Cowell College
’87
Stephen SCHWARTZ stepped down as editor of the academic journal The Nonproliferation Review in late 2015, after nearly nine-and-a-half years at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, to become an independent consultant and analyst, working with organizations that address issues associated with nuclear weapons and nuclear arms control/disarmament. In July 2018, he returned to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists as a nonresident senior fellow (he previously served as the organization’s publisher and executive director from 1998–2005), where he is writing and speaking about the history, current status, and costs of U.S. nuclear weapons and weapons-related programs, including the Trump administration’s plans to spend at least $1.7 trillion rebuilding and upgrading the entire nuclear arsenal. He is grateful for an engaging and meaningful career that began as an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz 33 years ago, and continues to live in the Chicago suburbs.
’91
Sherry PAUL, ranked in the Forbes Top 200 Women Wealth Advisors in America, leads an all-female team of financial advisors promoting financial literacy for women. See Meet Sherry and Jacqueline and Alumna committed to improving financial literacy for women.
‘09
Olga Y. BRYAN has joined Noonan Lance Boyer & Banach LLP as an associate attorney to work on a variety of civil litigation matters, including contract and lease disputes, intellectual property disputes, and other commercial cases.
‘12
Caitlin HERNANDEZ lives in San Francisco, where she teaches elementary school special education. In October, one of her nonfiction essays was included in an anthology entitled Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities. This book contains 11 unique accounts of living and loving while disabled, written by writers with various disabilities, from deafness to autism to PTSD. Several pieces, her own queer+blind essay included, are authored by folks with intersecting minority identities. Order through Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and COBOL, or learn more at www.olebbooks.com.
Lale KAYA graduated cum laude.
Stevenson College
‘70
Jeffrey Miller retired from clinical psychology in 2016 and moved to live in Livermore, Calif., to be closer to family, with wife Kathleen Pierron-Miller (Stevenson ’71).
Jonathan GREEN is serving as a Peace Corps response volunteer in Liberia, assisting a malaria surveillance project in several communities—some near rubber plantations, some near the seacoast, some in thick forest, and some surrounded by swamps. The information derived should help the National Malaria Control Programme determine which types of environments have the highest incidences of malaria and therefore require the strongest public health interventions.
‘71
Kathleen PIERRON-MILLER moved household with Jeff Miller (Stevenson ‘70) after he retired, to be closer to kids and grandkids. She’s still running the family (her dad’s) business in the East Bay. Life is good.
Robert M. MCCORMICK was recognized as a 2018 Top Lawyer by Sacramento Magazine. An attorney at Downey Brand, McCormick maintains a broad transactional real estate practice with particular emphasis on leasing, purchases and sales, real estate finance, and common interest developments.
‘88
(Dan) Zev LEVINSON’s book was published by Humboldt State University Press. The book is called Song of Six Rivers, an epic poem that is an ode to the Humboldt Bay/Six Rivers region in Northern California. It is accompanied on every page by mostly archival photographs from Humboldt State University Library’s Special Collections, most of which have never before been seen by the public.
‘98
Andrea (VAN NOTE) Killion and her husband welcomed their first child, a daughter, late last year. She is taking time off from her private practice in counseling to enjoy precious time with her little one. They currently reside near Portland, Ore.
‘04
Tyler ATKINSON, a partner with McManis Faulkner, was named to the Northern California Super Lawyers 2018 Edition—Rising Stars. A Thomson Reuters rating service and publication, Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars is a listing of outstanding lawyers, from more than 70 practice areas, who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Crown College
‘80
Stephen HERRING, religion, geography, and development studies instructor at Edgecombe Community College, was awarded the 2018–2019 Keihin Endowed Faculty Chair. The chair was endowed by Keihin Carolina System Technology (KCST) through a $100,000 gift in 2007, and it rewards excellence in teaching.
‘97
Laurel BRANDSTETTER, chair of the Criminal Defense and Internal Investigations Practice Group for Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, was elected on April 27 to the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (PACDL). Brandstetter founded PACDL’s Allegheny Chapter and also serves as its chairperson. A trial lawyer and former prosecutor, Brandstetter has represented criminal defendants, grand jury witnesses, and witnesses and targets of federal investigations, including subjects of false claims act investigations, targets of IRS and SEC investigations, and defendants in public corruption investigations.
’08
Stephanie QUIHUIZ this summer participated in Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course in Borneo. She studied Borneo’s primate denizens, including the orangutan, and developed new ways to engage communities worldwide in primate conservation in Borneo. Quihuiz, a teacher at El Modena High School, lives in Orange, Calif., and is a graduate student in Miami University’s Global Field Program.
Merrill College
’69
R. Zachary WASSERMAN, a partner with law firm Wendel Rosen Black & Dean LLP, was elected chair of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. His term as chair began June 27. The Oakland Chamber of Commerce promotes commerce and industry within the city to advance economic growth.
’72
Robert DAWSON received a Fulbright Global Scholar Award from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to photograph libraries and refugees in Italy, Greece, and Israel. Dawson will be hosted by the National Libraries of these three countries to conduct research and photograph the interaction between libraries and refugees. He is one of 20 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research, and/or provide expertise abroad for the 2018–2019 academic year through the Fulbright Global Scholar Program.
‘78
Jean WOLFF recently published a book, Heaven is a Beach at Low Tide, a collection of her previously published essays, poetry, and fiction. She also illustrated the book. She is the founder of Community Writers of Santa Cruz. She sends warm wishes to all fellow Slugs and is grateful and slightly bemused that is has been 40 years since graduation!
