Class Notes

September 2018

The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce hired Sarah Cooke ’14 as its member engagement and communications specialist.

Ambient Media, which is owned by Stephen Cross ’01, joined the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.

Jacob Granneman ’16 joined the news staff of ClarkCountyToday.com. Granneman graduated this spring from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University in Pullman.

Sunshine Hill ’18 married Michael Adams on September 5, 2018.

Alan Hwang ’13 facilitated a workshop, “A Digital-Only Strategy to Maximize Cyber Monday” through the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (GVCC) on September 18, 2018. Hwang’s business, ACH Marketing, is a member of the GVCC.

Jules Laspa ’14 married Holly Susanne Kayleen Engh on August 28, 2018.

Watercolorist Denise Joy McFadden‘s work will be displayed at Art on the Boulevard through October 29, 2018.

August 2018

Gayle Beacock ’81 and her brother, Russ ’81, have opened a new store in Eugene, Ore. Gayle and Russ are the children of Dale and Susan Beacock who opened the original store at 1420 Southeast 163rd Ave. in Vancouver in 1976. Dale Beacock ’50 was a professor at Clark College and an alumnus. He died in 2011. Gayle is vice president of Beacock Music Company. She will relocate to Eugene for the first year to oversee the store, located at 791 W. Eighth Ave., in the former Pacific Winds Music building. An October grand opening celebration is tentatively scheduled, according to The Columbian.

Mary Elkin is running for the position of city of Vancouver councilor, position 1. Elkin is owner/operator of Elkin Business Solutions, a bookkeeping firm in Vancouver.

Tammy Fraley, owner of Fraley Photography who specializes in photographing kids with disabilities, appeared in The Columbian on July 1, 2018. Her work with children on the autism spectrum was featured.

Tanisha Harris ’97 is running for the Washington House of Representatives 17th Legislative District, position 1 seat. Presently Harris served as court appointed special advocate program specialist with YWCA Clark County.

David Henrichsen ’82 and Bret Roske were married in Vancouver, Wash.

Alex Hogaboam and Sarah Burris married on August 25, 2018.

Damion Jiles Sr., ’10 is running for a seat in the Washington House of Representatives, 17th Legislative District, position 2.

Dave Lemberg ’87, owner of Dave’s Killer Magic Shop on 17th and Main strees, was profiled by the Vancouver Business Journal. Lemberg, a high school science teacher, has owned this business since 2008. It has been at its current location with its current name since 2014.

Council member John Main of Ridgefield, Wash., announced his resignation beginning in October. Main plans to move to Boise, Idaho, in order to spend more time with family, including a newborn granddaughter.

Scott Micheletti ’10 and partner Desiree Carlson welcomed a baby girl, Brooklyn M. Micheletti on August 9, 2018.

Hon. Gina Mosbrucker ’88 is running for reelection for the Washington House of Representatives 14th Legislative District, position 2. This is an office that Rep. Mosbrucker has held since 2015.

Hon. Liz Pike, a Washington State Representative, was named first vice president of the Clark County Republican Women.

Becca Robbins is interning at the Baker City Herald in Oregon this summer. She is one of 15 journalists-in-training selected for a 10-week assignment as part of the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. Robbins attending Running Start at Clark where she studied journalism. She worked as a journalist for The Independent, Clark’s student newspaper and developed an interest in sports writing. Robbins then served as the sports editor during her second year at Clark and also was the recipient of two awards, according the the Baker City Herald.

Sherry Smith ’03, administrative services manager for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math department, was awarded the Clark College Quarterly Classified Staff Excellence Award for summer 2018.

Council member Jeanne Stewart is running for reelection for Clark County councilor, District 1. This is an office that Stewart has held since 2014.

Hon. Brandon Vick ’04 is running for reelection the Washington House of Representatives 18th Legislative District, position 1 seat. This is an office that Vick has held since 2013.

Todd Zalk ’95 joined the team of Selco Community Credit Union’s Commercial & Business Banking division as vice president of commercial lending and business banking. Zalk most recently served as a relationship manager for Wells Fargo in Portland. He has worked in the banking industry for 11 years.

July 2018

Judith Chipman, CPM is running against incumbent Jim Malinowski for the office of Clark PUD commissioner.

Ginn Realty Group owner Patrick Ginn ’00 joined the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. The chamber will host a Platinum Ribbon Cutting July 30, 2018, to help launch the company’s grand opening of their new office in Hazel Dell. Ginn is also a member of Clark College Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Kristin Hanneman ’89 was named as a trustee to the Salmon Creek Hospital Foundation.

Fallon Hughes ’12 accepted a new position with Pacific University in Forest Grove as coordinator for experiential education compliance.

Matthew Kuhl ’12 is running for the position of Wahkiakum County auditor. Kuhl currently serves as staff accountant for the Institute for Professional Care Education in Vancouver, Wash.

As council member for 15 years and two-term mayor, Tim Leavitt ’92 collected many suits, sport coats and slacks. Two years ago, he donated about a dozen suits to Clark’s Dress for Success program, which provides professional clothing to Clark students at no cost. Now, no longer an elected official, he has two dozen additional suits and sport coats he no longer uses and has made a second donation to Dress for Success.

Matrix Roofing, a local small business owned by Wendy Marvin ’95 was featured in the Vancouver Business Journal. The business has seen rapid growth in recent years and is now partnering with a national organization, No Roof Left Behind, to give away a free roof replacement to a Clark County family in need.

Nathaniel Brezner-Mendoza ’18, was recruited to play for the University of Portland Pilots starting as a right-handed pitcher this fall. Brezner-Mendoza is currently playing for the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Baseball League as a member of the Boulder Collegians team, where he has gained recent recognition for his skills on the field. Brezner-Mendoza is also the developer of the board game, Safe On A Base: www.safeonabase.com.

Stephen Pick ’06 was recruited to serve as the executive director of Journey Theater Arts Group, a local youth and community theater organization. Pick recently graduated with his M.A. in directing and arts administration from Boston University.

Bree Sanchez ’08 was pictured with her colleagues on the cover of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce magazine, Vancouver Vision, to promote Vancouver Mall’s presenting sponsorship of the Chamber’s 4th Annual Women’s Golf Tournament. Sanchez is a member of the management team at the mall.

Clark alumnus Alan Stokesbary is a proud grandfather of a new baby girl, Lily Stokesbary, born on June 7, 2018, at  7 pounds, 14 ounces, to daughter-in-law and son Cori and Jonathan Stokesbary.

Pacific Lifestyle Homes, owned by Kevin Wann ’89, was ranked 14 out of 100 on Seattle Business Magazine’s 29th annual 100 Best Companies to Work For in Washington list.

Integrative Body, Yoga and Massage, a holistic treatment center, owned by Deborah Watson ’11, joined the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce

June 2018

Allison “Allie” Magyar, CEO of Hubb, an event management software firm in Vancouver, Wash., is a finalist for the competetive Entrepreneur of the Year Pacific Northwest award presented by EY (formerly Ernst & Young). Additionally, Hubb was named the Emerging Technology Company of the Year by the Technology Association of Oregon in May 2018.

Arnold “Arnie” Dyer ’66, retired Evergreen High School English teacher, was appointed to the advisory council of the Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities of Southwest Washington.

