Brandeis Magazine

Filmmaker Debra Granik’s “Stray Dog” aired on “Independent Lens,” the PBS independent documentary film series. The film explores the everyday life and ongoing struggles of rural-Missouri biker Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, a Vietnam veteran. Debra met Hall in an Ozarks biker church while casting her Academy Award-nominated film “Winter’s Bone.” Former Brandeis soccer player Jim Leahy finished his 10-year high-school soccer coaching career with a record of 121-48-17 and two state titles. He was named Connecticut small-school Coach of the Year after he and his son Tommy won the 2015 Connecticut Class M high-school soccer tournament championship in Tommy’s last game as a senior. After the match, Jim announced his retirement. Deborah Mangan, P’12, P’17, is happy to announce the marriage of son Ari Pipe-Mazo ’12 to Samantha Grosser ’12 on Jan. 17. Many Brandeis grads of both generations were in attendance. Ari and Sami live in New York City. In June 2015, Amy Markovitz moved from New York to Joussard, Alberta, Canada, the town her husband, Maurice Beaudry, has lived in for much of his life. She writes, “It’s a different lifestyle and pace, and it is gorgeous out here. I am looking forward to my new adventures in Canada.” Michael Nathanson, an analyst and partner at MoffettNathanson, was profiled in Broadcasting and Cable magazine. Gail Shapiro works at the Golda Och Academy, a Jewish day school in West Orange, New Jersey. She is in her sixth year as director of admissions and outreach, and second year as chair of the Upper School’s foreign language department. She also teaches Spanish and directs the student-exchange program between her school and a school in Mexico City. She writes, “My major at Brandeis — Spanish language and literature — certainly has come in handy.” Susan Trotter, a clinical psychologist, works as a therapist at a nonprofit agency and has a private life-coaching practice in Natick, Massachusetts. She specializes in dating and relationship coaching, and helping people through the divorce process. She has a 15-year-old son, Ari. Harold Waisel serves as president of Performegy, a consulting business focused on developing integrated-business and information-technology strategies to help companies.