Alumni Notes

1940s

Rees Marsh Wilcox ’46, Lindenhurst, Illinois, and Dottie Gray ’46, Louisville, Kentucky, are still friends after all these years and are enjoying life! They write to each other and talk often. Rees turned 100 in October 2024, and Dottie turned 100 in January.

1960s

Ann Hood Brooks ’67, Louisville, Kentucky, lost her husband in May and has downsized to a condo.

1970s

Michael G. Mancuso ’71, Cleveland, retired after a nearly 50-year successful career in dermatology.

Linda Bowen Baker ’74, Atlanta, and her husband Tielke Baker have downsized and now reside in a retirement community, Canterbury Court.

Richard M. Briggs ’74, Knoxville, Tennessee, was recognized by the American Medical Association with the AMA Award for Outstanding Government Service. He is a surgeon who practiced for 30 years, Army veteran and current Tennessee state senator.

Marilyn Rose Nicholson ’75, Riverview, Florida, is blissfully retired after 40 years as a choral director in the public schools. She realized a long-time dream to have a dog, and now shares her time with family and her retired racing greyhound. If she had known how much fun retirement was, she would have done it first!

Noah E. Powers ’75, Cincinnati, retired in December after nearly 50 years as the presiding judge of Butler County Court of Common Pleas in Hamilton, Ohio.

Charlene Jones Shaw ’75 and Timothy C. Shaw ’75, Smyrna, Tennessee, celebrated 50 years of marriage on May 30. They were married at Old Morrison by Paul Murphey, two days before graduation. They have two children and two grandchildren, with another granddaughter on the way.

Mary Teesdale Taylor ’77, Lexington, serves as the president of the Transylvania Women’s Club as it starts its 110th year. Eileen O’Brien ’77 is the secretary. Alumni and friends can message Mary through TWC Facebook or email mat3508@perspectives-usa.com.

Russell Richard “Rusty” Reichenbach Cavendish ’77, Richmond, Kentucky, released his second volume of plays, “The Great Kentucky Tragedy and My Old Kentucky Plays II.” His first volume, “The Botanic Garden and My Old Kentucky Plays,” was published in 2020. Both volumes feature plays characterized as “historic drama” with Kentucky themes. In July, Rusty was named Rotarian of the Year by the Richmond Rotary Club.

Bruce K. Johnson ’78, was named the 2024 Kentucky Distinguished Economist by the Kentucky Economic Association. His episode on the American Association of Colleges and Universities “The Academic Minute” podcast ran on June 10, 2024. Titled “Benefits of Public Goods Do Not Justify Stadium Subsidies,” the episode was later selected as one of 2024’s five best and was aired again Jan. 1, 2025, during “Best of 2024 Week.” It is available to download from the “The Academic Minute” website. Bruce retired this summer after 38 years at Centre College. He continues to serve as chair of the Consensus Forecasting Group, the nonpartisan panel of independent economists charged by state law with developing the official forecast of state government revenues.

1980s

Manuel M. Probst ’81, Lexington, associate professor at Morehead State University and chair of the Department of Health, Kinesiology, Imaging & Psychological Sciences, earned a top honor from the Ohio Valley Conference for his work in the classroom as a winner of the Outstanding Faculty Commitment to Student Success Award. Criteria for this award include impacts on students, university and curriculum development, contributions to the department, consistent professional development, community involvement and institutional service.

Ralph “Hunt” Sidway ’83, Sumiton, Alabama, is the photographer and author of “The North American Thebaid” (St. Tikhon’s Monastery Press, 2025), a photographic pilgrimage to over 30 Orthodox Christian monasteries across the Lower 48 and Alaska. Taking its name from the Egyptian Thebaid desert region, where Christian monasticism began to flourish in the fourth century, Hunt’s book is the culmination of several years of travel and photography and features numerous images of Orthodox monastic life in America.

Christopher S. Rose ’89, Lexington, is the vice president of sales for the USA and Canada at Paragraph Publishing, a company headquartered in Norwich, United Kingdom. Chris oversees Whisky Magazine, American Whiskey Magazine and more as they expand their presence across North America.

