Notes from the Class of 1998

Achieving a lifelong dream, Tom Metz III’s (Hum) first directed feature film, 30 Nights, is available for streaming or purchase on Amazon. The movie tells the quirky story of a couple attempting to save their marriage. Tom lives in Sherman Oaks, California.

Dean of the School of Arts & Humanities at Sonoma State University Hollis Robbins (MEngl) has published her sixth book, Forms of Contention: Influence and the African American Sonnet Tradition. Hollis credits Professor Kelly Hurley, Professor Nan Goodman and Professor Katherine Eggert for helping her to hone the craft of studying literature while she was a student at CU.

After leaving her job at Samsung in Seoul, Julia Yoo (Law) earned her law degree at CU and founded the Law Center for Women Prisoners, a nonprofit focused on assisting and advocating for incarcerated women. Three years later, she joined the law firm Iredale & Yoo in San Diego. She continues her work fighting police misconduct at the National Police Accountability Project, where she was the first female and the first person of color to be named president. 

Entertainer and educator Neil McIntyre (Comm) lives on the Big Island of Hawaii and has brought his family-friendly hip-hop music to all six Hawaiian islands. This spring, he worked with children at Konawaena High School on a tribute song to honor the 75th birthday of Challenger astronaut Ellison Onizuka (Aero, MS’69; HonDocSci’03), a Konawaena graduate. 

As chief technology officer and VP of products for an information management company in Norway, Jorgen Solberg (ElEngr) was constantly stuck in unproductive meetings. As a remedy, he founded Decisions, a meeting management software, which is now built into MicrosoftTeams and Office 365. The rapidly growing company has won several Microsoft App Awards. He lives in Oslo, Norway. 

Steve Starzec (MFin) joined the Denver office of BNY Mellon Wealth Management as client strategist. He brings 30 years of experience to the role. He also serves on the Children’s Hospital legacy planning advisory council and volunteers as a youth football coach.

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. 

Metropolitan State University promoted Chalane Lechuga (Engl’98) as full professor in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies. She also serves as MSU’s director of faculty diversity research and development in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Chalane was born and raised in Denver and attended Denver North High School.

This July, global law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP elected Connie Milonakis (Fin’98) as a partner of the firm. Connie works in London with Davis Polk’s corporate practice. She focuses on capital markets transactions and advises international corporations.

The Colorado Law alumni board and dean Lolita Buckner Inniss named Bill Callison (Law’82), Beth Crane (Law’79), Jennifer Evans (IntlAf, PolSci’91; Law’98), Joe Neguse (Econ, PolSci’05; Law’09), Betty Nordwind (Law’71) and Donald Quick (Econ’82; Law’86) as alumni award winners. The 42nd annual Colorado Law Alumni Awards Banquet is March 16 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

International law firm Perkins Coie named intellectual property attorney Courtney Prochnow (EPOBio’98) partner. Trained as a molecular and structural biologist, Courtney focuses her practice on patent litigation, strategic patent portfolio management and patent prosecution in the life sciences industry. She has represented clients in federal courts and in post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Courtney has drafted and prosecuted patents in a variety of technological areas including gene editing and antibody therapeutics. She lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Theresa Sauer (Jour’98) of law firm Beatty & Wozniak was promoted to equity shareholder. Theresa specializes in supporting the development and operations sides of the upstream and midstream segments of the oil and gas industry. She is based in their Denver office.