University of San Francisco WINTER 2015
m a g a z i n e
Jeremy Synder ’16
USF’s Indian Student Organization (ISO) celebrates Holi, also known as the festival of color, on Welch Field.
2 I naug u r at ion
6 news
3 4 c l a s s no t e s
4 8 ta k e f i v e
gino luigi mascardo ’16
FEATURES
12
26
ramona 2.0
Reading, writing, and all that jazz
by monica villavicencio
by gary mcdonald
A horrible accident left Ramona Pierson MA ’03 in a coma for 18 months and fighting for her life. Here’s the extraordinary story of the comeback of a Silicon Valley CEO.
16
24
Celebrated jazz vocalist Margie Baker EdD ’83 has traveled the globe with the Monterey Jazz Festival. She may be known for her singing, but her passion is education.
healing hanoi
picture perfect
by samantha bronson
A USF graduate races to the finish line in a 65-foot yacht, part of an all-female team trying to win a nine-month race around the world.
A USF program is helping change the role of nursing in Vietnam, in an effort to improve the country’s struggling health care system.
Front cover photo: Matthew Mitchell Gary McDonald
Anne Hoglund
Have an idea? Suggestion? Letter to the Editor?
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the editors or those of the university.
Candice Novak
Mario Sosa Miranda Bague
Contact us: Or write:
Winter 2015, Vol. 22, No. 1 © 2015 University of San Francisco
executive editor contributing editor
m a g a z i n e
David Macmillan
Vice President for Communications and marketing
Ed Carpenter
staff writer/editor
Monica Villavicencio Staff Writer/editor
Dale Johnston
senior designer
senior designer
Designers
Hanna Hegnell ’15 Gino Mascardo ’16 Jeremy Snyder ’16 Barbara Ries contributing photographers
[email protected] (415) 422-6078 USF Magazine University of San Francisco 2130 Fulton Street, LMR 217 San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
Class Notes Send to
[email protected]
The papers used for printing this magazine are recyclable and provided by mills that support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests. These papers contain a mix of pulp that is derived from well managed forests, post-consumer paper fibers and other sources.
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 1
////////news
2 winter WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
san franciso foghorn/danielle maingot
University of California President Janet Napolitano congratulates Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J., on his new presidency.
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 3
////////news
T
oday, on All Saints’ Day, we open a new chapter of leadership of this great institution,” said U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, as the University of San Francisco installed its new president, Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J., at a campus ceremony on Nov. 1. A crowd of dignitaries, elected officials, and members of the university community gathered at St. Ignatius Church to welcome and congratulate Fr. Fitzgerald, who officially became president when USF Board of Trustees Chair Thomas E. Malloy ’61 conferred the appointment. Malloy also presented the new president with the university’s original 1859 charter from the California Board of Education. “He is the right president at the right time,” said Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California and a former classmate of Fr. Fitzgerald’s at Santa Clara University. “Among the providers of higher education in California, USF is a shining star,” Napolitano continued. “I know from professional and personal experience this star will shine even brighter under the leadership of Fr. Paul Fitzgerald.” The former secretary of homeland security also applauded USF’s commitment to California’s diverse population and noted that one-third of USF’s students are the first in their families to attend college and that nearly 30 percent are from low-income families. Other speakers at the inauguration included California’s Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, and San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy. Fr. Fitzgerald ref lected on the university’s role in one of the country’s most diverse cities, with students, faculty, and staff hailing from more than 70 nations. He said we may come from different backgrounds, cultures, and traditions, but everyone shares the university’s Jesuit mission. “All contribute essentially to a project that engages our students— leading them to broaden their horizons, advance their intellectual abilities, and strengthen their confidence and capacity as creative, ethical, and compassionate leaders of a global tomorrow.” The inauguration ceremony capped four days of events that celebrated the new president and USF’s scholarship and research, and also its mission to educate students to change the world for the better.
Fr. Fitzgerald celebrates Mass for the USF community in St. Ignatius Church, one day before his inauguration as the university’s new president. The Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco (right) was present in the santuary.
4 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
Michael collopy
“
gino luigi mascardo ’16
‘Today, on All Saints’ Day, we open a new chapter of leadership of this great institution.’ Nancy Pelosi, U.S. House Minority Leader
Janet Napolitano, University of California President
Michael collopy
Michael collopy
‘I believe we actually went to the [college] senior prom together. And I have pictures.’
‘Fr. Fitzgerald, thank you for your stewardship, for your willingness to step up and step in, in this extraordinary place, in this extraordinary city.’
‘Fr. fitz’ explains his greatest challenge www.usfca.edu/magazine/ 28thpresident
Gavin Newsom, California Lt. Governor
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 5
////////news
multi-billion dollar victory for law alum
6 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
law, and he also worked on the government’s behalf after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska and the Cosco Busan spill in the San Francisco Bay. He is based in San Francisco but has spent most of the past four years in New Orleans, where the B.P. case was being tried. Underhill oversaw a staff of more than 100 attorneys and paralegals, spread across offices in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. “The most interesting and rewarding aspect of large environmental cases is that we can potentially change behavior, change the way business is done so as to protect the environment, and make sure that the world we hand off to our kids is a little bit better and maybe even a lot better than the one that was handed off to us,” Underhill said. “That was my message to others the morning the decision came out. We should feel good about the win professionally, as litigators, but the most rewarding thing that we should take away from cases like this and what should make us proudest is that we may be able to play a part in bringing about long-term changes in safety and the way the offshore oil business is conducted in our own country, and maybe even the world. “Maybe that sounds like a speech, but it’s really one that comes from the heart. It’s why many of us do what we do.” Barbara Rie s
A USF law graduate who led the government’s case after the largest oil spill in U.S. history says he believes “justice has been done.” R. Michael Underhill JD ’82 successfully argued that British Petroleum Exploration and Production Inc. (B.P.) is liable for “gross negligence” in the deadly disaster off the Louisiana coast. A blowout of B.P.’s Macondo Well in 2010 destroyed the oil rig Deepwater Horizon, killing 11 people and spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months. In September, Federal Judge Carl J. Barbier ruled that B.P. was grossly negligent and had acted with willful misconduct, paving the way for fines of up to $18 billion. “We’d been working hard on this case for over four years, so when I read Judge Barbier’s opinion, it felt like justice had been done,” Underhill said. Underhill was the government’s lead trial counsel and guided a large team of lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice in this first phase of the trial, which determined liability for the spill. Other attorneys are handling the second and third phases, which will focus on how much oil spilled and the final amount of the civil penalty. Underhill is a specialist in maritime environmental
First Female Dean at School of Management
BARBARA RIES
USF has named Elizabeth B. Davis dean of the USF School of Management (SOM), making her the first woman to lead the school in its 90-year history. Davis is an expert in strategic management, business policy, and organizational dynamics and has more than 25 years experience in higher education. She will lead SOM’s 200 faculty and 54 staff and manage the school’s $26 million budget. She comes to USF from the University of New Haven (UNH) College of Business in Connecticut, where she was dean. Prior to UNH, she was associate professor and chair of the Department of Organizational Sciences and Communication and director of the Women’s Leadership Program at George Washington University. Davis began her career as a researcher at Duke University Medical School and was later named CEO and COO of the National Disease Research Interchange, a biomedical research and technology firm in Philadelphia. She earned her PhD from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in strategic management.
BY THE NUMBERS
106
USF’s rank among universities nationwide by U.S. News and World Report (up from 117 in 2013)
USF’s rank on Forbes magazine list of America’s top entrepreneurial universities
21
USF’s 2014 rank for ethnic diversity by U.S. News and World Report
USF’s rank on Collegefactual.com’s list of best colleges to major in health and physical fitness
66
3
Percent of USF applicants accepted to medical school 2001–13 vs. 45 percent, the national average
hanna hegneLl ’15
8
Student Elected Interim President of SF Board of Supervisors
Katy Tang JD ’17 in front of San Francisco City Hall A USF law student is the new president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors— at least temporarily. Board members voted unanimously to name fellow Supervisor Katy Tang JD ’17 president for a six-week interim term that began Dec. 1. She replaced David Chiu, who started work the same day as a representative in the California State Assembly. “It’s an incredible honor,” said Tang, who represents the city’s Sunset District, where
she grew up. She’ll preside over two board meetings before members elect a president for a two-year term in mid-January. In addition to her duties as the District 4 supervisor, Tang takes two to three classes a semester at USF’s law school and hopes to graduate by 2017. “Going to law school at USF has really helped me become more analytical, which is a skill I’ve put to use as I assess legislation for the city,” Tang said.
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 7
////////news
Student Fights to Reduce Prison Overcrowding Graduate student Luis Aroche MPA ’15 is on the frontlines of the fight to reduce California’s overcrowded prisons, now at more than 140 percent of capacity. In just two years, he’s reduced recidivism 19 percent among San Francisco offenders in the volatile 18- to 25-year-old age group and kept about 90 offenders out of jail or state prison, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Aroche, 35, is in a unique position—he directs the city’s Alternative Sentencing Program (ASP), the only position of its kind in the country. He identifies low-level offenders that he believes are the most likely to be successfully rehabilitated and, through in-depth interviews and background checks, tries to gauge how ready they are to reform. Aroche then works with prosecutors and defense attorneys to create a probationary sentence that avoids jail time but includes at least one mandatory program to help address the root cause of the problem, such as drug rehabilitation, personal and family counseling, or tutoring. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón created ASP in 2012 as an alternative to the one-size-fits-all approach to prosecution and sentencing that he says helped create California’s overcrowded prisons in the first place. One success story is a 19-year-old pot smoker who went on a robbery spree with a BB gun in the city’s Mission District in 2012. He faced three to five years in prison, but on Aroche’s recommendation the young father and high school dropout
was ordered to begin drug rehab and take classes in anger management and parenting. Two years later, he’s earned a GED, received custody of his daughter, and works full time. “Incarcerating him wasn’t necessarily going to stop him from smoking or getting a job or schooling,” Gascón said. “I call it smart sentencing,” said Aroche, who is an example of successful reform. By age 16, he had been arrested for assault and attempted robbery and spent three years in juvenile detention facilities. While there, he learned that his older brother had been sentenced to life in prison for a double homicide. Two other brothers were incarcerated. He decided that a life in prison wasn’t the road he wanted to take and promised a prosecutor he would change. The prosecutor then helped him land his first job, cleaning swimming pools. Aroche went on to earn a GED and a degree in counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. “I represent the marginalized side of the Latino community. I came from the bottom and know how to go up, and the offenders I see recognize that,” said Aroche, who counseled troubled youth before enrolling at USF. “I’m a true believer in the power of a second chance.” Aroche said he applied to USF after learning about its emphasis on ethics, helping others, and community building. “I love every minute of my time at USF. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without it,” he said.
gino luigi mascardo ’16
aroche explains how he’s changing the california prison system—all while in grad school www.usfca.edu/magazine/luisaroche
8 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
Professor Saves Family From Flooding Home USF’s Gretchen Coffman waded into two feet of rushing water to rescue a bewildered family from their rapidly flooding home just outside Anaheim. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, a water main burst in a reservoir behind the family’s home. Waisthigh water was building up against the home’s sliding glass door and floor-toceiling windows and was beginning to seep inside. “It was a pretty crazy situation,” said Coffman, an assistant professor of environmental science, who was spending the holiday weekend at her sister-in-law’s house next door. She said her experience wading through moving water as a wetland restoration expert and an open-ocean swimmer in the San Francisco Bay came in handy. “When I entered the house, they were just standing there paralyzed with panic,” she recalled. Coffman led the family on a search of the house for their infant and pets, loaded them into the family van, and guided them down the driveway, which had water rushing down it like a waterfall. Coffman went back for the elderly grandmother, who used a walker, and escorted her to the front door of the home, before firefighters arrived. Her heroics were featured on CBS Los Angeles’ 5 o’clock news. “I never had a second thought about it. I’m around water all the time, so I went right in,” Coffman said. “It really made me feel grateful I could help them.”
6,845 Number of master’s degrees awarded last year
42
Number of USF undergraduates, fall 2014
1,305
Number of new, full-time faculty, fall 2014
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 9
////////news
Welcome New Trustees The USF Board of Trustees welcomes four new members, including two alumni award winners. The board is the university’s governing body. • Sean O. Carroll, S.J., executive director of the Kino Border Initiative, a nonprofit that promotes U.S./Mexico border and immigration policies that affirm human dignity. • Serra Falk Goldman JD ’04, attorney at Falk, Cornell and Associates. She serves on the advisory board at USF’s Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good and is author of a book on estate planning, Leaving a Legacy. • Evan Kletter ’91, CEO of BAART Programs, which provide drug treatment and rehabilitation nationwide. He is the winner of USF’s 2014 Alessandri Service Award for volunteerism and chaired the university’s San Francisco Regional Alumni Council. • Lindbergh Porter JD ’81, shareholder at Littler Mendelson P.C. He speaks and writes frequently on employment and labor law, and is the 2012 Alumnus of the Year at the USF School of Law. The board also welcomed two new constituent representatives, who participate in board proceedings as non-voting members: • Eva Long ’15, undergraduate student representative • Alexia Thompson MA ’15, graduate student representative
New Home for Sacramento Campus USF’s Sacramento Campus has a new home, located near the heart of the city’s historic business district and a stone’s throw from the state Capitol building. The campus moved from its previous location at Downtown Plaza, because of nearby demolition and construction related to the city’s new sports and entertainment arena. USF has served Sacramento for more than 40 years and offers classes in business, health, and education at both the graduate and undergraduate level. The Sacramento Campus is one of six USF branch campuses, the others are located in downtown San Francisco, San Jose, Pleasanton, Santa Rosa, and Orange County.
MOVIE MAN Actor Sinqua Walls ’07 is branching out. Known for playing a werewolf named Boyd on MTV’s Teen Wolf and Jamarcus Hall on the critically acclaimed series Friday Night Lights, Walls is jumping from the small screen to the big one. He’s featured in Believe Me, a movie released nationwide in September. Walls’ rapidly growing résumé also includes guest appearances on CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, and Californication.
10 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
jeremy snyder ’16
USF graduate student Julian Rowand ’17 kneels in front of a mural he helped paint in San Francisco’s Balmy Alley.
