Class Notes

Being named one of The Hispanic Executive’s 30 Under 30 honorees is an honor beyond words. This recognition highlights 30 Latino professionals across the U.S. who are leading with innovation, passion, and a commitment to making a positive impact. Above all, I’m proud to share this honor with my friends, family, partner, and community, including all those at the University of Oregon. I truly believe that nothing is possible without those who help us see a better version of ourselves to strive for. Go Ducks!

https://hispanicexecutive.com/ngc/30-under-30/naily-nevarez/

Hello fellow Ducks! In Spring 2010, I took a screenwriting class with Chris Matheson (A Goofy Movie, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure), and wrote a treatment and outline for a Studio Ghibli-style movie. At the time he encouraged me to continue with the story, but go about it another way. Then, I graduated, and moved to Japan, having finished my studies in East Asia and Film-making (the first graduate of the Film Studies program!). I worked for television, film, and music video sets, and wrote for magazines and news sites for six years in Japan, and almost entirely forgot about the story I had written in the screenwriting class. Then, my husband (and fellow duck!) got accepted into UVA Law, and we moved from Asia to Virginia. I worked as a journalist in Charlottesville during the 2017 Unite the Right Rally and subsequent court cases, fallout, and other swirling circumstances. I took VA Governor McAuliffe to court after he denied a FOIA request, and I won, reshaping journalism and freedom of speech protections in Virginia. I also produced and edited a documentary on the 2017 rally that debuted at the Virginia Film Festival. Now, I'm a Marketing Director for a White House program that focuses on fundraising for nonprofit participants in a federal workplace giving program. After years of hustling and juggling multiple jobs, this career provides me stability, and the space and time to write for pleasure in my spare time. And that's when I remembered the story I had started way back in 2010 at UO. I hadn't ever forgotten it. Now, I knew I was equipped to take on this story at last. For years I wrote and rewrote it, and then I edited and queried it. And now, I will be a published author! GHOST TRAIN, set in 1877 Kyoto, is being published October 15, 2024 by SelectBooks Publishing. It has been endorsed by Daisuke Miyao (former professor at UO of Japanese History and Language), Jake Adelstein (Tokyo Vice), Robert Whiting (Pulitzer Prize Short-list), Eva Wong Nava, and more. I'd love to share my story and advice to other Ducks who want to be writers, and about never giving up on dreams. And -- all about how something planted in college can be a late bloomer, but still make your dreams come true. It's a wild journey and I'm so thankful the UO community and experiences have continued to help me, years and years down the road. Thank you!

Amy Bowers Cordalis, is a Grist 50 honoree, and is featured on this year's list.
https://grist.org/fix/grist-50/2024/#amy-bowers-cordalis

6 former classmates from Boynton Hall gathered in September to attend the Idaho football game and pay homage to their college dorm, which also served in the late 1960’s as headquarters of the fictitious Creston Creek College. Pictured (left to right) Mike Glover, Paul Polsky, Mike Lightbourn, Greg Mowe, Ken Walter, Randy Gore.

John A. Heldt, BS ’85, published his fifteenth novel, Camp Lake, in September 2019.

Jason Bennett, B.S. '00 (Business Administration), moved to Medellín, Colombia and is the new Chief Marketing Officer for hospitality and asset management firm Lifeafar.

As a Oregon Duck and a business student, I'm proud to announce that I've been hired as the Associate Director of Alumni Engagement at the Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon!

Renner Johnston, AIA, has been appointed President of Mogavero Architects, a renowned architecture firm based in Sacramento, California. Founded 40 years ago by David Mogavero (image, right), Mogavero Architects is known for its innovative and sustainable design solutions across a range of projects, from mixed-use developments and transit-oriented neighborhoods to student housing and residence halls. In his new role, Renner Johnston (image, left) will lead the firm's daily operations with a dedicated and diverse team, all driven by a shared passion for enhancing communities through thoughtful design. Renner received his Master of Architecture (M.Arch) from the University of Oregon in 1996.

www.mogaveroarchitects.com

Liz Swagerty Olsen joined Vision Capital Management in July 2024. She will lead all marketing, communications and business development activities for the independent, majority women-owned wealth management firm located in Portland.

https://vcmi.net/

Promoted to Sr. Vice President for Central Development at the University of Minnesota Foundation.

