Quick LinksAlumni Class Notes
2000-2008
The Mercer Island Reporter is widely regarded as the best community weekly in the region. After recently hiring Trish Brandt (a nonmatriculated student in winter, 2003) as features editor, Jane Meyer now has four News Lab grads filling her five newsroom positions. The others: Steve Weigand (BA, 1999), reporter; Matt Phelps (BA, 2000), sports editor; and Mary Grady (BA, 2001), reporter.
Lesa Anderson: BA, 2000
Lesa Anderson is currently serving as National Project Director for The Moyer Foundation. She is responsible for the Foundation's growing national network of Camp Erin bereavement camps; managing both the programmatic and community relations sides of all existing locations and new development. Lesa works with each Camp Erin community across the country — building relationships, fundraising, collaborating with Major League Baseball, companies and individuals and spreading awareness through all possible opportunities. Her team analyzes and tracks existing bereavement standards, performance of each camp and national bereavement expectations. She has more than ten years of experience in development, operations, marketing and public relations. She gained this experience working for bedrock Seattle entities such as The Seattle Mariners, MSNBC and The Seattle Times. Lesa also ran Wild Radish, LLC, an award-winning company at the forefront of Seattle's evolving, healthy construction and development sector.
Sean Baker: PhD, 2000
Sean Baker is an assistant professor at Towson University’s Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies in Maryland. He teaches several mass media and communication courses including: Mass Media and Society, Mass Communication Research and Cyberspace and Communication. In the classroom, his primary topics of interest are history, theory, criticism, methodology, and multimedia design courses.
Though Baker’s research interests are diverse, he is presently focused on cultural studies and crime in the media, current and historic news representation of minorities, as well as information technology and television studies. He is currently working on a content analysis of the Mary K. LeTourneau trial.
More information regarding Professor Sean Baker’s work >>
Gina Barton: BA Speech Communication, 2000
Gina Barton works at San Diego State University in the University Advancement Office. She completed her MS Ed degree at USC in 2001, and got married up in Seattle in May 2004.
Jessica Davis: BA (Journalism), 2000
Jessica Davis is a journalist, documentarian and producer. She has made a documentary on black jazz artists in Seattle, who were around in the '50s, '60s and '70s. See clips at www.vimeo.com/jessicadavis/.
Karen Gaudette: BA (Communications and Political Science), 2000
Karen Gaudette is a food writer with PCC Natural Markets and a freelance journalist. She left The Seattle Times in 2009, where she covered food, transportation and residential real estate. Previously, she covered the city of San Bernardino for The Press-Enterprise and the California energy crisis for The Associated Press in San Francisco. She interned with AP during the UW’s Olympia program and also interned for The Wall Street Journal. Gaudette is a UW Alumni Association Career Connections contact for fellow Huskies. She reported and edited for The Daily during her undergraduate studies and in fall 1999 served as editor-in-chief.
Dr. Marita Gronnvoll: BA Speech Communication, 2000; MA, 2003
Gronvoll is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
Verena Hess: MA, 2000; PhD, 2006
Before entering the UW Department of Communication’s graduate program, Hess worked in Silicon Valley for four years in technology and gained media-related knowledge as well. Her particular graduate studies focused on political communications, but as a teaching assistant for the department, she was able to tap into her background in media to teach her students basic concepts in new media. Hess also worked at the UW Carlson Center as an education and communications consultant and provided vital support to the director. She was also an important part of the Department of Environmental Health, where she worked as a researcher and conducted interviews to better understand ergonomics regulations in the state of Washington. Originally, Hess considered higher education as a career goal, but came to realize how many other opportunities she had. She ended up at Microsoft after meeting a Microsoft employee on a plane when flying back from a job interview in California. One thing led to another and she was hired as the Senior Marketing Manager focusing on SharePoint. At Microsoft she works in communications, focusing on analysts and their perspectives about the social computing space for big businesses.
Nathan Isaacs: BA, 2000
Nathan Isaacs is a Business Development Manager at Optimization Technologies.
Pooja Khandekar: BA, 2000 Communication and Political Science
Ms. Khandekar is currently working on an MA in journalism from CA State University, Northridge and is a Web Editor for UW Educational Outreach.
Justin Schutz: BA, 2000
Justin Schutz recently accepted a position at the Seattle offices of Fitch, a well known global branding and design firm. In his role as Associate Brand Strategist/Copywriter, he will continue his passion for storytelling and creative concepting.
Read more about Justin Schutz >>
James W. Stewart: PhD, 2000
James W. Stewart serves as the Associate Dean in the School of Distributed Learning and as a Professor of Communications at Bethany University in California. He is responsible for all non-traditional educational delivery at the College, including an online program, cohort degree completion and an extension campus in Las Vegas, NV. In addition, James has been involved in the restructuring of the communications department at Bethany in order to offer mass communications, rhetoric and media arts. His anti-HIV/AIDS work continues through his directorship of an international non-profit organization: kaBantu/yaBatho (Zulu/Tswana: for the people), dedicated to serving Africans, in particular AIDS orphans through Foster Care for Africa and AIDS intervention through education designed by and for cultures. The first Nurturing Center now has 50 children and is located in Tlabane, South Africa.
Kaci (Kristin) Aitchison: BA, 2001
Kaci Aitchison is new features reporter on Q13 FOX News This Morning. She is also active with Jet City Improv and runs marathons in her spare time!
