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
Joanna Kepka Fernandez
Class of 1998
MA ’98, PhD ’00 (geography), a faculty member with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, specializing in cultural-political geography in Europe and the Middle East, received the 2020—21 Alex G. and Faye Spanos Distinguished Teaching Award for excellence and innovation in teaching and mentorship.
Ammina Kothari
Class of 2008
MA ’08 (communication and society), an associate professor in the School of Communication for Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, received an Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, the institute’s highest honor for tenured faculty.
Benjamin Bye
Class of 2014
BArch ’14, and HALEY DAVIS, BArch ’16, were promoted at Los Angeles-based CO Architects, which specializes in planning, programming, and design in the higher education, science and technology, and healthcare sectors. Bye became a senior associate, working on medical education, higher education, and healthcare projects; Davis became an associate, collaborating on projects that respond to context, climate, and culture.
Brian Erb
Class of 1985
BS ’85 (journalism), retired as a partner with the international law firm Ropes & Gray LLP, after practicing corporate transactional law for 25 years in New York City, the Silicon Valley, and San Francisco.
Anselmo Villanueva
Class of 1992
PhD ’92 (curriculum and instruction), was selected as executive director of diversity, equality, and inclusion at Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, California.
Chad Hanson
Class of 1995
JD ’95, published Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate, an impassioned, evidence-based argument for a new era of forest management for environmental protection and humanity.
Megan Saylor
Class of 1997
MS ’97, PhD ’01 (psychology), professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, received the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching.
Gian David Panetta
Class of 2015
BS ’15 (political science), has launched an effort to establish a portrait of his grandmother, Tina Panetta, in the US Senate dining room to recognize her decades of government service as a lead waitress.
Polly Irungu
Class of 2017
POLLY IRUNGU, BA ’17 (journalism), founder of Black Women Photographers collective, an organization dedicated to displaying the talents of Black women and nonbinary photographers that have been marginalized in society, has partnered with Nikon on a $50,000 grant to assist creatives with their projects.
Alicia Schneider
Class of 2014
MS ’14 (special education), an autism training specialist, discussed the 2020 pandemic challenges and opportunities for students with autism during an educational webinar for edWeb.net.
William Schoeffler
Class of 2020
Instashowing, an online real estate tool founded by WILLIAM SCHOEFFLER, BS ’20 (business administration), has received more than $1.5 million in funding from industry veterans.
Mai Amalie Bak
Class of 2018
Etana, a short film produced by MAI AMALIE BAK, BA ’18 (journalism), was accepted to the Cleveland International Film Festival, Female Voices Rock Film Festival, and Venice Shorts film festival.
Manuela Baez Ordonez
Class of 2020
BA ’20 (journalism), joined Telemundo 23, a TV news organization in the Central Coast, California, as a multimedia journalist and anchor.
Laurenne Ross
Class of 2020
BS ’20 (art), was featured by Ski Racing Media, an international media company focused on alpine skiing, in a story that dubbed her "the spirit of the world’s best speed team."
Jada Allender
Class of 2018
BS ’18 (business administration), was featured as a notable graduate by the news service of Arizona State University, where she earned a dual juris doctor and master of sports law and business degree last spring.
Bryce Dole
Class of 2020
BRYCE DOLE, BS '20 (journalism), joined the Pendleton-based East Oregonian as a reporter on public safety, county government, and public health.
Diego Cardiel
Class of 2020
DIEGO CARDIEL, MArch '20, joined the design staff of Bend-based BBT Architects, where he will focus on sustainability concepts and the space where science and community interact.
Brennan McLean
Class of 2018
The US Marine Corps announced that BRENNAN McLEAN, BS '18 (business administration), a law candidate with USMC Recruiting Station Orange County, will attend officer candidate school this summer.
Taylor Jones
Class of 2019
TAYLOR JONES, JD '19, BRYAN WILLIAMSON, JD '19, and SUZANNE DAIGLE, JD '20, were hired in US bankruptcy court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma, serving in chambers and in reconfigured courtrooms.
Brianna Hayes
Class of 2018
BRIANNA HAYES, BA '18 (political science), was quoted in the Keystone, a Pennsylvania news website, for a story about the election of Vice President Kamala Harris who, like Hayes, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first intercollegiate historically African American Greek-lettered sorority.