Class Notes

Eric Schultz, AB ’02, a political adviser to former President Obama, as well as a former White House principal deputy press secretary and Senate aide, is credited on-screen as a political consultant for the new Netflix political thriller, Zero Day, starring Robert De Niro. His public affairs firm The Shultz Group offers strategic communications expertise to public sector, nonprofit and corporate clients.

Tom Wotka, MBA ’01, joined the Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck firm as a senior policy adviser in the government relations department. He will be based in the Washington, D.C., office. Wotka, a career diplomat, has experience addressing global conflict, energy security and critical minerals issues. His career with the State Department includes leadership roles that he draws on when assessing and developing bipartisan policy initiatives and legislation.

Nicole (Nikki) Lovenduski, AB ’01, is director of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she was recently promoted to full professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.

Eric Homan, BSBA ’00, has traded options contracts for over a decade.

Amanda Heidemann, MD ’99, is president of the St. Louis Academy of Family Physicians. She has been a member of the academy for over 25 years and served previous terms as a board member, becoming president-elect in 2024. Her focus areas for 2025 include expanding educational opportunities and showcasing the importance of health information technology in delivering high- quality medical care. She currently works as a physician advisor for Wolters Kluwer Health.

Jay Wolz, EMBA ’98, retired from his position as business editor of the Southeast Missourian newspaper in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Prior to that, he retired in 2018 from Southeast Missouri State University, where he served as director of alumni relations. In addition to periodic freelance writing, he now occupies his time with a variety of community service roles including volunteer work with Parkinson’s disease patients and military veterans. 

Eric Price, AB ’95, developed an app, ORninja, that teaches surgical support staff such as sales reps, residents, scrub techs and nurses the language of surgery and instruments as well as surgical workflow.

Howard P. Goodkin, PhD ’95, MD ’95, began his term as president of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) in December 2024. Goodkin is the Shure Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at the University of Virginia and serves as director of the Division of Pediatric Neurology. He has been an AES member for more than 20 years. His clinical and research expertise focuses on pediatric epilepsy and prolonged seizures, known as status epilepticus.

Horatio Law, MFA ’93, is one of three recipients of the 2023 Stone & DeGuire Award. The awards support WashU alumni in their creative practice. An artist based in Portland who specializes in public art, multimedia and installation, Law emphasizes the importance of building community through his work.

Tom Grayson, MD ’93, was honored with the 2024 Paul S. Rhoads Humanity in Medicine Award. Grayson is a general surgeon at Reid Health in Richmond, Indiana. The award is presented to a physician who demonstrates a commitment to clinical quality, who is a leader of programs and services, and who enhances the quality of health care in Reid’s service area. His wife Kristen, MSOT ’90, is also a WashU alum.