Brian Beaky: BA, 2001
Brian Beaky is editor of the magazine Cascade Golfer.
Maria Cristana Castro: BA, 2001
Maria Castro is working at Washington Mutual Home Loans helping homeowners achieve their American Dream in Pasadena, CA; She graduated with USC's Strategic PR MA in May 2004.
Outside of work, she is the creating media director of a nonprofit called Answering the Cry of the Poor/GK777. Maria says of her work and her education at the UW:
"We work with the poorest of the poor in 3rd world countries to build colorful villages that include education, livelihood programs, community empowerment, and health programs. It's a great nonprofit, very well thought through. So I decided I should use my MA for some kind of good. I'm very content and the work is fulfilling. This might sound a little cheesy, but it was at UW that I really learned HOW to think. And to stretch it even further, I think it was (Professor Baldasty) who challenged the students to use our skills to make change where we thought there should be change. Although it took me longer than I wished, I am glad that about 3 years later, I am able to work on something what's way more important than making money and getting ahead."
Karen Tollenaar Demorest: BA, 2001
Karen works at the UW Alumni Association and is the Alumni Relations Manager for Arts & Sciences.
Alexander Campbell Halavais: PhD, 2001
Dr. Alexander Campbell Halavais began as an assistant professor at the University at Buffalo (SUNY) directly after graduating from the UW Communications program. He now serves as the director of the MA in Informatics at UB, an innovative program that addresses the social and organizational aspects of information and communication technologies. His research looks at "social computing" and its impact on social change, journalism, education, and public policy.
Read more about Alexander Campbell Halavais >>
La'Chris Jordan: BA, 2001
Alumna and playwright/actress La'Chris Jordan will debut the premiere of her play "Piney Ridge" at the Seattle Parks and Recreation's Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center from March 20 through April 5, 2009. "Piney Ridge," winner of the 2007 Eight Tens @ Eight Festival in Santa Cruz, Calif., is a gripping story of racial tension in 1910 Virginia. Isiah Anderson Jr., a well-known comedian and director, will direct the full-length play. A special discussion with the cast and director will follow various shows. Jordan was named as one of "50 Playwrights to Watch" by the Dramatist Guild. Her play "The Source" was part of the Manhattan Repertory Theatre's Summerfest 2007. Acting credits include a role in "Birth."
Carrie Lee: BA, 2001
Carrie Lee is a Project Manager of Customer Solutions at AziMyth LLC. Her company develops technologies for information delivery systems.
Mark Olsen: BA, 2001
Mark is living in in Los Angeles, CA and is the West Coast Salesman for Standridge Color Corporation, which produces color concentrates for plastics. His favorite teachers were Lisa Coutu, Leah Ceccarelli and visiting professor Kimo Ah-Yun.
Dena (Claudon) Rosko: BA, 2001, Communication and English
Dena Rosko works as a commercial photograher. She provides photographs and written and design content for businesses, organizations, and individuals' media needs. she is also writing in the creative non-fiction genre. She married James Rosko in November, 2005 and they honyemooned on the Oregon Coast. They are glad to be married! James Rosko also graduated in 2001, with a BS in Physics, and received a certificate in perl programming from UW Extensions in 2005. He works as a Perl developer for an independent and locally owned internet service provider. They reside in Renton, WA and attend a local church.
Heather Tien, BA, 2001
Heather Tien is a regional pubic relations specialist for Boost Mobile in Irvine, Calif. She joined Boost in December 2008 after working five years at various public relations agencies specializing in the food/restaurant industry.
Shanon Burke: BA, 2002 (Editorial Journalism and History)
Ms. Burke is working as the Manager of Publications for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). She is in charge of designing the state championship programs for high school athletics and activities across the state. This includes design, advertising and some writing and photography. She also does freelance photography on the side. Prior to joining WIAA, Burke worked as a communications consultant for the Puyallup School District. She took photos, wrote stories for the Web and print, and copy edited. After graduation she worked at The Herald in Puyallup for four years. She started as a reporter, was promoted to Assistant Managing Editor after a year and then shared Interim Editor duties, along with regular reporting duties, with a co-worker. She did a little bit of everything at the paper, from reporting on city council meetings and writing community features to taking photographs to editing stories to being the community point of contact.
Fitz Cahall: BA (journalism), 2002
Fitz Cahall writes:
I graduated in the March 2002 and currently reside in Corvallis, Ore. Since then, I've been working as a freelance outdoor writer for a variety of publications. I wanted to bring my journalism training to the world of rock climbing and other adventure sports. It's been a struggle, but I finally feel like I've started to turn a corner in my freelance business. This winter (2007) I entered into the world of new media and launched a podcast. I approached it more as a learning experience and an opportunity to explore a new medium rather than a viable outlet for my work. Most of all, I had collected some wonderful stories through the years that just didn't have a home in the magazine world. They were intriguing tales, but often focused on regular people not the sponsored athletes most outdoor athletes continually cover. I wanted to give these stories a home. I thought I might get a few hundred hits. To my complete surprise, it struck a chord out there in the Internet realm. We jumped to thousands of downloads pretty quickly. Along the way, I got to take my recording gear to a remote desert sandstone spire and participated in the first ascent (a multi day climb) of the biggest rock spire in the country. It was wild to have the mic rolling while hanging from ropes. After the second episode, the Dirtbag Diaries exploded. Patagonia stepped forward to sponsor the show. Now I'm teaming up with photographers to provide multimedia content for not only the podcast but for various Internet sites both at home and abroad. It's been an incredible leap in my career, which in the previous months I had considered abandoning due to severe financial struggles.
