’60s

Jim Gaddis BS’62 received the 2010 S.J. Quinney Award from the Utah Ski Archives for his significant contributions to the development of skiing in the region. In the late 1950s, Gaddis was a multi-year junior national champion and later dominated the national racing circuits, winning the NCAA combined title, the U.S. Championships giant slalom title, and the Snow Cup. He garnered NCAA All-American honors in 1960 and 1962 while competing for the University of Utah, where he was team captain for three years. He later became a prominent ski coach and founded one of Utah’s first racing programs for the development of junior racers, the Gaddis Training Organization (GTO). He was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Utah Crimson Club Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame in 2005.

’70s

Renwick Nelson MBA’72 has been named Peace Corps country director for the Federated States of Micronesia/Palau. Nelson has been with the Peace Corps since May 2007, first serving as the administrative officer for Peace Corps/Thailand and later the chief administrative officer for the Europe, Mediterranean and Asia (EMA) region in Peace Corps headquarters. Nelson was an attorney and business manager for two financial services companies from 1975 to 1997. He also served in the U.S Air Force from 1964 to 1972. In addition to his U of U MBA, he holds a B.S. in systems engineering from Widener University and a J.D. from the University of Florida. Nelson and his wife, Brenda Drew, served as volunteers in Tonga from 2000 to 2002, when he taught business and law courses at the first tertiary school in Tonga that was licensed to grant New Zealand diplomas.

Richard D. Smith PhD’75, a scientist with the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), has been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences. Recognized for outstanding scientific achievement, members review and assess initiatives and provide state policymakers with scientific counsel. Smith is a Battelle Fellow and chief scientist in the Biological Science Division at PNNL, where he conducts life sciences and biological research. His contributions in the fields of proteomics, mass spectrometry, and separations science have led to advances in health, energy, the environment, and national security. An adjunct faculty member at Washington State University, the University of Utah, and the University of Idaho, Smith received his U of U doctorate in physical chemistry. He has presented at more than 350 national and international scientific meetings, has authored more than 750 publications, holds 39 patents, and has received nine R&D 100 Awards for his innovations.

Robert J. Boerigter PhD’78 has been named commissioner of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). Boerigter had previously been the director of athletics at Northwest Missouri State University since July 2001. His accomplishments there include serving as the lead administrator for the Department of Athletics/HPERD; involvement in the planning through opening of the school’s $5 million football stadium renovation; and the refurbishing of the outdoor track facility, with improvements totaling more than $300,000. He has also had extensive experience within the MIAA and NCAA governance structure, including serving as chair of the MIAA Institutional Representatives Council and five NCAA committees and task force groups.

’80s

Kevin R. Yeanoplos BS’83 has been inducted into the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Business Valuation Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals whose lifetime achievements and contributions have significantly advanced the valuation discipline and enhanced the valuation profession for CPAs. He is one of only 23 in the nation so honored since the award was established in 1999. Yeanoplos, director of valuation services at Brueggeman and Johnson Yeanoplos, P.C., is a CPA accredited in business valuation and certified in financial forensics. He frequently testifies as an expert witness in state and federal courts, and lectures on valuation, litigation, and financial analysis issues. Yeanoplos serves on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Accountancy and Business Valuation Update.

M. Scott Mietchen BS’84 MPA’91 has been elected to a two-year term as international president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Mietchen is the president and managing partner of Salt Lake City-based Fund Raising Counsel, Inc. (FRCI), the oldest full-service nonprofit consulting firm in the Intermountain West. Prior to joining FRCI, Mietchen served as vice president for university advancement at Utah State University and president of the Utah State University Foundation. Before joining USU, he served the University of Utah as executive director of development and campaign director. He first joined the U in 1992 as the director of major gifts. AM

Jeff D. Davis BS’86 has joined Provo-based Orabrush as CEO. Davis spent 23 years at Procter & Gamble before retiring last year. Orabrush’s product is a tongue-cleaner designed to fight bad breath. Founder Robert Wagstaff, a scientist and former bioscience company executive, came up with the idea when he tried to deal with bad breath among Mormon missionaries he was supervising. Orabrush has deals with retailers in England and Canada and has sold more than a million products online. Davis now hopes to get the Orabrush into U.S. stores. LM

Patrick Loughlin MS’88 has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology. Loughlin is William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Bioengineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, which he joined in 1993. He has made contributions to signal processing and bioengineering, including the development and application of nonstationary signal processing methods (especially time-frequency distributions) and development of a physical model of anesthetic uptake, for which he holds two U.S. patents. Loughlin is associate editor and a member of the editorial board for the IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering and a member of the technical committee on acoustic signal processing of the Acoustical Society of America. His research has been supported by institutions including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and Boeing.

Pillow, 2010, acrylic paint and pasted paper, 7 1/4 x 9 1/2 inches (unframed and mounted on a one-inch-deep rectangular backing). Image courtesy Elizabeth Harris Gallery

Mario Naves BFA’84 was recognized as a 2010 Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Utah College of Fine Arts. Naves is an artist, writer, and teacher who lives and works in New York City. He is renowned for his torn and cut abstract collages, which have been described by The New York Times as “delicate and gorgeous.” This past year, his work was the subject of a one-person exhibition at Elizabeth Harris Gallery in New York City, and he was awarded a $12,000 grant by The Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Naves has taught and lectured at institutions including The New York Studio School, Rutgers University, and The Ringling College of Art and Design. He currently teaches at Pratt Institute and Brooklyn College.

’90s

Rafael Lara-Alecio PhD’91 was recognized with the 2010 College of Education and Human Development Outstanding Mentoring Award from Texas A&M University. Lara-Alecio is professor of bilingual education in the university’s Department of Educational Psychology. He joined the faculty at Texas A&M in 1991, and since 1992 has served as the director of bilingual education programs. He holds a master’s degree in measurement, evaluation, and research in education from the University del Valle in Guatemala and received his U of U doctorate in educational psychology.

Alison McLennan BFA’93 received the 2011 winter/spring Dennis Lehane Fellowship for Fiction from the Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program at Pine Manor College. Lehane (author of many well-known novels, including Mystic River and Shutter Island) is the fellowship’s donor and current writer-in-residence at Pine Manor, located near downtown Boston. The fellowship is offered once annually to a promising writer starting the program during the winter residency/spring semester. Currently a teacher with the Utah Virtual Academy (a full-time, tuition-free online public school option), McLennan has been a recipient of a Utah Arts Council award for her writing. She is at work on a cross-genre novel, Falling For Johnny, set in her childhood home of Massachusetts.

Maria Elena Ramirez BFA’95 made her Broadway debut as Rachel Jackson in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson in October 2010, and was spotlighted on BroadwayWorld.com as the “Debut of the Month.” Ramirez has been involved with the show since 2007, from workshops through off-Broadway presentations to its Broadway production. She has previously appeared in other off-Broadway and regional theater productions, as well as films such as The Women and Personal Velocity, and on television shows including Law & Order, The Sopranos, Third Watch, and Guiding Light.

