Class Notes

Henry Throop (MAstroPhys; PhD’00) was awarded the Avis Bohlen Award for Exemplary Performance by the American Foreign Service Association in a ceremony held at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. Henry is a senior scientist with the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz. He works remotely from his postings in Mumbai, Pretoria, Mexico City and D.C. with his wife, Heidi Hattenbach, a foreign service officer, and their three children.

In July, Travis Howe (Fin) joined ESPN as senior vice president of digital ad product sales and strategy. Travis serves as an executive member of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and also serves on the board of directors for the Lighthouse Guild, a charitable organization providing services to the blind and visually impaired.

In May, Forbes called Sarah Kauss (Acct), founder and CEO of S’well water bottle company, one of America’s most successful self-made women. Also in May, S’well won Inc. Magazine’s 2017 Design Award for brand design.

In July, Horizon Elder Law & Estate Planning welcomed Jerald Marrs (Law) to its team. Jerry, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, is committed to helping seniors, couples and families through the trying times associated with the aging process. He lives in San Ramon, Calif.

Boulder resident Kate Lacroix (Thtr ex’99) is owner of KONTENTLY, a digital content marketing company, and co-producer of Boulder’s restaurant week. Yet she considers her most important life accomplishment the donation of her kidney to someone in need. Currently Kate is working with legislation to pass a law that would provide tax compensation for organ donors.

Nick Massie (Econ, Mktg; MBA’10) joined the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners as assistant director and CFO/COO. He and wife Holly Nelson Massie (EnvSt, Ger’00) live in Denver

Veronica Amey-Perrin (Fren) joined the neuropsychology unit at Ozarks Medical Center in West Plains, Kan. Veronica and husband Jim enjoy hiking and fishing in their spare time and will move to the West Plains area.

Marshall Scallan (Engl) joined real estate services company Cushman & Wakefield as managing director within its capital markets group for the Washington, D.C., region. Outside of work, Marshall volunteers as a sous chef at Miriam’s Kitchen, a nonprofit whose mission is to end chronic homelessness.

Alexander Brown (PhDMechEngr) was named an American Society of Mechanical Engineers fellow, a distinction reserved for only 3.1 percent of ASME’s 107,895 members. He works at Sandia National Laboratories and has had an exciting career in fire research, including serving the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as an expert reviewer for nuclear power plant fire assessments for the past decade.

Online marketplace DataStreamX named Hari Krishnan (MTeleCom) to its advisory board. Hari is CEO of PropertyGuru Group, Asia’s leading online property group.

CU Boulder Veterans Club leader Rex Laceby (Hist) was awarded the Red Cross Armed Forces Hero Award. At the end of his acceptance speech at the Red Cross Heroes Soirée at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in March, Rex proposed to Sabrina Blosky, now his fiancée. Rex is retired from the Marine Corps after 21 years of service. He enjoys spending time in the mountains, climbing and skiing.

Tracy Bloch Lechner (PolSci) joined the intellectual property department of Denver law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where she will lead cybersecurity and technology transactions. Previously Tracy worked as vice president for Outfront Media Inc., an outdoor media advertising company.

The New Jersey Law Journal selected Nicholas Kant (Jour; Law’06) as one of the state’s New Leaders of the Bar. Nick works as a deputy attorney general for the state.

Kathleen Ratteree (Engl), who works with the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people, published a book titled The Great Vanishing Act: Blood Quantum and the Future of Native Nations. Kathleen and husband Paul Wochinske (Acct, MS’03) live in Wisconsin with their daughter.

San Francisco resident Max Kiefer (Mgmt) was named director of business development for Healthy Buildings, a consulting firm. Max, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in sustainability from Harvard University, is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, the Building Owners and Managers Association and the National Resource Defense Council.

Denver resident Jonathan M. Lucero (Fin; Law’07) was appointed to sit as a part-time magistrate in Denver County Court. Outside his judicial duties he continues in his private practice as a senior associate with the law firm of Hernandez & Associates.

Alumni Association advisory board member Chris Deardorff (Fin; MBA’09) launched a marketing company, Market Compass, which works with fast-growing startups along the Front Range. Chris is an active member of the CU entrepreneurship community and currently the lead mentor at Boomtown Boulder, a volunteer judge and mentor for CU’s New Venture Challenge and a co-founder and board member of the Leeds MBA Board. He is completing a certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In March, Ben Rosenberg (Psych) married Sarah Czerniejewski (IntPhys’07) on their 11-year anniversary as a couple. Ben writes that fellow alum and good friend J. Keith McGlone (Econ, PolSci’06) officiated the wedding at the C Lazy U Ranch outside of Granby, Colo. They were joined by several other alumni, including Marc Sandler (Mktg’06), Chris Powers (Hist’06), Ricka Sterner (IntPhys’07) and Nicholas Sorrentino (MechEngr’05). Ben works as a lecturer at Chapman University in Orange County, Calif. Sarah is a nurse in the ICU at a hospital near their home in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

Mark Nowakowski (MMus) was appointed assistant professor of music technology at Kent State University, Stark. His CD Blood Forgotten was released on June 9 through NAXOS, the world’s largest distributor of classical music. He lives with his wife and three children in Ohio, where he continues to pursue an active career in music composition, writing and teaching.

On Sept. 24, 2016, Shaun Reed (AeroEngr) married Cassandra Ilich Reed in front of 200 guests in a traditional Serbian Orthodox ceremony at the home of the bride’s parents, Chateau Summerset, in Northern California. Shaun is a licensed mechanical engineer in Denver. The couple enjoyed a monthlong African honeymoon on safari in Ethiopia. They also sailed around the Seychelles Islands and toured Morocco. Shaun and Cassandra reside at their home, Sierra Dorado Ranch, in Golden, Colo.