Mara Koven Gelman, MA’90, joined the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo, N.Y., as its executive director. She had previously served as assistant creative director at Toronto’s Bernard Betel Centre for Creative Living, where half of the members were Holocaust survivors. Maureen Lilla, MFA’90, and her company, AW Productions, presented a concert with Burton Cummings, former lead singer of the Guess Who, at Boston’s Berklee Performance Center. Gregory Sephton, PhD’90, joined Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel’s New York office as a partner in the intellectual property department. He had previously worked at Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto. With more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of patent litigation, Gregory has played leading roles in litigating and trying patent cases for a number of technology leaders, including Emory University, Astra Zeneca, Novartis and Warner Chilcott. Tom Kurimura, IBS MA’92, joined certified public accounting and business advisory firm Plante Moran in Michigan as a partner in its Japanese business-services practice. Formerly, Kurimura was a partner in charge of the Midwest area at Hotta Liesenberg Saito, a professional-services firm. Johnathan Brownlee, MFA’93, produced and directed the TV series “The Daily Meal” and was executive producer on the feature film “Decoding Annie Parker.” Kevin Kern, MFA’93, directed “Hot-N-Cole,” a two-act revue of 50 Cole Porter songs at Ohio’s University of Mount Union. Caroline Stewart, MS’94, MS’97, joined Affimed, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing highly targeted cancer immunotherapies, as head of investor relations and communication. Dawna Perez, Heller MMHS’95, is dean of student success at Northern Essex Community College, in Haverhill, Mass. She was one of 23 individuals honored at the Lawrence YWCA’s 32nd annual Tribute to Women. Laura Lee Shink, MFA’95, is a faculty member in Bridgewater State University’s theater department and an actress with a long line of Boston-area credits. She performed in the Gloucester Stage’s production of “Sweet and Sad,” a play set during a family meal on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. Jennifer Zwilling, MA’98, is vice president for strategic initiatives at Hillel International, where she plans and implements key initiatives to advance Hillel’s strategic priorities and develop a model for excellence in service delivery. Jen joined Hillel in 2004. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two children. Edmund Case, Heller MA/MM’99, is CEO of InterfaithFamily, a comprehensive resource based in Newton, Mass. Timothy Melbinger, PhD’99, a pianist, composer and conductor, gave a concert at the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, at Penn State Altoona.

Submit a Class Note