2002 — Full-Time

Hello Class of 2002! First, we want to apologize for our lack of news in the summer issue. There was a publishing glitch so our article wasn't included. So, below you will find our special double issue with six months (and in some cases more) of exciting class news. Keep the updates coming!

Most importantly in this issue, on behalf of our class, we want to send our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to Rich Monopoli, daughter Vivian, family members, and friends. Rich's wife and our classmate, Sara Thomas Monopoli, passed away in February after a battle with lung cancer. Whether it be watching her sing with Kelloggarhythms, perform in Special K or sitting in awe of her intelligence in classes or groups, we all have many wonderful memories of Sara. Our Kellogg experience wouldn't have been the same without her beautiful presence and strong spirit. Unfortunately, we have lost too many classmates to the horrible disease of cancer. We ask all to please continue to cherish and honor the great memories we have of Sara, Phil Taksen and Jon Scholes.

	André Oliveira ’02 received the Unibanco’s Walther Moreira Sales Award from Dr. Pedro Malan, former finance minister of Brazil and current president of Unibanco’s Board.
	Carter Balkom ’02 geared up for the Audi Best Buddies Challenge, a 100-mile charity bicycle ride from Monterey down the coast to Hearst Castle.
	Maggie and Sue Budd ’02
	Adriana McGrath ’02 married Mike Clancy with elated fellow Kellogg grads in attendance.
	Jenn and Joe Dziedzic ’02 beam with twins Thomas James and Anna Mary
	Dan ’02, Jodi ’03 and Mark Gingiss welcome Samantha Jill
	Hiroyuki Tanaka ’02 and Peilin Chen wed in Tokyo in September 2007
	Robyn Kestenbaum ’02 and Corey Safran
	Beata (Drizin) Kirr ’02 and Erich Kirr ’01 celebrate daughter Samantha’s first birthday on Sept. 7
	Patty and Patrick Ku ’02 with daughter Kaitlyn
	Ian Lacy ’02 with wife Stacey and son Michael
	Ana-Maria and Lex Leeming ’02 welcome daughter Isabelle
	Janey (Dean) McWhorter ‘02, husband Michael and baby CJ
	Shinya Naka ’02 and family
	Rob Persaud ’02 hangs out with son Finn Jagger
	Ed Stubbins ’02 enjoys the California sunshine with son George.
	Raj Tyagi ‘02 and daughter Keya welcome twin boys Rish and Vidur
	Katie Weaver ’02 and Mark Hytros get hitched
	Erika Haendel ’02 wed Ara Weiss in Ventura, Calif.

Now, on to everyone's submitted updates.

Arnaud Melin writes that things continue to go well at Cargill in Minneapolis. Happy sixth anniversary there.

The holiday season brought some special deliveries: Tricia and Albie Frantini welcomed their new twin boys on Dec. 24. The twins decided to come nine weeks early (they did not want to miss Christmas) and had to spend eight weeks in the hospital until they were strong enough to come home. Mom and Dad are happy to report all is well with the twins and that all are learning to live on minimal sleep each night. And Sean Griffey shares news of his second son, Declan, born Dec. 27. Declan joins big brother, Carson (2).

It doesn't take the holidays for special deliveries, though. Congratulations to Rajit Malhotra whose family continues to grow with the birth of their second child, Tehmina. Rustom (2) seems to be adjusting pretty well to the new arrival. ("So far... We're keeping our fingers crossed.") Rajit will also be enjoying his sixth anniversary at McKinsey. Congrats on both, Rajit!

Beata Drizin Kirr and Erich Kirr '01 have exciting news (which we are a bit late publishing…sorry Beata!): Samantha Lauren Kirr was born Sept. 8, 2007. She weighed six pounds, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long. Little Samantha was born only 20 minutes before Mom's birthday!

Jodi '03 and Dan Gingiss welcomed Samantha Jill, their second child, on Feb. 23. She weighed in at eight pounds and was 21 inches long. Her arrival was not without a bit of an adventure, as the proud parents were taking in a performance of "Les Miserables" when Jodi's water broke with about 20 minutes left in the show. After racing more than 20 miles to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago, they arrived with a scant 45 minutes to spare! Baby Samantha joins big brother Mark (2).

Congratulations to Ian Lacy and wife Stacey on the birth of their son Michael.

