Spring 2002
Vol. 10, No. 1

Class Notes

*Online Class Notes Submission Form

 

1970s
Chris A. Beecroft Jr., ’71 BA Political Science, oversees more than 300 attorney and non-attorney arbitrators as the arbitration commissioner in the 8th Judicial District Court of Nevada, an appointed position. He previously served as assistant arbitration commissioner, practiced law in Las Vegas, and was an approved arbitrator in the Court Annexed Arbitration Program. He earned a law degree in 1974 from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.… Dawn Kemp, ’72 BA Social Work, is a deputy attorney general in the taxation division of the Nevada attorney general’s office.… Gary W. Brown, ’73 BS Hotel Administration, is vice president of convention sales and services at the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association. He and his wife, Suzie, have two sons, Tyler and Travis, and live in Ellicott City, Md.…Gregg Carter, ’73 BA History, received the Sociologist of the Year Award from the New England Sociological Association as well as the Outstanding Contributions to Instruction Award from the sociology and computers section of the American Sociological Association. He is a professor of sociology at Bryant College in Smithfield, R.I. In the past eight years, he authored or edited 14 books, including Working Women in America: Split Dreams, which was published by Oxford University Press in 2000.… Walter R. Griffen, ’73 MS Vocational Counseling, is director of senior ministries at Reno First United Methodist Church. He earned a doctorate of ministry at the St. Paul School of Theology in 1987. He and his wife, Dorothy, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Aug. 31.…Jerry W. Chernik, ’75 BS Zoology, is a 1979 graduate of the Oregon Health Sciences University School of Dental Medicine and has operated a private dental practice in Wasilla, Alaska, since 1986. Prior to that, he was a captain in the U.S. Army Dental Corps and served at posts in Germany, California, Texas, and Washington. He and wife Kris have a 5-year-old daughter, Shelley.…Quincy L. Moore, ’75 MA Educational Foundations and Counseling, is dean of undergraduate studies and student support at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He is the first African-American dean at West Chester. He previously held several positions at Virginia Commonwealth University, including director of educational support programs, director of academic support, and executive director of the Academic Success Center. He is a trustee to the American Counseling Association Foundation and the author of numerous articles and book chapters. He received a doctorate in counselor education from the University of Iowa and completed the post-doctoral management development program at Harvard University.…Arlene Samen, ’77 AA Nursing, is a certified nurse practitioner with the University of Utah’s Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and a critical care specialist in obstetrics. After returning from a trip to Tibet in 1999, she developed the One H.E.A.R.T (Health Education and Research in Tibet) program. One H.E.A.R.T. educates Tibetan hospital staff in recognizing and treating obstetric and gynecologic complications as well as offers intensive midwifery training.

