Class Notes

Drawing experience from her Colorado upbringing, Stephanie Harper (Engl) wrote a novel, Wesley Yorstead Goes Outside, released in October 2020.

French horn player Caitlin Brody (Mus) was honored as the U.S. Army’s top active duty band soldier. Currently serving as a corporal in the First Armored Division (1AD) band, Caitlin is stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. In just the three years since enlisting, Caitlin has completed a deployment to Iraq, approximately 300 missions with the 1AD brass quintet ensemble, a full-time role with the 1AD concert band and two tours with the U.S. Army Field Band, the premier touring musical representative for the Army.

Last August, Allie Sandza (Jour) of Washington, D.C., was named senior producer of Meet the Press, the NBC political news show hosted by Chuck Todd.

Ali Greer (Film) and Eric Tomassini’s (Psych’13) urban farm, Avenue 33 Farm in downtown Los Angeles, is tucked away in a residential neighborhood on an idyllic hill. The couple met at CU Boulder, and their farm was the focus of an LA Times article last October. 

University of Delaware professor April Kloxin (PhDChemEngr) was awarded the Director’s New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health. With the five-year grant, April hopes to develop next-generation materials and tools to research lung fibrosis, an incurable, fatal disease. 

A team of Buffs men’s basketball alumni competed in an amateur tournament this summer. Televised on ESPN, 64 teams competed for a grand prize of $2 million. Team Colorado included NBA veteran Chris Copeland (Pysch) and all-time leading scorer Richard Roby (Soc ex’08). The teamwas coached by Nate Tomlinson (Ethn’12).

Jenny Simpson (PolSci) is still running strong since winning a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in 2016. She was inducted into the Colorado Running Hall of Fame this year and has been called the greatest American 1,500-meter runner. She also set an American record in the 2-mile race in April. She hopes to represent Team USA at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Matt Kramer (PolSci) of Broomfield, Colo., co-founded The Application Authority three years ago in Ann Arbor, Mich. The business guides students on creating stand-out college applications. Last year, the firm opened a second office in Broomfield. Matt aims to mentor CU business students. His company is actively engaged in Boulder Startup Week.  

Teju Ravilochan (IntlAf), a Forbes 30 Under 30 social entrepreneur and co-founder of the Unreasonable Institute, now known as Uncharted, a Denver-based incubator for entrepreneurs, received the Alumni Association’s 2017 Kalpana Chawla Award over Homecoming Weekend. The award recognizes outstanding career achievement, as well as significant contribution to the community or the university within 15 years of graduation.

In October, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants appointed Diego Baca (Acct, MS) to the CPA Examination Board of Examiners and to the institute’s board for a three-year term. At 31, Diego is the youngest board member and hopes to contribute a fresh vision for the examination. Diego also is a member of the CU Boulder Latino Alumni Association’s board.

New Jersey native Blake Baldwin (Mktg) is one of 12 finalists competing on the latest season of Food Network Star, which premiered June 4. Blake recently switched careers, entering the culinary world after years of marketing and account management for tech start-ups.

On April 2 Marissa Hermanson (Jour) married Graham Moomaw, a journalist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Marissa is a lifestyle journalist who has contributed to Southern Living, Forbes Travel Guide, Cosmopolitan and other publications. She lives in Richmond, Va.

Patricia Krus (MClass) and Joshua Stanfield were married in May. The ceremony was held at the Sunrise Amphitheatre on Flagstaff Mountain above Boulder with a dinner and dance reception hosted at CU Boulder. Josh and Patty honeymooned in Costa Rica, then traveled to Germany in September to continue the celebration. They live in Boulder with their Aussie kelpie, Tessa.

Jeff Ruppert (MCDBio), co-founder and COO of Evo Hemp, one of the first hemp food companies in the U.S., has been leading the firm’s growth since 2011. He’s happy to support fellow CU Boulder students and currently works with senior Gabriela Moy (ChemEngr ex’17).

Steven Mokan (MBA) is the owner of Boulder County adventure travel company Chasing Epic. The company offers all-inclusive, guided mountain bike adventures to destinations in the western U.S., and includes custom trips, women-only trips and trips for experienced riders. Trip locations include Sedona, Crested Butte, Durango and Park City.

The Butterfly Groove: A Mother’s Mystery, A Daughter’s Journey is marketing professional and writer Jessica Barraco’s (Jour) first book. The memoir catalogs the life of her mother after she passed away at an early age. Jessica lives in San Diego.

Jeff Popp (PolSci), co-founder of Denverbased backpack company CO.ALITION, was featured on the TV show Shark Tank. CO.ALITION, which developed the first backpacks integrated with smart mobile technology — including power for charging mobile devices and wireless hard drives for uploading files or streaming movies — was selected from 50,000 other business to pitch to the “Sharks.” The episode aired Jan. 29, 2016.