Four Roanoke College alumnae celebrated their friendship and their 40th birthdays with a series of races that took them back to their college athletics days.
(L-R): Amy Wehrle '04, Jessica Schmidt '07, Kara Ridenhour '05 and Emily Casey '06
Amy (Hoffman) Wehrle ’04, Jessica (Young) Schmidt ’07, Kara (Alexander) Ridenhour ’05 and Emily (Jones) Casey ’06 met as members of the women’s cross-country team at Roanoke College, where Casey earned a degree in environmental science, Ridenhour studied theology, Schmidt majored in computer science and mathematics, and Wehrle earned a degree in English.
The friends, who have stayed in touch since graduation, decided that they would run four races together as they each turned 40 — and whoever celebrated a birthday that year picked the race. They ran a half-marathon in Louisville, Kentucky; the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, South Carolina; the New River Trail 10K in Fries, Virginia; and the Flying Squirrel Ten Miler in Asheville, North Carolina. They won their age groups in the New River Trail race.
“We have all remained runners, so we decided a 40s race series would be a good way to celebrate our friendship and its roots in the Roanoke College XC team,” Ridenhour said.
Brooke (Clark) Ladner ’02 received the McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor award recognizing women who have made significant contributions in the senior living, skilled nursing and home care industries. Ladner is senior vice president of business development at Regency Integrated Health Services in Victoria, Texas, which manages the largest nonprofit group of nursing homes in Texas, along with an Institutional Special Needs Plan, a nurse practitioner company and a pharmacy. At Roanoke, she was a member of Phi Mu and earned a degree in international relations.
Amy (Baker) Perkins ’07 has been appointed dean of students at Roanoke College. She is the first woman in the history of the college to fill that role.
Perkins earned a degree in psychology at Roanoke, where she worked as a student assistant for Dean Robert Hines. She also served as an orientation leader and a member of the Student Conduct Council and Academic Integrity Board, and she was president of Chi Omega in 2006. After Roanoke, Perkins earned a master’s in educational leadership and policy studies at Virginia Tech.
Prior to her promotion, Perkins served as assistant dean and associate dean of students at Roanoke. She has also worked as a career advisor and director of residential and Greek life at Washington and Lee University.
Perkins is married to a fellow Maroon, Will Perkins ’07, and they have two daughters, Molly and Kate.
In May, Robert “Tre” Bart III ’08 was ordained as a transitional deacon at the Cathedral of Mary our Queen in Baltimore, Maryland. The event marked the penultimate step in Bart’s anticipated ordination to the Roman Catholic priesthood. He earned a degree in business administration at Roanoke and was a member of Alpha Kappa Psi. Following Roanoke, he attended seminary at Mount St. Mary’s. Bart was formerly employed as director of development for the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Catholic Community Foundation. His hobbies include beekeeping, gardening, cooking, hiking and scuba diving.
Laura (Hayes) Chalk ’10 was named to Virginia Business Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2025. The award recognizes young professionals who are making a difference in the commonwealth. Chalk is currently executive director of Virginia Beach Vision, a leading business advocacy organization that promotes economic growth in Virginia Beach. Her work with the organization brings together public and private sectors to support strategic development across the region.
Chalk holds a BBA from Roanoke, where she participated in volleyball and Delta Gamma, and a Master of Public Administration from Old Dominion University. She was formerly Virginia Beach’s deputy economic development director and business development coordinator. She serves on a regional transit advisory panel and was a longtime member of the International Economic Development Council.
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