Susan Galaviz ’85 was appointed board chair for KXRW.FM, the newly formed nonprofit sister station to Portland’s XRAY.FM, where she works as a marketing consultant.

Kandra Kent ’10 was featured in The Daily News in Longview, Wash., about how she got into journalism. Kent has been a reporter for KPTV (Fox 12 Oregon) since 2016.

Jonathan Dutson ’18, a graduate of the Machining program and former student ambassador at Clark, accepted a job at Howser Steel in Portland.

Leslie Minton ’12 and Sarah Kotz ’13, both of Gibsonton, Fla., were married in Clark County

Roberta Giovannini joined the board of the Salmon Creek Kiwanis Club as its secretary.

 

May 2018

Amanda Leigh Brown and Nicole Shannon Arnold ’10 were married in Vancouver, Wash.

Alec Cook ’17, currently third baseman for Linfield College, signed a 10-day contract with the Corvallis Knights for the 2018 season. The Knights are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Corvallis, Ore.

Audreyana Foster ’15 started a new position as customer service engineer at ASML, a semiconductor company.

Devin Gaughan ’17 joined the team of Sigma Design. Gaughan is a former firmware technician for Hewlett-Packard and is working toward a degree in neuroscience at Washington State University Vancouver.

Christina Gay ’12 was recognized in April in The Columbian for her academic and career accomplishments. Gay was a recipient of the I Have a Dream Program scholarship in 5th grade while attending Hough Elementary School in 1995. With the program’s support, she earned a registered nurse credential at Clark College and a bachelor of science in nursing at Washington State University Vancouver. Gay is now nearing her fourth anniversary as an RN for Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.

First-generation college student Ramon Hernandez joined the Peace Corps in Morrocco, North Africa, following his graduation this spring from Washington State University Tri-Cities.

Morgan Hutchinson ’06, co-owner of High End Marketplace joined with three other business partners to open Funky Fresh Juice in downtown Vancouver. Funky Fresh Juice was recently honored with the 2017 Small Business Grant from Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.

Brison Manandic ’18, a Running Start student from Camas, Wash., joined the FC Portland Football Club.

Stanley Nelson ’62, retired regional architect with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Southwest Region, passed the technician, general and extra class tests and earned his HAM radio license (KF70JA). He is currently involved with club activities and parades providing security communications. Nelson is the husband of Norma (Finck) Nelson with whom he will celebrate 55 years of marriage in 2018 Additionally, he is father to son Raymond Nelson ’92, instructor at Cascadia Technical Academy and daughter Denise Benville of Acworth, Georgia. The Nelsons are also the proud grandparents of Julia and Ethan Benville, also of Acworth.

Peggy Sheehan ’79 joined the board of Human Services Council and is serving as secretary/treasurer.

Dan Trujillo ’02 joined the team at The Reflector, Battle Ground’s local newspaper, as a reporter. Trujillo spent the last 12 years as a sports reporter for the Camas Post-Record.

Sigma Design hired Jefferay Watson ’16 as a test engineer. Watson has worked in the tech industry in Portland and Vancouver since 1997.

Ezekiel Wells ’15 was promoted to juvenile probation associate at the Clark County Juvenile Court.

Jennifer May York ’99 wed Lori Mae Swanger on May 10, 2018.

April 2018

Nancy Baker ’90 joined the board of the Vancouver Energy Community Fund.

Courtney Braddock ’16 joined the board of the Vancouver Energy Community Fund.

Barbara “Dani” Bundy ’17 accepted a new position as organizational change management coordinator for the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. She most recently served as student affairs ctcLink operations manager and student affairs liaison to the Guided Pathways initiative at Clark College.

Patrick Ginn ’00 and wife Jessica welcomed a healthy baby girl, Alexia Diane Ginn, on March 30, 2018. This is the couple’s first child together. Alexia also has an older sister, Rylee, aged 7.

Brittni Allen ’05 and Austin Lasseigne were married April 7, 2018. Lasseigne is the director of philanthropy for YWCA Clark County.

Takunda Masike ’16 accepted a summer internship at the University of Wisconsin Madison in which he will assist in building chemical sensing and imaging capabilities using a quantum defect in a diamond structure.

Richelle McMann ’13, licensed massage therapist is the new owner of Self Balance Massage Inc.

Carlee Sanders ’11, of Washougal, wed Brain Smith, of La Habra, Calif., in Bellingham, Wash., on November 5, 2017.

March 2018

Jessica Beach ’12, secretary senior for Transitional Studies, is the winner of the Clark College Quarterly Classified Staff Excellence Award for fall 2017.

Frederick “Jock” Coombe II ’67, PE, USAF retired, joined the Clark College Alumni Board. Before retirement, Coombe served as an engineer for Bonneville Power Administration and an information systems manager for Portland General Electric.

Azure Calder ’15, a mortgage lender for Evergreen Home Loans, joined the Clark College Alumni Board.

Justin Curtiss ’09, an attorney at Landerholm, joined the Clark College Alumni Board. He is a previous member of Clark College Foundation’s ad hoc stewardship committee.

Michael Jaeger ’87, senior account manager for F2F Events Inc., joined the Clark College Alumni Board.

Dennis “Denny” Huston ’61, former Clark College Foundation board member and interim director of athletics for Clark College from 2008 to 2011, joined the Clark College Alumni Board. He is also the chair of the athletics committee for the Alumni Board and serves on the nominating committee for the Athletics Hall of Fame awards.

George Oberg ’57 was named a “Queer Hero” to the Northwest for 2015. Oberg was the first president of The Second Foundation, which founded Portland’s first gay community center and organized Portland’s first Pride celebration during his tenure. Clark College Foundation recently learned of Oberg’s accolade.

February 2018

Julie Bocanegra ’01, vice president and branch manager for Columbia Credit Union, is one of the 2018 recipients of the Iris Award. Bocanegra serves on the Evergreen School District Board of Directors. She was appointed in 2012, elected the following year and then re-elected again in 2017. Bocanegra served as vice chair and chair of that district which is the fifth-largest school district in Washington State. She was instrumental in leading the district’s student equity and technology learning initiatives. She also is a former board chair of the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce.

Travis C. Eckert ’13, grandson of Chicago Cubs player, Travis A. Eckert, joined the Minor League Baseball team, the Lexington Legends, which is a Class A Affiliate of the MLB’s Kansas City Royals.

Michael Jaeger ’87, Clark College alumni board member, started a new position as senior account manager at Face 2 Face (F2F) Events in Beaverton, Ore.

Bryony Melcher ’01 joined the Clark College Alumni Board’s Athletics committee as an ad hoc member. Melcher is a 2016 recipient of the Clark College Athletics Hall of Fame Award.

Nancy Retsinas ’84, a collaborative lawyer and family law mediator in Washington and Oregon, is one of the 2018 recipients of the Iris Award. She has been in private practice since 1991. In 2015 she established Retsinas Collaborative Law Center to align her values to her legal work. Co-founder and executive director of the Two Rivers Institute for Dispute Resolution, Retsinas leads collaborative law and legal team-building training for family law professionals in legal, mental health and financial disciplines. She is a contributing author to “Washington Practice Manual – Family Law,” by West Publishing, and “Building a Successful Collaborative Law Practice,” an American Bar Association publication. Her current nonprofit leadership roles include regional chair of the Northwest region for Global Collaborative Law Council; board treasurer for Collaborative Professionals of Washington; board president for Cappella Romana Choral Ensemble; and board director for the Children’s Center. She is also a former Clark College Foundation executive board and alumni board member.

