Class Notes: Summer 2013

1959

J. Dwight LeBlanc Jr. (BBA ’59, L ’61) was selected for inclusion on the 2013 Louisiana Super Lawyers list. The list, a publication of Thomson Reuters, is a rating of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. LeBlanc is a partner at Chaffe McCall.

1970

Reginald H. “Ric” Smith Jr. (MBA ’76) recently retired as president and chief executive officer of Metairie Bank and Trust after 14 years with the bank. Smith continues to serve as a director of the bank, which operates seven branches across the New Orleans area.

Wallace Boston (MBA ’78) is scheduled to deliver the closing keynote address at the National University Technology Network’s Network 2013 conference. NUTN provides networking and professional development opportunities for leaders in the advancement of teaching and learning. Boston is president and chief executive officer of American Public University System and American Public Education Inc.

1980

E. Howell Crosby (BSM ’81, MBA/JD ’85) was selected for inclusion on the 2013 Louisiana Super Lawyers list. Crosby is a partner at Chaffe McCall.

Tim Fulton (MBA ’81) hosted his first annual Small Business Matters Conference in May 2013 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta. Over 175 of the metro Atlanta area’s top small business owners, key executives and trusted advisors attended the event. Fulton is president of Small Business Matters, an independent management consulting and training practice.

Andy Mills (BSM ’83) is president of Medline Industries Inc., the largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies in the United States. Under Mills’ leadership, the business has in the last 15 years grown from 2,000 employees and $675 million in sales to 9,000 employees and more than $5 billion in sales. In 2012, Loyola University Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business named Medline its Illinois Family Business of the Year in the large business category. The company was also named one of the Chicago Tribune’s Top Work Places and one of the 2012 “Best and Brightest Companies to Work For.”

Denise F. Warren (BSM ’85) has been appointed to the board of directors of Electronic Arts Inc., a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Warren was also appointed to EA’s audit committee. Warren is executive vice president of the Digital Products and Services Group at the New York Times Co., where she oversees operations for digital content and subscriptions. Previously, Warren served as general manager and chief advertising officer for the New York Times Media Group, where she managed operations for NYTimes.com and related digital and mobile products.

Charlie Adler (MBA ’86) is the founder and president of TasteDC, which has organized over 1,000 tastings and 200 cooking classes in the Washington D.C. area since 1997. Starting with wine tastings, Adler began developing events around food and drink and eventually expanded his offerings to include cooking classes, beer and whiskey tastings, multicourse wine dinners and cultural events at local embassies. Adler is also the author of “I Drink on the Job: A Refreshing Perspective on Wine,” which outlines the unique philosophy and approach to drinking wine he teaches in his popular Wine Basics 101 class.

Marios Argyris (MBA ’87) is managing director of Dealmasters D.M. Ltd. in Nicosia, Cyprus. The company is active in M&A activity in Southeast Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

John Driscoll (MBA ’87) has been named vice president of membership for the Association for Corporate Growth (Louisiana Chapter).

Scott Winslow (MBA ’88) is executive director of the President’s Management Advisory Board in Washington, D.C. The board was established in 2010 to provide the President with advice and recommendations on bringing insight from the private and non-profit sectors to federal government management and operations. The board addresses topics including customer service, human capital, innovative technology and procurement.

1990

Maria Shirey (MBA ’91) recently joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Nursing as professor and assistant dean for clinical affairs and partnerships.

John M. Selser (MBA ’92) has been elected chairman of the board of directors of Gastar Exploration Ltd., an independent oil and gas exploration, development and production companyheadquartered in Houston. Selser, who was elected to Gastar’s board in 2007, is currently a private investor and also serves on the board of directors of Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge and on the investment committee of the Franciscan Ministries of Our Lady, the parent corporation of Our Lady of the Lake. From 2010 to 2012, Selser was managing director of energy research at Iberia Capital Partners, a subsidiary of Iberiabank Corp. Prior to that, he was a partner at Maple Leaf Partners, a long short equity hedge fund, and an energy equity analyst for firms including Lehman Brothers, Howard Weil and Johnson Rice.

Roger Jenkins (MBA ’94) has been named to succeed Steve Coss as president and CEO of Murphy Oil Corp. The transition will take place following the completion of a previously announced plan to spin off the company’s U.S. downstream operations into an independent and separately traded company. Jenkins, who joined Murphy in 2001, currently serves as the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. Prior to joining Murphy, Jenkins spent 17 years with a major oil company.

Kevin McCotter (MBA ’95) recently completed five years of service with Chesapeake Energy Corp. following a 34-year career with AT&T. McCotter serves as vice president – corporate development & government relations – Western Division in the company’s Shreveport, La., office.

Michael Morford (MBA ’96) is president of Nemaha Water Services, an environmental oilfield services company focused on the tail-end of the oil production process. Morford and fellow alum Arnie McFalls (MACCT ’95) founded the company to focus on the water aspect of the oil & gas sector with the belief that water is the biggest challenge facing the industry, especially considering the extreme drought conditions facing Oklahoma and Texas. The company focuses not only on environmentally leading waste water disposal practices but also on advanced recycling technologies to reduce the use of fresh water for fracking.

