Notes from the Class of 1990

“Being a Chi Omega sister created bonds for life,” wrote Kirsten Helm Hanna (Real) of Chapel Hill, N.C., after taking a trip to Costa Rica this winter with several of her sorority sisters. “It was like we were right back where we left off ... listening to ’80s music from bands we heard at Tulagi’s, Potters and Pearls!” Laurel Andrew Dale (ChemEngr; MBA’99) of Littleton, Colo., Kari Larson Johnson (MechEngr) of Superior, Colo., Terri Miles Schmier (AeroEngr) of San Mateo, Calif., Cathy Corbin Gay (Mktg) of Overland Park, Kan., Julie Johnson Sexson (Fin) of St. Paul, Minn., and Paula Beehler Adkison (Acct) of Lewisville, Texas, were all in attendance.

After graduation, Franck Van der Hooft (PolSci, Thtr) returned to Amsterdam and became an executive producer at Cirque du Soleil. Four years ago, Franck and his husband, Rupert, emigrated to France, where they opened Les Mas & Le Mazet, five-star holiday homes in the idyllic French countryside. Franck is offering a 10 percent discount to any CU alumni who stay in 2020. Visit www.lemasdordogne.com to learn more.

Markos Scheer (Pol Sci) opened the United States’ largest kelp farm off Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska. Kelp can be used in products like ice cream, salad dressing and pet food. For 20 years, Markos was an attorney at Williams Kastner & Gibbs, a Pacific Northwest law firm based in Seattle, Washington. His story was featured in the Colorado Arts & Sciences Magazine last year.

Montbello, California, resident Keith Knox (PolSci) was appointed Los Angeles County treasurer and tax collector by the County Board of Supervisors in December 2019. Keith has spent the last 29 years working for Los Angeles County, including working for the Employee Retirement Association.

Linda Pelaez Hattenbach (Psych) of Lakewood, Colorado, is beginning a new venture designing collegiate jewelry — starting with her alma mater. She invites you to visit revelrydesigns.com for her CU- and Rocky Mountain-inspired jewelry. 

Filmmaker and professional skier Chris Anthony (Kines) produced a documentary film, Mission Mt. Mangart, about the legendary WWII 10th Mountain Division, which consisted of the most talented international skiers and mountaineers of the day. The world premiere will be in Denver on Nov. 11, Veterans Day. He hopes to bring the film to the CU Boulder campus in early 2022.  

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.

Edward J. Knight’s (Phys’90) newest novel, Gunslinger: The Dragon of Yellowstone, was published by WordFire Press in April 2021. Set in mythicized Golden City, Colorado, the book tells the story of a 16-year-old hotel chambermaids quest to save the western world from giants, trolls and a dragon. Outside of writing, Edward worked on Landsat 9, a satellite launched by NASA on September 27, 2021. Edward served as the chief engineer on the Operational Land Imager 2, which is taking images of the Earth’s surface and continues Landsat’s 50-year legacy of supporting environmental science.

New York City resident Dorie Hagler (Film, PolSci’90) is producer of the documentary 8x10, a film about solitary confinement. For seven years, Dorie documented the re-entry of Johnny Perez into society. Johnny spent 13 years in prison, including three in solitary confinement, and is now dedicated to ending the practice of solitary confinement. Dorie called upon her former Baker Hall resident advisor and friend Kevin Corke (Jour’88; MA’02) to help advise her on the film. Learn more at eightx10.com.

The city of Fort Collins honored Gregg Osterhout (FilmSt’90) for his “vision of troupe-focused artistry and education in co-founding Debut Theatre Company (established 1991) and commitment to theater for and by young people.” Gregg lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. 

After graduating from CU, Christopher Arndt (AeroEngr’90) served seven years in the Navy before attending medical school and residency at the University of New Mexico (UNM). He is now an attending anesthesiologist at UNM. Christopher was selected to be medical director for the UNM outpatient surgery center in 2009 and served in that role until 2020 when he was chosen as chair for the UNM department of anesthesiology and critical care medicine. He received his MBA last year. He, along with Cassie Langhals (Psych’13), opened the first master of science in anesthesia program at UNM. The program is the first of its kind in New Mexico and has a mission to serve the Southwest population.

In December, Michele Heller (Jour’90) joined FINRA, the U.S. financial markets self-regulatory organization, as director of executive and stakeholder communications. Previously, Michele was director of strategic communications and media relations at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and served in the Obama administration as the senior advisor for communications at the FDIC. Before transitioning into communications, Michele worked as a journalist, at The Washington Post and other newspapers in Washington, D.C., Beijing and Hong Kong. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, two teenagers and one dog.