Class Notes

• Farhad Asghar, parent of School for Children alums and current trustee, was announced as the new chief growth officer at Bottom Line.
• The film September 5, co-written by Alex David, SFC ’86, was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 97th Academy Awards, as well as for Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards.
• Samara Harris, SFC ’85, is the new director of creative development for Dramatic Publishing Company.

• Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer, SFC ’86, was featured in Smith Quarterly, Smith College’s quarterly newsletter, for her work at Amherst Cinema.
• Yesenia Garcia-Fortuna, SFC ’98, was named the executive director for Summer Search New York City.
• Zoe Sperduto, SFC ’18, is joining the inaugural cohort of College Advocates at What Is Next to mentor and conduct office hours with high school students.
• Amy Globus, SFC ’89, was interviewed by Debbie Millman about her “What Matters” project in PRINT Magazine. Amy discussed her values, regrets, and the time she painted her best friend to blend into a floor when Amy was 13.
• Anna Lefer Kuhn, SFC ’89, has over 15 years of executive experience in social justice philanthropy and now runs her own consulting firm that collaborates with grassroots organizations focused on workers’ rights, racial and economic justice, democracy, and human rights. She resides in Washington, DC with her 14-year-old twins, Abraham and Scarlett.
• Sydney Ireland, SFC ’15, was interviewed by Ali Rogin on PBS News Hour about her incredible fight advocating for gender inclusivity within the Boy Scouts of America and how her work has helped push them to change their name to Scouting America.
• Eli Gelb, SFC ’01, has received a Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for his performance in Stereophonic, which has the most Tony nominations in history. The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “Gelb is unexpectedly moving as a man eager to prove himself, steadily more bruised by Peter’s abuse but asserting his tenuous authority with weary tenacity.”
• Fouad Dakwar, SFC ’14, was featured in Playbill.com’s Playbill Songwriter Series where he shared songs from his autobiographical musical Fouad of Nazareth.
• Melissa Gabriel Toole, SFC ’84, is the author of a new book, Time is on Your Side.

• Alexander Burns, SFC ’00, and his wife joyfully welcomed their son, Jamie, on April 21.
• Bank Street College of Education welcomed Shilla Kim-Parker, SFC ’96, to the Board of Trustees.
• Simon Rodberg, SFC ’92, started a new position as executive director at Lee Montessori Public Charter Schools.
• Sydney Ireland, SFC ’15, received the James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation’s 24 Under 24 Award for her tireless and transformative efforts in advocating for gender inclusivity within the Boy Scouts of America.
• Loren Brill, SFC ’98, founder of Sweet Loren’s, was featured on The Today Show for launching the cookie company in the wake of a challenging cancer diagnosis in her early 20s.
• Zoe Sperduto, SFC ’18, won first place at the Construction Institute Student Days civil engineering competition with her team, SheBuilds. She also won Best Speaker Award at the competition, which was organized by the ASCE Construction Institute Young Professionals Council.
• Amy Globus, SFC ’89, co-founder of Team, was recently selected as one of the winners of “365: AIGA Year in Design” for her company’s work with the Bronx Museum of the Arts.
• Shuwanza Goff was appointed as Assistant to the United States President and Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs.
• Sidra Bell, SFC ’93, was featured on the TODAY show for her trailblazing work as a dancer, choreographer, and artist.
• Emilio Enriquez, SFC ’20, Leo Miller Rosenfeld, SFC ’20, and Blake Riley, SFC ’20, all friends through Bank Street School for Children, launched Metro Coaching NYC, which offers high-level training to young athletes in New York City.
  

• Julee Wilson, SFC ’93, current SFC parent and beauty director for Cosmopolitan magazine, is featured with her family on the cover of New York Family.
• Alex Burns, SFC ’00, has returned to POLITICO as the new Associate Editor for Global Politics and Columnist.
• Simon Rodberg, SFC ’92, recently joined Kindred’s Board! Simon was the founding principal of DC International School, a public charter school, and is the author of What If I’m Wrong? and Other Key Questions for Decisive School Leadership. He now consults and teaches school leadership at American University.
• Alex Burns, SFC ’00, was recently on The View as a guest to speak about his new book, This Will Not Pass.
• Alice Mark, SFC ’01, is currently living in Nashville, TN, and is the Senior Lecturer at Vanderbilt University in the math department.

• Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer, SFC ’86, has been appointed executive director of Amherst Cinema, an independent, nonprofit movie theater.  Read more
• Lauren Ellman, SFC ’90, is a full professor in the clinical psychology program at Temple University. She studies the causes of serious mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and depression.
• After getting a BA in Russian Language and Literature from Boston University and later an MA in Slavic Linguistics at the University of Virginia, Levi Wallach, SFC ’82, decided to go back to his childhood interest in computers and became a web developer back in the 1990’s when the web was first getting started. He’s been working in the DC area for the past 26 years and has a wife and 16-year-old daughter.
• Alexandra Rubinstein, SFC ’78, spent 23 years at Walt Disney at the Imagineering building Disney Parks in Asia, and now is the co-CEO of Meow Wolf, an immersive Arts Exhibition Company. Read more
• After nearly four years working with the Fiscal Policy Institute as a Policy Analyst, Shamier Settle, SFC ’07, has decided to take on a new role in finance. Her time with the Fiscal Policy Institute was filled with incredible experiences like writing op-ed’s about the importance of state funding for the 2020 census, testifying in hearings about the NY State budget, and so much more. Shamier is looking forward to beginning her new role as an Analyst with Credit Suisse. She takes pride in being a life-long learner, and has Bank Street to thank for that.
• Jodie Patterson, SFC ’84, authored her second book from Random House titled, “Born Ready: the True Story of a Boy Named Penelope.” This children’s picture book is about her transgender son’s journey with identity and acceptance. Jodie is the chair of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation Board. Read more
• James Blachly, SFC ’94, received a Grammy Award for “Best Classical Solo Vocal Performance” at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. James Blachly earned the award for his conducted recording with Experiential Orchestra and Chorus of Dame Ethel Smyth’s “The Prison,” which was originally composed in 1930. Read more
• Sidra Bell, SFC ’93, is featured as one of twelve black leaders making a difference in Westchester county. Read more
• Jamila Baucom, SFC ’91, was featured in a member spotlight for Women in Development. Read more
• April Goff ’02, was highlighted in a piece from the Event Leadership Institute. Read more

• Sidra Bell ’93, was the first Black female choreographer to create a new work for the New York City Ballet. Read more
• Matt Stine ’94, was recently nominated for a Tony Award for his work as a music producer for Moulin Rouge! the Musical. Read more
• Simon Rodberg ’92, published What If I’m Wrong?, for anybody who wants to better understand why schools are the way they are, and how they can be better.
• Shuwanza Goff ’99, has joined President-elect Joe Biden’s White House staff as a new deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs. Read more
• Sydney Ireland ’15, who advocated tirelessly for years to be recognized as an official member of the Boy Scouts, has been awarded the Eagle Scout rank. Read more

October 2019

• Emily Wong, ’69, will be teaching origami at O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, on December 18.
• Dalas Zeicher, ’11, Counselor, Bank Street Summer Camp, is pursuing her Master’s in Public Health (MPH) at Boston University of Public Health and teaching EMT classes at Boston University’s EMS education institute.