1989

Thanks to so many of you for quickly responding to my broadcast request for news. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did.

Evelyn Leon Infurna checked in from Connecticut to say: "I am working at a REIT securities fund called Cornerstone, a sub of Mass Mutual. We manage $300 million in real estate securities as well as a REIT retail mutual fund for Oppenheimer Funds (also a sub of Mass Mutual). I came to the buy side after five years as a sell-side analyst covering REITs at Bankers Trust and all of its subsequent metamorphoses and mergers. My office is 10 minutes from my home in Darien, Conn., where I have lived with my husband, Ed, for the last eight years (married for nine). We have two wonderful girls, Camille, 4 1/2, and Isabel, 2 1/2.

"I seldom see anyone from our class, except Anne Clarke and Jamie Selldorff (in order of frequency!). Sky Runser has been great at keeping in touch and visiting when on business trips out East. I sometimes run into John Lutzius at industry events. And when I was a commuter I would see Dan Murphy on the train. Occasionally I run into both him and Julie at various events in town. My latest Kellogg sighting was Jim Bishop at the Equinox, the new local gym in town." (EInfurna@cornerstoneadvisors.com)

Mark Sneider writes that he was promoted in January to general manager of AcuPOLL Research Inc. in Cincinnati, managing its domestic research and consulting businesses. He recently had the opportunity to share a soda with Dean Dipak Jain when he was in town, which he says "was a very special treat. He's a great guy and super for the University!" (mark@acupoll.com)

Brian Moriarty wrote: "I'm now approaching my two-year anniversary with Sun Microsystems as head of business affairs. I negotiate all our mergers and acquisitions transactions. I really enjoy working at Sun and have learned a lot about the technology business in the process. My wife, Kris, and I love living in the Bay Area. Our son, Sean, is now a robust, stubborn and wonderful 3-year-old and the joy of our lives." (brian_moriarty@yahoo.com)

Tom Janda still lives in Minneapolis (where he's been since graduation) with his wife, Chris, and their children, Kate, 6, and Will, 4. Tom writes: "After 14 years working with two firms, I started my own consulting practice in early 2003 focusing on healthcare strategy. All is well, and I have achieved several of my goals, including developing more local business, which means less travel. I'd love to hear from others at TJanda@mn.rr.com."

In 2003, Karin O'Connor left the investment business after nearly 20 years to launch Perimeter Advisors, a strategy consulting firm. She writes: "I work exclusively with owner/operators in the smaller end of the middle market ($5 million to $50 million in annual revenues), helping them crystallize their goals as owners and then develop and execute a plan for achieving these goals. I'm finding my finance background especially useful, as it tends to bring a brand-new perspective to owners whose strengths are in sales and operations.

"On the personal side, Paul and I adopted our 3-year-old daughter from China in 2001 and are having a great time as parents. We're living in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood and continue to love all that city life has to offer. I joined the Kellogg Alumni Advisory Board several years ago and enjoy my semiannual trips back to campus. So many new programs and options --- I often wish I could start over! Can't wait to hear what everyone else is up to." (karinoconnor@hotmail.com)

Robert Simmons had this to say: "I recently got dragged out of California kicking and screaming and moved to the Washington, D.C., area. I was made CFO of E*TRADE Financial last year, and the move was part of the deal. I have been with E*TRADE for nearly four years after a brief stroll through the wonderful world of startups. Living in Maryland has saved us lots of money --- anytime you feel like a sauna, you just walk outside. Class of '89 rocks!" (robert.simmons@etrade.com)

Barry Greenblatt checked in from Charlotte, where he works for Bank of America. "I am a managing director in our capital markets risk management group and support a number of the bank's structured and credit-derivative trading groups. I remain happily married to my wife of 15 years, Karen. We have twin boys, Jacob and Brandon, who are 8 and in third grade. We love the Carolinas, but do not get much opportunity to interact with other Kellogg '89 grads other than Tom Okel, who also works at Bank of America." (BarryGR@aol.com)

Hilary Glann and Sky Runser have had a busy but enjoyable year running a company, Ilima Partners (www.ilimapartners.com). Clients include startups and publicly traded companies, many in tech, with all benefiting from business/marketing strategy and implementation assistance. Running a business also has gone over well with their two sons, ages 11 and 9. (skyhil@pacbell.net)

From left, John Pollock ’89, Claire Pollock, Jil Robbins Pollock ’89 and Stewart Pollock at the Great Wall in Badaling, China, in June.

