Class Notes

After living in Telluride post-graduation, Jennifer Burman (Psych) earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania. She worked as a therapist in a private practice for many years, specializing in children, adolescents and couples. Now, she is raising two teenage girls on her own and has published her first book, A Widow’s Walk, which speaks to the challenges of marriage and betrayal. She will soon launch her next memoir about single motherhood, dating, relationships, sex and addiction. In her free time, besides writing, Jennifer practices yoga, travels, gardens and bakes.

This spring, the CU Boulder College of Music recognized Leenya Rideout (Mus) as a distinguished alumnus of the college. Leenya has lived in New York City for the past 25 years. In 1997, she played violin, sang, danced and acted in the Broadway show Cabaret. She also wrote her own musical, Wild Abandon, about herself and her mom, which was shown off-Broadway in New York in 2018. “I feel like art can do so much right now for the world,” she told the music college. “The world needs a lot of healing and a lot of bringing people together.”

In July, David Sholl (PhDApMath) became director of the Transformational Decarbonization Initiative at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to elevate the lab’s prominence in carbon capture, conversion, utilization and storage. He is author of Success and Creativity in Scientific Research, a book which offers career advice to young scientists. 

Julia DeSimone Campbell (Jour) was selected as one of Adweek’s 2021 Creative 100 along with the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Amanda Gorman and Bryce Dallas Howard. She has recently built and led the Branded Content Project, an industry resource for local media companies that helps them create new revenue streams through content marketing.

After graduating summa cum laude, Michael Kester (Phil) went to Harvard Law School, worked as a Wall Street financial analyst and was co-president of a leadership consulting firm. Last year, he launched Lead Belay, an affordable “peer-based leadership experience” for millennials. With Lead Belay, Michael hopes to help young workers recognize and develop their own personal leadership styles. 

Nicole Kingham (CommDisor) was selected to join the 2021 board of directors of the American Academy of Audiology. Nicole earned her master’s degree in audiology at the University of Washington. She currently works with practice development groups to help implement audiology assistants or technicians into private practice audiology and medical ear, nose and throat clinics. Nicole has developed an audiology assistant training program that is used in many clinics around the United States.

Michelle Johnson Anderson (Bus) has been promoted to chief financial officer of Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford (A&S ex’58; HonDocHum’87). In addition to the Sundance Film Festival, the institute produces a wide variety of programs that support independent storytellers and advance the impact of their work in the world. Read more about Michelle in this issue. 

In recognition of his 2020 grassroots reporting, John Snyder (Comm, Jour) — editor of an eight-town weekly newspaper in Bergen County, New Jersey — has won a certificate of excellence from the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Cal State LA recognized Krishna Foster (PhDChem) for her excellence in teaching and outstanding achievements during the university’s 2021 convocation this fall. Krishna is a professor of chemistry in the university’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, co-director of the Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) programs and director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) program at Cal State LA. 

Former Buffs basketball star Chauncey Billups (Soc ex), who played 17 seasons with seven teams in the NBA, is now head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Chauncey is the first Forever Buff to become an NBA head coach.

Chris DiDonato (Mgmt) has become an employee shareholder at Holmes Murphy, one of the nation’s largest employee owned and controlled insurance brokerages.

In August, Colorado governor Jared Polis appointed Robert James (Law) as district court judge for the state’s 13th judicial district. 

Jamahl Mosley (Soc) was a four-year letterman at CU and is one of only 37 players in CU history to score more than 1,000 points. He was named as an assistant coach of the 2021 USA Select Team for Basketball, which trained against the USA National team as it prepared for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Jamahl has coached for the Denver Nuggets, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas’ Summer League squad and the Dallas Mavericks. 

Denver’s Brad Turner (Jour, Mus) is working at Colorado Public Radio making podcasts. As executive producer of CPR’s Audio Innovations Studio, he released a new podcast, Music Blocks, a five-minute music appreciation podcast designed in collaboration with Colorado educators. The show helps teach music appreciation to middle and high schoolers, featuring contemporary music along with examples from different genres and cultures. “We touch on music by Lil Nas X and Olivia Rodrigo, but also Beethoven and John Coltrane,” he wrote. “Each installment looks at how artists express a different emotion through music.”

Gretchen Snyder Chizmadia (Engl) and Jeff Chizmadia (Comm) were married in June. The couple lives in Edwards, Colorado. 

​​Life coach, meditation teacher and founder of She Glows Retreats Brie Doyle (Edu) released her first book, You Should Leave Now, in July. Offering alternative solutions to finding true well-being, Brie’s book shared research, anecdotes and advice that discuss the benefits of taking an annual personal retreat.

Mike Carter-Conneen (Jour), a former D.C. TV reporter and anchor, is now director of corporate communications at CarbonCure Technologies. In April, the company won the $20 million Carbon XPRIZE for its innovations in carbon dioxide removal, transforming concrete into a climate solution.

Managing partner Patrick A. Salvi II (Mgmt) of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard in Chicago was selected as the 2022 U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” for Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs. He was also listed in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for personal injury litigation. Patrick launched a new podcast, Beating Goliath: A Plaintiff’s Pursuit of Justice, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at some of his firm’s biggest trials. 

In July, Bronwen Maxson (Engl, Span) of Eugene, Oregon, was promoted to associate librarian rank at the University of Oregon Libraries, where she is the coordinator of undergraduate engagement and instructional services as well as the subject librarian for Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American studies.

After several management jobs at corporations including L’Oreal and many startup experiences, Ehsan Shariati Varnosfaderani (MElEngr) co-founded the Functionland corporation. The company provides open-source technology to help users create their own personal server.