When Walls Speak A graduate student in USF’s Human Rights Education program co-directed a short documentary on the celebrated murals in San Francisco’s Mission District and helped paint one himself. Julian Rowand ’17 co-directed These Walls Speak, a half-hour documentary that brings to life the colorful murals in Balmy Alley, the most concentrated collection of murals in the city. Artists started painting them more than 30 years ago to voice opposition to U.S. intervention in Central America and to
celebrate the identity and culture of the largely Hispanic Mission District. The murals continue to give voice to activism and change, and the alley is a constant work in progress, as older murals are repaired or replaced by new ones. Rowand hopes to use the documentary as a teaching tool. You can find out more about Rowand’s documentary film at thesewallsspeak.wordpress.com.
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 11
PHOTOS BY JEREMY SNYDER ’16
Ramona 2.0 Eighteen months after a hellish accident, she remained in a coma. Her comeback was impossible— and stunning. by Monica Villavicencio
Ramona Pierson MA ’03 moved into a senior citizens’ facility in Kremmling, Colo., about 40 years too early. The 24-year-old was bald, blind, and pieced together with titanium and cadaver bones. Her nose was reconstructed with plastic, and her teeth were porcelain. She weighed 68 pounds. Eighteen months before, the U.S. Marine was in peak health, with a fitness regimen that included regular 13-mile runs. But all of that changed in an instant one evening in the spring of 1984. Pierson was out for a jog near Irvine with her dog when a hit-and-run driver plowed through a red light. As the car sped away, Pierson lay bleeding, mangled to within an inch of her life. Her throat and aorta were sliced open, and her heart and lungs were exposed. Strangers used pens to open airways in her neck and chest. Someone massaged her heart to keep it beating until the paramedics arrived. After a year and a half in a medically induced coma and dozens of surgeries to rebuild her body, doctors gave up on her. They called her a “gomer,” hospital slang for “get out of my emergency room.” She was sent to the only place anyone
USF MAGAZINE WINTER 2015 13
could think to send a patient so badly hurt and with such little hope of recovering: a nursing home. It was a last resort, but it ended up saving her.
SCRUBS AND A SUITCASE FULL OF MEDICAL RECORDS
‘ In
“Everybody lost faith in my ability to recover, so they basically put a map up on the wall, threw a dart, and it landed at a senior home here in Colorado,” Pierson said with a laugh, recounting her story years later in a May 2011 TEDx talk at the University of Denver. Pierson arrived at the nursing home in hospital scrubs, with a suitcase full of medical records. She’d fallen out of touch with friends while in the hospital, and her family had its own struggles: her father had died of a heart attack when she was 12, and her mother battled alcoholism. Her t wo brot her s bounced around without permanent homes, and ’ her sister was in an abusive marriage. ’ But the seniors at the home became Pierson’s new family, and they had a lot to teach her, as she told the TEDx audience. “The one advantage they had over most of you is wisdom because they had a long life, and I needed that wisdom at that moment in my life.” The seniors gave her their spare furniture and bedding, and a makeover. “Out went the scrubs and in came the polyester and floral prints,” Pierson recalled. When her hair started to grow back, the seniors tried all sorts of hairstyles.
some ways it may have been a gift of sorts because I saw that your life can be gone in a second. And what a waste if you don t try to meet your potential.
BACK TO BASICS Learning had always come easy to Pierson. She was able to calculate complex math equations in her head at a young age and entered UC Berkeley at the age of 16. Her standardized test scores were so high they caught the attention of the U.S. Marine Corps, who came knocking with a scholarship. Soon, the undergrad was a soldier writing algorithms to calculate the position of Russian nuclear silos. Pierson was physically impressive as well; her colleagues nominated her as the fittest person at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro near Irvine, where she was stationed. She dreamed of being a cardiologist. But two years after the accident, the prospect of being an independent, fully functioning adult seemed unlikely. She’d have to relearn the basics—like speaking. During the day, Sally, the office manager at the senior home, gave Pierson lessons on how to coordinate her tongue, throat, teeth, and lips to capture air and form words. The exercise was humbling and frustrating. “When you’re a kid, you take things for granted. You learn things unconsciously, but I was an adult and it was embarrassing,” Pierson said. “So, I acted like a two-year-old and refused to work.” When her lessons with Sally weren’t going well, the men at the home decided to help make speech therapy fun, and so began the
14 WINTER 2015 USF MAGAZINE
nightly ritual of what Pierson calls “cussword scrabble.” “I’m going to just leave it to your imagination as to what my first words were when Sally finally got my confidence built,” Pierson chuckled. And there was the blindness. For someone newly blind, just learning to cross the street is hard enough, but Pierson also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Every time she approached the curb, she’d have a panic attack. The seniors had a suggestion: stick your cane out and if it gets hit, don’t cross. But after Pierson lost three canes, the seniors came up with another strategy. They raised funds to send her to the Braille Institute and get her a guide dog. She focused on taking one step at a time. After three years in the senior home, Pierson was ready to live on her own again.
A GIFT OF SORTS Despite everything she lost, Pierson says of her accident, “In some ways it may have been a gift of sorts because I saw that your life can be gone in a second. And what a waste if you don’t try to meet your potential.” Blindness didn’t stop her from reclaiming her athleticism. She took up rock climbing, cross-country skiing, and cycling. She even competed in tandem cycling races with a sighted partner and won a world championship in Russia. Pierson also went back to school, bringing her signature tenacity to the classroom. She started by earning a second bachelor’s degree, this one in psychology at Fort Lewis College in Colorado. When studying in braille became too tricky at times, she tutored students in exchange for reading textbooks to her aloud. For the first time in her life, Pierson understood what it was like to be a student with special needs and what it took to succeed. She realized she could use that knowledge to help students like her learn more effectively. Driven by that goal to help struggling students, Pierson sought to understand how the brain works and how it processes information. She earned a doctorate in neuroscience from Palo Alto University. She also worked in Palo Alto at a brain research center, helping soldiers returning from the Middle East after the first Gulf War. In her free time, she volunteered in
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
Pierson delivers a TEDx talk, “An unexpected place of healing,” in 2011.
the San Francisco public school system to help kids coping with brain trauma. That drew Pierson to enroll at USF’s School of Education, where she earned a master’s degree in teaching and embraced the university’s mission. “I was really attuned to social justice, and it’s a core value in my work. USF is a thread I carry through everything I do.” After years of using technology to help others, technology helped her: a robotic surgery removed a hematoma, restoring her sight in one eye.
A CALLING AT THE INTERSECTION OF EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY In 2003, Pierson became the director of education technology for the Seattle public schools, where she and her team created an online platform called The Source, which allowed students, teachers, and parents to share and discuss projects, assignments, and curricula. The network was adopted across the 120-school system. “What I saw was kids trying to solve learning problems with each other and help each other do different things online,” she said. “I thought, ‘What if we could scale this up to be a lot larger?’” And so Pierson’s first startup, Synaptic-
Mash, was born. An early project matched students with teachers in Indiana, according to their teaching and learning styles. “By doing that, we started out with kids who hadn’t advanced in three years in math, and within six weeks we got them caught up with their age peers,” Pierson explained. “So there’s something to personalization, and the silver bullet isn’t so much the technology, but it’s actually helping to unhook people from thinking they’re not learners and helping them to see that they are.” Several years later, she sold SynapticMash for $10 million to a UK-based education software company. She could’ve retired but instead is working on her second startup, Declara, in Palo Alto. She and her team have created an online tool that helps users find content and people they may not even realize they’re looking for. “We’re able to find hidden resources, hidden content, and hidden experts and bring them together,” Pierson said. Declara is young, but its clients include educators in Mexico and Australia and biotech giant Genentech. Now in her early ’50s, Pierson believes collaboration is key to tackling some of the world’s most intractable problems. “If you’re going to have a workforce that’s going to solve some of the world’s biggest problems like the water crisis and food and war, how are we going to do that unless we work together and innovate together?” That’s what the seniors at the Colorado nursing home did, helping launch the 68 lbs. “gomer” to become a multi-million dollar tech entrepreneur with a seemingly endless list of goals. Her latest? Next year, she hopes to complete a half Ironman, a triathlon that includes a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. The safe bet is she’ll triumph. /////
SEE OUR INTERVIEW WITH PIERSON AND WATCH HER TEDx TALK www.usfca.edu/ magazine/ RamonaPierson
USF MAGAZINE WINTER 2015 15
By Samantha Bronson Photos by Matthew Mitchell
A usf program is helping redefine the role of nurses in Vietnam, in an effort to improve a health care system that is struggling to meet basic needs.
It’s working.
16 Winter 2015 USF Magazine
USF Magazine Winter 2015 17
Greg Crow E dD ’90 never imagined that a trip to Vietnam would end up helping to change health care halfway around the world. Crow is an adjunct professor in USF’s School of Nursing and Health Professions. While on vacation in Hanoi in 2005, he decided to visit the Bach Mai Nursing School and its associated hospital. What he saw shocked him. “I’d never seen conditions like that,” Crow said. “There are 1,500 beds, but they have an average daily census of 3,000 patients. You see two, sometimes three, patients to a bed. You see the staff transport people, sometimes on carts, sometimes on golf carts. You see the nurses struggling to meet the patients’ needs because they don’t have the right information and sometimes they don’t have the right tools.” The U.S. State Department warns travelers about the health care shortcomings on its website: “Please be aware that medical care in Vietnam, even in Ho Chi Minh City, is considerably below U.S. standards ... more serious problems will often require medical evacuation to Bangkok or Singapore. Emergency medical services are generally unresponsive, unreliable, or completely unavailable.” Crow wanted to help but wasn’t sure how. When the staff of Bach Mai asked if he could return the next day and teach a class, he jumped at the chance. He returned the next year and the one after that too. For that third visit in 2007, he was accompanied by USF nursing Professor Greg DeBourgh and a graduate student in USF’s nursing program. The Vietnam Nurse Project (VNP) was born.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS The program’s goal is ambitious: establish a new model of nursing in Vietnam, enabling the country to provide better health care. “When nurses can do more, then and only then can the Vietnamese health care system do more,” Crow said. The program has reached more than 6,500 nursing professionals in Hanoi through its partner nursing schools and hospitals, including the Bach Mai Nursing School and Medical Center, the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine, and the large, public Thanh Nhan Hospital. “These are smart, dedicated people,” said Susan Prion, a USF associate professor of nursing, and the third USF faculty member to join the program. “They want to help people. The problem is that they haven’t been given adequate training to be able to do that.” Every January, VNP sponsors a twoweek trip to Hanoi, with up to 15 USF faculty, graduate students, and volunteer nurses from around the country. Crow,
18 Winter 2015 USF Magazine
who directs the program, and co-directors DeBourgh and Prion lead the trips and teach a wide range of topics to hundreds of nursing professionals, students, and educators. The program gave nurses in Than Nhan’s intensive care unit (ICU) their first stethoscopes and the training necessary to use them. It also gave the hospital its f irst ultrasound machine, which uses sound waves to create a computerized image of internal organs or a fetus.
HELPING to CHANGE THE WORLD VNP also provides an outstanding opportunity for USF’s graduate students in nursing to complete a required clinical project. The results are extraordinary. At Thanh Nhan, then-graduate student Amy Ly MSN ’12 discovered that the endocrinology department had no formal protocol for foot assessment in diabetic patients. These assessments are critical because diabetics can suffer serious foot problems, including deep skin and bone infections, gangrene, nerve damage, and deformities. A small percentage of patients even require amputation of a toe or foot.
Nursing students at the Bach Mai Nursing School and Medical Center, a partner with USF's Vietnam Nurse Project
USF Magazine Winter 2015 19
Ly found that if the assessments were performed at all, they weren’t performed properly. Even when patients were screened, no one documented who did them on which patients or when. The reason for the problem was simple: the nurses had never been trained. Ly returned to USF and created a presentation on how to perform proper foot exams on diabetic patients and then trained the nurses at Thanh Nhan via videoconferencing.
20 Winter 2015 USF Magazine
Today, the assessments are standard care at Thanh Nhan, and the protocol Ly created will likely be adopted by the Hanoi Department of Health, which operates 37 medical facilities in the city. “I don’t know if I have the words for it. It’s amazing,” Ly said. “I can’t believe that a project that in my mind wasn’t going to be that big of a deal turned out to be a huge deal. I’m thrilled that I could have such a big impact.” Nurses in Hanoi even used Ly’s information to
create self-care pamphlets for patients to reference after going home. To a Westerner, this sounds unremarkable, but it’s a giant step in a health care system that traditionally provides little patient education. Prion discovered another serious problem at Thanh Nhan while living in Hanoi for six months as part of the Fulbright Program. Pressure ulcers, commonly called bedsores, were becoming infected, leading to pneumonia, sepsis, and sometimes death. Prion taught procedures to prevent and care for them, starting with one simple step: she had the international treatment standards translated into Vietnamese. Within a month of implementing the procedures, other Hanoi hospitals were referring patients to Thanh Nhan, and the hospital’s own medical and surgical wards called the ICU for help. When asked how many times he had been consulted previously about bedsores, the ICU’s director said, “Before this, never!” Patients also went home with written instructions on how to care for their bedsores, including a list of supplies they’d need and strategies for prevention. That had never happened before.
Struggling to Cope The Vietnam War destroyed almost every hospital in the country. Four decades later, its health care system is still struggling, for many reasons. “In most countries, there’s some kind of licensing or certification process for nurses. Vietnam doesn’t have that,” said DeBourgh. “You’re a nurse when your school says you’re a nurse. When nurses get to the bedside, they may have heard about or read about a particular procedure but never actually have done it.” In fact, hands-on training is almost nonexistent. Students watch an instructor execute a procedure once but rarely have an opportunity to practice. Most often, the first time they perform it
The program gave nurses in Thanh Nhan’s intensive care unit their first stethoscopes and the training necessary to use them. is on an actual patient, often without fully understanding its purpose. “At our institutions in the U.S., we have staff development departments in medical centers so that when something new comes up, a new way to deal with something, there’s ongoing education,” DeBourgh said. “They don’t have that resource in Vietnam. There’s this huge void.” In the classroom, students are taught almost exclusively through lectures, which often consist of an instructor reading aloud from a textbook. The government provides nursing schools with a recommended curriculum, but they're allowed to alter it by up to 40 percent, resulting in a huge variation in skills. VNP shared USF’s undergraduate
Students, nurses, and doctors at the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine listen to a presentation by USF's Vietnam Nurse Project.
