Winter 2021
Winter 2021
Features
Bonnie Blackburn-Penhollow '84
Rising Above: Creating Opportunities for Learning
Derek Mitchell presenting at the National Education Conference.
Bonnie Blackburn-Penhollow '84
Rising Above: Creating Opportunities for Learning
Michael Humphreys with two of his four sons, Elijah, (standing) and Jacob.
Alumni Spotlight
![Water, Water—Not Everywhere]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1614260113/taft/v0pbnhdflqfreb3sssht/Rice1OPTION_RiverPics-13.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1614260113/taft/v0pbnhdflqfreb3sssht/Rice1OPTION_RiverPics-13.jpg","width":500}])
Matt Rice '94
As director of the Colorado River Basin for American Rivers, an advocacy group based in Washington, 1994 alum Matt Rice’s work is aimed at getting people in the region to recognize the urgency of the unfolding environmental disaster caused by global warming (aridification and the increasing reduction of water availability)—and to adapt before it’s too late.
![News Sense for Uncertain Times]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1614259856/taft/knurxog7rart5hwmbalo/Banikarim2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1614259856/taft/knurxog7rart5hwmbalo/Banikarim2.jpg","width":500}])
Susie Banikarim '93
If ever there was a crucible for journalism, Susie Banikarim ’93, as executive VP and head of global newsgathering at Vice News, met this one head-on—a year consumed by a pandemic, protests, and a presidential election. The public health crisis sent media executives like Banikarim scrambling to reimagine the newsroom, coverage, and work-life balance.
![By Design]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1614259684/taft/u70tw77fgsuxziltmktw/WiesheadshotHR.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1614259684/taft/u70tw77fgsuxziltmktw/WiesheadshotHR.jpg","width":500}])
Rick Wies '71
Throughout his four-decade career as a Connecticut architect, Rick Wies ’71 has stayed open and adaptable to each project that comes across his drawing board. At any given time, he might be designing a new apartment complex, overseeing renovations of a commuter rail station, helping reinvent a local theater, or volunteering to help build a house for a veteran with PTSD—sometimes simultaneously.
![The Art of Layering and Texturing]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1614259404/taft/qqvv3kmxhkj7ldv1thj5/Geddes1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1614259404/taft/qqvv3kmxhkj7ldv1thj5/Geddes1.jpg","width":500}])
Eliza Geddes '97
Over the years, artist Eliza Geddes ’97 has explored several mediums—welding, mixed media sculpture—but ultimately chose to pursue painting as a career. Her paintings begin with a focus on color combinations, and she chooses to work with house paint over oils or acrylics. Geddes’ work has been displayed at exhibitions across the U.S. and in London, and is in three permanent collections in New York.
![In It for the Long Haul]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1614258729/taft/rkyftdmepy3u3lkute01/Ely1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1614258729/taft/rkyftdmepy3u3lkute01/Ely1.jpg","width":500}])
Tom Ely '67
As a lifelong musician and amateur songwriter, Tim Ely ’67 will finally see one of his songs make its way into a major motion picture this year. “The Long Haul” is in The Comeback Trail, starring Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Morgan Freeman.