Santa Clara Magazine

Debbie Cucalon '77 writes: "I'm still doing property management & rentals for my family. In addition, I have just completed my debut CD titled, "Love Journey", an eclectic mix of jazz, sass, Latin, blues & inspiring ballads. There are 5 cover tunes & 6 originals. You can check it out @ cdbaby.com, Itunes. com or Amazon.com. Enjoy!!"

Jean H. Carter MBA '77 writes that she is enjoying the challenge of learning a new skill, after a career as a business analyst. Creative writing is her new passion, requiring a whole new approach to communication. 

Lisa “Lia” Cacciari ’77 is publishing the literary historic novel Hieros Gamos later this year. Cacciari, a medievalist and anglophile of longstanding, plans to follow with publication of the saga Fyr Boren. Both works are set in the north of England during the Middle Ages.

Larry Bogner '73, MBA '77 reports that he recently retired after more than 30 years as a civil engineer, the last 16 at Napa County's Public Works Department.

Lee R. Bissonette J.D. '77 is chair of Hellmuth & Johnson PLLC's Medical Malpractice/Catastrophic Injury Group in Minneapolis, where he assists families and individuals with a broad range of injury cases. He has more than 25 years of experience representing victims with catastrophic injuries, including those caused by medical malpractice. In 2006, Bissonette was named a "Super Lawyer", recognized among the top 5 percent of Minnesota attorneys by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine.

Dr. James Barrett MBA ’77 was honored by the Tech Council of Maryland with its Lifetime Achievement Award, in March. The award is given each year to a local individual who has gone above and beyond to serve the community at large over the course of his or her career. Recipients display commitment and leadership both in the field and within their company, fostering new ideas and encouraging creativity. The recipient also demonstrates generosity and compassion, making sure their work benefits others.

Barrett is a general partner at New Enterprise Associates, one of the world's largest venture capital firms. He focuses on investing in healthcare technologies and therapeutics as a pioneering figure in the field of biotechnology, during which he worked with companies that focused on gene therapy, targeted cancer therapies, rare diseases and the first implantable glucose sensor. In 2012, Barrett was on the Forbes Midas List.

Ron Ball J.D. ’77 announced he will retire at the end of the year after 26 years of service to the City of Carlsbad. Carlsbad City Attorney Ron Ball was hired the day before the people of Carlsbad adopted the Growth Management ordinance, which became the road map for guiding development for the next 26 years and beyond. At that time, the City was less than half of its current size. Ball worked as assistant city attorney until 1991, when the City Council appointed him as its second full-time City Attorney in the City’s history.

Judge Brian J. Back ’77 was elected by Ventura Superior Court judges as assistant presiding judge for 2011 and 2012. Back was appointed to the Ventura Municipal Court by Gov. Pete Wilson in 1997 and elevated to the Superior Court in 1998 by court unification. He has been a judge for 12 years. Back is assigned to the criminal division. Previous assignments have included juvenile delinquency, family law, guardianship, domestic violence and adult mental health courts. Back has presided over specialized juvenile drug and mental health calendars and served on numerous professional and community boards and commissions. In 2003 he was named Judge of the Year by the Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association. Before his appointment to the bench, Back was an attorney with Arnold, Back, Mathews, Wojkowski & Zirbel from 1990 to 1997; Arnold & Back from 1989 to 1990; and Nordman, Cormany, Hair & Compton from 1977 to 1989. Back earned a bachelor’s degree at Claremont Men’s College and a law degree from Santa Clara University Law. He also has a master’s degree in government from the Claremont Graduate School.

Javier Alcala B.A. ’77, J.D. ’82 was appointed to judgeship in the Santa Clara County Superior Court. Alcala, 57, of Mountain View, has been a deputy district attorney for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office since 1983.

Stephen P. Yost MBA '78 has been elected as a member of Pacific Mercantile Bancorp's Board of Directors. Yost also has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of the company's wholly owned banking subsidiary, Pacific Mercantile Bank. 

During the span of his 35-year career in banking, spent mostly in credit administration, Yost held the position of Regional Chief Credit Officer for Comerica Bank, where he was the Executive in charge of its Special Assets Group for the western region. Mr. Yost was the Chief Credit Officer of Imperial Bank prior to its merger with Comerica. He was also a Senior Credit Officer with First Interstate Bank and Mellon Bank, N.A. Upon his retirement in 2006, he established Kestrel Advisors, a credit risk consulting firm that focuses on the banking, financial, and legal communities. 

Jim Walker MBA ’78 joined Spigit, a social innovation software and services company, as chief financial officer and chief operating officer. He is responsible for finance, sales operations, human resources and product delivery.

