1993 — Full-Time

Life has been hectic and very busy for Brian (BK) Neal, and he's moving on to new and better things. After six years, he has finally left VC-backed company QSR. He is now working with a good friend to start another healthcare company focused on community hospitals. "This may be my fourth start-up, depending on how you count, and it will be the one that is most successful or else! At least that is what my wife is saying." Ed, Brian's older son, is out of school and working in Denver. Keenan is in fourth grade and Vivian is now "5 going on 15". If any Kellogg people make it to St. Louis, please give Brian a call.

Dan Malven and wife Audi (Melsbakas '94) welcomed their third child (and first daughter) on Dec. 13. She is named Serafina and they call her Fina. With two young, high-energy boys, Tal and Quinn, to watch over in addition to Fina, Audi is now home full-time with the kids, but is still evaluating consulting and/or entrepreneurial ideas. Meanwhile, Dan has put Drumcott Capital on the shelf and joined up with a team working on a very innovative online healthcare opportunity. He originally looked at the company as an investment and during his due diligence, he identified a new line of business that he thought the company should be entering. Instead of investing in the company, he joined it as general manager of a new business unit.

	Dan Malven '93 with wife Audi and children Quinn, Serafina, and Tal.

It has been 17 months since Hurricane Katrina and there's much work left to do in New Orleans, but David Darragh remains hopeful. His wife, Edie, was pregnant during Katrina, which added some stress to an already difficult pregnancy. But son William (born in February 2006, now 1) is perfectly healthy. Thomas is in kindergarten and proving to be a terrific big brother. Dave stays in touch with Luke Parker, who spends his time either buying out his competition or vacationing. He will be in New Orleans toward the end of April, so Dave invites you to "either come on down and join the fun or give a wide berth to the Gulf Coast, depending on your interests." Dave had the opportunity to speak with Dale Zeh recently about a candidate for his YPO group. "It was great to hear that surfer voice and recount the glory of his Chili Blanco!" David left Zatarain's in April to become president and CEO of Reily Foods, also based in New Orleans. "It's a bit of a schizophrenic lineup of products but I hope you have an opportunity to try them all and often." Dave encourages anyone to visit. He'd be happy to play host and tour guide.

Lisa Bishop lives in Los Angeles, where she recently joined Amgen, a leading human therapeutics company in the biotechnology industry. International travel continues to be a personal passion for Lisa. Recent trips include Russia, the Balkans, Japan and Paris. She also loves having visitors and encourages those coming to Los Angeles to look her up.

Harald Fett and his new wife, Benita, spent the holidays in Megeve, France, where they rented a house with some friends. They managed to find some patches of snow and actually went skiing quite a bit, but snow conditions were far from good. The weather was great, though. They had seven days of sunshine without a cloud in the sky. Harald recommends Megeve for its great scenery and traditional charm.

After hosting a New Year's Eve party for 20 at their place in Monheim, Germany, Harald had work to do. He bought a new company, which is in dire need of restructuring. He's looking forward to an interesting 2007, and hopefully some real winter weather this year.

Gerry Dorros left his corporate development job at Anteon the day they closed the sale of the company to General Dynamics. After thoroughly enjoying the summer off, Gerry and the executive team from Anteon founded a private equity firm called CoVant Management. They're based in northern Virginia and they make and oversee investments in the national security and federal technology sectors. In addition, in honor of his daughter Sarah and the one in 166 children afflicted by autism, Gerry keeps busy through his work with several organizations to raise awareness and funds for autism research.

Ava (Spanier) DeGhetto sent me a copy of her holiday letter. It was highly entertaining and extremely creative, but a bit of an editing challenge (as she warned). Here are some highlights: Husband Scott still loves working at J.P. Morgan, though he seems to travel half the time. Ava has developed an eclectic set of interests, including theology, piano, yoga and, most recently, stage directing. Their son Jack, in fourth grade, is on the school basketball team, while daughter Ellee, though definitely a "girlie girl," is the only girl among 70 second-grade boys on the town's wrestling squad!

