Whether it is having children, starting new careers, meeting up with old friends, and traveling the world, Seven Hills alumni have lots of news to share. Check out news from our alumni from the Spring/Summer 2025 Magazine. Have you own news to share? Fill out the alumni update form or send an email to Director of Development Margo Kirstein.
1971Wendy Gradison (H) (Washington, D.C.) has happily retired and is loving it! She has stayed busy traveling to see her four grandchildren in San Diego, CA, and Raleigh, NC. 1984Mary Lynne Boorn (Los Angeles) and her husband Rick Kieser recently relocated to California. Mary is now a professor at the University of Southern California, and the two are enjoying life back by the beach, where they first met while attending business school at the University of California, Los Angeles. 1986Betsy Quammen (Bozeman, MT) has called Bozeman home for the past 32 years and continues to stay engaged in her community. She is working on her third book while dedicating her time to teaching, writing, and advocating for democracy, social justice, and environmental causes. 1998
May Eynon Selby (Aspen, CO) was recently promoted to director of VIP experiences at The Little Nell. In her previous role as director of public relations, she led impactful collaborations, launched the hotel’s publication, and played a key role in positioning the property for prestigious accolades. May is excited to foster deeper connections and craft unforgettable, immersive guest experiences in her new position. Outside of work, May is currently training for the Sydney Marathon in August 2025 — her 48th marathon. 1999
Scott Shapiro (Cincinnati) has spent the last decade as chief revenue officer for various PE and VC-backed tech companies. At each stop, he’s been responsible for building or rebuilding teams to accelerate growth and profitability, ultimately leading them through a successful majority recap. Scott currently works for SPOTIO, a fast-growing software company based in Dallas, where he was recently promoted to president. While he’s not worked for a locally based company in quite some time, he’s kept his home base in Cincinnati, and his two boys, Barron (10) and Brooks (5), are Seven Hills lifers in the making — just like their dad! 2004Lena Eastin Levy (Cincinnati) recently took on a new role as the U.S. business leader for the hospital organization at Merck & Company. In this new role, she sits on the U.S. commercial leadership team. She has financial responsibility for a multi-billion-dollar product portfolio while positively impacting the lives of millions of patients within the U.S. 2005
Ashley Ackerman Kohn and Drew Kohn ’08 (Cincinnati) had their second child, Benjie Leonard Kohn, on Feb. 14. Congratulations, Ashley and Drew! 2007
Hannah Elkus (Cleveland) married Jeff Feldman at the Key Tower, Cleveland Marriott in September 2024. Grace Elkus Bianconi ’10 and Maddie Elkus Berman ’10 were in attendance. Congratulations, Hannah and Jeff! 2008Adam Tami (Marin County, CA) recently began a new role as a software engineer at Anthropic. Adam is part of the runtime infrastructure team, which focuses on developing pipelines and cloud infrastructure that support training and deploying large language models. 2010
Grace Elkus (Pittsburgh) and her husband Patrick Bianconi welcomed their first child, Daisy Blazer Bianconi, on Dec. 15, 2024. Congratulations, Grace and Patrick! 2011Joe Soonthornsawad (New York City) is a director and producer in New York. He recently directed, wrote, and produced a short film titled “Grand Super Buffet,” which has been featured at ImageOut: Rochester LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival — where it was awarded Best Narrative Short Film. The film follows two Asian American college students who reunite at Grand Super Buffet, their favorite hometown Chinese buffet. As they reminisce and attempt to reconnect, the two begin to question their friendship and why they came to this pan-Asian buffet in the first place. Joe is currently developing a new film. 2012
Rebecca McDonough Albrecht (Cincinnati) and her husband Barrett Albrecht welcomed their first child, Ruby Christine Albrecht, on Feb. 17. Congratulations, Barrett and Rebecca! 2013Rachel White Kuhrt (Cincinnati) was promoted to clinical supervisor at NewPath Child & Family Solutions. In her new role, she provides guidance, support, and care for a team of 12 therapists as they work with their clients. |
2014
Blair Brinker Kronewitter (Chicago) married Brandon Kronewitter in Scottsdale, AZ, in October 2024. Congratulations, Blair and Brandon! 2015
