Profiles

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958 |William J. Strong (BS ’58, MA ’59, PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology ’64; Charlene Fuhriman [BS ’60]; Provo) was awarded the 2006 Rossing Prize in Acoustics Education by the Acoustical Society of America.

1965 | Rosann Linford Stanko (BS ’65; Roy [’62]; Logan, Utah) was named the 2006–2007 Teacher of the Year for the Preston School District in Preston, Idaho. She has taught elementary school for 42 years.

1971 | Douglas M. Dyreng (BS ’71, MOB ’73; Valerie Brown [’74]; Manti, Utah) was recognized with the Delta Epsilon Chi Advisor of the Year Award in 2008 at the State Career Development Conference in Salt Lake City.

1973 | Donald H. Dyal (MLS ’73, PhD Texas A&M University ’76; Lila Sanderson [BA ’72]; Lubbock, Texas) was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be a member of the National Board of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Carol Wadsworth Warnick (BA ’73, JD

University of Wyoming ’91; John [BA ’75]; Littleton, Colo.), a practice group manager for Holland and Hart, was named one of Worth magazine’s “Top 100 Attorneys” for 2008.

1976 | David A. LaBonte (BA ’76; Colleen; Irvine, Calif.), president of the advertising agency AdMatrix, has published a book through John Wiley and Sons titled Shiny Objects Marketing. James P. Swanger (BA ’76, JD Willamette University ’79; Mary; Vancouver, Wash.) was a corecipient of the 2008 Educator of the Year Award from Street Law.

1977 | Robert S. Clark (BA ’77, JD ’80; Wendy Williams [’82]; Sandy, Utah), a senior litigator with Parr, Waddoups, Brown, Gee, and Loveless, received the Federal Bar Association’s Earl W. Kintner Award for Distinguished Service.

1978 | David K. Lunt (BS ’78, MS ’79, PhD Texas A&M University ’81; Lani Larson [BS ’76]; Woodway, Texas) has been named assistant director for Texas AgriLife Research, where he will oversee agency planning, state and federal reporting, and agency internal grant programs.

1979 | D. Brent Rose (JD ’79; Dianne; Stansbury Park, Utah), a director at the Clyde Snow Law Firm, has resumed his practice, specializing in water law and local governmental advisement, following a three-year mission in Lubbock, Texas.

1981 | Kelly Green-Helm (BS ’81; Steve; Plymouth, Ind.) has joined the physical education faculty of Valparaiso University as a physical education instructor. David A. Young (BS ’81; Cathy Barton [’80]; Orem, Utah) is president and founder of Paragon Wealth Management, which was listed as one of the 2008 Top Dog advisory firms in the country by Wealth Manager magazine.

1982 | Gary R. Skankey (BS University of Southern California ’80, MS ’82, MD University of Southern California ’86; Aubin; Las Vegas) has been elected to be a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America for excellence, leadership, and significant service to his profession.

1983 | Kellen S. Wilkes (BS ’83, MS ’88; Annette; Ada, Mich.) is the director of quality at GE Aviation in Grand Rapids, Mich.

1984 | Valeria Roundtree Christensen (AA ’84; Lynn; Dublin, Calif.), the human resources executive for Chevron Corp., has been given the responsibility of global project manager
of Chevron’s Talent Management Integration Project. Roger C. Connors (BS ’84, MBA ’85; Gwen Jones [BS ’84]; Alpine, Utah) and Thomas A. Smith (MBA ’84; Rebecca; Murrieta, Calif.), cofounders of Partners in Leadership, cowrote the best-selling book The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability. Bryan W. Fields (BMU ’84; Lesli; Denton, Texas) has published his second children’s novel, Froonga Planet, sequel to Lunchbox and the Aliens, with Henry Holt and Co.

1985 | Trina Bates Boice (BA ’85; Thomas [BS ’84]; Las Vegas) has published Climbing Family Trees, a collection of inspiring stories and helpful how-to tips that she cowrote with her twin sister. Joseph John Shoopack III (BFA ’85; San Diego) was promoted to director of artistic development for Sony Online Entertainment, where he oversees the art development for Sony’s multiplayer online game titles. Douglas I. Thompson (BS ’85, MBA Columbia University ’07; Michele; Tulsa, Okla.) was named a director of Navigant Consulting’s healthcare practice.

1986 | Herbert C. Frost (BS ’86, MS ’90, PhD University of Maine ’94; New Windsor, Md.) was named associate director for Natural Resource Stewardship and Science in the National Park Service. Tracey Bates Long (BS ’86; Larry [BS ’87]; Las Vegas) has published Climbing Family Trees, a collection of inspiring stories and helpful how-to tips that she cowrote with her twin sister. Kim Zoglio Wierman (BA ’86; Derry, N.H.), along with her two friends and business partners, has created Waves of Gratitude, an inspirational jewelry line.