USF Magazine Winter 2015 21
Gregory DeBourgh (left), nursing professor and co-director of the Vietnam Nurse Project, and Greg Crow, adjunct nursing professor and the Vietnam Nurse Project's founder and director Susan Prion, associate professor of nursing and co-director of the Vietnam Nurse Project, with Dr. Nguyen Thanh in the ICU at Hanoi's Thanh Nhan Hospital Nursing students at Hanoi's Thanh Nhan Hospital
nursing curriculum with the Bach Mai Nursing School, and Bach Mai incorporated much of it into its own. One of the biggest challenges is cultural, including the rigid and hierarchical structure of Vietnamese health care. Nurses are expected to follow orders without question and don’t speak up. Prion discovered this by accident, in the same ICU that had the problem with bedsores. She and Dr. Nguyen Thanh, the ICU’s medical director, stood at the bedside of a patient who was rapidly deteriorating. The two tossed ideas back and forth on ways to help the patient. “I didn’t really think much of it,” Prion said. “He’s a younger physician. I’m an old, grizzled ICU nurse. It seemed reasonable that we’d be combining our experiences to figure out what do for the patient.”
hands-on training is almost nonexistent. Students watch an instructor execute a procedure once but rarely have an opportunity to practice. Most often, the first time they perform it is on an actual patient.
22 Winter 2015 USF Magazine
But a crowd of nearly three-dozen doctors and nurses watched in awe. They’d simply never seen anything like it before. A nurse making suggestions to a doctor? That doesn’t happen in Vietnam. Later, Dr. Thanh explained the significance of the exchange to Prion. She had shattered perceptions and changed the way nurses— and doctors—think about the role of nurses and their potential. Fostering this change in thinking is one of VNP’s primary goals.
EVIDENCE IT’S WORKING When VNP first started, nurses at Thanh Nhan’s ICU were hitting patients so hard during chest physiotherapy, a procedure used to loosen mucus, that Crow feared they would be hurt. In April, he and Dr. Thanh observed a nurse performing it the way she had learned from VNP. “Then a physician comes to the bedside and tells the nurse to hit the patient harder,” Crow said. “The nurse turns around and says to the physician, ‘What evidence do you have that hitting the patient harder is better for the patient outcome?’ “Well, I almost passed out when I heard that. I mean, it was in Vietnamese, but I could tell what was going on. And Dr. Thanh ver y n icely sa id to h i s col leag ue, t he physician, ‘The nurse asked you a question. What evidence do you have that doing it that way is better than the way we’re now carrying it out?’ That conversation changed
reduced the number of lung infections and decreased the time necessary in the ICU. The initial nursing-practice council is at Thanh Nhan, but VNP hopes to expand the concept and establish councils at other partner hospitals in Hanoi. From there, it plans to create a community of councils from different hospitals so that they can share information and research. VNP is cautiously optimistic that the idea will spread across the country, along with the transformation in how nurses are viewed—and how they view themselves. Even when VNP participants can’t be in Vietnam physically, they can bridge the 7,300-mile distance between San Francisco and Hanoi through videoconferencing, like Ly did with her training on diabetic foot care. the relationship between that nurse and that physician, and I got to witness that.” DeBourgh also sees a difference in how nurses and doctors interact. “In the last couple of years, we have seen a dramatic change. They’re dialoguing more, they’re asking questions, they’re interacting. We see the evidence of the program’s impact in how they’re speaking. They’re asking questions like, ‘How do I know this is the right thing to do? What is the evidence?’ They’re not just using the buzzwords. They really do understand that the way to improve their practice is to do things that are evidence-based rather than just tradition. They’re becoming more empowered to challenge the status quo and to not be intimidated.” VNP leaders believe this change is critical for the country’s health care system to improve. They have focused recent efforts on developing nurse leaders and created Vietnam’s first nursing-practice council. Armed with a transformational idea of their potential and newfound confidence, nurses work with Crow and DeBourgh to identify problems with patient care, suggest solutions based on evidence and research, and evaluate the effectiveness of their solutions once they’re implemented. “Let me give you one recent and very successful example,” Crow said after an October trip to Hanoi. The nurses couldn't find an affordable anti-bacterial solution to clean the mouths of patients on mechanical ventilators, which requires a breathing tube to be inserted in the throat. They discovered that if they bought the supplies in bulk and packaged them themselves, they could reduce the price to an affordable level for most patients. “This may not sound like a big deal,” said Crow. “But when a patient is mechanically ventilated, they are very susceptible to pneumonia, even in the best hospital in the U.S.” Pneumonia can require powerful and prolonged antibiotic therapy and increase the time needed in the ICU. The solution was “effective and affordable,” Crow said, and has
A crowd of nearly three-dozen doctors and nurses watched in awe. They’d simply never seen anything like it before. A nurse making suggestions to a doctor? That doesn’t happen in Vietnam.
Every month, DeBourgh and Crow create a videoconference presentation based on topics suggested by their partners in Hanoi. They use the 60- to 90-minute presentations to discuss new medical research, share clinical expertise, and discuss best practices. As many as 50 nurses and physicians in Hanoi watch each broadcast. Dr. Thanh is always among those watching. A key partner of VNP, Dr. Thanh is an enthusiastic supporter of the program, now entering its eighth year. The new skills and knowledge the nurses gain from VNP are important, he explained, but the program’s true strength comes from its ability to establish a new model of nursing. “It provides hope and belief to our nurses in Thanh Nhan and Vietnam about the brilliant future of nursing in Vietnam,” he said. /////
USF Magazine Winter 2015 23
Picture perfect Corinna Halloran ’07 is racing around the world in a yacht, in a nine-month competition covering nearly 40,000 nautical miles. She’s part of an all-female team trying to win the grueling and sometimes dangerous Volvo Ocean Race, where sailors face mountainous waves, 50 mph winds, and even icebergs. Five participants have died since the race started in 1973. Halloran (pictured left) is the team’s onboard reporter and photographer, and her job is to chronicle Team SCA (named for its Swedish sponsor) as it pushes to the finish line.
24 WINTer 2014 USF Magazine
This photograph of a teammate’s high seas selfie is one of many she’s taken since the race started in October. It ends in June in Gothenburg, Sweden. “I get to tell the story of 13 powerful women who are sailing and changing how the world sees women—that’s humbling, and it gets me up in the morning,” Halloran says. At USF, Halloran was a photo editor and photographer for the San Francisco Foghorn, the university’s student newspaper. Photo by Corinna Halloran ’07, courtesy of Team SCA
USF Magazine WINTer 2014 25
Jeremy Snyder ’16, Gino Luigi Mascardo ’16
Reading, Writing, AND
J
ALL
SHE HAS A SONG IN HER HEART, BUT HER SOUL’S IN THE CLASSROOM
JAZZ by Gary McDonald
Some people call Margie Baker E D D ’83 a jazz singer, some a blues singer. “Other people label me,” says the celebrated jazz vocalist, “but I just consider myself a singer of songs.” Known for her phrasing and interpretation and for giving a song warmth and personality, Baker has incredible stories to tell from her 41-year career: how jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie became her good friend and mentor, how she was discovered by chance the first time she sang in public, and what it was like growing up in the epicenter of the American jazz scene, just blocks from USF. But Baker’s relationship with music is complicated. She loves to sing yet has no formal training and can’t read music. She’s traveled the world performing with the Monterey Jazz Festival but hates show business and doesn’t like the sound of her own voice.
COURTESY OF MARGIE BAKER
“Music was never my priority,” says Baker, who values two things above all else: her faith, which always comes first, and teaching, which is her life’s calling. For Margie Baker, singing is a side note.
Baker's college portrait, Circa 1950
28 Winter 2015 USF Magazine
Right Place, Right Time When you meet Baker, it’s striking how much younger she looks than her 81 years. For half her life, she’s been singing professionally, but she owes her career to luck and coincidence. Or, as Baker says, the Lord’s will. She was a 39-year-old administrator with the San Francisco public schools, armed with a doctorate in education from USF, when she went to eat one night at Henri’s Room at the Top in the San Francisco Hilton (now the Cityscape). A friend of hers, guitarist George Hanapen, was playing. “I was eating my dinner, and all of a sudden I heard him make an announcement that there was a lady in the house who could sing,” Baker remembers. She looked around the dining room to see who he was talking about. “He was talking about me! He saw me, and he knew I could sing a little because we used to have fun at parties. I got really upset with him for doing that.” Reluctantly, she sang I Left My Heart in San Francisco and returned quickly to her table, where her food was growing cold. “That’s when Mr. Hilton heard me sing,” Baker says, referring to hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, who was also eating at Henri’s that night. Hilton sent some hotel executives to her table with a question: “Ma’am, we loved your singing, and Mr. Hilton loved your singing, and Mr. Hilton asks if you would like to work for him?” “Now, that’s the Lord!” Baker says, “Why would I even be going out on a night like that?” Rarely had she sang in public before, except at funerals or with a hymnal in her hand, but suddenly she was crooning at Henri’s five nights a week during the summer, and on Sunday and Monday nights the rest of the year. Sometimes, during big events, the company would fly her to Las Vegas to sing at the Hilton there. Henri Lewin, the restaurant’s namesake and a top Hilton executive, said Baker had a “tremendous talent for making people happy.” He called her voice a gift and said she had many fans including stars like Elvis Presley.
The Move West Baker was born in East Texas near the Louisiana border in 1933. She lived in a house with no running water or electricity, located in “the sticks.” The area was poverty stricken and also “very, very racially negative toward African Americans. You know that, you know the history,” she says. Baker explains that her mother didn't want her raised in that environment. She moved them to San Francisco, to the Fillmore District, soon after the U.S. entered World War II. Baker isn’t sure if they moved in 1941 or 1942, but she has a clear memory of the apartment they lived in. “We lived in a cold-water flat during the war. A lot of people were migrating through San Francisco, and these flats had six or seven rooms, one kitchen, and one bath. So we had to share the kitchen and bath with quite a few of people.” In the 1940s, a large number of African Americans migrated to the Bay Area, mostly from the South, to work in shipyards and other war industries. Between 1940 and 1950, the number of African Americans living in San Francisco increased from just under 5,000 to more than 43,000, according to the U.S. Census. The Bakers didn't live in the cold-water flat for long, because Margie’s mother landed a solid job that paid well. “She was one of the ‘Rosie the Riveters,’” Baker says proudly. “She was a riveter in Hunters Point and Oakland too, at the Oakland Army Base.” “In those days, the money was flowing because it was war time, and my mother saved enough money to buy a home at 1515 Golden Gate Avenue. That was where I was raised. I think that house must have cost $5,000 dollars in those days.” Baker grew up within walking distance of USF, which was only ten blocks away. She enrolled at the university decades later.
Baker did both, and then devoted 51 years of her life to educating others. She started at Patrick Henry Elementary School on Potrero Hill as a teacher and then spent two decades as an administrator with the San Francisco public schools. When she grew tired of school administration and the politics, she asked to work with students again and was named dean of students at Marina Middle School. There, she thrived and postponed retirement until she was 68. “That’s how much I loved those kids. Because so many of them are so needy, they just need people who want to take them and save them,” she says.
Meeting Dizzy When Baker and her mother first moved to the Fillmore in the early ’40s, they lived in the jazz district. Baker was only 8 or 9 years old, but she remembers. “Oh yes, it was hopping!” she says. “I couldn’t go to any of the night clubs or anything, but I was [roller] skating up and down the streets on the sidewalk on Fillmore Street, and Billie Holiday was playing over there, and Nat King Cole was playing over there. I didn’t know too much about them,
‘That’s how much I loved those kids. because so many of them are so needy, They just need people who want to take them and save them.’ ©Leigh Wiener
“All said it was a ‘must’ to come to San Francisco and sing along with Margie Baker,” he gushed. “She was not only Margie, she was magic too.”
Two Things Baker adored her mother, a devout Christian, and church is where Baker was introduced to music. “I love gospel, that was my first music,” Baker says. “I would sing, you know, Amazing Grace. It’s just automatic. You don’t have to read music, just know the lyrics. That’s all.” She had plenty of time to practice: both of her grandfathers were ministers, one Baptist and one Methodist. “My folks were salt-of-the-earth, poor, African American religious people,” Baker says. “They told me two things: ‘First thing you got to do is trust in the Lord, and you got to get your education.’”
The Black Hawk Night club, 1961
USF Magazine Winter 2015 29
COURTESY OF MARGIE BAKER
‘Music has never been my priority. I wasn ’ t even thinking about singing until I was 40 years old. Number one, I am interested in saving my soul, that ’ s the top priority. Secondly, all the other stuff.’
COURTESY OF MARGIE BAKER
San Francisco Hilton, circa 1975
Baker introduces her students To Dizzy Gillespie, 1976
“When I was performing in Tokyo, he was there too at the Blue Note,” Baker recalls. And so they performed together across the world. Despite the many times she sang with a living legend, the story Baker tells most eagerly about Gillespie involves an audience of San Francisco school kids in 1976. “We booked him in some of the elementary and middle schools, and he performed for those children. It was just a wonderful occasion. Just wonderful.” Even as Baker's singing career took off, with singing engagements worldwide, she kept her job with the school district and booked performances only if they didn't interfere with her job in education.
Full Circle
Baker, 2014
Jeremy Snyder ’16, Gino Luigi Mascardo ’16
but I liked the music. And that’s kind of how I got into music, as a kid in the Fillmore District. Because Fillmore was a jazz-club haven. “There was a little nightclub on Turk and Hyde, it was called the Black Hawk. College students could go on Sunday afternoons. If you were under 21, you had to sit behind the chicken wire, because you couldn’t sit where they sold liquor.” That’s where Baker met John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, one of the giants of American jazz and a multi-talented trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and occasional singer. “Well, one Sunday afternoon after we studied, we decided we were going to go down to the Black Hawk. And when Mr. Gillespie saw this group of college students, he was very impressed with that.” Baker was 17 and already a sophomore at UC Berkeley, on scholarship. “Oh that blew his mind,” Baker says. “From that day on Mr. Gillespie and I were dear friends until the day he died.” But 20 years into their friendship, Gillespie had no idea Baker could sing. She decided to invite him to Henri's to watch her perform, and he showed up with a friend in tow, Jimmy Lyons, who founded the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival. “So, Dizzy came up there to hear me sing for the first time, and Mr. Lyons heard me sing, and the next thing I knew, Mr. Lyons was asking me to travel around the world with the Monterey Jazz Festival.” Baker said yes, and that decision took her talent to the world stage. “I would go to Japan for a month, come home, the next year I might go to Russia, come home. The next year New Zealand and Australia. I traveled every summer with the Monterey Jazz Festival for seven years.” Gillespie and Baker performed together often. If Baker were in the audience (which she often was), he’d invite her onstage to sing, and not just in New York and L.A.
