Notes from the Class of 1983

After receiving a fellowship at Hawthornden Castle in Scotland, novelist Susan Stinson (Engl) spent the month of January with five other writers in a 17th-century house attached to a 15th-century castle. She spent the time working on an historical novel.

Erie, Colo., resident Nancy Blackwell-Grieder (Psych) competed in the inaugural World Figures Championship in Lake Placid, N.Y., Aug. 28-29, finishing in eighth place among a strong field of former national champions and Olympians. As one of the inaugural competitors, she was inducted into the World Figures Hall of Fame and ranked eighth in the world. Figures skating, once a compulsory part of national, international and Olympic skating, involves carving specific patterns into the ice. Figures are seeing a resurgent interest in figure skaters worldwide. Nancy teaches figure skating at two ice rinks.

In 2005 Victor Pearn (MEngl) established the book publishing company Pearn and Associates, Inc. It has two publishing imprints: Burning Daylight, for prose, and Indian Paintbrush Poets, for poetry. The prose titles are also available as Kindle editions. Last year, Victor published two books: Ever After, a novel by Anita Sullivan, who previously won the Western States Nonfiction Award in 1986, and The Aloe of Evening, a book of poetry by John Knoepfle, professor emeritus of literature at the University of Illinois-Springfield. Victor plans to publish three or four new titles in 2016.

Editor and writing coach Susan Stinson (Engl) was awarded the 2016 William Randolph Hearst Fellowship for Creative and Performing Artists and Writers for her novel in progress. The April fellowship was at the American Antiquarian Society, a national research library and learned society of American history and culture in Worcester, Mass.

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.

In October Kimbirly Orr (Mktg), a past president of alumni chapters in metro Denver and Los Angeles, was named CU Advocate of the Year for exceptional advocacy on behalf of the university. Kimbirly regularly promotes events and works to advance the program via social media, marketing concepts and regular attendance at CU events. She lives in Centennial, Colo.

Alan Willenbrock (ChemEngr, Mktg) has been elected by his peers to the board of directors of the Portfolio Management Institute. Alan was also selected to co-chair PMI’s 2018 annual forum, which brings together about 200 of the most successful Morgan Stanley financial advisors for three days of continuing education sessions. Alan and wife Peggy live in Tucson, Ariz.

John Alsup (Math), professor of math education at Black Hills State University in South Dakota, has received the university’s Distinguished Faculty Award, the highest honor it bestows on faculty. John has taught math to middle, high school and college students. He’s also visited six continents in five years, after being inspired while teaching math in rural Tanzania. 

Susan Fox-Wolfgramm (Bus) is a professor of management in the college of business at Hawaii Pacific University. The Organization Studies Research Network named one of her 2016 articles winner of the International Award for Excellence. The article, “Towards Strategically Sustaining Business Students’ Careers in a Globalized Workplace: The Importance of Being Responsible and Accountable,” appeared in the International Journal of Knowledge, Culture & Change in Organizations.

Paul Nielsen (Econ, Russ) enjoyed reading the coverage of The Amazing Race contestants Floyd Pierce (ApMath, Econ’17) and Becca Droz (Anth ex’12) in the summer issue of the Coloradan. He also was involved in their season of the show. He has been an editor of The Amazing Race since 2002, and was one of the editors for the episode nominated for a picture editing Emmy Award this year. He writes that he uses the Russian he learned at CU Boulder when they take the contestants there. He lives in Los Angeles.

In August, Carol Pope (Engl) of Petersburg, Ill., retired from the 4th District Appellate Court, to which she was named in 2008. Carol was a clerk to U.S. district judge J. Waldo Ackerman in Springfield, Ill., before becoming Menard County’s state attorney in 1984. She and husband Al have two sons and four grandsons.

Nathan Kipnis (EnvDes) was named co-chairman of the American Institute of Architects’ National 2030 Commitment Working Group. Its aim is for architects to design all buildings and developments as carbon-neutral by 2030. Nathan and wife Fran live in a midcentury modern home on a ravine in Highland Park, Ill. — the closest thing to the Boulder terrain in the area, he writes.

Colorado Springs resident Steven Anderson (Econ) published his second book, Wandering Soul, in February 2018. The science fiction novel is the second book of his Reunification series and is a sequel to Wandering Star, which was published in September 2017. Both books are set during a time when members of Earth are attempting to bring the shattered remains of its once vast interstellar union back together.

Chris Conway (Engl) is the president of Spring Back Colorado, an organization that recycles mattresses and provides employment for individuals who face barriers to employment. The organization opened in 2012 and has locations in Denver, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins.

Since graduating from CU, Kathryn Hebert (EPOBio’83; MPA’86) writes that she has been on an “exciting non-stop local government journey,” starting her career as an assistant asset manager for the city and county of Denver. Next, she moved to Norwalk, Conn., to work as the city’s assistant budget director. She was later promoted to administrative services manager and then to director of the parking authority. In 2018, she was named president of the New England Parking Council, a nonprofit transportation and mobility organization that represents eight states in New England. She is now director of the Norwalk Department of Transportation Mobility and Parking. 

Alan F. Willenbrock (ChemEngr, Mktg) joined Morgan Stanley’s Alternative Investments Directors Program. A financial advisor in Tucson, Alan helps clients with retirement planning, alternative investments, financial planning and wealth management.

This year Anamaria Kazanis (MEcon) was appointed to the American Statistical Association Board of Directors. Anamaria, a resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., joined the association as a graduate student at the University of Michigan. After years of conducting research studies, she founded ASKSTATS Consulting to work as a statistical consultant.

Julie Kaplan (MMusEdu) of Overland Park, Kansas, recapped her year as such: “I’d like to report a busy year of officially retiring, getting married and welcoming a grandson, Sage.” She has two sons.