’57
The National Federation of Press Women named Barbara “Bobbi” Hillman Gigone (Jour) the 2015 Communicator of Achievement winner during its national conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Bobbi is a longtime supporter of CU’s host parent program for international students, and most recently hosted a female student from Iran. Bobbi was the first regular female news reporter at the Boulder Daily Camera and first public information officer for Boulder County.
’77
Debra Jason (MCommDisor) published Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget this year. The book, which received an EVVY Award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, provides business advice for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Debra started her own company, The Write Direction, in 1989.
Catherine Zublin (Comm) has been appointed interim dean of the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities at Weber State University. She has worked for Weber State for 30 years, first as a theater professor and then as associate dean of the arts and humanities college. She also has been the lead costume designer for more than 50 theater productions.
’83
Several years ago, sisters Elizabeth (MComm) and Patricia Donohoe (MEngl’82) found 150 letters from their great-great-grandparents in an old cracker tin in their grandfather’s house and another 150 on eBay. Afterward, Patricia wrote The Printer’s Kiss: The Life and Letters of a Civil War Newspaperman and His Family. The book tells the story of their ancestors’ lives in Ohio during the Civil War. The letters, which were donated to the West Virginia and Regional History Collection at West Virginia University, comprise the Wylie-Tomlinson Letter Collection.
’86
Timothy Tomasik (Jour), a founder of Chicago law firm Tomasik Kotin Kasserman LLC, handles aviation, transportation, antitrust and medical negligence cases. In 2011, he was a member of the plaintiff’s executive committee in litigation that secured a $1.2-billion settlement on behalf of World Trade Center property damage victims. Timothy’s wife, Jennifer, is also a lawyer. They have two daughters and live in Western Springs, Ill.
’99
Former Buff basketball player Erin Scholz (Comm) has been inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame. Erin has been on the coaching staffs at Utah State, Fresno Pacific and Grand Canyon University. A four-time letter winner at CU from 1993-97, she is one of three Buffs in the 1,000- point, 1,000-rebound club. Erin was selected by Portland in the fourth round of the 1997 American Basketball League draft.
’05
As winner of a 2015 Heartland Emmy for video journalism, Juliana Broste (Jour) said it was an honor to receive the award after handing out Emmys as a volunteer 11 years ago. Upon winning, she said, “There were few jobs doing what I wanted to do…so, I had to create my dream job.”
Oakland Unified School District hired Drew Giles (Jour; MEdu’11) to serve as director of quality, enhancement and professional development for early learning. Drew has taught preschool and kindergarten in Colorado and South Korea. In 2012, he was named runner-up for Colorado Teacher of the Year.
’07
Shoshanna Howard (Comm), campaign director for Students Against Fracking with the California Student Sustainability Coalition, has been working in social and climate justice for more than five years. She spent the last year working on anti-fracking and anti-tar-sands campaigns and seeks to expand the environmental movement by inspiring and empowering student leaders.
’15
As a program director for Manna Project International, Carissa Chen (Jour) leads programs in Nicaragua that give underserved communities access to healthcare, education and improved livelihoods. She also teaches English, dance and a creative arts class for children in Nicaragua and runs a child sponsorship program that supports 50 children (ages 0-5) and a women’s jewelry cooperative that provides 25 women with a steady income.