Notes from the Class of 1985

Freelance journalist Murray Carpenter (Psych’85) mostly covers stories about science and the environment, reporting for the New York Times, theBoston Globe and NPR, among others. Murray lives in Belfast, Maine.

The Boulder Chamber honored Catherine Underhill (Art’85), executive director of the Colorado Music Festival, as one of five “Women Who Light the Community.” Catherine was instrumental in the music festival merger with the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts in 2009. Today the festival reaches more than 20,000 individuals. She lives in Louisville, Colo.

Last summer Susan Diesel (Math’85), Karen Dyce (Acct’85) and Stanley Erwin* (Acct’85) attended their 30th reunion for Homestead High School graduates in Cupertino, Calif. Susan writes that the three chose to attend CU independently and found each other there as freshmen in 1981. Susan lives in Norwich, Vt., Karen lives in Los Altos, Calif., and Stan lives in West Lake Hills, Texas.

President Obama appointed Miami resident Katrina Peebles (Jour’85) to the President’s Advisory Committee on Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She also is on the board of directors for The Peebles Corporation, a real estate company working in Miami, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, Nev.

With a career in education publishing spanning 20 years, John Ade (Thtr’85) has joined publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as vice president of marketing management for literacy and language. Throughout his career he has focused on elementary and secondary reading, language arts, English language learning and foreign languages. He writes he still manages to put his CU degree to good use by performing in local community theaters. He lives in New York City with his partner of 21 years.

After working in a range of industries, Carrie Crane Dickie (Jour’85) has found her niche. She is one of the leading distributers of nutrition-based pharmaceutical products for LifeVantage Corp. She lives with her husband and two sons in San Clemente, Calif.

Longmont, Colo., resident Thomas Stover (Law’85) was named to the Colorado Super Lawyers list of top attorneys in Colorado for 2012. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers in more than 70 practice areas. He practices in areas of trust and estate planning, taxation, probate, charitable planning, real estate and business law.

Award-winning producer and talent manager Daniel Sladek (A&S ex’85) received an Emmy nomination in 2009 and a Producers Guild of America nomination as executive producer of the critically acclaimed film Prayers for Bobby. Daniel participated in this year’s Conference on World Affairs. He lives in Los Angeles.

Yoga instructor Julie Dean (Acct’85) volunteers at Yoga Behind Bars, a nonprofit organization that sends 50 certified yoga instructors to teach in prisons and jails. In addition to teaching yoga, Julie has been a certified public accountant for 20 years and serves as a member of the yoga organization’s board of directors. She lives in Kirkland, Wash.

Former U.S. Army flight surgeon and Wake Forest University School of Medicine faculty member Kevin McMullen (MCDBio’85) joined the radiation oncology faculty of the Indiana University Health Proton Therapy Center. His focus is on treating pediatric, adolescent and young adult patients with proton therapy, which is used with children and young adults because the precision of the radiation beam causes less exposure to normal tissues surrounding the cancer. Kevin lives in Indianapolis, Ind.

Loveland, Colo., resident Maureen McCann (Econ’85) is co-owner and co-manager of HomeCare of the Rockies, a non-medical provider of services for seniors and families, offering in-home care and assistance to seniors who wish to live independently.

ITT Exelis appointed Pamela Drew (Math’85, MCompSci’87, PhD’91) as president of its information systems area. Pamela is responsible for leading the system development, networking, radio frequency communications and information systems efforts of the company. Her team will provide capabilities for critical missions that include defense and intelligence systems, air traffic management, space and earth science and homeland defense. Pamela lives in Great Falls, Va.

In June Shelby Serrin Bell (Bus’85) graduated from the National War College at National Defense University. She received a masters of science in national security strategy. Shelby is a retired Army officer and works at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. She lives in Annapolis, Md., with her three teenage children.

Julann Velvin Andresen (Mktg’85) joined the CU-Boulder Alumni Association as director of events and outreach in June. She writes she is thrilled to be part of the alumni team. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Louisville, Colo.

An attorney in San Diego, former Alumni Association board member Kieran Purcell (Mktg’85) is enjoying sunny California with his wife and 4-year-old daughter.

Few people have experienced Yellowstone National Park like Marjane Ambler (Engl’85). Marjane and her husband lived in a tiny community near the shores of Yellowstone Lake, deep in the park’s interior. Her book Yellowstone Has Teeth, a personal memoir about living year-round in the world’s first national park, was published in June 2013. In the book Marjane reveals a hidden Yellowstone where the beauty is stunning, the dangers real and the experience deeply challenging. She now lives in Atlantic City, Wyo., and her website is www.marjaneambler.com.

The American Institute of Physics selected Jeffrey Bennett (MAstro’85, PhD’87) as one of two winners of the 2013 AIP Science Communication Awards. The award recognizes exceptional science writing that improves the public’s appreciation of physics, astronomy and related fields. Jeffrey’s winning work is a fun and informative science book for kids about a dog who trains to be an astronaut and goes to the moon. He lives in Boulder.

Merrick & Company named Christopher Sherry (ArchEngr’85) the company’s chief operating officer. Christopher is responsible for the successful execution of all projects and the overall financial performance of all business units, including international subsidiaries. Previously Christopher led the corporate and business development group in acquiring four firms that have contributed an additional $12 million in revenue to Merrick. He lives in Castle Rock, Colo.

Tom Weis (EnvCon’85) has more than 25 years of environmental and political organizing experience. He is president of Climate Crisis Solutions, an environmental consulting firm. In 2010, he rode his unique “rocket trike” more than 2,500 miles from Boulder to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about renewable energy, and in 2011 nearly 2,200 miles from Canada to the Texas Gulf to protest the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. He lives in Boulder.

The University of Missouri System named Brian Burnett (Econ; Fin’93; PhDEdu’10) vice president of finance and chief financial officer. Brian previously served as senior executive vice chancellor for administration and finance at University of Colorado Colorado Springs. In his new role, he is responsible for setting strategy and long-term planning for the university’s financial functions.