1990s

Brian “Rusty” Thompson ’91, Lexington, is the CFO for Darley America, the thoroughbred division of Godolphin, which owns Sovereignty, this year’s Kentucky Derby winner. 

Joy Williams Lind ’93, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was promoted to full professor of business administration at the University of Sioux Falls. She has been at Sioux Falls for 16 years.

Willam O.D. “Dale” Amburgey ’94, Port Orange, Florida, began his fourth season as an on-field emcee for the Daytona Tortugas, a MiLB Class A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. This role draws on the many skills Dale honed on the sidelines of McAlister Auditorium as a Transylvania cheerleader in the early ’90s. Dale’s day job is director of reporting and analytics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Brian Quattrocchi ’94, Owensboro, Kentucky, a longtime prosecutor with the Daviess County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, has been appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear to fill an open district court judgeship in Daviess County. Brian said he isn’t doing it for the salary or title, but because he has a genuine love for his community. He also claims he is going to give his best effort to treat everybody fairly, kindly, with respect and still uphold the law. 

Marcus Osborne ’97, Bentonville, Arkansas, has recently been selected to serve as the chair of Frontier Nursing University’s Board of Directors. He has served on the board since 2017 and is excited to assume this role and believes it is a great time to be at FNU.

Jason T. Childers ’98, Frankfort, Kentucky, is the co-owner of Us Soap and Body, a maker of bar and liquid soaps, sprays, beard products, roll-ons and more. Us Soap and Body only uses products from the earth and never uses synthetic fragrance oils or colors. 

Kelly Hoskins Tyler ’99, Columbus, Ohio, was named director of the Ohio State University Dermatology Residency Program in July 2024. She is an associate professor in the Department of Dermatology, where she also serves as the director of quality, director of the Patch Testing and Contact Dermatitis Program, the co-director of the multidisciplinary Vulvar Clinic, and she is entering her second year as the director of the American Academy of Dermatology’s Leadership Forum. She is also editor of “Cutaneous Disorders of Pregnancy” as well as “A Comprehensive Guide to Genital Skin Disease,” which will be published in late 2025. Kelly is dual-board certified in ob/gyn and dermatology.

2000s

Stephanie Pistello Underwood ’02, Lexington, received January’s Essential Piece Award from Transy’s Recognition Committee. Stephanie serves as the advancement office operations coordinator.

Christopher H. Reitz ’03, Louisville, Kentucky, has dedicated 10 years of teaching and contributing to Columbia University since graduating from a master’s program there in 2014 and has advanced to lecturer, where he will be teaching his own course, “Digital Organizations & Digital Transformation.” He will also be teaching an AI course in the fall that he has been supporting for the past three years! He will be doing this all while holding the senior director of artificial intelligence position at Elevance Health (a Fortune 25 Health Insurer). 

Matthew B. Frank ’03, Lexington, Kentucky, was named regional manager, wealth management and trust of central Kentucky at Stock Yards Bank & Trust. He joined the bank because he was drawn by the firm’s collaborative spirit and the opportunity to continue empowering central Kentucky families to reach their financial objectives.

Ellen E. Furlong ’03, Lexington, is associate professor of psychology at Transylvania and was able to take her students to London and Gibraltar this May term for a Non-Human Animals and Society class. This was a special experience for her because she was able to give her students a similar experience that she had as a student when she got to study abroad at Transy in Hawaii for a Tropical Ecology class. She was so inspired by her time abroad that she wanted to give her students the same experience. 

Amye Day Ong ’03, Dallas, had her essay “When the Game Is Rigged in Your Favor” published in The Offing. Amye has an MFA in creative nonfiction from Columbia College Chicago, a master’s in religion from Yale University’s Divinity School and a bachelor’s in Spanish from Transy. She is now a creative nonfiction writer and essay coach. Students she’s coached have gone on to Yale, Harvard, Cornell, American University and more.