Michael N. Patterson BS’98 has been named chief executive officer of Colorado Plains Medical Center in Fort Morgan. Patterson has served in executive management positions at CPMC since December 2005. Most recently, he assumed the role of interim CEO for CPMC in July 2010. Prior to that, he was the hospital’s chief financial officer. Before joining CPMC, Patterson served in health care management roles at two hospitals in Wyoming. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the U, Patterson has a master’s degree in business administration from Utah State University in Logan. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

’00s

John Nixon MBA’02, former budget director for Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, recently left Utah to become budget director for Michigan Gov.-elect Rick Snyder. Nixon was appointed executive director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget under Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. in June 2006. During his tenure, he received accolades for helping Utah become the best-managed state in the nation, according to several publications. Nixon currently serves as president of the National Association of State Budget Officers. Before becoming Utah budget director, he was CFO and deputy director of the State Department of Workforce Services.

M. Benjamin Major PhD’04, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was awarded one of 33 National Institutes of Health 2010 Director’s New Innovator Awards, one of the NIH’s most prestigious grants. The $1.5 million award will fund his work, which is focused on  addressing a significant medical science challenge: identifying the full complement of genes that functionally contribute to specific cellular and disease processes such as cancer. The five-year grants are given to stimulate highly innovative research that has the potential for significant impact on a broad area of biomedical research. Major, a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, joined the UNC faculty in 2009 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Associate.

Thomas Zumbado BS’09 BS’09 (geography and political science, both magna cum laude) received a 2010 scholarship of $5,000 from the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation in what it notes was its most competitive year yet. Zumbado is currently a master’s student at the University of Utah. Prior to his academic matriculation, he served as a firefighter for Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina, and before that, was a U.S. Army artillery sergeant and paratrooper. All scholarship recipients were chosen based on their academic and professional excellence in a field related to the geospatial intelligence tradecraft.

LM Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association AM Annual Member of the Alumni Association

’50s

Don Gale BA’58 MA’60 PhD’86 has been inducted into the Utah Broadcast Hall of Fame. Gale wrote and broadcast daily editorial comments for KSL radio and television for more than 20 years—some 6,000 editorials in all—and currently writes a monthly column for the Deseret News. He was on the faculty of the University of Utah Department of Journalism during the 1960s, served as president of the Alumni Association in the 1990s, and was chair of the National Advisory Council earlier this decade. In 2006, the University of Utah Press published his book Bags to Riches: The Story of I. J. Wagner. Gale currently serves the boards of Kingsbury Hall, the University Hospital Foundation, and the President’s Club. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1998 and is a sustaining member of the National Advisory Council. LM

’70s

Marcia Madsen HBA’72, partner in the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm Mayer Brown, was named by The National Law Journal in June as one of “Washington’s Most Influential Women Lawyers.” “The lawyers on our list are power players and were selected for work that places them in an elite tier,” the publication said of its 32 honorees. Madsen’s citation notes that she is one of the few prominent women in the government contracts field, assisting clients in accessing the $500 billion spent annually on goods and services by the U.S. government. The publication also lauded her role from 2005-2007 as chair of the Acquisition Advisory Panel that submitted to Congress more than 80 major recommendations to make federal contracting more competitive, efficient, and transparent—setting the legislative agenda for Congress. Most of those recommendations have been adopted. LM

L. Gary Hart BS’73 MS’75 has been named director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Before joining the center, Hart was director and endowed professor of the Rural Health Office in the Community, Environment and Policy Division of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He also served on the advisory committee of the Arizona Area Health Education Center at the University of Arizona. Hart graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree in geography and a secondary school teaching certification from the University of Utah, where he also received his master’s degree in geography. He is a graduate of the doctoral opportunities program in the Department of Health Services at the University of Washington School of Public Health and received a doctorate in medical geography from the University of Washington.

Roger Carter BA’75 was recently recognized as one of “America’s Top 100 Financial Advisors” by Barron’s magazine. Carter, who ranked No. 25 in the country, was one of a handful from the list profiled in the magazine. The Barron’s ranking reflects the volume of assets overseen by the advisors and their teams, revenues generated for the firms, and the quality of the advisors’ practices. Carter was also recognized on the “Top 100 Wirehouse Advisors in America 2010” list compiled by Registered Rep., a leading industry magazine. (A “wirehouse” is an industry term for a relatively large, multi-office brokerage firm.) A resident of Salt Lake City based out of the San Francisco office of Merrill Lynch, Carter works with 30 of the nation’s wealthiest families in Utah and Northern California. He is very active in the Salt Lake community, serving as a trustee of the Utah Symphony and Opera, Utah Youth Village, and Art Works for Kids! in Utah.

Allison Bliss BFA’78 was honored with the 2009-10 Woman-Owned Business Award from the Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, an organization in California that trains women to start businesses. A theater major at the U, Bliss initially moved to the Bay Area to work in theater, major Hollywood feature films, and television. After 20 years in that field, Bliss started her own marketing agency, Allison Bliss Consulting. A board member of the U’s San Francisco Bay Area Alumni Chapter and a U of U scholarship recipient herself, Bliss avidly works with the Bay Area Chapter to create events for local members to network, reconnect, and raise funds for scholarship awardees chosen by the chapter each year.

Michael Cantrell BS’78 has been promoted to the new position of president of Good Neighbor Pharmacy and group VP retail business development. Good Neighbor Pharmacy, a subsidiary of AmerisourceBergen Corporation, is a network of more than 3,600 stores that generated some $9.7 billion in prescription revenue in 2009, according to Drug Store News estimates. Cantrell joined AmerisourceBergen in 2009 as VP central fill business development. Prior to AmerisourceBergen, he was VP professional services at Longs Drug Stores, which at the time was one of the largest regional retail chains in the country. While at Longs, he was appointed to the board of RxAmerica, Longs’ wholly owned Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM), a third-party administrator of prescription drug programs. Cantrell is a registered pharmacist and holds a J.D. from the former Peninsula University in Mountain View, Calif. He is a current member of the State Bar of California.

Jane Dyer MS’78 MBA’93 PhD’08, CNM, FNP, has been inducted into the American College of Nurse Midwives as one of its new Fellows. A certified nurse midwife for more than 32 years, Dyer is associate professor (clinical) and director of the Nurse Midwifery and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Utah College of Nursing. Through her leadership, the college’s Nurse Midwifery Program, the oldest continuously existing program west of the Mississippi, has achieved and maintained a prestigious ranking of 8th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The program focuses on recruiting individuals from the Intermountain West who will return to their home communities to provide care to local women and families.

’80s

Edward A. Gill BS’80, MD, FACC, has been elected president of the Pacific Lipid Association (PLA). A chapter of the National Lipid Association, the PLA is a medical education society for healthcare professionals who work in the area of lipid management and preventive cardiology. Gill is a professor of medicine in the University of Washington’s Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, and an adjunct associate professor at the same institution’s Department of Radiology. He is also a clinical associate professor in the Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound at Seattle University in Washington.

Miriam Y. Lacey PhD’81, associate professor of Applied Behavioral Science at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, has been named director of its Master of Science in Organization Development (M.S.O.D.) program. An authority on organization behavior and development, Lacey has been at the forefront of integrating behavioral science with principles of total quality management. She works with Fortune 500 companies such as Exxon, Boeing, Weyerhaeuser, Tektronix, McDonald’s, and Microsoft on the implementation of large-scale change for greater quality, productivity, and employee commitment.

