Class Notes

Jill Downen, GF01, shares that her work, “Speak Truth,” was exhibited from Nov. 19, 2021–March 5, 2022, at the Bruno David Gallery in St. Louis. Downen’s artworks in the exhibit reveal patterns of meaning in value systems such as identity, family and the importance of voice. Website: www.artsy.net/partner/bruno-david-gallery

Kristen Johnson, LA00, joined the Arizona Department of Water Resources as manager of the Colorado River Section in the Water Planning and Permitting Division. Johnson manages a technical staff and supports the director and deputy director in a number of policy priorities in anticipation of a cut to the state’s Colorado River allocation in 2022 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Paul Gassett, PMBA00, joined the leadership team at Obata Marketing and Design in St. Louis as vice president.

Craig Tingle, LW96, earned a master’s degree from the London Business School in July and was board certified in real estate law by the Florida Bar Association.

David Straker, LA94, was listed as a Top Psychiatrist in Super Doctors for the fourth consecutive year. He also was tapped by the American Psychiatric Association as a Distinguished Fellow and appointed Psychiatry Clerkship Director for third-year medical students at Nova Southeastern University Allopathic School of Medicine. Straker continues to maintain a private practice.

Evan Sotiriou, EN94, LW97, joined Tucker Ellis LLP as counsel in the firm’s intellectual property department. A registered U.S. patent attorney, Sotiriou has focused on patent preparation and prosecution for more than two decades.

Joe Daniels, LA94, was named president and CEO of America250, the nationwide commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 led by the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. Previously, Daniels led the National Medal of Honor Museum and was the president and CEO of the 9/11 Museum and Memorial in New York City.

Ben Blount, FA94, shares that his letterpress poster installation, “Eyes Wide Shut,” was displayed on the windows of the Minnesota Center for Book Arts from Jan. 11–March 28, 2021. His display, he writes, “is an examination of our relationship to white supremacy in the United States. It’s ubiquitous, yet unseen. Both monumental and myth. Are we safe or are we surrounded?” From July 2021–January 2022, a collection of Blount’s posters was on display at The Met Fifth Avenue as part of an exhibition on revolution, resistance and activism.

Kristin Burns, LA92, on behalf of her two children, advocates for children’s rights overall and within the legal system. She also works for the rights and protections of victims and witnesses of crimes. Her article, “Our real, local, national, and global needs,” which discusses issues facing the country and the world, appeared in the Fairfax Times.

Gretchen Cowman, EN91, is a captain in the U.S. Public Health Service and manages the laboratory renovation and construction program at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, she deployed to the Navajo Nation to expand access to safe water and sanitation and to San Antonio, Texas, to support the influx of unaccompanied migrant children. Cowman is active in three hiking clubs in the Washington, D.C., area.