Sidney Allen Kreyenbuhl ’04 and Stephen E. Kreyenbuhl ’05, Tallahassee, Florida, celebrated 20 years of marriage last spring and this fall will mark 25 years of being a Transy couple.

Yajaira Aich West ’04, Lexington, in February 2024 co-founded Spark Insights with her business partner, Emmy Hartley. Spark Insights is a consulting company primarily focused on nonprofits and small businesses, helping them achieve their development, marketing and strategic plan goals. Yajaira continues to work full time at PNC as vice president, client and community relations director for central, eastern and southeast Kentucky, while running her own company. 

Lesley Wellington Wiglesworth ’04, Danville, Kentucky, is a professor of mathematics at Centre College and is one of three recipients of Centre’s 2025 Kirk Award, established in 1996 to honor faculty whose teaching was recognized as outstanding during an annual review. Lesley has been a member of Centre’s faculty since 2008 and was named a Centre Scholar in 2012 and again in 2021. She has mentored many research students, leading to numerous student co-authored presentations and publications.

Erin Melville Lageman ’04, Union, Kentucky, graduated from Leadership Northern Kentucky in May. She is the vice president of people and culture for the Cincinnati Reds. Prior to joining the Reds in January, Erin enjoyed a 19-year career in human resources at St. Elizabeth Medical Center. 

Ashley Duncan Gibbons ’05, Henderson, Kentucky, her husband, Eric, and her family sold everything in 2024 to travel full-time in their van-turned-design-studio, running their creative business, Fado Inc. (DBA, Designed With Meaning) on the road.

Kelsey Blankenship White ’06, Mechanicsville, Virginia, is an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and the first female editor-in-chief of the Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy. She spoke on a podcast called “The Chaplain’s Compass,” discussing her passion for spiritual care, journey into research and insights into the evolving landscape of chaplaincy research.

Melissa Coombs Mattox ’07, Lexington, a professor of accounting at Transylvania, had the opportunity during May term to take her students to Paris, France, the same study abroad trip she went on as a student. Melissa wanted to provide students the opportunity to experience the world and connect it to what they’ve been learning on campus. The travel courses were so influential in her life that she wanted to give her students the same. 

John D. Kromer ’08, East Orange, New Jersey, associate university librarian for research and engagement at New Jersey Institute of Technology, was named a Fellow of the Special Libraries Association. This honor is bestowed upon active SLA members in recognition of past and present service and expected future contributions to the association and the profession. The SLA awards recognize individuals and organizations for extraordinary contributions to the field of special librarianship and information science.

Ryan C. Meyer ’08, Waxhaw, North Carolina, founded his own company called Mattress Lab in 2023. The company was recognized with the Charlotte’s Best and Best Of South Carolina awards. Prior to starting Mattress Lab, Ryan worked for Tempur Sealy for 13 years.

Monica Hagan Vetter ’09, Prospect, Kentucky, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. Individuals are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process. Dr. Vetter is a distinguished expert in the field of gynecologic oncology who has served at Norton Health Care since 2024.

2010s

Prya Murad ’11, Miami, has earned Board Certification in Criminal Trial Law. This certification is the highest level of recognition by the Florida Bar of competency and experience of attorneys in the areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida. Only 7% of Florida attorneys have achieved Board Certification in any field. Of the approximately 100,000 members of the Florida Bar, less than 400 are Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law. 

Kelsey Strasser Flynn ’11, Independence, Kentucky, has published a children’s book “ABC, Run With Me: Flying Pig Marathon.” It combines her passions for literacy and running, taking young readers on an engaging A-Z journey through Cincinnati’s iconic Flying Pig Marathon. Her goal with this book is to inspire a love of reading and movement in children.

Matthew F. Wise ’11, Hoover, Alabama, has been promoted from associate head coach to head coach of the Samford University women’s basketball team. He looks forward to building the program and winning championships.

Erin Brock Carlson ’12, Morgantown, West Virginia, was promoted to associate professor of English and awarded tenure at West Virginia University, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in the Writing Studies program. 

