Class Notes

Kathleen MacDonald (Comm) is the senior vice president of marketing at Spectrum Retirement Communities, LLC. She is part of a three-generation CMCI family. Her mother, Helen Kiley Masterson (Jour’56), is a public relations and communications specialist and an active member and former president of the Denver Woman’s Press Club. Kathleen’s son, John Sauer (Jour’14), is a personal vacation advisor at Inspirato.

Thomas Walek (Jour) is a senior consultant of strategic public relations at Meyer Capital, a marketing agency in New York. He began his career as a financial journalist covering global development at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Thomas is a member of the National Press Club and is on the information advisory board for CMCI. The Pennsylvania native grew up in Connecticut and now lives in New York with his wife, Nobuko, and son, Andrew.

After 32 years at KCNC-TV/CBS4 in Denver, Donna Perry Gilbert (Jour) retired in 2017. She is now a volunteer at the Denver Dumb Friends League. 

John Leach (Jour; MJour’79) is the recipient of CU Boulder’s 2018 Alumni Recognition Award. He earned the honor for his invaluable professional insights throughout journalism’s transition at the university, and for being a crucial figure during CMCI’s creation. John is the former managing editor of The Arizona Republic. He’s taught journalism as a visiting professor at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California, and as a faculty associate at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix. After many years living in Arizona, John recently moved to Longmont, Colorado, where he lives with his wife, Deborah Ross (Jour’79). He is a member of CMCI’s Department of Journalism Advisory Board and supports the college through the John F. Leach Endowed Scholarship, which he established to benefit journalism students, and the Leach Scholarship Fund.

Susan Dellinger (PhDComm) published a book titled Communicating Beyond Our Differences in 1996. The book has now been translated into eight languages, including Arabic, Japanese and Russian. In 2018, Susan created a communication training company called Psycho-Geometrics LLC, which now has 44 licensed trainers in 10 countries worldwide.

John Herzog (Advert) retired from his third state board, the Colorado Dental Board, in January. He was appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper. John previously served on the Colorado Securities Board and the Colorado Utility Consumer’s Board. At CU, he served on the Alumni Association’s board twice and is a member of the CU Advocates program. He and his wife, Leslie (Engl’62), live in Colorado Springs. His daughter, Dana Jussaume (Hist’94), and son-in-law, Dave Eck (PolSci’84), attended CU, and his granddaughter, Emily Eck (Mus’20), attends the university now. 

Sharon O’Brien (Jour) and Thomas J. O’Brien (Bus’57) celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on March 29. They met at CU Boulder, married in California and have five sons. “How ‘bout them apples?” says Thomas. The couple live on Lake Geneva in Fontana, Wisconsin, southwest of Milwaukee.

Phil Heron (Jour) celebrated 35 years of marriage and 36 years at The Daily Times in Tennessee, where he writes a column reminiscing about his experiences as a reporter and the busy schedule that comes with the job.

Kelly Graziadei (Advert) recently became the entrepreneur in residence at Foundation Capital, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California. She has over 20 years of leadership experience in technology and consumer internet.

Sandy Blumberg (Advert) left his job as the director of field marketing at Coca-Cola to take on new role as the director of field & experiential marketing for Bulletproof 360.

In 2017, Ryan Thompson (Jour) was appointed to lead Niagara University's new Office for Equity & Inclusion as the school's first full-time Title IX coordinator. Thompson previously served as NU's assistant general counsel and as an adjunct writing professor. Thompson returned home to Buffalo, New York in 2012 after working for years as a newspaper reporter and editor in New York City and Boston.

Since graduating, Richa Giri Mitchell (Jour) has worked in various newsrooms throughout the country. She now works at a PBS affiliate in Los Angeles where she has been a news reporter/segment producer for six years. She was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2011 and has been a presenter for the Academy of Arts and Sciences.

A short film called Laboratory Conditions that Robert Scheid (Jour) edited (and got to act in as well) is making the film festival rounds. The film stars Marisa Tomei, Minnie Driver and Paulo Costanzo. Robert acts, edits and teaches editing and all things Apple in Los Angeles and remotely via the Internet.

The Denver Post recently profiled entrepreneur and Arvada native Scott Spears (Comm). He owns multiple businesses in Olde Town Arvada: Super Zoom Bang Bang, Scrumptious, Sock, and School House Kitchen and Libations.

Eric Dieter (Advert) and Jason Mitchell (Advert’09) founded Movement Strategy when they were at CU Boulder. The company, which turned 10 years old last summer, is a social-led creative agencyand has offices in Denver, New York City and Los Angeles.

Jason Mitchell (Advert) and Eric Dieter (Advert'08) founded Movement Strategy when they were at CU Boulder. The company, which turned 10 years old last summer, is a social-led creative agencyand has offices in Denver, New York City and Los Angeles.

Alexander Kirk (Jour) is now a newscast director at KUSA-TV 9NEWS in Denver. He was previously a newscast director at KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that, he was a newscast director at KGWN-TV in Cheyenne, Wyoming from 2011 to 2014.

Michelle R. Houser (Jour) was named the chief operating officer of the Tesla Foundation, a think tank focused on workforce development and education related to autonomy and autonomous technology. She previously managed advanced transportation, aerospace, cybersecurity and clean tech economic development efforts at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation and worked as a political communications consultant in Southern California.

Tiffany (Mathews) Cross (Advert) is working for the Kellogg Co. as the Pringles USA associate brand manager.

Dave Briggs (Jour) is currently an anchor of "Early Start" on CNN, airing 4-6 am ET. Prior to this, Dave was an NBC Sports studio host for the Rio Olympics.