Class Notes | Spring 2022

• 1970s

  • Hal “Holiday” Schneider AS ’75 was born in the Bronx, New York. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1957, which brought him to Utah. Hal is a professional entertainer, known as Hal Holiday, and the founder of the band Three Aces and a Joker. He has written multiple songs, two of which have been inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and been featured in professional film productions. He is the recipient of the 2016 Ogden City Mayor’s Awards in the Arts: Lifetime Contribution Award. He currently volunteers his time performing at the Washington Terrace Senior Activities Center. He married his wife, Sharon, in 1960. They have eight children, 33 grandchildren, and 31 great grandchildren.

  • Annette Thurber Bryner BS ’76 spent 14 years supporting students as a Title I teacher’s aide at Ellis Elementary in Logan, Utah. She used her talents as a music minor and violin player to support the orchestra program at Woodruff Elementary and Ellis Elementary. Annette has played violin for the last 44 years in the Cache Chamber Orchestra, which has grown into the Cache Symphony Orchestra. She co-founded a support group for Cache Valley community members who have been diagnosed with celiac disease. She and her four siblings are all graduates of Weber State. Annette and her husband, Brent Bryner, live in Logan. They have seven children and 15 grandchildren.

  • Brent Aguirre BS ’77 retired from Hill Air Force Base, where he supervised the Air Force Engineering Technical Services Team at the 729th Air Control Squadron. Prior to attending Weber State, he served four years as active duty military in the U.S. Navy. During that time, he was stationed in Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and Virginia. He is a Vietnam veteran and a life member of Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He has one son, one granddaughter and lives in South Ogden.

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• 1980s

  • Michelle Tanner ADN ’80, BSN ’10 is a flight nurse for Intermountain Life Flight on the newborn team. She is the founder and co-director of Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music (OFOAM), a nonprofit music organization whose mission is to bring live music to Ogden and provide free music education opportunities for youth. Since 2009, OFOAM has hosted an annual three-day music festival at Fort Buenaventura in Ogden. Michelle is a volunteer DJ at KRCL 90.9 FM community radio, hosting The Night Train. She has a passion for science and arts, and loves the balance of both in her life.

  • Nancy Blair BS ’87 retired after 29 years as a school teacher at Polk Elementary in Ogden, where she taught second grade and created and taught a first-through-sixth grade enrichment program. After retiring, she went on to serve on the Ogden School Board of Education where she is currently on the policy and law, student achievement and land trust committees. She is also currently serving on the Ogden-Weber Technical College Board of Trustees. She is active in church and civic organizations. With her husband, Robert, she owns a family business in Ogden. They have four children and 12 grandchildren, and live in Ogden.

  • Gary Gerfen BS ’87 retired in 2016 after a successful 30-year career in the aerospace industry. While attending Weber, Gary worked on cruise missile engines for Williams International and missiles at Morton Thiokol locally. After graduating, he moved to Arizona to continue his career at Honeywell International. Some of his project areas included commercial jet engines, and the next generation of satellites for Honeywell Space Systems. In 1995, he earned an MBA in technology management from the University of Phoenix, and later a master certificate in project management from Villanova University. He spent 20 years with The Boeing Company, where he worked on commercial and military programs. For 18 years, Gary owned and operated Awesome Alaska Adventures, now known as Great Land Lodge, a full service fishing lodge hosting both saltwater and freshwater expeditions. He and his wife, Amy, live in Northwest Montana.

  • Sandra Davies BIS ’89 is the granddaughter of former WSU president Henry Aldous Dixon. After graduating, she began working at Hill Air Force Base through a U.S. Air Force Outstanding Scholar appointment. She has served as the executive director of the American Heart Association in Weber County, and as public relations director for the American Red Cross. She later started her own business, Creative Visions Training Resources. Sandra was an adjunct professor for WSU’s professional sales program, and trained Hill Air Force Base personnel through a leadership certification program. For 20 years, she served on the board of directors for Weber County Pathways, now known as Trails Foundation of Northern Utah, which protects local trails and green spaces. She was a member of the WSU Alumni Association board of directors from 2003–2004. She has four children, 13 grandchildren and lives in Ogden.

