UNLV Magazine

1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | Obituary

1970s
Jim Yarsevich, '71 BA Psychology, retired after a career as a human resources executive with General Electric. As the photo shows, he's cultivating the Hey Reb! look in retirement. He and his wife of 40 years, Joanne, split their time between Clifton, N.Y., and Tucson, Ariz. They have three grown children, Jared, Christopher, and Amy.

1980s
Ann Druen Pashak, '85 BA Communication Studies, won a Nevada Arts Council Jackpot Grant, which allowed her to attend the Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop in California in November. She met with 80 other authors of children's books, participated in critique sessions, and returned home fired up to keep working on a screenplay and a young-adult novel. She is married and has a 7-year-old son.

Terri Brady, '86 BA Communication Studies, has worked in the gaming industry as a sales director for 14 years.

Ron Alfera, '88 BS Hotel Administration, is regional senior director of market strategy for Marriott International's Canada region. He oversees revenue management of nearly 60 hotels. He lives with his wife and four children in Canton, Mich. When asked about hobbies, he wrote, "Are you kidding? I'm in the hospitality industry with four kids."

Dawn Nicholson, '88 BS Hotel Administration, is the managing partner of DNA Consulting in Tualatin, Ore. The company provides consulting services in human resources, management, and training. She says she is having a blast running her two companies and raising her two sons, Jon, 16, and Nathan, 8. The family loves spending time outdoors, camping, and fishing. They live in Salem.

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1990s
Randy Boesch, '90 BS Management, recently was promoted to president/CEO of Red Rock Community Bank. With nearly 35 years of experience, Boesch has been the bank's president since October 2006. He is a member of the Las Vegas Rotary Club; a past president of the American Institute of Banking, Las Vegas chapter; and a graduate of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Las Vegas program.

Peter Savage, '91 BS Accounting and '95 MBA, is president and general manager of American Racing and Entertainment, which operates Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs racetrack/casinos in New York. Previously he was general manager of Riviera Black Hawk Casino in Colorado, and held management positions at several Las Vegas properties.

Kimberly Stein, '92 BS Business Administration and '95 MBA, is general counsel for Sona Mobile Holdings Corp., a software company for the gaming and entertainment industries. She earned her law degree from Boston University and previously worked for Mikohn Gaming, Sun International Resorts, Casino Data Systems, and Alliance Bally Gaming.

Matt Farra, '93 BS Hotel Administration, managed hotels for five years before leaving the industry to deliver bottled water. The manager in him just couldn't stay hidden, so today he is route operations manager over the Milwaukee branch office of Hinckley Springs Bottled Water. He is a member of the Badgerland Water Ski Snow Team. He and his wife, Debbie, have been married 14 years and have two sons, Zane, 4, and Dawson, 1. They live in Pewaukee, Wis.

Linda Gray Norcross, '94 BA Political Science and '04 JD, joined the Las Vegas office of the Holland & Hart law firm in December. Her practice focuses on protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. She assists clients in nearly all facets of trademark prosecuriton and enforcement, administrative proceedings, and transactional matters.

Roy Burson, '95 BS Architecture, earned a master's degree in architecture from the University of New Mexico before joining JVC Architects in 1994. He became a principal with the firm in 2002. He leads the team at the firm that specializes in commercial, religious, institutional, and public works architecture. In addition to researching, planning, designing, and administering building projects, he manages the staff, develops new business, and maintains client relations. He serves on the board of directors for the American Institute of Architects and as secretary for the board of the Council of Education Facility Planners, International. He participates in Canstruction, an annual design/build competition benefiting the Community Food Bank. His hobbies include traveling, sketching, and community involvement. He and his wife, Paula, are the parents of nearly 3-year-old twin boys, Zion and Zolin.

DJ Wendling, '97 BS Hotel Administration, recently was assigned as the chief of protocol for headquarters, United States Forces, Japan and headquarters, Fifth Air Force at Yokota Air Base in Japan, about one hour outside Tokyo. He married his wife, Liz, in 2005. Last year, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Terence Lino, '98 BA Environmental Studies, is the integrated solid waste and recycling coordinator for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the NAS Brunswick in Maine. He previously worked as a civilian employee at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in his Florida hometown. He worked there as a recreation aid, recreation coordinator, and regional recycling program manager. He has continued his education through Southern Illinois University, the Navy CEOS, and the Solid Waste Association of North America. He married his college sweetheart, Michelle Loudin, '99 BS Kinesiology. They have two children, Farah and Kai, and a black lab named Thunder. They live in Berwick.

Melissa Roth-Lemoine, '99 BS Education, has been teaching in Southern Nevada for nine years. She and her husband, Todd, recently opened an Edible Arrangements store in Las Vegas. She received a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Lesley University in 2001. Her hobbies include swimming and reading.

Charles Chang, '99 BA Accounting and '04 Executive MBA, is chief financial officer at the Tuscany Resort. In January, he beat out graduates of such top business schools as Harvard, Wharton, and Northwestern to win the MBA Poker Championship at Caesars Palace. An immigrant from Taiwan, Chang previously worked as a chief financial officer for a company in Washington and as a casino auditor for MGM Mirage.