Mark Zabriskie BS’85 PhD’89 has been named dean of the College of Pharmacy at Oregon State University. Zabriskie, a professor of medicinal chemistry and natural products at OSU, specializes in the search for natural product drug leads. After receiving a doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the U, Zabriskie completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Alberta. He joined the OSU faculty in 1992.

’90s

Lt. Col. Michael Antonio BS’90 is the new director of operations and training for Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Antonio joined the Corps from a desire to serve the country. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and mathematics from the University of Utah, he attended The Basic School. Following flight school, he was designated a Naval Aviator in 1994. He has been on numerous deployments, including in Iraq, Kuwait, Thailand, Korea, and Okinawa. He was most recently commanding officer of the MCB Hawaii’s Marine Corps Air Station for two years.

Sue Liu BS’97 (double degree, political science and sociology) recently became an Obama Administration official. As senior advisor at the Department of Labor, Liu works with her colleagues to develop policy, guidance, and programs to strengthen training and educational opportunities for U.S. workers. Her previous experience includes working at the Department of Education on adult education and career education program management. She was also a policy analyst at the National Council of La Raza, where she worked with Congress to ensure job training and education access for vulnerable segments of society. In addition to her degrees from the U, Liu holds a MSW from Washington University in St. Louis.

’00s

Talese Peterson Hunt BA’02 has been a member of the world-famous Radio City Rockettes since 2007. Hunt trained in dance for 16 years and has starred in many local theater productions, most recently in Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of A Chorus Line. Her Rockette contract runs from October to January each year, when she performs in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Madison Square Garden. Hunt, 31, spends the rest of the year with her husband in Utah, where she stays in shape as a certified Pilates instructor. She also works as an actress and model with Salt Lake City’s McCarty Talent Agency. Hunt grew up in Sandy and began dancing at age 3, inspired by the musicals her parents watched on television. She studied jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, and modern and was president of the dance company at Skyline High School.

Benjamin R. Arenkiel PhD’04, a McNair Scholar in neuroscience, has joined the genetics faculty at Baylor College of Medicine. The McNair Scholars program identifies “rising stars” in four areas of biomedical research—neuroscience, juvenile diabetes, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Arenkiel was most recently a Howard Hughes Medical Institute postdoctoral fellow in neurobiology at Duke University. He is investigating how neurons make and maintain proper connections during development and throughout adulthood.

Kung-Shan Cheng PhD’05 is currently working with the Hyperthermia Group at Duke University Medical Center conducting clinical tests and working on improving algorithms for a real-time adaptive controller designed to focus external thermal power on a target tumor while sparing or minimizing damage to the surrounding tissues. Cheng left Utah for North Carolina to do postdoctoral research at Prof. S.K. Das’ laboratory at Duke, where his research has included the development of model-reduction techniques to realize the real-time adaptive controller for a multi-antenna hyperthermia treatment using magnetic resonance temperature image (MRTI) as feedback. Cheng and his colleagues at Duke have written several major full-length practical and theoretical research papers on the work, including a recent publication in Medical Physics.

Miriah Meyer PhD’08 isn’t a biologist, but she helps biologists better understand their work. The daughter of an artist mother and chemist father, Meyer is a computer scientist specializing in the emerging field of visualization, which uses graphic computer representations to help scientists and others envision, manage, and interact with large quantities of complex data in ways that would otherwise be impossible. A postdoctoral research fellow in computer science in Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Meyer spends her work hours not at SEAS, but rather in a biology lab at Harvard Medical School, learning how DNA affects the development of thousands of tiny cells inside fruit fly embryos. She then uses computer graphics to reveal the minute differences and similarities across many species’ profiles to the scientists who do the research.

The Beza School in August 2010. As of November, the second story was nearly complete, and the library was well under way.

The University of Utah Executive MBA Class of 2008 pulled together to collect and donate $11,000 for a school building project in Ethiopia in partnership with the Children of Ethiopia Education Fund (COEEF). COEEF’s mission is to empower girls in the country through education, with a focus on sustainable efforts to benefit them, and, if possible, the greater student body and community. Bryan Peterson BS’04 MBA’08 spearheaded the EMBA class’s involvement in COEEF. Peterson and his family had already been sponsoring two Ethiopian sisters through the program for a few years. When given a class assignment “to do a presentation on something that we where passionate about,” he recalls, he introduced his study group to COEEF. “They asked me to represent the group by giving my presentation to the entire EMBA class,” which was then inspired to raise funds to help build something for COEEF. “Each of the 60 students and some instructors in our program contributed, and many of the companies that each of them worked for also contributed matching funds,” Peterson notes. It took just over a year to hit (and slightly exceed) their goal of $10,000. Just a few years later, the Beza School Building Project in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, is nearing completion. The first phase utilizing the donation are two classrooms already being used by students. The second phase of the project is a library, which is partially finished. Members of the EMBA Class say they are pleased with how well the construction has gone. Says Peterson, now associate director of technical services with the Utah Education Network at the U, “Everyone in the EMBA class of 2008 was very excited to hear that the project was moving forward and that we were able to make a real difference in the lives of these girls. We understand that in a real way it literally is not just an education but in many cases a matter of life and death.”

LM Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association AMAnnual Member of the Alumni Association

’50s

Spencer Eccles BS’56 received the 2010 Distinguished Utahn Award from the Salt Lake City chapter of the BYU Management Society. Few philanthropists in Utah reside within the same stratosphere of giving as Eccles. As chair and chief executive of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, he presides over an organization that has made more than $300 million in charitable grants since its inception in 1982. Eccles says of the recognition, “I’m very honored and happy [because the society’s] mission is scholarships for higher education at any Utah institution of higher learning.” In 2009, the society awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships to students entering college. “Higher education is the key to the future for this state,” Eccles says. LM

Hilda Marie Hicks Richins BS’30 turned 104 this July, likely making her the oldest living University of Utah graduate. The eldest of five children, Hilda grew up in Grantsville, Utah, before moving to the “big city” to attend the University. At the time, she was one of only a few women at the U and worked her way through school as a seamstress and housekeeper. During the summers, she studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Washington in Seattle. After graduating with a degree in home economics (sewing major, cooking minor), she took a job teaching home economics at Tooele High School, where she remained for 10 and a half years before moving to Salt Lake City with her new husband, L.W. Richins. While Hilda was pregnant with their first child, her husband enlisted in the Navy to join the fight in World War II, and Hilda spent the first two and half years of motherhood as a single parent while he was in Europe. Her grandmother, Hilda Anderson Erickson, was Utah’s last living pioneer when she died at the age of 108 in 1968. Richins’ philosophy has always been to keep life simple: walk every day, eat three square meals, and keep your mind busy. As sharp as ever, and showing no signs of slowing down, she now spends her days reading, playing Bingo, and watching her favorite game shows.

