Michael H. Hayden ’04, a partner in the Boston office of Morrison Mahoney, has been elected president of the Massachusetts Bar Association for the 2025-26 year. He succeeds BC Law alum, Victoria Santoro ’10.
Mark Leddy ’71
Leddy has received the Chambers and Partners’ Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor recognizes his critical role in many industry-transforming transactions and focus on US and European antitrust law.
Larry Ruttman ’58
Ruttman has been awarded a prized finalist award from Foreword Reviews for his recent book Intimate Conversations: Face to Face with Matchless Musicians.
Marianne D. Short ’76
Short, a Boston College trustee since 1985, received the President’s Medal for Excellence from President William P. Leahy, SJ, and Board Chair John Fish, in recognition of her 40 years of service to the University. Short has played key roles on the board, including chairing major committees and serving on two presidential search committees. She was among the first women appointed to the board and is a dedicated leader and supporter of Boston College. Her recent generous gift led to the naming of the Marianne D. Short, Esq., Law School Deanship, whose inaugural holder is Odette Lienau.
Robert M. Steeg ’78
Steeg, a managing partner of Steeg Law Firm in New Orleans, LA, has been included in Best Lawyers 2026 for banking and finance law, commercial finance law, commercial transactions/UCC law, corporate law, and real estate law. He is one of a select group of attorneys who have received this honor for more than 25 years.
Rudy J. Cerone ’79
Cerone was honored with the 2025 Leadership in Law Award presented by New Orleans City Business. He is a member of McGlinchey Stafford in New Orleans and chair of the firm’s creditors’ rights, financial restructuring, and bankruptcy group, where he advises creditor clients in complex bankruptcy matters.
Thomas Barnico ’80
Barnico is the author of “A Tale of Two Bakers: Charlie Don’t Forget Hobey,” published CommonWealth Beacon in October, comparing NCAA president and former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker with early 20th-century sports legend Hobey Baker.
Ken Bello ‘81
Bello, of Barclay Damon, has been selected to the 2025 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list. He was recognized in the Employment & Labor category.
David Jose ’81
Jose has become chief legal counsel for Aspire Indiana Health, which provides integrated primary care, behavioral health, and residential recovery services for low-income and underserved residents of Indianapolis and central Indiana. In April, he ran his 20th Boston Marathon, the past 18 times of which he has run in honor of BC Law classmates Gus Lou and Greg Pitts.
Peter del Vecchio ’81
Del Vecchio served as interim chief legal officer for TI Energy, a New York Stock Exchange-listed company. He has also been growing Mainsail Renewables, a company specializing in battery and data center project development.
Ellie Krug ’82
Krug has released a second book, Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change, a timeless story of self-discovery that applies to everyone regardless of whether they’ve struggled with gender, sexuality, or other life changes. Krug is a transgender activist and founder and president of Human Inspiration Works in Minneapolis.
Jerry Petros ’83
Petros has been honored as a distinguished leader at the 2025 New England Legal Awards, a recognition that highlights his outstanding achievements and leadership in the legal profession. He is a partner, chair of the litigation group, and leads the environmental group at Hinckley Allen.
Paul E. Burns ‘84
Burns has joined the panel of AMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide. He joins with more than 30 years of experience in technology, intellectual property and complex commercial litigation, as well as over 21 years as a nationally respected arbitrator and mediator.
Christopher P. Harvey ’86
Harvey is a partner in the Boston office of Dechert, a global law firm where he serves as global co-chair of the firm’s 200-lawyer financial services group. He represents asset managers and investment funds in a wide variety of corporate, transactional, and regulatory matters.
Kate Barton ’87
Barton writes commentary in Fortune Magazine. In a July article, she discussed her new role as CEO of Dentons, the world’s largest global law firm. She described the firm’s advances under her leadership, including the integration of artificial intelligence with programs to strengthen emotional intelligence, mentorship, and leadership development. Barton emphasized that these initiatives will help Dentons combine innovation with the human skills most valued by clients. She has also been named director of the board at Catalyst Inc.
Holly M. Ford Lewis ’89
Ford has joined law firm Pantich Schwarze Belisario & Nadel as counsel. A business and legal advisor to clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, she provides counsel on all aspects of trademark, brand protection, portfolio management, copyright, IP transactional work, and enforcement matters.