In the summer of 2014, Baker released her fourth album, Margie Baker Sings With So Many Stars. She enjoys a standing gig at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame, where she adds the jazz to its lavish Sunday brunch. The audience hears a lot more than jazz, however. Baker has a long list of favorite songs, in many genres, and sings whatever strikes her mood. She loves If I Can't Have You by Alicia Keys, Caught Up in the Rapture by Anita Baker, The Thrill is Gone by B.B. King, Be My Love by Mario Lanza, and the 1930s blues tune Since I Fell for You. “I also love good country,” she continues, “and I sing Patsy Cline’s Crazy all the time. From Broadway, one I really love is Somewhere from West Side Story, and Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable, I love singing that. Above all, I love my religious gospel music, and one of my favorites is Aretha Franklin's Oh Happy Day.” One of her all-time favorite vocalists is Barbara Streisand. “Oh, I love that woman,” she says. Baker remembers one student in particular from her first job at Patrick Henry Elementary, and it brings her story full circle. That student is John Santos, and Baker remembers teaching him “reading, writing, and arithmetic.” Today, Santos is a five-time Grammy-nominated musician and a recognized expert in Afro-Latin music. He's also a featured percussionist on Baker’s new album. When asked what makes her successful, Baker replies: “There are two factors in my success, as far as I’m concerned. Because I am a devout believer in my religion and in education.” “Music has never been my priority. I wasn’t even thinking about singing until I was 40 years old. Number one, I am interested in saving my soul, that’s the top priority. Secondly, all the other stuff.”/////
USF Magazine Winter 2015 31
CO-EDUCATION turns F
“
eelings run high—Co-eds invade USF,” read the headline in the San Francisco Foghorn, USF’s student newspaper, when the university opened its doors to women a half century ago. The announcement was greeted with “boos, cat-calls, and a few isolated cheers,” the paper reported. USF had been primarily a men’s college for more than 100 years when 232 women enrolled as freshmen in the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall of 1964. Women had enrolled at USF before, in nursing, law, and the evening division at the College of Arts and Sciences, but their presence university-wide was new. Much to the dismay of USF’s male students, their GPAs skewed the grading bell curve. “The fellas called the women the DAR—Damned Average Raisers,” said Charles Dullea, S.J., then university president. Most came from single-sex, Catholic high schools and were at the top of their class. “For most of my classmates, it was jarring,” recalls Joanne Prigmore Keratzides ’68, an accounting major. “It was a big deal that they were in class with boys for the first time.” “I think the university saw having women as more of a responsibility,” says politics major Janet Holland ’68, who remembers a strict dress code of dresses, skirts, and nylons, and an 11 p.m. curfew. By 1980, women had overtaken men in enrollment. Today, 63 percent of USF’s undergraduates are female. “There’s no doubt that the decision to fully integrate USF and allow women into any and all programs had a tremendous effect,” explains University Historian Alan Ziajka. “They’ve added so much academically, and it’s hard to imagine we would’ve survived as an institution without them.”
TWO ALUMNAE TELL US WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEING IN THE FIRST CO-ED COHORT www.usfca.edu/magazine/50thcoed
32 WINTER 2014 USF MAGAZINE
50
N
0
at USF
USF’s first fully co-ed class registers for classes in the fall of 1964.
USF MAGAZINE WINTER 2015 2014 33
classnotes Flashback to 1983
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////
FEELING NOSTALGIC? USF YEARBOOKS ARE ONLINE! CHECK THEM OUT www.usfca.edu/library/dc
34 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
Undergraduate
’48
XIE SHIHAO (aka FRANCIS SHIEH) is a retired octogenar-
ian with two sons in the military: one is a retired USAF Colonel and the other is a principal violist with the U.S. Marine Corps Band string section. Francis recently reconnected with fellow USF alumnus CHANG CHING-CHI
(aka BOB CHANG) ’51 in Shanghai.
’55
JOE ARENIVAR was elected for a fifth term to the school board of Pittsburg Unified School District.
’56
AL TWYFORD retired in 2013 after 55 years in the transport industry. Al keeps busy as
a member of Sons in Retirement. Al enjoys poker, hiking, dining out, and wine tasting. Al and his wife, Helene, just celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in June. Al still gets together with USF classmates CARL PIMENTEL , BOB KING, and ED THIEDE . Al also celebrated his 80th birthday in June with friends and relatives.
’58
RICHARD TRAVERS has finally retired and moved to Madison, Ala., to be near family. In addition to joining the Northern Ala. Railroad Museum, Richard spends a great deal of time researching his family history: He has now discovered that his great-great-grandfather invented socialism in France, he is a cousin of Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary, and his grandmother was the daughter of a slave!
’60
RUSSELL R. MILLER, who lives in Shanghai, published two new books: An American in Shanghai: Reflections on Living in New China and SNAPSHOTS: A Brief Stroll Through Asia. Prior to Shanghai, Russell lived in Singapore for seven years.
After 41 years of litigation practice, JOHNMICHAEL O’CONNOR retired from the active practice of law in June. His term as a member of the 2013-14 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury also expired in June. JohnMichael will continue to serve as a neutral ADR provider.
’68
After retiring as president of the Coastal Campus at Simon Bolivar University in Caracas, Venezuela, ENRIQUE LOPEZ-CONTRERas won a search for chair of the Department of Modern Languages at California State University, Stanislaus. Before retiring in the fall of 2013, he was made professor emeritus.
surer for the town of Long Beach, Ind. His term runs until the end of 2016.
BOWMAN OLDS MA ’74 is the former corporate emergency operations manager for a Fortune 500 company and author of the book, How Will the United States Withdrawal from the Republic of Korea Affect Japan's National Security?
JIM SANTELLI lives in Virginia. He retired from the federal government after 37 years of service. He began his career as a Marine Corps historian and ended it as law adviser for the Department of Labor. In this last post he served as the disclosure officer for the Department of Labor’s enforcement agency regulating labor unions. He is the author of a number of articles on military history.
MARIE JORDAN RINEHART retired in 2012 after working at Orange County Children and Family Services in Southern California for over 20 years. To date, she has five grandchildren. Her sons, Joseph and Michael, reside in Southern California. Her daughter Kimberly lives in Chicago. In 2013, Marie moved to Chicago to enjoy the changing seasons, and help with her three grandchildren there.
’63
’69
’62
BILL DE FUNIAK is clerk-trea-
DENNIS LUCEY co-chaired the American-Ireland National Gala held on March 13, 2014 in Washington, D.C. The dinner honored Vice President Joseph Biden. This year’s gala raised over $1 million for peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education, and community development programs in Ireland. Founded in 1976, the American-Ireland Fund benefits more than 1,500 nonprofit organizations in Ireland.
’65
DENNIS FREEMAN is semi-retired, lives in Novato, and currently serves as Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 3950 (Our Lady of Loretto).
DENNIS ZARO MA ’70, EdD ’92 has
created a curriculum, Inner Journeys, for incarcerated and previously incarcerated individuals currently in recovery programs for substance-abuse issues. All seven field trials have been very successful, yielding six positive letters of endorsement. Dennis is currently seeking a publisher for his work.
’67
GARY ANDEREGG and his spouse are traveling in Asia for three months and enjoying their condo in Bangkok. In September, they journeyed to Kathmandu, Nepal to see Mt. Everest, and in October they will visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia, before returning home to Las Vegas in November.
FRANCIS A. DOHERTY ended a 31-year career as an international captain with Delta in 2004. Since then he has been a flight instructor and examiner with Boeing in Seoul, Korea. He reports that he will retire from airplanes, finally, this December.
Bill Kovacich EdD ’80 is retiring from education after 45 years of service: He spent 37 years as principal (St. Timothy in San Mateo; St. Raymond in Menlo Park; and Mater Dolorosa in SSF) to the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and the last 11 as principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Daly City. Bill will continue to work as a volunteer at OLPH in both development and as producer/director of the school plays. CHARLES M. RIFFLE JD ’72 and DOUG GRANT ’68 won the Young Life Masters Pairs at
the recent Bridge Nationals held in Las Vegas. This was the first national championship for Doug and Chuck, who began their bridge partnership in
the Green and Gold Room in 1965.
’70
RAYMOND MICHAUD recently retired after 34 years as headmaster of the John Thomas Dye School, and he has moved to a golf community called Trilogy at Vistancia in Phoenix.
’72
After 40 years, STEPHANIE CHAPRALIS stepped down in June 2014 from a rewarding career in education and nonprofit management to smell the roses. Stephanie and her husband, Dennis McCaffrey, and sister, JANICE CHAPRALIS JD ’80, have now all retired, and are newly returned to The Valley of the Moon. Since retiring from her career as an architectural designer, CYNTHIA COLBY is enjoying having time for her sculpture and glasswork, tutoring reading, and doing activities with her granddaughter, Amelie. Her family continues to host many international students, as they have done for more than 30 years, and find delight in a wide variety of cross-cultural experiences. JAMES FORRER retired after 40 years in the public transportation business and moved to Edmonds, Wash. RALPH NOTOR recently joined the staff at Pyramid Alternatives, a community mental health agency in Pacifica, Calif. as a part-time clinical supervisor of intern therapists. In addition, he continues to see clients in his San Francisco private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist. MIKE PIERACCI has been promoted to Clinical Associate Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Washington State University in Tri-Cities, Wash.
’74
A practicing Buddhist for over 25 years, WENDY LEWIS MA ’11 received Dharma Transmission–similar to bishop ordination, including authority to ordain priests–in the Soto Zen tradition in 2012. She currently serves in the central abbot/abbess department as dean of the Zen Center School.
Ralph Notor ’72 recently joined the staff at Pyramid Alternatives, a community mental health agency in Pacifica, Calif. as a part-time clinical supervisor of intern therapists. In addition, he continues to see clients in his San Francisco private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist.
RENEE LINDEMANN LISTER is still a nurse at Kaiser Permanente, where she’s worked continuously since 1974. Renee has three children, one an editor in film in New York, a daughter who is on faculty in a credentialing program for teachers in Oakland, Calif., and a third child who is about to enter a nursing program at Duke in North Carolina starting in Jan. 2015. She is married to John Lister ’73.
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 35
////////classnotes
’75
TIMOTHY F. REILLY has opened his own practice specializing in the financial analysis of local governments for public unions.
’76
JAN SUSAN JACOBSSEN KEATING
recently retired after 35 years in public education as a teacher, principal, and most recently, as director of pupil personnel services.
’77
MICHAEL A. THOMPSON has put his JD/MBA from UCLA Law School and the Anderson Graduate School of Business to good use. He just completed construction of the Thompson Law Building and is celebrating 29 years of practicing law as a highly successful trial lawyer, having collected millions of dollars on behalf of injured victims throughout the state. Michael was recently elected to a second term as treasurer of the National Bar Association and is a member of its Board of Governors.
’78
JULIAN VALDEZ ’81 has worked at Bradbury Victorian Wallpapers in Benicia for 28 years and has three children. He lives with his 12-year-old daughter, Bailey. He also has two sons, Anthony, who recently started at the Napa Police Academy, and Reilly, who is studying to be a firefighter.
JESSIE MACLEOD wrote Canary in the Courtroom, How Pesticide Poisoning Changed a Woman's Life and Forced Her into Civil Action in 2006. Her book, which is still in publication, continues to validate growing evidence on the presence and dangers of toxins in our environment. Jessie still shares her research and knowledge of the subject.
’79
CRAIG NATHANSON is now an adjunct faculty member here at USF in the School of Management. He has published five books including his latest, Joyful Work in Midlife: The Five Stages.
’80
BOB LOCK had the pleasure of
golfing at Cog Hill Country Club this summer with fellow alumnus Bill Cartwright ’79. Bill and Bob attended the Gentile Golf Outing to support the St. Ignatius College Prep student assistance fund in Chicago. A good time was had by all, and the event raised a record amount to support students in need. MICHELLE MOLINA SOURS is currently working at Stanford’s outpatient surgery center in the pre- and post-operative area. LEON STOWERS started his career in the U.S. Air Force, a role that took him around the world to work on ICBMs and satellites, changing hats from operator to inspector to investigator over the years. After leaving the Air Force, Leon went on to serve as a special projects business manager at Aerospace Co., and then as a law enforcement officer. Aside from his
36 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
professional career, Leon has managed to take on a number of other titles along the way, including student, private pilot, husband, and father. He is guided in everything by the maxim “Duty, Honor, Country” and His grace.
ism and has exhibited and lectured extensively throughout Mexico and Israel, countries of former residence. Abby has now returned to California where she continues to paint, exhibit, and lecture.
’81
’85
Some people finish graduate school only once; others are just different. SARITA M. LEDET MA ’85 completed a Master of Divinity Degree in 2013 and is now one-third of the way through a doctorate. Her research emphasis is the role of women in the early church. She plans to complete the program in 2016. BARBARA SMALL joined GCA Law Partners LLP as a partner in May 2014 and established the firm’s trusts and estates practice. Barbara’s practice covers estate planning, decedent’s estate administration (probate), trust administration, conservatorship/ guardianship matters, and elder law counseling. Her clients are drawn from all levels of business and socioeconomic strata in Silicon Valley, from innovative CEOs and pioneering legal leaders, to individual family members and elders intent on preserving their independence. JULIAN VALDEZ has worked at Bradbury Victorian Wallpapers in Benicia for 28 years and has three children. He lives with his 12-year-old daughter, Bailey. He also has two sons, Anthony, who recently started at the Napa Police Academy, and Reilly, who is studying to be a firefighter.
