Vanessa Collard, ’00 BS Hotel Administration, is an account executive at Hermes. She earned an MBA with a focus on marketing from Fordham University in December. She lives in Rye Brook, N.Y.
Stephanie Liggio, ’00 BA Communication Studies, is working in sales for a title insurance agency in Harrison, N.Y. She lives in the Bronx.
Tobias Omondi, ’00 BS Hotel Administration, is the rooms operations manager at the Grafton on Sunset Hotel in Los Angeles. His hobbies include reading, traveling, hiking, and playing soccer.
William Keola Soon, ’00 BS Physical Education, is teaching sixth- and seventh-grade health and physical education at Iao School in Wailuku, Hawaii. He also coaches wide receivers at the Kamehameha Schools in Pukalani. Previously, he taught at Waiakea Intermediate School in Hilo. His hobbies include outrigger canoe paddling, running, playing basketball, reading, and going to movies. He lives in Wailuku.
Rahul Mark Barua, ’01 BS Hotel Administration, plays professional golf in India. After running two small hotels, he decided to follow his dream of becoming a professional golfer. He will also be opening his own restaurant in Bangalore City. He says many hotels are opening in India because of the rapidly growing economy and that he is willing to talk with interested UNLV graduates.
Kyo-Hyug “Ted” Koo, ’01 BS Hotel Administration, a restaurant developer for Pulmuone, one of the biggest food service companies in Korea. He developed eight restaurants in Seoul. He now is pursuing a master’s degree in accounting at the University of Texas at Arlington. He lives in Grand Prairie.
Kim Nehls, ’01 MA Communication Studies, is working toward a Ph.D. at UNLV in higher education administration. She gave birth to a daughter, Liberty, in October. She and her husband, Cory, also have a son, Grant.
John Paffrath, ’01 BS Hotel Administration, was hired as an executive steward at the new St. Regis Hotel and Residences in San Francisco. For four years he worked as a food and beverage manager at various Hyatt hotels. He lives in San Mateo.
T. Ryan Sullivan, ’01 BS Business Administration, is senior vice president and chief financial officer of Alliance Bank of Arizona. Established in 2003, it is one of the fastest-growing commercial banks in the nation. He is a member of the W.P. Carey School of Business Finance Advisory Board at Arizona State University. He and his wife have an infant son. They live in Gilbert.
Antonio Auricchio, ’02 BS Hotel Administration, transferred from the Renaissance Westchester where he served as housekeeping supervisor to a position as assistant housekeeping manager at the New York Marriott Marquis. He lives in Mount Vernon.
Melissa J. Burns, ’02 BA Communication Studies, is a videographer and editor for DAV Productions in Las Vegas. She began working there as an intern. She plays the bagpipes with the band Desert Skye Pipes and Drums. She also enjoys photography and traveling. She lives in Henderson.
Yoojin “Jeannie” Jung, ’02 BS Hotel Administration, is a general administrator for Asiana Airlines and she enjoys traveling. She moved back to Southern California following graduation. She lives in Burbank.
Kevin Nance, ’02 BS Hotel Administration, works for the Accor Hotel group in Xian, China. He has worked for hotels in China for the past three years in a variety of capacities.
Marina Vialtsina, ’02 BS Hotel Administration, has returned to MGM Mirage as a purchasing manager for Mandalay Bay. While attending UNLV, she was an intern at the MGM Grand. Later she worked in MGM as assistant buyer, buyer, and senior food and beverage buyer. She also helped open the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel.
D. Casey Freelove, ’03 BA Communication Studies, is an on-air radio sports talk show host for Infinity Broadcasting, which operates stations Spike 1140 AM KSFN and 840 AM KXNT. His show, Freelove and Olson, was the winner of the best locally produced radio talk show at the Las Vegas Electronic Media Awards in 2004 and 2005. He also serves as co-host of former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian’s radio show, does traffic reports for KXNT, and covers UNLV basketball for 1140 AM. And, he works part time as a game spotter for AOL scoring basketball and football games for the sports webpage. His hobbies include watching and talking sports, attending concerts, and going to see comedians.
Grace Herbert, ’03 BS Hotel Administration, helped open the Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque as a hotel sales manager. She will be marrying a fellow UNLV graduate in September.
Sylvia Lim, ’03 BS Hotel Administration, is a partner with Blink Design Studio, an interactive media design firm. She consults with clients regarding their marketing and branding strategies.
Frederic Sutter, ’03 BS Hotel Administration, is pursuing an MBA at the University of Colorado-Boulder with a focus in sustainable development in tourism. He lives in Lafayette.
Jennifer Eskin Smith, ’04 MS Sports and Leisure Services, continued her work as promotions coordinator in the marketing department for the Thomas & Mack Center, Cox Pavilion, and Sam Boyd Stadium following graduation. She is now a catering sales manager for those properties. Her husband, Zach Smith, ’00 MS Kinesiology, is director of development for UNLV’s University Libraries. They enjoy traveling and dining.
Kristin Hackney, ’04 BA Psychology, is involved with cancer research at Oregon Health & Science University. Married with one child, she lives in Oregon City.
Jessica Poole, ’04 BA Psychology, teamed up with her mother, Renee, a little over a year ago to open and manage a 12,000-square-foot antique and collectibles mart in the downtown arts district. Not Just Antiques specializes in antique and collectible consignment and is an eBay drop-off store. A former UNLV homecoming queen, she participates in several fundraisers for nonprofit organizations.
Danny Reed, ’04 JD, is an associate at Aminpour & Associates, a mid-size law firm in downtown San Diego. He specializes in personal injury cases.
Death
James Kay, ’00 BA Finance, died Aug. 25,
2003, following a short illness. He was a store manager for Big Lots
in Las Vegas at the time of his death. While at UNLV he was a member
of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
