appearing in

L.A. Story

Pixie Boyden has a BS in Information Technology and an Executive MBA from Loyola Marymount University. She and Wendy met at Loyola Law School Los Angeles, where they were IT managers, sharing laughs hiding from the faculty in Wendy’s office. Pixie is currently the Director of IT for the USC Rossier School of Education and has held faculty positions at several community colleges and served on the board of Women at Work, the Women’s Institute for Young girls, and the Rose Bowl Operating Company. Pixie launched a local chapter of the global TechGirls program, recruiting Wendy to help her teach web design, JavaScript, and robotics to girls from underserved middle schools. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, one of the “divine nine” historically black sororities.

KC Cole resides in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, WA, where, within a few weeks, she and Anika coincidentally purchased houses fourteen doors apart! KC has written 10 books, including the bestseller The Universe and the Teacup: The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty, which was translated into a dozen languages, and wrote about science for The New York Times and The Washington Post. Her articles have appeared in Esquire, Smithsonian, Lear’s, The New Yorker, the Columbia Journalism Review, and other publications. She is a regular contributor to Wired Magazine, most recently authoring “The End of Grading: how the irrational mathematics of measuring, ranking, and rating distort the value of stuff, work, people –everything.” KC is professor emerita of journalism at USC, where Abigail and Wendy first met her. 

Bill Celis resides in San Antonio, TX, where he lived as a youth. He was a reporter for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, where he was nominated for a Pulitzer prize in 1984 for a series about the U.S. farm crisis. Trained at the prestigious Columbia School of Journalism, Bill held faculty posts at the University of Colorado and USC, where he and Wendy piloted an innovative multimedia reporting class that sent students into the field, each armed with a first-generation iPad. Many wonderful meals at the University Club are etched in Wendy, Abigail, and Bill’s collective memory.

Susan Metros, the founder and principal of Metros Consulting, resides in Playa Vista, CA. A talented artist and accomplished IT leader, Susan holds BFA and MFA degrees from Michigan State University in her home state. Abigail and Wendy know Susan from their time at USC, where Susan held key leadership roles, including as Wendy’s supervisor in the Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning. Fond memories abound, but convening a group to discuss Krista Tippet’s syndicated radio show “On Being” at Susan and Bill Morgan’s  home certainly stand out! (Krista sent Susan and Abigail wool blankets as a thank you.)

Kimberly Lau is a professor of literature at UCSC specializing in feminist theory and gender studies; embodiment, affect, and identity; fairy tales, folklore, and fantasy; virtual worlds; popular culture; discourse analysis, and ethnographic methods. She recently published a journal article entitled: “The Vampire, the Queer, and the Girl: Reflections on the Politics and Ethics of Immortality’s Gendering.” In addition to deep southern California roots, Kim, Wendy, and Abigail share a love of the SF 49ers.

Bill Morgan is Professor Emeritus at USC, where his work focuses on ethics, critical theory, and political theory. Bill holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Minnesota, and is the author of multiple books, book chapters, and journal articles, mostly addressing ethical issues in sports. Bill was Abigail and Wendy’s colleague at USC Annenberg, where he had an appointment with the School of Journalism. Bill along with Bill Celis did their best to console Abigail on election night 2016, after they watched the returns together, but there wasn’t much anyone could have done to improve the situation.