Class Notes

1960s

1965

Leonard Berry (BA ’64, MBA ’65) received Texas A&M University’s 2024 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award. Leonard is a University Distinguished Professor of Marketing in the Mays Business School.

1970s

1973

John McMurtry (BA ’73, MA ’76) was presented the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who. John was recognized for his leadership in the nonprofit industry, including his experience in sports and nonprofit management, executive leadership, marketing, and partnership development.

Randy Persson (JD ’73) published his fourth children’s chapter book, “The Mystery of Sacred Salmon and Native Alaskans.”

1977

Elaine Lee (JD ’77) published, “Go Girl 2: The Black Woman’s Book of Travel and Adventure.” The anthology includes travel writings, poems, photos, a planning guide and a resource section. Elaine is a globetrotter who has made two solo trips around the world and visited 69 countries.

1979

Kathy DeMont (left, JD ’79) and Cyd Dillard (JD ’08) were introduced to each other for the first time at a gala dinner in London. “What a surprising and wonderful coincidence! We chatted for hours about our favorite professor who taught both of us, Professor Ved Nanda, who had recently passed away,” said Kathy.

1980s

1980

Donald Swan (BA ’79, MA ’80) has written a memoir, “My Life at the Limit,” which includes narratives about Elvis, rock and roll, war and romance.

Dolores Atencio (JD ’80) received the 2024 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award from the American Bar Association. Dolores has practiced in Colorado for 42 years, specializing in employment and education law.

1981

Rich Agnello’s (MPA ’81) poetic short story, “Where Did You Go, Olivia Uvalde,” dedicated to the young victims of the Uvalde, Texas, tragedy, was published in the fall 2024 online edition of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Arts and Sciences.

1982

Kevin Mullin (BSBA ’82) was named director of philanthropy for Judi’s House, a nonprofit bereavement center for children and families in Denver. Kevin will be responsible for developing and managing all fundraising campaigns and initiatives for the organization, which was founded in 2002 by former Denver Broncos quarterback Brian Griese and his wife.

1983

Lucian Dhooge (JD ’83) has retired from full-time academia at Georgia Tech and moved to Gig Harbor, Washington, where he writes business law textbooks, teaches part-time at the University of Washington and enjoys life in the Pacific Northwest.

1985

Michael Shannon (BSBA ’85) was appointed global sales director/northeast market at CoralTree Hospitality.

1990s

1990

Terence McHugh (MBA ’90) was appointed chief executive officer for Blue Tide Environmental, an environmental company focused on developing a network of used motor oil recycling facilities across North America.

1994

Steve Hennis (BSBA ’94) received the 2024 Chuck Pinkowski Member Service Award by the International Society of Hospitality Consultants. Steve was recently elected president of the organization. He has specialized in hotel real estate for over 30 years and founded hotel investment advisory firm Hotelogy in 2017.

1995

Mickey Desai’s (MA ’95) podcast, Nonprofit SnapCast, was named the number one “must listen to” podcast for the nonprofit sector by LinkedIn.

1996

David Knapp (PhD ’96) published a book, “Marathon Leadership: 26.2 Essential Lessons for Modern Leaders.” David is president of Marathon Leadership in Thornton, Colorado, which specializes in leadership and organizational development.

1999

Heidi Kutcher (BA ’96, JD ’99) was appointed to the 2nd Judicial District Court by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

Amanda Haertling Thein (MA ’99) was appointed dean of the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education. Amanda is a nationally recognized scholar in English and literacy education with a passion for the work of educational democracy.

Laura Lee (Cornelison) Beran (BM ’99) earned the Accredited Asset Management Specialist designation from the College for Financial Planning. Laura is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Mount Prospect, Illinois.

2000s

2001

Sean Menke (MBA ’01) was appointed to the board of directors of the JetBlue Airways Corp. Sean has over 20 years of experience in the airline industry.

2002

Jessica Waggoner (JD ’02) was appointed as the district attorney for the 7th Judicial District by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

2003

Billy-George Hertzke (JD ’03) was appointed to the 14th Judicial District Court by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

2005

Janet Damon (MLIS ’05) was named the 2025 Colorado Teacher of the Year. Janet is a history teacher at DELTA High School and has been teaching in Denver Public Schools for over 25 years.

Drew Bennett (BS ’05, MBA ’05) was selected as a 2025 Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Australia, where he will collaborate with CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, to research investment strategies for ecosystem restoration and economic opportunities for rural communities.