John Pollock and Jil (Robbins) Pollock sent in this update after figuring out that "the reason we are never in Kellogg World is that we never send anything in, so here you go. The Pollocks of Houston are doing great. I continue to manage the project finance portfolio for AIG, investing in power plants, toll roads, airports and just about everything in between. Jil is the class mom, Quicken guru and general COO of the family. In a Houston carpool line, she is easily identified --- surrounded by Suburbans and Hummers in her Prius with the 'Dubya's an Idiot' sticker. Her 13-year deal with United Airlines ended with bankruptcy (imagine that!), and she is busier than ever. Stewart is 11 and keenly interested in good books and X-Box. He responds to 'Master Chief' (for folks without the video game 'Halo,' --- think James Bond or the Terminator). Claire is 7 going on 17,and is deeply involved with Sponge Bob Square Pants and counting things (in Mandarin). The attached picture is from this summer in Badaling, China. Joe and Marianne Quoyeser live in the neighborhood and continue to be great friends from Kellogg." (jpollock57@yahoo.com)

Jeff Ward is yet another classmate to have launched his own business. He writes: "Life in Washington, D.C., is terrific. I left American Airlines in 2000 and established Northward Leadership and Development Inc. a bit later. My two partners and I provide organizational development consulting, leadership training, executive coaching and other related services to both the federal government and the private sector. We've an impressive client roster and our business has steadily grown each year. On the personal front, my Canadian life partner Michael Klein and I celebrated five years together by tying the knot on May 15 in Toronto. As Canada figures quite prominently in our long-term plans (read retirement), we decided to expedite my transborder entry process and make me 'legal' as we look northward (no pun intended). On May 29, we hosted quite the D.C. soiree, which was attended by a good showing of Kellogg 1989 grads (about12). I'm not going to name any names, as I will certainly forget someone." (jeff@northwardleadership.com)

Terri Alexander Whitman writes that "after eight years of being a full-time mom, I returned to work part time in marketing strategy for Huntington Bancshares Inc. Tom and I have two daughters, ages 12 and 10, and a 4 1/2-year-old son. One of their favorite places to visit is Chicago, where we stopped briefly this summer on our way to Hawaii for a family vacation. I wish I could say I was better at keeping in touch with fellow four-quarterers, but my lack of correspondence doesn't mean I don't think about them and wonder what they are up to." (tlwhitman@aol.com)

Michele Sherman Kalish is living in Larchmont, N.Y.,with her husband, Geoff, and kids Ben, 8, Eli, 5, and Lily, 2. She writes: "I am currently renovating our 'new' 100-year-old house, while still living in and maintaining our 'old' 85-year-old house. We hope to move in to the new house in March or April. Project management in the residential arena is a whole different ballgame than in the professional arena, especially while juggling the homefront. Yoga is my salvation. All the exciting professional news comes from my husband at this point in our lives. His firm, Venturion Capital, launched a private equity business in 1998 and is now in the process of launching a hedge fund and raising a second private equity fund, all specializing in financial service companies. I occasionally hear from Julie Williams Murphy, who is in Darien, Conn. Tiscia Eicher has abandoned me --- I don't even think I made her Christmas letter this year! I keep in touch with Brian Zalaznick '90, who is a bona fide financial superstar out in San Francisco.Glad to hear from anyone in the area." (Shermkal@aol.com)

Milton Young sent in this news from Houston: "After nine years at Whirlpool Corp., most recently as director for Whirlpool China procurement, I joined FMC Technologies as the global sourcing director for the subsea business. My wife, Angelica, and I relocated to Houston in May after she finished her MBA at Loyola University in Chicago. I was in Burlingame, Calif., in July and enjoyed a Friday evening barbecue at Paul and Mary Claire Meijer's house in Mountain View with Hilary Glann, Sky Runser and all the kids." (MiltonYoung@mailblocks.com)

