About Alumni

1950s

Laura Grace Barrett  ’50, Bigfork, published a memoir, What is More Real Than a Dream? Laura is owner and director of the Collage Gallery of Fine Art in Bigfork and Galeria Ambos in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Richard D. Woods ’56, Chicago, published his compilation, Obituaries from Hinsdale Newspapers, 1912-1975, which indexes more than 1,000 deaths in Montana’s Valley County. Dick was born in Glasgow and earned bachelor’s degrees in history and English at UM, later doing graduate work in Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas. He taught Spanish for thirty-five years at a private university in Texas. All proceeds from the sale of his book benefit the Pioneer Museum of Valley County in Glasgow.

1960s

Roberta Anderson ’64, Polson, published her book, Thank You India, which tells the story of her eight months in a small village in South India, where she recouped from a shattered femur. The book is illustrated with artwork Roberta made during her recovery. For details, visit www.thankyouindiabook.com.

David L. Fauss ’64, M.S. ’67, Roseburg, Ore., retired in 2002 after twenty-four years as a forester with the Bureau of Land Management in Coos Bay, Ore., and seven years with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Flathead Reservation. Dave also worked in Latin America as a tropical forester. Since retiring, he has continued to work on wildland fires and has a fire career spanning fifty-five years. He loves to travel and makes frequent trips to Costa Rica with his wife, Ann.

Rich Clough ’67, Choteau, released a ten-song album of original country and folk ballads, Guessing Between the Lines. The album features Rich on vocals; Rob Quist on acoustic guitar and banjo; Dave Griffith on mandolin, Dobro, and steel guitar; and Gary Snow on bass. Rich retired from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks seven years ago and previously worked for the Department of Labor. He lives on the Glen Willow Ranch north of Choteau with his wife, Mary Sexton, M.Ed. ’88.

Robert Daniels ’69, Stevensville, spent thirty-five years working as a wildlife biologist and staff officer with the U.S. Forest Service. Bob was stationed on the Bitterroot National Forest, Tongass National Forest in Alaska, and Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming. He and his wife, Phyllis, retired to their Stevensville home in 2000. They are both fourth-generation “Bitterrooters.”

Gary Herbig ’69, Sherman Oaks, Calif., is a Hollywood studio musician and solo artist. The 2006 recipient of UM’s Odyssey of the Stars lifetime achievement award, Gary played saxophone with the Don Ellis Orchestra for five and a half years in the 1970s and recorded “Whiplash” by Washington, D.C., composer Hank Levy on the Soaring album. Gary’s orchestra also did the score for the movie French Connection. His sister, Cheryle Herbig-Kapsak ’78, M.A. ’89, Longmont, Colo., trained as a solo and orchestral flutist at the New England Conservatory of Music and is an academic professor in Colorado.

1970s

Michael Poage, M.F.A. ’73, Wichita, Kan., published his eighth collection of poems,The Comedic Applicant, with Blue Cedar Press. Michael teaches English tointernational students at the Intensive English Language Center at Wichita StateUniversity. He has worked and taught in Mexico, Bosnia, and the Middle East andhas lived in Wichita since 1993.

Beth Lo, M.F.A ’74, Missoula, was featured in a ceramic art exhibit, Mommy Dearest,together with artist Michaelene Walsh at the Pewabic gallery in Detroit this pastspring. Beth was born in Lafayette, Ind., to parents who recently had emigrated fromChina. She studied art under Rudy Autio and assumed his job as professor ofceramics at the UM School of Art when he retired in 1985. She has exhibited herwork internationally and has earned numerous awards, including the UM Provost’sDistinguished Lecturer Award in 2006 and a National Endowment for the ArtsVisual Artist Fellowship Grant in 1994.

Michael R. Stevenson ’74, M.M.E. ’78, Dickinson, N.Dak., was named outstandingdrama coach for Class A schools in North Dakota. A two-time recipient, Michael was selected by a vote of his peers in the Communication, Speech, and Theatre Association of North Dakota.

Michael Blodnick ’75, Kalispell, was elected to the board of directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle [Seattle Bank]. Michael serves as a member director representing Montana. He is president and CEO of Glacier Bancorp, the largest banking institution in Montana. He began his career in 1978 as a line teller for First Federal Savings and Loan, which became Glacier Bank in 1989.

Jane O’Brien Marti ’75, M.A. ’77, Port Royal, S.C., retired from the Jefferson County School District in the Denver area after thirty years as a high school Spanish teacher. She and her husband enjoy golfing, kayaking, and photographing the beautiful low country and Sea Islands in Port Royal.

