Class Notes - 1990s

Class Notes - 1990s

1990

Kayla Fioravanti ‘90 and husband Dennis turned their home-based soap-making business into a bulk manufacturer of natural skin-care product bases with 22 employees and more than $3 million in annual sales. The company, Essential Wholesale, sells raw ingredients for skin-care products to international clients. Fioravanti is senior vice president and chief cosmetic formulator.

Lorie Harris Hancock JD ‘90 has joined the Bend firm of Karnopp Petersen as of counsel. Previously, she practiced law as a contract lawyer and with Tonkon Torp. Hancock practices in the areas of business and corporate law.

Linda Johannsen JD ‘90 has received the debtor-creditor section of the Oregon State Bar’s Award of Merit in recognition of her distinguished service to the section and the legal community at large. Johannsen is a partner at Preston Gates Ellis.

John Pearce ‘90 lives in Anchorage with his wife, Elizabeth, and sons, Bennett and Eliot. He is a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center and a doctoral student in biology at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. He still fondly remembers Professor Don McKenzie’s field lectures and “dead on road” animal surveys during biology field trips. He named his son Eliot, born in June 2004, after his cousin Eliot Barron ‘97.

Heather Renz MA ‘90 was recently named an honoree at the Disney Teacher Awards: Celebrating Creativity in Teaching. The award is given to full-time teachers who use innovative teaching methods. She received $10,000 and a trip to Disneyland to attend the awards gala, and her school received $5,000. Renz teaches fourth grade at Vern Patrick Elementary in Redmond, Oregon.

Zena ‘90 finally re-relocated to Oregon! She teaches theatre at Parkrose High School in Portland–exciting after 12 years of teaching both high school theatre and language arts. Life is good.

1991

Stanley Austin JD ‘91 and Gregory Lynch JD ‘75 formed a partnership with offices in Bend and Prineville and more recently merged with the Miller Nash firm. The new central Oregon offices of Miller Nash focus on business litigation, business formations, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, and other business transactions; estate planning; health care; and land use, real estate development, and other complex real estate transactions.

Kelly Burke ‘91 is a licensed massage therapist who practices in Portland and works with cancer patients.

Abby Wool Landon JD ‘91 has joined the Portland law firm of Bateman, Seidel, Miner, Blomgren, Chellis & Gram. She assists the firm in expanding the estate planning and probate administration practice and continues her practice in business and family law and business succession planning.

Cheryl Morgen ‘91 lives in Bend. Her husband, Mike, works for Bend Research. She is having fun with Nicole, 4, and Rachel, 2, as well as occasionally teaching at Central Oregon Community College. Stop by if you are out that way.

Christine Pothering ‘91 is an attorney with Short Cressman & Burgess for its business and construction practice sections.

Eden Ware ‘91 lives in Denver with her husband, David, and two daughters, Layne, 6, and Tess, 3. Ware, a women’s health nurse practitioner, works with Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

1992

Arts & Sciences 15th Reunion  Oct. 19-21, 2007

Law School 15th Reunion  Aug. 17-18, 2007

Christina Rose ‘92, MA ‘97, and Gina James ‘94 cofounded Numinosity, A Center for Wellness, in 2005. Theresa Page MA ‘02 joined as a practitioner in 2006.

James Blakeley ‘92 was a Fulbright fellow to Switzerland for the 2003 academic year from the University of Arizona. He and his wife love Arizona but miss Portland!

Edgard Antonio Garcia ‘92 is a Spanish translator and interpreter for several agencies in the Portland area.

Philip Harris JD ‘92 has been promoted to general counsel and chief executive officer of Shilo Inns. He joined the company in August 2005 as cogeneral counsel and chief operating officer.

Stephanie McCurdy ‘92 retired from television and moved from Seattle to Boise for a lifestyle and career change. She took a year off and decided to pursue a more meaningful and community-focused second career. She now does fundraising, promotion, and public relations for the Learning Lab, a nonprofit basic education center that works to enhance the literacy skills of undereducated families and adults.

Charlotte Nytzen ‘92 performed the lead in a Puccini opera in Marin, California. She teaches voice and music classes for children.

Michele Rini JD ‘92, formerly with Karpstein & Verhulst, has been selected to serve as Washington County Juvenile Court Referee.

Marybeth Stewart-Scots ‘92 left Bend and her job at Bend Broadband to move to Fresno, California, to get married. After honeymooning in Ireland and England, she and her British husband have settled in London, where he works in the automobile industry. She has retired.

1993

Margaret Allee JD ‘93 is the new agency director for Exceptional Donors, the local egg donor agency affiliated with the Portland Center for Reproductive Medicine.

Hafez Daraee JD ‘93 has joined Jordan Schrader, serving its “dirt law,” litigation, and business clients. He has more than 13 years of legal experience representing clients in all facets of complex commercial, construction, and real estate litigation as well as real estate, construction, and commercial transactions.

