Class Notes | Fall 2017

Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association
Annual Member of the Alumni Association

• 1950s
  • Warren Buss AS ’57 retired from the University of Northern Colorado after 38 years of teaching plant physiology, botany, environmental studies, biology, photography and scientific writing. He received UNC’s Outstanding Service Award and also the Favorite Teacher Award. He is the webmaster of the Colorado Biology Teachers Association and previously served as the president and vice president of the organization. Warren lives in Greeley, Colorado, with his wife, Beverly. They have five children, 17 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. 
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• 1970s
  • Michael Anderson BS ’70 had a 25-year career as a special agent with the IRS criminal investigation division. In this role, he created the training and standards for computer evidence processing that are now recognized worldwide. Upon retirement, he founded a compuer forensics-based company. Upon his second retirement, Michael became a fine arts photographer. His Yellowstone Winter Reflections image received an International Award of Merit from the Professional Photographers of America. He is co-owner of Artistic Photo Expression LLC in West Linn, Oregon, where he lives with his wife, Lorraine. 
     
  • James Elmer BS ’73 retired after 18 years from ION Media TV Network as the master controller. He previously owned/operated Zazzoo Designs Co., where he produced custom embroidery for designers such as Geoffrey Beene and Calvin Klein. James was the head of the embroidery department at Eaves-Brooks Costume Company in New York, where he produced custom-embroidered costumes for various entertainment industries. He performed on Broadway, off-Broadway, on TV and in film, and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. James also worked as a paralegal for MetLife Law Department in Manhattan. He now lives in Marriott-Slaterville, Utah.
    
    Julee Smith BS ’73 is the executive director for Ogden’s YCC (Your Community Connection) Family Crisis Center. For 26 years, she has taught in WSU's Department of Child & Family Studies as an adjunct instructor, a position she started while working as a probation officer in the juvenile courts. Julee has taught classes on human development and parenting and is currently teaching a marriage class. She and her husband, Mont, live in Ogden.  
  • After almost 20 years as a technical writer and editor at Hill Air Force Base, Carma Allen AS ’77 moved to the Bay Area, where she produced manuals and training materials for the defense industry. She later worked on product development teams and wrote user manuals for a health care laboratory equipment manufacturer. She retired in 2005 and wrote a satirical book, Helpful Household Hints for the Domestically Challenged. Carma currently publishes a blog and lives in Folsom, California.
  
  
  
  
   
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• 1980s
  • A statistician, Donna Greenman Ruiz BS ’85 worked for various contractors at Hill Air Force Base and retired in 2016 from Lockheed Martin. She has been an adjunct instructor in WSU’s mathematics department for 30 years. Three of her four children attended Weber State, and three of her grandsons are enrolled at the university. Donna lives in Layton, Utah. 
  • Scott Sessions BA ’85 is a regional manager for Self-Reliance Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He previously served as associate manager for the LDS church’s Employment Resource Services. Scott is a board member for the WSU Alumni Association’s Arizona Regional Alumni Network and a mentor for Year Up. He and his wife, Julie, live in Mesa, Arizona. 
  • James (Jim) Hull BS ’88 is a principal product engineer for Micron Technology. He previously worked for Iomega as a product validation engineer. Jim and his wife, Jody Hull AS ’90, BS ’92, live in Boise, Idaho, where Jody works for Idaho Wildlife Fish and Game. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
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• 1990s
  • Larry Riggs BS ’92 is the global director of airbag manufacturing for Autoliv, where he previously served as a technical support manager. Larry received his MBA from Utah State University. He is a mentor for the WSU Alumni Association’s Leadership to Legacy mentorship program.
    