1987 | Christopher J. Yost (BA ’87, JD University of the Pacific ’90, LLM Georgetown University ’95; Michelle Ashby [’89]; Irvine, Calif.) received FedEx’s Five Star Award,
the company’s highest honor.

1988 | Clark C. Peterson (BS ’88; Kendall Henze [BS ’90]; Mesa, Ariz.), a leader at TeleSphere, has expanded his IP network of voice and data solutions to Salt Lake City. Kimberly Power Stilson (BA ’88; Chad [’96]; Salem, Utah), host of this year’s Dunmore East International Bluegrass Festival, has published 24 Hours to Zero Down Marketing, a guide to help small businesses create their own marketing strategy.

1989 | Jennifer Tolpi Behling (BS ’89, MBA Santa Clara University ’95; Brett [BS ’89]; San Diego), after working as marketing manager for Harte-Hanks Communications, Acer Computers, and Oracle Software for 10 years, has started JTB Marketing Consulting and has become a realtor.

1990 | Jonathan E. Johnson III (BA ’90, JD ’93; Courtney Bryson [BA ’88]; Salt Lake City) was appointed president of Overstock.com.

1991 | John W. Mitchell (BS ’91; Margaret Wilkinson [BS ’90]; Northborough, Mass.) was named chief executive officer of the Golden Key International Honour Society.

1992 | Rebecca Spiers Irvine (BA ’92, MA ’96; Steven; Mesa, Ariz.) has published her first book, Adventures with the Word of God: Making Scripture Study Exciting for the Entire Family.

1993 |Erik R. Patterson (BA ’93; Nicole Kenney [BS ’93]; Lehi, Utah) was named director for the Americas region of XanGo. He will be responsible for the company’s markets in North America, Canada, and Mexico.

1994 | Brett C. Nelson (BA ’94; Renae; Springville, Utah) has accepted a position at Nu Skin Enterprises as the president of the new

north Asia region. He will relocate from the company’s Provo corporate headquarters to Japan. Timothy T. Pehrson (BA ’94; Janice Keeler [BS ’93]; Kaysville, Utah), CEO of McKay-Dee Hospital Center in Ogden, Utah, was promoted to vice president for the urban north region of Intermountain Healthcare.

1996 | C. Scott Taylor (BS ’96, MD University of Texas ’00; Riverton, Utah), president of the Utah State Allergy Association, joins the Intermountain Medical Group at the Southridge Clinic, where he will specialize in allergy and immunology.

1998 | Gary W. Desper (BA ’98, JD Catholic University of America ’03; Chantal Muncey [BA ’97]; Eldersburg, Md.) has been appointed as an assistant attorney general by Maryland attorney general Douglas F. Gansler. Desper provides counsel and representation to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Marin E. Leggat (BA ’98, BS ’98; New York), founder of M.E.L.D Danceworks, a modern dance company that seeks to dissolve cultural and religious barriers, returned from a five-week residency with the Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company of Mumbai, India, as a United States cultural envoy.

1999 | Douglas P. Larsen (BA ’99, MD University of Utah ’03; Molly Hulihan [BA ’99]; Fenton, Mo.) accepted a faculty position in the division of pediatric neurology in the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

2000 | Daniel S. Openshaw (BA ’00; Laguna Niguel, Calif.) is a new consultant on the client services team of Intercare Insurance Solutions.

2001 | Collin K. Shepherd (BS ’01, PhD Shenandoah University ’05; Indianapolis) attended the Paralympics Academy—including the Paralympic opening ceremonies—in Beijing, China, in September along with 13 other volunteer coaches and educators. Jeffery S. Tessem (BS ’01, PhD University of Colorado ’07; Kathleen Boster [BS ’00]; Durham, N.C.) was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for his studies at Duke University.

2002 | Brian C. Ringel (BS ’02, MAcc ’02; Mesa, Ariz.) has joined Grant Thornton, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International, as the new audit manager.

2003 | Melissa Struve Jay (BS ’03; Rodney [BS ’03]; San Bernardino, Calif.) graduated from the family nurse practitioner program at the University of Wisconsin with a master of science degree in

2008. Rodney G. Jay Jr. (BS ’03; Melissa Struve [BS ’03]; San Bernardino, Calif.) received a doctor of medicine degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2008 and has started his three-year residency in emergency medicine in Loma Linda, Calif.

2004 | J. Spencer Clark (BS ’04, JD ’08; Emily; South Jordan, Utah) joined the law firm Roetzel and Andress in the Naples, Fla., office as an associate; he will focus his practice on real estate.

2005 | Ryan D. Cannon (BA ’05; Austin, Texas) was awarded a three-year James A. Michener Fellowship in creative writing from the University of Texas. Chosen from more than 700 applicants, he will receive an annual stipend of $25,000 plus a $6,000 professional development fund for travel and research.