Garry South ’76, Marina del Ray, Calif., is a political strategist in Southern California. He has worked for the Democratic National Committee and Jimmy Carter’s agriculture department. In 1986, he began designing religious vestments, and during the past thirty years he’s created about forty pieces, all donated or sold at cost to Catholic and Episcopal parishes.

Latham Thomas Winfree, Ph.D. ’76, Los Lunas, N.Mex., published a new textbook, Introduction to Criminal Justice: The Essentials, in collaboration with G. Larry Mays and Leanne Fiftal Alarid.

Pat Darbro ’77, Bozeman, and his 1980-81 boys’ golf teams at Helena High School were inducted into the Helena Athletic Hall of Fame in July. Pat’s teams won back-to-back State AA championships in 1980 and 1981. His girls’ teams in Bozeman won five State AA titles. Pat has coached golf for seventeen years and other sports for forty years.

Deborah Doyle McWhinney ’77, New York City, was elected to the board of directors of IHS this past May. IHS is a global information company. The 2015 recipient of UM’s Neil S. Bucklew Presidential Service Award, Deborah retired after five years as a respected leader at Citibank. She also was president of Schwab Institutional and serves on the board of directors of Fluor Corporation.

Karen Blasing ’78, Los Altos, Calif., was appointed to the board of directors at LogRhythm, a security intelligence company. Karen has served as chief financial officer and treasurer of Guidewire Software, chief financial officer at Force10 Networks, senior vice president of finance at Salesforce.com, vice president and chief financial officer at Nuance Communications, and chief financial officer at Counterpane Internet Security. She also serves on the board at MetricStream and is an adviser at Apcera. She is a member of the Financial Executives Institute and wearewatermark.org. Karen earned an M.B.A. from the University of Washington and bachelor’s degrees in economics and business administration from UM.

Randolph Elliott ’78, Center City, Minn., retired as director of the St. Croix Valley Orchestra, which he founded in 1991. After more than 350 concerts in Minnesota and Wisconsin, his final concerts were of Handel’s Messiah, with about eighty-five musicians and several hundred audience members. Randolph continues to work as a 9-1-1 dispatcher and trainer for a Minnesota sheriff’s department. He earned his Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, in 1983.

Jean Pfau ’78, Ph.D. ’98, Pocatello, Idaho, received the Outstanding Researcher Award at Idaho State University. Jean is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at ISU, where she teaches anatomy and physiology and other advanced topics, including toxicology and immune evasion. She serves as director of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility and was a founder and co-director of the Idaho Science and Engineering Festival.

Ruth Silverthorne ’78, Chattaroy, Wash., received the Rhonda Quash Coats Award for Excellence in Multicultural Student Services from the Washington State Multicultural Student Services Directors Council. Ruth retired last year after thirty-two years as an educator, counselor, and multicultural/diversity advocate in education. She began her career at Two Eagle River School, the alternative school on the Flathead Reservation. After earning a master’s degree in education counseling and administration at Montana State University, she became one of the first counselors at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo. Ruth later worked as a TRiO-Student Support Services counselor and multicultural director for Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Wash. Most recently, she served as multicultural specialist and counselor for Spokane Community College. Ruth is an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

1980s

Sheryl Manning ’81, Portland, Ore., was elected to the board of directors of the Allen Trust Company. Sheryl is a certified public accountant with more than twenty years of experience in private practice and former Big Eight public accounting firms. She also has served on a number of corporate, nonprofit, community, and governmental boards. She currently serves on the governing board of Legacy Health, a six-hospital system headquartered in Portland, and on the boards of several other charitable organizations. Sheryl resides in Portland with her husband, Stephen Janik.

Leslie Vining Halligan ’83, J.D. ’86, Missoula, was appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock to be interim judge for the Fourth Judicial District Court. Leslie previously served as district court standing master, deputy Missoula County attorney, and deputy Missoula city attorney. She is an adjunct professor at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at UM, where she teaches a child advocacy law course. She also is chair of the board of trustees of the State Bar of Montana.

Kristen Larsen '84, Tacoma, Wash., is co-author of Bye, Bye Love, published this past spring by Poisoned Pen Press. Kristen and her sisters Julianne and Kari created the Pants on Fire Detective Agency starring Chicago PI Cat DeLuca.

Janice L. Milner, M.A. ’84, Ph.D. ’90, St. Louis Park, Minn., is a member of the sociology department and women and gender studies program at Century College in White Bear Lake, Minn. She also is co-director of Honors at Century, the college’s honors program.