  • Mike Fine BS ’89 is a founder and a senior test manager at Centercode, a beta testing software and services company. Fine is actively engaged in speaking about beta testing as a concept, as well as teaching courses and authoring several articles on the topic. He is a LinkedIn Learning author, whose online courses have been widely viewed throughout the world. Fine is also the author of three books and a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha national fraternity. His wife, Tricia Fine BA ’94, recently celebrated over 20 years at Autoliv as a senior project manager. They have two daughters and live in South Ogden.

  
  
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• 1990s

  • Max Stitzer BS ’93 is a brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force, currently serving at HQ USAF, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He was commissioned an Air Force officer in November 1994 and has been recognized throughout his career with over 20 military awards and decorations. Max earned a master’s degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is active in his church and is a performing multi-instrumental musician. He and his wife, Shelly, live in Virginia. They have two daughters.

  • Bart Blair BA ’97 is an Ogden City Council member, who has recently been reelected to his fourth term. During his past 12 years as a council member, he has also served on the Ogden/Weber Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Weber Area Chamber of Commerce and the Ogden High Booster Club. He worked with WSU on the College Town Initiative, which received the national Abernathy Award in 2015. Bart runs Blair’s Service Center, which is a family owned Ogden business of 70 years. He has three daughters and lives in Ogden.

  • Patricia Shaw MED ’97 retired after a 30-year career teaching health information and health administration at Weber State. She earned her bachelor’s degree in health information administration through the College of St. Scholastica. She later earned a Doctorate of Education with an emphasis in education technology and eLearning from Northcentral University. She and her husband, Tom, moved to southern Utah, where she volunteers with the Medical Reserve Corps for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department COVID-19 vaccine clinics. She continues to teach as an adjunct instructor for the Department of Health Administrative Services at WSU.

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• 2000s

  • Manya Stolrow AS ’00 is a dental hygienist with Anderton Dental in South Ogden. She graduated from WSU with honors and later became a mentor for dental hygiene students. She has functioned as a delegate for the Utah Dental Association. In her community, she is a member of the planning commission for Pleasant View, Utah. As an avid road cyclist, she has been an ambassador for the Wildflower Pedalfest. She has two children, one of whom is currently in WSU’s dental hygiene program as a third-generation Wildcat.

  • Daryn Cox BS ’03 is the lead designer at 1440, a technology company based in Park City, Utah. He oversees all aspects involving graphics, user interface and user experience. Daryn is an accomplished graphics artist and working freelance designer of corporate branding, web design and marketing materials. He has volunteered as a transcriber of historical documents for Zooniverse.org, an online public research site. He and his wife, Heather, have two daughters and two cats and live in Layton, Utah.

  • Michelle Emerson Watts BS ’04 is part of the Homeworks Property Lab team, where she manages the office and financial accounts. She provides additional support to the brokerage with her photography skills. Michelle worked as a staff  photographer for SLUG Magazine for two years. She has been featured in various Salt Lake City exhibitions including a female-only exhibit at FICE Gallery. She has contributed images to Vogue Russia and Cosmopolitan Russia magazines. Michelle has been serving on the Fairpark Community Council for the past three years. She and her husband, Bill, have one son and live in Salt Lake City.

  • Zack Blair BS ’06 was born and raised in Ogden. He is a manager of U.S.-based business partners at Pinterest, a social media network. Zack is a longtime contributor to the Ogden arts community and has participated in local events such as the Moments Art Festival, the annual Wasatch Yeti Bash and many First Friday Art Strolls. Zack has completed the Boston Marathon twice, along with the Ogden and Huntsville marathons on several occasions. He and his wife, Courtnee, have one son and one dog.