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2000s
Cathy Santoro, '00 MBA and '06 MA Economics, was appointed by Gov. Jim Gibbons to the Nevada Economic Forum, the commission responsible for forecasting state general fund revenues for each budget cycle. She is senior vice president and treasurer at the MGM Mirage. She manages the company's treasury operations and is involved in all capital market processes and related financing activities. Previously, she was a vice president for Wells Fargo Bank in the gaming division. She lives in Las Vegas.

Nicole Laundrie Schmitt, '01 BS Biological Sciences, is in her second year of residency in the otolaryngology/head and neck surgery program at the University of Washington in Seattle. She earned her medical degree at Washington University in St. Louis in 2006. After completing her residency, she would like to pursue more research and clinical training in otology/ neurotology, surgery of the ear and skull base. Eventually, she would like to obtain an academic position in the otolaryngology department of a medical school. When she can find the time, she enjoys cooking, painting, drawing, gardening, snowboarding, and traveling — especially to France, the native country of her husband, Renaud. They live in Seattle with their two cats, Louie and Chloe.

Juliet Kho Douglas, '02 BS Hotel Administration, recently launched an event planning business, Green Orchid Events. She lives in Henderson.

Brett Hughett, '03 BS Hotel Administration, recently was promoted to property manager at Oakwood San Jose, a 789-unit property combining conventional apartments and corporate housing. He is engaged to be married this year. He lives in San Jose, Calif.

John L. Mendez, '03 BS Business Administration, is CEO of three companies — Arawak Consulting, which focuses on strategy management for the small- to medium-sized enterprise sector and business plan writing; Hatuey Cinema, provider of entertainment content to basic cable networks; and the nonprofit Mendez Scholarships, which awards business, engineering, and pharmacology merit and need-based scholarships. He is a contributing writer for Backpacker Magazine. He surfs off the Hawaiian island of Maui each year. He lives in Los Angeles.

Sondra Cosgrove, '04 Ph.D. History, was hired full-time at the College of Southern Nevada in 2003 while completing her doctoral dissertation. A history professor, she was awarded tenure in spring 2007 and serves as chair-elect of the college's Faculty Senate.

Asun Pareja, '04 BS Hotel Administration, manages Hotel SOHO, a 51-room boutique hotel in her hometown of Barcelona, Spain. She also teaches undergraduate and graduate tourism-related classes at the European University and CETT Tourism and Hotel Administration University, both in Barcelona. Previously, she managed the 103-room Hotel Capital in Barcelona and worked in a variety of capacities at the MGM Grand.

Misty Spencer, '04 Sports Management, is director of corporate centers for Ideal Image Development Corp. The company is involved with laser hair removal. She oversees corporateowned centers in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. An Ideal Image employee since 2005, she previously was regional director for the franchise markets in Las Vegas; Reno; Salt Lake City; Boise, Idaho; and Colorado Springs, Colo. She lives in Tampa, Fla.

Tracy Boettcher, '05 BS Biochemistry, received a master of science degree in water resource management from UNLV in December.

Jami Judge, '05 BA English, is finishing her master of science degree in library and information science from the University of North Texas. She recently completed an internship at CNN's Washington, D.C., bureau library. She lives in Las Vegas.

Surya Kiran Parimi, '05 MS Mechanical Engineering, is a machine performance engineer with Caterpillar Inc. He enjoyed his time at UNLV and is looking forward to another visit to campus. His hobbies include watching thriller movies and surfing the Web. He lives in Peoria, Ill.

Elizabeth Perryman, '06 BA Journalism and Media Studies, is a community relations specialist at Peyron & Associates, a public relations firm in Boise, Idaho. Previously, she was executive assistant to Gordie Brown, a headliner at the Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino, and was a community relations specialist in UNLV's Division of Student Life. She also volunteers at the Boise Family YMCA.

Sally Claire Braybrooks, '07 Bachelor of Music, was awarded the Nevada Centennial Medallion as the top UNLV graduate of 2007. A trombonist, she has given solo recitals in both the United States and in Australia. Last year, she was a guest soloist with the UNLV Wind Orchestra. In 2004, she won the James K. Hunzinger Concerto competition at UNLV as well as the music department's Theodor Presser Award for a perfect grade point average. She is the only undergraduate to have conducted the UNLV Wind Orchestra in concert. After graduation, the Australia native took some time off from school. She plans to begin her master's degree this fall.

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OBITUARY
Yaffa Dahan, '97 BS Nursing, died on July 26, 2007. She was born Dec. 29, 1954, in Israel, moving to Las Vegas after marrying David Dahan. In addition to her UNLV degree, she earned degrees in business management and health care administration. Her last job was serving as CEO of the Mt. Charleston Hotel. She was a member of UNLV's Honor Society in Nursing and recently was chosen as an outstanding alumna of the School of Nursing. She served on UNLV's Division of Health Sciences Advisory Board. A nursing scholarship has been created in her memory through the UNLV Foundation. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughters, Shana Dahan, '02 BA Communication Studies, and Michelle Dahan, '06 BA Psychology.

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Spring 2008

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