David Titzler’s ’79 stained glass artwork hung in Frost Arts Center in February 2018. The piece was dedicated by Titzler’s sister with a plaque commemorating his life.

January 2018

Kate (Burton) Jacobsen ’05 was inducted into the Clark College Athletics Hall of Fame on February 17, 2018. Jacobsen is possibly the most dominant student-athlete Clark College has seen in women’s track and field. During her two years at Clark College, she achieved greatness by earning 22 first place finishes. She was a four-time NWAACC Champion: twice in the hammer throw and twice in the discus throw. During Jacobsen ‘s 2005 campaign she won the NWAACC’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete award at the NWAACC Championships and set an American Junior College record in the hammer throw at 188’3.” This record holds today.

Kenneth Boydstun  ’55 was inducted into the Clark College Athletics Hall of Fame on February 17, 2018, for his participation on the 1954 and 1955 baseball and men’s basketball teams. Boydstun was point guard for the 1955 championship basketball team when Skeet O’Connell was head coach. In baseball, he had a .457 hitting percentage, and as a result was one of the most feared players at the plate. Additionally, he was named Defensive Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year as a sophomore.

Councilmember Adrian Cortes was named to the board of directors for C-Tran.

Craig Dirksen ’74 has worked for 40 years in the engineering field since getting his associate degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. While at Clark, served as vice president of ASCC, the student body association. “I am very proud of my time at Clark and the education I received there prepared me for a successful career and life.” He was elected to the Tigard City Council in 2000. In 2003, he was elected mayor of Tigard. After two successful terms, he ran for and was elected District 3 representative to the Metro Council, which is the elected regional government for the Portland metropolitan area. He was recently re-elected to a second term. There he also serves as the chair of JPACT, a regional transportation committee. In addition to being responsible for land use and transportation planning for the Portland metropolitan region, which consists of 24 cities and the urban areas of three counties, they are responsible for all solid waste disposal, own approximately 15,000 acres of parks and open space, and operate the regional visitor venues like the Oregon Convention Center, Expo Center, P’5 Centers for the Performing Arts, including the Keller Auditorium, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and the Oregon Zoo.

The following alumnae from the 2002 women’s cross country team will be inducted into the Clark College Athletics Hall of Fame on February 17, 2018, during a ceremony in Gaiser Student Center: Christine Eckstein, Genevieve Fisher, ’04, Jenna (Justus) Wood, Yesewzer Kebede, Heather Meler, Molly (Phimister) Taylor, Sarah Schroeder, Emily Vandenekart.

The following alumnae from the 2003 women’s track and field team will be inducted into the Clark College Athletics Hall of Fame on February 17, 2018, during a ceremony in Gaiser Student Center: Brittney (Anderson) Sarkela, Erin (Bell) Dooley, Genevieve Fisher, K’pree Ford-Harris, Natasha Marie Iwanick-Settle ’07, Elizabeth Jacobsen, Keyanna Jenkins-Jensen, Jenna (Justus) Wood, Yesewzer Kebede, Andrea Krugle, Inna Kluyev, Heather Meler, Katie Miller ’06, Tia Parsons, Molly (Phimister) Taylor, Ashley Rambo, Nicole (Roberts) Hood, Amy Strelow ’10, Emily Vandenekart ’03, Valerie Wyant.

Michael Gaechter ’60, a former professional football player for the Dallas Cowboys, will be inducted into the Clark College Athletics Hall of Fame on February 17, 2018, for his participation on the 1959 men’s track and cross country teams. He ran the 100 meter and 200 meter races and won the championship under head coach Skeet O’Connell. Gaechter still holds the 200 meter Clark record at 21.34 seconds, and is 6th in record books for the 100 meter.

Kandie King ’14 joined the Clark College team in the Office of Diversity and Equity as temporary administrative assistant.

Riverview Community Bank named Kevin Lycklama ’98, currently the executive vice president and chief operating officer, to succeed G. Patrick Sheaffer as president and chief executive officer upon Sheaffer’s retirement on April 2, 2018. Lycklama joined the bank in 2006 and served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of the company from February 2008 to July 2017. He then took on the role of chief operating officer in July 2017. Prior to joining Riverview, he was an audit manager for an Oregon CPA firm. Lycklama was part of the bank’s investor relations team, led the recent transaction with MBank and assisted in the company’s secondary public offering.

Ridgefield City Councilor John Main was re-elected to the board of C-Tran.

Lee Rafferty ’78, former executive director of Vancouver’s Downtown Association and recipient of the Chamber’s John S. McKibbin Leadership Legacy Award, will serve as the host for the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Women in Leadership Leadership Lecture series that is launching in February 2018.

Brenda Tiefenthaler ’72 was appointed to the board of Evergreen Habitat for Humanity.

Business partners Jonathan Unruh ’98 and Rob Zimmel ’12 won a platinum medal for their 2014 Syrah wine from Wine Press Northwest. Their Cerebella Cabernet Sauvignon also won double gold.

Local real estate developer Terry Wollam was appointed to fill the 2018 Ed Lynch board seat with Identity Clark County.

December 2017

Tony Curtis ’88, owner of Current Home Technologies, was named the 2018 board vice president for the Building Industry Association of Clark County.

Tracy Doriot ’75, owner of Doriot Construction, was named the 2018 immediate past president for the Building Industry Association of Clark County.

Jay Gilberg ’78, president of Clark College’s Alumni Board, was named as an ex officio member of Clark College Foundation’s Board of Directors for 2018.

Patrick Ginn ’00, owner of Ginn Realty Group, was named to Clark College Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Fallon Hughes ’12 was hired as a program coordinator for Student Affairs at Clark College.

Takunda Masike ’16 completed his active training duty for the United States Army. He’ll attend the University of Washington in January.

November 2017

Kimberly Abegglen,  7th and 8th grade math and science teacher at Hockinson Middle School, was honored with a 2017 Learn Here Real Hero Award. The awards are presented to business, education and community leaders in Southwest Washington by Identity Clark County as part of their Land Here, Live Here, Learn Here project.

Al Bauer ’54, a 2001 recipient of the Clark County First Citizen Award, was honored with a 2017 Learn Here Real Hero Award for his exemplary volunteer service to Clark County. The awards are presented to business, education, and community leaders in Southwest Washington by Identity Clark County as part of their Land Here, Live Here, Learn Here project.

Julie Bocanegra ’01, vice president and branch manager for Columbia Credit Union, was reelected to the Evergreen School District Board as representative for district 1.

Amy Boget ’09, former arts commissioner for the Town of Yacolt, was elected to the town council representing district 1.

Ronald Dinius was reelected to represent district 5 on the Washougal School District Board of Directors.

Matt Donald ’02 was reelected to serve district 4 on the Woodland School District Board of Directors.