Dave Mullarkey and his family moved from New Jersey to the San Francisco Bay Area last summer for two new jobs. Dave joined a privately held, dermatology-focused specialty pharmaceutical company called Dow Pharmaceutical Sciences to lead their commercialization efforts, and his wife, Kim, transferred within J&J to head up U.S. marketing at Lifescan (One Touch Ultra glucose monitor for diabetes). They are living in Menlo Park, and their three girls (8, 5 and 2) are enjoying year-round swimming and outdoor cafeterias at school. Dave connected with Lee Hansen for a great 40th birthday dinner in his honor in San Francisco in December, and looks forward to seeing other classmates either living or traveling through the area.

Without a doubt, the most noteworthy event last year for Ghia Griarte and husband Rod was the arrival of their son Grant on April 21. Big sister Natalie is an excellent helper to her mom and dad. With Grant in tow, the family decided it would be best to spend their summer vacation on the mainland last year and opted for Disney World in Orlando. They stood on pins and needles as Hurricane Ernesto blew through; fortunately, Orlando was spared. Since many vacationers decided to play it safe and cancel their plans, they breezed through most of the rides, which made the Disney experience "surprisingly enjoyable."

Thier jobs keep both Ghia and Rod very busy. Rod continues to scout for growth opportunities for iPass, and Ghia continues to evaluate and acquire venture and private equity investments in the secondary market for Saints Capital. "We have a much greater appreciation for those families who juggle multiple kids, school, after-school activities, jobs, travel, etc. Any tips and tricks on keeping one's sanity would be greatly appreciated!"

Roman Pongracz may be able to provide some tips. He and wife Katharina welcomed their fifth child, Karl, on Dec. 20, 2006! Karl joins sister Stephanie and brothers Franz, Tati and Ludwig.

Brett Jarvis, wife Lydgia, son Zachary (8), and daughters Haylie (6) and Elise (2) had an eventful year. Zach is now a green belt with blue stripes in tae kwon do. He spars weekly, but his dad has learned to avoid such activity after being nailed in a certain spot that almost dropped him to his knees (while Zach repeated "I'm sorry" about 100 times). Haylie dances ballet and tap and has performed in recitals, the family room and at the school father-daughter dance, where her endless calls to "throw me in the air again" left her favorite partner well spent. Younger sister Elise also loves to dance and has been known to force unsuspecting aunts and grandparents to watch her perform on a porch step "stage" for a half hour at a time. Lydgia somehow manages to keep up with kids and do a lot more at the same time, including volunteering consistently at the school in a variety of roles. Brett is still at Oracle. Though one week there is never like the week before it, he found time to sing and dance in a musical last year and enjoyed working with a great group of parents as the president of the PTA at his kids' school.

Heather Forsythe '93 at the Step Pyramid in Egypt

Terry Ryan and wife Pauline '92 continued their habit of frequent domestic travel with their children Lexi and Colby in 2006. After beginning the year recovering from a Christmas week spent in Orlando — without once setting foot in Disney World — the family soon headed to Las Vegas for a friend's wedding. Next, it was Maui and the Big Island, where they snorkeled with dolphins, went horseback riding and hiked over old lava fields to see the incredible sight of lava cascading from Mt. Kilauea into the sea. Terry and the kids even learned to surf! Then it was Los Angeles for another wedding, followed by trips to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, then back to southern California, where they did set foot in Disneyland. Finally, they were off to New York City to see the Rockettes and Mary Poppins on Broadway.

But one thing did change for the Ryans in 2006. Terry, with Pauline's support, decided day-to-day marketing management at a technology company simply was not very interesting and that he would rather spend time with the children and become a stay-at-home dad. So the family parted ways with the nanny, and the children had to answer to the new sheriff in town. Pauline continues to work at ImmunoGen, putting in long hours but limited travel. All in all, the family is much happier with this arrangement.

I, Heather Forsythe, celebrated Christmas in September with my family on a cruise to Greece, Egypt and Turkey. We explored Istanbul for a few days (stayed at the same B&B I stayed at five years ago — Kybele Hotel, which I highly recommend), explored a lot of history in Egypt, then went island-hopping throughout Greece before spending the remaining days in Athens.

In January, I ran into Steve Hersh at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. He owns a company, Utmost Brands, that makes an amazing (I know, I tried it!) 100-percent natural soda called GuS (Grown-up Soda). Pomegranate and Valencia Orange were my favorites.

Enjoy your summer and keep the updates coming. I look forward to getting them and I know everyone else does, too. You don't have to wait for my e-mail reminder. Go ahead and send it now! And don't forget the photo.