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Showing class notes submitted anytime by graduates in 1994
1994
Ken Zowal MBA '94 retired from AT&T on Feb. 14, 2007, after 23 years of service.
Nader Robert Yasin '94 and his wife, Lynn, welcomed their third child, Max Julien, into their family this last year. Nader continues to assist companies in Silicon Valley with assessing, protecting and enforcing their intellectual property and with general business litigation through his law firm, La Fleur & Yasin LLP. He can be reached at nyasin@lafleuryasin.com.
http://www.lafleuryasin.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/siliconvalleyattorney http://www.facebook.com/siliconvalleyattorney
Joanne Bannan Vogt '94 and Erik Vogt welcomed daughter Regina Virginia Vogt on September 30, 2012.
Bonnie Valant-Spaight '94 and Tracy Spaight '93 welcomed their first child, Josephine Theresa Spaight, on Sept. 23. The family lives in the Atlanta area. Bonnie currently does radar physics for Propagation Research Associates, and Tracy telecommutes as the director of online publishing for K2 Network, a video game publisher in Irvine, Calif.
Rafael Torres '94 was appointed chief financial officer of Capella, Inc. Torres comes to Cappella, Inc. from Power Integrations Inc. He was also the CFO for PLX Technology.
Lisa Tatum J.D. ’94 writes, “Dear Broncos, thank you for your support and positive vibes and prayers. I have just been elected 2012–2013 State Bar of Texas President-Elect. In 2013–2014, when I step into office as President, I will be the first African American to hold the position. What a blessing!”
Sheri Sobrato Brisson M.A. ’94 is one of 20 women in the 2012 NYC Pipeline Fellowship class. The Pipeline Fellowship trains women philanthropists to become angel investors, and the women come from sectors including real estate, finance, consulting, media, and nonprofits who commit to invest in a woman-led for-profit social venture in exchange for equity and a board seat at the end of the training. “The Pipeline Fellowship aims to diversify the investor pool and connect women social entrepreneurs with investors who get them,” the website says.
Brisson is a trustee at Sobrato Family Foundation in Silicon Valley. Sheri’s long-term passion is working directly with children facing serious illnesses and their families. Other philanthropic interests include small arts organizations, youth development, and global programs targeting women and children. She also serves as an advisory board member of the Okizu Foundation, Dance Repertory, and Parents Helping Parents. Sheri holds an A.B. from Stanford University and an M.A. in counseling psychology from Santa Clara University. She and her husband and two young children recently moved to New York from Paris.
Damian Barry Smyth ’94 published "Dr. Newman: Non Angelus sed Anglus" in Doctrine and Life (O.P., Dublin, Ireland), 61/5 (May–June, 2011), 18–33.
Colleen Teresa Smith '94 married George Bernard Holzbach III on June 21, 2008 at Veramar Winery in Berryville, Va. The couple lives in Arlington, Va. Colleen works as a program analyst at the U.S. Census Bureau and George is a project manager for Setty and Associates
Brent Shwarz MBA '94 has been appointed by Velodyne Lidar to the position of vice president of sales and marketing. Shwarz will be responsible for impelementing strategic marketing programs to educate customers on the benefits of using Velodyne's lidar sensors in 3D mobile mapping and autonomous navigation systems.
Brent Schwarz MBA '94 has been appointed vice president of sales and marketing at Velodyne Lidar. As a 20-year veteran in the industry, Schwarz will work with Velodyne on the company's 3D mobile mapping and autonomous navigation systems.
Bill and Erin Schlough '94 welcomed Xavier Tilghman to the world on July 6, 2010 in Truckee, Calif.
Frank Nguyen J.D. '94 was a finalist in the Best IP Lawyer category at the 2012 Best Bay Area Corporate Counsel Awards. He was one of 27 lawyers, from some of the world's most recognized companies, who were honored by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal and the San Francisco Business Times.
Nguyen is vice president of IP and licensing at Intuitive Surgical Inc. During his tenure, the medical device company has grown from $91 million in annual revenues to over $1.7 billion. This is in large part because of Nguyen’s expertise across the entire spectrum. His efforts have helped the Sunnyvale-based company increase it’s patents and applications portfolio from 200 to 2,000. He is also responsible for devising and implementing IP strategies for the company, which has more than 1,769 employees worldwide. Nguyen has saved and closed multiple deals, including Intuitive’s acquisition of Novare.
But law wasn’t even Nguyen’s first career. The engineer-turned-lawyer took classes at Santa Clara University School of Law part time while working at General Electric. Before joining Intuitive Surgical in April of 2004, Nguyen was director of intellectual property and chief patent counsel at Macrovision Corp. and was previously a mechanical and lead electro-mechanical engineer at Hughes, as well as General Electric.
As part of the Best Bay Area Corporate Counsel Awards, Nguyen was profiled in the article, "Former engineer bolsters Intuitive Surgical patents - big time."
Franco Mormando STL ’94, associate professor of Italian Studies at Boston College, gave a lecture at San Francisco's Istituto Italiano di Cultura on the Roman Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his new biography of Bernini in February. His lecture is in conjunction with the Legion of Honor Museum of Fine Art's display of Bernini's wonderful statue of "Medusa," on loan from the Capitoline Museum of Rome (This is the first time the statue has ever left Italy, so it is a real coup for San Francisco).
Steven McLaughlin '94 was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve in March 2009. He is currently working in the family coffee import/export business.
Steven B. McLaughlin ’94 writes: “Living in Burlingame. Married, 2 kids, work in family business and commanding an army reserve transportation terminal battalion.”
Steven B. McLaughlin ’94 writes: “Currently serving in the Army Reserve. I was accepted to the U.S. Army War College in a two-year program for a master's in strategic studies.”
Dana John Makiewicz ’95 and Monica Makiewicz ’94—their baby girl, Hannah, on March 18, 2011. She joins her brother, Jack, who is four years old.
Monica Makiewicz '94 was named principle of Glendale High School in California. She previously served as an assistant and associate principal at the school. Makiewicz taught in Monrovia and Vista before coming to Glendale High School in 2005.
Dan Madsen '94 and Francine Shore '94, M.A. '98 welcome a baby girl Olivia Dean Madsen 3-30-12. She joins big brother Ryan, age 4. the family lives in Los Gatos, and Francine is working hard at home with the kids after teaching elementary school for 16 years. Dan is a Wealth Management Advisor in San Jose with Northwestern Mutual.
Cortney Kelly-Rushforth '94 is married to Troy Rushforth and lives in Gig Harbor, Wash. They have two sons, Cole, 5, and Ty, 2. Cortney is an elementary school teacher, but she is currently at home with her children.
Chris Kelleher '94 is working as a communications specialist for the Univerity of Minnesota, as well as doing freelance photography. He and his wife Katie welcomed their first child, a son named Aidan Michael, on October 25, 2009. The family lives in St. Louis Park, Minn.
Jacklyn A. (Smith) Karceski MBA ’94, global general manager for GreenPoint Global, was the keynote speaker in March for NYCwomen.connect, an intimate forum and networking series designed to showcase female entrepreneurs from an array of industries before an audience of 100 to 150 male and female investors, business leaders, and other service professionals committed to promoting and supporting women in business. Karceski has more than 20 years of financial and operational management experience with successful technology start-ups, large financial organizations, and three big consulting firms. Prior to joining GreenPoint, Karceski was a principal of 1020 Partners, a service consulting and investment firm targeting high-tech start-ups and early stage capital formation. Karceski is a CPA and, in addition to holding an MBA from Santa Clara, is a graduate of the International Economics and Public Policy Program of Harvard University, and she holds a BA in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.