Sue Edwards ’84, former board member of Washington State University Vancouver, was honored with a 2017 Learn Here Real Hero Award. The awards are presented to business, education, and community leaders in Southwest Washington by Identity Clark County as part of their Land Here, Live Here, Learn Here project

Sierra Eckman ’06 was named to Vancouver Business Journal’s 2017 Accomplished and Under 40 Class. Eckman is a certified public accountant and senior manager at Opsahl Dawson & Co.

Emily Enquist ’97 was elected to serve district 1 on the Ridgefield School District Board of Directors.

Austin and Ashley Ginter ’08 welcomed a baby girl, Magnolia Ginter on Oct. 11, 2017 at PeaceHealth Southwest Washington Medical Center. Magnolia is little sister to older brothers Jacob and Cooper.

Denny Kiggins ’58 was reelected to serve as position 3 commissioner for the Clark Regional Wastewater District. He has served in this role for the past 18 years.

Mike Lyons ’79 was reelected as position 1 commissioner for Clark County Fire Protection District 5.

Tracey Malone ’97 was elected as district 5 representative to the Camas School District Board of Directors.

Kathy Nordberg ’71 was reelected to serve district 2 on the Hockinson School District Board of Directors.

Dr. Paul Reed ’91, owner of Vancouver’s popular Bridge Chiropractic, was named by the Washington State Chiropractic Association as the 2017 Chiropractor of the Year.

Brandon Skinner ’04, co-founder and CEO of Riverside Payments, was named to Vancouver Business Journal’s 2017 Accomplished and Under 40 Class.

Melissa Smith ’89 was reelected as city council member ward 1, position 2 representative to the City of Camas Council.

Wendy Smith ’95, history and social studies teacher at Heritage High School, was elected to serve district 3 on the Vancouver School District Board of Directors.

Jessica Tijerina Turpeinin ’08, owner of A Merry Heart Events, was named to Vancouver Business Journal’s 2017 Accomplished and Under 40 Class.

Glen ’52 and Betty ’54 Tribe were named the recipients of Clark College Foundation’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Philanthropy for 2017. The couple, who met while attending Clark, have contributed to the institution and its students for decades.

October 2017

Denise Coldwell-Filbin ’84 and husband Mike Filbin, co-owners of Filbin’s Ace Hardware in Vancouver, are recipients of the 2017 Business Leadership Award. They received the accolade from Leadership Clark County on October 25, 2017, at a Clark County Leadership Awards banquet. Denise is also director of engineering for The Standard, a Financial Services firm in Portland, Ore.

Fay Kahn joined the Board of Southwest Washington Watercolor Society as its newest secretary.

Cody Messick ’10 is part of a team of scientists that detected a fourth gravitational wave on August 14, 2017, which was announced on September 27. During the latest discovery, Messick was one of a handful of scientists who managed the wave data. His team heard the event about 30 seconds after it arrived on earth. “In our estimate, the noise would only produce something that looks like this roughly one in every 140,000 years,” said Messick, who is a doctoral student in physics at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Penn. Days following that announcement, three lead scientists from that team were awarded the Nobel Physics Prize on October 2, 2017, for their detection of the ripples in the fabric of space-time that occurred 1.8 billion light-years away. The first observation of the so-called gravitational waves was in September 2015.

Leone “Lee” Rafferty ’78 founder and former co-owner of Spanky’s Consignment Shops, retired after seven years as executive director of the Vancouver Downtown Association.

Saundra Solis ’97, a former Running Start program coordinator at Clark College, accepted a position as a student resource specialist at Portland Community College.

September 2017

The Columbian won the Business of the Year for large business from the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce at its 2017 Business and Leadership Awards event on September 20. Jody Campbell, an alumna of Clark College, and Scott Campbell are the publishers.

Nelson Holmberg ’87 was named to the board of directors for the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. Holmberg is the vice president of innovation for the Port of Ridgefield.

Morgan Hutchinson ’06 was named a member mentor for cycle #3 of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce’s Mentorship Program. Hutchinson’s focus includes digital marketing and social media communications, brand development, Uptown Village, emerging industries and community event coordination. Hutchinson owns High End Market Place in Vancouver.

Mari Jessup ’12 was named a member mentor for cycle #3 of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce’s Mentorship Program. Jessup’s focus includes women in business, women of influence, office productivity and wellness. Jessup is an office manager for Miller, Nash, Graham, and Dunn LLP.

James Lackey ’14 and Kira Phillips welcomed a girl, Evelyn Lackey, who was born August 29, 2017.

Vancouver Mayor Timothy Leavitt ’92 accepted a professional position with Otak, an architectural and engineering consulting firm. Most recently, Leavitt was a senior civil engineer with PBS Engineering and Environmental. Leavitt, who has served two, four-year terms as mayor, is not running for re-election.

Lee Rafferty ’78 is the recipient of the John S. McKibbin Leadership Legacy Award by the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. Rafferty received the accolade at the chamber’s 2017 Business and Leadership Awards event on September 20.

Rachel Taulbee ’12 was hired by Clark College as a human resources assistant responsible for tracking benefit eligibility for employees.

Steven VanderPloeg ’96 and Angela VanderPloeg welcomed a girl, Harlow Madrone, who was born August 31, 2017.

Washington State Rep. Brandon Vick (18th District, Pos. 1) received the Statesman of the Year award from the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. He received the accolade at the chamber’s 2017 Business and Leadership Awards event on September 20.

August 2017

Aleksandr Anisimov ’13 was tapped for Clark’s Classified Staff Excellence Award in spring 2017. He’s an eLearning systems specialist.

Castine Cruz ’18 is an international student from Guam, who was awarded the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study or intern abroad during the 2017-2018 academic year. She is studying health, biology, psychology and anthropology.

Sam Elliott ’65 plays a different kind of hero in the new drama “The Hero.” He plays an aging movie star who longs for one more great role.

D’Ann Horrocks ’82 is a teacher with Woodland Public Schools who was recognized by the district as an Employee of Excellence at the district’s annual award luncheon.

Kevin Lycklama ’98 was promoted to EVP/chief operating officer for Riverview Bank. He is responsible for the bank’s daily operations and management. Lycklama has been executive vice president and chief financial officer of the company since 2008.

Takunda Masike ’16 was awarded a Washington NASA Space Grant scholarship to attend the University of Washington. He was also a semi-finalist for the Martin Foundation Honors Scholarship.

Reesa McAllister ’05 is a recipient of Clark’s Classified Staff Excellence Award for the 2017 spring quarter. She’s a secretary for the computer technology division.

Michelle McLaughlin ’04 is a teacher with Woodland Public Schools who was recognized by the district as an Employee of Excellence at the district’s annual award luncheon.

Thomas Mears ’59, chairman of Holland, Inc. and former Burgerville CEO, published an autobiography, “Serve With Love.” Clark College Foundation hosted a book signing at Clark College in his honor on August 22, 2017.

State Rep. Elizabeth Pike ’96 announced she’s running for Clark County Council chair to a crowd of supporters at her Fern Prairie farm on August 18. Pike is a Republican.

