Sandia National Laboratories combustion chemist Craig Taatjes (PhDChemPhys’91) received the prestigious Polanyi Medal for his work in hydrocarbon combustion and atmospheric chemistry. The Polanyi Medal is awarded every two years by the International Symposium on Gas Kinetics for outstanding contributions to the field of gas kinetics. Craig’s research aims to understand the fundamental chemistry of combustion and hydrocarbon oxidation. He lives in Orinda, Calif.

Posted Mar. 1, 2014

For 16 years Heidi Dewell (Jour’91) has been working for Williams-Sonoma, the San Francisco-based specialty retailer of high quality products for the home. During that time, she helped launch the company’s West Elm and Pottery Barn Teen brands. As vice president in creative services, Heidi is responsible for catalog and brand packaging. She lives in San Francisco.

Posted Jun. 1, 2014

After four years, Arvada, Colo., resident Michelle McDowell (Psych’91) finished her term in May on the Alumni Association board. Joining her in completing his three-year term was Katy, Texas, resident Tim Peterson (Econ’92, MFin’97). Each brought tremendous energy and unique perspectives to their board work, helping staff shape programming to better serve the larger Forever Buffs family.

Posted Jun. 1, 2014

Todd Gilchrist (ElEngr’91), a 22-year Navy veteran, took a financial advisor position with Illinois firm Preferred Panning Concepts. During numerous tours as a naval aviator, he traveled the country and world. His final tour of duty was as commanding officer of a helicopter squadron. Todd and his wife, Stacey Baca (Jour’91), split their time between Colorado and Chicago.

Posted Dec. 1, 2014

Last year Sabine Kortals (Bus, Mus; MJour’96) traveled to Ghana with Project C.U.R.E. and to Uganda and Rwanda with the Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development and the Global Livingston Institute as a field reporter to support humanitarian relief efforts. The Denver Woman’s Press Club awarded Sabine’s poem about Ghana, “Stop Trying,” first prize in its 2014 In-House Writers’ Contest. She also has launched an eZine about women driving social change,Woman ChangeMAKER. Find out more at womanchangemaker.net.

Posted Mar. 1, 2015

Heath Prince (IntlAf), an education and workforce development researcher, was named director of the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources in the University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. He joined the center in 2012 as a research scientist and associate director.

Posted Mar. 1, 2015

Abe “Quint” Shafer (PolSci) was appointed by the governor of Missouri as an associate circuit court judge for Missouri’s sixth judicial circuit. He resides in rural Weston, Mo., with his wife, Christy, and their two children. Quint also serves as an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Benedictine College, where he teaches business law and ethics.

Posted Mar. 1, 2015

Steve Zemanick (ElEngr) opened a solo law practice specializing in trademark and copyright law called Four Reasons Legal. He lives in Denver with his wife and three children, who inspired the firm’s name.

Posted Mar. 1, 2015

Moyra Knight (Jour) joined the pharmaceutical company Astellas as head of corporate and employee communications. Moyra is responsible for developing and leading corporate brand initiatives across North and South America. She has more than 20 years of communications experience in the healthcare and consumer industries. She lives in Glenview, Ill.

Posted Mar. 1, 2015

Christine Bartel (Econ) was named president and CEO of home health-care provider McLaren Homecare Group of Davison, Mich. Earlier in her career she worked for Standard & Poor’s and Dun & Bradstreet. She also started a home-care services company in Greenwood Village, Colo., with branch locations in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins. In 2008 she sold that company to a private equity firm.

Posted Jun. 1, 2015

Sandra Schubert (Law; MPhil’96) joined the law firm of Somach Simmons & Dunn in Sacramento. She previously worked as undersecretary for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, where she helped draft the California Water Action Plan. In her new position, she works with agriculture, air, environmental and water law clients.

Posted Jun. 1, 2015

Fred Studer (Fin) joined NetSuite, Inc., a provider of cloud-based financials software, as chief marketing officer. He oversees NetSuite’s worldwide marketing initiatives and promotes awareness of the company’s cloud-based business management software. He previously worked for Microsoft for seven years and for Oracle for 12.

Posted Jun. 1, 2015

Attorney Steve Fleischli (Econ, EPOBio) is director of the water program at the Natural Resource Defense Council. He focuses on water policy, climate change, curbing water pollution and water management. This spring he gave a talk at Southern California’s Hammer Museum about the threats to the world’s rivers.

Posted Sep. 1, 2015

Margaret McDonald (ArtHist) joined the design, architecture and planning firm HOK in St. Louis as director of interiors this spring. She has 15 years of experience designing projects for other major companies, including Ameren, Edward Jones, Wells Fargo Advisors, Boeing and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Posted Sep. 1, 2015

Michael Sherman (Fin) formed Schoolcraft Capital, a boutique wealth management firm in Boulder, in April. He counsels families and their foundations on innovative investments. Michael has more than 20 years of experience providing wealth management services to entrepreneurs who’ve built and sold businesses.

Posted Sep. 1, 2015

Tamara Brady (Law), a chief trial deputy for the Colorado Public Defenders Office, represented James Holmes, the Aurora, Colo., theater shooter, sparing him the death penalty. After the case, Tamara took five weeks off, spending time with family and helping her daughter move into college. She is an advocate for proper treatment of mental illness and removing its stigma. Tamara and husband Mark Rapp (Law’91) live in Greeley, Colo., with their daughter.

Posted Mar. 1, 2016

Nick Stavrianoudakis (MEcon) was named athletic director of Modesto Junior College, where he leads more than 4,000 MJC athletes and 21 teams. Previously he worked as a player agent in pro football, as a baseball card collector and business owner, as economic advisor to three counties and one city and as director of public affairs for the Yosemite Community College District. He was a student at CU when the Buffaloes won the 1990 NCAA Division 1-A football title and credits that exciting time as the inspiration for his career in collegiate athletics.

Posted Mar. 1, 2016

For 20 years Todd Millick (Hist) has served in the U.S. Foreign Service, working mostly in Africa and South Asia. He is the author of a book of poems called Short and Sweet, and his memoir, Nasty, Brutish, and Short, will be published this summer.

Posted Jun. 1, 2016

After almost nine months of traveling between Panama and Italy to solidify the design requirements for the expansion of the Panama Canal, Octavio Franco (MCivEngr) is back in Panama City, Panama, where he lives and works as a leader overseeing the expansion of the Panama Canal with the Panama Canal Authority.

Posted Sep. 1, 2016

Last year Elyssa Pallai Nager (IntlAf) co-founded Resort Books Ltd. and launched the now bestselling book series Eli and Mort’s Epic Adventures. The books, which are illustrated by local children, tell the tale of the main characters exploring the world of ski resort towns. In 2016, the Vail Valley Partnership voted the company Vail Valley small business of the year.

Posted Sep. 1, 2016

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