1980s

Donald W. Ehehalt, ’83 BS Hotel Administration, is assistant director of catering at the Four Seasons Hotel-Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.…Perry K. Todd, ’84 BS Hotel Administration, is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and a pit boss at Palace Station Casino. He has appeared on several television shows, including X-Files, Melrose Place, and Boston Public, and in the horror movie Eat the Rich.…Jeffrey Wachter, ’84 BS Hotel Administration, is self-employed, offering tree and landscaping services in Hicksville, N.Y.… James E. Reppert, ’85 MA Communication Studies, is an associate professor of mass communication and director of broadcast journalism at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. The Kentucky Communication Association named him its 2000-01 Teacher of the Year, noting his innovative teaching methods and work with student-produced radio, television, and webcast programs. He is the first out-of-state educator to receive the award.… George Gilbert, ’86 BA Communication Studies, is a motivational humorist and speaker. He focuses on the importance of humor in various aspects of life, including business, marriage, and health. Since his wife received a kidney and pancreas transplant seven years ago, he has promoted organ donation awareness. In October, he spoke at the Nevada Donor Network’s annual dinner. He currently is writing a book on the positive effects of humor.… Angela Andrich, ’87 BS Chemistry, is a psychiatrist in West Linn, Ore., and a 1991 graduate of the University of Nevada-Reno School of Medicine. She and her husband, Dale Laird, welcomed their first child, Victoria Nicole, on Oct. 11, 2000.…Rhonda Williams Shoulders, ’87 BS Business Administration, is director of independent living at the Methodist Home for Children & Youth in Warner Robins, Ga. She helps youth in the foster care program gain skills to live independently. She previously served as coordinator for a Georgia foster care reform program.…Kurtis R. Hildebrand, ’88 BA Communication Studies, is assistant managing editor at the Nevada Appeal in Carson City and teaches page design at Western Nevada Community College. Under his direction, the Appeal won first place for best special section from the Nevada Press Association. In 1994, the NPA named him best weekly journalist. He previously worked at the Ridgecrest, Calif., Daily Independent and the Record-Courier in Gardnerville. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Dayton.… Ronald S. Ellis, ’89 BS Hotel Administration, is internal audit manager for Hyatt Resorts in Nevada with secondary responsibilities for resorts in Aruba and Puerto Rico. Prior to joining Hyatt Resorts, he was director of internal audit at the Four Queens Casino and Hotel, senior accountant at Boomtown/Silverton Casino and Hotel, and held various positions at the Desert Inn Resort.…Liz Ritter Walsh, ’89 BA English, teaches at Reed High School in Sparks, where she also is the adviser for the school yearbook, newspaper, and speech and debate teams. Jostens Publishing recently named the Reed yearbook as a National Sample Book, and her speech team earned a traveling trophy for competing in the most rounds at district tournaments. Before moving to Reno in 2000, she taught in Las Vegas schools while earning a master’s degree from Grand Canyon University. She and her husband, Charlie, have one son, Connor.
1990s
Roy Centrella, ’91 MBA, is controller for Southwest Gas Corp. in Las Vegas. An 18-year employee of Southwest Gas, he directs the company’s accounting, tax, and corporate development activities. He is a certified public accountant
and a member of Financial Executives International, Ameri-can Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the American Gas Association.… Sue Lynn Reif, ’92 BA Psychology, works with numerous exotic and domestic animals as a zookeeper at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo in San Jose, Calif. Her background in psychology has proven vital to her work in animal training and behavior. She also is a research associate with the Pacific Cetacean Group, a non-profit organization for marine conservation.…Robert Vinson, ’92 BA History, received a doctorate in history from Howard University in May 2001. He is an assistant professor of history at the University of Virginia.…Jessica Lee Clair-Kimbel, ’93 BS Accounting, is a mall accountant and field accounting coordinator for Macerich Company. She and her husband, Jason, recently moved back to Las Vegas with their two sons, Jared and Colbey.… Stephanie Penner, ’93 BA Commun-cation Studies, is a public relations specialist with The Firm Public Relations & Marketing. Previously, she worked in the public information office of the Nevada Commission on Tourism. As deputy press secretary for former Gov. Bob Miller, she organized media events for President Bill Clinton’s visits and the National Governor’s Association annual meeting in Las Vegas. She began her career as a coordinator at R&R Partners, a Nevada advertising and public relations agency.…Sara Barrell Harrison, ’94 BS Business Administration, opened American National Insurance-The Harrison Agency in Henderson in 2000. The agency specializes in auto, home, and life insurance and retirement planning. She and husband Jay have two children, Jake and Hannah.…Jim Geoffroy, ’94 BS Business Administration, is manager of financial planning analysis with Verizon Wireless in Phoenix. Last year, he received an MBA from Arizona State University.…Al Medina, ’94 BS Fitness and Sports Management, ’95 BS Health Education, ’00 MS Fitness and Sports Manage-ment, is a corporate wellness coordinator with St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Hender-son. He promotes health and wellness through corporate events and community health screenings. He also is a certified strength and conditioning specialist.…Jose Luis Melendrez, ’94 BA Political Science, is working on his master’s degree in social work at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.… Mahika Chandrasena Bartholomeusz, ’96 BS Hotel Administration, is a media executive for the Hilton Colombo in Sri Lanka. As a management trainee with Hilton International, she led the housekeeping team’s four-month renovation project at the Hilton at Rangali Island in the Republic of Maldives. Previously, she was a front desk agent at the Holiday Inn Boardwalk & Casino. She and her husband, Nigel, have one son, Daniel.…Yi Zhu, ’96 MS Accountancy, is a tax analyst with CCH and managing editor for World Economic Review and Succeed magazines. He also serves as a director for tangben.com and as an adviser with EFC Journal.… Wallace W. Hammons, ’97 BA Political Science, is a deputy attorney general for the state of Nevada. A 2000 graduate of Southwestern University School of Law, he was admitted to the Nevada Bar in 2000 and the State Bar of California, 9th District, U.S. Court of Appeals, in June 2001.…Patrick Smith, ’97 BA Communication Studies, ’01 Master of Public Administra-tion, works for the city of Las Vegas and is a volunteer for the YMCA of Southern Nevada and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. He is active in the Pi Kappa Alpha Las Vegas Area Alumni Associa-tion.…Bill Wang, ’97 MBA, is deputy marketing director for John Deere, overseeing joint venture operations in China. He lives in Moline, Ill.…David Sorensen, ’98 BA Criminal Justice, is a law clerk for Judge Allen R. Earl, 8th Judicial District, Las Vegas. He graduated from Whit-tier Law School in December 2000.…Antoinette M. Thomas, ’98 BA Sociology, is a real estate agent with the Prudential Americana Group and a member of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors.… Barbara Case, ’99 BS Hotel Administration, is banquet captain at The Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco and plans to open a delicatessen.…Nancy N. Shaw, ’99 BS Finance, is a real estate agent for Century 21 Aadvantage Gold and holds a broker/salesperson license.
2000s

Robyn Campbell-Ouchida, ’00 MA Communication Studies, formed All Write Public Relations. She offers public relations, marketing, and free-lance writing services.…Scott Holper, ’01 BA Criminal Justice, enrolled at Southwestern University School of Law. He is pursuing a law degree from SU’s three-year program.…Valerie Williams, ’01 BS Recreation, BA Interdisciplinary Studies, was a fall 2001 intern with the Vilar Institute for Arts Manage-ment at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Her duties included events planning for the American Ballet Theatre and the National Symphony Orchestra. Before accepting the Kennedy Center internship, she worked for the Henderson cultural arts department.

*Online Class Notes Submission Form

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