What’s new with you matters to us.
Have you been recently promoted or started a new job? Perhaps you are starting on a new educational journey. Maybe, you are newly married or recently added to your family. Let your fellow Ducks know what is happening in your life.
When you submit a class note, it will be considered for publication in the UOAA’s monthly Shout! newsletter, posted to the UOAA alumni website, or highlighted on social media.
Featured Class Notables
Christina Newland
Class of 2002
CHRISTINA L. NEWLAND, BS ’02 (business administration), was hired by Kernutt Stokes, an Oregon-based accounting and advisory firm, as director of talent acquisition.
Paul Dixon
Class of 1999
PAUL G. DIXON, MArch ’99, was appointed state printer at the California Department of General Services, where he has served as assistant deputy director of operations at the facility management division since 2018.
Cristen Jaynes
Class of 2007
CRISTEN HEMINGWAY JAYNES, JD ’07, wrote an article about Comet Leonard, a comet discovered early in 2021, for EcoWatch, which provides science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions for a healthier planet and life.
Robert Basich
Class of 1956
BOB BASICH, MS ’56 (general studies), who died in 2000, received a posthumous 2022 Distinguished Alumni award from Saint Martin’s University in Washington for a life of public service that included six terms in the state House of Representatives.
James Ford
Class of 1991
JAMES M. FORD, BS ’80 (management), most recently president and CEO of Central Valley Bancorp and Central Valley Community Bank of California, announced his retirement after 41 years in the banking industry and plans to move near the city of Palm Desert.
Wendy Dier
Class of 1993
WENDY J. DIER, JD ’93, was appointed judge for Modoc County Superior Court in northeastern California.
Thomas Jayne
Class of 1982
THOMAS JAYNE, BA ’82 (art history), was featured in Homes & Gardens magazine, for his expertise as a decorator in preserving traditional principles while invigorating houses for modern life.
Lyllye Parker
Class of 1991
LYLLYE REYNOLDS-PARKER, BA ’91 (sociology), was featured in an article for Ms. magazine about equity in the housing market and a successful community effort to raise funds toward her purchase of a house.
Douglas Palmer
Class of 1999
DOUG PALMER, MA ’99 (history), president of Missouri-based Culver-Stockton College, announced plans for a river research center to increase students’ awareness of the importance of river transportation.
Michelle Kaufmann
Class of 2011
MICHELLE KAUFMANN, BA ’11 (cinema studies, public relations), became vice president of communications at Stoller Wine Group, a family of wineries in Oregon.
Tim Clevenger
Class of 1986
TIM CLEVENGER, BS ’93 (journalism: advertising), former executive director and board member of the UO Alumni Association, was hired as senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Portland-based OnPoint Community Credit Union.
Sara Goodrum
Class of 2015
SARA GOODRUM, BS '15 (human physiology), was promoted to minor league hitting coordinator for the Milwaukee Brewers, making her the first woman to hold that position in a Major League Baseball organization, the team said.
Claire Bopp
Class of 2011
CLAIRE G. BOPP, JD ’11, an associate with the Rochester, New York, office of Bond, Schoeneck and King, was recognized in the 2022 Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list in the field of labor and employment law.
Josh Wardle
Class of 2011
JOSH WARDLE, MFA ’11 (digital arts), creator of the popular digital word-guessing game Wordle, announced its purchase by the New York Times.
Ben David
Class of 2012
BEN DAVID, BA ’12 (Judaic studies), was featured in the Jerusalem Post, an Israeli English-news website, regarding his business, Kinamon catering.
Tracy Welch
Class of 2012
816205 TRACY WELCH, JD ’12, former tribal administrator for the Petersburg Indian Association in Alaska, was hired as executive director of United Fishermen of Alaska, which advocates for the industry and commercial fishing groups from the Bering Sea to Seattle.
Henry Fields
Class of 2012
816349 HENRY FIELDS, BA ’12 (Clark Honors College, political science), the Oregon Employment Department’s workforce analyst and economist for Lane and Douglas counties, spoke at the City Club of Eugene in December regarding the local labor shortage.
Milon Handel-Mannis
Class of 2015
MILON MANNIS, BA ’15 (international studies), a former executive at the Los Angeles-based Creative Artists Agency, joined Clubhouse Media Group, an influencer-based social media firm and digital talent management agency.
Polly Irungu
Class of 2017
BA ’17 (journalism), digital content editor at New York Public Radio, New York City, was featured in Creative Review, a multiplatform website covering the creative industries, for her role managing Black Women Photographers, a platform established in 2020 as a community that empowers Black women and nonbinary photographers.
LaMichael James
Class of 2013
LaMICHEAL JAMES, BA ’16 (general social science), franchisee of Killer Burger, a Pacific Northwest burger brand, announced the opening of a location in Lake Oswego.