Notes from the Class of 2000

Freelance photographer Krisanne Johnson (Jour’00) received a $30,000 Eugene Smith Grant in the category of humanistic photography for her project called “I Love You Real Fast.” Since 2006 she has been documenting the coming of age of females in Swaziland where one in two women are infected with HIV/AIDS. When not traveling to Africa, she lives in New York City.

In the midst of the Occupy Wall Street protests Sabrina Sideris (Engl’00) wrote an article published in The Michigan Citizen newspaper about her experience at the Re-Imagining Work Gathering in Detroit. She wrote that the highlight of the gathering was meeting hundreds of people doing community-based work. The Boulder resident is director of the community studies department at CU where she teaches students interested in social and environmental justice.

Last fall Rob Wilhite* (PolSci’00) was named a partner at the law firm Sawaya, Rose, McClure & Wilhite. He lives in Denver.

*Lifetime member

Boulder resident Trent Yang (Aero, Econ’00) is director of the CU Cleantech Program at the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship in the Leeds School of Business. CU Cleantech is a way for researchers, students and industries to connect and collaborate on new inventions in the clean technology industry.

The Ringer (The Permanent Press) published in March 2011 is Boulder resident Jennifer Shank Chastang’s (MEngl’00) first novel. The book is set in Colorado and was inspired in part by the 1999 shooting of Ismael Mena by the Denver police in a no-knock raid. Jennifer is a journalist and has written for the Rocky Mountain News, the Daily Camera, Colorado Daily and Westword. For six years she was the Denver/Boulder editor of the Onion A.V. Club and is the books and writers editor of www.newwest.net.

On May 4 Sonya Johnson (Anth, Ethnic’00) received her dual doctorate in socio-cultural anthropology and African American and African studies from Michigan State University. Her future plans include joining the faculty at a research university to continue her work on African-inspired religions in the Americas. She lives in East Lansing, Mich.

On weekdays at 9 a.m. Ryan Chiaverini (Jour’00) appears as the co-host of ABC 7’s new talk and entertainment show Windy City LIVE in Chicago. Previously, Ryan was sports anchor for Denver’s KUSA-TV and often covered the Broncos. While at CU Ryan was the football team’s strong safety.

Adventure and travel photographer Lucas Gilman (Jour’00) captured the moment extreme kayaker Rafa Ortiz paddled down Palouse Falls, a 189-foot waterfall in southeast Washington. The photograph was for his client Red Bull, and Lucas used his Nikon D800 camera, which produces super-high-resolution 36.3 megapixels to capture the four-second free fall. His other clients include such magazines as Sports Illustrated, National Geographic Adventure and Outside Magazine and his commercial clients include such companies as Nikon, Patagonia and SanDisk. Lucas lives in Denver.

Dewberry, a leading professional services firm, promoted Julie Burland Koehler (MCivEngr’00) to senior associate. Julie has more than 10 years of experience in the design and construction of municipal water and wastewater treatment projects, including odor control, pump stations and planning projects. Julie lives in Boulder.

At the University of Michigan Nghi Nguyen-Phuoc (Econ, EnvSt’00) received the Barbour Scholarship for the 2012-13 academic year. The scholarship is among the most prestigious to support women at Michigan from Asia who demonstrate the highest academic and professional caliber. Nghi is pursuing a doctorate in urban and regional planning. Her dissertation focuses on the legal and compulsory taking of land and houses from urban residents and businesses in order to build new infrastructure, commercial or residential projects. After graduation she hopes to work in planning research and urban development in Vietnam.

Michael Diaz (CompSci’00) and Lynne Bryant Diaz (ApMath’00, CivEngr’06, MS’08) had their third child, Callan Diaz, and moved to Castle Rock, Colo.

Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, announced that Julie Koehler (MCivEngr’00) of Boulder received the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure Envision certification. She works in Denver and specializes in the water/wastewater industry.

Foreign Service Officer Trey Lyons* (PolSci’00) serves at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Ga., where he leads a unit focused on the country’s foreign policy and its conflicts with the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions. In April Trey was a panelist for CU’s 65th Conference on World Affairs in Boulder. He received the 2011 Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Graduate Award from the Alumni Association. Trey enjoys foreign languages, travel, cycling and hiking with his wife.

With his experience practicing real estate law Sean Bahoshy (Mktg’00) has counseled clients with general corporate matters and a variety of public and corporate transactions including securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions. In April Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck announced Sean joined its real estate group as an associate. His focus is on commercial real estate transactions with an emphasis on acquisitions, disposition, financing and leasing. He lives in Denver.

’00 Financial company Sargent Bickham Lagudis promoted Kreighton Bieger (Fin’00) to director of research. He assists the chief investment officer in managing the firm’s research process and resources for common stocks, mutual funds and fixed income investments. He lives in Boulder. 

USA Today listed Lucas Gilman’s (Jour’00) photo of a kayaker paddling down a waterfall as No. 1 out of 45 unbelievable action sports photos. The photo was featured in “Born to Be Wild” in the September 2012 Coloradan. He owns Lucas Gilman Photography, a photography and video production company specializing in adventure, travel, sports, portraiture and commercial photography. He lives in Denver.

Founder of the Paranormal Research Asso- ciation of Colorado Nate Goldstein (EPOBio’00, MA’04) was featured in an article in the Boulder County Business Report titled “The unexplainable can be haunting, CU grad approaches para- normal with open-mind- ed spirit.” The nonprofit is composed of volun- teers who conduct free and confidential investigations into paranormal activity. Nate, a professional research scientist who focuses on cancer during his day job, lives in Denver.

Longmont, Colo., resident Austin Fracchia (Comm’00, MA’12) is a communication consultant helping businesses fine-tune their persuasion tactics through sharp rhetoric and authentic messages. Austin approaches business and advertising with a focus on the medium and the message while keeping the entrepreneurial process fun and rewarding.

CU couple Andy Hotchkiss (Jour’00) and Marni Hotchkiss (Anth’99) started a collegiate apparel business called The Honour Society. They create officially licensed hats, bags and accessories for more than 30 universities, including CU-Boulder. The Honour Society carries old-school and vintage-inspired styles to bring back the old days of college spirit. The company is based in Maryland where Andy and Marni grew up and live.

Months have passed since the Seattle Seahawks left the Denver Broncos shattered after Super Bowl XLVIII. But let’s be honest. That loss still stings for Alan Jackson (Jour’00), the creative services director and executive producer of Denver Broncos football coverage at Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. Alan produced the radio broadcast for Newsradio 850 KOA and the Broncos Radio Network in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. “It was obviously a horribly disappointing game, but it was still an incredible experience!” Alan wrote just a few of hours after the game. He lives in Centennial, Colo.