Michael Rash ’66 and his wife woke up to rain and gusty wind after Hurricane Harvey hit in Houston, Texas, during the worst tropical cyclone in that state’s history in August and September. They are safe and were relieved to see Brays Bayou Greenway in front of their condominium had receded noticeably. “Still, we can’t go more than a couple blocks in any direction. I think the danger to us is now minimal, but many, many thousands are in desperate situations and all around the greater Houston area. To us, this has been an inconvenience, but to tens of thousands, it is a devastation. We are blessed to be safe, sound, high and dry.”

Tia Schmidt ’05 is a recipient of Clark’s Classified Staff Excellence Award for the 2017 spring quarter. She is an administrative assistant in the nursing department.

Darlene “De” Stickel ’72 is running for re-election for her current seat on the Educational Service District 112 board. She’s been a member since 1998. She currently represents district 6, covering the majority of Evergreen School District.

July 2017

Nancy Boyce ’08 is one of five recipients of the 2017 Clark College Outstanding Alumni Award.

Jeff Groff ’09 was named member at large for Leadership Clark County’s executive committee.

Mitchell Jackson ’93 is one of five recipients of the 2017 Clark College Outstanding Alumni Award.

Dr. Debra Jenkins ’93 is one of five recipients of the 2017 Clark College Outstanding Alumni Award, and the first African American woman to be selected for the prestigious alumni accolade. Jenkins is a tenured professor at Clark (also the first African American woman to receive tenure at Clark) who has an associate degree in Early Childhood Education from the college, a bachelor’s and master’s in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College, and a master’s in Psychology and doctorate in Higher Education Administration from University of Phoenix. She is the chair of Clark’s Behavioral Sciences division and head of the Early Childhood department. In 2016, she presented research to the Women of Color’s Experiences and Strategies in Constructing Non-executive Community College Leadership group at the Oxford University Round Table Symposium in Oxford, England. She was a co-researcher in Teaching Umoja, a 15-year participatory research project conducted in Port Royal, Golden Grove and Moore Town, Jamaica, that explored tri-literacy and bi-cultural indigenous adult-child development. Umoja (Swahili for unity), is a primary principle of Kwanzaa, a cultural holiday celebrating African heritage and identity. Jenkins is also the recipient of the 2009 Women of Achievement for Clark County.

John “Denny” Kiggins ’58 is running for reelection against two other candidates for commissioner, position 3 on the Clark Regional Wastewater District Commission. He has held the position for 18 years.

Tina Krause ’98 was named to the board of directors as curriculum committee chair for Leadership Clark County.

Rujean “Jeanne” Mack ’67 is one of five recipients of the 2017 Clark College Outstanding Alumni Award.

Jim Mains ’97 was named secretary and development committee chair for Leadership Clark County’s executive committee.

Tracey Malone ’97 was named recruitment committee co-chair for Leadership Clark County.

Cody Messick ’10 is the 2017 Clark College Rising Star Alumni recipient.

Steve Morasch ’87 is one of five recipients of the 2017 Clark College Outstanding Alumni Award.

Bob Sable ’96 was named marketing committee co-chair for Leadership Clark County.

Janice Taylor ’08 was named to Clark College Foundation’s stewardship sub-committee.

June 2017

Eddie Allen ’04 joined the staff of St. Joseph Catholic Church and School as development director.

Alex ’11 and Paige Bailey ’12 welcomed twins Kingston and Kingsley, born May 22, 2017.

Kayla Cayton ’14 is one of five 2017 recipients of the iQ Credit Union scholarship program, honoring students pursuing undergraduate degrees or professional training.

Stephanie Eakins ’15 and husband Kyle are the Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce 2017 Citizens of the Year.

American Sign Language instructor Becky Engel ’06 was one of five Clark College faculty honored at Clark’s commencement with a 2017 Exceptional Faculty Award. She serves on the ASL advisory boards for the Vancouver, Battle Ground, Evergreen and Camas school districts.

Spencer Gwinn ’16 is one of the recipients of the Clark County Fair Association Scholarship in 2017. In addition to being a Clark graduate, he also graduated from La Center High School and is currently attending Montana State University.

Charis Holscher ’15 wed Ensign Noah Wachlin on June 3, 2017. She is the first person in the history of the University of Wyoming at Laramie to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in only four years.

Jennifer Johnston ’92 recipient of 100 Most Influential Real Estate Agents in Portland award, joined Living Room Realty’s Portland northeast office.

Tarek Kanso ‘14 was hired at Zenith Properties Northwest.

The Mainstream Republicans of Washington  selected Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey ’97 as their local government official of the year.

Irina Kolychev ’01, a registered nurse, is among four PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center nurses named by the March of Dimes as Oregon and Southwest Washington Nurses of the Year.

Katarina Kubiniec ’16 is one of five 2017 recipients of the iQ Credit Union scholarship program, honoring students pursuing undergraduate degrees or professional training.

Tim Leavitt ’92 and PBS Engineering & Environmental started an Unmanned Aerial Systems program that uses drones to collect aerial information in a safe and efficient way.

Matt Loop ’91 was named Camas High School Teacher of the Year at the school’s graduation ceremony June 16, 2017.

Welding professor Brian McVay ’99 was one of five Clark College faculty honored at Clark’s commencement with a 2017 Exceptional Faculty Award.

Lucas McGee ’13, of Creative Computer Solutions Inc., was promoted to senior network engineer.

Trevor Peterson ’17 and Harper Christian were married on June 10, 2017.

Oswald may have been absent, but Michael Rash ’66 was at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., in June showing his Penguin Pride alongside OSU’s Benny Beaver.

Stephanie Tyna ’13 will join the faculty of Vancouver School District as a third grade teacher this fall. In addition to her Clark degree, she holds a master of arts in teaching from Concordia University.

Adriana Valencia ’16 is one of five 2017 recipients of the iQ Credit Union scholarship program, honoring students pursuing undergraduate degrees or professional training.

Brenda Walstead ’80 has been promoted to Dean of Business and Health Sciences at Clark College.

Gail Weeks ’10, a registered nurse, is among four PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center nurses named by the March of Dimes as Oregon and Southwest Washington Nurses of the Year.

May 2017

Bob Butterfield ’89, former Providence Health Plan executive, is now the owner of a franchise of Real Property Management.
The firm is currently managing 135 properties in Southwest Washington, from residential single-family and multi-family residences to homeowners’ associations.

Heather Huyette ’98 was recognized for her work helping a local business. She and her student colleagues from Washington State University Vancouver’s Carson College of Business worked as a consultant for Déjà Vu Consignment, a resale clothing boutique. Huyette helped the small business with marketing metrics and optimizing inventory.

The works of six local artists, including gallery owner and director Leah Jackson ’03, are on display in May at the Angst Gallery in Vancouver, Wash., to celebrate spring. Jackson is one of the founding members of the Mosaic Arts Alliance. She also owns the Angst Gallery and the adjacent wine and art bar, Niche.

Michael Lusk ’13 was recognized for his work helping a local business. He and his student colleagues from Washington State University Vancouver’s Carson College of Business worked as a consultant for Ethereal Meads, a producer of locally sourced mead in Battle Ground. Lusk helped the small business expand their market and products and created a new label for their products.

Debbie Marcoulier ’02 was appointed to the Public Facilities District Board that oversees the Hilton Hotel and Convention Center property. She is president/CEO of the design-build contractor RSV Building Solutions.