’60s

Dell Vaughn McDonald BS’60 MS’66 was recognized as the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Utah Department of Atmospheric Sciences. McDonald served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years before retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1980. He went on to hold several diverse leadership and management positions in southern Utah, including director of Community and Economic Development and director of Natural Resources for the Five County Association of Governments, assistant to the president for university advancement at Southern Utah University, and president, owner, founder, and CEO of Home Health Services, Inc. For the past eight years, McDonald has been instrumental in the cultivation of low-cost housing and aid to the homeless and impoverished. He is director of the Homeless Housing Partnership, which develops housing for single homeless people, is a member of the Utah State Homeless Coordinating Committee for the Governor of Utah, and serves as co-director of the Crusade for the Homeless. He also founded the Garth B. Last Foundation, which provides support for elderly homebound patients. LM

Douglas Henderson PhD’61 was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the highest level of society membership. After some years with the IBM Research Laboratory in San Jose, Calif., Henderson served as a professor of chemistry at Brigham Young University. Now professor emeritus, he remains active in research. LM

William T. Silfvast BS’61 PhD’65 was recognized recently in the SPIE tribute “Laser Luminaries,” celebrating “50 Years Advancing the Laser.” (SPIE is a nonprofit international society for the exchange, collection, and dissemination of knowledge in optics, photonics, and imaging engineering.) Silfvast is renowned for the number of new lasers he has discovered. He has also done notable work in metal vapors, and demonstrated more than 100 recombination lasers and laser action in laser-produced plasmas. Silfvast is now professor emeritus of optics at the University of Central Florida. His current interests involve developing efficient short-wavelength sources and their use in new applications, such as soft-X-ray projection lithography and microscopy, and in photoionization spectroscopy. Silfvast is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America, and the IEEE. He is the author of Laser Fundamentals, published by Cambridge University Press.

’70s

Laurel Siddoway BS’75 JD’79 has been appointed to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division III, by Gov. Chris Gregoire. Siddoway had been an attorney at Randall Danskin in Spokane since 1985. She started as an associate at the firm before becoming a managing principal. Siddoway’s legal experience also includes positions at other law firms and as in-house counsel to businesses. She also taught as an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University for several years.

Peter E. Braveman JD’76 was recognized with the 2010 Outstanding Corporate Counsel Award from the Los Angeles County Bar for his exceptional career achievement. Braveman has served as senior vice president for legal affairs and general counsel of Cedars Sinai Medical Center since 1987. He is a leader in the nonprofit and healthcare bars and was named a Southern California Super Lawyer in 2005 and 2006. Some proceeds from the awards dinner go to the recipient’s law school, in Braveman’s case, the U’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.

Ronald P. Sanders MS’76 has been named a senior executive advisor with Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., supporting the firm’s human capital and educational offerings in the defense market. Sanders has 37-plus years of experience successfully addressing the federal government’s most difficult human capital challenges across civil, defense, and intelligence agencies. Recently retired as the U.S. intelligence community’s first chief human capital officer, Sanders is the recipient of the U.S. intelligence community’s highest honor, its Distinguished Service Medal. He was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 2006 and is also the recipient of three Presidential Rank Awards for playing a key leadership role in several major organizational transformations within the federal government.

Greg Goff BS’78 MBA’81 has been elected president and CEO of Tesoro Corporation. Goff was most recently senior vice president, commercial, for ConocoPhillips. He joined the company in 1981 and held various positions in transportation, supply, and trading. He has served leadership roles including managing director and CEO of Conoco JET Nordic, based in Sweden; chair and managing director of Conoco Limited, the company’s UK refining and marketing affiliate; president of Europe and Asia Pacific downstream activities; and president of the company’s U.S. Lower 48 and Latin America exploration and production business. AM

’80s

Dale K. Nash BS’80 was recognized with the 2010 John E. Willson Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Utah’s Mining Engineering Program. Nash is currently CEO of Alaska Aerospace Corporation, which owns and operates the Kodiak Launch Complex (Kodiak Island, Alaska), a fully operational spaceport primarily serving the Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Air Force. Nash has served the aerospace industry for nearly 30 years. He began his career in aerospace in 1982 at Hercules Aerospace Company–Bacchus Works, in Magna, Utah, where he worked on intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missile systems. In 1987, he moved to Thiokol Corporation, in Promontory, Utah, and later transferred to the Kennedy Space Center as vice president and general manager of Thiokol’s Florida operations. In 1995, he transitioned to United Space Alliance/Lockheed Martin, where he served in several executive leadership positions on the NASA Space Shuttle/Human Space Flight programs until 2007, when he joined AAC. Nash’s first positions after receiving his undergraduate degree were in mining engineering, but the 1982 crash in energy prices and limited mining jobs led him to make the career change to aerospace. He went on to receive an MBA from the University of Florida.

Jow-Lay Huang PhD’84, a professor from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and president of the Taiwan Association for Coatings and Thin Film Technology, has been selected for membership in the World Academy of Ceramics (WAC). Huang, a Distinguished Professor with NCKU’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering and an expert in functional and structural ceramics, is among 14 ceramics specialists to be elected into the academy this year and is the first and only academic from Taiwan to be inducted. The WAC was established in 1987 to promote progress in the field of ceramics and foster better understanding of its impact. The academics elected are internationally renowned scholars who have made significant contributions and achievements in the academic research field of ceramics. The total number of international academicians recognized is limited to 200.

Jennifer Rigby BA’84 has been named director of multimedia content for The Weather Channel. Rigby has more than 25 years of television experience, most recently with leading industry consultant SmithGeiger. She spent 12 years with Cox Television at stations throughout the country, including serving as news director for WSB-TV, the Atlanta market’s news leader. Previously, she served as news director for Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV, which was the No. 1-rated station during her tenure. A native of Salt Lake City, Rigby began her career as a producer here. She is an award-winning journalist who has been a part of teams that have received Emmy awards, Murrow awards, and multiple AP Best Newscast recognitions.

Anthony “Tony” Spehar BS’81 MS’85 has been named vice president and program manager for the Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Prime Integration Contract (IPIC), a 15-year effort to modernize and maintain the reliability, safety, and security of the nation’s entire force of land-based Minuteman III missiles. Most recently, Spehar was the chief engineer and director of the company’s Missile Systems Center of Excellence, which is composed of some 500 missile engineers in six states. Prior to that, he was vice president and general manager of the former Kinetic Energy Interceptors program.

’90s

Chinnu Senthilkumar MS’95, chief operating officer of Azure Capital Advisors, has been elected to the board of directors for SurgeForth Technologies. Senthilkumar was previously country head of SanDisk Corporation, Bangalore (India), where he led R&D, sales and marketing, and operations. In his five years with SanDisk, he played a pivotal role in strategizing and setting up a state-of-the-art R&D center, partner tie-ins with top IT firms in India, and an expanding sales network. During his tenure, SanDisk India filed several critical patents and jointly received the “Best ISSCC Paper Award,” a prestigious honor in the semiconductor industry. Senthilkumar also held managerial and general management roles in Texas Instruments and Intel Corporation for over a decade in the areas of semiconductor chip design and HW design. He received nine patents from the U.S. Patent Office in the area of semiconductor chip design during his tenure at Intel.

