Erica (Whitten) Emmett ’96 launched FYR Consulting in 2023 after a 25-year career in veterinary medicine, that included nursing, sales and lastly, talent acquisition and development. FYR was borne from her desire to help people harness their superpowers to achieve greatness. She received her M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University in 2022 and became a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach to help individuals and organizations improve their teamwork, communication, engagement, and overall well-being. Congratulations Erica!

On September 10, 1957, Hattie Cotton Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee, blew up. On March 16, 1958, the Jewish Community Center was bombed. On April 19, 1960, the home of Civil Rights attorney and Nashville city councilman, Z. Alexander Looby was dynamited. He and his wife were lucky to escape with their lives. These bombings have never been solved.

In fact, many in Nashville don’t even know they’re connected.

In Dynamite Nashville, Betsy Phillips ’96 pieces together what really happened in Nashville at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement. It has national implications for how we understand the violent white response to desegregation efforts and white supremacist actions now.

You can learn more about the book here.

Vasan Ramanuja ’96 recently participated in Dancing with the Mankato Stars! He was nominated and performed with dance partner competing against 11 other local celebrity/dance coach duos. This was a benefit for the American Red Cross serving Southwest Minnesota, which raised over one million dollars!

You can learn more about the event here.

Deidre Dyer ’96 has been appointed to Circuit Court Judge in Cook County, Illinois. She is the first judicial appointment of Justice Joy V. Cunningham.

Carla Vigue ’96, director of tribal relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was named one of Wisconsin’s most influential Native American leaders for 2023. Read the full Madison 365 Article here.

Kevin Geraldi ’96 will begin an appointment as Director of Bands at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, beginning Fall of 2022. As the 7th person to hold this position in the 154-year history of the Illinois Bands program, he will conduct the renowned Illinois Wind Symphony, teach graduate conducting, and provide administrative leadership for the University’s comprehensive and historic band program. From 2005–2022, he served on the faculty of the School of Music at UNC Greensboro. In May 2022 he was keynote speaker for the Spanish Musicological Society conference in Vigo, Spain.

Jeff Burke ’96, director for resource planning, Arizona Public Service, was appointed to the Arizona Technology Council Board of Directors. Congratulations!

Scott Rosenberg ’96, CFO of Travel Nurse Across America, was featured in the business publication’s “CFO of the Year” series. Here is the full article to read.

Filmmaker Sarah Edwards ’96 was nominated for a Mid-America EMMY for short-form content for “Classical BTS: Nomin Zolzaya,” which was featured as part of an Illinois Public Media docuseries. It follows the personal journey of Illinois Symphony Orchestra Principal Cellist Nomin Zolzaya, who first found her love for the cello as a young girl growing up in Mongolia.

Heather Olt will be premiering on September 24th, her new dramedy short/ pilot as part of the Oscar qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. It will also screen at the Catalyst Story Institute Festival, the biggest indie television festival in late Sept./ early Oct. in Duluth, MN.

Synopsis: Emily and Kristen are best friends. Emily, a successful entrepreneur, waited too long to have a baby
and, despite her best efforts to have one and raise it alone, she’s now told it’s physically impossible.
Kristen, a struggling actress, is simultaneously nine months pregnant and is forced to raise her baby
alone after being left by her “I’m sorry, I can’t do this” boyfriend, Mark. After meeting up to
commiserate over their recent losses, they concoct a plan to raise Kristen’s baby together. In “Last
Chance Moms,” we explore the difficulties that women in their 40s experience when confronted with
their biological clocks. They want it all, but what happens when it seems they can’t have it? They
find a way…