Larry Henderson, Ph.D. ’85, Medicine Hat, Alberta, received an honorary applied baccalaureate degree from Medicine Hat College this past spring. Larry is one of the founding directors of the public school board foundation and has spent countless hours organizing charity events to improve local education. He assisted with the Southern Alberta Winter and Summer Games, is an active Lions Club member, and has received numerous awards, including the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005 and a City of Medicine Hat Civic Recognition Award for Community Service.

Kimme Young Whittemore ’85, center, Wichita, Kan., received the 2015 Albert Pike Masonic Lodge Teacher of the Year Award. An instrumental music teacher at Jardine Technology Magnet Middle School, Kimme was surprised with the honor during an all-school assembly. Members from the lodge pretended to be a musical group performing at the ceremony. As it became obvious that they didn’t know how to play, they asked the audience if there was someone who could teach them. A student who knew about the surprise nominated Kimme to do the job. When she walked on stage, they surprised her with the award, which is given to teachers whose lessons go beyond the classroom and into the community.

Angela Dailey ’88, Fairfield, published a book, Cooking to Cure: A Nutritional Approach to Anxiety and Depression. Angela earned a degree in psychology at UM and is a mental health therapist. To learn more about the book, visit her website, www.mentalhealthfood.net.

1990s

Thomas Nybo ’94, ’95, Atlanta, Ga., is a freelance photographer who was in Kathmandu when the deadly April 2015 earthquake struck Nepal, where he was finishing a five-month assignment for UNICEF. His photographs of the natural disaster were featured on The New York Times website.

David H. Morris ’94, Helena, and Yohance Humphrey ’01, Eagle River, Alaska, had their jerseys retired by the Chugiak High School Mustangs in Chugiak, Alaska, this past year. David earned a degree in computer science at UM and was a three-time NCAA All-American, winning the 1994 indoor 3,000 meters. He won eight Big Sky Conference titles and still holds UM’s records in the 1,500 meters and 10,000 meters. He went on to set the official U.S. record in the marathon at the 1999 Chicago Marathon and was the top U.S. finisher in the 2002 World Half-Marathon Championships. David currently coaches cross-country and track at Carroll College in Helena. Yohance lettered in football, soccer, and track at Chugiak High School and was named All-State in football at wide receiver, running back, and defensive back. As a Grizzly running back from 1998 to 2001, he was a three-time All-American and was a member of the 2001 NCAA I-AA National Championship team. He holds numerous school records, including all-time leading rusher, single-season rushing, and single-game rushing. Yohance earned a degree in social work at UM. He was inducted into the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

Charles Baker ’95, Billings, is general manager for Montana operations of the new Talen Energy Corporation. Charles previously was controller of PPL Montana and an audit manager with KPMG in Billings.

Jon Keller ’95, Tilton, N.H., published his novel, Of Sea and Cloud. Jon worked on a lobster boat for several years documenting the culture and dialect that inspired the novel. Jon received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Boise State University and has worked as an adjunct professor at UM. He now lives on a sailboat year-round off the coast of Maine and frequently returns to the Montana backcountry to serve as a guide.

Jennifer Page ’95, Orange County, Calif., uses her communications degree to advocate nationally for children’s health care. Jennifer’s son, Max, was born with a congenital heart defect requiring several surgeries and lifelong sophisticated medical care. Jennifer uses her experience to serve as a keynote speaker for hospital associations, to lobby Congress, and simply to console parents who are beginning the journey. She loves the friendships and foundation she built at UM. Jennifer lives in Orange County with her husband and two sons.

Aimee Meuchel ’95, Tualatin, Ore., received the Oregon Library Association’s 2015 You’re Excellent Award from the Oregon Young Adult Network.

Colden Baxter, M.S. ’97, Pocatello, Idaho, was honored as Distinguished Researcher at Idaho State University. An associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Colden conducts research at ISU’s Stream Ecology Center to improve understanding of the ecological linkages between water and land.

Alex Philp, M.I.S. ’97, Ph.D. ’05, Missoula, is the founder of several advanced technology companies in Missoula, including N-SITE, an IBM Business Partner that helped UM’s Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences implement IBM InfoSphere Streams. UM’s research team, led by former UM Professor David Poulsen, needed to analyze huge volumes of medical data—including a backlog of more than 50,000 hours of EEG recordings. Where researchers previously spent up to 90 percent of their time crunching through historical data, IBM InfoSphere Streams allows UM researchers to analyze patient brain activity in real time, enabling early diagnosis and treatment of patients at risk of developing post-traumatic epilepsy. “Being able to take advantage of big data is ushering in a whole new era of health care management,” Poulsen told IBM Analytics in a June 2015 case study.