Steve Anderson, BA '89 (history/German), has two novels coming out in 2024. Anderson is the author of numerous books, mostly historical thrillers about gutsy underdogs. After UO he earned an MA in history and was a Fulbright Fellow in Germany. He’s also written historical nonfiction and translated bestselling German novels. Still a hopeless soccer addict who played club soccer at UO, he lives in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.

https://www.stephenfanderson.com

BME ('83), MME (90), has earned her PhD in Education Leadership from Pacific University. Dot identified and defined five essential music teaching skills needed for the student teaching field placement. Dot is an adjunct professor at Pacific University where she teaches in the College of Education, Department of Music, and serves as a university supervisor of student teachers.

I am a proud University of Oregon alumna, 1987, MA. in history under the guidance of Drs. Allan M. Winkler and Louise Wade. I am delighted to report to you that I have been selected as a recipient for the Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 by the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS). "AAAS created the Lifetime Achievement Award to honor an individual who has made an outstanding and lifelong contribution to the advancement of the field of Asian American Studies. The selection for this highly significant honor expresses our heartfelt appreciation for your distinguished career and your many contributions to Asian American Studies,” according to the award letter from the AAAS.

https://aaastudies.org/announcements/2024-aaas-award-winners/

Mike McCord (JD 1996), a career Foreign Service Officer, was promoted into the Senior Foreign Service (Counselor) in December 2019 following Senate confirmation and White House approval. Mike serves with the U.S. Agency for International Development and is currently posted to Zimbabwe. His previous Foreign Service assignments include Afghanistan (twice), South Africa, South Sudan, Zambia, and Ethiopia. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he lived and worked in Kenya, Rwanda, then-Zaire, Eritrea, and Cote d'Ivoire.

Hello! I graduated from UO in 2014 with my PhD in Sociology. Although my career began with a tenure track teaching position at a small university in Ohio, an eagerness to return to Oregon and grow in other ways led me in some other surprising directions. I am now the data equity coordinator in the Office of Equity and Multicultural Services at the Oregon Dept. of Human Services and recently published a book for undergraduate students (see attached link). My UO sociology experience and the faculty there remains a powerful guiding force for me. Feel free to reach out if this note is of interest! Thanks ~ Matt

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14psT4mBtD-LuFsPXCdAMh6YokfklBLQE?usp=share_link

Jan E. Frydman is the Consul of the Principality of Monaco to Sweden, having been appointed to this position by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco on January 31, 2020. He is also the Head of the Swedish Delegation to the European Council of Bars and Law Societies. He most recently served as the Special Adviser to the European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström (2015-2019), and as Adj. Judge of the Svea Court of Appeals (2013-2014).

Award winning author Susan K. Field has released her debut novel, Eleanor's Song. A coming of age. A thriller. Above all, a story of redemption and hope.

She is an author of stories celebrating women. Before she started writing fiction full-time, Susan worked in organizational communications, championing the voices of those who could not advocate for themselves: homeless and abused animals, children with special needs, and victims of domestic violence. Based on these experiences, she felt called to write Eleanor's Song, her debut novel.

Susan holds a master's degree in writing. Her nonfiction, poetry, articles, and essays have appeared in literary journals, anthologies, commercial magazines, trade journals, and blogs. An excerpt from Eleanor's Song, entitled, "Shadow of a Decision", won a Kay Snow Writing Award, Short Story category in 2021.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and has a penchant for hiking woodland trails.

Judy Hendershott and her husband John Munch have sold their villa in Kalkan, Turkey, but continue to visit there each year, staying at Fidanka, a lovely bed and breakfast accommodation. Next trip is coming up 8-15 October 2024.

Michael Rostron, Anthropology, 1973 has published "The Roving Fitzgeralds: The Memoirs Of Roy Madison Fitzgerald." His two previous books are "Cape Decision" and "The Kabul Conscript." His website can be found at mikerostron.com

Emilio Todescato, AIA (B.Arch. 2014), was recently promoted to Senior Associate at Los Angeles firm CO Architects. His experience ranges from developer-led tech campuses and research laboratories to higher-education research and teaching facilities to medical-education projects.