Clare Duignan BA’09 (at left in competition wig, costume, and makeup) traveled in April to compete in the World Irish Dancing Championships. Dancers from 32 countries participated in this year’s “Olympics of Irish dance,” held in Glasgow, Scotland. (Since the competition recently experienced an influx of Irish dancers from outside of Ireland, it now rotates each year between the United States, Ireland, and Scotland.) Duignan studied many kinds of dance as a young girl, she notes, but after seeing Riverdance at age 10, “I decided to quit all the other types of dance I was doing because Irish dancing was more fun for me… and there were performance opportunities all the time and so many competitions to go to.” Also, she notes, “My father is Irish, so I was always influenced by that part of my life.” Duignan now works for the Governor’s Public Lands Policy Coordination Office and is a dance teacher and dancer with Crawford School of Irish Dance, the oldest and largest school of its kind in Utah. AM

’00s

Souad Ali PhD’04 has been a Fulbright Scholar at American University of Kuwait (AUK) this past academic year, teaching, conducting research, and lecturing on Islam and secularism as well as researching Kuwaiti women in leadership positions. Ali was recently tenured as an associate professor of Arabic and Middle Eastern studies at Arizona State University, where she is  also head of Classics & Middle East Letters and Cultures, as well as  coordinator of Arabic Studies. While she was in Kuwait, her book  A Religion, Not a State reached the top of Amazon’s list for “bestselling new and future releases in Turkey.”

LM Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association AM Annual Member of the Alumni Association

’60s

Lynn M. Hansen MS’66 PhD’70 was recognized with the 2010 Utah State University College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Distinguished Alumnus Award. Hansen received a Fulbright Scholarship to Free University of Berlin before completing both master’s and doctoral degrees in German at the U, with studies at Stanford University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Hansen served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring in 1983 as a full colonel. He is now the holder of the first endowed chair at the USAF Academy, Colorado (the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of National Defense and Security Studies), based in the Political Science Department. Hansen’s civilian government service is equally impressive. His experience includes service as deputy head, U.S. Delegation to Stockholm Conference (with personal rank of ambassador), assistant director of U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, ambassador and head of the U.S. Delegation to the Geneva Conference on Disarmament, ambassador and head of U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Negotiations on Conventional Forces Europe, political advisor to the Commander of U.S. and NATO Air Forces in Europe, and vice-chair of the National Intelligence Council, U.S. Intelligence Community. His numerous honors include the Intelligence Community’s Distinguished Service Award.

’70s

Dale A. Lund BS’73 MS’76 PhD’79 recently left the University of Utah to become chair of the Department of Sociology at California State University, San Bernardino. Lund was on the faculty at the U of U from 1980-2009. He is nationally and internationally known for his research, publications, and presentations focused on the ways older adults adjust to major life transitions, particularly spousal bereavement-widowhood and family caregiving to persons with dementia. Presently his research focuses on testing theoretically based interventions to enhance the participant’s mental and physical health outcomes.

Debbie Piper BA’75 was recognized with the 2010 Arts Education award from the Homer (Alaska) Council on the Arts. Piper has been teaching elementary school for 34 years. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in education, she holds a master’s in teaching and arts education from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., and an Elementary Arts Endorsement from the State of Alaska. Piper has taught at McNeil Canyon Elementary School since 1983. Due to her dedication and leadership, McNeil Canyon has won multiple awards in the arts at the state and national level, including the Creative Ticket School of Excellence Award for outstanding achievement in arts education from the Kennedy Center in both 2000 and 2007. Currently a teacher of second grade and art, Piper spends her summers sharing her expertise in art education at art institutes and teacher training workshops in Juneau, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and the Kenai Peninsula.

James S. Fassio BS’77 has been promoted to president and chief development officer for Ross Stores, Inc.  Previously executive VP, he will continue to oversee the company’s entire property development group, including the real estate, market research, and store design for both Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS.  After receiving a bachelor’s degree in finance with an emphasis in real estate, Fassio continued his career with Safeway Stores, Inc., and in 1985 joined U.S. Venture Partners in Menlo Park, Calif.  In 1988, he moved full time to Ross Stores, Inc., where he has overseen the growth and development of the retailer, a Fortune and S&P 500 company, with gross revenues of approximately $7 billion and 45,000 employees nationwide.

The Rev. France Davis MA’78, pastor at Salt Lake City’s Calvary Baptist Church, has been installed as fifth vice president to the educational arm of the National Baptist Convention. Davis, who also teaches at the University of Utah, is believed to be the first from Utah to receive the designation. The National Baptist Convention is the nation’s oldest and largest African American religious convention, with an estimated 7.5 million members. Five churches from Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber counties are affiliated with the convention.

Principal Ruth Peters is applauded by Oakdale Elementary students, many of whom wore Utah red to honor her fidelity to the U.

There are normal Ute fans, and then there are über-Ute fans—like Ruth Peters BS’81 (education), former principal of Oakdale Elementary in Sandy, Utah. During her seven-year tenure there, Peters gained a “really red” reputation by plastering her office with University of Utah-related paraphernalia, such that it was difficult for anyone in the Oakdale community not to know of her passion for and allegiance to the U.

Much as she loved being principal of Oakdale, Peters was transferred last February to Peruvian Park Elementary, just down the road. To pay their respects, members of the Oakdale community gathered in the auditorium to present her with a surprise farewell party. When the unsuspecting principal was led into the auditorium, the audience, including teachers, students, volunteers, and friends—many wearing red and sporting U of U fan gear—clapped and cheered wildly.

Peters was presented with a memory book engraved with a large letter “P,” and students serenaded their beloved principal with a song (“Teacher,” by Denise Gagne) adapted by Oakdale’s music specialist Debby Wetzel. But the biggest surprise of all took place when a group from the U of U Marching Band filed into the auditorium, blasting “Utah Man” at full volume—thanks to Oakdale band teacher and U of U music major Caleb Shabestari, who arranged the group’s appearance. The words were displayed on a pull-down screen, and many attendees joined in, singing the U of U fight song at the top of their lungs, even finishing off with an enthusiastic “Go Utes!” and pumping their fists in the air—for the students, good preparation for the time when they are old enough to join The MUSS.

“I just love the U,” says Peters. “I’m a fifth-generation Ute, and it’s just something I grew up with. I always knew that someday I would attend the U.”

’80s

Frank Robinson BS’81 MD’84 now commands the 328th Combat Support Hospital, Utah’s largest Army medical unit, at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, where he grew up. Over 25 years and six deployments as a military reservist, Robinson has completed tours of duty in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Previously a Sacramento, Calif., emergency surgeon when not serving as an Army colonel, Robinson recently made a military trip to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where he was charged with caring for military prisoners.

Andrew Pippas MD’86, medical director of the John B. Amos Cancer Center in Columbus, Ga., has been named a Distinguished Cancer Scholar by the Georgia Cancer Coalition. Pippas received a $500,000 grant, which will go toward enhancing the cancer center’s clinical trials program and other initiatives. The board-certified medical oncologist also serves as director of clinical oncology research at the Columbus facility. After receiving his medical degree from the U, Pippas went on to a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. He joined the Columbus cancer center seven years ago.

Jim Hollis MS’88 has joined TTI Exploration, Inc. as president and CEO and will serve as a member of the Board of Directors. Hollis was previously president and COO of ION Geophysical Corporation, where he was accountable for running all ION businesses. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geophysics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to his master’s in the same from the U.