Monica Harris ‘93 finally completed her bachelor of arts degree in 2005. She is now working on a new goal to enter a teacher credential program.

Ingri Quon ‘93 is a wildlife biologist for a large consulting company in Southern California and surveys for rare and endangered wildlife. She and her husband live in Costa Mesa.

Anthony “Tony” Ross ‘93 married Margaret Schneider in 2002 under a stand of California redwoods. They live in Washington, D.C., where he is working on a master’s degree in library and information science at the University of Maryland. He is art director for Creative Screenwriting magazine and has many irons in many fires.

Erica Schafer ‘93 received her master’s degree in counseling psychology in 2004 from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California. She lives in Sedona, Arizona, with her husband, Stephen DeNorscia, and works at Desert Canyon Treatment Center, a residential holistic addictions treatment center.

1994

Joshua Burke ‘94 and wife Terri stay busy learning from their daughters, Jocelyn, 4, and Jolianne, 2. In his “free” time, he works as an information technology project manager, consulting with firms in Denver. Once in a while they all manage a bike ride or examine the bugs in the backyard.

David Brinkman ‘94 is executive director of the Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs, California.

Michael Colbach JD ‘94 has joined Thomas Patton JD ‘96 in a litigation practice specializing in personal injury and other torts.

Elizabeth “Liz” Dean ‘94 lives in her hometown of Los Angeles, working as a casting director for Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer Casting, which is responsible for such shows as CSI, Battlestar Gallactica, and Supernatural. She currently casts the television shows nip/tuck and Everwood. Her husband, David Schulner, is a playwright and writes for TV.

Susan Francois ‘94 has been accepted to begin her novitiate, a two-year period of prayer and study, with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, a Roman Catholic women’s religious community dedicated to working for peace through social justice. She lives in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 

Gina James ‘94 and Christina Rose ‘92, MA ‘97 cofounded Numinosity, A Center for Wellness, in 2005. Theresa Page MA ‘02 joined as a practitioner in 2006.

1995

Roger Dilts JD ‘95 has joined Clean Water Services’ newly formed regulatory affairs department, leading initiatives in regulatory compliance. He joined the Washington County Wastewater and Storm Water Authority in 2000 as senior assistant counsel.

Eric Hare ‘95 is an accountant for Fiserv.

Tamar Hare ‘95 is director of annual giving and development operations in the institutional advancement division at Lewis & Clark.

Lisa Johnston-Porter JD ‘95 has joined the Seidl Law Office. She will continue in the practice areas of surety and construction, insurance defense and coverage, commercial litigation, and tort and personal injury litigation. 

Mark McGranaghan JD ‘95 has become a shareholder in Bittner & Hahs. His business litigation practice includes real estate, construction law, contract claims, and employment law. He also handles personal injury and landlord/tenant matters.

Silja Omarsdottir ‘95 moved back to Reykjavik. She is director of the University of Iceland’s Institute of International Affairs. She also teaches international affairs at the university part time.

Kristina Pebworth Stafford ‘95 and her husband, Jason Stafford, live in northwest Portland. Kristina is a busy stay-at-home mom and Jason is principal developer at Inspiration Software. 

1996

Daniel Cheyette JD ‘96, as the state of Alaska’s assistant attorney general in the Department of Law’s Office of Special Prosecutions, is responsible for the statewide prosecution of environmental crimes. 

Leah Lively JD ‘96 has returned to the law firm of Lane Powell as a shareholder in the firm’s litigation department, where she will focus her practice on employment litigation. Lively has extensive experience defending employers against claims of harassment, discrimination, and wage and hour violations. 

Colby Otero ‘96 is based in Portland and Vancouver, B.C. He runs a custom Web design company called InSiteLogic and a foundation that works in Sri Lanka SLFound. Whenever the wind is blowing he’s out kiteboarding in the Columbia Gorge or at the coast; his website about the sport is at NW Kite. He also works in digital photography and is building a portfolio of images from traveling in Costa Rica, Bali, Sri Lanka, Canada, and the Columbia Gorge.

Thomas Patton JD ‘96 has joined Michael Colbach JD ‘94 in a litigation practice specializing in personal injury and other torts.

1997

Arts & Sciences 10th Reunion Oct. 19-21, 2007

Law School 10th Reunion Aug. 17-18, 2007

Sybil Ackerman JD ‘97 is now legislative affairs director at the Oregon League of Conservation Voters. In that role, she lobbies on behalf of the Oregon Conservation Network. Ackerman worked for eight years in environmental nonprofits including the National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, and Audubon Society of Portland.

David Azari ‘97 lives in Seattle, works in the software industry, and enjoys life a little farther north with his fiancée, Jelena. Nearly 10 years removed from finishing undergrad–wow!

