Notes from the Class of 1988

This year Rick Bushnell (IntlAf) received the Governor’s Award for Leadership Management from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. Rick, real estate operations manager for the Department of Enterprise Services, was one of 20 to receive the award. By negotiating more favorable leases for state facilities, Rick saved Washington taxpayers $2.2 million in 2018.

The Maine Freedom of Information Coalition awarded Sue Hawes (Psych’88) the 2022 Sunshine Award for her work pursuing public records from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. Her work exposed staffing issues at the county jail. She lives in Portland, Maine.

Wellness services company Restore Hyper Wellness, owned and operated by Shawn Johnson (Mktg, Rec’88) and his partner Julie, opened a location in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Restore helps people looking to manage persistent pain, reduce signs of aging, boost athletic performance and increase natural defenses.

In March, the Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) celebrated its 19th year in operation. Sisters Kathy Beeck (Engl, PolSci’86) and Robin Beeck (Comm’88) founded the festival in 2004, and since that time, they’ve grown it into one of the country’s most respected film festivals. It attracts more than 20,000 film enthusiasts, media and industry members annually. Named one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker Magazine, BIFF brings films and filmmakers from around the world to Boulder for a four-day annual celebration.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published Clean Energy Innovators: NREL People Working to Change the World, a softbound book written by NREL’s Ernie Tucker. The book, which can be downloaded online for free, tells the stories of NREL’s people and the technologies they’ve advanced to help confront the climate crisis. The book features several CU alumni including catalyst researcher Kim Magrini (PhDChem’88), hybrid electric vehicles researcher Rob Farrington (PhDMechEngr’92), battery system researcher Matt Keyser (MechEngr’91) and Olympic biathlete Tim Tetreault (MechEngr, MS’04).