  • Brett Gerfen BS ’06 works as a manufacturing engineer II for the Single Use Technologies Division at Thermo Fisher Scientific, known as the “world leader in serving science,” in Logan, Utah. The automated machinery he has been designing and building has allowed their customers to manufacture vaccines for the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2016, he was the recipient of his employer’s coveted 4-I Award for Innovation regarding the work he did as a member of the Integrated Solutions Team.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
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• 2010s

  • Karen Bateman BS ’11, MPC ’14, BS ’18 began working for WSU at the Dee Events Center after moving to Utah from Santa Barbara, California, in 1996. She retired in 2021, after 25 years at WSU. For the last 14 years, she worked in WSU Alumni Relations as the accounting specialist, helping with budgets, scholarships and house management. She is currently pursuing an M.Ed with an emphasis in family life studies. She has volunteered with women at Your Community Connection, a family crisis center that serves the Ogden community. Karen and her late husband, Gary Bateman, have three children, who are all graduates of WSU. She has two grandchildren and lives in Washington Terrace, Utah.

  • Venessa Castagnoli BFA ’12 is the executive director of Ogden Contemporary Arts, a non-profit art organization. Since March 2020, she has worked to rebrand, raise funds and assist in the overall design of the space, with the goal of making art accessible to all within the community. In her role at OCA, she also redesigned the Platforms outdoor exhibition space into a sculpture park, which now houses permanent installations. She created O-Town Arts, a contemporary art collective based in Ogden. Venessa’s artwork has been shown in the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and the Finch Lane Gallery, as well as several statewide exhibitions.

  • Brandon Guernsey BA ’12 has worked as a deputy prosecutor for Grant County, Washington, for the past four years. After graduating from Weber State, he attended the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. He is a member of The Federalist Society, the Washington State Bar Association and the Idaho State Bar. Brandon volunteers as a hockey coach with the Moses Lake Youth Hockey Association. His wife, Jacqlin Guernsey BS ’11, MA ’12, is the creator and manager of the online platform Coaching with Jacqlin Guernsey. She is an emotional health coach, focused on supporting mothers by teaching ways to care for their emotional wellbeing so that they can best support others in their lives. They have four sons and live in the state of Washington.

  • Elizabeth Hill AS ’12, BS ’13, MBA ’17 is an administrative specialist for the Department of Construction & Building Science at WSU. She teaches as an adjunct instructor for the Parson Construction Management program. Liz serves on the executive board of the WSU Chapter of Utah Women in Higher Education Network. She is passionate about advocating for women and underserved populations, both on campus and in her community. She and her husband, Michael, live in Ogden.

  • Eden Buxton BFA ’15 is the marketing and fundraising coordinator for Ogden Contemporary Arts, a nonprofit art organization. After studying photography at WSU, she earned an MFA in film and media from the University of Utah. She is a longtime promoter of the arts in Ogden. Eden organized and co-curated the Moments Art Festival in 2017. Through Giving Tuesday, she has worked with local businesses to provide funding to bring local, national and international artists to the Ogden community. She and her wife, Devi, have three cats, one dog and live in Ogden.

  • Danielle Collier AS ’16, BS ’18 is a development director for the Moyes College of Education and Academic Affairs at WSU. She is a recipient of WSU’s Presidential Award for Community Engaged Alumni. Prior to her work at WSU, she worked for Ogden Downtown Alliance. She has served abroad in the United States Peace Corps in North Macedonia as well with the WSU Global Community Engaged Learning program in Mozambique. Collier serves as the vice president of communication on the WSU Young Alumni Council. She is a member of the Ogden Junior League, Rotary Club of Ogden, Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce and Ogden-Weber Chamber Women in Business. She is a student in the Master of Professional Communication program at WSU.

  • Tia Walker BS ’16 is a human resources representative for DHL Supply Chain in Salt Lake City. She received her Professional in Human Resources Certification in March 2021. She currently serves on the Young Alumni Council for the WSU Alumni Association. She lives in North Salt Lake, Utah.

