Notes from the Class of 2008

Cari Eastman (PhDComm) has continued her research on immigration and border-related issues and her second book, "Immigration: Examining the Facts" was just published by ABC-CLIO. Eastman continues to write as well as lecture at colleges and universities.

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.

Ted Vardell (Comm) and his brother Tommy Vardell, former NFL fullback started a Boulder-based nonprofit called Brotherbird Foundation in 2016 to encourage youth to explore art, music and sports. The organization has hosted programs at the Temple Grandin School of Autism, Denver School of the Deaf, Malley Elementary, OUR Center of Longmont, Columbine Spanish Immersion Elementary and Mountain Children's Foster Home. 

Julia Waneka (Comm) recently founded The Story Dept., a creative communications consultancy in San Francisco, California, focused on consumer brands. She began her career working in the natural food industry in Boulder, consulting for brands including The Kitchen Restaurants, Niman Ranch, Whole Foods Marker and Smucker Natural Foods. In San Francisco, she supported brands such as MyFitnessPal, Birchbox and CreativeLive. 

Jeff McAdam (Jour) recently joined FOX 5 San Diego. Before that, he was a TV reporter in Waco, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Los Angeles; and Salt Lake City. He has also worked for the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Lightning and USA Soccer. 

Keryn Howarth Stauble (Jour) is an account manager with Convene, which provides meeting and event spaces in New York City and five other U.S. metropolitan areas. She and her husband, Casey, live in Jersey City, New Jersey, and welcomed a daughter in May. 

Amy Bower (Jour) was appointed as the assistant U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina. Before being appointed, she was a civil litigator in private practice. After graduating from CU, she went to the Charleston School of Law where she received her JD. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

Max Nelson (Comm) is the vice president of marketing communications at OpenX, a leading tech company focused on programmatic advertising. He previously held leadership positions at public relations agencies like Method Communications, and he was named to PR Week’s Innovation 50 list of rising stars in public relations. Nelson lives in Los Angeles with his wife and young daughter.