Class Notes

Anuk Karunaratne, BS ’05, was named senior vice president for business operations for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. He will oversee the team’s ticketing, marketing, corporate sales, broadcasting and business analytics departments. Karunaratne will also work with others across the organization to develop strategic planning functions for the team’s various business and stadium operations. Previously, he was executive vice president of business operations with the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

Diane M. Steinkamp, MBA ’04, married Darin L. Schreier on Sept. 9, 2023, in Steinkamp’s hometown of Centralia, Illinois. The couple, who live in St. Louis, honeymooned on the island of St. Lucia. Diane is a vice president and privately held investment manager at Commerce Trust, a division of Commerce Bank, and Darin is the mechanical designer manager at McClure Engineering.

Ryan Lawson, BFA ’04, was named to Architectural Digest’s AD100 2024 list, which recognizes the top talents in interior decoration, architecture and landscape design. Lawson and the interior design firm he founded in 2005 have become known for sophisticated, layered interiors that convey a sense of having been collected and refined over many years but remain unexpected and relevant.

Victoria Houseman, PhD ’04, an associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, penned a biography on the classicist Edith Hamilton titled American Classicist: The Life and Loves of Edith Hamilton (Princeton University Press, October 2023). Hamilton was the author of The Greek Way and Mythology among other works.

Karen L. Branding, MBA ’03, was named president and CEO of the Regional Business Council by its board of directors. Branding is a 13-year veteran of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where she has served as senior vice president for external engagement and corporate communications. She is a member of the St. Louis Fed’s Management Committee. Before joining the St. Louis Fed in 2011, she was the associate dean of marketing and communications for WashU’s Olin Business School.

Tiffany (Spriggs) Cruz, BS ’02, JD ’08, an international employment attorney, adjunct law professor, wife and mom, received Chapman University’s (Orange County, California) prestigious 2024 Woman of Distinction Award on March 27 for exemplifying outstanding leadership, demonstrating a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women, and making meaningful contributions to Chapman University and the greater community.

Maggie McDonald, MSW ’01, and Katrina Watson, AB ’06, are both working at United Way of Central Alabama. McDonald serves as vice president of Legacy Gifts, and Watson serves as senior vice president of Community Initiatives. They met while they were working for organizations that are funded by United Way and became fast friends when they realized they both graduated from WashU’s Brown School, a rare find in Birmingham, Alabama. Years later, they became colleagues and work collectively to ensure that everyone in central Alabama has access to vital services.

Jason Thomas, AB ’00, received a Points of Light Award this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The award honors people who help change the world with their hearts, hands and minds by strengthening communities and solving persistent problems. Thomas is involved with various Atlanta-based organizations from fighting food insecurity with Urban Recipe and Second Helpings Atlanta to delivering hope and support with Hugs and Hope and the Westside Future Fund. His hands-on role in assembling and delivering food boxes is a direct response to the challenge of hunger in the metro Atlanta area.

Sarah Glasser, AB ’00, opened YENology, a premier smoking accessory and luxury home goods boutique in Frontenac, Missouri. The store’s mix of luxury goods complements all paths to peace, both mindful and medicinal, to help all those who seek comfort. Glasser was voted one of the Most Influential Businesswomen by the St. Louis Business Journal in 2022.

Rebecca Lawin McCarley, AB ’99, celebrated 20 years of her historic preservation business, SPARK Consulting, in November 2023. The firm offers consulting services related to historic buildings, including historic tax credit applications, National Register of Historic Places nominations, design guidelines, architectural and historical surveys, and research on historic buildings and themes in history. The firm operates throughout Iowa and adjoining states.