Scott Stiegler ’98, Florence, has been a middle school teacher in Florence since 2000. Since 2013, Scott’s resolution to grow and donate his hair in honor of a friend suffering from cancer has developed into a network of hundreds of people across the country committed to donating their hair to create free wigs for cancer patients. This fall, Florence Middle School will host a large assembly for hair donations. Scott encourages participants to donate to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths or Wigs For Kids.

Shalon Hastings ’99, Helena, owner of Taco del Sol Helena and Hub Coffee, was selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration as Business Person of the Year for a medium-sized company. Shalon opened Taco del Sol in downtown Helena in 2004 and purchased Hub Coffee in 2013.

David Rott ’99, J.D. ’92, M.Ed. ’02, Missoula, is executive director of human resources and labor relations for Missoula County Public Schools. Previously, David served as principal of Chief Charlo Elementary School and worked as a trial attorney in Missoula.

Julie Trepa, M.A. ’99, Bettendorf, Iowa, was named 2015 Iowa Elementary Principal of the Year by the School Administrators of Iowa. Julie has served as principal of Paul Norton Elementary School in the Bettendorf Community School District the past thirteen years.

2000s

Tracy Ann Mangold ’00, Combined Locks, Wisc., was elected secretary for the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District. Tracy also co-owns and runs Impsy Creative LLC, a copywriting, graphic design, and website design business.

Mariko Matsumura ’00, Stoneham, Mass., is a faculty member of the Franklin Schoolfor the Performing Arts in Franklin, Mass. A native of Tokyo, Japan, Mariko receiveda master’s degree in vocal performance from Longy School of Music. Herperformance credits include Messiah, Aida, Hansel and Gretel, Der Rosenkavalier,The Magic Flute, and numerous premiere performances throughout the Boston area. She has performed with Lorelei Ensemble, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, JyugoyaEnsemble, Chorus Boston, Setegaya Women’s Chorus, and Opera Unmet.

Casey Folley ’03, Big Sky, opened Beehive Basin Brewery in Big Sky this past July.Casey met his wife, Leisha Warren Folley ’03, at UM in 2003. They moved to Denverin 2005 and were married on Whitefish Lake in 2008. In 2012, they moved to BigSky, where Casey met head brewer and business partner Andy Liedberg and beganwork on opening the brewery.

Kellie Peterson, J.D. ’03, Flagstaff, Ariz., is the new legal counsel for Montana StateUniversity. A native of Butte, Kellie is a partner in the law firm of Mangum, Wall,Stoops, and Warden in Flagstaff and is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, the U.S.Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Hopi Tribal Courts, Navajo Tribal Courts, andthe Courts of the Gila River Indian Community.

Jera Stewart, M.A. ’03, Ph.D. ’06, St. Ignatius, is the new behavioral health director atthe Tribal Health Department in St. Ignatius. Jera earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from UM and studied neuropsychology at the University of Florida andthe University of Michigan. She is a member of the Confederated Salish and KootenaiTribes.

McKinzie Arntzen Cogswell ’04, Las Vegas, is a senior-level account executive at Faiss Foley Warren Public Relations and Government Affairs. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and two young children.

Shannon Lukes ’04, Missoula, is vice president of the First Montana Bank commercial lending team in Missoula. Shannon is a native Montanan and has been working in the Missoula banking community since 2004. She also serves on the Women’s Advisory Board for Community Medical Center, the UM Foundation Excellence Fund, and the Montana Diva Foundation [Celtic Festival Missoula]. In addition, she is part owner of Missoula Brewing Company. In her spare time, Shannon enjoys hiking with her golden retrievers and working in her garden.

Ali Mandell  ’04, Helena, is assistant vice president and marketing officer of Opportunity Bank of Montana. Ali has been with the bank since 2009, serves on Helena Kiwanis Club, and volunteers for the Helena Area Community Foundation.

Heather Davis Schmidt, M.Ed. ’05, Ed.D. ’09, Missoula, is superintendent of the Whitefish School District. Heather previously was executive regional director for Region 2 of Missoula County Public Schools. She was named Montana School Administrator of the Year by the Montana School Counselor Association in 2012.

