Alumni News Summer 2022

Congratulations to the CAS alumni named to the Alumni Board of Governors

• Tom Hove, BA Social Work, '17
• Kahlia Keita, BA, English, '08
• Kristin Kuzmanich, BA English, '06; College of Education, MIT, '07
• Jose Armando Munguia, MPA, '21
• Laura Ochoa, MPA, '13
• Juliana Balinbin Stuachurski, BS, History and Philosophy, '00
• Sherry Williams, MPA, '09

Sarah Ball, MFA in Arts Leadership, ’18, was named one of 425 Business' 2022 “30 Under 30. Among her accomplishments the announcement noted, “(she) works as a senior account manager with Healthcare Management Administrators, and for the last three years has tapped into her arts and leadership education by volunteering on the board of Renton Civic Theatre. During her two-year presidential tenure there — which coincided with the onset of the pandemic — she helped raise $100,000.”

Derrick Belgarde, Siletz/Chippewa-Cree, BA Public Affairs, '03 and MPA, '15, and Executive Director of Chief Seattle Club , was named a member of the Seattle City Council's new Indigenous Advisory Council. Listen to the KUOW Public Radio story. 

Annalisa M. Bernard, BA, Sociology, '00, was confirmed to a position in the District Court of the Second Circuit, which encompasses Maui County. Her term of office will be for six years. 

David Chow, MNPL, ’16, was named Director for Philanthropy at UW Medicine.

Kymberly Evanson, BA, French and English, '99, magna cum laude, with honors (University Honors Program, Sullivan Leadership Award), was one of President Biden's recent judicial nominees.

Midas Hampton, MPA, '19, is the new Executive Director for the Spartanburg Community Indicators Project in Spartanburg, South Carolina. “This opportunity aligns with my values and passions and gives me the ability to reinvest in a community that has done so much for me. It is a privilege to leverage what I have learned throughout my career to support various stakeholders as we move towards a more just and equitable Spartanburg County for all residents.”

Toshiko Hasegawa, BA, Criminal Justice, Criminology & Forensics ’10, MACJ ‘19, and Seattle port commissioner, received the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee award from her father, state Sen. Bob Hasegawa, at MLK Park on the 59th anniversary of King’s “I have a dream” speech.

Stacy Noel Hicks, MFA Arts Leadership, ‘14, received her Doctorate in Education and Organizational Learning And Leadership from the SU College of Education.

Charlie Hitchcock, BA, Creative Writing and Finance, ’12, a housing developer with the state’s Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing, has obtained national certification as a rental housing development finance professional from the National Development Council.

Vinnie Hobb, BA, Communications, ’09, has joined bicoastal Union Editorial as a staff editor, marking his first commercial making affiliation. A three-time Best Editing VMA nominee, during the pandemic he edited Cardi B’s crowd-pleasing “WAP” feat. Megan Thee Stallion (directed by Tilley), and MGK’s (Machine Gun Kelly) “Bloody Valentine” (Michael Garcia, dir.), which won Best Alternative Video at the VMAs in 2020. Enjoying a new run of hits, including Doja Cat’s “Vegas” (Child, dir.), Hobbs continues to produce music videos through his company, VH Post. On the spot front, he has cut projects for McDonald’s, Nintendo, Hennessy, Audi, and Rolls Royce, among others. His first assignment with Union is Nike Jordan Family’s “Back to School,” directed by Mez for Heirs." Read more.

Caroyln K. Huynh, BA, Journalism, minor in Nonprofit and Public Administration, ’11, published a new book, “The Fortunes of Jaded Women.”

Christy Leskovar, BA, French and Mechanical Engineering, '82, published the book, "East of the East Side."

Leilani Lewis, MNPL, ‘14 and Seattle University Nonprofit Leadership adjunct professor, was awarded the prestigious University of Washington 2022 Marilyn Batt Dunn Endowed Award for Excellence for her continued dedication to education and inclusion. Leilani also currently serves as the Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for University of Washington Advancement.

Juan Lizama, MPA, ‘77, is running for Attorney General for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI.) Read more.

Patrick Lupo, BA, Political Science, ‘73 and the former chairman and CEO of DHL Worldwide Express, has been named to the Board of WaterIQ Technologies.

Col. Joseph Maasen, BA, Political Science, ’87, commissioned through Seattle Army U ROTC was  named new commander of the Washington State Guard. “During state emergencies, the subject matter experts of the Washington State Guard provide critical support to first responders who safeguard lives and property. When the State Guard needed a new commander, the Military Department leadership knew Washington National Guard Lt. Col. (Ret.) Joseph Maassen was the right guy for the job.” Read more.

Jamie Herlich McIalwain, MFA in Arts Leadership, ’10, was named managing director of ZACH Theatre in Austin, TX. Read the "American Theatre" story.

Josh Merchant, BA, French and Psychology, minor in International Studies, '20, Is the Kansas City Beacon’s local government reporter and recently published “Fox, possum and deer are out this breeding season in JoCo — Here are tips for homeowners.”

Lauren Morgan, MACJ, ’18, won gold in the women’s water ski jump at The World Games 2022 Birmingham, after learning she would be competing only three days before the international sporting competition began. “Morgan’s success goes beyond the water, too. She’s a daughter and sister: a member of a family that’s been committed to the sport for decades. She’s a criminal justice scholar, studying what she considers the far-too-large intersection of the foster care and juvenile justice systems. And Lauren Morgan is a feminist: a leader standing up and speaking out for women in a sport she said is dominated by men.

James Nau, BA, History, '01, Lakeside School history teacher, was named the Washington State History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Liz Nielsen, BA, Philosophy and Spanish, ’97, launched “Forcefield,” her first large scale art installation at the Dutch Reformed Church in Newburgh, New York. “I’ve been working as an artist for 20 years and I work with light primarily. I work with light as a experimental photographer and so I record light onto paper but without a camera. I count wavelengths. I’m a little bit of a mad scientist,” Nielsen said. “This project also includes light and includes my ideas which are connected to quantum physics in terms of manifestation and bringing in things from the quantum field. 

Erin Okuno, BA, Public Administration, minor in Social Work, ‘00, MPA, '07, has been named the director of the WA Education Ombuds, Office of Education Ombuds (OEO), by Governor Jay Inslee.

Michael Perez, BA Criminal Justice, ’14, authored “Studies Show Negative Health Effects of Solitary Confinement on Prisoner Health” for ColoradoBoulevard.net.

Laurie Campbell Pitner, MNPL, '13, was named Executive Director for Hospice of the Northwest Foundation.

Essence Russ, BA, Communication Studies, ‘07, Director, Technology Access Foundation, was named one of this year's "40 under 40" by Puget Sound Business Journal.