Bernadette and Philippe Arrata write with a number of changes in their lives over the past few months: "The most exciting news is the birth of our daughter Maya on March 11. She's a happy, and sleepy, baby and our son Alex (3) is turning out to be a great big brother. In addition to a new baby, I've changed jobs. After over five years with McKinsey, I joined Best Buy Canada. I'm the director of finance and have a number of interesting projects on my plate. If that's not enough, my new job necessitates a move. We relocated from Calgary to Vancouver, B.C., this summer. We're looking forward to connecting with Kellogg alumni on the West Coast."

Janey Dean McWhorter and husband Michael welcomed little CJ (Christopher Jackson McWhorter) to the world on March 29. CJ enjoyed a big Kellogg welcome from his first hospital visitors — alumnae Vanessa Zielke and Dorothee Gutierrez Fisher. CJ is sure to be an adventurer, having already been exposed to his parents' adventurous lifestyle. While in her first trimester, Janey climbed the Grand Teton (13,770 feet) in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and competed in the open-water Maui Channel swim! She is now enjoying her new "career" as a stay-at-home mom.

Daniella and Ori Balaban had their third boy, Tom, April 15. "Tom is doing great and his older brothers Gal and Amit are very excited with the new addition to the family," the family reports.

The award for the best birth announcement we've received in the six years here at Kellogg World Class of 2002 notes goes to Patrick Ku. He writes: "As scary as it is, I just had a kid. Yikes. She already has more hair than Ronnie too." Patrick and wife Patty welcomed Kaitlyn Patricia Ku on April 24.

Little Kaitlyn Ku shares her birthday with another one of our newest Kellogg kids. Lex Leeming writes with exciting news from he and Ana-Maria: "Our first child, Isabelle Seraphim, was born April 24 in New York City. She is a serene little five pound, 11 ounce girl. Mother and daughter are happy and healthy, resting at home."

Joe Dziedzic and wife Jenn are proud to announce the arrival of Thomas James and Anna Mary Dziedzic. The twins were born May 20. Thomas weighed five pounds and was 18.5 inches long. Anna weighed four pounds, 10 ounces and was 18.25 inches long. Everyone is healthy, happy and doing well. Joe writes, "The last three months have been a ton of fun (and a little tiring) with a lot of photo opportunities!"

Rob Persaud and wife Alison proudly introduce the latest edition to their clan, Finn Jagger, who was born May 24. Big sis Harlowe (2) can't get enough of him and is still learning that he's not a rag doll. Clearly, Finn gets his good looks from mom. The family resides in Chicago, with Rob (still) working at PepsiCo.

Mike and Amanda Hansen are thrilled to announce that they had a baby boy July 20. Baby Conrad Aleksander Hansen weighed nine pounds, 14.5 ounces (yikes!).

Rajesh Tyagi writes: "We welcomed twin boys Rish and Vidur on Aug. 16. Big sister Keya is very excited about it. Additionally, we have moved to Montreal from Evanston."

Jill and Jay Koval had another baby girl on Aug. 21. Caroline Jill Koval was a healthy nine pounds, nine ounces and 21 inches long. Mom is doing great and the baby is a dream — sweet and easy. Sisters Rylie and Laney are excited to now have their own play toy in the house.

It has been a busy summer in the Zach household. In July, Janice and Jeff Zach bought a house in Chicago (Lincoln Square area). In August, they welcomed a new addition to that house, nine pound, six ounce Oliver. Dorothy (2) is enjoying her new role as big sister. In September, Jeff started a new position with Navteq in downtown Chicago. Jeff optimistically looks to the future, "We can't wait to see what changes fall will bring." Neither can we, Jeff!

Merianne and Mike Castellarin are thrilled to announce that they successfully drafted a top-rated linebacker as the newest Castellarin! The newest team member, Matthew Michael Alan, arrived Sept. 14 and weighed in at nine pounds, eight ounces. Matthew's big sister and brother welcomed him to the team. Mike shares: "I believe Connor's warm response went something like, 'I love Matthew. Don't touch my toys.'"

In December, André Oliveira received Unibanco's annual Walther Moreira Salles Award, named after Unibanco's founder, for "best leader in managing people."  As part of this distinguished honor, he received the award from Dr. Pedro Malan, the former Finance Minister of Brazil and current President of Unibanco´s Board. Congratulations, André!

Aaron Levine has gotten to blend his favorite activity, international travel, into work. In fact, his update came from a plane returning home from Turkey and Russia. He writes: "I'm directing SkinMedica's international business, so over the past few months I have traveled to South America, Mexico, Hong Kong and much of Western Europe. Dan Shedivy recently moved to San Diego, so Annie and I have been hanging out with him and his wife Audrey. We also saw Tyrone Smith and his wife Rachel last month in San Diego when they were passing through."

