Class Notes, Spring 2015

1945

Helen Wegener Holt BA, after graduating from Lewis & Clark, earned an MEd from the University of Oregon. After many years of teaching, she went on to receive the Ruth Q. de Prida Award for exceptional service from the California Retired Teachers Association. Wegener enjoys summer visits to Lewis & Clark’s campus and staying with a Gresham High School ’39 classmate.

1950

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

1955

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Janice Cox CAS lives on her farm and enjoys keeping up with alums from her era. She takes pride in pointing out that they share a 60-year friendship.

1956

Barbara Getty BA, MAT ’78 developed a calligraphic rendering of a poem for the 2014 William Stafford Calligraphy Project exhibit.

1960

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: Roger Adams notes@lclark.edu

1961

Janice Caldwell Carr BA enjoys traveling. She most recently went on safari to Botswana (to study African gods and wildlife with scientists and photojournalists) and to Johannesburg (to gather information on sex and labor trafficking). Her “at-home” time is split between California and Oregon. She has two married sons and six grandchildren. John Loy BS describes himself as “an aging Clydesdale” who “recycled” himself in 2014 with bike tours in Provence, Tuscany, and Crete. He looks forward to cycling in Ireland in 2015.

Bonnie Boyd Shannon BA was inducted into the Portland Interscholastic League Hall of Fame in October 2014 for her swimming accomplishments at Cleveland High School from 1954 to 1956.

1962

Nancy Simpson Knudsen BA retired from KPLU 88.5 public radio in 2010. She currently works for Alaska Cruises (doing check-in) and at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall (assisting at events). She also squeezes in time to travel to Scotland, Panama, and the East Coast.

1963

Sandra Fields Barker CAS moved to Portland’s Holladay Park Plaza and took to the watery road—river cruising in Portugal and sea cruising in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. She enjoyed the 1962 and 1964 class reunions. Her son, Rich, is a Portland financial planner for Merrill Lynch; her daughter-in-law, Kelly, is a rheumatologist; and her grandson, Jett, is a third grader at Portland Jewish Academy.

1964

Class Correspondent: Margi Crain Brown notes@lclark.edu

James Kawashima BA and Melvia Kawashima CAS ’65 are celebrating 50 years of marriage. They live in Honolulu.

1965

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: C. Allen Neighorn BA notes@lclark.edu

Terry Faw BS reports, “Not yet having become tired, it’s hard to retire.” He and his wife, Dinah Ladizinsky-Faw, live on 40 acres outside Rainier, Oregon, with a beautiful view of Mount St. Helens. They keep busy with three acres of blueberries, lingonberries, a small orchard, and a jam business. Faw continues to serve as an executive coach for a select group of clients. The couple enjoys traveling to Seattle, San Diego, and Phoenix to visit family. And there is still time to participate in a variety of Lewis & Clark alumni events. They look forward to the 50th class reunion: “Hope to see all of you there.” Frederick Gerhardt B.M., now retired, spent most of his career as a choral music teacher at Hillsboro High School. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1988 but reports that he has “been fortunate in dealing with that disease.” He is married to Denise Gerhardt, who formerly worked in Lewis & Clark’s music department.

Sylvia “Sam” Amtmann Kell BA and Rick Kell BS ’64 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in December 2014. They spend winters in Tucson, Arizona, and summers in Vancouver. They hope to see some of their friends at the 1965 class reunion. Ronda Stilley Kotelchuck BS worked for two years in the civil rights movement after graduating from Lewis & Clark; earned an MA in city planning from Cornell; and then moved to New York City in 1970, where she and husband Dave Kotelchuck still live. They raised two daughters, and Ronda pursued a career in health care policy, planning, and administration. She currently runs the Primary Care Development Corporation (www.pcdc.org), a nonprofit dedicated to making high-quality primary and preventive care available to those in underserved communities. She notes, “I love hearing from and about all those early friends with whom we shared such formative years!”

C. Allen Neighorn BA recently visited Lewis & Clark. He was amazed by all the changes on campus but reports that “it still feels completely L&C.” Neighorn is rebuilding a 1916 craftsman-style home and is working toward a PhD He looks forward to the June reunion and hopes to reestablish old friendships and start some new ones.