Alex Baker writes from Boston to say he regrets that we didn't have a 15th class reunion. He says that "in June, thanks to the wisdom of the state of Massachusetts, my partner, Butch, and I were married. It seems appropriate that after 13 years together we finally have a legal relationship, if only within the boundaries of this state. It was a small, simple wedding with a justice of the peace in our backyard and a few family and friends. The rest of the summer has been good, including some time up in Maine and also on Cape Cod. Butch and I went to Jeff Ward's wedding reception in D.C., and it was beautifully done. They thought of every detail,right down to theKrispy Kreme doughnuts as a gift for everyoneas theyleft. Saw lots of Kellogg friends, some of whom I hadn't seen since graduation, which alsomade itwell worth the trip." (abaker@pchi.partners.org)

William Alderman wrote with the following news: "In March 2001, I started a boutique investment banking firm, Alderman & Co. LLC. We were in NYC for three years and just moved to suburbia.My commute has gone from an hour and forty minutes each way to 15 minutes.

"We are mergers and acquisitions advisers in the aerospace and defense industry, with a specific focus on companies under $150 million in revenue. We have done work for a few multibillion dollar companies, such as Goodrich Corp., but it is more common that we work with smaller companies. As a pilot who worked for five years at General Electric (which makes jet engines) and on Wall Street, I have a strong operational knowledge of the industry, as well as traditional investment-banking skills.Our small staff is composed of people with both Wall Street and operating backgrounds.Our work includes valuations, sell-side advisory, buy-side advisory and strategic and operational consulting. We have sat on the boards of companies and view ourselves as unique in our mix of operational and financial expertise.Our current sale mandates include manufacturing night-vision goggle equipment for the U.S. military and engine parts for military aircraft.

"I also serve as a member of the board of Alpha Growth & Opportunity Fund, which was created and is managed by Zain Naqi.Zain and I have stayed in contact since Kellogg, and we both started our own businesses at roughly the same time. Zain has been instrumental in guiding me through the good and bad times of having your own financial services business. For those Kellogg alums interested in starting their own financial services firm, be it investment banking, advisory or money management, call us first. While we both love it and would not do otherwise, it is not easy. In fact it is much harder than either of us ever imagined. If anyone needs some advice or insight into investing (or divesting) in the aerospace and defense industry, please give me a call. I wish all of our classmates and fellow alums all the very best." (walderman@aldermanco.com)

Scott Davis and his wife, Debbie, live in Glencoe, Ill., with their three kids: Scott writes: "Our twin 8-year-old boys, Ethan and Benjamin, are inthird grade,and our 5-year-old daughter, Emma, started kindergarten and clearly runs our house. They are into all of the typical kid things, and I help coach most of their sports adventures. In fact, my girls' soccer team goes head to head with Allan Tomlinson's in a few weeks. I actually plan on telling his daughter several funny stories abouther daddy, tied toour Asia-Pacific journey 15 years ago, to make her laugh and totally distract her from the game.

"On the work front, I manage the Chicago and New York offices of Prophet, a consulting firm focusing on brand/business strategy issues, and am in the early stages of writingbook No. 3. I also just wrote a chapter for the new book Kellogg on Branding. In addition, we have 10 Kellogg alumni as part of our consulting team, so the ties remain strong." (sdavis@prophet.com)

Nick Wright checked in with this news of his recent move: "I work for Fisher Scientific International as vice president and general manager of Asia and Latin America for our distribution business. As such, I'm involved with developing strategies to grow our presence throughout Asia and Latin America and am enjoying being involved in international business again.

"We recently relocated to the seacoast area of New Hampshire, my first time living in the true northeast of the United States. Family is great and has grown to three great little ones: William, 8, Christian, 5, and Samantha, 2 1/2. My wife, Joyce '91, has taken a sabbatical from her career in market research and is enjoying getting us settled in our new community." (nick.wright@nh.fishersci.com)

Robyne Hayman provided this happy update: "Great news! After many years in various corporate America marketing positions (brand management, product development, etc.), I have made a significant career change and jumped the fence to sales. I recently joined Edward Jones, and I am now an investment representative in Ferguson, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. I invite anyone interested in reconnecting to reach me at 314.229.3744 (cell) or 314.524.6333 (work) or by email at rhayman208@aol.com."

