1990s

Cynthia Fritch ’91, Missoula, was promoted by D.A. Davidson & Co. to senior vice president financial adviser in recognition of her professionalism, qualifications, leadership and standard of excellence. She joined D.A. Davidson in 1992 and works in the Missoula office.

Rhonda McCarty M.Ed. ’91, Great Falls, will begin her new role as president and CEO of Special Olympics July 1. After 16 years as principal of Valley View Elementary School in Great Falls, she worked as chief operating officer for Special Olympics Montana for five years, guiding daily operations and strategic direction. She is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has received multiple awards for her educational leadership.

Michael West ’91, North Arlington, NJ, is a high school principal at East Side High School in Newark, New Jersey. He coordinates multiple programs, including the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, Rutgers University-Newark College Preparatory Program and peer group leadership programs. West developed the Early College Program for students who want to earn an associate’s degree in liberal arts from Essex County College, allowing them to graduate from high school with a two-year degree and enter a four-year college as a junior.

Craig Dickenson ’95, M.Ed. ’97, Saskatchewan, Canada, just became the 47th head coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Dickenson previously was special-teams coordinator with the Roughriders for three seasons. He was a kicker for the Grizzlies in 1992 and special-teams coordinator for UM from 1995 to 1998. He has coached at Utah State, San Diego and Oakland. He won CFL titles with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015 and the Calgary Stampeders in 2008.

Scott Gragg ’95, Salem, OR, was just inducted into the Montana Hall of Fame for the class of 2019. Gragg played with the Griz as an offensive tackle from 1991 to 1994, served as an assistant coach from 2009 to 2015 and is in the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame. He was the only Montana player ever selected to play in the Senior Bowl. He also played for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets.

Brady Meltzer ’95, M.A. ’17, Bozeman, became the first vice president of sales for Submittable, a software as a service company based in Missoula and one of the community’s largest employers. Meltzer started out at RightNowTechnologies, Oracle, TEXbase and Genesys, and he holds two communications degrees – a bachelor’s from UM and a master’s from Gonzaga University.

Doug Overman ’95, Kalispell, was promoted from captain to police chief for the city of Kalispell in January. He has worked as a wildland firefighter and a probation and parole officer. Since 2000, he has served as a school resource officer, detective, sergeant and captain for the Kalispell Police Department. He also volunteers with numerous community groups.

Jeremy J. Weizel ’96, Duluth, MN, is the new marketing strategist for the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, helping support its brand development. He has 20 years of experience as a marketing and creative director and has worked for corporate health care and technology, as well as nonprofit organizations.