’83
J. VERN CROMARTIE EdD ’91
published the following three books in 2013: Morgan-Frazier Family Clan: Chronicles of a Black Family with a Geechee, Gullah Heritage in Essays, Interviews, Research Reports, Documents, and Photographs; Reappraisal of the Black Panther Party: Selected Essays for the 21st Century; and Intercommunal Street Poems. ROBERTA CUNNINGHAM is the daughter of retired Professor Robert Cunningham (philosophy) and has been a pediatrician at Kaiser in Oakland, Calif. for over 20 years. She is the pediatric medical director of the well-baby nursery, is involved with teaching pediatric residents, and has recently become a certified lactation consultant. Roberta is married and is mom to a college graduate, a high school junior and a 7th grader—all boys.
At the age of 16, ABBY RUBINSTEIN MA ’85 received a scholarship from the Brooklyn Museum of Art. She later followed the philosophy of Expression-
KIYOSHI MURAKAMI has been appointed as senior adviser to the City of Rikuzentakata, Japan, which was completely washed out by the tsunami disaster of 2011. He is advising the mayor and city officials on development, and is serving as the international liaison with the United Nations. Kiyoshi is also a visiting professor for National University, where she focuses on international corporations and disaster management.
’86
SAMUEL CRUMP MPA ’02 is married to COLLEEN MCCARTHY CRUMP ’84. Sam is co-chair of the USF North Bay Regional Alumni Council. Colleen is an ICU nurse at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
MICHELLE TONECK DADDARIO practiced nursing in Germany for four years after graduation, where she met her husband. They now reside in New York with their four children. After 22 years working at a local hospital recovery room and cardiology unit, Michelle has moved to a cardiology practice and loves the new opportunity. Fitness is always fun for her, and she has found a passion for cycling, and teaching Zumba and cycling at a local gym. CAROLINE KING is back into the corporate world. For eight years, she studied language arts, math, social studies, and science with her daughter. She’s happy now to be independent and doing something different.
After LORRAIN TAYLOR MHR ’88 lost her 22-year-old twin sons Albade and Obadiah in 2000—the young men were innocent victims of gun violence—she turned her grief into a positive endeavor and founded 1000 Mothers to Prevent Violence. A high-spirited gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist, Lorrain has received numerous awards and honors as a community activist and organizer. Most recently, Lorrain was selected as an honoree for Ebony magazine’s annual Power 100 list.
’87
LYNDALEE WHIPPLE retired from her post as assistant director of Stanislaus County Community Services Agency after 37 years in public social services. Lyndalee served on the Child Welfare League of America Board of Directors for eight years. She has owned and operated a
GINO LUIGI MASCARDO ’16
NICOLE PONSECA ’98
RISK TAKER PUTS FILIPINO FOOD ON NYC MAP New York City restaurateur Nicole Ponseca ’98 is an unlikely success story in an industry where few businesses survive. She co-owns two popular Filipino restaurants, both of which have been highlighted in The New York Times. Ponseca already had her dream job, working for a major ad agency in New York City, when she first saw her opportunity: Clients would sometimes ask her to recommend a good
Filipino restaurant, and there simply weren't any to choose from. “No one was doing it, and I knew that I could and would,” says the Filipina-American. “But I knew from my classes at USF about the profitability and the risk involved, and I wanted to mitigate that risk." Eighty percent of all new restaurants in New York City fail within the first five years, and Ponseca had no restaurant experience. So she set out to learn everything she could about the industry: she backpacked through the Philippines to learn the cuisine; she tested recipes at Saturday afternoon tastings in her apartment; and she took job after job to learn
cattle ranch for the last 18 years. She holds a gold card in the Women's Professional Rodeo Association. Lyndalee stopped running barrels in 2007 and now enjoys world travel.
CAROL MCARTHUR is assistant general manager at East Bay Regional Park District and executive director of the Regional Parks Foundation.
’88
JOHN MURRAY is currently an area business partner for Alere Home Monitoring. He is responsible for three sales territories (Arizona to Albuquerque, Northern California and Northern Nevada, and Southern California). He and his wife, Stephanie, live in Livermore, Calif. with their daughter, Sabrina, and son, Nicholas.
After 25 years with IBM in the Bay Area, SUZI BYRD has moved to Palm Desert, Calif. near Palm Springs, where she sells residential real estate to snowbirds.
FRANCESCO SFORZA CESARINI misses his years at USF, which he considers among the best times of his life. The international atmosphere, the city of San Francisco, the early days of Silicon Valley, and the West Coast are all a part of the baggage of positive life experiences he carries with him.
’89
ANGELICA C. ARCE is missing her alumni friends from the nursing class of 1989. She sends positive wishes to come their way. Angelica is on Facebook.
how restaurants actually work—waitress, hostess, dishwasher—but night jobs only. She kept her day job at the ad agency. This is how Ponseca worked for more than a decade. “It was tough. Last call at some of these places was 3:30 a.m.,” Ponseca says. “My bosses at the ad agency never knew. I didn’t want them to feel that I couldn’t handle it.” After years of educating herself about the restaurant business and unsuccessful efforts to woo investors, she decided it was time: she rented space from another restaurant and opened for business. It was a modest beginning—lunch only, one day a week. There were few customers, but even so, things didn't go smoothly. “There were customers who waited two hours for their food. My heart was in my stomach, and I was so embarrassed,” she says. “But then they would come back. It was amazing.” Within a month, there was a waitlist of 3-4 weeks for a reservation, thanks to a small write-up in New York magazine and word-ofmouth recommendations. Today, Ponseca's two restaurants offer a modern take on traditional Filipino dishes: Maharlika (which means ‘nobility’ in Tagalog, the official language of the Philippines), and Jeepney (named for the WWII military jeeps used for public transportation in the Philippines). Ponseca is also thinking about expanding her business, and San Francisco is in the running. “It would be so good to come back home,” she says. Ponseca explains how she went from dishwasher to restaurateur www.usfca.edu/magazine/ filipinofoodie
ANNE FASHAUER married Van Williamson on July 12, 2014. The wedding and reception were held on the family property in Philo, Calif. The couple will reside there as well, and are opening up a new wine-tasting room at Witching Stick Wines. ART GARCIA and wife, KARI (PARKER), are proud parents of two USF students. Their daughter Nicole is a junior majoring in business and son Alex is a freshman. They write, “It is great to keep the Dons tradition alive. Hello to all the Hangers & Hangerettes! Go Dons!” KATIE MILLER WEBER married William Weber July 21, 2012. They were married at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church in Reno, Nev. Katie’s two sons
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 37
////////classnotes
Alumni Weekend September 2014 26 -28 Clockwise from the top: the spirit squad welcomed alumni home; recent grads found time to network and connect; future Dons got a taste of campus; a big BBQ attracted foodies in droves; and alumni discovered beauty at the Thacher Gallery.
38 winter WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
T
he Hilltop was full of green and gold spirit as hundreds of graduates returned to campus, traveling from as far away as New York and Atlanta, to celebrate USF Alumni Weekend. With more than 15 events, the three-day celebration offered something
for everyone in USF’s growing network of 100,000 living alumni: a barbecue in the shadow of St. Ignatius Church, art exhibits in Thacher Gallery, a chance to cheer on the
We asked Dons DURING ALUMNI WEEKEND "What'S up?" Find out what they said www.usfca.edu/magazine/ alumniweekend2014
men’s soccer team, and reunion gatherings and networking mixers. Whether they were recent graduates or established professionals, alumni reconnected with old friends, made new connections, and met USF’s new president, Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J., who celebrated a special alumni mass. For the first time, USF also offered panel discussions featuring advice and
Alumni Weekend 2015 Alumni Weekend welcomes all US F graduates back
inspiration from fellow alumni and USF faculty on topics like succeeding in your
to campu s each fall. For
career, women in leadership and philanthropy, and justice and Jesuit values. In her
information on Alumni
talk, Wendy Okun JD ’94, a senior attorney at Microsoft, encouraged her fellow Dons
Weekend 2015 and other
to increase their visibility within a company by forwarding emails praising a strong
alumni events in your
performance to their managers. “Let go of any reluctance you might feel that this is
area, plea se vi s it
bragging,” she said. “It’s not.”
www.usfca.edu/alumni
Class of 1964, A Golden Anniversary
The Class of 1964 gathered for its golden reunion. “It was a first-class event,” noted Jack Schroeder ’64, “May USF continue to grow in its education and spiritual objectives!”
Back row from left: Alma Stanford, Leonard Sullivan, David Batcho, Jim Trimble, Carey Johnson, Tom Cahill, Jim Campagna, Neal Cabrinha, Bill Lucke, Art Ruthenbeck, Phillip Pelletier, Jeffrey Leith, Paul Sullivan, Howard De Nike, Edward Thomas, Thomas Ward, Arnold Bacigalupi, Jim Sullivan, Jack Schroeder, Patrick Ripple, Jeremy Wooliever. Front row from left: Theresa Guy, Mary Falco, Ming Chin, Cathy Brossier, Carrie Cox, Michael Merrill, Patricia Ross, Gary Compari, Tony Piazza, Philip Bartenetti.
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 39
////////classnotes
gave her away and her daughter was the maid of honor. She continues to teach 2nd grade for public schools. Will is a mechanical engineer who works for a small company in Reno.
’90 ’91 ’93 ’93
DOROTHY RAMSDELL works
in the health and wellness business with the Shaklee Corporation. DOUGLAS CLARK serves as chief executive officer of Métier, Ltd. GARY BARRERA is senior
counsel in the San Francisco office of the law firm Nicolaides LLP.
KEVIN R. REILLY traveled to the Philippines in February, where he visited Manila, Palawan, and Boracay. In July, he passed the preliminary oral exam to progress to candidacy in doctoral studies at Pepperdine University's Graduate School for Education and Psychology. He is researching how health-profession educators approach simulation debriefing in relation to the cultural dimensions of the learning environment.
LARISA V. GENIN ’96 has been named one of 31 emerging college and university leaders for the 2014-15 class of the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Program, which focuses on identifying and preparing the next generation of senior leadership for the nation's colleges and universities.
DEANNA TRYON has been named chief of protocol of the Silicon Valley Office of Protocol, headquartered in Los Altos. Deanna moved to Los Angeles after graduation, where she worked for the British Consulate General and the City of Los Angeles. She received her master’s degree from Harvard in 1998. Deanna most recently served as acting assistant chief of protocol for the County of Los Angeles.
’94
BINDI HUNTSMAN and Joel McKay were engaged in Santa Barbara, Calif. after a beautiful summer of love. They met at Va De Vi in Walnut Creek for the best first date of the rest of their lives. They are planning a destination wedding and look forward to sharing eternal love. DEREK S. LEIGHNOR earned his JD in two-and-a-half years from Southwestern Law School, completing the program in December 2013. He took and passed the February 2014 bar exam, and is now an estate-planning attorney in the Greater Los Angeles Area, focusing on wills, trusts, and incapacity planning. Derek and Simon M. Flores ’94 met at USF and after 22 years together, are now married and living in San Gabriel, Calif. SAIRA NAYAK has been appointed the
first chief privacy officer of TUNE, the company behind the products MobileAppTracking, MobileDevHQ,
40 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
and HasOffers. As CPO, Saira will continue building TUNE's privacy program and security practices, and work closely with TUNE's network of clients and partners to define best practices for sharing and securing first-party data for marketers.
’95
KARI ZIMMERMAN joined the faculty at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn. as assistant professor of Latin American history.
’96
After more than 12 years of working as a realtor for Coldwell Banker, PATRICIA CASABAL KRUGER had established her own staging business, PK Home Staging & Designs. She continues to travel the globe for design inspiration and currently resides in San Francisco with her husband, Matthew, and their two children.
’96
ALMA GALAPON EdD ’02 is teaching 2nd grade for Elk Grove Unified School District. She lives in Elk Grove, Calif. with her husband, Robert S. Thompson (retired U.S. Navy Chief), and their three children.
LARISA V. GENIN has been named one of 31 emerging college and university leaders for the 2014-15 class of the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Program, which focuses on identifying and preparing the next generation of senior leadership for the nation's colleges and universities. MATT GREENFIELD is continuing his recovery from a rare form of brain cancer (TNS lymphoma), which affects less than a dozen people worldwide. After undergoing two brain surgeries, numerous rounds of chemotherapy, experimental procedures, and a stem-cell transplant, he is in remission. Matt has spent the past year assimilating back into his job as an advertising media executive and spending time with his wife, Lynda, and daughters Isabella, Mila, and Kylie in Sherman Oaks, Calif. where they reside. He was honored along with other stem-cell transplant survivors in a ceremony given by Cedars-Sinai Hospital. He is very grateful for all the prayers and support from the USF family.
After almost 22 years in San Francisco, MATT LAWRENCE and his family moved to Seattle. Matt is currently building a company focused on delivering military grade encryption for real-time messaging, calling, and email.
’97
GLADYS E. BARBIERI has
published a second bilingual picture book, Pink Fire Trucks, which was awarded "Most Inspirational"
picture book by the 2014 International Latino Book Awards and received first place for "School Issues" from the 2014 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. JOSE JASSO was named the 2013 employee of the year for the City of Manteca. Jose has worked for the city since he was 16-years-old, and he maintained a full-time position while completing his undergraduate studies at USF. He credits his well-rounded education for his career success.
In May 2014, KRISTIN NELSON MSOD ’09 joined the Community Foundation Sonoma County as a philanthropic adviser.
’99
NEGAH ANGHA is currently special assistant to the under secretary for political affairs at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., where she advises on issues related to U.S. policy in the United Nations and other international organizations.
JENNIFER BAYLEY and Gavin Jones welcomed son Sawyer in January 2014. He joins older sister Penelope. KOURTNEY HALLUM FERRUA works as an elementary school principal at Wascher Elementary in Lafayette, Ore. Wascher is a school-wide Title I school with over 60 percent of students living below the poverty line. Kourtney lives in McMinnville, Ore., with her husband Kevin and their two children, Eva (9) and Dylan (7). JUDE PATCH GUGLIELMINO has worked as a volunteer liaison in the Santa Rosa Hospital for nine years. She and a collaborator have developed a program that provides much-needed comfort and support to patients and their families, and they have recently received a grant enabling them to travel to Florida to present the program to emergency and hospital staff.