Bethany Breeze Davenport Truman ’13, Lexington, is an associate at Kinkead & Stilz law firm. Before her legal career, Bethany worked in higher education fundraising, listening and building relationships with donors to better understand their motivations. She plans to foster these skills in her practice as she works with her clients in various ways. 

Kyle J. Smith ’14, Orlando, Florida, has re-upped his contract with Orlando City SC through 2025. A shining star on the team, last season he was tagged with “no goals against” in his 29 games played and is credited with 42 aerial duels and 17 clearances.

Daniel C. Lyvers ’15, Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been serving as senior minister at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Chattanooga since January 2025.

Erin M. Miller ’16, Austin, Texas, is an account executive with Austin FC (Los Verdes MLS team). She works primarily with events and ticketing for the organization, and on game day, you will find her mingling with Verde fans in SciPlay Sports Bar and the club’s private suites. Whether you live in Austin or plan a visit, stop by to see Erin at Q2 stadium.

BayLeigh Routt ’17, Versailles, Kentucky, is the social media and content marketing manager for the Paul Miller Motor Company. In this role, her focus is to strengthen the brand identity online by developing successful marketing strategies through research, strategy, content creation and other creative initiatives such as events and partnerships. Every day she’s thinking outside the box to grow brand awareness online in a meaningful, intentional way for multiple Paul Miller brands including Ford, Mazda and Auto Outlet dealerships. 

Dia J. Wright ’17, Seattle, started a new position with Seattle University College of Education as associate director for research for the Public Education in Beloved Community Initiative.

Thomas “Toland” Lacy ’18, Lexington, is a staff attorney with the Kentucky Attorney General’s office, working with its rate intervention division.

Ariel P. Norvell ’18, Richmond, Kentucky, was promoted in June to director of health outreach services at AVOL Kentucky, a nonprofit working to end the HIV epidemic in central and Eastern Kentucky. In this leadership role, she oversees HIV, HCV and STI testing programs, develops strategic outreach initiatives and leads efforts to reduce health disparities among LGBTQ+ individuals, racial and ethnic minorities and others experiencing systemic barriers to care. She is a certified health education specialist whose work blends data-driven strategy with compassionate, community-centered care.

Katherine E. Stachowski ’18, Spartanburg, South Carolina, left a five-year stint as an assistant coach at Limestone University to become the next head coach of the University of Mount Olive women’s lacrosse program.

Nikki Fox Webb ’19, Lexington, is a biology teacher at Tate’s Creek High School, and in March 2025, she published her debut fantasy novel, “A Dragon’s Night.”

2020s

Shelby N. Boyle ’20, Brighton, Massachusetts, has been named the new assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the women’s basketball team at Dartmouth College after five seasons at Boston College, where she served as the director of player development. Shelby was recognized as a WBCA “30 Under 30” honoree in 2024. She was selected to the NCAA Basketball Coaches Academy in May 2025.

Brianna M. McCulley ’20, Lexington, returned to Transy in January as the head coach of the women’s lacrosse team.

Isaac G. Settle ’20, Owensboro, is the executive director of the Owensboro Museum of Science and History. An Owensboro native, he deeply loves the museum and is excited to elevate it to new heights. Isaac spent three years assisting with research and exhibit development and preserving the museum’s current collections at the establishment.

Charles “Carter” Johnson ’21, Lexington, has joined Stock Yards Bank as an investment associate. He is excited for the opportunity to learn from a seasoned team dedicated to client service. Carter believes in the power of long-term discipline to navigate market uncertainties and achieve financial goals.

Taylor Stamps Senter ’23, Aiken, South Carolina, is the assistant coach for Augusta University’s softball team. She was assistant coach at Transylvania during the 2024 season, helping lead the team to a 35-10 record and an NCAA regional tournament appearance. 

Jillian A. Shaw ’23, Lexington, is a program coordinator with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Amara F. Wagner ’25, Orlando, Florida, is a guest relations cast member at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT. After completing two weeks of training and receiving her “D-Pin,” honoring her as a full fledged member of the EPCOT Guest Relations team, she’s excited for what’s in store.