■ class notes

• Send news of your professional accomplishments and your high-resolution headshot to lawalumni@wayne.edu.
• Did you move or get a new a job? Update your information at alumni.wayne.edu.

Robert Greenstein ’61 was honored by the Florida Bar as a member with a 50-year cumulative legal practice with the Florida Bar and one or more U.S. jurisdictions.

Sam Bernstein ’68 was honored by the Florida Bar as a member with a 50-year cumulative legal practice with the Florida Bar and one or more U.S. jurisdictions.

Robert J. Norton ’69 was honored by the Florida Bar during its 50-Year Member and Senior Counselor Recognition Luncheon.

Charles Erickson Rutherford ’70 was honored by the Florida Bar during its 50-Year Member and Senior Counselor Recognition Luncheon.

Theodore Karl Egner ’71 was honored by the Florida Bar during its 50-Year Member and Senior Counselor Recognition Luncheon.

Howard Hertz ’76 was featured in Downtown Newsmagazine. For more than 40 years, he has been practicing media and entertainment law as well as intellectual property law at Hertz Schram, which he co-founded.

David M. Lawson ’76 took senior status as Michigan U.S. district judge following a 20-year judicial career that recently included high-profile cases involving the United Auto Workers and lead-tainted water in Flint.

Steven Whalen ’76 retired from the bench after 18 years as U.S. executive magistrate judge.

Robert J. VerHeulen ’77 was appointed by the governor to the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, where he will represent members submitted by the speaker of the House of Representatives. VerHeulen is the district director for the 28th Senate District and a former state representative for the 74th House District.

Soffiyah Elijah ’79 was featured in The New York Times article, “How a Leader in Criminal Justice Reform Spends Her Sundays.” She is the executive director of the Alliance of Families for Justice.

Stephen Ott ’79 retired as fire chief of Northville, Michigan. He is of council at Miller Canfield.

Jeffrey M. Sangster ’79 was presented the William Booth Award from the Salvation Army — the nonprofit’s highest honor.

Deborah Brouwer ’80 has been named president of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel board of directors for 2021-22. She is co-managing partner of Nemeth Law.

Dirk Holkeboer ’80 retired from Habitat for Humanity after 33 years, where he served as the executive director of three chapters (Miami, Florida; Holland, Michigan; and Visalia, California) and worked as the assistant director of Habitat for Humanity International’s Carter Work Project and as an affiliate adviser.

Laurel F. McGiffert ’80 was named one of the 2021 Most Influential Black Lawyers by Savoy Magazine. She was selected based on criteria related to her success as a trial attorney, prominence of law firm, position, respect among peers, contributions as a speaker or writer, and community outreach efforts.

Sandra Glazier ’82 received an ABA presidential appointment as special advisor to the Commission on Law and Aging. She has also been appointed as chair of the Michigan Probate & Estate Planning Section’s Committee on Guardianships, Conservatorships and End of Life, and vice chair of the ABA RPTE Elder Law and Long-Term Care Committee for the bar year.

Lee Hornberger ’82 LL.M. wrote the article “Appreciation for Doug Van Epps,” which was published in the spring 2021 issue of The Michigan Dispute Resolution Journal. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2022 for arbitration and mediation.

Doug L. Toering ’82 received the Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award from the State Bar of Michigan’s Business Law Section. He is a partner with Mantese Honigman.

Marguerite Donahue ’87 joined the Southfield office of Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss as a partner in the emerging and growth business practice group.

Lisa Hysni ’87 joined Honigman as a partner.

Joshua Sherbin ’88 was appointed as chief legal officer and chief compliance officer at The Shyft Group.

Tom Boyd ’90 was honored as Advocate of the Year by the National Alliance on Mental Illness Michigan. He currently serves the Michigan Supreme Court as state court administrator and previously presided over the 55th District Court’s Mental Health Court.

Sharon A. DeWaele-Persichini ’90 was named to the 2021 Women in the Law list by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

Mary Massaron ’90 served as a co-editor of Sword and Shield: A Practical Approach to Section 1983 Litigation, which examines civil rights law and the federal statute U.S.C. § 1983. She is a partner and the appellate law practice group leader at Plunkett Cooney.

AnnMarie Sanford ’90 joined Dickinson Wright as a member.

Lawrence J. Murphy ’92 joined Warner Norcross + Judd as a partner.

Julie A. Petrik ’92 was reappointed as chair of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission.

Bill Beekman ’93 was appointed as Michigan State University’s vice president for strategic initiatives. He previously served as vice president and director of MSU’s intercollegiate athletics.

Deborah E. Fordree ’93 was named president of the Rochester Bar Association.

Sangeeta Shah ’93 participated in an equity and leadership panel for the Women’s Law Caucus to discuss how to continue to foster equity and inclusion across the legal field. She is CEO at Brooks Kushman.

Dana Nessel ’94 received the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan’s inaugural Ruth Bader Ginsburg Champion of Justice Award. Nessel has served as Michigan’s attorney general since 2019.

Joseph DeVito J.D. ’95, LL.M. ’05 joined Dinsmore & Shohl as a partner.

Julie Lyons Kosovec ’95 was named to the 2021 Women in the Law list by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. She is a member at Brooks Wilkins Sharkey & Turco.

Lisa D. Stern ’95 was named to the 2021 Women in the Law list by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. She is a shareholder at Hertz Schram.

Matthew Schenk ’96 was featured in the Detroit Lawyer article, “Problem Solvers: Long-time friends start a solution-based law firm in downtown Detroit.”

