Santa Clara Magazine

Freshman Dorm: Campisi

Kristen Weaver ’97 writes that she received her M.A. in education in 1999 from Stanford University; volunteered in the U.S. Peace Corps from 2002 to 2005 as a curriculum development specialist in Nouakchott, Mauritania; and married her husband, Natnael, in November 2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Weaver is presently employed by the U.S. Department of State. Natnael is a newsletter editor who loves IT and woodworking. They currently live in Saudi Arabia.

Chantel Waterbury ’97, founder and CEO of chloe + isabel, was listed in "More 40 under 40" by Fortune magazine. Although the 37-year-old didn't make the main list of business' hottest rising stars, she was nevertheless recognized as being among the latest players on the direct-sales jewelry scene, helping sellers set up virtual store fronts and offering them a range of jewelry to hawk using their social networking savvy. Waterbury has more than 14 years of experience developing jewelry for retailers like Macys, Old Navy, and LVMH's DFS Galleria.

Danielle (Martinez) Sempek '97 welcomed daughter Kathryn McCullough Sempek into the world on Jan. 10, 2011 and son Noah James Sempek into the world on April 2, 2012. She is happily married and working as a registered nurse in Tallahassee, Fla.

Laura Lee Norris J.D. ’97 has been named founding director of the new Entrepreneur’s Law Clinic at Santa Clara's School of Law. 

Yan Yuen Brenda Lao MBA ’97 writes, "I am working at Hong Kong Baptist University now."

Joe Frontiera ’97 and Dan Leidl have completed their first book, Team Turnarounds. The book is distributed through publisher Jossey-Bass. Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner (the Accolti Professor of Leadership at the Leavey School of Business) have written the foreword.

Russell Dahl ’97 is an associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the Departments of Neuroscience and Pharmaceutical Science at The Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University, in North Chicago. Dr. Dahl is the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and an inventor on over 20 patents in small molecule therapeutics. He also directs the Laboratory for Molecular Design and Drug Discovery.

Leigh Burnside J.D. ’97, an attorney with Dowling Aaron Inc. of Fresno, received an “AV Preeminent” rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, which evaluates lawyers in the United States and Canada based on the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and judiciary. The rating is the highest possible professional rating designated by peers.

Burnside is chairman of the firm’s trust and estate litigation practice group.

Kristi M. Bowers ’90, MBA ’97 has joined SCU’s Board of Trustees. Bowers is marketing director for King Mountain Vineyards, a family business that is a French-style, sustainably farmed vineyard in Woodside, Calif. She is a director for The BASIC Fund, which has awarded $55 million in scholarships to more than 17,000 children over the past 14 years. A devoted SCU alumna who is highly involved in University events, since 1999 Bowers has served as an advisory board member for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, which was created by her parents, Linda and A.C. "Mike" Markkula, a founder and former CEO of Apple. She is also director of the family's philanthropic arm, the Markkula Foundation.

Colleen Blake ’97 was named one of Silicon Valley Business Journal’s “100 Women of Influence.” As sr. director, Global People Operations, Brocade Communications Systems Inc., Blake is a key partner in driving the company’s involvement in community initiatives for young girls and women, and is responsible for the company’s diversity and inclusion strategy, including the expansion of Brocade’s Women In Networking (WIN) initiative across the globe. Blake was named to the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 2012 "40 Under 40" list, and she is active in youth and women's organizations.