Walker has more than 30 years of experience. He was a senior executive at Alara, Inc., serving as chairman of the board from 1995 to 2004, and as president and CEO from 2004 to 2011. He served as COO and CFO of AlphaSmart, Inc. and senior vice president and CFO of Diamond Multimedia Systems. Walker has also held senior executive positions at Fujitsu Computer Products and its parent company, Fujitsu America.

Sal Valdez '78 is recuperating from a life-changing stroke, learning to walk again. With his wife of 32 years, Martha '80, the couple just celebrated the birth of their first grandchild, Leah.

Jeanine Tucker '78, J.D. '81 is a court operations manger for the Stanislaus County Superior Court. She oversees the daily operations of several court divisions and has participated in salary negotiations for both labor and management. Tucker is also active in community service, which she has primarily been doing through the Lions Club for the past 15 years.

Jeanine D. Tucker ’78, J.D. ’81 is the new court executive officer with the Tuolumne County Superior Court. Tucker had worked for the Stanislaus County Superior Court since 1991. She most recently served as the operations manager for eight years, managing a staff of about 140 employees.

Paul Tai M.S. ’78 is having a book signing on May 19, 2012, at San Jose State University. He writes; “Happy Thoughts shares a message with everybody about the importance of Happiness in our lives here now on earth, and our lives in the future Living Dimensions in another world. It also introduces the concept of combining or accepting todays Energy Frequency world in our religious beliefs to achieve a 21st Century Belief. It is the concept of science combining with religion as one to form the Living Belief or Living Religion.”

Valerie Stinger MBA '78 recently returned from a volunteer assignment in Malawi through CNFA, an international development nonprofit in Washington D.C. Stinger's field assignment included providing an overall scope and financial model for a small produce business.

Barbara Beard Stephan ’74, M.A. ’78 writes that she has recently assumed the position of Clinical Director at Windhorse Integrative Mental Health in San Luis Obispo, Calif. She is delighted to be working in an environment that is in line with her view of psychology—honoring humanistic and relational ideals, as well as an integrative/holistic approach to healthcare.

Barbara Spector J.D. ’78 was recently featured on the Los Gatos Patch website in its new Most Influential column. A government leader, vice mayor Spector has dedicated nearly 20 years of service to the town she loves and calls home since 1973. She serves as special counsel to the law firm of Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, where, in addition to her civil litigation and mediation practice, she's regularly appointed by state and federal courts to resolve disputes without trial as a judge pro tem, a special master, a judicial arbitrator and a mediator. For three years, she's been selected by her Northern California colleagues as a "Super Lawyer," and, in 2003, her volunteer services to the legal profession and the community earned her the Bar Association's highest honor, the Bryl Salsman Award. Read more at http://losgatos.patch.com/articles/most-influential-barbara-spector.

Jim Shaw ’78 is in his 16th season as the varsity surf coach for St. Augustine High School in San Diego. Jim is also a CPA in San Diego, maintaining a tax firm in the downtown area. Jim is married to Joy Shaw, CPA and has three children, including Jessica Shaw ’13, who is in her junior year at Santa Clara.

Tim Schmidt ’78 has been named a major league special assignment scout with the Angels, after serving with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a professional scout since 2007. Prior to his time with the D-Backs, he worked as a pro scout with the Seattle Mariners (2002–06) and as an international cross-checker, west coast cross-checker and area scout with the Florida Marlins (1992–2001). His first three years as a professional area scout came with the New York Yankees 1989–91. Schmidt graduated from Santa Clara University, where he was a first baseman on the Broncos baseball team from 1975-78. In 1978, the Broncos won the West Coast Conference. Following his time at Santa Clara, he played overseas in the Dutch Hoofdklasse League (1981-83) and was an assistant coach at UC Riverside from 1984-88.

Debra (Schram) Ronsvalle '78 is currently a Senior Vice President in Enterprise Architecture at Bank of America in New York City.

Freshman Dorm: Nobili

Diane Petroni-Newhouse ’72, M.A. ’78 has been in private practice at the Almaden Institute for more than 30 years.

Randal (Randy) Peoples '78 has been appointed Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery at Stanford University. He is the Medical Director of Stanford's first out-of-state facility in Las Vegas, with St. Rose Dominican Hospitals. In addition to his general neurosurgery practice, he has a unique position working with the athletic performers of Cirque du Soleil's seven Las Vegas based shows. Randy was recently named the Las Vegas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals "Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year," an award shared in the past by former Nevada Governor Guinn and current Las Vegas Mayor Goodman. Randy has been a Las Vegas based Neurosurgeon since 1992.

Sam Morishima ’78 runs a personal training business, SnoZone, which trains skiers and snowboarders on his one-of-a-kind invention, the Endless Slope. The Endless Slope is a sort of treadmill for skiers, used to simulate the experience on the slopes.