You can check it out online at http://www.dirtbagdiaries.com. Our most recent episode was a profile of adventure photographer Corey Rich who I had covered in the past for SPJ's Quill Magazine. His tale is truly inspiring for young journalists.
Ron Chew: BA, 2002 Communications
2004 Department of Communication Alumni Hall of Fame
Ron Chew has served as executive director of the Wing Luke Asian Museum since 1991. He received the 2008 Board Award of Excellence by the Washington Museum Association at the WMA’s annual conference. Chew delivered the keynote speech at the conference, talking about the Wing Luke Asian Museum’s community-based museum model and the growth of the institution.
Prior to his work at the museum, Chew served for ten years as editor of International Examiner and as a community organizer for more than 20 years. Ron has guided development of more than 15 award-winning exhibitions and publications at the museum, including the permanent exhibit Executive Order 9066: 50 Years Before and 50 Years and Reflections of Seattle's Chinese Americans: The First 100 Years now in its second edition.
He has served on several boards, including his current tenure with the Seattle Public Library Foundation, as well as his prior work on the Western Museums Association, King County 4Culture and the National Endowment for the Humanities advisory boards. He is also the recipient of the Washington State Governor's Heritage Award; Humanities Washington Heather Frank Memorial Award; Washington Museum Association's Institutional Excellence Award; and most recently the 2004 Western Museums Association Director's Chair Award and the prestigious Ford Foundation/Advocacy Institute's Leadership for a Changing World Award, which recognizes the work of national leaders in the field of social advocacy and community building.
Jenni Hogan (Vesnaver): BA, 2002, Communications and Economics
Jenni Hogan is a member of the KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Team as morning traffic anchor. She was most recently traffic anchor at KOMO-TV in Seattle. Prior to that she was a traffic reporter at KOIN-TV in Portland, OR, and the first female sports director at KLEW-TV in Lewiston, Idaho. A native of Australia, Hogan has lived in the Pacific Northwest for over 10 years. At the UW she captained the women’s crew team and has two national championship rings in the sport. She is actively involved with her alma mater, serving on the UW’s Department of Communication alumni board of directors and leading its mentorship program. She is also a volunteer for the American Heart Association.
Marcie Miller: BA, 2002
Marcie brought a rich background in journalism to her studies at the University of Washington. She was a reporter and columnist for Arusha Times in Arusha, Tanzania, Africa--her "Women's Voices" column highlighted women's issues in Tanzania. She also spent eight years at the Peninsula Daily News in Port Angeles, WA.
Marcie graduated Cum Laude from the journalism track of the Department of Communication with a minor in International Studies. She did her internship at The Herald, filing over 60 stories in 14 weeks on topics ranging from police beat news and transportation issues to diversity and elections.
As a reporter for the Whidbey News-Times she covers education and Navy news. She has reported on a major $45 million school bond, the memorial service for astronaut Willie McCool, Governor Gary Locke's visits to the Navy base, and the Iraqi war from a local angle.
Trina Ballard: BA, Speech Communication, 2003
Ballard is a third-generation Husky. Her grandparents, parents, sisters, brother-in-law and husband all attended the UW as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins. She has worked for Bellevue Community College since 1998, and has been the Director of Outreach Services since 2005. Ballard is a graduate student at UW Bothell in the Masters of Arts in Cultural Studies and married to UW alumnus John Shindler, a Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Cal State LA. She just completed edits on his forthcoming textbook, "Transformative Classroom Management."
Ramzy Baroud: MC, 2003
Mr. Baroud accepted position with Al-Jazeera's new English news service based in Doha, Qatar. Al-Jazeera will be launching an English website in August-September, 2003, and they hope to soon have English television broadcasts as well. Mr. Baroud has been offered a job in the research department for the English service, and he is one of two candidates to head that department. Regarding his Digital Media studies, Mr. Baroud says "I wanted to let you know that during my interviews and negotiations, I was asked several questions about the digital media program. This is the best I could have ever hoped for, and I wanted to thank you for preparing me for such an opportunity. With the knowledge I now have from the program, I feel very confident that I can do an excellent job in this capacity."
Lieutenant Commander Andre Billeaudeaux: MA, 2003
Andre Billeaudeaux enlisted in the Coast Guard just out of high school in 1983. While enlisted, he served at the 1984 Olympics, aboard CGC Fir and CGC Polar Sea where he participated in the first solo circumnavigation of North America. After making E-6 and earning a bachelor's degree he applied and was accepted to Officer Candidate School. He's since served as the Law Enforcement and Assistant Group Operations Officer at Group Fort Macon, N.C.; Deck Watch Officer and Dive Officer aboard CGC Polar Star; Group Seattle Operations Officer; Thirteenth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Officer and has just assumed the position of Director of Auxiliary servicing 1,800 uniformed volunteers. Along with his MA from the University of Washington, he holds a master's degree in National Security Studies from Naval Post Graduate School. His leadership with the Citizen's Action Network (CAN) has earned broad recognition: the Secretary's Excellence Award winner in 2006, a top-five finalist in The Kennedy School of Government/Noblis Homeland Security Innovation Award for 2007 and Naval Post Graduate's Zimbardo Award for leadership and academic excellence.
