1960 | James A. May (BS ’60; Carol Adams [’69]; Mesa, Ariz.), founder and CEO of SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener, was honored at the VI International Symposium of Stevia by Paraguayan president Federico Franco and the Paraguayan Chamber of Stevia for his pioneering role in the stevia industry.
1967 | Keith F. Higginbotham (BS ’67,
PhD ’73, MS University of Southern California ’74; Wendy Jacobson [BA ’69]; Vienna, Va.) retired from Lockheed Martin as deputy to the vice president of advanced sensors in Washington, D.C. He is an adjunct faculty member for the physics department at George Mason University.
1971 | Douglas A. Hancey Jr. (BS ’71; Eileen Newman Whitaker-Hancey [BS ’73]; Rexburg, Idaho) was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives. He served for 12 years in a governor-appointed position on the board of directors of the Idaho Parks and Recreation Department.
1978 | M. Sue Bergin (BA ’78, MSJ North-western University ’82, MFA University of California, Los Angeles ’93; Orem, Utah) published Am I a Saint Yet? Healing the Pain of Perfectionism, a book about recognizing perfectionism and finding relief.
1981 | Steven C. Craven (BMu ’81, MMu University of Illinois ’82; Brenda; Decatur, Ill.), a technology team leader for Caterpillar, has been appointed to the first international technical advisory board for aPriori Technologies of Concord, Mass.
Matthew Patterson
1984 | Shelley Pall Shepherd Klaner
(BA ’84; Peter; Petaluma, Calif.) completed a master’s in humanities with an emphasis on creative writing from Dominican University of California. Her thesis shares her personal story of growing up in the 1970s and concludes with her conversion and attendance at BYU.
1985 | Matthew L. Patterson’s (BA ’85; Bonnie; Gilbert, Ariz.) first book, My Emily, was a finalist for a National Indie Excellence Book Award and a Next Generation Indie Book Award. The book tells of the life and loss of the Pattersons’ first daughter, who was born with Down syndrome and then diagnosed with leukemia two years later. Patterson has served as a communications director for numerous health care and nonprofit organizations.
1986 | Benjamin S. Johnson (BA ’86, MA California State University, San Bernardino ’97; Melanie Forsyth [’88]; San Antonio, Texas) published Teaching Students to Dig Deeper: The Common Core in Action. Johnson is a principal at Southside High School and is in his last year as a doctoral student at the University of Phoenix. Kathleen Horn Kinney (BA ’86, MS Utah State University ’93; Robert; St. George, Utah) received the Priscilla A. Scotlan Award for Distinguished Service from the American Association for Employment in Education. She is the Career Center director at Dixie State College.
Bradley Cahoon
1988 | Dallen S. Atack (BS ’88; Kimber Parker [’89]; Draper, Utah) was promoted to brigadier general in a ceremony at the Utah National Guard’s Draper headquarters. Bradley R. Cahoon (BA ’88, JD University of Utah ’91; Jodie; Draper, Utah) was named chairman of the board of the American Lung Association of the Southwest and Salt Lake City Lawyer of the Year 2013 in Government Relations Practice by The Best Lawyers in America. Mark D. Smith (BS ’88; Denise Johns [BGS ’10]; Loomis, Calif.) is a senior consultant auditor for The Hartford and five-time winner of The Hartford Excellence Award.
Christopher Garrett
1992 | Christopher E. Garrett (BA ’92, MA Oregon State University ’01, PhD Texas A&M University ’07; Brenda Hansen [’93]; Newburgh, Ind.) was appointed associate professor of English and director of faculty development at the University of Southern Indiana. Previously he spent five years on the faculty at Oklahoma City University, where he directed the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
1995 | Edward E. Hackett (MBA ’95; Michele; West Hartford, Conn.), chief financial officer for the Village for Families and Children, was selected as a Hartford Business Journal CFO of the Year for 2012.
John Nixon
1996| John E. Nixon (BS ’96, MBA University of Utah ’02; Deann DeForest [BM ’95]; Okemos, Mich.) was named Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine. Nixon serves as both the Michigan state budget director and director of the state’s Department of Technology, Management, and Budget.
1997 | Rodney R. Blake (BS ’97, MS ’98; Ana Nielsen [BA ’95]; Great Falls, Mont.) was named to the board of directors of the engineering firm Thomas Dean & Hoskins. His wife, Ana, recently gave birth to their 10th child.
Michele Larsen
1998 | Michele Schofield Larsen (BS ’98; Tom K. [BA ’98]; Meridian, Idaho) released her first CD, Voice of an Angel, a collection of songs about the Savior including her original song, “Here I Am,” about finding ways to become an instrument in the Lord’s hands.
1999 | Michelle Brown Reed (BA ’99, JD ’03; John [BS ’97]; Allen, Texas) was named a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, where she focuses on complex civil litigation matters with an emphasis on representing public companies. Abrahm W. Smith (BS ’99, JD University of Arkansas at Little Rock ’02, LLM University of Florida ’03; Julia Bylund [BS ’00]; Palmetto Bay, Fla.) has been named a partner at Baker & McKenzie. He works in all facets of tax planning. Matthew B. Squires (BS ’99, MS ’01, PhD University of Colorado ’07; Dionne Clifton [BS ’99]; Sandia Park, N. M.) received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his work with laser-cooled atoms. Squires works at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in New Mexico. Skye Wolfer (BS ’99, MS ’99; Melinda Mathes [MA ’99]; Hillsboro, Ore.) was presented a 2012 Top Inventor Award by Synopsys, where he works as a design engineer.
Lee Syphus
2001 | Ariel Cassady Herr (BA ’01; Bryan; Richardson, Texas) was named vice president of communications and marketing services for Pegasus Solutions, where she manages communication for the company’s 18 offices worldwide. Lee A. Syphus (BS ’01, MBA University of Houston ’04, MHA University of Houston ’04; Stephanie Forsyth [BS ’01]; Paducah, Ky.) was promoted by Lourdes Hospital to be vice president of Mercy Medical Associates, Kentucky Region.
2009 | Cameron D. Larson (BS ’09; Courtney; Rochester, N.Y.) and his wife are proud parents of quadruplets—two boys and two girls.