Lori Balbi ‘97 is on a 12-month assignment to the American Embassy in Kabul, doing commercial work in the economic section.

Darren Drabek ‘97 left his job as associate director of admissions at Skidmore College to pursue a master’s degree in guidance and counseling. When he’s not at night classes, he provides “daddy day care” for his 2-year-old daughter–a great trade-off! He also carves out time to train for a marathon and completed the Walt Disney World marathon in 4 hours, 8 minutes. Maybe someday he’ll join the ranks of Pios who have completed the Portland marathon.

Daniel Duyck JD ‘97 leads the Portland Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt multidisciplinary construction practice group, which provides comprehensive legal services in the construction industry. He participates in industry organizations including the Associated General Contractors of America and Associated Builders and Contractors.

Sandra Miner ‘97 and husband Matt had a lovely Italian/Greek honeymoon before settling back into “real” life, which includes her job as a project manager for Kavi Corporation in the southeast industrial area of Portland.

1998

Jennifer Cox Cyphers ‘98 lives in Denver and works in advertising as the western regional Internet marketing manager for a large consumer guide company. The job involves travel to Phoenix and up and down the West Coast.

Travis Hall JD ‘98 has joined Bateman, Seidel, Miner, Blomgren, Chellis & Gram as an associate in the litigation practice group, focusing on commercial/business litigation and appellate advocacy. He is also an adjunct professor at the law school. Previously, Hall served in the Army JAG Corps for six years. Hall also served several years as an international law judge advocate and Arab linguist, which included deployment to Iraq in 2003.

Eric B. Johnson ‘98 expects to complete his dissertation in sociology in fall 2007. He will examine how the centralization of pastor assignments matters for the systemic organization of pastor careers and congregational growth.

Eric M. Johnson ‘98 has been awarded a 2006–07 Fulbright Fellowship to Kyrgyzstan. Following on a 2005–06 Social Science Research Council predissertation fellowship and a Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship for both Uzbek and Russian, this will be an immense help in financing his dissertation fieldwork in Central Asia.

Erika Ljungdahl ‘98 finally left the United States and works as an onboard guide for Busabout. She is traveling across all of Europe and is always looking to meet up for a beer, pivo, cerveza, etc. Drop her a line.

Erin Renfroe ‘98 is office manager for the New York branch of Providence Equity Partners.

Wendy Scholtz ‘98 and Paul Weideman ‘98, after living and working for a year in Spain, now live near Wendy’s family in Bellingham, Washington. She runs Rideshare and alternative transportation programs for a regional government agency. They’ve lost touch with a lot of old friends and would love to be contacted.

Travis Southworth-Neumeyer ‘98 is married to Jenna Rice ‘98.  Their daughter, Freja, celebrated her first birthday on May 19, 2006, and son Jamis turned three on December 24. Travis is director of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry’s outdoor science education programs.

Rachel Shafer ‘98 decided to follow her passion for writing after three and a half years doing public relations for Microsoft. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and in 2004 started a job at the University of California at Berkeley, writing and producing a newsletter and other publications. In 2005 she married David Shafer, and they live in the East Bay with their two cats. California weather is nice, but they miss Oregon!

Bibi Tucker ‘98 and Amy Flowerree ‘99 recently returned from a backpacking trip in the Patagonia region of Chile. It had been a long time since either of them had carried such heavy packs for days at a time! Tucker is now living in the Bay Area, working toward a master of science in nursing degree at the University of San Francisco.

Paul Weideman ‘98 is a Spanish translator and court interpreter and has started law school at the University of Washington.

1999

Amy Flowerree ‘99 and Bibi Tucker ‘98 recently returned from a backpacking trip in the Patagonia region of Chile. It had been a long time since either of them had carried such heavy packs for days at a time!

Oscar Leeper IV ‘99 is a software engineer for PreEnroll and plans to earn a master’s in business administration.

Oliver Leonetti ‘99 graduated from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in 2004 with a master’s degree in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. When he is not restoring his southeast Portland home, caring for his newborn daughter, or tending his garden, he is working at his northeast Portland acupuncture clinic.

Ian Rea ‘99 recently finished two master’s degrees at the University of Pennsylvania: a master’s in business administration from the Wharton School and a master of arts in international studies with a concentration in German language from the School of Arts and Sciences. He does merger and acquisitions advisory work focused on the financial services sector. He misses everyone from school and would love to hear what people are up to.

Jessica Roberts ‘99 is metro-area advocate at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, an organization working to create healthy, livable, bike-friendly communities in Oregon and southwest Washington.

Alexandra West JD ‘99 has joined Johnson, Renshaw & Lechman-Su as an associate. She was formerly of counsel to the Law Office of Jonah H. Paisner. Johnson, Renshaw & Lechman-Su practices primarily family law from its offices in southeast Portland.