’01
JOHN CUSHING MAT ’04 recently accepted the new position of assistant principal at Beanstalk International Bilingual School following eight years at the United Nations International School in Hanoi, Vietnam. LAURA TINETTI was promoted to senior vice president of SRS Real Estate Partners.
’02
AMANDA HUFFMAN DZIDA MA ’06
was recently hired as the assistant director at the USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies. Amanda is responsible for managing the center's public programs and communication
strategies in addition to grant writing and sourcing new funding. Upon graduating from USF, KRISTINA ORLOVA spent a decade in the mental health field. She earned her master’s degree in counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and became a licensed massage therapist in 2008. Currently, Kristina has changed her career path and joined a startup called BitFury as the office and human resources manager. In 2008, CECILIA VALDEZ ran for city council in the city of San Pablo and was elected. She served as mayor in 2012, the same year she was reelected. Cecilia is in the middle of her second term and is thoroughly enjoying serving her city of San Pablo and the surrounding communities.
Houston Woman Magazine. Anika is managing partner of Hardcastle Properties, LLC. Anika serves on various nonprofit boards and as a school volunteer, but is also board chair and co-founder of two 501c3s: Learn Grow Lead and Houston Children Give Back.
’05
MARY DICKOW MPA ’07 is the statewide director for the California Action Coalition and was recently recognized as an honorary fellow of the American Academy of Nursing for her work with nurses at the state and national level. Mary is one of only two honorary fellows inducted this year—non-nurses who are honored for their significant contributions to advancing the profession of nursing.
’06
at Curiale Wilson LLP, an employment law firm that provides advice and counseling to companies throughout Northern California, as well as defense and prosecuting actions in court and before the National Labor Relations Board. Joe married Jessica Wilson, a St. Ignatius alumna, in 2012. They have a 17-month-old son, Marco.
FRANCIS CICCHINI was recently selected to serve as chief of staff of the Army's Solarium Seminar to identify and propose solutions to problems within the army, and for graduate education at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. Currently, Francis is working on medical relief efforts with the Department of Defense to help fight the ebola outbreak in Africa.
’04
’07
JOE WILSON JD ’07 is currently a partner
MARY DEFRANCIS (YOUNG)
married Andrew Young at St. Colman's Church in Cazadero, Calif. on September 6, 2014. Mary works as a labor and delivery nurse at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, and is currently a member of the USF Alumni Association Board of Directors. The entire alumni board and staff congratulate Mary and Andrew on their recent nuptials! BECKY BUCK DOUVILLE is living in Seattle, and expecting her second baby in January 2015. She’s a full-time parent and part-time blogger. LAURA M. FURNISS JD ’08 has joined Dubrovsky Law, a boutique family law-focused firm with her good friend from USF, GARY VADIM DUBROVSKY ’04. Gary and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed their first child, Elon, in November 2013.
After completing her undergraduate degree, MARY GRACE HALATSIS graduated with a master’s degree in education from Holy Names University. She is a credentialed special education teacher, currently working for Ocean Grove, a home charter school. Mary Grace loves working with children and families on a one-to-one basis. ANIKA JACKSON was recently named the 2014 HER Awards "Maximum Mom" by
EZEKIEL CRAGO MA ’09 is starting a doctoral teaching fellowship at UC Riverside. CHRISTOPHER MARTINEZ DIAZ is currently working for Evanisko Realty and Investments, Inc. in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Additionally, Christopher is completing a master's degree in urban planning at the University of Southern California.
After earning a master’s degree in teaching from USF, JEANNINE LAUBNER MA ’09 decided to fulfill her dream of working abroad: She moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2010 to be a part of the largest public education reform in the world. There, she started as an English teacher and became a Head of Faculty for the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Jeannine is married, and has one child and a rescue dog. SUZANNE L. PLACE (LITTLE) was married
April 30, 2014.
’08
JULIE HENDERSON recently self-published two books, Shine On and Sing to Be Sung. Her work was also published in Words Fly Away, a poetry anthology that continues to raise funds in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster. In addition to writing, Julie produced a full album of
‘she-rock’ folk music titled, Songs in the Key of She, and has been working as an English Instructor, 3-D installation artist, freelance photographer, and metalsmith. ELIZABETH NOEY is pursuing a PhD in theoretical organic chemistry that she expects to complete in 2014. She was a USA Triathlon Collegiate National Champion in 2014 as well.
’09
CHERYL MAHONEY published her second novel in October, The Storyteller and Her Sisters, a young-adult fantasy book inspired by the fairy tale "The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces"—but Cheryl’s princesses take much more control of the story than in the Brothers Grimm version. The book is available on Amazon. ANIKA STEIG is studying for a master’s degree of public administration at the London School of Economics.
’10
BEVERLEE CVITANOV recently graduated from Andrew Taylor Still University of Health Sciences with a doctorate in physical therapy. After completing graduate school in Mesa, Ariz., she has moved back to Sacramento, Calif. to be closer to her family.
AISLIN O’CONNOR ’10 is currently a 2015 MBA candidate at Said Business School, University of Oxford, where she has been named a Forte Fellow for Women's Business Leadership. For the three years prior she was in commercial real estate finance in San Francisco. Aislin hopes to further her career in banking after completing the MBA.
AISLIN O’CONNOR is currently a 2015 MBA candidate at Said Business School, University of Oxford, where she has been named a Forte Fellow for Women's Business Leadership. For the three years prior she was in commercial real estate finance in San Francisco. Aislin hopes to further her career in banking after completing the MBA. ALEXANDRA LIPPINCOTT recently earned a master's degree from Georgetown University and currently works in the finance department at the ESPN980 radio station in Maryland. ZHOU LOU, working with professors in UC Davis’ Departments of Chemistry and of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has discovered the direct molecular oxygen formation in CO2 photodissociation. The work was published Oct. 3 in an article in the journal Science, and has also been featured in C&EN News, RSC Chemistry World, Yahoo News, and the LA Times.
’11
MAJEL BAKER is currently pursuing a PhD in psychology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, with research emphases on trauma, intervention, and sexual health. She credits her success in psychology to the one-on-one
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 41
COURTESY OF justin grider
////////classnotes
Justin Grider MS '14 (right) at a wheelchair repair shop in Addis Adaba, Ethiopia.
justin grider MS ’14
World Economists herald Alum's Research When Justin Grider MS ’14 lived and worked in Ethiopia in 2012 as an English teacher, he wondered why so many disabled people there were on the streets begging and what could be done to help them.
At USF, he tackled those questions as part of his graduate work in international development economics. The result was some of the first econometric research on the impact that wheelchairs can have on the lives of the disabled in the developing world—and international economists took notice. Grider found that when the disabled were given a wheelchair, they switched from begging on the streets to working, which increased their incomes by as much as 82 percent and helped
mentorship and support she received from her professors and research advisers in the USF psychology department.
Sheriff's Office. The happy couple plan to marry in summer 2015.
MARA DURKIN has been working as a pediatric acute care nurse at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital since graduating from USF. She is also participating in her first medical mission trip to Nicaragua to assist underprivileged children with receiving life-changing orthopedic surgeries.
After graduation, JOANNE GROSS continued to work at Kaiser Permanente, where she was promoted to senior staff assistant. She supports four specialty/surgical departments using the skills she gained at the North Bay campus. She is currently enrolled at Sonoma State University in the Master of Organizational Development cohort with a planned graduation date of 2016.
REGINA FESSLER has her dream job as an RN in the emergency department at Ukiah Valley Medical Center. She met her fiancé, James Rhine, while working at Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport, Calif. He recently began working as a deputy sheriff at Mendocino County
DAVID HOLGUIN is currently stationed in Afghanistan as a fire support officer for Grim Troop 3/3 Cavalry Regiment. USF ROTC helped teach him the tactical and technical knowledge to not only combat the enemy, but also reach out to the hearts and minds of the local
’12
42 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
them to live better, more productive lives. Grider was invited to present his findings at the Global Development Conference in June 2015 in Morocco, and his research won first prize at an international student competition in Prague that was sponsored by one of the world’s top graduate programs in economics at the Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education—Economics Institute. Of the 261 disabled individuals surveyed in his study in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital city, about half owned wheelchairs. Grider found that those with wheelchairs had a big advantage in getting around the city and finding employment. In fact, wheelchair users were 15 percent more likely to be employed and worked 12.25 hours more per week. The findings point to the potential for large economic gains on a national scale. Research by the World Bank indicates that Ethiopia may be losing as much as 9 to 13 percent in economic growth annually by failing to address the needs of persons with disabilities. “Anyone would be humbled by the struggle that those who are disabled in the developing world go through,” Grider says. “If there is a cost-effective intervention that can be a catalyst for those individuals to be better included in society, have a higher probability of employment, and earn more income, it should absolutely be looked into.” Grider’s research led to his current job with the international nonprofit Village Enterprise, where he evaluates the effectiveness of small business loans in Uganda and Kenya.
populace. He believes the key to defeating insurgency is not in military might, but in capturing the hearts of the Afghans. NICOLA CLARE MCLAUGHLIN is currently a law student at the University of Sydney.
’13
GABRIELA KIRKLAND
graduated summa cum laude and as a valedictorian finalist. This August, she will be attending law school at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
’14
FELICIA DOUBEK is excited to be starting her career at Grant Thornton LLP in Seattle. CHARLOTTE GREENE lives in the northeast kingdom of Vermont, where she is assistant cheesemaker at Sweet
Rowen Farmstead, a micro dairy. The dairy milks Vermont heritage breed Randall Lineback dairy cows and bottles whole milk. It also makes fresh cheeses, including farmer's cheese, feta, cheddar curd, and soft-ripened Camembert-style cheese. Charlotte loves selling directly to local communities at farmers’ markets. MONICA OBLEA MORALES was recently crowned Miss Philippines USA Tourism 2014 in the Miss Philippines USA Beauty Pageant held in San Gabriel, CA on July 27.
graduate
’64
RODGER LIPPA JD retired in 2012 after 25 years as a judge for the State of California. He previously served as a defense trial lawyer for 22 years.
’71
ALOYSIUS J. LINDEMANN MA
recently returned from a fly fishing trip in California.
‘73
In retirement, JORG AADAHL MBA has turned into a prolific editorial writer. You can find his work at www.MyHonestOpinionBlog.com and his ebook, Dear Editor, at www.smashwords.com.
’75
CHRISTINE VERTUCCI JD is the director of the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute in Davao City, Philippines. One of their major programs is the annual training for Asian peace builders.
’78
STAN TOSELLO JD recently moved from Citibank International Personal Banking in Miami to Banamex USA in Los Angeles, an affiliate of Citigroup that focuses on banking regulatory related matters. Stan’s son, Paul, is a senior at the University of Washington, and Nicholas is in ninth grade in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
’79
CARLOS F. MENDOZA JD has worked in private practice with an emphasis in civil litigation, based in Los Angeles, for 32 years. He actively serves those with little or no access to the civil justice system, a “David and Goliath” process that he says makes it worthwhile.
’81
MIKE GERMAN JD just retired
from 32 years of practicing law, most recently in the Attorney General's San Diego Licensing
Litigation section. He continues to be an avid cyclist and U.S. Masters Swimmer and is reclaiming the title of “master road tripper,” a moniker he earned during his undergraduate days at Wabash College in Indiana.
’83
AUDRY LYNCH EdD was honored at the Hollywood Festival of Books for her book, The Rebel Figure in American Literature and Film. In her book, she explores the connection between movie star James Dean and novelist John Steinbeck. Her children’s book, Ruben’s Tales of the Amazon, won an honorable mention at the Los Angeles Book Festival. Audry is a member of the California Writers Club and the National League of American Pen Women. Before committing her life to writing, she served as a guidance counselor for 32 years and taught English at Mission College for 25 years.
’84
ELINOR SUE COATES MPA
retired in 2010 as instructor emerita at the University of Arkansas, and enrolled at the University of New Mexico for a PhD in organizational learning and instructional technologies. Her dissertation is “Cross-Cultural Study of Inter-Organizational Stress Among Project Sponsors: How Understanding Organizational Cultures Helps Engage Support for the Project.” She plans to graduate in the fall of 2015. G. JEAN LAURIN-LAWRENCE MS was ordained a deacon in the International Ecumenical Catholic Church (IECC) of California and Hawaii in June. Jean is a celebration minister in Riverside County, Calif. BRIAN J. PURTILL JD ended his 10-year relationship with the firm of Spaulding McCullough & Tansil LLP and has opened his own office. Brian is devoting his full-time efforts to his ongoing mediation and arbitration practice at the Arbitration & Mediation Center in Santa Rosa. SUE ROKAW JD is the president for the 2014-15 year of the Rotary Club of Fisherman's Wharf, one of seven rotary clubs in San Francisco. In her role, Sue leads local community service projects serving the Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach areas of San Francisco.
’85
CATHY GOTT MPA is the founder and owner of Danny's Farm Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit named for her son. Danny's Farm Charitable Foundation is a petting farm that employs adults with
developmental disabilities and serves children of all abilities.
’86
The California State Bar Board of Governors recently appointed CAROL M. LANGFORD JD to the Discipline Standards Committee, where she focuses on large corporations. Carol will be assisting in drafting the standards governing discipline of California lawyers. DEBORAH VANSKIKE SESSA MA is currently in her 35th year of teaching high school at Johansen High School. Deborah currently lives in Modesto with her husband, Paul. They have two children in college: Kyle is about to graduate as a business major, and Molly is attending the University of Kent in England for the fall semester.
’88
LOU A. BORDISSO EdD was recently featured in an article for the October issue of U.S. Catholic on how his Catholic faith has sustained him as he lives with younger-onset Alzheimer's. PAULA-JO HUSACK MA is pursuing a marriage family therapy license. She is the co-author of Catch Your Star and delivers speeches on life leadership for healthcare worker organizations, recovery programs, and positive parenting. Her article on physicians' life leadership, “My Patient, MySelf … Who’s First in Your Life Leadership?” was published in San Mateo County Physician Magazine. Paula-Jo was also recently seen on Bravo’s Miss Advised as the treating therapist. In her spare time, she volunteers as a tour guide with San Francisco City Guides and is a performing member of Conspiracy of Venus, a 30-voice contemporary acapella women's choir.