Marilyn Cole ’06, Billings, is a professional musician in New York City. She belongs to the Reeds Amis, a reed trio that was invited to the International Double Reed Society Conference in Tokyo this past August. There, the trio presented on and played the music of Fernande Decruck, a French composer who flourished in the 1930s and 1940s but never had a chance to publish most of her works. Marilyn and her group plan to record Decruck’s works.

Amy McIntyre ’07, Sidney, is the chef at Meadowlark Brewery in Sidney. She earned degrees in culinary arts and food service management at Missoula College UM. She worked previously for Central Water Conditioning in Sidney.

Jim Zadick ’07, Great Falls, is a new associate attorney with Ugrin, Alexander, Zadick & Higgins. In 2012, Jim earned his law degree from William & Mary Law School, where he served as an articles editor of the William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review. He clerked for Justice Michael E. Wheat of the Montana Supreme Court and worked as a policy adviser and legal counsel for Sen. Max Baucus and Sen. John Walsh in Washington, D.C.

Andrew Guschausky ’08, Great Falls, opened a bookstore, Cassiopeia Books, in downtown Great Falls. Andrew studied sociology and biology at UM.

2010s

Sam Rostad ’10, Great Falls, was awarded the 2015 Schallek Fellowship by theMedieval Academy of America in collaboration with the Richard III Society-American Branch. The Schallek Fellowship is awarded annually to a student inNorth America and provides a one-year grant of $30,000 to support doctoraldissertation research in any relevant discipline dealing with late-medieval Britain[ca. 1350-1500]. Sam, who was named UM’s Outstanding Senior in History in 2010,received a Master of Philosophy degree with distinction from Cambridge Universityin 2012 and a Master of Arts degree from Notre Dame University in 2014. Now adoctoral candidate in history at Notre Dame, he will use the fellowship to work onhis dissertation in England. His work focuses on the Benedictines, a cloisteredmonastic order whose devotional obligations usually required both silence andsegregation from the outside world but who played a significant role—both vocaland interactive—in the religious life of Britons in the Medieval period.

Faton “Tony” Sadiku, M.S. ’10, Missoula, is a wildland firefighter. He originallyworked in the forest department in the Republic of Kosovo, where he lived duringthe Kosovo War. After visiting Missoula in 2008, Tony moved to the United States,earned a master’s degree in forestry at UM, and joined the U.S. Navy. He became aU.S. citizen two years ago.

Shea Snyder ’10, Billings, received his medical doctorate from the University ofNevada School of Medicine. He spent one year doing his residency training at theBillings Clinic and will continue his training in anesthesiology at the University ofArizona Affiliated Hospitals in Tucson, Ariz.

Samantha Werme Karorero ’11, Spokane, Wash., and her husband, Omy Karorero,are launching Impanda, an outreach center for Rwandan street kids. The center willspecialize in basic education and music and art therapy. Samantha met Omy, asurvivor and orphan of the 1994 genocide, while teaching math at an all-girls schoolin Rwanda shortly after graduating from UM. Visit www.impandarwanda.org tolearn more about their story and vision to empower street kids in Rwanda.

Nathan A. Klette ’13, Missoula, is a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar, where he lives in a small village and works with children experiencing malnutrition. A native Missoulian and Hellgate High School graduate, Nathan earned his degree in health and human performance at UM and completed his training in India and South Africa. He worked in a group home with Missoula’s Partnership for Children before joining the Peace Corps.

Abigail Redfern Maki ’13, Missoula, is the social media specialist for the marketing department at the University of Jamestown. She has served as adjunct professor in the communications department at UJ and has experience as a photojournalist in many arenas.

Burke Holmes ’14, Missoula, owns Missoula’s newest barbecue joint, The Notorious P.I.G. Burke was born in St. Louis, Mo., and at age fourteen, he began spending every summer in Missoula. After earning a degree in wildlife biology at UM, he returned to Missouri to learn the art of barbecue at Pappy’s Smokehouse and Bogart’s Smokehouse, bringing his skills and recipes back to Missoula this past year.

Stuart Reckseit ’14, Mahwah, N.J., is part of the Texas A&M Peace Corps Masters International program. He left for two years of service in Paraguay this past September.

Brinna Boettger ’13, Lewistown, received an English Teaching Assistant Fulbright Scholarship to Belarus.



Ryan Bell, M.F.A. ’14, Seattle, was awarded a Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship to examine how Russia and Kazakhstan are rebuilding their cattle industries in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse.

Dylan Gomes ’14, Redwood Valley, Calif., earned a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to study bats at the Max Planck Institutes in Germany.