1968

Robert Rynerson BA retired in July 2014 and lives in Denver. His international transportation career started with the successful 1965 effort to get Rose City Transit Company service extended to the Lewis & Clark campus. He was recently interviewed as part of an effort to humanize Denver’s FasTracks Program, the city’s multi-billion-dollar comprehensive transit expansion plan. Rynerson looks forward to adding more material to his website (www.berlin 1969.com) and enjoying time with his two grandsons.

Hon. Raymond Sock BA is a justice of the Supreme Court of the Gambia, the country’s high court, with final appellate jurisdiction in both civil and criminal matters. Sock is also director general of the Gambia Law School (established in October 2011) and deputy chair of the Law Reform Commission.

1969

Class Correspondent: Michael Homan notes@lclark.edu

Dale Richards Baker BA has written More Than I Could Ever Know: How I Survived Caregiving, a bronze medal winner in the 2014 Living Now Book Awards. When at home in Arizona, she facilitates a caregiver support group. She spends her summers at her second home on Maui.

1970

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

1972

Class Correspondents: Beth Knudsen, Bob Oleson, and Ronald Gaither notes@lclark.edu

1973

Class Correspondent: Becky Dimond notes@lclark.edu

1974

Class Correspondent: Merrilee MacLean notes@lclark.edu

1975

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: Susan Bennett Olson notes@lclark.edu

Hiroshi Numata BS welcomed his first grandson on January 10, 2015.

Joan Williams BA, after 32 years of working as a developmental and school psychologist, now devotes her full energies to Mundo Exchange, an NGO operating in northwest Guatemala and northeast Thailand. She lives most of the year in Thailand and visits Guatemala as often as she can. Williams partners with local NGOs, working on locally sustainable social service projects. She invites international volunteers to join her in making life a bit better for those who often lack basic resources: “Very sanook [fun] as we say here in Thailand.

1976

Linda Austin BA received one of two 2014 Performing Arts Fellowships from the Regional Arts & Culture Council, based in Portland. Austin, cofounder and director of Performance Works NorthWest in Portland, has been making dance and performance since 1983, often with strong visual elements and original music. She plans to use the $20,000 RACC fellowship to revisit a past work, Three Trick Pony, as well as create a new piece, (Un)Made.

1977

Susan Feibelman BS completed her doctorate in leadership and organization in education in May 2013 and welcomed her first grandchild into the world in October 2014.

Tom Sand JD, a litigation partner at Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, was inducted as a fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers.

1978

Philip Berkowitz JD, a shareholder in the New York City office of Littler, has been appointed 2014–15 vice chair of the International Employment Law Committee of the American Bar Association Section of International Law. He is also the U.S. practice cochair of Littler’s international employment law practice group.

Julia Duin BA has been named the Snedden Chair (an endowed chair given to distinguished journalists) in the journalism department of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks for the 2014–15 academic year. Duin earned an MA (her second) in journalism this past December at the University of Memphis.

1979

Class Correspondent: Maggie Englund notes@lclark.edu

Ronda Sandquist JD, a shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, was appointed to the board of directors of Sense of Security, an organization that works to enhance the quality of life and financial security of Colorado breast cancer patients in treatment. Sandquist will provide strategic direction to raise awareness of the nonprofit and increase the number of grantees it serves. Before joining the board, she worked with Sense of Security to develop its premier fundraising event, Champagne & Diamonds.

1980

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Ralph Bonaduce BA is Akorbi’s vice president of international services. His skills support the company’s global and multilingual strategic initiatives.

1981

Class Correspondents: Cindy Thompson and Lisa Grill Dodson notes@lclark.edu

Peter McKittrick BS was appointed as U.S. bankruptcy judge for the District of Oregon in December 2014.

1982

Class Correspondent: Jamie Hackel Hyams notes@lclark.edu

Katherine Armstrong JD joined Hogan Lovells’ Privacy and Information Management practice as counsel. Previously, she worked at the Federal Trade Commission in the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, where she led investigations, settled law enforcement actions, and worked on rulemakings and other policy matters. Adrienne Inglis B.M., flutist and composer, performed the world premiere of her composition “In Heaven and on Earth” for chorus, flute, and Scottish lever harp, in Austin, Texas, on September 28, 2014. She performed with harpist Shana Norton and the Westminster Presbyterian Church Sanctuary Choir.

