Class Notes

Name: Mike Timm

Class Year(s): 1988, 89,90,91,92

Note: Mike Timm ’94 (CIAS) is the producer & director of the short film, Mexican Hat. Mike’s latest short film premiered at the Marina del rey Film Festival. It continues through the festival circuit.

Submitted on: June 15, 2026

Name: Luisa Schum

Class Year(s): 2014

Note: Luisa Schum ’14 (SCB) received her MBA from the University of New Mexico on May 16, 2026.

Submitted on: June 15, 2026

Name: Michelle Beatty

Class Year(s): 2016

Note: Thompson Names Michelle Beatty MBA ’16 (SCB) director of Perioperative Services CANANDAIGUA —Michelle Beatty is the new director of Perioperative Services for F.F. Thompson Hospital, an affiliate of University of Rochester Medicine. With over 20 years of experience, she is responsible for providing oversight of services including the Operating Room, the Ambulatory Procedures Unit, Sterile Reprocessing Services, the Surgical Care Center, the Pre-Admission Testing Center, and the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. She will also lead strategic initiatives to improve patient outcomes and surgical efficiency within Thompson. After completing her nursing degree at St. John Fisher University, Beatty served in various positions in operating rooms and in nursing administration, obtaining a Master of Business Administration from RIT along the way. Most recently, she served as the senior director of nursing and Perioperative Operations for Rochester General Hospital. She is a member of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses. “We are confident that Michelle’s expertise in perioperative operations, strategic planning, and commitment to quality will greatly benefit our surgical services and our patients,” said Thompson Health vice president of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer Hazel Robertshaw. Beatty resides in Farmington.

Submitted on: June 11, 2026

Rose Keneally and Nela Alvarez-Sotomayor ’91 (CIAS) . Two Tigers, a decade apart, one school.

Name: Nela Alvarez-Sotomayor

Class Year(s): 1991

Note: Rose Keneally and Nela Alvarez-Sotomayor ’91 (CIAS) were out representing RIT this spring at South Portland High School in Maine for Senior Acceptance Day — inspiring the next wave of college-bound seniors and, let’s be honest, probably the most interesting people in the room that day. Between them, these two have built something genuinely special at SPHS. Rose has been shaping young mathematical minds for 20 years, while Nela has spent 28 years keeping the art of analog photography alive and thriving — darkrooms, film, the works. In a world of Instagram filters, that dedication is next level. Two Tigers, a decade apart, one school — and a whole lot of impact. South Portland is lucky to have them both.

Submitted on: June 3, 2026

A moment never to be forgotten. Tiger pride runs deep. 🧡🐯

Name: Kerri Johnson

Class Year(s): 2000

Note: After graduating from RIT 26 years ago, Kerri Johnson ’00 (CIAS) never imagined that one day she would have a front-row seat to watch her own daughter graduate from the same university. As the events manager for Commencement in the RIT College of Liberal Arts, she has helped celebrate this milestone for countless students and families over the years, but this ceremony was especially meaningful. Watching her daughter cross the stage at her alma mater was a full-circle moment their family will always cherish.

Submitted on: May 27, 2026

Name: Aiden Allridge

Class Year(s): 2026

Note: Aidan Allridge ’26 (COLA) is headed to Japan. Aidan has been awarded a highly competitive position as a coordinator for international relations through the JET Program, where CIRs support internationalization efforts, translation, interpretation, and cross-cultural exchange in Japan. CIR positions require a high degree of Japanese fluency and make up less than 10% of JET participants. This achievement reflects Aidan’s hard work, skill, and strong interdisciplinary preparation in Japanese and Business. Congratulations, Aidan! COLA is proud to celebrate your extraordinary work and this exciting next step. We also recognize the dedicated faculty in Applied Modern Language and Culture–Japanese, whose teaching and mentorship continue to support students of Japanese language and culture across RIT.

Submitted on: May 21, 2026

Name: Donald Kingston

Class Year(s): 1964

Note: Don Kingston ’64 (SCB) has retired after serving 14 years as the Mayor, Town to Duck, NC. The main stage in Duck was renamed the ’Don Kingston Pavilion’ to honor his service to the town. Don has relocated to Ashburn, Virginia.

Submitted on: May 18, 2026

Eva Palatova, Acting Head of the EU in Kosovo handing over the award to Shqipe Neziri Vela ’07 (CAST)

Name: Shqipe Neziri Vela

Class Year(s): 2007

Note: At this year’s Europe Day Reception, the European Union in Kosovo has honored Shqipe Neziri Vela ’07 (CAST) with the prestigious “European of the Year Award 2026” in recognition of her contributions to advancing gender equality, women’s empowerment, and sustainable energy governance in Kosovo and beyond. This recognition reflects many years of work and commitment in the energy and mining sectors, as well as ongoing efforts to expand opportunities for women’s leadership in traditionally male-dominated industries. It is both a personal honor and an important acknowledgment of the broader need for inclusive and equitable leadership in shaping our societies and economies. Full post: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanUnionInKosovo/posts/pfbid0U5zCvp72JVcfF4obgi2hTCGsYeXHod5S7BoVk9CiN3xYcnS2UDfD4qTan6H4JuvMl

Submitted on: May 12, 2026

Name: Yunus Lowenthal

Class Year(s): 2012

Note: Yunus Lowenthal ’12 (CIAS) currently teaches applied arts that includes: woodwork, clay scultpure, pottery, stone carving, weaving, and chair-making to 5th-12th graders. Yunus is on Instagram under the name @Lionvalleycrafts!

Submitted on: May 11, 2026

Tom Klinkowstein ’71 (GAP) at the opening of NOT ALL WHENS ARE TIME, Kolding, Denmark.

Name: Tom Klinkowstein

Class Year(s): 1967, 1971

Note: Tom Klinkowstein ’71 (GAP) exhibited his art , NOT ALL WHENS ARE TIME at the Design School Kolding (Denmark), March 2026. It is ongoing. NOT ALL WHENS ARE TIME is speculative design fiction presented as a quasi-narrative diagram. It is not meant to be read in full or in sequence. Instead, it asks to be entered, navigated, and revisited. The diagram is structured around three core concepts: Differences, Accidents, and Affordances. Differences mark encounters with the other, not as opposition but as irreducible presence. Accidents are structures that stand in for stories, especially when repetition turns interruption into infrastructure. Affordances push, pull, enable, and constrain, defining which futures are reachable from a given position. Not All Whens Are Time does not offer predictions or solutions. It invites attention, proximity, and questioning—proposing that design might engage time not as something to manage, but as something to listen to. It is Martin Buber’s dialogue of “fulfilled difference” not between two people but between this observer and time.

Submitted on: May 11, 2026