Matthew ’14 and Amy Miller welcomed a boy, Owen J. Miller, born April 30, 7 pounds, 4 ounces.

Robert Moehnke ’13 was recognized for his work helping a local business. He and his student colleagues from Washington State University Vancouver’s Carson College of Business worked as a consultant for Ethereal Meads, a producer of locally sourced mead in Battle Ground. Lusk helped the small business expand their market and products and created a new label for their products.

Evan Rumble ’11 was the featured artist in the “Teachers as Artists: Washington Arts Educators” juried exhibition at Maryhill Museum of Art in March and April. His work “Shattered Sandstone, Table Rock, ID, 2017” was displayed at the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center. The annual exhibit showcases the talent of Washington’s arts educators. “This subject of this painting is pulled from a black and white photograph I took of a large boulder, about 12 feet high, located just off a trail on Table Rock, a popular hiking destination for Boise, Idaho, residents. The cleavage of the sandstone seemed like an interesting dynamic to explore with shapes, while the limitations of a gray-scale palette could be fun to push,” says the artist.

David Sims ’78 is a winner of Clark College’s Classified Staff Excellence Award for 2016-2017.

Sarah Theberge ’92 was one of 11 early learning champions to be honored by Educational Opportunies for Child and Families at a luncheon on May 10.

Reid Trevarthen‘s ’09 artwork is on display in May at the Angst Gallery in Vancouver, Wash. “National Geographic Magazine” is the source for his impressionistic work. His body of work can be viewed on his website.

A Buddy Bench at Gause Elementary was installed and dedicated to honor the memory of beloved teacher Alisa Vail ’95.

April 2017

D. A. Davidson & Co. hired Colin Ault ’07 as a registered client associate in the Vancouver office. Ault previously worked at Threshold Inc., and as a financial adviser at Edward Jones.

New York Times best-selling author Marie Bostwick ’80 has a new novel. ‘The Promise Girls” is about three sisters who try to escape the expectations of their narcissistic mother. Painful secrets are unveiled and a path to recovery is laid.

Local artist Guy Drennan’s ’78 mural commemorating 150 years of the Vancouver Fire Department will be completed this spring. The mural is being painted on the North wall of the Walgreen’s Pharmacy building, located at 2515 Main Street.

Mark Hagen is a new computer aided design and drafting (CADD) instructor at Clark College.

Michael Ludwig ’97 was awarded tenure by Clark College’s Board of Trustees on March 14. He teaches dental hygiene.

Cody Messick ’10, a doctoral student at Penn State, was awarded an Academic Computing Fellowship in April. The fellowship is offered through a partnership between Penn State’s graduate school and Penn State Information Technology Services. In 2015, Messick was part of a team that detected a first-ever gravitational wave signal, a phenomenon predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916. Since then, prestigious institutions have requested to have Messick train their undergraduate and post-doctoral students.

Children’s author Gretchen McLellan ’96 read from her debut picture book, “Mrs. McBee Leaves Room 3” on April 1, at the Camas Public Library.

Brian McVay ’99 was awarded tenure by Clark College’s Board of Trustees on March 14. He teaches welding.

Mary Meyers ’87, former owner of Threshold, Inc., one of the first woman-owned financial services firms in southwest Washington, joined D. A. Davidson & Co. as a senior vice president and financial adviser.

Donovan ’14 and Emily Nylund of Brush Prairie welcomed a daughter, Ellen H. Nylund, on March 24, 2017.

Greg Oehley ’12 of Olson Engineering was promoted to associate principal.

Sunny Parsons ’94 was named to the board of the Building Industry Association of Clark County.

Jeremy Pinson ’14 joined the Sigma Design Team as an engineering technician.

Alicia Smith ’05 recently joined Davidson & Associates Insurance as a personal account manager.

Kent Walsh’s ’76 latest work of fiction, “Legend of Beards Hollow,” was published in March 2017.

Katrina West ’05 is a new test technician at Sigma Design. She brings to the job experience as an assembly/rework operator working on prototypes and complex assemblies.

Lora Whitfield ’02 was awarded tenure by Clark College’s Board of Trustees on March 14.

March 2017

Cody Messick ’10 is lead author of a paper titled “Analysis Framework for the Prompt Discovery of Compact Binary Mergers in Gravitational-Wave Data.”

Michele Rudi joined the board of trustees of the Salmon Creek Hospital Foundation.

Kate Roose ’16 joined the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington as a program manager.

Merry Saari, focus manager at LSW Architects, is a new board member of Vancouver’s Downtown Association.

Leslie Mohlman, community, student, family outreach and resource coordinator for Woodland Public Schools, created the district’s new Our Kids, Our Business task force to address the needs of under-resourced families in the Woodland community.

Sherri Bennett ’94, executive director of YWCA Clark County, is the keynote speaker at WSUV’s Women of Distinction Event on March 30.

Anna Boneski ’15, Julie Mercado ’15, Katie Archer Jolma ’03, Hope Baker Bump ’93, Susan Edwards ’89, Teresa Haye ’95, Kris Henriksen ’98 and Sujatha Synne ’06 were among the 2017 WSUV Women of Distinction honorees who were celebrated at a reception March 30 at Firstenburg Student Commons.

February 2017

Nancy Boyce ’08 made the Alaska Journal of Commerce’s 2017 Top Forty Under 40 list. She’ll be honored at an official dinner on April 28, 2017, at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska.

Sierra Eckman was promoted to senior manager at Opsahl Dawson, a Vancouver-based CPA firm.

Julia Houle and Niko Niko, of Vancouver, welcomed a baby girl, Bunnie Wynne Siatua Houle-Niko, on January 24, 2017. She weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces.

Clark College alumni gathered in the Frost Art Center’s lobby gallery in February for a reception for their collective show, “The Next Step.” The alumni were Elizabeth Alexander, Trisha Bottemiller, Jordan Jones, Sam Mackenzie and Kelly Keigwin, Hector Macias, Yelena Roslaya, Lauren Ruhe, Aleka Tomlinson, Alyssa Willard. The show highlighted the achievements of former students in the college’s ceramics. The show ran through March 25 and was part of Clark’s programming during the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts conference in Portland in March.

The newest members of the Athletics Hall of Fame were inducted on February 4, 2017. The recipients are basketball stand-out Beth Hamrick Graves ’95, four-time All American Kalani Rodrigues ’03 (awarded posthumously) and the 1968 baseball team that won the state community baseball championship and held the western champion record that year. View photos of the event and watch the inductee videos online.

The National Organization of the Model UN selected a position paper written by Michael Cordes ’16 as their nationwide template. Cordes was a Model UN student delegate while at Clark. As a result, Cordes and Clark College will be attributed for all National Model UN student delegates learning to write position papers. Cordes represented Russia at the 2016 National Conference; the subject of his paper was human rights. He was awarded the Distinguished Delegate Award for the paper. He is currently attending the University of Washington.

Tracy Malone was appointed to Camas School Board’s District 5 position on February 2, 2017.

Joél Nehm and Joseph Nutting, owners of Foodē and LUXE, are expanding their business to a new location in Riverview Tower.

