Notes from the Class of 1997

Facebook’s global marketing director, Kelly Graziadei (Jour), delivered May’s commencement address to the CU-Boulder Class of 2016. Prior to joining Facebook, she worked for Yahoo, Alta Vista and SBC/AT&T. Read more about Kelly in the Fall 2014 issue of this magazine or on our website.

Boulder’s Greg Powers (Mktg) is CEO of Boulder Organic Foods. The company makes soups in small batches from garden-fresh ingredients that are certified organic, gluten-free and non-GMO. Founded in 2006, the company is growing quickly, with a 125 percent revenue growth from 2014 to 2015. He also works in the test kitchen with founder Kate Brown to create recipesfor new soups.

Andy DeRoche (PhDHist) has taught history full-time since 1998 at Front Range Community College in Longmont, Colo., where he lives with his wife, Heather, and their two children, Ellen and Zeke. Andy also lectures part-time at CU Boulder, most recently teaching courses on the U.S. Civil War. Andy’s book, Kenneth Kaunda, the United States and Southern Africa, was published in May. Andy is an avid supporter of CU football and basketball.

Scott Lininger (Art) co-founded Bitsbox, a Boulder company that teaches kids to love software coding with monthly app projects that arrive in the mail. In May Bitsbox was selected to participate in Aspire, an AT&T accelerator that supports promising educational technologies.

In March, the Boston Museum of Science named Todd Sperry (InfSys) senior vice president for marketing strategy and communications. Todd is in charge of public relations, advertising and social media initiatives. An avid ski mountaineer, he lives in Cambridge, Mass.

Emily Brett Seiden (Kines) has published her first novel, Found, based on her experiences as a former ICU nurse. The story is about a fictional travel nurse who escapes near-death experiences. Emily lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with her husband, three kids and their rescue dog, Farley.

Jonathan Berohn (MEngl; MPolSci’05) launched a political satire website, www.dontfruitthebeer.com. Jonathan, who has an undergraduate degree from Harvard, has taught classes on both political science and creative writing and is a published author. He lives outside of Boulder with his wife and has two children in college.

Sambazon, a leading maker of açaí-based products co-founded by former Buffs football player Ryan Black (Fin), can be found in most grocery stores, juice bars and cafes in North America. Ryan, the CEO, started the company following a surf trip to Brazil in 1999 with his brother and a friend. He lives near the beach in San Clemente, Calif., and his interests include travel, music and surfing.

Helicopter pilot and U.S. Navy commander Patrick Burrus (ChemEngr) is in charge of the Helicopter Maritime Strike Weapons School Atlantic in Mayport, Fla. A Nebraska native, he enlisted in the Navy in 1987 and has served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Jagged Peak Energy, Inc., recently named John Roesink (Geol; MS’05) its vice president of development planning and geoscience. John lives in Denver with his wife, Heather

In July, Travis Howe (Fin) joined ESPN as senior vice president of digital ad product sales and strategy. Travis serves as an executive member of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and also serves on the board of directors for the Lighthouse Guild, a charitable organization providing services to the blind and visually impaired.

In May, Forbes called Sarah Kauss (Acct), founder and CEO of S’well water bottle company, one of America’s most successful self-made women. Also in May, S’well won Inc. Magazine’s 2017 Design Award for brand design.

Jeff Osterkamp (MEngr), a senior Ball Aerospace executive and past chair of the advisory council for the engineering college’s BOLD Center, received the Alumni Association’s 2017 Alumni Recognition Award over Homecoming Weekend. The award recognizes alumni who connect, contribute and celebrate their CU pride through their extraordinary service to CU Boulder.

In September, the Banc of California announced the hiring of Jason Pendergist (Comm; MBA’00) as its executive vice president and head of real estate banking. Jason and wife Juliana have two children and live in California.

Alanna Rizzo (IntBus; MJour’03) finished her fourth season as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ broadcaster for SportsNet LA. Alanna also is a passionate dog rescue advocate.

Last February, Rebecca Neumann (MEcon; PhD’00) won a Governor’s Financial Literacy Award in Wisconsin for her efforts to increase financial literacy among the state’s citizens. Rebecca serves on the board of directors for SecureFutures, an organization that empowers teens through financial education.

Michelle Anderson (Bus’97) was recently awarded the 2018 Woman to WatchEmerging Leader award by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. Michelle is the director of finance and principal accounting officer for the Sundance Institute, an independent storytelling organization founded by CU alum Robert Redford (A&S ex’58, HonDocHum’87). 

In 2019 Lija Fisher (Thtr) of Boulder published her novel The Cryptid Keeper, the sequel to her debut, The Cryptid Catcher. The books act as a gateway to science for children by discussing cryptozoology, the search for animals like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. 

Sustainability is important to Sarah Kauss (Acct), founder and CEO of S’well, a company whose products help minimize single-use plastic worldwide. The company recently launched a line of reusable steel straws and aims to displace 100 million single-use plastic bottles by 2020. S’well has also committed $1.6 million to UNICEF. 

David Scott (Mgmt) was selected in March 2020 for the FBI's Senior Executive Service, where he serves as chief of the public corruption and civil rights section in Washington, D.C. After graduating from CU and receiving a commission through the Army ROTC program, David served in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer prior to joining the FBI in 2003.