Alumni Notes

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Keep up-to-date on your fellow alum’s life and career milestones and changes.

1959:

Karen (Marth) Mills has been married for 46 years and recently moved from Puyallup, Wash. to Henderson, Nev. She has three children and six grandchildren ranging from eight to 18 years old. She taught at Missouri Synod Lutheran churches in Snohomish, Wash., Monterey, Calif., and Federal Way, Wash. and writes, "My fondest memories are of Concordia-Portland. We were a small group and became closer to one another. I still recall the special moments in the chapel of the Upper Room."

1961:

Rev. Dr. Terry Kriesel HS '59 recently had a "very enjoyable" year serving as a missionary on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America as a visiting professor at China Lutheran Seminary (Taiwan) in their pastoral counseling program. His wife, Carol Kriesel JC '61 accompanied him on the trip. Kriesel writes that he is "enjoying retirement after serving as a professor of Behavioral Medicine at the University of Iowa, College of Medicine and the University of Arizona, College of Medicine."

1990:

Steve Simmons recently took over as the men's soccer coach at Oregon State University after spending the previous six years as the men's coach at Northern Illinois University (NIU). In 2006, Simmons was voted the Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year after leading the NIU Huskies to the Mid-American Conference championship and the second round of the NCAA men's soccer tournament.

1994:

Ron Malm runs a fitness program for kids called "Focused Fitness," which engages students in fun, meaningful lessons that promote activity, proper nutrition, and higher levels of fitness. In addition, he runs "Five for Life," a training program to help teachers promote fitness through movement. He works with school districts around the country on implementing these concepts.

1997:

Lisa Mallory MAT is currently teaching fifth grade in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia for the world's largest oil company, Saudi-Aramco. The company school represents over 55 countries. She left teaching in Ore. and Calif. for a three-year experience in Indonesia and now Saudi Arabia, 45 minutes from Bahrain and a 40 minute flight to Dubai. She writes, "I really love international teaching!"

1999:

Kym Buchanan started his fourth year as a professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He and his wife, Jodi, recently celebrated their tenth anniversary. They have two daughters, Bayli (5) and Dani (2). Kym's scholarship focuses on motivation and technology, including teaching using games. He encourages you to learn more at KymBuchanan.org

Jennifer (Swisegood) de la Motte gave birth to twins, Brooke Marie and Henry Jack, on August 14, 2009. Jennifer is currently a director of Christian Education at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Turlock, Calif.

2000:

Gustavo Aguiar and his wife, Patricia Rebelo, are living in Recife, Brazil. They have a two-year-old daughter, Raquel, and another baby is expected in April of 2010. He writes, "I have been working for Sebrae (small business supporting system), a nonprofit organization that provides small businesses with tools for success and sustainability in the market."

Dara (Berquist) Lindberg gave birth to her fourth child, Addison Rose Lindberg, on June 11, 2009. She joins siblings, Kendall (15), Max (5), and Gracie (4). Dara is still teaching first grade in Auburn, Wash.

2001:

Dawn (Miller) Bungard writes, "Since graduating in 2001, I have gotten married (2002) and had two beautiful children, Kaelee (5) and Talan (3). I have also attained my master's degree in Education with an emphasis on reading and literacy. I was just notified on November 20, 2009 that I passed my National Board for Professional Teaching standards and I can now say I am a National Board Certified Teacher! Life is Great and I couldn't be happier!!"

Chad and Katie (Holts) VanDeMark '02 welcomed a baby boy, William Lewis, on September 14, 2009.

2002:

Sarah (Hames) Elliott and her husband, Tim, welcomed Noah Timothy to their family on June 30, 2009. He was 8 lbs., 3 oz. and 21 inches long.

Beth French recently became a licensed psychologist for the State of Oregon.

2003:

Desiree (Manning) Mossberger and her husband purchased their first home in Tualatin, Ore. in November of 2008.

Annie Powell is in her fifth year of her PhD in Cell Biology at Oregon Health & Science University. Her primary research article, "Inflammation and proliferation act together to mediate intestinal cell fusion," was accepted for publication in the journal "PLoS ONE." In addition, she has been invited to write a book chapter called, "Cell fusion and stem cells," for the text, "Cell Fusions: Regulation and Control," due out in 2010 from Springer Press. She is currently writing her second primary research article and hoping to complete her PhD thesis in the coming months.

2004:

Leigh Ann (Stohl) Durham and her husband, Justin Durham '03, welcomed a baby girl on August 6, 2009. Madison June was 7 lbs., 13 oz. and 19 inches long.

Tod Picket MAT completed the requirements for national teacher certification. He teaches math and science at Frontier Middle School in the Evergreen School District (Wash.). He is also the "voice of the Cavaliers" as the play-by-play announcer for all CU-Portland men's and women’s home basketball games.

2005:

Delisha Pittman is entering her second year of the Counseling Psychology PhD program at the University of Georgia. She received her MA in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark (Ore.) in 2008.

Charlotte (May) Bohlmann and her husband Eric Bohlmann '06, welcomed a daughter, Norah Louise, on August 5, 2009.

2006:

Tom Arnold returned to Gresham, Ore. in August of 2008 with his wife, Amy, and son, Taylor, after completing the academic portion of his Master of Divinity. He started his vicarage assignment in Gresham.

Nick Caleb recently graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law and began attending Tilburg University in The Netherlands to pursue a master’s degree in Law and Technology.

Christopher Paulk earned a Master of Public Policy Degree from Georgetown University in May of 2008. He is now working with the National Guard Bureau (NGB) in Arlington, Va. to develop the interagency/intergovernmental organization that is intended to improve coordination of response between NGB and agencies such as FEMA and the US Coast Guard.

Stephanie Kerns McCrae MAT is chair of the performing arts department at Evergreen High School in Vancouver, Wash. She and her students were recently featured in "The Oregonian" for their production of "The Outsiders."

2007:

Tim Brown, along with his wife, Sara Eustice-Brown '07, and son, Dylan Patrick, recently moved into their new home in southeast Portland, Ore. Sara is the director of Christian Education and Family Ministry at Good Shepherd in Vancouver, Wash. Tim works at Penske Truck Leasing in Portland. Dylan turned one on June 9, 2009.

JoAnn Jackson MBA became a grandmother for the second time when grandson, Ethan, was born on June 1, 2009.

Jeanie-Marie Price MBA was recently named director of Communications for the Portland Schools Foundation. In May, she and her husband, Erik, welcomed daughter, Lenora Mae Christensen, who joined big brother, Harris (5).

2008:

Darcy (Barnhart) Pappe and her husband, Adam, welcomed a baby girl, Ava Grace, on May 27, 2009. She weighed 9 lbs., 9 oz.

Jessica Finch is living in San Jose, Calif. and recently became engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Derek Sibilia.