    Matthew Weeks BA ’92 is the lead family physician at the Intermountain Healthcare North Ogden Clinic. He previously served as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Matthew currently serves on WSU’s Student Affairs Committee and as a mentor in the Alumni Association’s Leadership to Legacy mentorship program. His wife, Zalinda Lanette Toone Weeks AS ’88, BS ’90, was recently named South Ogden City Volunteer of the Year. She volunteers with Rotary International and organizes humanitarian trips to Mexico. Matthew and Zalinda have four sons, all of whom are students at WSU.
  • Shane Rasband AS ’95, AS ’12, BS ’15 is a software engineer and records manager for Jacobs Technology. He served in the U.S. Navy and Air Force reserves for more than 24 years. Shane and his wife, Stephanie, have three children. He is a volunteer for the Lakeside Elementary Community Council and Boy Scouts of America.
    
    Jake Shannon BS ’95 is a human resources leader with Amazon Web Services in Seattle, where he lives with his wife, Ruth Ann Shannon AA ’95, and their six children. Prior to joining Amazon, he worked in human resources and global marketing for 17 years at Merck & Co., including leading human resources efforts at the company’s site in Munich, Germany. 
    
    Jenny Brown Scothern BS ’96 is the executive director for the GOAL (Get Out and Live) Foundation. She also serves on the Board of Governors for Visit Ogden and the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Ogden Rotary Club. Her husband, Greg Scothern BS ’03, is a project manager for Boman & Kemp Manufacturing Inc. They have two children.
  • Angie Adams Bond AS ’98, BS ’01 was an organic chemistry lecturer at Stanford University, where she received her Master of Arts degree in organic chemistry. She also was a chemistry lab instructor for undergraduate students. Angie now works as an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields. She and her husband, Matthew, live in Portland, Oregon. 
    
    Angelina Feichko BS ’98 is CEO and principal broker of Sold By An Angel Real Estate. She has received numerous awards in her 19-year career in real estate, including the Lifetime Sales Master Award from the Board of Realtors, Rookie of the Year, Outstanding Achievement Award, and she was an inductee of the Hill Air Force Base Honorary Commander Program. Angelina lives with her husband in North Salt Lake, Utah.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
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• 2000s

  • Shauna Pitt AS ’00, BS ’05 is an advisor for WSU’s Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions. She serves on Weber State’s Staff Advisory Committee and the Marriott Staff Development Committee. Shauna, who recently celebrated her 10-year anniversary at the university, also teaches an introduction to health care careers course.

    Blynn Simmons BA ’00 is an attorney who focuses on estate planning, business planning and transactions, elder law, and mediation at Sage Law Partners LLC in Farmington, Utah. She lives in South Weber, Utah, with her husband, Scott.

    Megan Wolthuis Grunander BS ’01, a surgeon, is the assistant director of trauma and the intensive care unit at Ogden Clinic. She also serves on the board for Ogden Clinic and is the assistant professor of surgery at the University of Utah, where she earned her medical degree. Megan is also a member of the University of Utah School of Medicine Admissions Committee. Her husband, Todd Grunander BS ’02, is an orthopedic surgeon and chief of surgery at McKay-Dee Hospital. They have three children.

    Lucien Hardy III BS ’01 is a senior account executive for Enterprise Rental Agency, where he has worked for more than 11 years. He and his daughter, Brookelyn, live in Los Angeles.

    Julia Cherashore B.Mus. ’02,
    BS ’03 works in risk management for Morgan Stanley. She received her MBA in finance from New York University. Julia and her husband, Matthew, live in Larchmont, New York. They have one daughter.
    
    Michael Giles BS ’03 is a tax and estate planning attorney at Bennett, Tueller, Johnson & Deere in Salt Lake City. He received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) and LL.M. (tax) degrees from Boston University. Michael serves on the WSU Planned Giving Committee and is a mentor for the Alumni Association’s Leadership to Legacy mentorship program.
     

  • Cory Weeks AA ’03, BA ’06, IC ’07, MA ’14 is a finance accountant for Utah’s Division of Finance and is the Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance coordinator for the state. He lives in Centerville, Utah, and is a Young Alumni mentor for the WSU Alumni Association’s Leadership to Legacy mentorship program.