Stéphane Kanovitch wrote from Paris to say that he spent his summer vacation in Florida, where he met with Hurricane Charley. (stefkano@noos.fr)

Steve Carnes is pleased to announce that he was married on Sept. 4 for the "first and ONLY time" to Cindi Benn in Terre Haute, Ind. Steve writes: "Kazuya Nakayama sent his regrets --- German boss' visit bumped his travel plans. Heard from Barb Taylor Evans. She's retired as domestic goddess on the Left Coast, somewhere around Monterey.

"I've been consulting in various capacities to widget-makers for the last six years while taking care of invalid parents. A lot of aerospace work, keeping the 737s flying. I'm ramping up after starting Automation Equipment Solutions LLC, my third company (other two still viable) 2 1/2 years ago (www.allautomation.com). Proud to say I started and grew a new venture in the middle of our last recession. We design, build and service factory automation equipment and industrial robotics in Grand Rapids, Mich. I'm currently searching for a brick-and-mortar CNC shop south of the Mason-Dixon line. KSM leads welcome!

"Playtime includes annual kayaking on the Colorado River, Habitat for Humanity, various community projects (food banks and alternative high school support), Junior Achievement (future MBAs?) and converting diesel engines to alternative fuels, plus international travel. Kellogg still remains a high point in life." (scarnes1989@alum.kellogg.northwestern.edu)

Gary Briggs and his wife, Catherine (Craighead) Briggs '94,and their twin boys have temporarily moved from warm California to cold Toronto, where Gary is still working at eBay.They've kept their home in Los Gatos, Calif. --- with furniture --- as they areplanning to move back in about 1 1/2 years. They are even going back "home" to California for the boys' birthdays (age 7 in December) and Christmas holidays. (garyb@ebay.com or briggshome@yahoo.com)

Bill Fasel is living in Lake Forest, Ill., with his family (wife Theresa and daughters Samantha and Madeline). He writes: "I recently joined a firm called BBK Ltd. as head of the Chicago office and leader of its industry group practice. BBK is a leading business advisory firm, combining extensive functional expertise in corporate finance, restructuring and all aspects of manufacturing, operations and general management. Over the last 20-plus years, the firm's engagements have spanned a broad array of industries, with a particular focus as a premier adviser to global automotive OEMs and suppliers. Between coaching softball and running between extensive swimming and skating lessons, the summer has been quite hectic. I welcome the opportunity to reconnect with old friends." (faselwj@aol.com)

Michel Philippart checked in with an update from Brussels: "I accepted a new job earlier this year and am now head of global procurement for GSK Biologicals, the vaccine division of GlaxoSmithKline. We are headquartered in Belgium, with factories in Eastern Europe and Asia. With my team, I am in charge of an extended spend, including everything the company spends, from chemicals for production to investments and clinical research contracts. I must first increase the size of my team withprocurement professionals, which is not easy. We are also refocusing procurement activities on more strategic tasks.

"This means another relocation for the family. We have bought a house in a suburb of Brussels, found a new school for the kids and are getting acquainted with the neighborhood. This is the first time that I have worked in my home country, as I left in 1983 to work for an American company. My parents are obviously very happy. Some news is on our family Web site, www.philippart.org. I will update it before Christmas." (michel@philippart.org)

Tim Hoying and his wife, Nancy, have three children: Rachel, 8, Ryan, 5, and Megan, 2. Tim is a vice president at management consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Nancy is a human resource consultant. They recently moved from Chicago to Wilmette, Ill. (Tim_Hoying@hotmail.com)

John Wood sent in this exciting update of his nonprofit organization: "My biggest news is that the organization I founded, Room to Read, recently opened its 1,000th library. We'vebeen in existence for just under five years, so it's been a quick start. We're also about to break ground on our 100th school. We recently extended our work to India, in addition to our projects in Nepal, Cambodia and Vietnam. I am still living in San Francisco, but spend about half my time on the road visiting our project sites in Asia and fund-raising in New York, London, Boston and Chicago. We have quite a few Kellogg alums involved in the effort, but are always looking for more. People interested can contact me at john@roomtoread.org. By the way, the school in Nepal that was funded by several of our '89 classmates had its grand opening this year."