Jesse Froehling: BA, 2003
Reporter: A.M. Costa Rica (an online daily newspaper in San José, Costa Rica)
Emily Hodge: BA, 2003
Emily Hodge is working as a nanny and planning her return to Italy where she hopes to live and work.
John Hutcheson: MA, 2003
John is a captain in the U.S. Air Force serving the Pentagon in the Air Force Office of Public Affairs. He has been in the Air Force for eight years and earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Pennsylvania State University. His graduate work at the UW focused on the role the Bush administration and the news media played after September 11 in contributing to a resurgence of U.S. nationalism. John's committee members were David Domke, Nancy Rivenburgh and Patricia Moy.
Polly Keary: BA, 2003
Polly Keary is a staff writer for the Monroe Monitor and the 2006 recipient of the Portfolio Award for news writers, the WNPA Better Newspaper Contest's top award. Keary took home the top award in 2005 too! In 2006, she visited the military hospital at Balad in Iraq, the base at Ramstein in Germany where many wounded soldiers receive further treatment before returning to the states, and Bagram in Afghanistan.
Renee Lee: BA, 2003
After graduating from the UW, Renee Lee went onto active duty as an Air Force public affairs officer. Her first assignment was a one-year remote deployment to the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, Korea. In 2004, she transferred to Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces based at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, where she worked on staff in public affairs. She separated from active duty and joined the Air Force Reserve in 2006 and worked for the Office of the Governor, State of Hawaii, on the communications team. She is currently working back at Pacific Air Forces public affairs as a Reservist.
Ryan Madayag: BA, 2003
Ryan is a territory sales representative for Philip Morris. His territory is Seattle.
Hope Solo: BA, 2003
Professional Athlete: US Soccer/Lyonnais
Ayumi Suzuki: BA, 2003
Ayumi Suzuki has served as an account executive of a public relations firm in Tokyo since 2004. She is currently I'm handling the publicity for various clients, such as pharmaceutical companies, manufacturer of health care products, and a watch manufacturer.
Ms. Suzuki is interested in connecting with other alumni from Japan.
Saadia Van Winkle BA, 2003
Saadia Van Winkle could serve as a role model for any student hoping to use her UW education to break into broadcast journalism. Although she originally feared that the Journalism Program had prepared her more for a career in print than broadcast, Van Winkle soon found that a solid background in the fundamentals was more than enough preparation.
Read more about Saadia Van Winkle >>
David Webb: BA, 2003
High School Communications Applications Teacher: Frisco Independent School District
Lydia Bassett: BA, 2004
Program Director, Literacy & Community Programs: Humanities Washington
Derek Belt: BA, 2004
Derek Belt worked at The Daily for three years as a UW student and spent two of those years freelancing high school sports for the Seattle P-I. Upon graduating, he took a job with the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register and spent three years down South covering high school sports. Football is king down there, and he reports that he had the time of his life. He left that job in September 2007 and returned to Seattle, where he scored a job working communications and media relations for the UW Alumni Association. Belt still freelances for the Seattle P-I and writes for Columns magazine.
Czarin S. Chan: BA, 2004
Chan works for University of California, Irvine's University Advancement department. She is currently part of the fundraising campaign for the new School of Law. She writes:
"UC Irvine's proposal to establish a school of law was approved by the Regents of the University of California in November 2006. UCI School of Law will be the first public law school to open in California in more than 40 years and only the second to exist in Southern California. Fulfilling a longstanding vision of the campus, the school is expected to open its doors to its first class of law students in fall 2009.
Currently, we are conducting a national search for a dean to lead the law school. Over the next several years, we will recruit founding faculty and staff for the school, as well as our inaugural class of students. The School of Law will be temporarily housed at Berkeley Place. Eventually, its own individual building and law library will be built on the campus, too. I am very excited for this huge endeavor for UC Irvine."
Yvonne Chandler: BA, 2004
Senior Human Resources Assistant and part-time faculty: Seattle Central Community College
Peter Christman: BA, 2004
Web Developer/Computer Programmer: Routh Crabtree Olsen/Northwest Trustees, Inc.
Megan Coppersmith: BA, 2004
Communication Specialist II: King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Public Affairs
Bradley Dobbs: BA (Journalism), 2004
After interning in the Marketing Department in 2004 at KSTW, Bradley Dobbs was brought on full time as a Sales Coordinator in September 2004. After a year, he was promoted up to Account Executive at KSTW. He prospects new business for the station and creates fun marketing and advertising proposals for new clients as well as current clients.
Marisa Dorazio: BA (Editorial Journalism), 2004
During her senior year, Marisa Dorazio interned at The Seattle Times and the The Oregonian through the legislative reporting course. She landed a job on the communications and marketing team at Edmonds Community College in January 2005. Dorazio is the Public Information Specialist and works in the College Relations and Advancement Office, where she does media/public relations and marketing for the college.