2006

Kristen M.M. Tarrin (JD ’06) was appointed to the Dolores County Court in the 22nd Judicial District by Gov. Jared Polis.

Kate Watkins (BA ’06, MA ’09) was named the new Colorado state demographer. The state demography office provides population estimates and forecasts for Colorado’s regions, counties and municipalities developed by the U.S. Census Bureau.

2007

Mike Martin (MBA ’07) was promoted to chief operations officer at Merrick & Company, an engineering, architecture, geospatial, science and technology consulting firm in Denver. Mike previously served as leader for Merrick’s infrastructure engineering business unit.

2008

Andrew J. Hayden (JD ’08) was appointed district attorney for the 15th Judicial District by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

2009

Shawn Naugle (BA ’09) was named CEO and president of Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech. Shawn has over 17 years of experience advocating for the rights of children. As CEO, he will help guide Clarke in its mission to provide children who are deaf and hard of hearing with tools necessary to thrive and lead fulfilling lives.

2010s

2010

Alison Connaughty (JD ’10) served as Colorado’s District Election Officer under the Department of Justice’s Election Day Program for the November general election. Alison led federal efforts to help ensure the security of Colorado’s vote.

Regan Linton (MSW ’10) received the Barry Corbet Community Voice Award from the United Spinal Association in October. The award celebrates the cultural and intellectual leadership of wheelchair users who have impacted the fabric of American life. Regan is an accomplished actor, filmmaker, writer and outspoken leader on inclusion in the arts.

2012

John Crone (JD ’12) joined the Anchorage office of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP as a partner.

Jessie Shay (MSW ’12) graduated from the University of Southern California with a doctorate in social work. Her focus on macro social work led to the creation of Chronically Informed, a website dedicated to helping patients navigate the medical system.

2013

Rhonda Richmond (BA ’03, MA ’07, MA ’13) published a new book, “But… GOD Gave Me a Pencil,” a memoir and guide that explores her transformative journey from being abandoned by her mother to accepting her autism and learning disabilities. Rhonda shares strategies for overcoming literacy challenges and ways she has helped her children and students navigate their own learning difficulties.

2014

Amber Adams (MA ’14) was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts creative writing fellowship. Amber, who lives in Longmont, is the author of “Becoming Ribbons,” and is working on her second poetry collection, “Under Snow.”

Danny O’Laughlin (BSAC ’14, MACC ’14) joined Cetane Associates in New Milford, Connecticut, as a director in its mergers and acquisitions advisory firm.

Lee Zink (MRLS ’14) was inducted into the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame in August 2024 and the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame in October. Lee played professional lacrosse for 11 seasons and is currently the director of land for Franklin Mountain Energy in Denver.

Kristina Valtierra (PhD ’14) published “Preparing Early Career Teachers to Thrive: Sustaining Purpose, Navigating Tensions and Cultivating SelfCare.” The book addresses the postpandemic crisis of early career teacher turnover that harms students and entire school systems.

2016

Arriana Belkin (BA ’16) was named chief of staff for the Colorado Senate Democratic caucus.

2017

Hannah Adams Ingram (PhD ’17) received the 2024 Margaret A. Hommell Staff Service Excellence Award at Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana. Hannah is director of religious life and the college chaplain.

2020s

2021

Christina Ebersohl-Van Scyoc (MM ’21), who has a master’s in viola performance, recently performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Claire Gritt (BA ’21) joined Army West Point as the women’s basketball assistant coach and director of basketball operations.

Logan O’Connor (BSBA ’21) signed a six-year extension with the Colorado Avalanche. Logan played three seasons with the DU Pioneers, winning an NCAA championship in 2016-17.

Ashley Forest (MA ’21) was awarded the CEO Visionary Award for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility for going above and beyond expectations in fostering an inclusive and equitable environment in her role as public information officer at Denver International Airport.

2022

Christopher Luna (MS ’22) was awarded the Distinguished Capitol Fellow Award by the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy and Research Organization (CLLARO). Christopher completed a CLLARO fellowship in 2019. He received a painting by local Denver artist Emanuel Martinez during the awards presentation at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.

2024

Jordan Bennet (MA ’24) was named the director of the Summit Historical Society in Summit County, Colorado. Jordan has a decade of experience working with museums and studying the historic mining industries.

Reunions

The Delta Gamma Alumnae Sisters at the University of Denver held a reunion in June. The gathering, the first in 35 years, included events, music from their college days and memories of sorority life.