Class Notes

In December 2016 David A. Brown (PhDIntPhys) was named associate professor of human nutrition, foods and exercise in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He directs a laboratory that combines cardiac physiology and mitochondrial biology. David and wife Trisha live in Blacksburg, Va., with their two children.

In November Joseph A. Campbell (Psych) joined Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest law firms, as a member of its medical liability practice group. Before becoming a lawyer, Joe worked as a clinical case manager at the Mental Health Center of Denver. He lives in Michigan.

After teaching for more than 10 years at Colorado State University, Lori Peek (PhDSoc) has returned to CU as a professor in the sociology department. She is also the director of CU’s Natural Hazards Center. Lori has done investigative research in the wake of many notable disasters, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill and Superstorm Sandy. The Kansas native married her husband, Povilas, in November 2015.

Michael Berry’s (MPolSci; PhD’08) book The Modern Legislative Veto has been published by the University of Michigan Press. Michael is an associate professor of political science at the University of Colorado Denver.

Thomas Carroll (IntlAf, PolSci), an associate with the international law firm Faegre Baker Daniels, has been named a 2016 Volunteer of the Year by the Downtown Denver Partnership. After graduating from CU, Thomas received his law degree from New York University and now lives in Denver.

Colin Finch (PolSci) received the Leanne Skupa-Lee Award at the CU Boulder Alumni Association’s 87th Annual Awards Ceremony. In 2015, he was the CU Advocate of the Year. Colin lives in Boulder.

James Gleeson (PolSci) is serving as director of communications for Dr. Jill Biden at the White House. He previously worked for the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the Colorado General Assembly. James lives in Silver Spring, Md.

Dan Palm (Fin) and his wife, Courtney, have launched a baby sleep-training app called Cradle. The app allows exhausted parents to tailor a sleep plan specific to their family’s needs, helping them keep consistent with their sleep training so they can get their child to sleep through the night. Cradle is currently available for download in the App Store. Dan and Courtney live in Centennial, Colo.

The NCAA and the U.S. Department of Defense Mind Matters Research Challenge recognized eight winners in February, including Christopher D’Lauro (MPsych; PhD’10) and his team, who were awarded $400,000 to do concussion research. Chris is an assistant professor in the Air Force’s department of behavioral sciences and leadership.

Walter E. Smithe, a Chicago furniture company that makes, sells and repairs furniture, named Colleen Smithe Parker (Psych) director of advertising. Colleen oversees the production of creative materials, promotional planning and the management of media agency partnerships. The Chicago native lives in Riverside, Ill., with her husband and two children.

Coffee and kindness aficionado Rachel Stumpf Taber (IntlAf) hopes to change the world one barista at a time. The nonprofit Rachel cofounded, 1951 Coffee Company, which opens this fall in Berkeley, Calif., will provide job training to refugees and educate customers in the Bay Area about the challenges facing refugees around the world.

After receiving her master’s degree from CU Boulder, Jie Wu (MAsian) earned a PhD from the University of Washington in Seattle. Jie has been teaching at Murray State University in Kentucky since 2011, and in March 2016 received tenure and a promotion to the rank of associate professor. In 2015, Jie helped create a Chinese Studies minor for the university.

Jennifer Moore (MCreatWrit) published a book of poetry with the University of Akron Press, a collection titled The Veronica Maneuver. It was selected as the Editor’s Choice in the 2014 Akron Series in Poetry. A Seattle-area native, Jennifer is an assistant professor of poetry at Ohio Northern University, where she teaches courses in creative writing, literature and composition. She lives in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Brandon DeBenedet (Fin) joined the public finance group of D.A. Davidson’s fixed income capital markets division as senior vice president and public finance banker in the firm’s Denver headquarters. Brandon was previously with Wells Fargo, where he founded and developed a community banking public finance group. He is a member of the Friends of the Denver Fire Department board and frequently speaks at the Colorado Government Finance Officer Association and Colorado Special District Association.

Oakland Unified School District hired Drew Giles (Jour; MEdu’11) to serve as director of quality, enhancement and professional development for early learning. Drew has taught preschool and kindergarten in Colorado and South Korea. In 2012, he was named runner-up for Colorado Teacher of the Year.

As winner of a 2015 Heartland Emmy for video journalism, Juliana Broste (Jour) said it was an honor to receive the award after handing out Emmys as a volunteer 11 years ago. Upon winning, she said, “There were few jobs doing what I wanted to do…so, I had to create my dream job.”

Baby Buff Theodore William Bather was born April 3 to Lindsay Bather (Comm) and Adam Bather (Fin). The parents write, “Teddy will make his first official recruiting visit this fall.”

Lindsey Corsi Cottone (Comm) works as the director of communications and marketing at Western Reserve Academy in Ohio. She also serves as a member of WRA’s executive committee. Previously, she worked as marketing and communication director for the real estate management and development company Forest City Enterprises in Cleveland.

While he was a CU student, Brian Grabski (Mgmt) worked in cabinet shops, perfecting his woodworking skills before founding Designed & Made. At the Minneapolis shop, Brian handles commissions that include custom interiors, kitchen cabinets, office furniture, dining tables, bureaus and pool tables.

While he was a CU student, Brian Grabski (Mgmt) worked in cabinet shops, perfecting his woodworking skills before founding Designed & Made. At the Minneapolis shop, Brian handles commissions that include custom interiors, kitchen cabinets, office furniture, dining tables, bureaus and pool tables.