Nina Farhat: BA, 2004
Online Account Executive: KING5.com/Belo Media Group
Carolyn Feyl: BA, 2004
Flight Attendant: Alaska Airlines
Kim Freeman: BA, 2004
Kim Freeman is a program development specialist for Healing Waters International. She does research looking for areas all over the world needing water projects.
Read more about Kim's work >>
Healing Waters answers prayers (The Denver Post) >>
Erica Graham: MA, 2004
Erica Graham is currently pursuing her Masters in Business Administration at the University of Michigan. Prior to this, she worked in the film industry at a film production company.
Alexia Gibbon: BA, 2004
Local Sales Assistant: KOMO 4 Television
Jaime Herrera: BA, 2004
Jaime Herrera represents Washington state’s 18th district.
Read more about Rep. Jaime Herrera >>
Karla Hulse: BA, 2004
After graduation, Karla Hulse spent some months backpacking around Europe. She returned home to Seattle to start her career as a real estate agent and is now working for Windermere Real Estate out of the Queen Anne office. Born and raised in Washington, Karla is familar with the area and enjoys approaching the real estate market from a professsional angle. She says "please feel free to contact me with any of your real estate questions!"
www.HOMESinNW.com
(206) 650-2735
Zachary Y. Kerr: BA, 2004
Kerr received his Masters in Journalism and Communication from the Ohio State University and is currently works for the Columbus AIDS Task Force as an MSM HIV Prevention Specialist, where he provide HIV Prevention and Education to communities in Central Ohio.
Carlton Kim: BA, 2004 Communication and Business Administration
Upon graduation, Carlton spent two years in social work advocating for affordable housing and the elderly. Now, he works for a company that produces online content and marketing campaigns.
Alixandra Knapp: BA, 2004
After graduating from the UW, Alixandra Knapp spent time working in a research lab focused on stem cell biology, transplantation and gene therapy at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She was awarded a full scholarship to Boston College in Massachusetts to pursue a graduate degree in molecular and cellular biology. Alixandra is currently finishing her degree, working at Children's Hospital Boston in clinical research and looking forward to pursuing more education.
Dan Lamont: MC, Digital Media, 2004
In the late '70s, while still a UW student and the photo editor of The Daily, Dan Lamont began working in the alternative media, first as staff photographer, then as Photo Editor and Special Projects Editor for the Seattle Sun. Mr. Lamont helped launched the Rocket, a biweekly music and entertainment magazine based in Seattle and Portland.
After leaving the Seattle Sun, he was as an Art Director for Murray Publishing and then joined the staff of the Seattle Weekly, where he stayed for about three years.
Except for a brief "busman's holiday" in the late '80s on the photo staff of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (where Evelyn Iritani was also working at the time), he has been successfully freelancing since 1982.
He is a regular contributor to many publications including Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, Smithsonian, Audubon, Stern, Der Spiegel, LeMond, the Times of London and dozens of others. He also works for various institutional and non-profit clients (the UW among them).
Mr. Lamont has become very involved in photojournalism education, teaching a ten-week course for an accredited art school as well as designing and teaching in two workshop series. He is involved as an advisor in the Seattle Central Community College photography program and he frequently guest lectures for college and university classes (as he did for Department of Communication professors Tony Chan and Kathy Gill spring, 2004).
He is active in professional groups and currently serves as a Director of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP). He is President of the ASMP Educational Foundation.
Amy Laughter: BA, 2004
Amy Laughter is currently raising major gifts at United Way of King County. Her work rallies behind the mission that every child should be safe, healthy and ready to succeed when they enter kindergarten and that everyone should have a safe place to call home.
Lucas Mack: BA, 2004
Working in the media gives Lucas eyes into the ever-changing world of advertising and public relations.
Starting out in public relations at the University of Washington, Lucas worked side by side with sports columnists and sports broadcasters from around the Northwest. From there he took a job at KOMO TV, as the Audience Coordinator for the live talk show Northwest Afternoon. While there, he entertained audiences and worked behind the scenes in sales and public relations. Lucas developing a knack for what people liked based on immediate crowd reaction and took this lesson into his broadcast journalism career.
He moved to eastern Washington as a reporter for the NBC affiliate, where he fell in love with storytelling. His next stop brought him to the Lone Star State reporting for the FOX affiliate in San Antonio as their Feature Reporter, hosting his own live segment.
Lucas thrived at telling unique stories that connected with the audience. He was able to translate his skill of entertaining a live audience into his stories. His broadcast journalism career launched him home, back to Seattle, where he reported for KOMO TV.
In 2008, Lucas co-founded 4th Avenue Media to give clients the unique opportunity to tell their story by a broadcast journalist. Spending years in a newsroom, Lucas knows what it takes to get mass media coverage. His stories are both informational and entertaining, and he wants to tell yours.
Hillary J. Maynard: BA, 2004
Staff Writer: The Port Orchard Independent
David Mazzeo: BA, 2004
David Mazzeo has been a hip-hop artist for the past 12 years under the stage name Wizdom. Wiz has performed all over Seattle and the state of Washington. He has two professional studio albums, "The Book of Wizdom" and "Music: Soul of the Man" (with Washington, D.C. producer Epidemmik), both available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and in local record stores. He was named by Seattle Weekly as a "standout act of 2008" and has been on radio stations KUBE
93, KEXP 90.3 and Sports Radio 950 KJR. Wiz performed at the Seattle Weekly Reverbfest 2008, a show at Neumos to support the return of the Seattle Sonics, and opened for acts such as NYC's Large Professor, a Seattle favorite Macklemore and super-group Dyme Def. Wiz has also been written about in URB Magazine, The Seattle Times, The Stranger, Sound Magazine, and okayplayer.com. Wiz just released a free seven-song EP available for download on his web site: www.wizdomsound.com.
