Notes from the Class of 1989

Adam Kenny (PolSci) writes he’s been practicing law in New Jersey for the past 25 years and is a member of the Weiner Law Group, LLP in Parsippany. Since graduating, he has completed nine marathons, including the New York City Marathon three times. He and his wife, Margaret, are the proud “Pop Pop” and “Nana” to three grandchildren, which inspired his first book, Pop Pop Rules, published in November 2018.

John Comerford (Film, Psych) of Seattle was on the scene to film former NBA star Bill Walton sorting recycling during Dead & Company’s set break from their summer show at Folsom Field. John was there at the behest of Marianne Moulton Martin (EnvCon’95), associate director of CU’s Environmental Center.

Last June, Chris Jarnot (Rec) announced his retirement after more than 30 years at Vail Resorts. He started his career as a marketing assistant and worked his way to executive vice president of the company’s mountain division. Chris cited his three children as motivation to retire. He lives in Edwards, Colorado. 

Daniel Griffin (Phil) of Port Washington, New York, is a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases and an associate research scientist in Columbia University’s biochemistry and molecular biophysics departments. He also is president of Parasites Without Borders, an organization that brings the latest information to the frontline of the medical field, and hosts This Week in Parasitism, a popular podcast with more than 2 million downloads.

While working at IBM, Jennifer Hatfield (Advert) submitted many patent disclosures for the IBM Call for Code Embrace initiative, which seeks to support racial justice by calling on Congress for change. Jennifer writes that it was very rewarding to connect with others and use technology to make the world a better place.

In February 2020, Boulder native Alexander Munn (Hist) was hired as chief legal officer of BBPOS, a worldwide manufacturer of point-of-sale terminals and software for global banks, merchants and distributors. Prior to this new position at BBPOS, Alexander was senior litigation counsel at BPE Law Group, PC, based in Sacramento, California. 

Since he began podcasting in 2005, Dan Carlin (Hist) has developed two successful podcasts, Hardcore History and Common Sense, which have hundreds of millions of downloads, and is one of the most listened-to podcasters of all time. In March, Dan spoke as a part of CU Boulder Where You Are, an online series that highlighted teaching, research and innovation. He lives in Eugene, Oregon. 

After 16 years of working at the Barrier Islands Center, located on an 18-acre farm in Machipongo, Virginia, Sally Dickinson (Hist; MEdu’92) has been appointed executive director of the cultural center that preserves the history of the Barrier Islands along Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Sally’s area of focus in this new role is expanding education and opportunities for local children. 

After 23 years at his former firm, Adam Kenny (PolSci) has joined Kennedys, a global law firm, as special counsel in the Basking Ridge, New Jersey, office as a member of the defense group. 

John Towle (Engl) was appointed chief client officer for Hearts & Wallets, a financial services research and bench-marking firm. John brings more than 30 years of experience in financial services to his role and will focus on product marketing, marketing communications and distribution marketing.

In June Todd Saliman (PolSci) was named president of the University of Colorado. He will serve in the interim as the CU Board of Regents conducts a national search for a permanent president. Previously, Todd was CU’s senior vice president for strategy, government relations and chief financial officer. 

Lance Geiger (PolSci’89) has made a name for himself as “The History Guy’’ on YouTube. In October, his channel — presenting short stories of forgotten history — surpassed 1 million subscribers, a milestone achieved by less than .005% of YouTube’s 37 million channels. He lives in O’Fallon, Illinois.

In February, legal services firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati opened an office in downtown Boulder. Vern Norviel (ChemEngr’81) and Tony Jeffries (Fin’89), partners with the firm, are leading the team at the new location. Wilson Sonsini provides legal counsel regarding life sciences, technology and growth enterprises. Vern works in Wilson Sonsini’s patent and innovation group, and Tony works in the firm’s corporate practice group.

Fox Rothschild nationwide construction practice named Patrick Casey (PolSci’89) co-chair. Patrick is a trial attorney, the managing partner at the firm’s Denver office and is a member of the firm’s executive committee. He deals with cases involving construction, insurance, real estate and litigation. Patrick was recognized by Chambers USA for construction in 2021 and was named to the Colorado Super Lawyers list by Construction Litigation from 2019 to 2022.

The national nonprofit organization Girls, Inc. D.C., named Lori McFarling (Jour’89) to their board of directors, where she serves as a member of their executive team and co-chair of fund development. Lori serves as Discovery Education’s president of social impact and corporate partnerships. She resides in Bethesda, Maryland.

Naomi Horii (Advert’89) launched a spiritual internet talk show, HeartSpeak, with Bold Brave TV Network. The show airs Fridays at noon MT. The first season features a poet, angel channeler, animal intuitive, medium, astrologer and more. Naomi is a speaker, author, teacher, healer, intuitive and cancer survivor. Her written work is widely published, and she has spoken at Harvard, the University of Chicago and Boulder’s Dairy Arts Center. HeartSpeak can be enjoyed live at boldbravetv.com or on podcast channels.

The Nelson Institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison awarded Martha Goodell (EnvDes’89) its 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award. Martha is director of strategic finance at Aircapture, a startup that captures climate-changing carbon dioxide from the air and supplies it to customers to use in their production processes. Martha has spent her career in technology innovation and natural resources, focusing on policies to support decarbonization and climate resilience. She lives in Emeryville, California.