Leigh Beauchamp ’97 was named vice president of content and product management at Traliant, which specializes in online sexual harassment training and diversity training.

Gregory Obloy ’97 joined Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss as partner.

Jennifer M. LaTosch ’00 was named to the 2021 Women in the Law list by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. She is a partner with Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss.

Anthony P. Cracchiolo ’01 was recognized as a leader in the field of private wealth law by Chambers High Net Worth.

Heather D. Cholagh ’02 joined Plunkett Cooney’s transportation law practice group as a senior attorney.

Jennifer A. Engelhardt ’02 was named to the 2021 Women in the Law list by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. She is an attorney at Goethel Engelhardt.

Gail M. Towne ’02 was named to the 2021 Women in the Law list by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. She is a partner at Lennon Miller O’Connor & Bartosiewicz.

Chiara Mattieson ’03 joined Couzens Lansky as of counsel.

Kameshia D. Gant ’04 was named to the 2021 Women in the Law list by Michigan Lawyers Weekly and was recognized as its 2021 Woman of the Year. She is a judge at Oakland County Circuit Court.

Melissa Demorest LeDuc ’05 was named to the 2021 Women in the Law list by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. She is a member at Demorest Law Firm.

Stephen P. Dunn ’05 joined Bodman as a member in the firm’s Troy office. He is currently a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps.

Brian P. Foley ’07 joined Bodman as a member.

Jonathan Schwartz ’07 was awarded the Frank A. Wetsman Young Leadership Award by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. He is a partner at Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss.

Peter Menna ’08 was appointed as Oakland County’s first chief attorney for indigent defense.

Aaron Schwaderer ’08 rejoined Miller Canfield in its financial institutions and transactions group.

Fadwa Hammoud ’10 was the first Arab American Muslim woman to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the state’s position in a case looking at when and under what circumstances it is appropriate for federal courts to reverse a state’s decision that a constitutional violation against a defendant did not affect the outcome of a trial. Hammoud was appointed by Attorney General Dana Nessel as the state’s top appellate lawyer.

Kenneth J. Sachs ’10 LL.M. joined Bodman as a member and is a member of the firm’s employee benefits and executive compensation practice group.

Nathan D. Dupes ’11 was named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2021 40 & Under Hot List, a comprehensive roster of top litigation attorneys in the United States and Canada. He is a member of Bodman’s litigation and alternative dispute resolution practice group.

Ashley Heidemann ’11 was recognized by the Inc. 5000 when the company she founded, JD Advising, was listed as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States.

Michael MacCallum ’11 joined Dickinson Wright as a member.

Samantha J. Orvis ’11 was named to the 2021 Women in the Law list by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. She is a shareholder with Garan Lucow Miller.

Laura N. You ’12 was elected to the Inforum board of directors and the Detroit Bar Association board of directors. You is a partner with Warner Norcross + Judd.

Patrick Duckett ’13 joined the immigration law practice firm of Boxwala Zuzindlak.

Christina Hines ’14 was included in 30 in Their Thirties 2021 by DBusiness. She leads the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office’s Appeals, Training and Forfeiture Unit and the Special Victims Unit, which focuses on sexual assault, child sexual abuse and child pornography cases.

Emily M. Mayer ’14 was one of 25 attorneys named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2021 Class of Up & Coming Lawyers. She is a partner with Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss.

Lynn B. Sholander ’14 was one of 25 attorneys named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2021 Class of Up & Coming Lawyers. She recently joined the Law School as an assistant professor (teaching) of law.

Deborah Germany ’15 joined Dickinson Wright as of counsel.

Lauren Willens ’15 joined Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss as of counsel to the firm’s intellectual property and information technology practice group.

Laura Barrera ’16 has joined The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law as visiting assistant professor and immigration clinic director.

Jonathan Ajlouny ’17 joined Honigman in the firm’s Detroit office, practicing commercial litigation.

Jon Akkari ’17 was featured in The Arab American News article, “Dearborn Council candidate Jon Akkari looks to increase services through public safety reform.”

Ian Larkin ’17 joined Dinsmore & Shohl as a partner.

Dane M. Lepola ’18 joined Howard & Howard in the firm’s business and litigation group.

Linda Roelans ’18 was elected to the board of directors of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. She is an attorney at the Troy law firm, Rossman.

Emphani Aldridge ’19 published an article in the ABA Banking Journal on the U.S. Treasury Department’s $9 billion capital investment program directed at minority-owned banks and community development financial institutions. She is an associate at Dykema.

Jack F. Petroskey ’19 joined Bodman as an associate.

Daniel A. Balavitch ’20 joined Howard & Howard, focusing his practice on global patent preparation and prosecution, clearance/freedom-to-operate analyses, and invalidity studies of competitors’ patents.

George M. Cobane ’20 joined Howard & Howard and concentrates his practice in business and corporate law.

Monique Eubanks ’20 published an article in the ABA Banking Journal on the U.S. Treasury Department’s $9 billion capital investment program directed at minority-owned banks and community development financial institutions. She is an associate at Dykema.

Alexis A. Smith-Scott ’20 joined Bodman as an associate, where she represents business clients in connection with complex commercial transactions and corporate law matters including corporate organization and mergers and acquisitions.

Mazen Hajali ’21 joined Warner Norcross + Judd as an associate.

• Correction: In the fall 2021 issue of Wayne Lawyer, we incorrectly highlighted the achievements of Richard L. Smart III and Rob Buchanan. The Law School regrets the error.