Milestones - June 29, 2021

Camilla Nonterah, assistant professor of health psychology at the University of Richmond, has received $50,000 in grant funding from the American Society of Transplantation for her research on barriers in access to organ transplants. The goal of this research project is to help reduce disparities in access to kidney transplantation, especially for renal patients from minoritized backgrounds by improving ways of identifying those at risk for experiencing problems. The funding will provide a summer salary for Nonterah, materials and supplies, and salary support for a part-time study coordinator. Nonterah is a counseling psychologist by training whose research and clinical interests focus on behavioral medicine. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical psychology residency at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston Consortium and earned her doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University. She joined the University of Richmond in 2017.

Ellie Kastelein of Henrico recently was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, an international English honors society, at Wheaton College in Illinois.

Daniel Kroll of Glen Allen was named to the spring 2021 dean’s list at Ithaca College in New York.

Samantha Kruize of Henrico was named to the spring 2021 dean’s list at McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill. To qualify for the dean’s list, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.60 or higher.

The following local students recently graduated with honors from James Madison University: Lindsey McKim, of Sandston; Renessa Rabenda, Gabrielle Scarpa, Claudia Braswell, Stuart Walker, Grant Schowalter, Hunter Venable, Hannah Ripley, Logan Frostick, Jacob Clark, Kendall Madison, Brianna Lane and Sarah Colyer, of Glen Allen; and Thu Nguyen, Julianne Carroll, William Hunter, Jordan Womack, Joshua Craig, Jessica Besnier, Tyler Hughes, Henry Haas, Carly Chisholm, Kaelie Jager, Laurel Gofton, Sydney Circeo, Lauryn Galloway, Thomas Peery, Molly Bruce, Brittany Bell, Charlotte Thornton, Allison Christino, Stephen Robinson, Allison Edwards, Vasilis Anastasiou, Cary Keller and Kelly Baxter, of Henrico.

The following local students recently graduated from James Madison University: Aleja Bruce and Destiny Page, of Highland Springs; Jessica O’Neil and Deshayla Lewis, of Sandston; Jesse Davis, Allison Newhart, Daisy Stinson, Megan Hughes, Taylor Carroll, Bridget Willard, Kathryn Brown, Abigail Bittner, Kyle Chambers, Sarah Randolph, Sydney Henderson, Mason Hardy, Mee-Shan Bright, Dylan Mullican, Grant Kelley, Brendan Wilbur, Melissa Geissbuehler, Jordan Kelley, Jenna Gilbert, Elizabeth Brown, Peyton Gemmell, Mitchell Broughton, Addison Evans, Julianne Hulcher, Kyle Wittkowski, Cassidy Baker, Kiley Cousins, Grace Durrett, Brielle Conley, Eunshawn Yang, Riya Patel, Austin Acheson, Justin Eriavez, Grayson Richardson, Abby Smith, Sarah Jorgensen, Sarah Adams and Jessica Church, of Glen Allen; and David Ostrom, Daerenz Lyons, Marquis Johnson, Alana Towns, Jonathan Smith, Stephanie Anderson, Michael Greene, Truvell Wilson, Sophia Kadi, James Mason, Thomas Deutsch, Emily Grigsby, Robert Jessee, Isabelle Thomas, Eryn Carlisle, Jasmin DeBerry, Kira Tyree, Roumario Bector, Nicholas May, Christopher Nguyen, Claire Weidhaas, Ellison Hinkle, Josephine Tuckley, Grayson Phillips, Ann Allred, Michael Greenshields, Patrick Kirchmier, Katherine Cunningham, Luke Selman, William Evans, Patricia Dodson, Sarah Raabe, Elena Rogers, Charles Holloway, Ella Johnson, Claire Keeton, Gillian Brown, Michael Shaffer, Tonisha Jones, Christine Donald, Kariyah Jones, Briana Jackson, Akira Hall, Katelyn Stanley, Sara Banton, Tehya Moore, Ashley Smith, Rebekah Grainer, Adam Smith, Meredith Elliott, Michael Johnson, John Peaden, Robert Schweikert, Wai-Kei Luu, Parker Aleksa, Haydn Stevens, Jessica Marks, Hannah Nguyen, Adam Collins, Matea Magnano, Margaret Allen, Daniel Gibbons, Thomas Weston, Ryan Keogh, Cassandra Hill, Patrick Standley, Brett Reid, Clara Cooke, Joseph Ungerleider, Ronan Higgins, Allison Helmick, Julia Lawton, Brandon Quinn, Hannah Graves, James Malaugh, Anna Collett, Kaylee Schwarz, Elizabeth Howell, Marcelina Grochulska, Melissa Lutz, Grace Douglas, Timothy Mullins and Christina Neil, of Henrico.

Hannah Nguyen of Henrico was a member of the James Madison University’s 2021 Collegiate Wind Competition team that placed fourth overall among 13 undergraduate teams from across the country. Each year, the Collegiate Wind Competition integrates a new challenge into the contest that reflects real-world wind industry needs. Taking the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of supply chain disruptions into account, the 2021 challenge tasked teams with developing projects for deployment in highly uncertain times, with a significant degree of unknown risks and delays. This year's competition also featured a new "Connection Creation Contest," which challenged students to engage with industry professionals, their local communities, and local media outlets, in order to broaden their understanding of the workforce and educate new audiences about the benefits of wind and renewable energy. The Collegiate Wind Competition is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The following local students were named to the spring 2021 dean’s list at the College of Charleston in South Carolina: Jenna Stern, Samuel Turner, Laura Wallace, Ashley Dowd, Emma Nester and Michael Stein, of Henrico; and Olivia Herndon, of Glen Allen. Austin King, Rebecca Houck and Madeline Landa of Henrico were named to the spring 2021 president’s list at the College of Charleston.

Balazs Kaszala, Shivani Kundalia and Pallavi Natarajan of Glen Allen earned faculty honors for the spring 2021 semester at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This designation is awarded to students who have earned a 4.0 academic average for the semester. Haley Kellam of Henrico and Brock Smith of Glen Allen were named to the spring 2021 dean’s list at Georgia Tech. To be eligible for the dean’s list, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Collin Missimer of Glen Allen recently graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in History with Highest Honors.

Shobha Pai of Glen Allen and Amina Beasley of Henrico were named to the spring 2021 dean’s list at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. To qualify for the dean’s list, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.50 or higher.

Megan Elizabeth Pierce of Henrico graduated May 22 from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. Pierce was awarded the Outstanding Student Award for Healthcare Management during the commencement ceremony.

The Richmond-based Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) recently announced the winners of its 7th Annual Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Award: Demetra Liggins, a partner in the Business Finance and Restructuring department at Thompson & Knight in Houston, Texas, and Kevin Gooch, a partner in the Financial Services department at Holland & Knight in Atlanta, Ga. Named for LCLD’s founder, the Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Award recognizes the outstanding achievements, commitment, and leadership of Alumni who have left a lasting impact on their legal communities and the profession at large. This is the highest honor in the 3,200-member LCLD Alumni community. A 2012 LCLD Fellow, Liggins has served in several leadership positions within and beyond her firm aimed toward the advancement of diverse attorneys. She focuses on minority recruitment through her participation in Thompson & Knight’s Strategic Lateral Hiring Committee, as well as broader diversity initiatives by serving on the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee for nearly ten years. Gooch, a 2015 LCLD Fellow, was named one of the “500 Most Influential Atlantans” by Atlanta Magazine this year. He recently wrapped up a two-year term as chairman of the board of 100 Black Men of Atlanta Inc., a 35-year-old organization that supports African American youths through mentorship, character development, academic support, career readiness and community service.