1983

Class Correspondent: Mark Peterson notes@lclark.edu

Mark Dorsey BS was among the 2014 winners of the American Society of Association Executives “Power of A” Summit Award. Dorsey works in the Adaptive Outreach Program of the Professional Ski Instructors of America–American Association of Snowboard Instructors. Adaptive instructors teach Alpine skiing, snowboarding, and Nordic skiing to people with different developmental and physical abilities.

Denise Minor JD retired from her position as a supervisory special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on December 31, 2014, after more than 28 years of service. As a law school graduate, she was eligible to become an FBI agent under the law program before training at the FBI Academy. Minor and business partner Christina Eanes are owners of MindSpring Metro DC, a company dedicated to executive and employee professional and personal development and coaching in Alexandria, Virginia.

1984

Class Correspondent: Susan Corlett notes@lclark.edu

Kay Abramowitz JD joined Miller Nash Graham & Dunn’s trusts and estates practice. Abramowitz, who focuses on advising family‐owned businesses, is a frequent lecturer and is recognized for her experience in succession and transfer issues found in family‐owned businesses.

Mary Hull Caballero BS is Portland’s new city auditor as of January 2015. She spent more than a decade in journalism, working as a beat reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, then for Texas Lawyer magazine. She also worked as the executive director of the Texas nonprofit Community Scholars before receiving her master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006. She returned to Oregon and worked as a senior internal auditor for the Oregon Department of Transportation from 2006 to 2009, then as principal management auditor at Metro until November 2014.

Roger Lenneberg JD joined Jordan Ramis as a shareholder. He will cochair the firm’s construction law team with shareholder John Baker. Lenneberg represents construction contractors, design professionals, and owners throughout the life cycle of a project. He provides advice and seminars on contracting, project documentation, and claim management, as well as representing clients in all types of dispute resolution. Brian Lindstrom BS has completed Mothering Inside, a film about the Family Preservation Project at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Oregon’s only women’s prison, in Wilsonville. Lindstrom was featured in Street Roots newspaper and on Oregon Public Broadcasting program Think Out Loud. He told OPB listeners that he wants to “shine a light on people that we usually put an X through, and show their ability and strength.”

Rebecca Sweetland JD is serving as a Peace Corps volunteer through 2015 in the tiny island nation of Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic). She works with the Dominica National Council of Women as an institutional developer, assists a local magistrate and the Red Cross of Dominica, and serves as a peer supporter for other volunteers in the country. Most recently, Sweetland conducted an intensive mediation skills course for the Ministry of Education, focusing on workplace and secondary-student peer mediation skills and program development. She encourages everyone to consider the Peace Corps as a retirement vocation…or at least to visit her in Dominica.

Michael Thompson BA was inducted into the Lewis & Clark Sports Hall of Fame in October 2014. His daughter, Emily Thompson CAS ’16, is an athlete in soccer and track and field. Emily’s mother, Erin Hedenberg BA ’87, MAT ’93, is also a Hall of Fame member—she was a four-year letter winner, captain, and assistant coach for the Pioneer women’s soccer team.

1985

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: Sarah Reynolds Marin notes@lclark.edu

Rebecca Brown BA currently works as an English language development specialist in the North Clackamas School District.

Katie Cook BA is married to Tom Rietmann and lives on an isolated wheat and cattle ranch in eastern Oregon. Cook is a high school English teacher and has three children: Jacob, 21; Benjamin, 19; and Annika, 14.

Renee Rogers Kotz BA is plugging away at her product, Medley Swim Beads, a low-tech swimming lap counter and workout planner (www. medleyswimbeads.com), in between consultancies at FHI 360. She thanks her patent attorney, Paul Jorgensen BA ’85, for the legal help.

Judith Rowlings BA has worked in the hospitality industry since moving back to the United States in 1998. She also founded and ran a nonprofit for performing arts. Judith has two kids in college and one in middle school—plus four cats. Michael Sellers BS has been designing MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games), online social games, and mobile games for more than 20 years. He has also started and operated three successful game studios. Sellers has worked for several notable game development companies, such as 3DO, Electronic Arts, Kabam, and Rumble Entertainment, as a lead designer, executive producer, general manager, and creative director.