Mark Padilla Viau BS’89, Major (Select) with the 101st Information Operations Unit, Utah Air National Guard, acted in the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs feature Transmission on Transition, which was nominated for a Peabody Award in late 2009. The film addresses the issue of returning veterans facing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other war-related problems. Viau is a professionally trained actor with the Wilhelmina agency. He was recently cast in his first leading role in a full-length feature film, Diva Force, scheduled for release in fall 2010, and is also serving as a technical advisor for the film. Prior to joining the Utah ANG more than 11 years ago, Viau was a special agent for 14 years with the FBI, where he investigated “white-collar” crimes. Viau recently created the company HospitalSkins, which puts decorative “skins” (like those used on cell phones and laptops) on medical devices. In light of recent studies demonstrating the significance of a child’s visual surroundings in their healing process, HospitalSkins are particularly aimed at children’s hospital rooms and feature licensed images such as Tinker Bell, Lightning McQueen, and Winnie the Pooh. In April, HospitalSkins signed a deal with OneHope wine, which directs 50 percent of profits toward specific charities. HospitalSkins will have a designated wine and will be a OneHope featured product.  AM

Ian (center) and son Braedon (right) with their friend Arman “Nonoy” Regalado, their on-the-ground contact in Iloilo, with a Jeepney (Filipino bus) loaded with supplies. They filled up two Jeepneys in total on their 2009 trip.

Ian McCracken BS’96 is co-founder and executive director of the charitable foundation Building Youth Around the World, which he helped his 13-year-old son, Braedon, establish as his Eagle Scout project. In 2009, the organization’s first act was a big one: Braedon and Ian hand-delivered supplies to a one-room school in the Philippines.

The eighth-grader spent three months raising $4,000 in donations from companies and individuals. In late November 2009, the father-son team began a 22-hour journey to Iloilo City, Philippines, home to about 90,000 people. Their destination: Iloilo Christian Academy, a tiny two-teacher school that serves 120 students and lacks electricity and water. The two delivered backpacks, chalk, pencils, chairs, marker boards, canned meats, and many other items to the academy. (To learn more, visit the foundation’s Web site at http://www.buildyouth.org/.) Ian McCracken was born at Clark Air Force Base in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, while his father served in the military as a master sergeant who repaired airplanes. He has three adoptive Filipino sisters and says he has always wanted to go back. McCracken’s company, Professional Recruiting International, which he started in 2004, paid for the plane tickets, hotel, and food for the duo’s 2009 humanitarian mission.

’90s

Spencer Hansen BA’98 MEd’04 was named Assistant Principal of the Year for 2010 by the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals. Hansen, 35, has been assistant principal at Davis School District’s Syracuse Junior High School since 2005. He was previously recognized as Utah Middle Level Administrator of the Year for 2008. In addition to teaching and administrative certificates and degrees from the U, Hansen holds a master’s degree in special education rehabilitation from Utah State University.

’00s

Bart Stevens MSW’04 has been named the acting director of the Bureau of Indian Education. He has been the BIE’s deputy director for school operations since early January 2009. Before that, he held two BIE associate directorships overseeing BIE-funded schools in 25 states. He has also held teaching, counseling, and administrative positions in tribal and public schools in Utah. Stevens is an enrolled member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona with ancestry from the Ute Indian Tribe in Utah, the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe in Idaho. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in school administration and supervision from Utah State University, as well as a master’s degree in social work from the U.

Scott Norton BA’05 is now both a practicing attorney and one of the top 50 male bowlers in the world.  The son of United Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Virginia Norton, Scott rolled his first strike at the age of 4. He won numerous junior amateur victories and, at 18, the Adult National Amateur Championship, becoming the youngest ever to do so. As a University undergraduate, he continued to bowl. “I paid my way through college playing amateur tournaments,” says Norton. He joined the Professional Bowlers Association and, while attending San Francisco’s Hastings College of Law, would study during the week and bowl in regional events on weekends, winning two titles within his first six months of being a PBA member. After graduating from Hastings, Norton passed the California Bar Exam on his first try, then signed on with the Bay View Law Group. In the same month, he won the Sands Regency PBA Regional Players Invitational in Reno, earning the winner’s purse and an automatic spot on the 2010-2011 PBA Tour.

Jordan Breighner BS’09 currently works at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. Breighner spent part of his senior year at the U as an intern for the Obama campaign in Chicago. The Hinckley Institute helped him coordinate the internship, but was unable to sponsor him due to campaign finance laws. Breighner worked as a targeting intern for the Obama team, using the Internet in a way he says campaigns have never done before—identifying “sporadic” voters who would be likely to support Obama based on demographics such as age, sex, location, and income levels. Breighner notes that such targeting, a technique taken from the banking industry, could also be applied by other private sector entities, as well as nonprofit charities.

LM Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association AM Annual Member of the Alumni Association

’60s

E. Gordon Gee BA’68 (along with a J.D., Columbia) was recently featured as one of Time magazine’s picks for “The 10 Best College Presidents.” Gee, president of The Ohio State University, is one of the most experienced university executives in the U.S. This is his second stint as president at Ohio State; he returned there in 2007 after having served as chancellor of Vanderbilt University for seven years. Prior to his tenure at Vanderbilt, he was president of Brown University (1998-2000), The Ohio State University (1990-97), the University of Colorado (1985-90), and West Virginia University (1981-85). Gee now presides over some 40,000 employees, one of Ohio’s largest and best hospitals, a major hive of research, a small-business incubator, a hugely popular sports-entertainment empire, a large portfolio of real estate (including a small city’s worth of housing units), and a network of extension operations reaching into nearly every community in the state. To watch videos of Gee in action, click here.

’70s

Pramod Amin MS’71 has become perhaps the most prominent hotelier in central Virginia and one of the most successful independent hotel owners in the state. In the past year alone, Amin has invested $178 million to open 10 hotels in metro Richmond, including his new flagship property, the $48 million, 254-room Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa in western Henrico County. The 246,000-square-foot hotel offers more than 22,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ballroom able to accommodate 1,300 people. Amin plans to expand along the East Coast into the Washington and Baltimore markets and, eventually, hopes to go international with hotels in London, Mumbai, and Bangkok. His Shamin Hotels Inc. currently employs 1,000 people and has assets of $600 million in Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland.

Michael Cotter MBA’73 was nominated by President Barack Obama in late September 2009 to serve in the post of U.S. Attorney and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in late December. Cotter had been the sole practitioner at Michael W. Cotter, P.C., in Helena, Mont., since 2000. He began his legal career as an associate at the Law Offices of John C. Hoyt, later forming the Cotter & Cotter Law Firm with his wife, Montana Supreme Court Justice Pat Cotter. Michael Cotter served on active duty with the United States Army from 1972-74 and was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant. He received his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame. Cotter is one of 93 U.S. attorneys in the country, and the only one for Montana, replacing U.S. Attorney William W. “Bill” Mercer.

O. Randall “Randy” Woodbury BA’77, CPM, has been elected 2010 president of the 18,000-plus-member Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), which has been the source for education, resources, and information for real estate management professionals for more than 75 years. Woodbury is corporate secretary and vice president of property management for Salt Lake City-based Woodbury Corporation, a family real estate firm founded in 1919, which specializes in developing and managing retail, office, and hotel properties in the western United States.

