Class Notes

Former Colorado lawmaker Alice Donnelly Madden (Psych; Law’89) was named executive director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment at Colorado Law School. She served in the state House of Representatives for eight years and was majority leader from 2004 to 2008. She also has held positions in the governor’s office and in the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Honorable Joseph Rosania (Law) was appointed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Joseph has spent the past three decades in private practice, first as a solo practitioner, then as a shareholder with Connolly Rosania & Lofstedt, PC.

Dave Genova (Geol), general manager and CEO of the Denver metro Regional Transportation District, has been with RTD for more than 22 years and has led the organization since December. At CU Boulder, Dave was a member of the 1979 President’s Leadership Class.

Erwin Tschirner (MGer), professor of linguistics at the Herder Institute for German as a Foreign Language at the University of Leipzig Germany, turns 60 this fall. He has taught at several American universities. His research on vocabulary knowledge and language testing is well known across Europe and the U.S. He is a co-author of the most widely used American textbook for German, Kontakte, and a lifetime member of the American Association of Teachers of German.

Gary Kramer (IntlAf; Law’89), formerly of Berenbaum Weinshienk PC, was appointed as a district court judge for the 18th Judicial District, which covers Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties in Colorado. A shareholder at Berenbaum Weinshienk, Gary’s practice focused on contract disputes, state retirement benefits, domestic matters, pro-bate, fiduciary disputes and land use.

The Wyoming Medical Society named Mike Tracy (Psych; Med’94) 2016 Physician of the Year. Mike is known for his work in direct primary care, a billing and payment arrangement between patients and providers. Mike is also an assistant professor with the University of Washington School of Medicine and is on the Board of Directors for both Powell Valley Healthcare and the Mountain Pacific Quality Health Foundation.

In March Janine Davidson (ArchEngr) was sworn in as the 32nd undersecretary of the Navy. A former Air Force pilot, she previously served as a deputy assistant secretary of defense. Janine also has worked as a professor and military analyst and is a published author. She was the first woman to fly the Air Force’s tactical C-130.

In April President Obama nominated Regina Rodriguez (Law) as a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado. Both of the state’s U.S. senators supported the nomination.

Nancy Shanks (Comm; MJour’92) retired as spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation in the spring. A California native, Nancy’s family moved to Durango in the 1980s. She began her CDOT career in the Denver office in 1997. In 2003 she returned to the Western Slope, becoming the first communications manager to be a resident in the region.

John Brozovsky (DBA), professor of accounting and information systems in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, was reappointed the Wayne E. Leininger Faculty Fellow in accounting and information systems. John joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 1989. He has published 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, one book and two book chapters.

Photographer Dorie Hagler (PolSci) produced a “Humans of New York”- like campaign in New York City that focuses on women’s stories and uses them to fight for equality. To promote her campaign, called Me&EVE, Dorie held events on Mother’s Day, Equal Pay Day and at the start of Women’s History Month. She believes that by giving women a platform to share their stories, her campaign can be a catalyst for change in the equal rights fight.

CU Boulder professor Roger Pielke Jr. (Math; MPolSci’92; PhD’94) was quoted in USA Today and the Daily Mail about the pros and cons of banning Russia from the 2016 Olympics following its doping scandal. Roger has authored many books and is now working on one about sports in society. He lives in Boulder.

James Burack (Law) was promoted to director of Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division. James has been with the department for two years as its chief of investigations following 12 years as an administrator and police chief of Milliken, where he helped lead the town’s response to the 2013 floods.

After almost nine months of traveling between Panama and Italy to solidify the design requirements for the expansion of the Panama Canal, Octavio Franco (MCivEngr) is back in Panama City, Panama, where he lives and works as a leader overseeing the expansion of the Panama Canal with the Panama Canal Authority.

Last year Elyssa Pallai Nager (IntlAf) co-founded Resort Books Ltd. and launched the now bestselling book series Eli and Mort’s Epic Adventures. The books, which are illustrated by local children, tell the tale of the main characters exploring the world of ski resort towns. In 2016, the Vail Valley Partnership voted the company Vail Valley small business of the year.

Manhattan resident and Broadway actress Leenya Rideout (Mus) performed in the Public Theater’s first all-female “Shakespeare in the Park” production of The Taming of the Shrew. Leenya played the Widow in addition to being an onstage musician and music director. She has been performing on Broadway and in theaters all over the country for the past 21 years.

In June, Robert Rody (ArchEngr) was promoted to associate principal for Treanor Architects | H+L Architecture. He lives in Denver.

With more than a decade of experience in the coffee industry, Marcus Young (Engl) joined Boot Coffee and SupplyShift in San Rafael, Calif., as a senior trainer and quality advisor at Boot Coffee’s campus and SupplyShift’s training lab. He helps connect coffee roasters, trade houses and certification bodies to SupplyShift’s cloud-based platform for managing supply chains.

James A. Hansen (AeroEngr; MS’93) was a recipient of the Flemming Awards Commission’s 2015 Arthur S. Flemming Award, which honors men and women who have offered exceptional service to the federal government for 3-15 years. At the U.S. Naval Research Academy in Monterey, Calif., James’ tropical cyclone sortie program calculates when and how ships and aircraft should evaluate areas threatened by severe storms.

Benjamin McPhail (Engl) is program director of The Colorado Sound, a radio program on 105.5 FM that debuted in February and serves the Front Range and eastern plains of the state. The station plays an eclectic blend of music from Johnny Cash to My Morning Jacket. Benjamin previously served as music director for KUNC radio.