‘89
David FRIEDMAN is still in Santa Cruz. Still working at a bookstore. “Sandy and I have procreated,” he says, “and Max is an amazing young guy.”
‘09
Ryan MINAROVICH, a licensed attorney who most recently a corporate and securities attorney at the San Diego office of the international law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, was named chief counsel at Medici, a mobile telehealth communication platform for doctors and patients. Minarovich specializes in healthcare regulation and contracting for emerging growth and startup companies.
Kresge College
‘92
Vanya ERICKSON is excited to announce that her memoir, Boot Language, came out in August. “It’s always a supreme pleasure to be shaken by the emotional earthquake of a master storyteller. Vanya Erickson is an original.” —Susan Brown, Ph.D., publishing James Joyce scholar
‘02
Andrea BLYTHE has completed a collaborative chapbook of poetry, EVERY GIRL BECOMES THE WOLF, with Laura Madeline Wiseman, which is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. Her poetry and fiction has been published in a number of journals, both online and in print, and has been nominated for a number of awards in past years.
‘09
Alexander GROSS received his MD from VCU School of Medicine in May. Still, he says, “my mind and heart are with UC Santa Cruz and the Department of Anthropology.”
Porter College
‘76
Dennis DELANEY-PORTER’s new novel, Saving Whales, mentions UC Santa Cruz!
‘78
John BOGART has moved to Italy after 20 years practicing law in Salt Lake City. He offers counseling to EU entities and persons involved in U.S. civil litigation.
‘87
Tracy FULLERTON, professor of interactive media and games at USC and director of the USC Game Innovation Lab, recently released “Walden, a game”—an open-world narrative following the experiences of Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond. The project, supported by the NEA, NEH, and Sundance New Frontiers Storytelling Lab, has been awarded “Game of the Year” and “Most Significant Impact” by the Games for Change Festival.
‘88
Carma SPENCE’s book, Public Speaking Super Powers: Unleash Your Inner Speaking Superhero and Communicate Your Message with Confidence, was chosen as a top 10 finalist for a 2018 Author Academy Award, an honor bestowed for literary merit and publishing excellence in the writing and publishing industry. Winners will be announced on October 26, 2018.
‘95
Yana JOHNSON has joined Jackson Lewis as a partner in its San Francisco office. Yana graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law in 1999 and has been practicing law in the field of employee benefits and executive compensation for almost 20 years. She lives in Oakland with her three children: the oldest is 13 plus 11-year-old twins.
‘12
Mara NYDES graduated with an M.D. from the University of New Mexico this spring. She graduated as a member of the peer-elected Gold Humanism Honor Society. She will be doing her residency at the University of Michigan in Pediatric Neurology.
Oakes College
’79
Tracy GREEN, a partner at Oakland-based law firm Wendel Rosen Black & Dean LLP, was selected to the 2019 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
‘12
Kathryn H. WILLARD has joined Lathrop Gage, becoming part of the Energy team as an associate in the firm’s Denver office. She will primarily assist clients in the Rocky Mountain Region with oil and gas acquisitions and divestitures.
Rachel Carson College
‘82
Dan MAGER‘s second book, Roots and Wings: Mindful Parenting in Recovery (Central Recovery Press), came out in July. His first book, Some Assembly Required, addresses the twin challenges of addiction and chronic pain. He writes a blog for Psychology Today where he posts monthly.
‘88
Mysti (RUBERT) Berry has published a charity anthology of short stories to benefit ACLU Foundation voting rights work. Low Down Dirty Vote features 11 crime fiction stories on the theme “fighting voter suppression,” and all proceeds go to the ACLU Foundation. Berry’s story is under the pseudonym Derek Marsh Jr. The collection includes award-winning writers from the crime fiction world.
’92
Christian L. MARSH was recognized as a 2018 Top Lawyer by Sacramento Magazine. A partner at Downey Brand, Marsh advises public agencies and private companies on regulatory and land use entitlement issues governing real estate developments, ground and surface water supply projects, renewable and nonrenewable energy facilities, mining operations and processing plants, and port and waterfront developments.
College Nine
‘07
Aaron D. LANGBERG joined Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, as associate in its San Francisco office. Langberg defends companies in a variety of employment matters.
College Ten
‘14
Lesley-Reid HARRISON was hired in 2014 by the Diversity Center, the local LGBTIQ+ Center in Santa Cruz. She/They are the Operations and Triangle Speakers Manager. Triangle Speakers is a speakers bureau where folks go into middle and high school as well as universities and local businesses educating community members about the lived experience of members of the LGBTIQ+ community. For more information on all of the center’s programs, visit diversitycenter.org
Graduate Studies
‘09
Michael WALL’s new book, Out There, ponders the question, “Are we alone in the universe?,” touching off a wild ride of exploration into the final frontier. Wall is a senior writer at Space.com who has written extensively about the search for alien life. His work has appeared in Scientific American, NBC News, Fox News, and several other outlets. He’s based in San Francisco, where he chronicles the space tech revolution in Silicon Valley.
In Memoriam
‘74
Robert William KUBEY (Porter) died September 20, 2017, at his Highland Park, N.J., home after a long illness. He earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and in 1986 joined the faculty of the Department of Communication of Rutgers University, later moving to the Department of Journalism and Media Studies.
‘80
Ann KRCIK (Rachel Carson), a titan in the outdoor industry, passed away on February 26 after a prolonged struggle with cancer.