GONZALO “SAL” TORRES JD is legal director of commercial transactions for Equinix, Inc., where he recently completed work projects in Singapore and Brazil. In between projects, he vacationed throughout China. Sal continues to be an active member of USF’s law school mentorship program, and in November 2014 he conducted two resume-writing and career-search workshops for law students.
SUE ROKAW JD ’84 is the president for the 2014-15 year of the Rotary Club of Fisherman's Wharf, one of seven rotary clubs in San Francisco. In her role, Sue leads local community service projects serving the Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach.
’89
ANNe MARIE SCHUBERT JD won the June Sacramento District Attorney’s race with a 58-percent victory over two opponents in the first seriously contested campaign for the county prosecutor’s office in 20 years.
’90
MICHAEL R. HULL JD has been practicing patent prosecution and patent-related opinion work in
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 43
////////classnotes
Chicago for 24 years. For the last nine years he has been with a firm he helped found called Miller, Matthias & Hull. Michael thoroughly enjoys patent prosecution and specializes in chemical and mechanical arts.
’91
BOBBIE RAE BAILEY JD is the managing partner of the Los Angeles office of Leader & Berkon, LLP, New York, N.Y. FRED CARR JD returned to the U.S. in 2013 after several years of practice in the United Arab Emirates and formed Carr & Venner, ADR, Mediation Services. Fred provides mediation services to legal counsel in a broad range of subject areas, representing parties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, who are either in litigation or about to file suit. MICHAEL FRALEY MA has had several poems appear in recent print issues of Plainsongs and The Lyric. His poems also appear in the online journals Morphrog and The Road Not Taken. Michael has poems accepted for an upcoming issue of Blue Unicorn. His work has appeared in numerous other magazines both nationally and abroad.
’92 MARINA A. LEDIN MBA ’96 is a six-time GRAMMY nominated "Classical Record Producer of the Year." She also produced a surroundsound high-definition audio recording for the United States Military Academy at West Point.
DEANNA HERRERA-THOMAS EdD
is a tenured professor of psychology at College of the Redwoods. She lives in Humboldt County with her daughter and husband. In 2004, she was awarded the Stanback-Stroud Diversity Award for her efforts to increase equity in educational advancement at California community colleges. In 2013 she was awarded the Multicultural and Diversity Award at College of the Redwoods. She continues to hold her California clinical psychologist license and to bring the community and servicebased values of USF to her work.
MARY NILAND MA is CEO of Witco, a not-for-profit organization serving individuals with disabilities in Idaho and Oregon. In 2007, she led a citizen's initiative to form a community college, the College of Western Idaho. Since the founding of the school she has served as an elected trustee. Mary is also a board member of Regence Blue Shield of Idaho, and a member of the Boise Airport Commission.
’93
STEVE HOPPER MHROD
“boomeranged” back to California after three years with Amazon in Seattle. As the senior regional human resources manager for the California region, Steve has supported the growth of Amazon by
44 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
opening three new fulfillment centers in Southern California and helping significant expansion efforts in Northern California. He is excited to be back living in Northern California, close to family, friends, and valued colleagues. KATE INGRAM MA recently won both a Nautilus Book Award and an Indie Next Generation Book Award for her first book, Washing the Bones: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Transformation. She writes and maintains a therapy practice in Southern Oregon, where she lives with her family. NANCY WEDDELL MA is working in her hometown as a nurse and therapist, thanks to her training at USF. She is a licensed RN and MFT, which has provided her with the freedom to grow within her career.
’94
KAREN BENKE MFA recently completed the third and last book in her creative writing adventure series titled UNCAP THAT PEN! Adventures in Writing by Hand, Passing Notes & Sending Letters Again.
STEPHEN BLACK MA is currently adjunct professor of theology and religious studies at USF and recently edited and published a collection of essays in honor of a former USF professor: To Set at Liberty: Essays on Early Christianity and Its Social World in Honor of John H. Elliott was released by Sheffield Phoenix Press in September 2014. YANNIS MICHAELIDES MBA Iives in Athens, Greece, and operates her own company called Hospitality & Tourism Ltd. Her company provides destination consulting and evaluation for tourism investments. While she enjoys her life in Greece, Yannis misses USF and the beautiful city of San Francisco. She promises her family that she will return to San Francisco after 20 years of living abroad!
’96
MARINA A. LEDIN MBA is a six-time Grammy nominated "Classical Record Producer of the Year." She produced a surround-sound high-definition audio recording for the United States Military Academy at West Point.
’97
VANESSA DEEN JOHNSON MPA
started a company called My Health Concierge, which helps cancer patients in the Bay Area navigate the health care system, from their initial diagnosis throughout the duration of treatment. The patient-centered care is facilitated through face-to-face interactions with oncology nurse practitioners
working on behalf of patients to help give them a better understanding of their diagnoses and treatments. JEAN-PIERRE MAEDER MBA has accepted a position as COO for Etheric Networks, Inc. in Redwood City, Calif. He'll be working with his dedicated staff and valued partners to provide high-speed wireless Internet services to Bay Area customers. AMY MARSH (CERTIFICATE) started a new position as dean of students at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) in San Francisco. Amy is a clinical sexologist and hypnotist in private practice, who also serves as an associate professor of human sexuality at IASHS. She recently presented a poster discussion on sexological and erotic hypnosis at the annual conference of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) in Monterey, Calif. She is also pleased to announce the graduation of her eldest son, Jonathan A. Truant, from SFSU's film studies department. Her younger son, Paul, is a high school student mastering pen and ink drawing and playing the drums. LUKE PERKOCHA MBA joined KaiserPermanente in 2013. He enjoys the collegiality of the other physicians and staff and is impressed with the positive culture and innovation he sees at Kaiser, during a time of turmoil in healthcare. He is looking forward to the 20-year anniversary of starting his MBA at USF and remains actively connected with the school, attending alumni and other events. SUSAN RIVIECCIO MA writes that she would love to catch up with the Class of 1997 Master of Arts in Counseling, Sacramento campus alumni. NICOLAS ROQUEFORT-VILLENEUVE MBA is a partner at OH OH IT'S MAGIC LLC, as well as an executive producer, director, and documentary filmmaker.
’99
DIANA (SHIPMAN) HAMAR MA
has been serving as the counselor for students with disabilities at Shasta College since 2000. She has also been serving as an adjunct professor at Simpson University since 2001. Dr. LEAMOR KAHANOV EdD was named dean of the College of Health Sciences at Misericordia University in Pennsylvania. Leamor is a certified athletic trainer and most recently served as the assistant dean of interprofessional education and chair
of applied medicine and rehabilitation in the College of Nursing, Health and Human Services at Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Ind. She also oversaw development of a physical therapy and sports rehabilitation clinic at the Indiana State University campus. FRANCIS SCHORTGEN MA has been granted tenure and been promoted to associate professor of political science & international studies at the University of Mount Union, Alliance, Ohio.
’00
VICTORIA EMMONS MPA is the author of the column "The Long View", which is featured in Life on Foothill Road magazine based in Pleasanton, Calif. Her poetry has been published in three anthologies and also appears along with various essays about life on her blog, titled "La Vue de rue Sleidan." Victoria is currently the CEO of Hope Hospice in Dublin, Calif. STEPHANIE MANTELLO WARD MBA recently published her first children's book, Wally the Warm-Weather Penguin. After more than 15 years of corporate marketing at Amazon and Fujitsu, Stephanie has combined her passion for travel and writing to focus on educating children about the wonders of the world.
’02
IKER ACEDO GALEA MBA is an energy and securities consultant and adviser, a university professor, and the owner of the Yale School in Venezuela and Video Enforcement, Co. Worldwide.
California Governor Jerry Brown appointed CHARLES WILSON JD as a judge on the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
’03
PRAJNA KUMAR MPA recently
started a new position as operational and scientific leader at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical. She is currently completing her PhD in clinical research. Prajna has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years, with the past three years devoted to leading the end-to-end clinical study delivery of new investigational drugs.
Meghna Tare MS is director of sustainability for the University of Texas at Arlington. In her role, she initiated and spearheaded sustainability projects related to development, transportation, and waste and carbon management. She is also a TEDxUTA speaker and was featured in Women in CSR by Triple Pundit.
’04
JENNIFER DE LEON MAT is an educator and now an author. As a first-generation Latina college graduate, she recently published a book called Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education, a collection of personal essays addressing the varied landscape of the Latina experience in higher education. Featuring acclaimed writers such as Sandra Cisneros, Norma Cantú, and Julia Alvarez, to name a few, Wise Latinas shows that there is no one Latina college experience. For more information visit www.jenniferdeleonauthor.com. ISELA GONZALEZ MPA has worked as the coordinator of special projects for the San Francisco Department of Public Health Population Health Division for the past two years. By implementing skills and experience gained during her graduate studies at USF, her work contributes to achieving the health department’s mission of protecting and promoting the health of all San Franciscans. JOHN HUBER C.S.B. EdD now serves in two roles, as president of Detroit Catholic Central High School and as third councilor for the Congregation of St. Basil (Basilian Fathers). Fr. Huber is the liaison between the community's General Council and the Basilian houses in France, Colombia, and Mexico. In addition, he serves as vice chair of the Board of Trustees for Detroit Cristo Rey High School. Joy L. Smith MA serves as chaplain at her local hospital and as a mental health counselor in private practice. Over the past two years, she has written two books: The Chaplain Is In: Journey to Health and Happiness and Why Not Make the Trip Worthwhile? She will publish a children's book, The Mountain Goat Who was Afraid of High Places, this fall.
’05
LAURA DESKIN JD lives in Norman, Okla. with her husband, two dogs, and newborn daughter. She has her own law office, Laura K. Deskin, PLLC, in Oklahoma City, which specializes in criminaldefense appeals, post-conviction work, and federal trials.
MARK ADRIAN GOODMAN JD lives in Reno, where he opened the Goodman Law Center, which provides a unique approach to law practice. His main practice areas are debt relief/ bankruptcy, patent/trademark, and family law. He and his wife, Robyn, love to travel, ski, raft, and hike. Mark now has a beautiful daughter, Ashlyn, who lights up his life every day.
CAROL LANGLOIS EdD enjoyed a successful 2014! Her nonfiction book about teen self-esteem called Girl Talk: Boys, Bullies and Body Image was published by Anderson Publishing and later turned into a stage performance co-produced by 3Girls Theatre Company of San Francisco. Carol is looking forward to offering mother/ daughter workshops on the same topic in the upcoming year.
’06
RONDA COSTON EVANS MA
moved to Washington three years ago. She first served as an intern MFT therapist at a Christ-centered free clinic. Ronda now works as a therapist at the local Catholic hospital, Lourdes, allowing her to fulfill her vocation and calling at the same time. Married for five years, she and her husband sponsor four kids through compassion. She gives all the honor, glory, and praise to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. DAVID LUOMA MFA just finished a master’s of science in nursing education and now teaches at Johnson County Community College. RAFAEL ROMO MSN just completed his PhD at UCSF. His dissertation was titled “Decision Making Among Older Adults with a Limited Prognosis.” He is now a Veterans Administration Quality Scholars post-doctoral fellow at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.
’07
MICHAEL M. GUENZA MA has been teaching at Francisco Middle School in North Beach/ Chinatown since 2008. He did archeological field research in Nevada and California for the Forest Service Passport in Time volunteer service initiative last summer, and traveled on a Fulbright-sponsored teacher exchange program to Tokyo and Oda, Japan in 2013. KATHRYN PARMETER MFA is pleased to announce that, despite a grueling and tiresome day job that pays the bills and eats her brain, she was accepted into a competitive workshop in personal essay under the tutelage of Pam Houston and Dorothy Allison, taking place in Tomales Bay in October.
CHARLES WILSON JD ’02 was appointed judge on the Santa Clara County Superior Court by California Governor Jerry Brown.
’08
EDWARD FARRELL JD has joined Friedman Stroffe & Gerard, P.C., a leading transactional and litigation law firm based in Irvine, as associate. Edward’s practice involves commercial litigation, with a focus on real estate and construction matters. Prior to joining Friedman Stroffe & Gerard, P.C., Ed was a research attorney at the San Francisco Superior Court, where he assisted the
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 45
////////classnotes
court’s civil trial bench with law and motion matters. Additionally, he volunteers for the Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Orange County.
BRENDA BENTLEY MA ’10 recently received her PhD in psychology from Curtin University in Perth and has joined the academic staff at Murdoch University.
LAURA CRONIN FORD JD became a partner at Kaye Moser Hierbaum LLP in September 2014. Kaye Moser Hierbaum LLP is a boutique family law and estate-planning firm, founded in 1995 by USF Law graduate BARBARA MOSER JD ’90 and Susan E. Kaye. VANESSA HIERBAUM JD ’96 is also a partner, and DERRICK CHASE JD ’90 is counsel at the firm. JOHN PATRICK McCURLEY JD is a writ and research attorney for Dependency Legal Group of San Diego. ANNETTE POLIWKA MSEM is an environmental protection specialist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in New York City. She leads the region's Trash Free Waters Initiative. ALFONSO REY MBA is vice president of sales at Leanplum, a mobile app optimization company.
’10
BRENDA BENTLEY MA recently received her PhD in psychology from Curtin University in Perth and has joined the academic staff at Murdoch University.
LAURIE DAVIS MNA is now working as program manager for The MBA-Nonprofit Connection, whose mission is to strengthen the nonprofit sector by facilitating placement of MBA students and alumni with innovative nonprofits in the U.S. CALI GILBERT MA is the author of the books, It's Simply Serendipity and It's Simply Publishing. She now serves other writers through her company, Serendipity Publishing House. SUNNY WONG MA is currently director of data analytics at Moody's Analytics, which supports industry leading credit-risk management products. He and his wife had their first child earlier this year.
’11
ERIC ENSIGN MBA is managing member for Generation 2000, LLC and G2010, LLC. Eric was granted the distinguished honor of two non-restricted gaming licenses from the Nevada State Gaming Control Board and Commission for the Wendover Nugget Hotel and Casino, and the Red Garter Hotel and Casino. Currently, there are only 150 non-restricted licenses in the State of Nevada.