Hirsh Katzen (MBA/JD ’97) is guitarist and vocalist with COOT, a New Orleans rock band that’s been playing original music inspired by the city’s musical traditions for almost two decades. Katzen started the band soon after moving to New Orleans to attend Tulane, and he’s been playing, managing and promoting the band ever since. With a sound described by OffBeat magazine as J.J. Cale fronting Little Feat, the band performs regularly at clubs around town in addition to appearances at the Voodoo Music Experience, the French Quarter Fest and the YLC’s Wednesdays at the Square concert series. In November 2012, the band released its self-titled debut CD, which is available via iTunes. For more information about the band and to hear tracks from the CD, visit www.reverbnation.com/COOT.

David Rieveschl (MBA ’97) has been elected to the board of directors of the Association for Corporate Growth (Louisiana Chapter). Mike Valentine (MBA ’99) has been promoted to vice president sales – Americas at UTi, a logistics provider. He remains based in Detroit and misses the jambalaya.

2000

Nathan Kush (BSM ’01) and Amanda McGannon were married in June 2012 in Chicago. Kush is a senior vice president at Neuberger Berman. The couple resides in Chicago.

Angelique Richardson (BSM ’01) has been promoted to chief financial officer of Jani-King Gulf Coast.

Taylor French Lutz (BSM ’02) was elected to the board of directors of French Oil Mill Machinery Co., a manufacturer of hydraulic presses, oilseed and polymer equipment. Lutz joined the company in 2010 as marketing coordinator. Prior to that, she spent several years with Donna Karan International and Bloomingdale’s in New York in marketing, business analysis, sales and buying roles. Lutz is the fourth generation of the French family to be involved with the company.

Shaun Sanghani (MBA ’03) is co-writing and producing the independent feature film The Aftermath, starring Sam Trammell (“True Blood”) and written and directed by Tim McCann. The film began production at the end of July in Alexandria, La.

Melissa Solomon (BSM ’03) has been promoted to agent at Verve, a talent agency headquartered in Los Angeles. Solomon was previously literary coordinator at the agency.

Chris Puckett (MBA ’04) and his family own and operate four Yogurtland franchises in Louisiana, including two in Baton Rouge, one in Lafayette and one in New Orleans. Last fall, Puckett’s New Orleans store beat four other frozen yogurt shops to win first place in a Nola.com/Times-Picayune frozen yogurt taste competition.

Alex Tokatlian (BSM ’04) and his wife, Alyson, announce the birth of Alivia Taleen Tokatlian on April 3, 2013. Tokatlian is marketing manager with the Hershey Co. in Camp Hill, Pa.

Roderick West (MBA ’05), executive vice president and CAO of Entergy, received a 2012 Weiss Award from the New Orleans Council for Community and Justice in recognition of his leadership of the company in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The council, which was formerly known as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, is a nonprofit human relations organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism in the metro area.

James McMahon (MBA ’07) has been appointed manager of corporate development at Chicago Bridge & Iron, the most complete energy infrastructure focused company in the world and a major provider of government services. In his new role, McMahon will manage activities related to strategic planning, strategy development, portfolio optimization, and mergers and acquisitions. McMahon joined CB&I in February 2013 with its acquisition of The Shaw Group. Prior to his current appointment, he worked in corporate development and financial planning & analysis at The Shaw Group.

Sean Cahill (MBA ’08) has been named Digital Strategist at Zehnder Communications in New Orleans.

Jeremy Bofman (MACCT ’08) and Melanie Palmisano were married on March 16, 2013, in New Orleans. Bofman joined CETCO Energy Services in November 2012 as domestic finance manager. The couple resides in Slidell, La.

Lisa Gold (BSM/MACCT ’09) and Jason Dresner (BSM ’08) were married in November 2012 at the Grand Floridian Resort Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Gold is a senior tax associate at PwC and Dresner is an associate at private equity firm Gryphon Investors. The couple lives in San Francisco.

Amy Brumfield (MBA ’10) has been named manager of finance & accounting at ANKOR Energy, the U.S. subsidiary of the Korea National Oil Corp. Brumfield will oversee all F&A activities from the company’s New Orleans office on Poydras Street.

Anne Kelligrew St. Clair (MBA ’01) recently joined Wells Fargo Private Bank in Summit, N.J., as a senior vice president and senior private banker. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, St. Clair spent 15 years with Bank of America.

Dominik Knoll (MBA ’10), chief executive officer of the World Trade Center of New Orleans, has been appointed to the Louisiana Board of International Commerce. The appointment was made by Gov. Bobby Jindal. The 23-member board works to further Louisiana’s interests in international trade.

Parker E. Koerner (MFIN ’10) and Katherine St. Eve were married in December 2012 in St. Louis. The couple resides in New Orleans.