Elizabeth Talia ’93
Talia, vice president and general counsel for Thompson Health, in Canandaigua, NY, has been named to the Rochester Business Journal’s Circle of Excellence. The honor recognizes her longstanding success and her leadership in paving the way for other women in the community.
Nerre Shuriah ’94
Shuriah has launched a podcast titled “Building More Than Business” for First Citizens Bank. She is a co-host, bringing her expertise in thought leadership, business advising, and wealth management to help bridge the gap between business and personal planning for entrepreneurs.
John L. Hunt ‘95
Hunt joined Robinson+Cole as a partner in its Construction Law group, based in the New York office.
John G. O’Neill ’95
O’Neill was on Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s Go To Lawyers list for professional malpractice. He is a seasoned litigator, navigating cases ranging from coverage and bad faith suits to commercial disputes.
Ingrid Chiemi Schroffner ’95
Schroffner is the author of What the Horizon Can Hold, a book of song lyrics and art, published in July. The book explores themes of beauty, connection, imagination, and mindfulness. Using Hawaiian wisdom, Schroffner encourages readers to appreciate the world around them through imagination.
William Ryan Hart Jr. ’96
Hart has been named commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Corrections.
Kris Moussette ’96
Mousette has been elected as a regular fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel, an honor recognizing attorneys who have demonstrated exceptional expertise, integrity, and commitment to the practice of public finance law.
Nancy E. Oliver ’99
Oliver has been individually recognized in the 2025 Chambers USA Guide, an annual guide ranking the leading law firms in the US, for her labor and employment practice.
Andrew Don ’00
Don has been selected as an associate justice to the Massachusetts Juvenile Court. He has extensive experience in the court, and previously served a trial panel director for the Committee for Public Counsel Services’s children and family law division.
Sonia Raman ’01
Raman was named head coach of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. She was previously an assistant coach for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies from 2020 to 2024.
Scott Connolly ’02
Connolly has joined the Boston office of Epstein Becker Green as a member of the firm’s employment, labor, and workforce management practice group. He has decades of experience addressing high-stakes employment law challenges.
Justin G. Hamill ’03
Hamill has been named managing director and chief legal officer at Silver Lake, a global technology investment firm headquartered in Menlo Park, CA. He has also been appointed to the board of directors of Paramount Skydance Corporation.
Jeremy McDiarmid ’04
McDiarmid has become the chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. He previously was managing director and general counsel at Advanced Energy United.
Michael J. O’Donnell ’04
O’Donnell will publish his new novel, Concert Black, with Blackstone Publishing in April 2026. The book chronicles a biographer and a famous conductor who will stop at nothing to keep the biographer from exposing his secrets. The book follows his previous release, Above the Fire.
Tracy Hresko Pearl ’06
Pearl has been elected to the American Law Institute, the nation’s leading independent organization dedicated to clarifying and improving the law. She is a professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law and is a nationally recognized expert at the intersection of emerging technology, risk, and criminal law.
Christopher L. Morgan ’06
Morgan has been selected to serve as a US magistrate judge in the District of Massachusetts and will sit in Springfield. He will assume the position upon the retirement of Judge Katherine A. Robertson in January 2026.
Benjamin Spiess ’06
Spiess was elected as a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers in 2025. He is a partner at Landye Bennett Blumstein and a member of the firm’s real estate practice group representing clients across the Pacific Northwest.
Esther Chang ’07
Chang was named by Crain’s Chicago Business to its Notable M&A Dealmakers list. She is a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, leading domestic and cross-border deals and advising on private-equity investments and corporate governance.
Shiva Sandill ’07
Sandill was named by Crain’s Chicago Business to its Notable M&A Dealmakers list. He is a partner at White & Case, representing private-equity and venture-capital funds in buyouts, recapitalizations, and growth investments.
David Murphy ’09
Murphy was appointed Superintendent of the Cambridge Public Schools in Cambridge, on October 6, after having served as Interim Superintendent since July of 2024. He was previously the district’s Chief Operating Officer and prior to that was Deputy Superintendent/Chief of Staff for the Boston Public Schools and Chair of the Attleboro School Committee. He has also worked as outside counsel to several school districts in Massachusetts and practiced at Nixon Peabody in Boston.
Jen Olson ’10
Olson has been appointed a state court judge in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Nick Pisegna ’11
Pisegna has joined the Boston office of Todd & Weld, his practice focusing on government investigations and criminal defense. He has extensive courtroom experience as a private practitioner and former prosecutor.