46 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
JEFF HARNOIS MSOD recently accepted the position of vice president at Market Motive, a leading digital marketing training publisher. Jeff's goals include actively leading organizational change and helping Market Motive realize exponential growth over the next 24 months. SONJA VELEZ MFA is working in Myanmar, Burma as the chief financial officer of the Democratic Voice of Burma, the only independent Burmese TV news broadcast media group. She also oversees strategy, human resources, and administration. Sonja is currently building a new sales and marketing function and adding finance staff, if any adventurous Dons want to work to support free media in Yangon.
’12
ADRIAN TIRTANADI JD
co-founded a legal aid nonprofit in early 2013 that provides direct civil representation to low-income community members of Bayview/Hunters Point. Since its founding, the organization has handled 390 cases on behalf of over 280 clients. The nonprofit currently has five staff members and has achieved some great outcomes for the local community.
’13
JOELLE BRINKLEY MA has marked a few new milestones this year, including celebrating her son’s fifth year, beginning work on the first of two master's degrees (which she will complete within the next 7-10 years) and learning she is expecting her second child with her husband. Joyous news all around!
LISA DIANGSON MA recently vacationed in England, Scotland, and France. Her favorite activities included exploring Edinburgh Castle, enjoying the spectacular view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower, and seeing the play 12 Angry Men in London. KATHRYN DOOREY MA is now working for the World Wildlife Fund. She aims to bring awareness to environmental issues such as climate change, food scarcity, and wildlife poaching. Kathryn is thrilled that her nonprofit advocacy focus at USF is now being put to use for a wide-reaching, pandacentric organization! RYAN DE TEMPLE MS now works at Yelp
in San Francisco. MICHAEL WHITE MA is a newly registered psychotherapist. He works with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless as a case manager for homeless veterans.
’14
LUCY TSENG MA is now working with a charter school network in the South Bay Area of Los Angeles and serving as a life and wellness coach outside of work. DAVID NZALIGO JD returned to Tanzania after graduating from USF and is currently the legal counsel and company secretary for Geita Gold Mining Limited/AngloGold Ashanti in Tanzania. Previously, David served as a lecturer at Tumaini University Dar es Salaam College School of Law. He and his wife, Hellen, have two children, Deo and Bryan. BEN SHUH MBA has been appointed director of sales and marketing at Fairmont San Jose. Ben also serves on the board of directors for the Guardsmen, a nonprofit philanthropic group committed to supporting underprivileged youth in the Bay Area.
What’s Up? Tell your fellow Dons what’s new in your life. Send us news about your career, family, travel, and other activities:
[email protected] Mail to:
USF Magazine 2130 Fulton Street, LMR 217 San Francisco, CA 94117-1080 Please include your name, class year, degree, and phone number (in case we need to contact you).
inmemoriam 1930s
John F. Foran ’56, JD ’59
Angelo A. Cortes ’64, MBA ’71
William H. Fowler JD ’58
Brian J. Coughlan ’64
Eugenia Brennan ’39 LMA
Donald R. Fretz JD ’51
Rosemary Cozzo ’64 LMA
Burton S. De Martini ’39
Terrence H. Gleason ’59
Robert M. Damir JD ’65
Lois Ladley ’39 LMA
Edward E. Gonsalves Jr. ’57
David K. Deasy ’68
Paul C. Murphy ’36
John F. Hanley Jr. ’50
Agostinho B. Decarvalho ’63
Lillian E. Schwarz-Corriea ’38 LMA
Frederick C. Havens ’50
Arthur J. De Mars Jr. ’69
James J. Hickey ’51
Angela Denike ’60 LMA
Mary Anne Kolanoski ’55 LMA
Jean B. Denomme MA ’60
Francis Kearney ’53 LMA, MA ’73
Michael J. Doyle ’64, MA ’68
Vojmir S. Kereta ’53
Peter M. Finnegan ’61
Patrick H. King ’59
Joanne Fitzpatrick ’67 LMA
Richard W. Latimer ’56
Charles P. Fox ’65
Agnes L. Lucey ’58
Joan L. Hills MA ’65
J Kenneth Lynch ’57
Clifford C. Hughes ’63
Frank L. Magnani ’52, JD ’59
Rina Kell ’60 LMA
Carmel Malley ’53 LMA
M. Therese Lawrence ’63
Joanna Malvino ’59 LMA
Carolyn Le Tourneau ’64 LMA
Laurence F. McCaffrey ’56
Frank Lombardi ’60
Kevin D. McCready ’58
Martin J. May JD ’60
Donald C. McEntee ’56
James M. McGill ’60
Gary E. McIntosh ’59
Robert K. Meisel Jr. ’69
William F. McSweeney ’50
Marteen J. Miller JD ’61
Jeanne Miller ’52 LMA
Cathleen A. Moriarty ’62 LMA
Marilyn Murphy ’52 LMA
Daniel C. Naughton ’69
Creighton F. Norris ’53
Gregory P. O'Keeffe ’69, JD ’72
John J. O'Brien ’50
George A. Paiva Jr. ’65
George W. Pasha III ’56
James L. Parkin ’65
Jerry J. Goldstein JD ’74 Michael K. Harder ’74 Christopher N. Heard ’74 J. Christopher Holloway ’72, JD ’74 Augustine S. Koilparampil MA ’77 Alliene M. Lawson ’78 John A. Legnitto ’79 Ruby O. Lockett MA ’77 Janet F. Maggard MA ’77 Loretta Magnani-Williams ’74 Maureen F. Martin ’73 Patricia H. Martinez MA ’76 Shirley M. Martini MA ’78 William F. McDonagh Jr. ’72 Kevin C. McDonough ’77, JD ’81 Kathleen T. McIntyre ’71, MA ’81 Edward W. Morrison ’74 Stephanie J. Prem ’74 Stella M. Rebollar ’70 Robert D. Ritchey ’72 Beverly H. Robison MA ’76 Norman R. Rowett ’78 Glen H. Schimelpfenig ’79 Dolores B. Simons ’70 Noel N. Stanton MA ’78 Helen V. Stewart ’76 Charles F. Sumner III JD ’76 Fran Trout MA ’78
Gerald R. Pearlman ’51
Dennis M. Paynter ’68
Carol A. Young MA ’78
Agnes Peterson ’53 LMA
Corene Pindroh ’69
Charles Pivnick ’59, MBA ’69
Richard Puccinelli ’60
Georgina M. Poole ’58, MA ’64
N. Michael Rucka JD ’65
Terry J. Powell ’59
Robert W. Sickels JD ’69
Mary P. Rainsford MA ’55
Richard A. Smith ’63
Robert F. Reilly ’56
John J. Strain ’61, MBA ’80
Joseph T. Sarto ’52
John J. Trezza JD ’61
1950s
Salvatore C. Savasta ’51
Douglas R. Tunnell ’64
Aldo F. Sciamanna ’50, MS ’52
Werner L. Verhaaren ’67
Ralph P. Anderson Jr. ’55
Douglas Scott ’53
Barry M. Wally JD ’60
Louise Bagnall ’54 LMA
Frances I. Sherman ’59
Robert L. Witt JD ’68
Norma Campbell ’55 LMA
Edward G. Smith ’51
James H. Woods ’64, JD ’71
Dorothy Casper ’56
Elmer L. Swanson ’54
Lloyd L. Ching JD ’53
Arthur D. Thatcher Jr. ’58
Thomas W. Clark ’51
Norman V. Wheeler ’50
Angelo R. Contier ’57
Virginia Wheeler ’59
1940s Ellen Berg ’47 LMA John H. Byrne ’44 Mollie Chalkley ’47 LMA Richard J. Collopy ’40 Edwin D. Costello ’46 George D. Craigmile ’47 Richard T. Dwyer ’44 Ralph J. Flageollet ’48, JD ’50 Paul J. Giovannoni ’49 MaryHelen Hansen ’42 LMA Cebert C. Holmes ’49 Angelo J. Leoni ’43 Elaine D. Mackie ’47 LMA Doris Martini ’44 LMA Warren J. Masson ’49 Eugene McMahon ’45 Glenn W. Metcalf Jr. ’49 Donald E. Muldoon ’49 Timothy J. O'Donovan ‘45 Richard M. O'Neill ’47 Robert D. Rossi ’42 Eugene Salgo ’49 Robert R. Taheny ’48 John P. Ward ’48
Thomas F. Curtin JD ’54 John A. Davitt ’54, MA ’58 Robert L. Dias ’58 Roy J. Dittamo ’51 James J. Doherty ’50 James T. Dorris ’51 Robert E. Dryden ’51, JD ’54 William D. Duffy ’51
JOE AZUre
Arthur E. Eissinger JD ’51
1960s Ronald Andrews ’69 Donald J. Baker JD ’60 Vincent F. De Bellis ’60 Corinne Burdullis ’68 LMA Matthew J. Buzzell ’63 Dennis R. Clark MA ’65
1970s Gloria J. Atchison ’79 Richard S. Babcock ’70 Cheryl B. Barton ’70 Mary E. Bell ’77 Doris J. Brown MA ’78 Charlotte W. Carroll MA ’77 Herman E. Dale MBA ’72 Thomas C. Doyle ’76 Anne K. Draus ’75 Charlotte A. Garner ’72
1980s Willie Acosta MPA ’89 Russell E. Beck ’80 Alice F. Beeker ’81, MA ’83 Marilyn C. Berding ’89 Jean M. Bohr MA ’83 Carole K. Bright MA, EdD ’85 Richard A. Burns ’83 Ellen M. Coile ’86 June M. Coyne ’83 Margaret C. Crosby MA ’81 Teresa M. De Bono MS ’81 Jinil Doh ’88 Catherine A. Fleischman ’89 Anne Fulgoni ’85 Steven C. Glenn ’81 Rober W. Graber ’85 Helen M. Hilst MA ’81 Joanne Hutton ’82 Jane T. Kise ’84 Mercedes M. Kow EdD ’85 Muriel A. Lazar MA ’81
Elissa A. Leidy EdD ’83 Aleda Michels ’83 Setsuko W. Montgomery MBA ’86 Susan A. Raskulinecz MA ’82 John A. Rennes MA ’83 Dee C. Reyes ’83 William E. Rhea ’83 Donald S. Richards MBA ’80 Arnold W. Riesen MA ’83 Laraine M. Roberts EdD ’89 Joanne M. Scanlon ’81 Victor M. Shannon ’85 Bernard L. Shaw ’81 Jean M. Smith MA ’86 Robert S. Taylor MA ’83 Anne L. Tewksbury ’88 Ellen C. Tinkler MA ’85 Kenneth C. Tonge ’80 Larry Unruh MHL ’87 Friedel U. Volz EdD ’80 Beverly H. Webber ’87 Joy-Ann Wendler MPA ’89 Jeanne Williams MHR ’89 Ruth A. Wright MA ’83
1990s James F. Ballard ’92 Donna L. Calciana ’90 James A. Dybalski ’99 Scott Gustavson ’95 Phyllis M. Jackson ’91 Steven E. Kastner ’90 Elsie C. Marwedel ’92 Kevin J. Odell JD ’91 Gale Orland ’91 Wayne Robinson ’93 M. Aurelia Sanchez MA ’95 Johan Skytt ’95 Carl T. Strickland ’99 Alison L. Troupe MHR ’90 Lawrence E. Woodford ’94
2000s Theresa A. Towey MBA ’00 Channing Davis MBA ’03 Jennifer Fatjo MA ’10 Michelle Shutzer MNA ’05 Thomas Westbrook ’05
USF Magazine WINTER 2015 47
take5
3
Glide’s mission is to create a “radically inclusive” community. What does that mean?
4
How do you see the influx of technology companies affecting San Francisco?
It means that we include everyone, especially those at the edge of society. The people we work with at Glide, whether they’re patients in our clinic or patrons in our food line, have been turned away by everybody else. That’s why the African American community came to us during the crack-cocaine era. That’s why people came to us when they had HIV/AIDS, because none of the other churches would accept them, and that’s exactly when they most need spiritual comfort and a community.
Hanna hegnell ’15
It’s good and bad. You have greater wealth in the city, you have more jobs for working white-collar and blue-collar professionals, you have more construction going on, but for the very poor “affordable housing” is a ridiculous term.
Five questions with Janice Mirikitani, a San Francisco poet laureate and co-founding president of Glide Foundation, a charity organization affiliated with Glide Memorial Church. Glide sponsors nearly 90 programs that provide education, health care, nutrition, and housing for San Francisco's poorest residents. Mirikitani is also a USF diversity scholar visiting professor. She teaches Poetry and Poverty: Transformation From Dust which explores poverty and oppression though poetry, personal narrative, and community engagement.
1
What drives you as a poet and community leader?
What drives me is the constant presence of injustice. I see people who are making a billion dollars and CEOs of companies receiving 40 percent increases in salaries. We can barely afford to give 3 percent increases at Glide. We’re talking about people who are making barely above minimum wage. That’s not a living wage in San Francisco. That drives me crazy!
2
You’re USF’s diversity scholar, and diversity is central to Glide’s mission. What’s valuable about diversity?
We need it! It is like food for us. Without diversity we don’t have the richness that life can offer. Diversity allows us to transform, to be enlightened, and to learn anew what humanity means.
48 WINTER 2015 USF Magazine
At Glide today, we’re talking about how to bridge the divide between rich and poor, and we’ll always be a part of that bridge building. We need the decision makers at the tech companies—not just the volunteers, although we appreciate them—to say, “This is what we can do together.”
5
What drew you to USF?
Glide and USF share a lot of the same values. USF opens its doors to create greater opportunities for students who normally couldn’t afford the tuition. There’s also a true sense of social responsibility and service at USF, a sense that students are responsible not only for themselves but also for the world. I’m convinced there needs to be tighter relationships between local communities and universities, and for universities to teach students about what goes on in real life. My vision for my class at USF is that students will develop an enriched view of people who are not the same as they are, and in that process, grow into a better understanding of themselves. Powerful things can happen when you expose students to people from another spectrum of life. ///// GET A TASTE OF MIRIKITANI'S POETRY www.usfca.edu/magazine/ poeticjustice
Hanna Hegnell ’15
Yo u r G i f t turns dreams
into Reality
“Giving back by being a passionate and caring nurse is my dream.” Bryan Thunstedt ’15 Nursing Student
GIVe TODAY. Office of Annual and special Giving return the envelope usfca.edu/makeagift 415.422.6638
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID BELL, CA PERMIT NO. 75 2130 Fulton Street San Francisco, CA 94117-1080 change service Requested