  • Charles Bowker BA ’17 is an IT audit associate for Tanner LLC, where he provides IT assurance with system and operations control auditing for major companies across the U.S. and internationally. Previously, Charles worked as an administrative specialist with the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. He is serving his fourth year on the WSU Young Alumni Council, and currently serves as a mentor in the WSU Leadership to Legacy Mentorship program. He and his wife, Esther Bowker, live in Salt Lake City.

  • Jadrian Clark BS ’17 is known as one of the top quarterbacks in Weber State history. After graduating, he moved to Northern Germany to play professional football in the European League of Football. He has completed five successful seasons with the Hamburg Sea Devils. He is the founder and coach of his own quarterback training platform, QB Apex, which helps youth advance their skills in hopes of being able to play college football in the United States. During his time in Europe, he has traveled to over 25 countries. Jadrian credits much of his success to the mentorship he received from his coaches and professors while attending WSU.

  • Sebastian Lawson AAS ’17, BS ’19 is an orthopedic foot and ankle sales representative for Paragon 28 in Tacoma, Washington. Previously, he worked as a medical lab scientist for Tanner Clinic in Layton, Utah. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kenya. As a student, Sebastian served on the WSU Alumni Association Board of Directors and as student alumni president from 2018–2019. His wife, Shelbee Lawson BS ’15, received her degree in social work from Weber State. She went on to complete her master’s degree through Our Lady of the Lake University online in 2017. She previously worked as a social worker for Weber Human Services and Ogden Youth Futures. Shelbee was on the Spirit Squad for the duration of her time at WSU, serving as captain for her last two years. Sebastian and Shelbee have two daughters and live in Maple Valley, Washington.

  • Thomas “Tom” Bowker BS ’18 is a software engineer for Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force. Tom is serving in his second term on the WSU Young Alumni Council, and currently serves as a mentor in the WSU Leadership to Legacy Mentorship program. Tom has served in various callings for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including in his ward as president of the Elders Quorum and president of the Sunday School. He is currently serving in his ward as a Young Men’s counselor. He married former Miss Layton, Julynette Martinez BS ’16, in March 2021. While serving as Miss Layton, Julynette created the Pursue STEM Scholarship, which supports low-income female high school graduates who have interest in pursuing careers in STEM. Julynette teaches science at West Point Junior High in West Point, Utah. She has served for five years as an advisor for the WPJH student government. In addition to planning events and assemblies, she organized food and gift drives for Ogden’s Community Christmas, which serves local children and families. Tom and Julynette live in Layton, Utah.

  • Michelle Gum BS ’18 moved to Utah from Ireland in 2015 to attend Weber State. She played golf for Weber State Women’s Golf for three years. She is a project manager and producer for Riot creative agency in Salt Lake City. She is the founder of The Rose Club, a female-focused skateboarding and snowboarding community that embraces inclusion of all ages and abilities. Her husband, Austin Gum BS ’18, is the manager of Crossroads Skatepark & Shop. In his role, he oversees the purchasing of all snow and skate products, as well as the operations of the indoor skatepark. He is a longtime member and past president of the WSU Snowboarding Club. Austin is highly involved in supporting community skateboarding and snowboarding events. They have one dog and live in Ogden.

  • Abby Monroe BS ’19 is the alumni coordinator for WSU Alumni Relations. In her role, she advises the WSU Young Alumni Council and works closely with WSU Regional Alumni Networks. Previously, Abby worked for five years as the event services manager for the GOAL Foundation, where she planned and implemented community events and initiatives. Abby serves on the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Executive Board as the networking coordinator, and is serving as the events director for the Junior League of Ogden. She and her husband, Ryan, have three children and live in Ogden.

  
  
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• 2020s

  • Alexandra Smith MA ’21 is a Spanish, English and Latinos in Action advisor within the Weber School District. Prior to attending Weber State, she earned a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Utah University. She is the winner of the 2021 California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence and a top five winner in the 2022 Horace Mann Awards for Teaching Excellence, both of which are national awards. She is a member of the Utah Education Association and the Weber Education Association. Her husband, Matthew Smith, is currently pursuing a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction at WSU. He is an academic advisor and internship coordinator with WSU’s Department of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences.

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