Anusia Gillespie ’13
Gillespie is the author of Soul Toll, her debut novel, which blends supernatural fantasy with motivational themes, offering a practical, career-friendly lens on escaping burnout and finding one’s true path. The book received praise from Kirkus Reviews.
Jennifer M. Kent ’13
Kent, a senior associate in the Washington, DC, office of Latham & Watkins, was named one of the top twelve honorees on the EMpower 2021 list of 100 Ethnic Minority Future Leaders. The award celebrates role models across sectors and industries who are breaking down barriers at work and working hard to smash the ceiling for people of color in the UK, Ireland, Europe, the United States, and Canada.
Frank Murray ’13
Murray has joined Miami boutique Stumphauzer Kolaya Nadler & Sloman, as a partner. He focuses on government investigations, white-collar criminal defense, complex commercial litigation, and business disputes.
Samantha Shusterman ’13
Shusterman has been appointed chief of staff at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Reed Harasimowicz ‘16
Harasimowicz was named partner at Ropes & Gray. Working out of their San Francisco office, he guides leading private equity sponsors and portfolio companies on complex transactions, from leveraged buyouts to minority investments.
Graham Markiewicz ’16
Markiewicz is the founder and executive director of the Security and Democracy Forum, a mission-driven think tank in Washington, DC, focused on strengthening peace, principled security, and democratic resilience.
Christian Vareika ‘16
Vareika was named partner at Ropes & Gray. He advises leading asset managers and global institutional investors on transactional matters spanning alternative asset classes out of their Boston office.
Jeffrey D. Crislip ’18
Crislip has joined the Portland, OR, office of Henning and Berman as a senior associate. He handles complex civil litigation, and in 2025, Super Lawyers recognized him as a rising star.
Carl Misitano ’18
Misitano has joined Steptoe & Johnson in Pittsburgh as counsel. He brings extensive experience in labor and employment law, a strong background in litigation, and significant expertise in conducting depositions.
Michelle G. Rosin ’18
Rosin has joined Greenberg Traurig as an associate in its Boston office. She focuses on commercial real estate transactions, including leasing, acquisitions, financings, developments, and dispositions.
Elizabeth Cole ’19
Cole is the founding director of the Nebraska Innocence Clinic at the University of Nebraska College of Law, which launched in January 2025. Previously, she was a clinical teaching fellow at the Michigan Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School.
Carmella R. O’Hanlon ’21
O’Hanlon has joined Blank Rome as an associate in the New York office’s maritime group. She focuses her practice on maritime law and complex commercial litigation, representing both domestic and international clients in a wide range of civil and criminal matters.
Jordan Walker ’22
Walker has been selected to join the Boston Bar Association’s 2025-2026 Public Interest Leadership Program. Participants learn directly from leaders across Boston’s public and private sectors, building the skills, connections, and tools needed to serve as effective advocates and community leaders.
Clare Noone ’23
Noone has moved to Scotland to begin her master’s in human rights law at the University of Edinburgh Law School.
Dana Lee ’24
Lee has joined Barclay Damon’s torts and products liability defense practice area as an associate. Her primary office is in New York City.
George Ward ’24
Ward accepted a permanent position at the Attorney General’s office in Boston in the environmental protection division after completing his BC post-grad public service fellowship there.
William Wheeler ‘25
Wheeler has joined Fish & Richardson as a member of the 2025 fall associate class, focusing on patent litigation and electrical and computer technology, transportation, aerospace, and defense industries.
Alexa Spitz ‘25
Spitz recently joined Marshall Gerstein as an associate in its Trademarks practice.
IN MEMORIAM
Ernest F. Roberts ’54
John M. Callan ’57
James F. Stapleton ’57
Bruce Balter ’62
David W. Carroll ’63
John P. Conroy ’64
Edward Bloom ’65
John Lemery ’65
Edward C. Uehlein ’65
Robert Dowens ’68
Paul Sullivan ’69
William Clauson ’71
Thomas Zarr ’71
Robert Lepri ’72
Dick Fitzgerald ’77
Rich Scudellari ’82
Dawn Austin ’84
Mary Kelleher ’84
Peter Eric Ruhlin ’87
Patricia Geran ’89
Adam Garcia ’14