After graduation from the University of Oregon, each Duck is on their own unique journey—charting their own path full of opportunities, challenges, and lessons along the way.
At the UO Alumni Association, we are honored to celebrate all of life’s transitions and achievements with fellow Ducks—whether it’s starting a new role, founding a business, getting married, welcoming a new family member, retiring, or anything else that’s sigificant to you. What’s new with UO alumni matters to us.
Below are just a few stories of UO alumni who are celebrating milestones and making their own paths in life. If you too have news to share, please send us a story idea for potential inclusion in a future issue of Shout.
Welcoming a baby duckling
Oliver Schweizer, BA ’07 (political science), and his wife welcomed their duckling, William, this summer. Schweizer, who is a UOAA board member and past president of the New York Ducks, said William could be part of the UO’s incoming student class in 2043.
Making career waves
Lotos Chen-Young, BIArch ’12 (interior architecture), was recently promoted to associate vice president of architecture firm Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA). She has worked for the firm in a variety of interior design roles for nearly 12 years and enjoys helping clients realize their vision.
In an interview with nonprofit organization, Beyond the Built Environment, Chen-Young shared that she started out at the UO as a double major in political science and international relations before discovering design was her passion and applying for the interior architecture program. The child of first-generation Taiwanese immigrants, she said she grew up with a parent with an art background and always had an interest in design, but didn’t explore architecture as a career until she was at the UO.
After twenty years at Portland-based law firm, Tonkon Torp, James Hein, BA ’02 (French, mathematics), has started a new adventure in his solo law practice, Hein Business Law. The Hillsboro, Oregon native continues to offer legal services to corporate officers, directors, and business owners in his home community—now as a business owner himself.
After 27 years working in France, Patti Brown, BA ’99 (French), embarked on a new adventure at the University of Oxford as the associate dean for MBA and executive degree programs at the Saïd Business School. In this new role, Brown works closely with faculty, professional staff, and global partners on the full MBA portfolio—from the full-time MBA to the executive MBA and specialized master’s degrees.
“The transition to Oxford has been both humbling and energizing,” Brown said. “France gave me a professional foundation rich in international collaboration and academic excellence. At Oxford, I’m building on that legacy in a setting steeped in history yet focused squarely on the future.”
Sandra Bulmer, MS ’90 (physical education), was recently named interim president of Southern Connecticut State University. After earning her master’s at the UO, she went on to earn a PhD in health education from Texas Woman’s University before joining Southern Connecticut State as a professor in their Department of Public Health. She became the dean of the College of Health and Human Services in 2014, opening the college’s new building in 2022 and introducing several new degree programs.
Celebrating a fulfilling career
The Honorable Blaine G. Gibson, JD ’77, has retired after serving Yakima County, Washington for 20 years as a superior court judge. Prior to being elected judge, he worked in private practice for 27 years. In retirement, he’s now looking forward to spending time with his wife Sandi.
Paul Schroeder, BArch ’85 (architecture), has retired after a nearly 40-year architecture career—the majority of which was spent at San Diego-based firm, Delawie. He dedicated his talents to educational, institutional, and civic architecture, including projects on several college campuses in San Diego. In retirement, Schroeder is looking forward to exploring other passions like golf and new adventures.