Class Notes—1990s

1990

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: Sean Hanley notes@lclark.edu

Maile Fuller Bennett BS, after graduating with a biochemistry degree, earned a medical technology degree. For the past two years, she has worked as a program manager and client relationship executive for an electronic health record software company. Bennett lives in Vancouver, Washington, with her wonderful husband, Bob Bennett.

Robert Blunt BA lives in eastern Pennsylvania with his wife, Danielle Walters ’95, and their three kids: a daughter, 7, and twin boys, 5. He is in his fourth year of a tenure-track job in religious studies and Africana studies.

Janet Hohman Motter BA cannot believe that she is in her 24th year in the classroom! Education is really changing, so she knows that she and her husband will learn many new things as their son gets ready to enter kindergarten this fall. Motter had a wonderful time reminiscing about Lewis & Clark’s College Outdoors program at last year’s reunion and looks forward to checking out the events for this year.

Jennifer Kerns-Robison BA earned a PhD in U.S. and women’s history from the University of Arizona. She has been teaching history at Portland State University for several years. She has two wonderful kids: Charlotte, 10, and Samuel, 7. She lives in a 100+-year-old house in northeast Portland and feels “blessed to live in this wonderful city filled with good people, great food and culture, and, yes, coffee.

Laura Whittemore BA met a great guy, Mark Fitzsimons, and they just celebrated their second anniversary last fall. Her two ancient cats passed away, so she has adopted two dogs. After working nearly 20 years in retail, she now focuses on copyediting, birding, natural history, and other nature-themed books at her company, Kingbird Editorial. Whittemore continues to teach birding classes every month through the Audubon Society of Portland.

Zena BA, MAT ’95, after 22 years in education in America, is serving in the Peace Corps in Mongolia as a university teacher trainer and as a liaison to the Department of Curriculum for the Ministry of Education.

1991

Class Correspondent: Laura Mundt notes@lclark.edu

1992

Gilion Dumas JD opened her own law practice, the Dumas Law Group, with associate attorney Ashley Vaughn JD ’11. They represent victims of child sexual abuse, both adults and children, in cases against perpetrators and institutions. The new firm also represents small businesses and individuals with civil lawsuits, employment claims, real estate matters, and other business disputes, and has the flexibility to handle certain personal injury and professional malpractice claims.

Ruthe Farmer BA is chief strategy and growth officer of the National Center for Women & Information Technology and director of the NCWIT K-12 Alliance.

She was recently a featured speaker on an NPR program titled “Women and Girls in Science and Tech Fields.” She also reports that Apple is investing $10 million in Aspirations in Computing, which is a program she has been building since 2008. In addition, she has been named a finalist for the Education UK Alumni Award. Farmer says, “My time at Lewis & Clark was instrumental in helping me become the person I am today.” (Read more about Farmer in the spring 2014 issue of the Chronicle at www. lclark.edu/chronicle/past_ issues.

Paula Hayes BS is the founder, president, and CEO of Hue Noir, a cosmetic manufacturing company in Beaverton, Oregon. Her company specializes in the formulation and development of cosmetic products designed specifically for women of color. Hue Noir was recently featured in the Upstart Business Journal. Hayes is also a Lewis & Clark college trustee. (Read more about Hayes in the winter 2014 issue of the Chronicle at www.lclark.edu/ chronicle/past_issues.

Jilma Meneses JD joined Concordia University in Portland as its chief operating officer. She had previously served as Portland State University’s chief diversity officer since 2010.

Jason Stanford BA has moved to the Washington, D.C., area to take a job as a strategist with Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

1993

Class Correspondents: Erik Thorin and Marcye Mokier notes@lclark.edu

Susan Lain JD joined Buckley Law as a shareholder. She focuses her practice on family law, including divorce, custody, and asset division. Lain specializes in military divorces and division of closely held businesses and is also a seasoned criminal and juvenile law attorney.

1994

Liz Dean BA is working in the casting department of the TNT television show Major Crimes.

Ever Carradine BA ’96 plays the role of Sharon Beck on the same show.

Susan Francois BA has been elected to a six-year term as a member of the leadership team of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, an international community of Catholic Sisters with members in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Haiti.

Peter Grube BA was appointed to the board of the City Club of Central Oregon.

Valerie Schmidt BA received the Business Woman of the Year award from the Organization of Women Leaders, a group of women executives from Hawaii’s businesses and government agencies.

1995

Arts & Sciences Reunion June 25−28, 2015

Class Correspondent: Carly Henderson notes@lclark.edu

Ken Hirata BA and his wife, Yumiko, moved to Hawaii from Japan three years ago to start the Hawaiian Shochu Company. Shochu is a Japanese distilled hard liquor. The company is the only shochu distillery in Hawaii and one of a handful in the United States.

Akane Suzuki BA, after a rigorous peer review process, has been elected a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. ACTEC works to improve trusts and estates representation and pursues reform of the rules of probate, trusts, tax, and professional responsibility that pertain to this area of practice. Suzuki, who works for Garvey Schubert Barer, is chair of the firm’s estate planning, probate, and estate litigation group. She is a founding board member of the Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle and a board member of the Japan Business Association of Seattle.

1996

Class Correspondent: Jo Becker notes@lclark.edu

1997

Victoria Blachly JD, a firm partner at Samuels Yoelin Kantor, was appointed to Legacy Health’s Allied Professionals Council. The group provides support, advice, and counsel to Legacy’s planned giving program. Blachly, the first female equity partner at her firm, is active in the local community. In March 2014, she was appointed to Oregon’s Commission on Senior Services, which is dedicated to enhancing and protecting the quality of life for all older Oregonians. She is also on the board of advisors for VoteERA.org, a bipartisan effort to obtain an Oregon Equal Rights Amendment.

June Wiyrick Flores JD joined Miller Nash Graham & Dunn’s trusts and estates practice. She works with individuals, families, and closely held and family businesses to develop and implement succession strategies. She also helps her business clients with business formations, developing governance structures, reorganizations and dissolutions, and mergers and acquisitions to achieve beneficial tax results. Wiyrick Flores, who is listed in Best Lawyers in America, is also a frequent speaker on family business and estate- and tax-planning topics.

Deanna Wray JD, a managing partner at Bodyfelt Mount, is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, a national organization composed of insurance companies, corporations, corporate counsel, litigation and risk managers, and claims professionals. Wray’s practice concentrates on defense of product and general liability and civil litigation matters.

1998

Abra Ancliffe BA took part in the University of Texas at Austin’s Guest Artist in Print Program residency in November 2014. She translated astronomical drawings from the John F.W. Herschel Collection at the Harry Ransom Center into typographical visualizations using the Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection and the resources of the DESL2 Publication Studio. Throughout the residency, Ancliffe collaborated with students to produce the new works.

1999

Class Correspondents: Nicole Miranda and Mike Skrzynski notes@lclark.edu

Laura Maffei JD, a partner at Cable Huston, is serving a four-year term on the governing board of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. She is a registered professional geologist with the State of Oregon.