1986

Class Correspondents: Sally Dadmon Bixby and David Lawrence notes@lclark.edu

Martin Hoshino BA became the administrative director of the Judicial Council of California, the policymaking body of the California courts, in October 2014. He oversees the Judicial Council staff and serves as secretary to the council. Before his appointment, he was undersecretary for operations at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

1987

Carla Kelley JD was elected to the board of directors for the Oregon Repertory Singers, a choral arts nonprofit consisting of six choirs. Kelley, who has sung with the group for the past five years, will serve as secretary.

1989

Class Correspondent: Andrea Ball notes@lclark.edu

Ali Wing Takahashi BA joined Maurices (a retail group) as chief marketing officer and executive vice president of digital commerce. She spent the past 10 years as CEO of Giggle Baby Store, which she founded.

1990

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: Sean Hanley notes@lclark.edu

Maile Fuller Bennett BS, after graduating with a biochemistry degree, earned a medical technology degree. For the past two years, she has worked as a program manager and client relationship executive for an electronic health record software company. Bennett lives in Vancouver, Washington, with her wonderful husband, Bob Bennett.

Robert Blunt BA lives in eastern Pennsylvania with his wife, Danielle Walters ’95, and their three kids: a daughter, 7, and twin boys, 5. He is in his fourth year of a tenure-track job in religious studies and Africana studies.

Janet Hohman Motter BA cannot believe that she is in her 24th year in the classroom! Education is really changing, so she knows that she and her husband will learn many new things as their son gets ready to enter kindergarten this fall. Motter had a wonderful time reminiscing about Lewis & Clark’s College Outdoors program at last year’s reunion and looks forward to checking out the events for this year.

Jennifer Kerns-Robison BA earned a PhD in U.S. and women’s history from the University of Arizona. She has been teaching history at Portland State University for several years. She has two wonderful kids: Charlotte, 10, and Samuel, 7. She lives in a 100+-year-old house in northeast Portland and feels “blessed to live in this wonderful city filled with good people, great food and culture, and, yes, coffee.

Laura Whittemore BA met a great guy, Mark Fitzsimons, and they just celebrated their second anniversary last fall. Her two ancient cats passed away, so she has adopted two dogs. After working nearly 20 years in retail, she now focuses on copyediting, birding, natural history, and other nature-themed books at her company, Kingbird Editorial. Whittemore continues to teach birding classes every month through the Audubon Society of Portland.

Zena BA, MAT ’95, after 22 years in education in America, is serving in the Peace Corps in Mongolia as a university teacher trainer and as a liaison to the Department of Curriculum for the Ministry of Education.

1991

Class Correspondent: Laura Mundt notes@lclark.edu

1992

Gilion Dumas JD opened her own law practice, the Dumas Law Group, with associate attorney Ashley Vaughn JD ’11. They represent victims of child sexual abuse, both adults and children, in cases against perpetrators and institutions. The new firm also represents small businesses and individuals with civil lawsuits, employment claims, real estate matters, and other business disputes, and has the flexibility to handle certain personal injury and professional malpractice claims.

Ruthe Farmer BA is chief strategy and growth officer of the National Center for Women & Information Technology and director of the NCWIT K-12 Alliance.

She was recently a featured speaker on an NPR program titled “Women and Girls in Science and Tech Fields.” She also reports that Apple is investing $10 million in Aspirations in Computing, which is a program she has been building since 2008. In addition, she has been named a finalist for the Education UK Alumni Award. Farmer says, “My time at Lewis & Clark was instrumental in helping me become the person I am today.” (Read more about Farmer in the spring 2014 issue of the Chronicle at www. lclark.edu/chronicle/past_ issues.

Paula Hayes BS is the founder, president, and CEO of Hue Noir, a cosmetic manufacturing company in Beaverton, Oregon. Her company specializes in the formulation and development of cosmetic products designed specifically for women of color. Hue Noir was recently featured in the Upstart Business Journal. Hayes is also a Lewis & Clark college trustee. (Read more about Hayes in the winter 2014 issue of the Chronicle at www.lclark.edu/ chronicle/past_issues.

Jilma Meneses JD joined Concordia University in Portland as its chief operating officer. She had previously served as Portland State University’s chief diversity officer since 2010.