Megan McDevitt: BA, 2004
Marketing and Event Manager: Georgia Institute of Technology
Daniel Miller: BA, 2004
Assistant Vice President/Premier Client Manager: Bank of America
Joan Neils: BA, 2004
Communications and Marketing Director: for J. Neils Enterprises, Inc.
Lie Shia Ong: BA, 2004
Lie Shia Ong is working as the morning producer for KIRO-TV in Seattle. She also sits on the UW Department of Communication Alumni Board.
After graduating in June 2004, she attended the UNITY journalism convention in Washington, D.C. It was the largest gathering of journalists from all over the United States in U.S. history. Much to her excitement, she was able to meet and talk to Connie Chung, Lisa Ling and many other gifted journalists. She also attend the International Television and Radio Society Foundation (IRTS) Career Minority workshop in New York City. The annual workshop is held for select minority students from all across the country. Again, this opportunity gave her the opportunity to talk with many veteran reporters, including Dateline NBC's Hoda Kotb and CNN's Anderson Cooper. A few days after returning home to Seattle, MTV News called and was interested in hiring her for a news assistant position. After three rounds of interviews, she learned that she had not been selected for the job — the other candidates were all in New York and could begin work sooner than her.
She interviewed with a sales company in Seattle and had even accepted their job offer, when Good Morning America called her. (She interned for the TV show EXTRA during her senior year at UW, and her internship supervisor was good friends with one of the hiring managers at Good Morning America. When she was in New York City for the IRTS convention, she met with Good Morning
America and was put into the freelancer's database). It was the Fourth of July weekend and they wanted to know if she could freelance for them. The next day, Good Morning America sent her to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to cover the Shasta Groene story.
Her assignment in Idaho lasted two weeks and, during that time, she was able to field produce for Good Morning America. In her spare time, she lined up meetings with news directors and executive producers of the local stations in Spokane, about thirty minutes away. By the end of her assignment in Idaho, she had two job offers at two different stations in Spokane. She landed at KHQ-6 News in Spokane, Wash., working as a news producer.
Lie Shia has a message for students looking break into journalism: "To all the journalism students still at UW or those ready to graduate soon: Keep pursuing your dreams, work hard, make all the connections and take all the internships or jobs that you can. NEVER give up. It will all pay off in the end."
Katie Rosenthal: BA, 2004
Media Coordinator: FSA Advertising & Media, Inc.
Elianora Scholz: BA, 2004
Sales Assistant/Administrative Manager: Petry Media Corporation
Ryan Simpson: BA, 2004
National Chill Coordinator: Burton Snowboards
Carolyn Sueno: BA, 2004
Marketing Director/Professional Relations: First Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy, Inc.
Malia Whitney Wallick: BA, 2004
Whitney is an Account Operations Manager for Disney Interactive Media Group.
Alexis M. Watson: BA, 2004
Alexis M. Watson is a first year graduate student at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is expected to earn her Master's degree in Public Policy with a concentration in Political Advocacy and Leadership in June 2008.
Prior to enrolling at the Kennedy School, Alexis worked for 2 years as a program coordinator at the University of Washington Alumni Association. In this capacity she had the opportunity to work with campus and community members to contribute to the university's Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) efforts-specifically through academic programming. As an undergraduate at the University of Washington (Seattle), Alexis served for 2 years as a Student Outreach Ambassador for the Office of Minority Affairs where she designed and implemented effective methods of conducting outreach and recruitment to increase educational opportunities for high school and middle school students from historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities.
The eldest of two younger brothers, Alexis is a first generation college student who earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 2004. She was born in Dallas, TX.
Taylor Westphal: BA, 2004
Taylor Westphal is the Events Coordinator for the UW Alumni Association. She worked at 98.9 KWJZ for four years as Promotion Coordinator at KWJZA (98.9 Smooth Jazz), a Seattle radio station.
Margo Anderson : BA, 2005
Margo Anderson is a constiuent liaison for the US House of Representatives.
Kristina Bedford: BA, 2005
Office Manager: South Beach Vision Clinic
Jennifer Bragg: 2005
Jennifer Bragg is an account manager at Owen Media Inc., a high-technology public relations agency in Seattle. She received the PRSA's 2008 President's Award for Volunteerism.
Cristina Brendicke: BA, 2005
Cristina Brendicke is a Researcher for "Northwest Afternoon" on KOMO TV, Channel 5 in Seattle, WA. She was an intern at the station during her senior year at the UW. She graduated in June, 2005 and moved into a paid position by the end of summer.
Tara Brown: BA, 2005
Marketing Intern: Seattle Sonics & Storm
Allison Cabellon: BA, 2005
Allison works in New York City at Allied Live, a full-service entertainment marketing agency whose clients include Broadway and Off Broadway productions, national tours, and theatrical institutions. Allison is an Associate Account Executive in the Internet Division.
