Class Notes

After diving into the tech world for six years and working for an in-house creative team, Alex (Becknell) Ursetta (Advert) joined Article Group, based in Rochester, New York. Article Group tackles hard problems for some of the largest tech companies. She works remotely from colorful Colorado and in her spare time, she can be found hanging out with her fluffy sidekick, Kenya, and CU copywriter crush-turned-husband, DJ (Advert’12).

Abby Whipple (MediaSt) completed her MBA at Pforzheim University, in Germany, in 2021. She founded the nonprofit Restorative Justice Data Systems with seed funding from the National Center on Restorative Justice and the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance. The nonprofit is coordinating the availability and implementation of a data collection, analysis and reporting system for restorative justice programs across the country.

In June 2022 Chris King (Jour, Engl) joined the PGA Tour and is senior manager of communications for PGA Tour Champions, following 10 years working in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ communications department.

Andrew Sorensen (Jour) is the new senior manager of media and public relations for Kaiser Permanente Colorado after several years as CU Boulder spokesperson and assistant director of communications. He was previously a reporter for 9NEWS (KUSA) in Denver. He also reported for Time Warner Cable News in North Carolina and New York.

Josh Reising (Jour) recently moved to Dallas to serve as director of media and creative content for the women’s basketball team at Southern Methodist University. Prior to that, he worked with Altitude Sports, where he won an Emmy for the network’s on-air graphics.

In March 2022, Richard Spiegel (MJour) left the Department of Veterans Affairs to take the role of director of corporate communication and legislative affairs at Naval Supply Systems Command, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He’s excited to be a naval civilian working with the Department of Defense.

Silvia Razgova (MJour) is a news photo editor at the Los Angeles Times, which she joined in 2022. Previously, she was a contract photojournalist for the Rocky Mountain News; staff photographer at the National, an English-language newspaper in Abu Dhabi; and a freelance photographer in California and the Middle East. In her personal photographic work, she explores the themes of home, loss, belonging and poignancy of life.

Mike Tarson (Jour) and Allyson Valentine (Advert) are married and live in Fairfield, Connecticut, with their son and twin daughters. Tarson joined NewsNation in March and is a supervising producer on Elizabeth Vargas Reports. Prior to that, he was with CNN for 15 years. After eight years of teaching in public schools, Valentine started Pop Studio, a balloon decor company, in 2020.

Jennifer Simpson (MComm’99, PhD) is owner and CEO of Integrated Work, where she and her team help mission-driven leaders and organizations build futures. Her new book, the KOAN method: Breakthrough Leadership for a Divided World, was released this September. In her spare time, she continues to teach courses on organizational culture at CU and loves spending time with her two children.

In January, Meredith (Arndt) Mirrington (MediaSt) joined PR Talent, a communications recruitment firm, as managing director. For the previous two decades, Mirrington led high-impact communications efforts for companies in industries ranging from tech to tourism. Most recently, she was a global communications and culture leader at Amazon Web Services. Mirrington lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and serves as an adjunct instructor in CMCI’s online corporate communications graduate program.

Michael Maney (MJour) was named head of internal communications for The Home Depot in January and is building a center of excellence to engage with more than 500,000 associates across North America. He was previously head of internal communications for Amazon’s Whole Foods Market and Target, and led communications for Sony and Disney.

Carrie Strom (Comm) is senior vice president, AbbVie, and president, Global Allergan Aesthetics, where she oversees a multibillion-dollar global aesthetics portfolio. Previously, she led the U.S. aesthetics business for Allergan, and spent 11 years at Pfizer, where she held roles in sales and marketing. Strom lives in Corona del Mar, California, with her husband and two children. She is also on the board of directors for Girls Inc. of Orange County.

In fall 2022, Kirk Siegler (Jour) was selected as an inaugural fellow with the United Nations Foundation’s Thomas Lovejoy Press Fellowship to travel to a remote research camp in the Brazilian Amazon to report on deforestation and its effects on global climate change.

Jennifer (Scholl) Anderson (Advert) is brand director and head of business development for KidNuz, a first-of-its-kind daily news podcast and platform for kids. She’s also a fractional creative director for startups in and beyond the Bay Area. She donates 10% of her services to women-led companies, an additional 10% to nonprofits and stays active on several boards. 

Kate Whiteley (Jour) started her career as a television reporter and anchor before moving to public relations. Since 2018, she has worked for Caesars Entertainment, where she is vice president of corporate communications and production. She lives in Las Vegas. 

Craig Berkley (MJour) is a media technology consultant with more than 20 years of experience negotiating and managing partnerships in advanced media, video advertising, data and analytics. Previously, he was head of revenue for LiveRamp TV. There, he led the sales and development efforts of LiveRamp’s identity products and services across the video advertising industry. Prior to LiveRamp, he held senior executive positions at MasterCard, Charter Spectrum and Comcast.

Kevin Atticks (MJour) was appointed as Maryland’s secretary of agriculture by Gov. Wes Moore. Atticks founded Grow & Fortify, serves on the University of Maryland College of Agriculture’s Global Leadership Council and is on the faculty at Loyola University Maryland.

David Vincent (Jour) is an entrepreneur and 20-year veteran of the entertainment industry. Known for voicing hundreds of characters in popular animation and video games, he’s also an award-winning producer. After years of signing autographs, Vincent founded Streamily, a platform that allows fans to watch celebrities sign a personalized autograph on any livestream platform, and have it delivered to their door. 

Nancy Benfield Connery (Comm) splits her time between California and Colorado. Connery works with CU Athletics and, through her startup OpenComp, she and her team seek to break the cycle of workplace inequities relating to gender and pay. When not working, Connery can be found hiking, skiing or traveling with her husband, two young adult daughters and their golden retrievers.

Jenifer Karpan Marx (Comm’90; MJour) lives in Vail and works part time editing grants and writing for a nonprofit newsletter. She has served on the boards of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and Safe Harbor Lab Rescue, and continues volunteering in the community. Before staying home to raise her three children, she worked in various marketing and communication roles at U.S. West, Starz Encore and The Integer Group. A longtime Buffs season-ticket holder, she attends football games with her husband and best friends from Sewall Hall, Beth (Carmain) Watson (Jour’90) and Vance Watson (Hist’91).