On August 20, 2007,Warren Dance Jr. (Col. '81/Law '84) and his family landed in Doha, State of Qatar to start a new personal and professional adventure in the Middle East. Warren, who has worked with affiliates of Exxon Mobil Corporation for more than 20 years, was one of several professionals in various professional disciplines, loaned by ExxonMobil and other International Oil Companies to the State of Qatar to help get a new government-owned petroleum products marketing company established. Warren's wife, Taddy, and son, Yoseph, join him on this adventure along with Commodore, the family dog. Yoseph, a 7th grader, misses Houston, but loves the Doha American School so far. Taddy maintained her Houston-based job in Doha, working with her firm's clients in the Mid-East and Far East. When not working and studying, the Dances play golf at the nearby Doha Golf Club, where Yoseph recently won his first junior tournament in Qatar.

Debra Banks, Commerce 85 and Darden 89, recently moved to Lake Norman, NC (near Charlotte, NC).  Her two home based businesses moved along with her, Lake Awakening Retreat for women and internet marketing.  Debra's office is on her deck, overlooking the lake.

Justin R. Steele and Sally Steele will be moving to Boston in the Fall.  Justin was accepted to Harvard Business School and will be pursuing an MBA.  Sally was accepted to Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary where she will be pursuing a Masters of Divinity. 

Michael Abbott ('95)
Founder/CEO/Director
Summer Academy of West Africa

Michael attended the University of Virginia and graduated with a BA in African and African American Studies and History.  He subsequently taught in the public school system in the Washington D.C. area and New York City.  He has been a classroom teacher for the past 11 years, the last four in Africa.  In 2001 he was accepted as a National Endowment of the Humanities TEaching Fellow and wrote an integrated curriculum on the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade for Prince Georges Country Public Schools in Maryland.  Throughout his career Michael has successfully authored and implemented curriculum incorporating creative expression with subject study.  In addition, he recorded and released a successful spoken word piece entitled "Dream Birth" and toured throughout Europe and North America performing.  He is presently the assistant director of The West African College of the Atlantic; an International Baccalaureate accredited secondary school in Dakar Senegal, where he teaches Math and Philosophy.  Michael recently escorted a group of students to South Africa for the Summer Leadership Academy in Cape Town. He lives in Dakar with this wife and three children.

More information about the Summer Academy of West Africa is available at www.summeracademywa.com.