James S. Fassio BS’77 has been promoted to president and chief development officer for Ross Stores, Inc. Previously executive VP, he will continue to oversee the company’s entire property development group, including the real estate, market research, and store design for both Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in finance with an emphasis in real estate, Fassio continued his career with Safeway Stores, Inc., and in 1985 joined U.S. Venture Partners in Menlo Park, Calif. In 1988, Fassio moved full time to Ross Stores, Inc., where he has overseen the growth and development of the company, a Fortune and S&P 500 Company, with gross revenues of approximately $7 billion and 45,000 employees nationwide.

Lynn D. Malmstrom BS’77, CPA, a senior executive with more than 30 years of management experience, has been hired as the chief financial officer of California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR), a nonprofit air ambulance firm serving Central and Northern California and parts of Nevada. Malmstrom was most recently president and CEO of Malmstrom & Associates, Inc., which he founded, with offices in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Eugene, Ore. The corporation specializes in consulting with client companies to improve their performance and profitability. Malmstrom has also provided sales consulting, mentoring, workshops, seminars, and keynote speaking engagements to Cisco, Intel, Oracle, IBM, AT&T, Sun Microsystems, SAP, and other firms. From 1994 to 2000, he was vice president and CFO at Rocky Mountain Helicopters and LifeNet.

’80s

G. Paul Doxey MD’80 has been honored with the Jerome C. Goldstein Public Service Award from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Doxey was recognized for his work with the Doctors’ Volunteer Clinic in St. George, which he helped found in 1999, and for which he serves as president and chair of the Board. He is a past president of the Utah Society of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and the Washington County Medical Society. In his 2009 “State of the State” address, former Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. ex’85 recognized Doxey for his work in providing health care to the uninsured residents of Utah. Doxey has been in practice for 24 years, nine in Salt Lake City and 15 in St. George. AM

John Robinson MD’80 has been promoted from medical director to chief medical officer of the Molina Healthcare of Washington health plan. Robinson is a board-certified family practice physician and has more than 25 years of medical experience. He has previously held leadership roles including president of Utah HealthCare Institute and director of development at FHP in Utah. In addition to a medical degree from the U of U School of Medicine, where he also completed his residency, Robinson holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., and a master’s degree in health care management from the Harvard School of Medicine in Boston, Mass.

Patricia Berry MS’80, Ph.D., APRN, FAAN, associate professor at the University of Utah College of Nursing, has been inducted into the American Academy of Nursing. Berry was chosen by the academy’s 15-member Fellow Selection Committee for her outstanding achievements in the nursing profession. In addition to being a certified gerontological nurse practitioner and an advanced practice palliative care nurse, Berry is associate director, education and practice, for the University of Utah’s Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence. With 32 years of experience in hospice and palliative care, Berry has contributed to critical policy, educational, and scientific initiatives to improve the management of pain and symptoms, especially for individuals with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Catherine M. Larson BS’82 JD’93, president and managing shareholder with the law firm of Strong & Hanni, has been inducted as a fellow in the Litigation Council of America. Larson has 17 years of experience representing physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals in a variety of medical malpractice litigation matters. With a bachelor’s degree in nursing in addition to a juris doctorate, she currently serves on the Defense Research Institute Medical Liability Committee and is a past president of the Utah Chapter of The American Association of Nurse Attorneys.

Matt Berrett BA’85 is currently the CIA’s director of the Office of Middle East and North Africa Analysis. Berrett went to work for the CIA directly after receiving his bachelor’s degree in economics from the U. He recently spoke at the U to encourage other students to consider pursuing his career path. The largest demands the CIA has right now are for terrorism analysts, polygraphists, and analysts who can speak South Asian languages, particularly Urdu and Pashtun, Berrett says. The agency accepts applicants from almost every area of expertise, and even students fresh out of undergraduate studies remain eligible for hire.

’90s

Brad Cahoon JD’91 has been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Lung Association Southwest Region, covering Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. He also serves on the American Lung Association of Utah board and is past chair of that organization. Cahoon is a partner with Snell & Wilmer, representing a variety of clients in all aspects of environmental, zoning, land use, natural resources, and water law.

John A. Pearce BS’92 has been named general counsel to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert. A civil litigator with Jones Waldo Holbrook & McDonough since 1999, Pearce has been involved in several high-profile cases involving the ballot initiative process. A native of Magna, Utah, he holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the U and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of the Utah and California bar associations. Pearce is married to Jennifer Napier-Pearce BA’91, the news director at KUER radio.

’00s

Matthew Batt PhD’06, an assistant professor of English at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., was awarded a 2010 literary fellowship of $25,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts. Batt’s fiction and nonfiction have recently appeared in Tin House, Mid-American Review, Fifth Wednesday Journal, and Western Humanities Review, and he is currently finishing the unauthorized biography of his house. Batt lives in St. Paul with his wife, Jenae, and their 2-year-old son.

Tyson Odekirk BS’00 (double major in economics and speech communication) has joined the UK Financial Services Authority as a senior associate in the investment and wholesale banking group and is currently based in London. Odekirk previously served in risk management with GE Capitol and as an analyst with the Federal Reserve Bank. He attended the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

LM Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association    AM Annual Member of the Alumni Association

We want to hear from you!

Please submit entries to Marcia Dibble. To read more alumni news, check out the “Honor Roll” column in the Alumni Association’s online newsletter here.

’60s

Donald Yacktman BS’65 is the president of Yacktman Asset Management Co. and the co-manager (with son Stephen) of the Yacktman Fund and the Yacktman Focused Fund, which were ranked numbers one and two, respectively, in performance over the last 10 years among the 450 mutual funds classified as large cap value by Morningstar, a highly trusted provider of independent mutual fund analysis, research, and ratings.

’70s

Annie Holt BS’76 has been named president and CEO of Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage. Holt has 30 years of hospital-administration experience, most recently as the vice president of the Quality and Service Line Department for HCA Mountain Division, the parent company of Alaska Regional. Previous positions have included CEO and chief clinical officer at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, CEO at Indianapolis Women’s Hospital, and CEO at Methodist Children’s Hospital and Women’s Services in San Antonio. Holt has a master’s in business administration from the University of Phoenix as well as a bachelor’s in nursing from the U of U.

’80s

R. Scott Ward BA’80 PhD’94 was recently reelected president of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Ward has served as APTA president since 2006. He is chair of the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Utah and is immediate past chair of the Rehabilitation Committee of the American Burn Association. He is also a member of the Burn Rehabilitation and Research Consensus Summit Group and served as a member of APTA’s Guide to Physical Therapist Practice Volume 3 Practice Panel, among many other professional activities.

Blaine D. Leonard BS’81 MS’87, P.E., F.ASCE, a research program manager for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) in Salt Lake City, is the new president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The oldest national engineering society, ASCE represents more than 146,000 civil engineers worldwide. Leonard has been with UDOT since 2001 and is responsible for balancing needs, priorities, and resources in the Research Division, as well as managing a wide variety of geotechnical, structural, seismic, environmental, and traffic safety research efforts.