Jason Stanford BA has moved to the Washington, D.C., area to take a job as a strategist with Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

1993

Class Correspondents: Erik Thorin and Marcye Mokier notes@lclark.edu

Susan Lain JD joined Buckley Law as a shareholder. She focuses her practice on family law, including divorce, custody, and asset division. Lain specializes in military divorces and division of closely held businesses and is also a seasoned criminal and juvenile law attorney.

1994

Liz Dean BA is working in the casting department of the TNT television show Major Crimes.

Ever Carradine BA ’96 plays the role of Sharon Beck on the same show.

Susan Francois BA has been elected to a six-year term as a member of the leadership team of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, an international community of Catholic Sisters with members in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Haiti.

Peter Grube BA was appointed to the board of the City Club of Central Oregon.

Valerie Schmidt BA received the Business Woman of the Year award from the Organization of Women Leaders, a group of women executives from Hawaii’s businesses and government agencies.

1995

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: Carly Henderson notes@lclark.edu

Ken Hirata BA and his wife, Yumiko, moved to Hawaii from Japan three years ago to start the Hawaiian Shochu Company. Shochu is a Japanese distilled hard liquor. The company is the only shochu distillery in Hawaii and one of a handful in the United States.

Akane Suzuki BA, after a rigorous peer review process, has been elected a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. ACTEC works to improve trusts and estates representation and pursues reform of the rules of probate, trusts, tax, and professional responsibility that pertain to this area of practice. Suzuki, who works for Garvey Schubert Barer, is chair of the firm’s estate planning, probate, and estate litigation group. She is a founding board member of the Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle and a board member of the Japan Business Association of Seattle.

1996

Class Correspondent: Jo Becker notes@lclark.edu

1997

Victoria Blachly JD, a firm partner at Samuels Yoelin Kantor, was appointed to Legacy Health’s Allied Professionals Council. The group provides support, advice, and counsel to Legacy’s planned giving program. Blachly, the first female equity partner at her firm, is active in the local community. In March 2014, she was appointed to Oregon’s Commission on Senior Services, which is dedicated to enhancing and protecting the quality of life for all older Oregonians. She is also on the board of advisors for VoteERA.org, a bipartisan effort to obtain an Oregon Equal Rights Amendment.

June Wiyrick Flores JD joined Miller Nash Graham & Dunn’s trusts and estates practice. She works with individuals, families, and closely held and family businesses to develop and implement succession strategies. She also helps her business clients with business formations, developing governance structures, reorganizations and dissolutions, and mergers and acquisitions to achieve beneficial tax results. Wiyrick Flores, who is listed in Best Lawyers in America, is also a frequent speaker on family business and estate- and tax-planning topics.

Deanna Wray JD, a managing partner at Bodyfelt Mount, is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, a national organization composed of insurance companies, corporations, corporate counsel, litigation and risk managers, and claims professionals. Wray’s practice concentrates on defense of product and general liability and civil litigation matters.

1998

Abra Ancliffe BA took part in the University of Texas at Austin’s Guest Artist in Print Program residency in November 2014. She translated astronomical drawings from the John F.W. Herschel Collection at the Harry Ransom Center into typographical visualizations using the Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection and the resources of the DESL2 Publication Studio. Throughout the residency, Ancliffe collaborated with students to produce the new works.

1999

Class Correspondents: Nicole Miranda and Mike Skrzynski notes@lclark.edu

Laura Maffei JD, a partner at Cable Huston, is serving a four-year term on the governing board of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. She is a registered professional geologist with the State of Oregon.

2000

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: Sierra Hutchinson notes@lclark.edu

2001

Class Correspondent: Katie Clarkson notes@lclark.edu

Paul Trinchero JD was named an owner at Garvey Schubert Barer. His practice focuses on litigation related to real estate disputes, eminent domain, federal and state securities laws, commercial disputes, and intellectual property disputes.

2002

Jeanette Schuster JD was elected partner at Tonkon Torp, where she is a member of the environment and natural resources practice groups. She provides advice and practical solutions on environmental compliance and enforcement matters and on commercial and real estate transactions for clients in diverse industries large and small. Schuster was also named to the board of directors of Women in Environment, a Pacific Northwest organization focused on furthering professional development and opportunities for environmental professionals in the region.

2003

Sonya Fischer JD joined Yates, Matthews & Eaton as of counsel. She works in family law, juvenile law, special education, guardianships, simple wills, and government relations.

