1998

	Jennifer Palmer Schmidt '98 and husband Dave on their wedding day

Hello 98ers! I tell ya, the BEST part of this job is getting to hear about all of the marriages, babies and escalations to the highest ranks of senior management that are still coming thick and fast down the Kellogg gossip grapevine. Thank goodness for that! So many MDs, CEOs, startups and general business success stories, not to mention the odd group camping event (can we say KOA Adirondacks?), that it really proves the worth of that Kellogg MBA, er, sorry MM. Funny that, huh? Also, no prize will be given for Halloween costumes (Halloween having come and gone by the time you read this), however Jason Spievak does win points for creativity by saying he will be Trick or Treating this year as Tereska. Looking forward to the pictures, Jason. Now, on to the news!

Jennifer Palmer Schmidt writes: “Seven and a half years ago I moved from Chicago to Washington D.C. for a role at Capital One. Three and a half years ago, I met the love of my life and on Aug. 13, I married Dave Schmidt. We had a city wedding in D.C., with a ceremony at St. Matthews Cathedral and reception overlooking the beautiful monuments. We celebrated the special day with family and friends, including fellow Kelloggians Elizabeth Henna, Christy Uchida, Shannon Fisher, Ginny (Scott) Park and Tony Carosielli EMP-58. If you’re ever in D.C., look us up. It’s Jennifer Schmidt now!”

Rachel Fleishman sends in this note: “Life in Hong Kong is... well, seemingly better than anywhere else. Every banker I know who has jumped has landed in a cushy new job. Husband Eli is about to do the same (We hope. He’s only a banking lawyer, so doesn’t have the same gravity-defying financial packages the real bankers do.) That leaves me free to save the world for a paltry nonprofit salary, thereby bringing down our class average income. BUT I measure success in tons of carbon, not profit. How’s that for cocktail conversation?!

“So many humorous and humbling moments have happened since last we wrote. Like driving through the verdant valleys of Yunnan province in China, watching the long skirt-clad ladies picking rice by hand as they’ve done for generations and then standing upright suddenly to take a call on their cell phones. Or wandering around the beautifully ornamented monastery in Shangri-La, watching monks clad in mustard-brown robes offer blessings to the beleaguered and then running into some of their brethren at the brand new Apple store in Hong Kong. But even that’s not as bad as (finally) buying my first iPhone, only to realize my children can manipulate it much more expertly than I can. Oh well. At least I don’t have a bedtime. Joys of adulthood. Actually, there are many joys to be discovered in Hong Kong: food, hiking, water sports, and did I mention food? Do let me know if you’re in the neighborhood and we’ll show you around!”

Matias Galarce sent in this mammoth update: “The Shurman, Galarce, Nelson and Fawcett families all got together for a week at a lake house in the Adirondacks for an intense mini-Kellogg summer reunion. By intense, we mean 11 kids between the ages of four and nine. For those who have kids, you know what this means. And for those without kids, don’t try to find out.

“We drew on a lot that we learned at Kellogg: negotiations class — trying to get 11 kids to sit (and keep them seated) together at a dining room table; marketing — to make them actually eat and like the food; strategic planning — to make food that all 19 people would like; statistics — to figure how much beers/drinks/wine we would need for those five days, and how much in need of a drink we would be after a full day by the water with 11 mini creatures (and that included the Galarce’s triplets, the loudest by far of the whole crew); and a lot of operations management — to coordinate the daily schedule for all.

“We waited patiently on our first day for Hurricane Irene to pass by. With only a generator for power, there was only enough power for the most important thing to 11 kids on a rainy day: yes, the TV! We also had David Contract reporting live on the phone from the Shurman’s house in N.J. letting us know how their basement was holding up in the storm. Luckily, nothing serious.

“It was a week full of fun, canoeing, swimming, running, biking and hiking. The wives, Bernarda (Nelson), Paz (Galarce), Maria (Fawcett) and Jen (Shurman), basically kept the whole thing together with lots of healthy and not very healthy snacks, good food and of course, some bribes for the kids. Mike (Nelson) used his high degree of patience to help the kids catch a chipmunk (animal lovers, don’t freak, it was catch and release). Matias (Galarce) delighted us with an Argentinian “lomo” and other grilled weird cow parts that our kids surprisingly loved (only because they had no clue what they were eating). Rob (Fawcett) had strategic meetings with the kids in the kitchen with a chalkboard full of charts and plans to get them ready for a scary bear hunt under the stars. (Thanks Rob for the following sleepless nights full of nightmares). Tony (Shurman) was in charge of the adults-only activities by the fire pit at night. Lots of patience from Jen Shurman who tolerated the Spanish without understanding what the hell we were talking about! Looking forward to making it a yearly tradition.”

Chris Tomseth’s latest update is that he has taken up an interim management assignment with Gate Gourmet in the Washington D.C. area. Chris writes: “It may become permanent, in which case I will move my family back from Dubai to the U.S. I travel a lot in my role, so hopefully I will get to see some Kelloggians along the way.”

David Long says, “We are pleased to announce the birth of our second son Eli back in late January. Benjamin (3) named him Firecat.”

Hans-Michael Hauser writes: “Some things stay the same, but some changes as well! Still no kids but I have been married to Ulrike since April 2010. We were together for more than 10 years but finally took the big step. Still working with BCG but moved from Munich to Zurich in October 2010. I am the only one in Switzerland from our 4Q class, I think. Still in contact with the Kellogg alumni crowd in Europe. Sylvia, Daniela, Dieter, Michael and I and our families spend a weekend together once a year. Last reunion was in May in Munich.”

Chris and Sara Ehrlich, along with big sister Charlotte, welcomed the birth of Harrison James Ehrlich on Aug. 18.

Sanket Arkerkar writes: “We moved to India about a year ago where I am the managing director of Microsoft India. It’s been a great experience and I have bumped into a few Kellogg folks in the last year. Saw Vijay Shankar a couple of months ago in Chennai and also reconnected with Jasjit Mangat ’97 after recognizing each other at the Mumbai airport. I missed the most recent GIM trip to Delhi last March, but hoping to catch them the next time they are in town!”

Scott Gardiner and his wife Kristine welcomed third son Andrew to the world on Sept. 8. Steve comments: “Our other sons Bo and Jake are now 5 and 3. Needless to say, the Gardner household here in Pacific Palisades, Calif. is one of ‘controlled chaos’ at the moment. On the work front, I left the private equity firm U.S. Renewables Group at the end of June and promptly started my own energy consulting practice. It has been going extremely well and I’m fully booked, working on investment transactions and development projects ranging from solar to industrial energy efficiency to LNG export, as well as advising a multi-national on its renewable energy strategy.”

A large Kellogg reunion of the families of Matias Galarce, Tony Shurman, Rob Fawcett and Mike Nelson, all ’98