Peter W. Mueller BS’82 has been inducted into the 2009 Officer Candidates School Hall of Fame, the single highest honor the OCS can bestow upon its past graduates. To be eligible, officers must have attained the rank of colonel, be Medal of Honor recipients, or have distinguished themselves in civilian occupations. A colonel in the U.S. Army, Mueller holds a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and has served in the military for 27 years. He is currently a commander and district engineer assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Md.

Deborah Dugan JD’84, who began her career as a corporate lawyer, is currently senior advisor to the Tribeca Film Board. Dugan was most recently CEO of Entertainment Rights, a publicly traded U.K. based company that owned the intellectual property rights to kid-friendly properties including Pat the Bunny, Veggie Tales, and Where’s Waldo? before Dugan spearheaded its sale in early 2009. Prior to joining Entertainment Rights in 2007, Dugan spent eight years as president of Disney’s worldwide publishing division. One of her successes at Disney was the purchase of the Baby Einstein preschool brand. She also previously ran various record labels for EMI, where she worked with artists including Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Joan Baez.

Dawn Bennett BA ’85, founder and CEO of Bennett Group Financial Services, placed No. 5 on Barron’s magazine’s most recent list of the top women financial advisers. More than two decades ago, when a 20-something Bennett went to Wall Street, she says she clipped out a quote from a magazine that became the cornerstone of her success today. John D. Rockefeller was quoted as saying: “I’ve never met a wealthy man who didn’t take it out of the middle.” Rockefeller’s quote—an admonition to not count on stocks running too high before taking profits—became a building block of her temperate investment strategy, says Bennett. It’s about not being greedy and consistently capturing returns as assets appreciate. “Wall Street brings you to your knees at a moment’s notice,” she says. Her goal is to generate steady annual returns for her clients.

’90s

Chris Shaffer BS’92 is the chief meteorologist at WCCO Television in Minneapolis, Minn. He forecasts for the entire state of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin during the 5, 6, and 10 p.m newscasts. But television isn’t the only medium he is a part of on a daily basis. Shaffer also gives daily weather reports for WCCO AM Radio and writes a daily weather column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He got his start in broadcasting in Salt Lake City, at radio station 98.7 KCPX, where he was an on-air personality from 1990-1992. Shaffer recently received the American Meteorological Society’s Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation, a professional recognition of the high quality of his weather broadcasts.

Paul Mayfield BS’97, Microsoft Corp.’s director of engineering, is serving as immediate head of Microsoft’s new research and development office in Lehi, Utah, where it expects to employ about 100 people in highpaying jobs working on key areas of the giant software company’s products. In early September, Microsoft marked the facility’s opening with a ceremony featuring Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). At an open house in June announcing a five-year lease agreement on the property, Mayfield noted that the company would be hiring product developers, software engineers, program managers, and software test engineers for the new facility near Thanksgiving Point, the first of a planned energy-efficient five-building complex.

Samer M. Ali MA’97, associate professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, received a Fulbright Scholar grant to do research in Egypt and Kuwait during the 2009-2010 academic year. Ali is conducting archival research for a book project titled The Medieval Arabic Islamic Public Sphere exploring the ways that individuals and groups in the Middle East used literature from about the 10th to the 15th century to participate in common social and political concerns.

’00s

Reid Mumford HBS’00, who holds a doctorate in particle physics from Johns Hopkins University, is currently competing as a professional cyclist with the Kelly Benefits Strategies team and completed this year’s Tour of Utah in a very respectable 43rd place. Mumford began bike racing seriously after he started graduate school and turned pro a few years ago, all while conducting scientific research. Mumford, his wife, Jenni, and their young son maintain a home in Salt Lake City but spend most of the spring and summer in a motor home driving to various bicycle races.

Matt Canham BS’02, Washington correspondent for The Salt Lake Tribune, received two prestigious awards from the National Press Club this year. Canham received the Washington Regional Reporting Award, which is given to a D.C.-based journalist who best provides a clear understanding of issues and events relevant to a geographic region, and also won the club’s Joseph D. Ryle Award for Excellence in Writing on the Problems of Geriatrics. The latter prize was awarded for his series on the best and worst of Utah’s nursing homes. Canham has worked for two years as a Tribune reporter in the nation’s capital.

Lieu Tran BA’06 HBA’06 currently works at a nonprofit in Utah that assists refugee children and also volunteers for Results, a not-for-profit grassroots organization aimed at ending poverty worldwide. Tran and her siblings were born into extreme poverty in Vietnam. By the time she was 7, Tran had been forced into a labor camp. She and her family eventually escaped Vietnam and made their way to Salt Lake City. When she first arrived, Tran was unable to read the alphabet in her native language, let alone speak, read, or write English. By her senior year at Highland High School, she was enrolled in four Advanced Placement classes, including physics. After receiving her bachelor’s degrees (in Asian studies and political science), she completed a master’s degree in human rights at Columbia University

Dominic Jones PhD’08 was named the Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards Service 2008 Staff Employee of the Year. Jones received the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in August. He currently works as an Operations Research Analyst for the FAA in Salt Lake City, where he lives with his wife and new daughter.

Alexandra Grosvenor Eller MPH’09 has been named to the National Geographic Board of Trustees. A greatgreat-granddaughter of both Alexander Graham Bell, the National Geographic Society’s second president, and Gardiner Greene Hubbard, a founder and first president of the society, Eller is the sixth generation of her family to hold office at the society. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Princeton University, she pursued a medical degree from Wake Forest School of Medicine and did her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University. At the University of Utah, she completed subspecialty training in high-risk pregnancy as well as a master’s degree in public health. Eller is now assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the U of U as well as a physician in maternal fetal medicine at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.

Zachary Howell BS’09 has been elected chair of the College Republican National Committee (CRNC). He will lead the organization, located in Washington, D.C., for the next two years. Howell notes that he is the second U of U and Hinckley Institute alumnus to hold the position, as Karl Rove ex’71 served as chair from 1973 to 1975. A native of Sandy, Utah, Howell grew up loving politics and volunteered for his first campaign at the age of 13. While still in high school, he began his involvement with College Republicans when he helped coordinate “Get out the vote” activities for a Congressional campaign. While at the U, he served as state chair of the Utah Federation of College Republicans for two years and was named the “Best State Chairman” of the CRNC in 2006.

Clayton B. Cornell BS’05 is currently the general manager of GO Media, the first green blog network. While working as a faculty research assistant in toxicology at Oregon State University, Cornell became a biodiesel enthusiast, experimenting with small-scale biodiesel production in OSU’s chemical engineering lab and acquiring extensive hands-on experience with diesel cars and trucks, including the practical use of biodiesel and straight vegetable oil as alternative fuels. With this experience, he first joined the GO network as a professional blogger and lead writer for Gas2.org, its blog covering the future of sustainable transportation. He later moved up to managing editor and director of social media strategy for the network and joined its office in San Francisco. The network very quickly grew from a few hundred thousand readers to more than two million and picked up syndication deals with big-name publishers including The Guardian (UK), Yahoo.com, and Reuters. Cornell helped re-found the quickly growing company, becoming a major stakeholder before GO was acquired by social-venture incubator Virgance. Cornell is now working with sister company 1bog.org to develop an electric car program, as well as enjoying living in (sometimes) sunny San Francisco.

LM Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association AM Annual Member of the Alumni Association