Sonia Marie Leikam BA and Theo Leikam BA are starting Leikam Brewing, Portland’s first certified kosher, community-supported “nanobrewery” (a tinier version of a microbrewery). In keeping with the CSA model, subscribers purchase shares up front and then receive regular beer allotments in return; find out more at www.leikambrewing.com. According to a profile in Oregon Jewish Life magazine, Theo is an accountant who has been home brewing for eight years. Sonia Marie is the former executive director of the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center, who will now help run the brewery. In addition, Sonia Marie has been accepted into the prestigious Carl Wilkens Fellowship program, where she will work alongside national leaders to create and strengthen the permanent antigenocide constituency in the entire Pacific Northwest. You can follow her journey at www.working towardneveragain.com.

2004

Class Correspondent: Diana Wiener Rosengard notes@lclark.edu

Amy Carbins JD was promoted to partner in DLA Piper’s San Francisco office. She assists lenders, borrowers, investors, owners, and developers with structuring, negotiating, and closing complex commercial real estate transactions.

Christi Turner BA is communications manager for Madecasse, a company founded and run by former Madagascar Peace Corps volunteers. Turner says Madecasse makes “ethical, responsibly sourced chocolate from bean to bar in Madagascar, something that no one else in the industry does.” After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar, Turner worked for Lewis & Clark as an assistant leader for the 2010 East Africa overseas study program, served as an education program manager for Blue Ventures Conservation, and earned her MA in journalism.

2005

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Benjamin Ross BA received his PhD in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Washington in September 2014.

2007

Class Correspondent: Aron Phillips notes@lclark.edu

Jessica Hirsch BA was one of five recipients of the 2014–15 Jerome Foundation Fellowships for Emerging Artists from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Avery Schmidt BA is a 2014–15 fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. His research focuses on the costs and consequences of the U.S. decision to use torture as an instrument of foreign policy following 9/11.

Jeanne Sinnott JD was elected president of the Multnomah Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Section for 2014–15. She is a partner at Miller Nash Graham & Dunn and practices in the areas of debtor-creditor law, commercial litigation, and bankruptcy.

Claire Smallwood BA produced Pretty Faces, a film about female skiers that celebrates women who thrive in the snow. The concept for the film was developed by professional big mountain skier and SheJumps cofounder Lynsey Dyer, with the objective of giving women and girls of all ages a source of inspiration about what’s possible when boundaries are broken, dreams are captured, and friendships are cultivated.

2008

Class Correspondent: Maura Walsh notes@lclark.edu

Jonathan Charnas BA is working at the University of Geneva’s astronomical observatory on the data analysis software for the Gaia mission. Gaia, a project of the European Space Agency or ESA (the European Union’s NASA equivalent) is an ambitious mission to chart a 3-D map of our galaxy.

Micah Steinhilb JD was elected treasurer of the Multnomah Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Section. He is an associate with Gordon & Polscer and practices in the areas of insurance, products liability, construction defect, and environmental law.

Tyler Volm JD was elected secretary of the Multnomah Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Section. He practices in the areas of employment litigation, labor law, and compliance at Barran Liebman.

2009

Class Correspondent: Kelsey Harrity notes@lclark.edu

Cara Ponzini JD joined Bryant, Lovlien & Jarvis as an associate. Her practice focuses on family law, including divorce, child custody, child and spousal support, and support modifications, as well as assisting with civil litigation.

Tim Sutherland JD accepted a direct commission (first lieutenant) into the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps after four years in private practice. He has relocated to Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.

2010

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: Stephanie Locke notes@lclark.edu

Garik Lawson Asplund BA currently works as a cook at the Lostine Tavern in Lostine, Oregon.

Sam Balter BA, Brad Elkins BA, Hanako Conrad Imber BA, Stephanie Locke BA, Andrew Merriam BA, Claire Monteiro BA, and Simone Wren BA participated in the Lewis & Clark Young Alumni Career Panel on December 6, 2014. As young alumni, they shared their thoughts about life after graduation, entering the job market, and networking, among many other topics.