Clark College announced that Carmen Roman received the Classified Staff Excellence Award for her work in fall 2016.

January 2017

Nancy Boyce ’08 is one of three finalists for the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP) Foundation’s Technician of the Year Award. She’ll be recognized during an AEMP conference in March 2017.

Mechanical engineer Melissa Covel ’07, who is the holder of three U.S. patents, joined the Sigma Design team in December 2016.

Katherine Garrett ’91 director of Share Housing First has retired after 15 years of dedicated service to the homeless community in Vancouver.

Mitchell Jackson ’93 author of “The Residue Years,” read and discussed his work at Clark College’s Columbia Writers Series on January 17, 2017.

Justin Jenks ’14 was hired to the accounting staff of Geffen Mesher & Co.

Kylan Johnson ’14 and Alex Mickle ’08 are opening Columbia Food Park, with mulitiple cuisine and beer options, in April 2017.

Glenn Piekstra recently joined the Sigma Design team. He brings 20 years of experience as a technician in both production and research and development.

Judge James Swanger retired after serving in the U.S. District Court since 2005.

George Welsh Jr. ’67 received a presidential coin from Clark College President Robert K. Knight at the 2017 State of the College address on January 20 for his dedicated service to the college.

December 2016

Sheryl Bateman ’95 joined the board of directors of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington. Bateman is owner and president of Allied Fastening Supply Inc., a Vancouver-based distributor of construction and industrial supplies.

Michael Harvey ’93 was promoted to Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps on July 10, 2016. He received an associate degree in Nursing and licensed practical nurse (LPN) at Clark.

Melanie Shelton ’16 together with classmates from Washington State University Vancouver, founded Strategic U, a professional student organization that helps nonprofits build brands.

November 2016

Paul Christensen ’53 received the Vancouver Business Journal’s Kyle Corwin Legacy Builder Award  for 2016.

Chad Doing ’02 joined Rip City Radio 620 as the pre- and post-game host for the Portland Trail Blazers games. Rip City Radio 620 is the flagship station for the Trail Blazers basketball team.

Rhett Hendrickson was promoted to manager and vice president of Cascade Title Company. He has been employed with the business since 2008 and has 25 years of experience in title insurance.

Runyan’s Jewelers, of Camas, celebrated their 70th anniversary during a November open house. Paul and Barbara Runyan, the former business owners, were present at the celebration with their daughter and current owner, Debbie Runyan-Parker. Paul Runyan is a Clark alumnus.

Ashlyn Salzman ’13 joined the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce as an events manager. She will coordinate events such as the Holiday Heroes Luncheon and Legislative Outlook Breakfasts. Salzman currently serves as a Clark College Alumni Association Board member and has volunteered for the farmer’s market and completed Leadership in Clark County in 2016.

The Southwest Washington Contractors Association named Andrea Smith as its marketing and communications manager.

Kristine Syverson and Darin Kyle, announce the birth of their son, Kody E.M. Kyle, born on November 17. He was eight pounds, 13 ounces.

October 2016

LeAnne Bremer was elected to serve on the WSBA Environmental and Land Use Executive Committee at Miller Nash Graham & Dunn. She also is a member of the board of directors of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce for 2016-17, and recently joined the Clark County Council for the Homeless Board of Directors.

Daniel Rogers ’01, Chandra Chase ’02 and Melanie Green ’06 were named as Vancouver Business Journal’s Accomplished and Under 40 recipients in October. The annual award highlights the brightest, young leaders in our community. Chase is a programs and communications director at the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. Following her graduation Clark, Chase received a bachelor’s degree from Washington State University Vancouver. She has served on Clark’s Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2013. Rogers is the chief financial officer at Clark College Foundation. He earned his CPA credential in 2004 following his graduation from Washington State University Vancouver in 2003 where he earned a bachelor’s in business administration. He’s also the board chair of Partners in Careers.

Jessica Lively ’15 joined the product design and engineering firm Sigma Design as an administrative assistant.

Ridgefield City Council member Darren Wertz recently received an Advanced Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities.

September 2016

Mike Silva ’01, Brenda Shular ’02 and Rebecca Kleiva ’10 received a Clark College Presidential Coin from President Robert K. Knight during a college ceremony.

Vanessa Meyer ’15 and Joanne Emel ’99 received the Clark College Exceptional Classified Staff Award from President Robert K. Knight  during a college ceremony.

Regional accounting firm Perkins & Co. promoted Vancouver native Paris Powell ’00 to shareholder.

Alicia Cooper placed fourth in the Miss America competition for 2017. The current Miss Washington received the award during the final competition in Atlantic City, N.J. on September 11, 2016. She performed a tap dance and her platform, from which she based her presentation, was titled Live on Purpose: Defining Your Legacy. Her platform is influenced by her grandmother Rosemary. She received a $17,000 college scholarship.

August 2016

Gena Bailey joined the board of directors of the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington. Bailey is a senior director for dental care delivery at Kaiser Permanente. She has been with Kaiser since 1988.

Colin Kemppainen and Ashley Kemppainen, of Battle Ground, Wash., welcomed a boy, Thomas Mikael, July 21. He was eight pounds.

Jim Lucey is the new board treasurer for Workforce Southwest Washington. Lucey is the controller at Linear Technology.

Krista Luera is the new budget secretary for HeLa High School, an Evergreen district school.

High Five Media co-founder Jim Mains will serve as vice president of Identity Clark County (ICC). Mains currently holds ICC’s honorary Ed Lynch Board Seat, a one-year courtesy position reserved for an emerging leader. Mains has 10 years of political and community leadership experience, including leading campaigns and serving as an elected Clark County Freeholder. He also has a decade of ministry service and serves as assistant to the Ed Lynch estate.

Takunda Masike ’16 received the Center for Science, Ethics, and Public Policy Research Ethics award from the University of Delaware following an internship in biomedical research he participated in during the summer.

State Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, is a candidate for the U.S. House for Washington’s 3rd district. Moeller is a chemical dependency counselor at Kaiser Permanente. He served eight years on the Vancouver City Council before being elected to a 49th Legislative District House seat in 2002. He also served as speaker pro tempore of the state House. Moeller faces incumbent U.S. Rep. Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, in the general election.

Laura Beckel Thoreson made her debut as a mezzo-soprano in August with the Portland Opera and its production of “The Italian Girl in Algiers.” The madcap comedy, written by Gioachino Rossini, follows Isabella, the titular Italian girl, who shipwrecks off the Algerian coast. Beckel Thoreson credits former Clark College choir director April Duvic with encouraging to be a professional singer.

July 2016

Alicia Cooper was crowned Miss Washington. Cooper is the fourth Clark County resident in 67 years to earn the title of Miss Washington. She is also the 2013 and 2016 Miss Clark County, as well as Miss Clark County’s Outstanding Teen in 2011.  She earned an associate degree at Clark College and is a senior at Washington State University Vancouver, where she is working toward a bachelor’s degree in social science, specializing in personnel psychology and human resources. A licensed real estate broker, Cooper also is a member of the WSUV HR society and mentor to teens.

Rod Cook  was appointed to the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes’ Board of Directors.