Another sixth work anniversary comes from Sue Budd. Since Kellogg, she has been at AlixPartners, an international restructuring, consulting and financial advisory firm, and was promoted to director last December. Sue writes: "I was sorry to miss last year's Reunion, however my daughter Maggie was born two weeks early on April 30, 2007. Though we didn't make it to Evanston, a couple of classmates in town for the Reunion, Bryan Poltilove and Gero Steinroeder, were able to stop by, meet Maggie and fill us in on the highlights!"

Jeff Wood writes with an exciting update: "After more than five years at Blackbaud in Charleston, S.C., running a couple business units, I've changed careers. I'm executive director for the South region at DonorsChoose.org where public school teachers post projects and individual donors fund them, like a philanthropic eBay. So we've moved back to Atlanta where Lilly (5) and Henry (3) will get to see their grandparents and cousins more often. To be completely shameless, if anyone is interested in developing a cause-marketing program with an innovative nonprofit… Hey, it truly is for the kids!"

Erika Haendel married Ara Weiss on Sept. 8, 2007, in Ventura, Calif. She writes: "The weather was perfect for our outdoor garden wedding and a good time was had by all. Kellogg friends at the wedding included Linsey (Simpson) Gallagher and her husband Lon, Michelle Suhrie and Seymour Liao. We are loving beach life in Redondo Beach where we bought a house two years ago and which we share with our exuberant black lab Charlie. After four years at Disney, I left two years ago to work as director of marketing at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment where I work on fun DVDs like 'Joy Ride 2' and 'Behind Enemy Lines 3.'"

Katie Weaver married Mark Hytros on May 31 in Chicago. The exciting news is best recapped by the bride: "We had a wonderful weekend of wedding festivities, made all the more special by the presence of so many of our Kellogg friends, who, true to Kellogg form, kept the party going long after the band stopped playing! Kellogg friends celebrating with us included Jennifer Glaspie, Karen Wargo, Heidi Eggert, Stephanie Levine, Colleen Sellers, Amy (Simpson) Daly, Michelle Suhrie, Ashley Martorana, Brooke (Brandes) Warren, Danny Su '98, Katherine Gregory, Amy Kim, Teresa Lee, Ryan Fong '01, David DeLorenzo, Will Daly, Dave Baker, Josh Holmstrom, Eric Autio, Dave Burke, Ya-Chi Su '98, Jennifer Kim '07, Stephen O'Keefe '04 and Kellogg faculty members Leemore Dafny and Ben Jones. After the wedding, we headed to Greece for a spectacular honeymoon. We couldn't be happier and want to especially thank fellow Poet Amy Kim and her husband Jeff for introducing us to one another."

Hiroyuki Tanaka writes with happy news that he married Taiwan native Peilin Chen in Tokyo in September 2007. Hiroyuki works at Morgan Stanley.

Robyn Kestenbaum married Corey Safran on July 13 in New Rochelle, N.Y. Several classmates joined the celebration including bridesmaids Lisa Belcher '01, Renee Roen, Romy Newman, Nan Teele, Barbara Liss, Adriana McGrath Clancy, Michelle Beels Lorge, Claire Lundin, Debbie Rebell Moss '01 and Jason Moss '01.

Ed and Ashley Stubbins are still in San Francisco with son George (1). They continue to enjoy exploring the city. The time flies!

In other news from the Bay Area, Clifton Loftman writes: "Finished working on a cool residential real estate development project for a private client in San Francisco this summer and just accepted a position as development program manager with the Oakland Housing Authority in Oakland, Calif., where I'll be managing new residential/commercial real estate development and assisting with the privatization of existing assets. Also, I have been interviewing Kellogg candidates and playing tennis with Steve Pockross."

And from across the globe, Shinya Naka shares this exciting news: "My family transferred to Jakarta, Indonesia, from Tokyo in June to join the green field liquefied natural gas project in Sulawesi Island. My family is getting situated in Jakarta and both daughters quite enjoy going to international school everyday. Their one motivation is to be able to communicate in English with Kellogians' kids whom they will meet at our next Reunion."

International relocations are abound with Jeff Bougher sharing the following update: "There have been some big changes for the Bougher family over the last several months. In January, we returned to the U.S. from Suzhou, China, where I was working as the plant manager for Timken. We made the leap from the corporate world at the same time we made an around the globe move. I'm now the president of M4 Sciences, an ultra-precision machining technology startup (M4Sciences.com). We're located in West Lafayette, Ind., and the entire family has finally made the transition back to life in the U.S. (though we really miss China)."