Sam Balter BA manages marketing for a mobile messaging company. After earning his master’s degree from McCombs School of Business in Austin, Texas, he moved to Boston, where he is living with Philana Brown BA while she studies for her MFA His days consist of commuting to a swanky coworking space in downtown Boston, managing marketing initiatives, strategizing about mobile with Fortune 500 brands, and drinking craft beers while playing shuffleboard. After participating in Lewis & Clark’s Reunion Planning Weekend, he realized how much he misses his classmates, Portland coffee, and the sweet endless rain of the Pacific Northwest.

Parasa Chanramy BA recently became a board member of the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation and works as a policy manager at Stand for Children Washington.

Brad Elkins BA is an advisor to the political action committee for former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and lives in Washington, D.C. Elkins couldn’t be more excited to see old friends during Alumni Weekend and to relive the glory/horror of coed bathrooms.

Katy Entrekin BA was accepted to San Jose State’s Occupational Therapy Program, which she starts in fall 2015. In the meantime, she has been traveling: she spent three months in Southeast Asia with her boyfriend; two weeks in Italy, Austria, and Slovenia; two months serving as an assistant director for a summer camp in the Bay Area; and the rest of the year teaching after-school science classes to elementary school children. She looks forward to her five-year class reunion and the impending gathering of 2008 Scotland trippers.

Krista Evans JD received the Oregon New Lawyers Division Project of the Year award for developing ONLD’s Student Loan Repayment Information Project, which provides resources on the Oregon State Bar website. She was also named ONLD Volunteer of the Year, in part for her work managing the division’s social media platform.

Haben Girma BA, a civil rights attorney, was appointed the first deaf and blind board trustee of Helen Keller Services for the Blind in January 2014. Haben’s story was featured in the Daily Californian.

Sam Hernandez JD was honored by the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber with its Leadership Award for his actions to support the advancement of Latino business, students, and community in Oregon and southwest Washington.

Elizabeth Holliday BA left her job with KOAM-TV in Joplin, Missouri, in May 2014 after two years to work for News 10 ABC in New York’s Capital Region.

Niccolo Jose BA went back to the Philippines and opened a successful art and design business, making one-of-a-kind accent pieces, interiors, and custom-fit chairs from recycled and upcycled old wood. He currently has a solo exhibition at Altro Mondo Arte Contemporanea in the Philippines. He also works as the creative director and main resident artist of the first Eco-Art Resort in the Philippines.

Zach Kearl BA moved away from Portland last fall and joined the Bend, Oregon, start-up Choose Growth, a multimedia educational company.

Melina LaMorticella JD joined the business immigration practice group at Tonkon Torp. Previously, she practiced immigration law for several years at a boutique firm in Portland. LaMorticella represents regional and international companies in a wide variety of employment-based immigration and naturalization matters, from labor certifications and naturalizations to extraordinary ability petitions.

Stephanie Locke BA is youth programs coordinator for the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii. She enjoys working with youth and exploring Hawaii. Locke greatly looks forward to staying in the dorms during Alumni Weekend, as she has always felt that an extra-large twin bed suits her stature.

Andrew Merriam BA is in desperate need of a new title at Portland’s Top Level Design, where he twists arms and either starts or puts out fires as the company introduces new web extensions such as .wiki, .ink, and .design. He recently returned to a ceramic studio for the first time since graduating. After participating in Lewis & Clark’s Reunion Planning Weekend, he is pretty convinced that “the classes from the 1990s partied harder than us” and is curious to see what happens after they put their kids down to sleep.

Claire Monteiro BA completed her master’s degree in public policy at Georgetown University in May 2014. She works as an economist at the U.S. Department of Commerce and lives with her husband, Robert Monteiro BA, in Washington, D.C. Other than changing her name from Claire Rogers, she’s pretty much the same—she loves nerdy economics jokes, watching The West Wing, and dancing it out. She can’t wait to see friends at Alumni Weekend!

Mara Pfneisl BA works as an administrative assistant/events coordinator for the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.

Chris Scheffler BA works at Intel Corporation in Silicon Valley. He spent the last four years working in research and development in nanotechnology, primarily on charged particle beam systems. Since graduating, he has learned to breathe underwater. Conveniently, scuba diving often involves exciting travel, which has been a passion of his since studying overseas while at Lewis & Clark. During Alumni Weekend, he looks forward to seeing friends and spending quality time in the Oregon outdoors, weather permitting.