Katie Comer: BA, 2005
Program Manager of Community Development: Pioneer Square Community Association
Cammie Croft: BA, 2005
Cammie Croft is the Deputy New Media Director for President Barack Obama. She joined the White House from the Obama-Biden Transition Project, where she served as the Deputy New Media Director, specializing in online communications. Prior to that, as the New Media Rapid Response Manager for the “Obama for America” campaign, she oversaw efforts to integrate new media and communications, including managing websites such as FighttheSmears.com and UndertheRadar.com. Before joining the campaign, Croft built the tracking and media-monitoring program at Progressive Accountability, a rapid-response communications advocacy campaign that provided video of Republican presidential candidates for the mass public. Croft also worked as the Rapid Response Mobilization Director for Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, where she led their new media efforts, working with MoveOn.org's online tools to mobilize Americans opposed to the war. Croft graduated from the UW with distinction. She is also an alumnus of the New Organizing Institute (NOI), a unique online organizing forum for technologically savvy, progressive campaigners.
Sarah Dahlin: BA, 2005 Communications/Drama
Search Strategist at Don’t Blink Media, an online advertising agency in Seattle.
Sara Desautel: BA, 2005
Anchor/Reporter: KEPR in Tri-Cities, WA.
Nicole Snyder Dettmar: BA, 2005
Nicole Dettmar works as a human resources and payroll coordinator at the University of Washington and is also attending graduate school at the University of North Texas, School of Library & Information Sciences via distance learning. she is a 2006 recipient of a Health Informatics fellowship at the University of North Texas funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Anna Dinces: BA, 2005
Anna works in public relations for Rubenstein Associates, Inc. One of her clients is the New York Post.
Jessica Estrada: BA, 2005
Jessica was promoted in September 2008 to Director of Small Business Programs for the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. She manages the Chamber's various business networking events and professional development
programs, including the Young Professionals Network. In spring 2008, she was a nominee for the Puget Sound Business Journal's 40 Under 40.
Robin Ernst (Imholte): BA, 2005
A graduate from the University of Washington, Robin focused her studies on Mass Media and Business Communication. Starting her career at KOMO TV's Northwest Afternoon, she worked as the liaison between the show and non-profit organizations.
After working for a daily talk show, Robin moved into KOMO TV's newsroom working exclusively with Emmy Award Winning Reporter John Sharify and News Anchor/Consumer Investigator Connie Thompson. Through this experience, Robin gained invaluable insight into newsroom operations. More importantly, she gained understanding into what it takes to have a story receive news coverage.
Witnessing the power and influence of television; Robin became an Account Executive (AE) for KOMO's Sales Department. There, she helped local businesses achieve their revenue goals and create positive images within the
community through the power of TV. She guided media buyers and negotiated advertising buys. Robin focused on medical marketing, non-profit/government messaging, retail advertising, and entertainment promotions.
In 2008 Robin co-founded 4th Avenue Media after recognizing a strong need for businesses to "tell their story." Using her expertise, she is confident she can help you take your business to the next level.
Alycia Johnson: BA, 2005
Assistant Buyer: Macy's NW
Elizabeth Landau: BA, 2005
US Airways: Employee Communication Specialist
Sharon Levin-Rigbi: BA, 2005
Account Coordinator: JLM Partners
Caroline Li: BA, 2005
Caroline Li is the Associate Editor at Washington CEO Magazine, her first fulltime job since graduation. She covers retail, advertising, international trade and education.
Debbie (Pettitt) Németh: BA, 2005
Debbie Németh is a Training Compliance Auditor for US Airways.
Kris Nichols: BA, 2005
Project Manager: T-Mobile
Ean Paget: BA, 2005
Business Intern - Ethics & Business Conduct: The Boeing Company
Sydney Patrick: BA, 2005
Marketing Associate: Judy's Books
Sean Rankin: BA, 2005
Account Executive: Ricoh
Betsie Rayner: BA, 2005
Marketing & Event Director: Beacon Hill Events
Jennifer Russell: BA, 2005
Administrative Assistant, Restaurant Division: Nordstrom
D. Travers Scott: MC Digital Media, 2005
After graduating UW, Travers entered into the PhD program at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication, where he recently completed qualifying examinations and is now a PhD Candidate. He has published two book chapters based on his UW thesis research: "Tempests of the Blogosphere: Presidential Campaign Stories that Failed to Ignite Mainstream Media" in Digital Media and Democracy: Tactics in Hard Times (Megan Boler, Ed., MIT Press, 2008) and "Pundits in Muckrakers' Clothing: Political Blogs and the 2004 Presidential Election" in Blogging, Citizenship, and the Future of Media (Mark Tremayne, Ed., Routledge, 2007). Other writing, presentations, and information are available through his main site: http://www.dtraversscott.com.
Katie Ward: BA, 2005
Field Organizer: Washington Conservation Voters
Danielle Weaver: BA 2005
Account Coordinator: The Matale Line
Beth Witham: BA, 2005
Beth Witham is a producer for KOMO-TV.
Read about her visit to News Lab autumn quarter, 2006 >>
Hillary Holman: BA, 2006
Holman graduated from the UW with degrees in Communication, and Comparative History of Ideas. Her primary interest is in interpersonal and intercultural communication. She worked on her communication thesis under the guidance of Valerie Manusov and Lisa Coutu and owes much of her academic and post-academic sucess to their fantastic teaching. Since graduation, Hillary has worked with a peacebuilding and reconciliation program in Croatia where she has served on the facilitating team and as a small group facilitator, has taught English in Croatia, and has traveled in and around much of Eastern Europe. She is currently trying to learn Croatian language and is hoping to spend more time in the former Yugoslavia in the near future.
