welcomed their baby boy, Eli Ray Gaston, on December 5, 2018.

Jessica (Hachstadt) Sylvester, A08, N10

2010

Jessica (Hachstadt) Sylvester, A08, N10, and husband, Josh, welcomed their second baby, a boy, Coby, into their family. Bis sister, Sarit, is thrilled with the new addition!

Grace Phelan, N05

2005

Grace Phelan, N05, was recently awarded a program citation for excellence in teaching at Tufts.

Dylan Rebholz Arbour

Casey Rebholz, A03, N18

2003

Casey Rebholz, A03, N18, and Ryan Arbour welcomed their first child, Dylan Rebholz Arbour, on Friday, November 9, 2018 at 5:37 PM. He weighed 7 lbs and 15 oz at birth.

Sai Krupa Das, NG02

2002

Sai Krupa Das, NG02, received the HNRCA’s 2018 Rob Russell Award for Mid-career Research Excellence. She was also promoted to Associate Professor at the Friedman School and mentored this year’s Gershoff prize recipient.

Kimberly Altman, N00

2000

Kimberly Altman, N00, received the Tomorrow’s Leaders Award for 2018 from the Greater NY Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In addition to raising close to $20,000 in sponsorships, her Our Great Strides walk team also raised over $10,000 for the CF Foundation + the amount raised for the other events she participated in (Cycle for Life, TD 5 Boro Bike Tour, CF Climb). It was a big honor being recognized at the annual meeting!