Sanne Stienstra BA is a research fellow for U.S. EPA Region 10 and is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs (with an expected graduation date of June 2015). She still finds Portland to be the most charming place west of the Mississippi. Now that she lives in Seattle, she appreciates it even more. Since graduation, she has shifted her focus from literature to environmental policy, with a focus on waste prevention. Stienstra looks forward to reconnecting with old friends and making new connections with old classmates she didn’t get a chance to know the first time around.

Alexander Wheatley JD joined Fisher & Phillips, where he specializes in employment law.

Stefan Wolf JD joined Gevurtz Menashe as an associate estate planning attorney.

Simone Wren BA works at Social Venture Partners Portland. She’s excited that her job involves so many buzzwords. Simone continues to be a determined optimist. After living in five Portland neighborhoods, she’s enough of a Portland native to say it out loud and scoff when people mention Portlandia. Wren looks forward to giving leaping hugs to long-lost friends at Alumni Weekend. She also wants you to know that if you don’t come, you may never know what it feels like to raft in the reflecting pool.

2011

Kelvin Adkins-Heljeson JD was awarded the Young Lawyers Section Award at the MBA Annual Meeting, Dinner, and Judges Reception.

Jamie Moon BA has joined the Idaho firm of Moffat Thomas. Her practice will focus on workers’ compensation issues for employers, commercial litigation, and employment law.

Ashley Vaughn JD joined the Dumas Law Group as an associate attorney. The firm represents victims of child sexual abuse, both adults and children, in cases against perpetrators and institutions. The firm also represents small businesses and individuals with civil lawsuits, employment claims, real estate matters, and other business disputes, and has the flexibility to handle certain personal injury and professional malpractice claims.

Jason Walker JD was appointed chief criminal deputy prosecutor of the Grays Harbor Prosecuting Attorney’s office in Montesano, Washington.

2012

Class Correspondent: Josh Cohn notes@lclark.edu

Trevor Bloom BA assisted in the discovery of two previously unknown species of blind cave spiders, found two years ago in Cueva Seibo, a cave in the Dominican Republic’s Parque Nacional del Este. Bloom was a research assistant and is also the lead author of the paper detailing this discovery published in the Journal of Arachnology.

Dustin Combs JD has joined the Myanmar office of Baker & McKenzie. Kemiyondo Coutinho BA is the lead host of the Discover Uganda TV show. A Ugandan actress, playwright, and artistic director of NuVo Arts Organization, she focuses on theatre for social change. Coutinho wrote her first one-woman play, Jabulile, in 2008 and performed the play at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa.

Michael Whiteley JD joined Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner as an associate in the firm’s Utah office. He focuses on U.S. patent prosecution in computing, networking, software, and Internet applications.

2013

Emily Costello delivered a TEDx Talk in Zurich, Switzerland, on October 17, 2014. According to her TEDx profile, she “developed a case of late-onset Physics” when she took a science course for nonmajors during her first semester at Lewis & Clark. “Physics was love at first sight. You don’t really understand where that shock of love will take you—but you walk into the room and just think: There has never been anything so wonderful.” She gave a shout-out to Michael Broide, associate professor of physics, in the talk. Costello is applying to several graduate programs in physics and says, “No matter where I end up, I will continue to be a vocal science advocate!”

Amelia Forsberg JD joined Chernoff Vilhauer as an associate attorney.

Matthew Preusch JD joined the complex litigation group at Keller Rohrback in Santa Barbara, California. His work focuses on representing harmed parties in securities, consumer protection, and environmental matters. Steven Skolnik BA, a former music major, is a drummer with the Portland band Bike Thief. The band toured the United States between September and November 2014.

2014

Sage Coy BA is touring with the Portland Cello Project. She recently played cello with Trampled by Turtles at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom. She teaches cello in Portland.

Bryce Hanks JD joined Hart Wagner as an associate. His practice focuses on employment defense and medical malpractice defense.

Megan McGuire JD joined the litigation practice team at Miller Nash Graham & Dunn in the firm’s Portland office.

Olivia Ragan BA was selected to participate in the fall 2014 White House Internship Program. The program’s mission is to make the White House accessible to future leaders around the nation and to prepare those devoted to public service for future leadership opportunities.

Alex Tinker JD joined the litigation department at Tonkon Torp.