Amanda and Chris Jones and kids Taeus and Cypress moved in the opposite direction landing in Amanda's hometown of Sydney, Australia,.

They aren't alone in the move to the Asia Pacific: Kelly and Loyd Henderson and children Tai, Sydney and Drew relocated from New York to Hong Kong. Loyd is still with Oaktree's mezzanine debt fund and is helping them start up an Asia-Pacific mezzanine effort. He'll be all over the region and looks forward to connecting with old friends and new.

Carter Balkom writes: "Last year I moved from Ford Motor Company to Audi of America as product manager. Shortly thereafter, the company announced plans to move its headquarters from Detroit to Washington, D.C. I have been in D.C., for two months and am loving it. I participated in the Audi Best Buddies Challenge, a 100-mile charity bicycle ride from Monterey down the coast to Hearst Castle. The event benefits Best Buddies International, an organization providing assistance to people with intellectual disabilities." Carter's team raised over $12,000 for this great charity. Way to go, Carter!

After six years, Kevin Mayer left KeyBanc Capital Markets to join a boutique advisory firm, Western Reserve Partners, also in Cleveland. His wife Kathy, daughter Cailin (10), and newest addition Brady (18 months) still live on the west side of Cleveland and are planning on enjoying fall before the Cleveland winter comes!

Edwidge Laure Yossa–Djoukam won the first prize of the BID Challenge in the category "established enterprises" for her proposal to produce and export dried organic fruits from Cameroon to international markets. Out of 2,275 entrepreneurs from 144 countries that competed in the business development challenge in December, the jury selected 38 finalists. The jury judged the proposals on the basis of three criteria: the entrepreneur, the business plan and its contribution to the millennium development goals. Pieter Bas Schrieken, one of the jury members, explained the jury's decision: "Yossa has had a very good university education in the United States. She has built up a strong network and she speaks both English and French. On the other side, she has her roots in Cameroon so she is connected with two worlds, a unique combination."

Brian Martin has this update: "My company, OpenAir, was acquired this summer by NetSuite, a public SaaS company that is backed by Larry Ellison. So from a work perspective, things are going great. I have been with OpenAir for about three years, during which we have grown from 16 to about 70 people. With the acquisition, we are investing even more in growth, so I expect our headcount (and revenue) to grow significantly in the next year. Dan Grace also works here. He joined a few months after I did. We also hired another Kellogg alum, Doug Rouse '06. So three out of 70 is a pretty good ratio.

"Michele is working at State Street as a vice president in structured finance doing fancy finance stuff that I fail to understand. She would be better at explaining that than I would. Personally, things are going great for us as well. Ella (4) is in pre-K. She is learning to ride her bike, is taking jiujitsu and loves taking care of her brother Andrew (2). Andrew is your typical boy. He loves trucks, cars, trains, balls, bats and animals. He says a few words but has learned to get what he wants by getting his sister to do a lot for him with a grunt and a point of the finger."

A great update from Pip (Wattanasiritham) Kulnides: "We've just celebrated our daughter Praan's second birthday this week. Time really flies — I think the last time I wrote to Kellogg World was probably when she was born! She has been a delight to our extended family and it is very much fun watching her growing up everyday. She's started preschool and really enjoys singing 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' and 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.' As for work, I'm still with the Hotel Group of Minor International. My main focus is on new investments and so far, we've studied the investment opportunities in Asia, the Indian Ocean and have gone as far as Africa, where the firm has acquired equity stake in a group specializing in Safari lodges. We have not gone as far as the Americas yet, but I hope that one of these days we will get there. Some of the ongoing projects that I am assigned are in the Maldives, which also means I need to visit our property and development once or twice a year. On its sunny days, Maldives are absolute paradise; even when I get stuck in the back office of our Anantara Resort days and nights, I still very much enjoy 'seeing' the sun, sand and sea.

"I have been lucky to meet up with a few Kellogg classmates that passed through Thailand this year. Astrid Marechel came during her break from the McKinsey assignments and my McManus roommate EJ Lee and her husband stayed with us in May. We had a great time reliving the old days."

That's the news we've received. But, Julie has to share one more item about her co-Class Notes rep. Natalie Schaefer finished the Ironman Wisconsin in first place for her age group, which is a very competitive group with 134 participants. Wow! Hope to join you next year in Kona (only to watch, of course).