Notes from the Class of 1996

After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, Laura DeLuca (MAnth’96, PhD’02) has focused on Africa. As a CU anthropology lecturer, she teaches several Africa-related classes and has published many articles on African issues, including the crisis in Darfur, education in Kenya and refugees. She has conducted conservation-related research in Kenya and Tanzania and is co-editing a book emphasizing peace building by communities in Africa.

Associate professor of political science at Rutgers University, Newark, Mara Sidney (MPolSci’96, PhD’00) received a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair Award to conduct research in Canada. Since January she has been comparing the United States’ and Canada’s national and local immigration policies, linking them to the work of nongovernmental organizations. She also is examining how immigrants’ interactions with nongovernmental organizations affect their process of making a home in a new country. Her project is called “Making a Home, Feeling at Home: The Role of NGOs in Immigrant Integration.” She lives in New York, N.Y.

Bicycling has turned into a career for Taro Smith (Kines’96, MS’98, PhD’04). He is co-owner of Boulder Cycle Sport, which has two locations in Boulder. “Cycling is a core of the city,” he told the Boulder Camera. He lives in Boulder.

After 14 years of working with the University of Colorado Foundation and the Alumni Association, Lianna Bodzin (Film’96) will be taking on a new challenge as assistant director of Advancement Services at Colorado School of Mines. She lives in Boulder.

Former U.S. Olympians and husband-wife duo Alan Culpepper (Geog, Soc’96) and Shayne Wille Culpepper(PolSci’97) lead an after-school running program at Boulder’s Douglass Elementary School. The volunteers helped prepare more than 200 children from kindergarten to fifth grade for the 8th annual Douglass Jog-a-thon and the Bolder Boulder in the spring.

Under the leadership of CEO Jud Valeski (CompSciAp’96), Boulder-based Gnip specializes in gathering data from public social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. With this data the company provides real-time content to a variety of firms in industries such as social media monitoring, business intelligence, government and finance. Jud lives in Boulder.

A passion for business and media planning brought Nicole Cimino-Taylor (Mktg’96) to INLINE MEDIA, the largest media specialty firm in the Rocky Mountain region, as senior media associate. INLINE MEDIA is a full-service media agency specializing in creative solutions for restaurant, sports, entertainment and technology industries. Nicole lives in Parker, Colo.

Last fall Alan Culpepper (Geog, Soc’96) was inducted into the Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame at Coors Events Center. He was on CU’s cross country and track teams and was the 1996 NCAA outdoor champion in the 5,000-meter run. He still owns the school record in the 1,500 meters. Alan’s career includes running in two Olympics and becoming a seven-time U.S. champion. He and his wife — CU runner Shayne Culpepper (PolSci’97) — and their four kids live in Louisville, Colo.

Former football player Matt Russell (Comm’96) received recognition as part of the 2012 Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Class at the ceremony in November. Matt won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker his senior year and finished his career as the second all-time leading tackler in Colorado. In 2009 he joined the Denver Broncos as their director of college scouting and was named director of player personnel in 2012.

The fourth player in college football history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, Rashaan Salaam (Soc’96) did so in an 11-game campaign in 1994 that included six ranked opponents. He led the nation in rushing, scoring and all-purpose yards, leading CU to an 11-1 record and winning the Heisman Trophy, CU’s first and only, the Doak Walker Award and the Walter Camp Trophy. For these accomplishments, Rashaan was inducted into the Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame at the Coors Events Center last fall. He resides in San Diego, Calif.

Associate professor Scott Elliott (MEngl’96) teaches creative writing and English at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. His second novel,Temple Grove, was published in May. The novel is about a clash between a father who is in the timber industry and his son who becomes an environmental activist, set against the backdrop of Washington State’s Olympic National Park. Scott’s first novel, Coiled in the Heart, was a Booksense 76 and One Book One Community selection. 

After graduation Jason Ross (MechEngr’96) moved to Boston to work in the Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine that is part of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He applied to medical school and was accepted to the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Jason received a fellowship to fund his project while he completes his medical education.

In January law firm Wilson Elser announced that Melissa Shisler (Law’96) joined the firm’s Denver office as counsel. She is a member of the firm’s national appellate, fidelity/surety, general liability and casualty and insurance and reinsurance coverage practices. While she attended CU law school, Melissa was a member and associate editor of the University of Colorado Law Review. She lives in Littleton, Colo.

On May 6, Dan Roth (Comm’96) and his wife welcomed their fourth child, Decker Cole. Roth works as a bond trader for Charles Schwab & Co. in the Denver Tech Center. He writes the family looks forward to attending many football games this fall as a family of six.

Metropolitan opera bass-baritone Keith Miller (Art ex’96) starred in Home Soiree – Opera Gala at the Crested Butte Music Festival last summer. Home Soiree was a collection of arias and ensembles from famous operas led by Keith and performed by the principals of the main stage opera.

As a senior at CU-Boulder, Jules Bruff (Thtr’96) received the Best Actress Scholarship. Since moving to Hollywood she has acted in theater, TV, film and more than 40 national commercials. Her first break came when she landed the pivotal role of Catherine Allen in David Fincher’s 2007 film Zodiac. Jules co-wrote, produced and starred in the indie sleeper hit movie Part Time Fabulous. The film received eight awards, two of which were best actress for Jules’ portrayal of the lead character. She lives in Los Angeles.

Last fall the anthropology department invited Chad Spitler (MAnth’96) to share his experiences applying anthropology to corporations. A corporate anthropologist, he has worked with such major global financial services providers as Blackrock and Barclays. Chad lives in Covert, Mich.

Denver-based photographer Thomas Carr (MAnth’96) combined his passion for photography and archaeology. He uses his camera skills as a staff archaeologist for the Colorado History Museum and regularly takes wedding, portrait, nature and fine art photos. You can see his photos at thomascarrphotography.com.

The Integer Group is among the world’s largest promotional, retail and shopper marketing agencies. In January the Lakewood, Colo.-based company, hired Sharon Gury (Hum’96, MBA’10) as director of insight and strategy. Sharon lives in Longmont, Colo.

Call that an exciting trip back to Colorado! Toni Momberger (Ling’96) wanted to guest teach a CU journalism class on the morning of Sept. 12, 2013, and visit her son who is a student at CU-Boulder. However, the floods hit town that week. Toni, editor of Redlands Daily Facts in Redlands, Calif., where she lives, went to Denver in the afternoon as planned. At a ceremony at The Denver Post, she was named Journalist of the Year for Small Dailies.