Piper Hopkins: MC, 2006
Piper Hopkins has a BFA from Parsons School of Design, New York, NY, and an MCDM from the University of Washington. Hopkins is an artist; you can read more about her at www.piperhopkins.com.
Carol Insalaco: BA, 2006
Insalaco is employed at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the External Affairs and Communications department. Her time is split between Publications (Internal and External Communications) and Media Relations (media and public relations).
Carolyn Kim: BA, 2006
Carolyn Kim is a Program Coordinator for the University of Washington Educational Outreach department. To keep her journalistic skills going, she interns for the Ballard News Tribune as a photographer/reporter, and she is transitioning from KUOW/NPR to BCC's KBCS station (91.3, A World of Music & Ideas) where she will have the opportunity to host live and on-air.
Dylan King: BA, 2006
Dylan King received a promotion to Program Coordinator for Executive Education at the Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington. The new position has her doing marketing, recruitment, and participant customer service for the Executive MPA, Electronic Hallway, and Cascade (her previous department).
Lauren Leeds: BA, 2006
Leeds married Lucas Mack (a 2004 Communication grad) and is working in the sales department at KOMO TV in Seattle. She moved back to the area from San Antonio, Texas, where she was an Advertising Executive and co-host for lifestyle show "Great Day SA" at KENS 5 TV. Prior to her move to San Antonio in 2006, she was a television news reporter at KVEW Television, the ABC affiliate, in the Tri-Cities/Yakima market. She was proud to represent the Huskies in Cougar territory.
Kathy Mahdoubi: BA, 2006
Kathy Mahdoubi is writing and coordinating for DOTmed Business News (DMBN).
My Tam H. Nguyen: BA, 2006
My Tam H. Nguyen graduated in 2006 from the University of Washington in International Studies and Journalism. She recently graduated from the 2009 Leadership Tomorrow (LT) class, and is an alumna of the 2008 Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation (ACLF) Community Leadership Program.
Nguyen works in community relations at the City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development on inclusive outreach strategy and materials for the neighborhood plan updates and Southeast Seattle Station Area planning. She has traveled with the Washington Council on International Trade on a sustainable development mission to Brazil studying social change and nonprofit models and implemented a youth global citizenship and diplomacy program.
Her current community service work includes serving on the Seattle Art Museum Young Advisors Board, mentor and advisor for Ashoka Foundation’s Youth Venture, ACLF’s Alumni Leadership Committee, LT’s Alumni Leadership Committee, and the University of Washington Department of Communication’s Alumni Board. She also advises communication and marketing strategies for local and international organizations. Nguyen is committed to global citizenship with local action, citizen- and youth-level diplomacy, and issues relating to social and racial justice, environmental and food equity, and human rights for women and children. She especially enjoys connecting people, resources, and organizations to better our communities.
Leoule Goshu: BA, 2007
Goshu is spending the summer after graduation working on a research paper with Dr. Laura Briggs, Acting Head of Women Studies at the University of Arizona. He is critiquing a gay rights special interest group, Human Rights Campaign, for promoting corporations with questionable human rights records in third world countries. His work attempts to synthesize gay rights with the third world. Goshu will attend Harvard this September. The Seattle Times recently ran a story on Goshu featuring his time at the UW.
He was also named "Future Gay Hero" in the October 11th, 2005 edition of The Advocate.
Erin Hicks: BA, 2007
Assistant editor for menshealth.com in Allentown, PA.
AnnMarie Rochelle, BA 2007
AnnMarie Rochelle is working for the Coast Guard
Maureen Trantham: BA (Journalism), 2007
maureen@partnership4learning.org
Maureen Trantham is currently the communication manager for Partnership for Learning, a state-wide education reform nonprofit. She began her career as an international journalist and has worked at newspapers in both Thailand and China. She has traveled to over 20 countries and graduated from the University of Washington with dueling degrees in journalism and the comparative history of ideas. Never quite content at doing just one thing, Maureen has worked in communications for Starbucks Coffee, Owen Media (a Seattle-based technology agency) and the University of Washington Department of Media Relations. While working in such diverse environments, she gradually found that education policy and youth trends were what she loved to write about most.
At Partnership for Learning, Maureen serves as the organization's voice, be it writing about education to her heart's content on the Hall Monitor Blog, developing web strategies for education reform or drawing on her diverse print design background to create brochures and reports for parents, teachers and legislators.
Kate Dunsmore: PhD, 2008
Kate Dunsmore is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at The College at Florham, Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey.
Sue Lockett John: PhD, 2008
Sue Lockett John is a research associate for the University of Washington, Department of Communication journalism program. She assists professor David Domke with program research, strategic planning, outreach and other initiatives.
Candace Soohoo: BA, 2009
Candace Soohoo interned at Barokas Public Relations, a technology boutique PR firm, after graduation and recently accepted a permanent position on their team.
Sandy Thuntarug: BA, 2009
Sandy Thuntarug is an Enterprise Information Technology Intern at T-Mobile.
