Class Notes

In 2016 Christine Castellano (PolSci) was recognized by Ethisphere Institute, an organization that defines and measures corporate ethical standards, as one of the 2016 Attorneys Who Matter. Christine works as the senior vice president and chief compliance officer for Ingredion, a global food ingredients solutions company. Christine lives in Illinois.

Jeffrey Kenney (Hist) retired from the Marine Corps after 41 years. During his service, he held 13 ranks, was deployed multiple times and received several awards.

In December Chipotle Mexican Grill named founder Steve Ells (Art) its sole CEO. Steve had been co-CEO with Monty Moran, who is stepping down and will retire from the company in 2017. Steve will remain chairman of the board of directors.

The School Nurse Organization of Minnesota named Eileen Kern (Kines) 2016 School Nurse Administrator of the Year. She is the supervisor of health services for the Bloomington School District.

Last fall, the Insured Retirement Institute announced that Robert DeChellis (Fin), the president and CEO of Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC, has been elected chairman of the IRI Board of Directors. Robert lives in Minnesota.

Bill Winter (Psych, PolSci), an attorney practicing in Edina, Minn., is the volunteer president of the Hopkins Youth Hockey Association, which helps kids reach their potential on and off the ice. Bill was quoted in a recent article about the group in Minnesota Hockey Journal. Bill played varsity ice hockey for CU from 1985 to 1989 and writes that he “loved every minute of it.” His oldest daughter, Stephanie, will be a Buff journalism student in the fall. Bill lives in Minnetonka, Minn.

In January the American Classical League, an organization that aims to promote classical studies to the general public, announced Sherwin Little (MClass) as its first executive director. Previously, Sherwin taught Latin and Greek for 30 years in the Indian Hill School district in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Sarah Dawson Rothenbuhler (Comm) is owner, president and CEO of Birch Equipment Co., Inc., in Seattle. She is in charge of strategic positioning, employee development, financial marketing and customer outreach. Once upon a time, she worked as an intern for the Seattle Seahawks.

After practicing family medicine in Auburn, Ind., for the last 17 years, Todd Page (Mus) has become medical director of the Sweetwater Medicinal Clinic on the campus of Sweetwater Sound, a dealer of musical equipment. Todd provides medical care for Sweetwater’s employees and their families.

Last fall, Phillip De Leon (MElEngr; PhD’95) was named associate dean of research and doctoral studies at the New Mexico State University College of Engineering. Phillip has been with NMSU since 1996 and was the first recipient of the John and Tome Nakayama Professorship in Engineering for Teaching Excellence. He has published 70 papers in international journals and has four U.S. patents.

Brad Montgomery Anderson (Eur, Fren) and the University of Oklahoma Press won the Bloomfield Book Award for 2017 for Brad’s book Cherokee Reference Grammar. The book is the first major reference work on the Cherokee in more than 35 years.

In January, Vance Joseph (Mktg) was named the new head coach of the Denver Broncos. Vance most recently worked as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. At CU, the Louisiana native played as backup quarterback and running back. Vance played in the NFL for the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts. He and wife Holly have a daughter, Nataly, and a son, Stone.

In 2016 Jeremy Wallace (Anth) gave a TED Talk titled “Transitioning to Happy” in which he discussed his transition from female to male. The talk complements his book Taking the Scenic Route to Manhood. Jeremy, a professional speaker, lives in Las Vegas, Nev.

Kevin Witt (EPOBio) is director of marketing for the education division of the publisher John Wiley and Sons. Previously he worked as editorial director for Life Sciences. He and his wife live in Austin, Texas, with their 17-year-old son and cat. Kevin writes that he misses the mountains and gets back to Boulder when he can.

In 2016 Ted Kowalski (Law) left the Colorado Water Conservation Board. He now works at the Walton Family Foundation, leading its Colorado River Initiative. Ted and wife Jessica live in Louisville, Colo.

The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel hired Sean McNamara (Mktg) as director of sales. Previously Sean worked at the Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay in Hawaii for 6 years.

After 18 years at 9NEWS in Denver, Cheryl Preheim (Comm) anchored her last newscast for the station on Dec. 16. The Indiana native has interviewed countless newsmakers, including former President Jimmy Carter and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai. Cheryl and her family now live in Atlanta, Ga., where she works as a morning anchor for WXIA.

Corbin Marr (Hist) and Ben Herrmann (PolSci’06) have gone into business together in the wastewater infrastructure sector. Their firm has locations in California and in the East. Projects include an inspection of pipelines in Boulder using cameras, sonar and laser equipment. The firm is also developing and implementing technology to inspect, clean and rehabilitate failing infrastructure.

Jeremiah Baronberg (IntlAf) was named senior director of marketing and communications at Blue Star Strategies, LLC, a strategic consulting and government relations firm. He will head the firm’s external relations, publications and media portfolio. Jeremiah also serves on the American Jewish Committee, which focuses on global human rights and diplomacy. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Sirena Rolfe (Advert) developed the AnytimeHood, a waterproof attachable nylon hood for rain or snow protection. The hoods are available at Tempushood.com. Sirena, a Colorado native who lived in New York for three years, then came back, writes that she loved CU and credits the school for her entrepreneurial attitude.