Candis Oliver ’14 a U.S. Army veteran, and active National Guard Reservist, joined Coldwell Banker Seal as a broker in its Vancouver West office as part of the company’s new Home from Service program. Home from Service recognizes the marketable skills veterans acquired in the military.

Clark College alumnus and employee Narek Daniyelyan ’09 was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee as the student member of the Washington State University Board of Regents for the 2016-2017 academic year.

June 2016

Pitcher Travis Eckert ’14 signed with the Kansas City Royals on June 20, 2016, after being selected in the 7th round of the MLB draft. The 6-foot, 2-inch player was their 223rd pick. Eckert played for Clark for one season in 2014, leading the team to the South Region Championship and the top seed in NWAC’s championship tournament. That was also Clark’s banner year with 30 wins – the first time the college’s baseball team reached that mark. He transferred to Oregon State University in 2015.

Taylor Silagy ’14 was hired as a structural engineer for Firefly Space Systems, an aviation and aerospace industry company in Cedar Park, Texas. The company’s primary focus is creating low-cost, high-performance small satellite launch vehicles.

Aron Nels Steinke won the Graphic Literature Award at the annual Oregon Book Awards for his children’s book, “The Zoo Box.” He co-authored the book with Ariel Cohn.

Kameron Hurley ’00 is the author of the nonfiction collection The Geek Feminist Revolution, which contains the Hugo-Award winning essay “We Have Always Fought.” Her epic fantasy series, the Worldbreaker Saga, comprises the novels The Mirror Empire (2014), Empire Ascendant (2015), and The Broken Heavens (April 2017). Her first space opera, The Stars are Legion, will be published from Simon and Schuster’s Saga imprint in January 2017. Additionally, her first series, The God’s War Trilogy, which includes the books God’s War, Infidel, and Rapture, is a science-noir series that earned her the Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer and the Kitschy Award for Best Debut Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Popular Science Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, Year’s Best SF, The Lowest Heaven, and Meeting Infinity. She has also written for The Atlantic, Entertainment Weekly, Bitch Magazine, Huffington Post and Locus Magazine.

Mary Sauer ’95  The Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Riverview Community Bank, named Mary and Jerry Sauer as 2016 Businesspersons of the Year. The Sauers own Excavator Rental Services. The company has more than 30 employees in Camas.

Steve Monette ’11  is Sigma Design’s new electrical engineering technician.

March 2016

Jacob Pont ’15 and Kristen Moreno welcomed a boy, Logan, born February 18, 2016.

John Svilarich was hired by Clark College Foundation as an administrative assistant.

January 2016

Ashley Ginter ’08 and Austin Ginter welcomed a boy, Jacoby, December 1.

December 2015

Eddie Allen ’81 is the new executive director of The Rocksolid Community Teen Center, a nonprofit that serves students in the towns of Battle Ground, Brush Prairie and Hockinson. Formerly, Allen served as a development coordinator at The Gardner School of Arts & Sciences in Vancouver. He’s also contributed his expertise to a variety of nonprofits including Humane Society of Southwest Washington, Dream Big, Gifford Pinchot Task Force, NW Association for Blind Athletes and Share.

Jim Mains ’97 was named to the newly formed Ed Lynch board for Identity Clark County. He is also a director of the Ed Lynch estate. Mains is a partner at High Five Media, a marketing firm in Vancouver, Wash. He co-hosts the variety show Hello Vancouver and the video blog The Vancouver Side.

Nichole Noelle ’14 joined the Accounting Services department at Clark College as a fiscal techician.

November 2015

Elson Strahan has joined Vesta Hospitality as the company’s vice president of investor relations.

October 2015

Troy Foley ’13 and Kristina Foley welcomed Kysa Susan Foley to their family on September 30, 2015.

Katheryn Whitmer ’14 and Timothy Whitmer announced the birth of their son, Harrison L. Whitmer, on September 18, 2015.

Bryan Gardner ’06 and Rheann Gardner ’08 welcomed their son, Beckett L. Gardner, on October 1, 2015.

Kristine Meyer ’10 and Nolan Meyer proudly announced the birth of their littlest penguin, Kasen J. Meyer, on October 8, 2015.

September 2015

Craig Ebersole ’12 is the new program specialist in the Career and Employment Services department at Clark College.

August 2015

David Clark joined Davidson & Associates Insurance of Vancouver as a personal insurance associate. A native of Clark County, he has an associate in arts with honors from Clark College.

Nelson Holmberg ’90 was named vice president of innovation for the Port of Ridgefield. In his new role, Holmberg will be tasked with identifying and securing new opportunities and revenue streams for the port.

June/July 2015

The Hon. Barbara Johnson was selected to serve on the board of directors for H-RoC, a nonpartisan political action committee promoting women in leadership positions in Clark County. Johnson served the Clark County Superior Court for 28 years until her retirement in March 2015. She served on the Clark County Bar Association, and was the 1983 president of the State Board of Directors of Washington Women Lawyers.

Michael Jaeger ’87 was promoted to chief operating officer at Mekos Corporation, which does business in Washington as AutoFueling Systems, a software company. He will also serve on the board of directors. Jaeger joined the company in 2013 as its sales and marketing director.

Todd Zalk ’95 joined the Salvation Army Clark County Advisory Board. Zalk works in business banking and commercial lending at Wells Fargo Bank. He has been in banking for more than seven years and was previously at Bank of Clark County in Vancouver.

Ellyn Cyr ’02 and Glen Knight, welcomed a boy, Royce C. Knight, on May 9, at 7 pounds, 8 ounces.

April 2015

Olga and Roman Sayenko ’08 welcomed a boy, Rostislav, on March 27. Their son weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

Kristen and Corey Stackhouse, a Clark alumnus, welcomed Preston, at 8 pounds, 7 ounces, on June 25, 2014. Editor’s note: As reported in The Columbian on April 2, 2015.

Elise  ’13 and Mitch Stills,  welcomed a boy, Lane Michael, on January 21. Their son weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces.

March 2015

Roy Heikkala was appointed as a commissioner for the Vancouver Housing Authority by Vancouver Mayor Timothy Leavitt.

Don Jacobs of NW Injury Law Center in Vancouver received the Trial Lawyer of the Year award by the Clark County Bar Association. Jacobs is a former Clark adjunct faculty member.

Belle Johnson ’09 and Kelly Johnson gave birth to a boy, Logan, on March 5, 2015.

Jack Divine ’06 and Marci Divine gave birth to a boy, Cruise, on February 22, 2015.

February 2015

Sean Janson, assistant coach of Clark College Men’s soccer team, was hired as executive director of the Washington Timbers Football Club.

Cheri Martin, a Clark alumna and former Clark College Foundation staff member, was named the executive director at the School of Piano Technology for the Blind.

Jordan ’10 and Samantha ’09 Sherman welcomed a baby girl in January.

January 2015

Gayle Beacock ’81 , vice president and co-owner with her brother, Russ ’81 of Vancouver’s Beacock Music, won a She Rocks Award from the Women’s International Music Network. She received the accolade for her contributions to the music industry at the National Association of Music Merchants convention in Anaheim, Calif.

Kristin Tortorello ’06 and Darrell Smith of Vancouver, welcomed a new baby named Kingston Leigh Smith on December 3. He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces.