Class Notes

James Gleeson (PolSci) is serving as director of communications for Dr. Jill Biden at the White House. He previously worked for the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the Colorado General Assembly. James lives in Silver Spring, Md.

Dan Palm (Fin) and his wife, Courtney, have launched a baby sleep-training app called Cradle. The app allows exhausted parents to tailor a sleep plan specific to their family’s needs, helping them keep consistent with their sleep training so they can get their child to sleep through the night. Cradle is currently available for download in the App Store. Dan and Courtney live in Centennial, Colo.

Chris Avantaggio (Advert) of the VIA advertising agency in Portland, Maine, appeared in Adweek’s list of “50 Creatives Whose Brilliant Ideas and Beautiful Craft Will Make You Jealous.” Chris made the list for many reasons, including his re-branding efforts for Maine Beer Company and his work on a TV ad for Perdue chicken.

Intellectual property attorney Amy Kramer (ChemEngr; Law’09) was awarded the 2016 American Bar Association’s “On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers” by the Young Lawyers Division. Amy is a sixth-generation Coloradan and is involved in several nonprofit organizations including serving on the board of advisors for the Downtown Denver branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver. She also chairs the YMCA young professionals committee for Janet’s Camp, which has raised more than $1 million to send low-income children to summer camp. At CU, Amy serves on the Engineering Advisory Council and the GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Board in the College of Engineering & Applied Science.

Landon Mock (Psych), leader of the Washington, D.C., CU Alumni Association chapter, married Caitlin Donnelly on Sept. 24. The couple was introduced at a Buffs football watch party in D.C. a few years ago and got engaged while on a hike in spring 2015. Their wedding reception overlapped with the CU vs. Oregon football game and the CU fight song rang throughout the venue after CU won.

Jevan Fox (Engl) writes that he is keeping CU Boulder front-of-mind at all times. He is helping launch Bixler Collegiate (bixlercollegiate.com) licensed fine jewelry, and is launching in a big way with CU. The line, in sterling silver and 14k gold with diamonds and gemstones, will be available via the company website and local retail outlets, as well as through the Alumni Association. Jevan resides on the East Coast with another Buff, his wife Jerusha Fox (Engl’11).

Nichole Geddes (Advert) of Heat ad agency in San Francisco appeared in Adweek’s list of “50 Creatives Whose Brilliant Ideas and Beautiful Craft Will Make You Jealous.” Nichole was recognized for her creative work on TV ad campaigns for the travel site Hotwire.com and EA Sports’ football video game Madden 16.

On April 2 Marissa Hermanson (Jour) married Graham Moomaw, a journalist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Marissa is a lifestyle journalist who has contributed to Southern Living, Forbes Travel Guide, Cosmopolitan and other publications. She lives in Richmond, Va.

Patricia Krus (MClass) and Joshua Stanfield were married in May. The ceremony was held at the Sunrise Amphitheatre on Flagstaff Mountain above Boulder with a dinner and dance reception hosted at CU Boulder. Josh and Patty honeymooned in Costa Rica, then traveled to Germany in September to continue the celebration. They live in Boulder with their Aussie kelpie, Tessa.

Jeff Ruppert (MCDBio), co-founder and COO of Evo Hemp, one of the first hemp food companies in the U.S., has been leading the firm’s growth since 2011. He’s happy to support fellow CU Boulder students and currently works with senior Gabriela Moy (ChemEngr ex’17).

After spending a few years in Asia observing people eating insects, former Marine Corps officer Dave Baugh (Mgmt) and twin brother Lars started a sustainable cricket-based protein brand. Lithic, an Aurora, Colo.-based venture, creates products that are gluten, soy and lactose free, and their cricket-based bars contain more than 15 grams of protein. Dave writes that around 80 percent of the world eats insects regularly and says that they were ready to get Americans on board.

In October, Kevin Smith (Acct, MS) married Sara Weisberg (EnvSt’10) in Bodega Bay, Calif. Kevin and Sara celebrated by going on safari in Kenya and Tanzania. The couple resides in San Francisco.

Maji Safi Group, co-founded in 2013 by Boulder native Bruce Maj Pelz (EnvSt), empowers local community health workers in Tanzania to fight waterborne diseases by teaching lifesaving water, sanitation and hygiene practices. Bruce works with the Boulder community and CU at a variety of levels to promote awareness of the global water sanitation crisis and social responsibility.

Flautist Hannah Darroch (MMus) was one of this year’s recipients of the Arts Excellence Award given by the Wellington Committee of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation in New Zealand and will receive prize money for her further studies. Hannah has been involved in music education, community outreach and arts administration in the Wellington region. She will be studying at McGill University in Montreal in the Doctor of Music program majoring in flute performance.

Brendan Mullins (Arch) is helping international design firm Stantec launch its second virtual reality research initiative. Brendan, who will serve as VR research lead, has a blended background in architectural design and digital media with design experience in gaming and buildings. He lives in San Francisco.

Marni Spott (Ger, IntlAf; MGer’12), previously Herd program manager at the CU Boulder Alumni Association, is now pursuing a career in culinary arts. She will be earning a dual master’s degree in culinary arts and international business at the Culinary Arts Academy in Lucerne, Switzerland. Marni hopes to apply her new skills to an agri-tourism business.

Former CU golfer Emily Talley (Comm) and former CU cross country skier Andreas Høye (Acct, Fin’14) were engaged in August on top of Mt. Tallac at Lake Tahoe in California. Emily and Andreas live in Oslo, Norway, Andreas’ hometown.

In his senior year at CU, Douglas Cushnie (Film, Span) made a film in Nicaragua. Now at the American Film Institute, he’s working on socially conscious film projects and fundraising for his thesis, “Neemkomok,” a short film about a lesser-known side of California history.

The Green Bay Packers signed a contract extension making David Bakhtiari (Comm ex) one of the NFL’s highest-paid tackles. In 2013 David started every game at left tackle, becoming the first rookie to do this for Green Bay since 1978.

Jamie Gay (MCDBio; MEdu’15) was chosen by the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation as a member of its 2016 cohort of Teaching Fellows. Jamie is one of 34 early career high school mathematics and science teachers to receive the award this year. She began her second year of teaching at Longmont High School this fall.