Ike also proposed to his girlfriend, Katie Christesen, who he met while living in Colorado. Congratulations, Ike and Katie! Daniel Sauers (Washington, D.C.) started a new role at Gap Inc. as a senior specialist in federal government affairs. 2016Kate Coley (Chicago) will begin law school at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law this fall. After earning her B.F.A. in theater arts from DePaul University, she hopes to pursue a career in entertainment law. Kate is passionate about advocating for creators, protecting their work, and championing labor rights within the industry. Palmer Kruzner (New York City) has recently joined BlackRock as vice president. BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager, providing investment management, risk management, and advisory services to institutions, financial professionals, and individuals worldwide. Claire Stewart (New York City) was promoted to manager at Kearney, a global management consulting firm. Claire specializes in strategy, growth, and organizational transformation, helping organizations improve efficiency and effectiveness. 2017Vaivhav Vagal (Stony Brook, NY) has completed his fourth and final year of medical school and matched as a neurosurgery resident at the University of Virginia! Becoming a neurosurgeon has been Vaivhav’s childhood dream, and he is thrilled to begin this exciting next chapter. Congratulations, Vaivhav! Oliviabelle Mayfield (Washington, D.C.) is the events coordinator at Chief Executives Organization, a membership group based in the D.C. area that brings together executives, business leaders, and decision-makers from various industries. The organization fosters collaboration, facilitates the exchange of insights, and addresses leadership challenges on a global scale. This year, Oliviabelle is helping plan events in Azerbaijan, Egypt, France, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. Fun fact: she’s roommates with Grace Greenwald ’17! 2018
Smith Hickenlooper (Batavia, OH) proposed to his girlfriend Natalie Deiters at their home in Batavia in January 2025. Congratulations to Smith and Natalie!
Reagan Brackett Peace (Lexington, KY) and her husband Adam Peace welcomed Hayden Elaine Brackett on Nov. 6, 2024. Congratulations, Reagan and Adam! Garrett Reich (New York City) is a business analyst on the finance team at Value Retail, known for a group of luxury outlet shopping villages called The Bicester Collection. The Bicester Collection consists of 12 villages worldwide, with one in the U.S. in New York, outside of Manhattan, in Long Island called The Belmont Park Village. Garrett supports financial operations, investor relations, and strategic planning, collaborating across business divisions at Belmont Park Village. With a background in investment banking, he enjoys merging his financial expertise with his passion for retail, fashion, and real estate. 2019Varshini Odayar (Ann Arbor, MI) is in her first year of medical school at the University of Michigan. Grace Wharton (Cincinnati) is working at VSC Tech News in tech public relations, where she helps startups in B2B, digital health, AI, and venture capital share their stories. From product launches to major announcements, Grace develops strategies to secure media coverage, industry awards, conference speaking opportunities, and podcast features to amplify her clients’ narratives. Michael Weirich (Austin, TX) started a new role at Hylilion, a late-stage startup that enables clean, flexible, and affordable electricity production. At Hylilion, Michael is a senior associate in strategy and supply chain management. 2020Adam Chen (St. Louis) recently completed his first year of medical school at Saint Louis University. After earning his degree in neuroscience from Case Western Reserve University in May 2024, he has enjoyed deepening his knowledge and passion for the medical field. Katie Remaklus (Claremont, CA) is starting her doctorate in English at Vanderbilt in Nashville this fall. Katie looks forward to furthering her research in Latin American and indigenous feminist literature. Congratulations, Katie! |
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Ike Lainer (Dayton, OH) is in the Army Reserve and is working at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. Ike supports all-source scientific and technical intelligence analysis, NASIC, United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, and National Level intelligence efforts. He interfaces with other intelligence community members, including U.S. and foreign partners, and Department of Defense agencies to support production activities.
