1960s
Stephen Sontheimer (BBA ’64) has been named as senior consultant of funeral services at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries. Sontheimer is a fourth-generation funeral director whose family has been involved in funeral service in New Orleans continuously since 1916. He was the former chairman and chief executive officer of Security Industrial Funeral Home Corp. and for the past 22 years has been a funeral director-consultant associated with Bultman and Tharp-Sontheimer funeral homes.
1980s
Ben Joel (MBA ’81) recently celebrated 31 years with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. He currently serves as executive director and is based in the firm’s Atlanta office.
Patricia Lanier (BSM ’84) is an inaugural member of Leadership Youngsville, an eight-month program designed to identify and educate emerging community leaders on the challenges of growth within the city of Youngsville, Louisiana. A joint effort of the city of Youngsville and the Youngsville Chamber of Commerce, the program will include networking events, team-building activities and meetings with local and state leaders in the public and private sectors. Lanier is a professor of management at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration and has served on the boards of Goodwill Industries of Acadiana, the Girl Scouts of Louisiana, Pines to the Gulf and the Southern Management Association.
Robert Richardson (BSM ’89) was recently promoted to full professor in the Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. An ecological economist, Richardson studies the environment and international development, with a special interest in the contribution of ecosystems to socioeconomic well-being. His research, teaching and outreach program focuses primarily on sustainable development, and he uses a variety of methods from the behavioral and social sciences to study decision-making about the use of natural resources and the values of ecosystem services globally.
Lee Schwartz (BSM ’89) is CEO of EnSight+, a developer of business process software that captures and reports real-time field events. He previously served as CEO of Utility Partners of America, COO of ThinkEco and COO of Affinity Direct.
1990s
William A. Taylor (BSM ’93, MACCT ’94) is the principal and founder of Taylor CPA & Associates, which in February was named by Aflac as one of five Partners of the Year, marking the second consecutive year the firm received the honor. The award recognizes Aflac partner firms for exceptional innovation and focus that help to drive positive results for the company. Taylor was also honored by Atlanta Tribune Magazine in July 2018 as one of three Minority Business Owners of the Year. The magazine has presented the awards for more than three decades to honor and highlight the city’s outstanding minority business owners. Taylor founded the firm in Columbus, Georgia, in 1999 with three employees. Today, the firm boasts 17 employees spread across offices in Columbus and Atlanta.
Andy Hovancik (MBA ’95) is president and CEO of Sovos, a global provider of software that safeguards businesses from the burden and risk of modern tax. Hovancik has more than 25 years of experience growing technology companies, 15 years of which have been in regulatory and compliance software. Since joining Sovos in 2013, he has overseen the acquisition and integration of numerous businesses, creating a complete, continuous and connected global solution for modern tax.
Jason Levine (MBA ’98) has been appointed chief marketing officer at Sabra, a manufacturer of dips and spreads including hummus, tzatziki, guacamole and Mediterranean salsa. Levine joins Sabra from Mondelez International, where he served as North America chief marketing officer, working on iconic brands including Oreo and Ritz and successful innovations like belVita and Good Thins. Levine will be based at Sabra’s headquarters in White Plains, New York, and oversee marketing for Sabra and Obela, another joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group that sells fresh-tasting dips and spreads outside of the U.S. and Canada.
2000s
Amy J. Hochberger (BSM ’04) recently opened her own law practice after serving as an in-house counsel for 10 years. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Amy Hochberger Law, PLLC, focuses primarily on corporate/ business law, contracts, mergers & acquisitions, and employment law.
John Bouhan (BSM ’05) has become a member of the valuation team in the Dublin, Ireland, office of Cushman & Wakefield.
2010s
Amy Domangue (MBA ’12) recently launched Jessie, a Cedars-Sinai and Techstars-backed company. Jessie is a
personal digital health assistant, providing care coordination and access to today’s leading women’s health services. Since its inception in June 2018 as a women’s health e-commerce platform and community, Jessie has grown its network of digital health services into one of the most comprehensive platforms focused on women’s health and wellness. Along with renowned customer service, Jessie delivers unparalleled tools to manage health risk factors, goals and medical information. The result is a highly personalized, satisfying and — above all — empowering health experience that caters to women’s unique needs. In October 2018, Domangue graduated from the prestigious Cedars Sinai Accelerator powered by Techstars program, a threemonth program designed to help emerging companies transform healthcare delivery and patient care.
Seth Hamstead (MBA ’12) has been named director of operations for L. H. Hayward & Co., producer of Camellia Brand beans and operator of Gulf Coast Blenders, manufacturer of custom dry ingredient blends for New Orleans restaurants, food manufacturers and distributors. Hamstead will oversee operations for both businesses.
Samantha Rosen (BSM ’15) is social media editor at The Points Guy (TPG), a website and lifestyle media brand that offers hands-on advice to help readers maximize their travel experiences. Rosen manages social and content strategy for TPG, developing social packaging to optimize daily articles and videos across a variety of platforms.
Aaron Rabinovich (BSM ’19) has joined the New York office of Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, a strategic financial communications and investor relations firm, as an account executive.
