Alumni in the News

On February 26, The Legal Foundation of Washington presented Don Horowitz ’56 with the 2016 Charles A. Goldmark Distinguished Service Award, which is given annually to an individual or organization “that has assisted in providing deep and meaningful access to the justice system.” In addition to his current work as a senior adviser at the University of Washington’s Information School, Horowitz previously served as a Washington Superior Court judge and as chief counsel for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.

Ommeed Sathe ’00 was named in The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s first 40 Under 40 list of young leaders who have dedicated their careers to social change. Sathe is VP of impact investments at Prudential Financial in Newark, N.J., and oversees a $500 million portfolio of investments designed to produce both financial and social returns.

ERIC CHARBONNEAU /NETFLIX

Making a Murderer, the hit documentary series co-directed by Moira Demos ’96, SOA ’08, was called “Netflix’s most significant show ever” by Forbes in a January 3 article. Demos has been interviewed about the documentary — which was filmed over 10 years and follows the story of Steven Avery, currently in prison for murder — in multiple media outlets, including The New York Times and TODAY. As a result of the series, more than 507,000 people have signed online petitions in an effort to release Avery from prison. The New York Times wrote on January 11: “‘Really, our goal was to start a dialogue about what we viewed as important issues in our criminal justice system,’ Demos told Women in the World. ‘It was always our goal, but I think this far exceeds what we expected, and we’re thrilled that so many people — and so many different people — all over the world are watching, and responding, and having different responses.’”

Eight College alumni presented at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in January: Josh Fox ’95, director of How to Let Go of the World (And Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change); Lodge Kerrigan ’85, director, screenwriter and executive producer of The Girlfriend Experience; Katharina Otto- Bernstein ’86, SOA ’92, producer of Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures; Andrew Neel ’01, director of Goat; Julia Bloch ’99, film editor of Green Room; Yana Gorskaya ’96, editor of Hunt for the Wilderpeople; Miguel Batista ’93, BUS’99, production accountant for O.J.: Made in America; and Carly Hugo ’06, producer of Suited.

Columbians made a big splash on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, with eight College alumni being recognized for excelling in their respective fields: Amanda Gutterman ’13, founder of the online media company Slant (Media Category); Shana Knizhnik ’10, author of the popular blog Notorious R.B.G. and co-author of the book of the same name (Media Category) [Editor’s Note: See Bookshelf.]; Heben Nigatu ’14, co-host of BuzzFeed’s “Another Round” podcast (Media Category); Michael Tannenbaum ’10, who helped negotiate the largest Fin- Tech investment through his work with SoFi’s $1 billion investment in SoftBank (Finance Category); Jerelyn Rodriguez ’11, founder of The Knowledge House, a STEM education-to-jobs pipeline in underserved neighborhoods (Education Category); Christopher Lorn ’10, the consumer journey and analytics lead for tobacco company Philip Morris (Marketing and Advertising Category); and Katherine Jin ’16 and Kevin Tyan ’16, co-creators (with Jason Kang SEAS’16) of Highlight, a brightly colored disinfectant that helps doctors fight Ebola (Healthcare Category) [Editor’s Note: See “Student Spotlight,” Winter 2015–16.].

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Dave Obelkevich ’65 holds the record for longest streak of finished consecutive New York City Marathons, having run his 39th in November. The accomplishment was covered by Runner’s World and Canadian Running Magazine; Obelkevich finished with a time of 4:57:01.On January 5, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of Lisette Camilo ’98 as commissioner for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. In a press release, Camilo was quoted, “I am excited by the prospects of continuing efforts to create a green city, support City Agency workforce needs and also maintain the historic city buildings that have become a staple in New York.”

Nico Muhly ’03 composed the musical score for The New Yorker’s first animated cover, which was drawn by Chris Ware and premiered on November 30. Listen to the audio and see the video.

The September 2015 issue of Interior Design magazine featured the work of Erik Maran ’86 and Ira Smith ’86, cofounders of SmithMaran Architecture + Interiors. The duo’s design for Insight Venture Partners’ new space, on the 36th floor of midtown New York’s W. R. Grace Building, was covered with an article and slideshow of the finished space.

— Anne-Ryan Heatwole JRN’09