Notes from the Class of 1988

In November Janine Davidson (ArchEngr) served as the keynote speaker for Veterans Speak, a two-week celebration of veterans in Boulder. Janine is a senior fellow for defense policy at the Council of Foreign Relations and specializes in defense strategy and policy, military operations, national security and civil-military relations. She served in the Obama Administration from 2009-12 as a deputy assistant secretary of defense. She began her career in the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft commander and senior pilot for the C-130 and C-17 cargo aircraft.

Emily Ross (Mus) of Portland, Ore., has her dream job as a music therapist for Oregon’s only year-round school for children with autism. She also runs her own business, Self Express Music Therapy Studio, and is developing another enterprise, HoofnHorn, a sensory-rich place for kids with autism and their families to enjoy horses, music and outdoor play.

Radio Systems Corporation has named Willie Wallace (MBA) of Maryville, Tenn., its chief executive officer. The company develops innovative pet product solutions and services through the PetSafe, SportDOG and Invisible Fence brands. Willie has worked for the company for 15 years and previously served as its chief operating officer.

Asset management and recovery company SquareTwo Financial named Julie Fellows (Bus) chief compliance officer. Julie is in charge of all regulatory compliance initiatives for the company. Before SquareTwo, she worked as CEO and founder of J.A. Fellows and Associates. Julie lives in Lafayette, Colo.

Denver-based Roadhouse Hospitality, owned by brothers John Shipp (Mktg), Mike Shipp (Fin’83) and Dan Shipp(Econ’83), was planning to open its 16th restaurant and first in Boulder in the historic train depot at Boulder Junction in May. Some of the company’s other restaurants include Spanky’s Urban Roadhouse, The Dusty Boot and Reiver’s Bar and Grill.

After retiring from Microsoft in February, Louis Flint Ceci (MCompSci) plans to write more stories and novels about the residents of Croy, Okla., a fictional town in the south-central part of that state and the setting of his 2008 novel Comfort Me. At Microsoft, Louis served as a senior software engineer and worked on Skype for Android, specializing in adapting the user interface for use by the visually impaired.

Commercial real estate company Trout Daniel & Associates hired Gary Olschansky (Adv) as investment sales associate. In his role, he focuses on the sale of investment real estate in the Baltimore metro area. He has worked in commercial real estate for 30 years.

Martin Price (PhDGeo) wrote Mountains:A Very Short Introduction, published this year by Oxford University Press. The book highlights the ways the mountains are affected by climate change and why they are important. Martin is director of the Centre for Mountain Studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands’ Perth College in Scotland, holder of the UNESCO chair in sustainable mountain development and adjunct professor at the University of Bergen, Norway.

Colorado native Brett Limbaugh (Geog; MA’92) took over the leadership of the city of Loveland’s Development Services Department in March. Previously, Brett was the director of community planning and development services for Rapid City, S.D. He has also worked as an entitlement manager for Edgemark Development Services in Denver.

In March Janine Davidson (ArchEngr) was sworn in as the 32nd undersecretary of the Navy. A former Air Force pilot, she previously served as a deputy assistant secretary of defense. Janine also has worked as a professor and military analyst and is a published author. She was the first woman to fly the Air Force’s tactical C-130.

In April President Obama nominated Regina Rodriguez (Law) as a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado. Both of the state’s U.S. senators supported the nomination.

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.

While on a cruise around the British Isles, Suzy Colglazier Smith (IntlBus) ran into fellow alum Randy Kilgore (A&S’68). Randy was wearing Buffs gear outside the Caernarfon Castle in North Wales, where they took a photo together. Suzy lives in Atlanta, and Randy lives in Colorado Springs.

After a 15- year career in television production and management with KCNC and CNN, Mark Baker (Jour) transitioned to a mortgage career in 2001. In 2016, for the fifth consecutive year, he was named a “Top 1% Mortgage Originator in the United States.” He has been with SWBC Mortgage Corporation since 2010, originating loans in both Colorado and Georgia.

Money360, a commercial real estate marketplace-lending platform, hired John Calder (RealEst) as director of credit administration. John and wife Molly live in Newport Beach, Calif.

Ellen Weihe Gorsevski (Hum) was named chair of the communication department in Bowling Green State University’s School of Media and Communication. Ellen writes that she and her husband are celebrating the four-year anniversary of the international adoption of their two wonderful children.

Following the death of their son Corey Walgren at age 16, Doug Walgren (InfSys) and wife Maureen started a nonprofit in his honor. The mission of Corey’s Goal is to honor Corey and his love of hockey by supporting hockey programs through gifts and open dialogue about how disciplinary practices in schools can better support the emotional wellbeing of students.

After graduating from the CU ROTC program, Jon Safstrom (CivEngr) served 10 years on active duty in the Navy as a F-16 and F/A-18 pilot. He logged over 300 combat flight hours in support of multiple operations including Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon leaving active duty, Jon joined the Minnesota Air National Guard, where he attained the rank of brigadier general and now serves as the assistant adjutant general.