    Tamara Davies BS ’04 works in communications at Pluralsight in Farmington, Utah. She received her Master of Professional Communication degree from Westminster College. Her husband, Derek Davies BS ’04, MAcc ’05, is a controller for Petzl America. Tamara and Derek have one child and live in Centerville, Utah. 

    Joe Jatip BS ’04 is a consultant and talent acquisition specialist for Dell Technologies. He previously worked as a human resources manager for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for MarketStar Corporation. He and his wife, Tami, have four children and live in West Haven, Utah.

    Raeanna Johnson AS ’05, BS ’08 is the employee wellness coordinator for WSU. Her husband, Trevor Johnson BS ’14, is a process engineer at Hill Air Force Base. Raeanna and Trevor live in Hooper, Utah, with their two daughters.

    Austin Green BS ’06, M.Ed. ’11 is an elementary school teacher for Utah’s Davis School District. He previously taught in the Canyons School District. For the past seven years, Austin has served as an adjunct faculty member at Weber State, teaching in the English as a Second Language program. He and his wife, Amanda, live in Layton, Utah.

     

  • Jill Walker BS ’06, MA ’12 is the new alumni coordinator for WSU’s Office of Alumni Relations. Over the past 10 years, she has also worked for Weber State in the Stewart Library and as a Foundations of College Success instructor. Her husband, Shane Walker AAS ’10, BS ’13, is a software engineer for Hill Air Force Base. They have two daughters.
    
    Jeffrey Bailey BS ’07 is the director of business development for AlphaGraphics in Bountiful, Utah, where he has worked for 13 years. He is a scoutmaster and 11-year volunteer for Boy Scouts of America. Jeffrey and his wife, Ruth, have four children.

    Daniel Peterson ’08 is a deputy prosecuting attorney for the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office in Boise, Idaho. He handles felony trial litigation for the county. His wife, Valerie Peterson AS ’06, is a registered nurse. They live with their family in Boise, Idaho.

    Erik Oberg BS ’09 works in Twin Falls, Idaho, as an innovation scientist for Chobani, where he designs and develops new drinks from idea to commercialization. He received a master’s degree from Utah State University in food microbiology, quality and safety. Erik lives in Kimberly, Idaho. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
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• 2010s

  • Shayden Bertagnolli BA ’10 is a licensed marriage and family therapist. He founded Shayden Therapy of Ogden and is currently establishing a company that will empower teenagers to college-aged individuals to conquer anxiety and thrive in relationships. Shayden has a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Auburn University. He considers his career calling to be a relationship/anxiety therapist. He and his wife, Shelly, live in Farr West, Utah, with their two sons and daughter.

    Martha Camarillo Freston BA ’12 is a Juris Doctor (J.D.) candidate at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She previously worked for the Utah law firm, Parr Brown Gee & Loveless, and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. She and her husband, Joel Freston BS ’11, live in San Francisco. 

     

  • India Nielsen AS ’12, BS ’14 is a financial disclosure specialist for Utah’s lieutenant governor. She is a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, a volunteer at the Humane Society of Utah, and she donates time to The Road Home’s literacy program. India is president of the WSU Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Council. 
    
    Chad Illum BS ’15 works in the track program in outbound logistics network monitoring for General Motors, where he has held roles in stamping support, indirect purchasing and the command center. He was formerly a pricing analyst for Pro Star Logistics. He lives in Warren, Michigan, with his wife, Sadie Martineau BA ’13, who is a stay-at-home mom to their two children, with one on the way.

     

     

     

  • Kris Sanford BS ’15 is a professional speaker for student, church and community groups. In 2014, he completed Spinal Ride, breaking the quadriplegic handcycle distance world record, pedaling 1,040 miles from Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Huntington Beach, California. During Kris’ ride, he raised $25,000 for therapy for spinal cord injury patients who can’t afford treatment. He volunteers at Utah Special Olympics and the Utah Boys & Girls Clubs.

    Mitch L. McBride AS ’16, BS ’17 is the director of marketing and development for United Way of Northern Utah. He and his wife, Jenny, live in Ogden with their three children.

     

     

     

  
  
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