Alumni Files
Alumni Updates
Vincci Choi (’97 ACC) is
now senior internal auditor for Countrywide
Financial Corp. in Westlake
Village, Calif.
Carol A. (Fenn) Damm (’83 FIN) is a
financial analyst in the Power Procurement finance
department for Southern California Edison
in Rosemead, Calif.
Kedren Dillard
(’00 MBA) is vice president, Card Services, in eCommerce Sales &
Fulfillment with Bank of America
in Phoenix.
Justin R. Fresques
(’05 ACC) is a director, policy processing, with Cunningham
Financial and resides in
Scottsdale.
Candace (Bullman) Gilman
(’00 MBA) is on leave as a financial analyst for UPS/SCS
and resides in Charlotte, N.C.
Matt L. Holdsworth
(’98 ACC) is a partner in Holdsworth & Larson CPAs PLLC
in Prescott.
Angelina G. Holthaus
(’84 CIS) is a software
engineer with Northrop Grumman Corporation
in El Segundo, Calif.
Julianne Jacobs
(’05 MKT; ’06 MBA) is a director of marketing for Personnel
Safety in Flagstaff.
Chuan Lu
(’02 MBA) is currently residing in Chandler, Ariz.
Jillian Mazura
(’03 ACC) is part of the acquisitions / dispositions team at
Equity Office Properties Trust
in Chicago.
Deborah Montague-Gordon
(’87 MBA) is with
State Farm Insurance and
resides in Frankfurt, Ill.
Frank J. Strocchio
(’96 ACC) is a corporate controller for Primus
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in
Scottsdale.
Lauren C. Tauscher
(’99 MBA) is a marketing/sales/educational consultant for
Informal Education Products
of Milwaukie, Oreg. Tauscher is currently founding a non-profit company,
Project Green Build.
Ross Tobler
(’02 ACC) is an assistant corporate controller with Woodside
Group, Inc. in North Salt
Lake, Utah and serves CBA as an NAU Accounting eMentor.
Jeffrey Underwood
(’04 ACC) is an internal auditor with Inter-Tel,
a telecommunications company in Tempe and serves CBA as an NAU Accounting eMentor.
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Paul Ernster
Arizona Daily Sun, October 12, 2006
Paul Ernster (’04 CIS), former NAU kicking star,
gets his shot after the Broncos cut their starting punter. Ernster,
a seventh-round draft pick by the team last year, played so well in
Sauerbrun’s stead that the Broncos released the three-time Pro
Bowler, officially tapping Ernster as their guy.
Ernster was to handle the Broncos kickoff duties last season but
blew out the knee in his kicking leg prior to the team’s second game
and his season was done.
I’m a walking testament to never give up," Ernster said. "It’s
not often you get a second chance in this league, but I’m glad I got
one and made the most of it." |
Alumni Excerpts
Dwight Spence
(’84 MKT)
NAU Grad Spence Scales Financial Ladder to Top
East Valley
Tribune
Emily Behrendt, August 20, 2006
Dwight Spence was named president of The Dollarhide
Financial Group, a general agency of the Massachusetts Mutual Life
Insurance Co. (MassMutual).
Spence said as president he plans to help Jeff
Dollarhide, president, chief executive officer and general agent of the
Arizona Agency of MassMutual, further increase MassMutual’s market share
in Arizona and New Mexico.
When Spence isn’t at the office, he has a different kind
of game plan. Spence can either be found skiing, mountain biking or
playing tennis.
He was the second youngest person to ever win the
Diamond Award for elite skiing at Mt. Snow, Vt., is a three-time tennis
club champion, played in two United States Tennis Association national
championships, and completed the 35-mile El Tour de Tucson bike race
with his wife and three young children.
"The competition side of anything, whether it be in
sports or in business, keeps things interesting and fun," Spence said.
Spence said an active lifestyle is necessary to keep up
the pace with what you need to do to run a business. He also said it’s
important to be able to get away from the business every once and a
while.
"The key," he said, "is to find whatever it is that you
have a passion for and do it."
His success philosophy? "The harder you work, the
luckier you get."
Linda Elliott-Nelson
(’85 MBA)
AWC Appoints New Dean of Instruction
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Business News - The Sun, Sarah Reynolds
September 30,
2006
For more than a decade, Yuma native Linda Elliott-Nelson
has served Arizona Western College as a professor (of Spanish) and
division chair (of modern languages), and now she’s taking that service
to the next level. Elliott-Nelson has been appointed the new AWC dean of
instruction. She will facilitate the organization of all the college’s
academic programs, oversee the programs’ budgets and deal with student
issues, as well as other matters.
Elliott-Nelson said her goal in the office is to
continue to reach out to the community by "home-growing" local
professionals. "We need an incredible amount of nurses, we need an
incredible amount of teachers, just to serve the population."
Clinton Pattea
(’59 FIN)
Clinton Pattea Helped Guide Fort McDowell Community to 2 Historical
Milestones
The Arizona Republic
(Phoenix)
Lois McFarland, September 28, 2006
During 40 years of tribal leadership, Clinton Pattea has
helped shepherd his community into a self-reliant state.
Pattea’s greatest marks have been on his community,
where he served as tribal president and council member. First elected to
the Tribal Council in 1960, he led the tribe through two historical
milestones.
In the early 1970s, he led the drive to halt
construction of Orme Dam, which would have flooded 17,000 acres of
Yavapai land.
Pattea also led the establishment of the Fort McDowell
Casino and other business enterprises. Another negotiation to his credit
was a gaming pact between Arizona’s governor and the tribe in 1992. The
agreement paved the way for Indian gaming in Arizona.
The recipient in 1999 of an honorary doctorate from NAU,
he has led educational efforts for not only Native Americans but also
for less fortunate non-Indian students.
Today the tribe takes pride in its economic development
which stems from Pattea’s leadership in creating jobs, building a hotel,
convention center and golf course and working with Fountain Hills and
Scottsdale to promote the history, culture and amenities the Fort
McDowell Yavapai Nation has to offer.
Mary and Mark Christensen
(Both ’02 ACC)
Young Entrepreneur in South Mountain District Boxes Up Success
South Mountain
District News
Karla Contreras,
October 22, 2006
At 28 years of age, Mary Christensen is not only
managing The UPS Store on 24th Street and Baseline, she proudly calls
herself the owner. "I recently changed my name tag from manager to
owner, and my customers tell me what a great accomplishment that is,"
she modestly stated after being asked how it feels to be her own boss.
About two years ago, she and husband Mark decided to enter the
entrepreneur world after noticing another The UPS Store in Mesa. "We
knew we wanted to open up our own business and once Mark saw that store
and the products and services, we knew this was what we wanted to do,"
she added.
Mary says the hardest part of owning her own business
was finding out what trade she wanted to focus on and creating a long
term plan.
Mary has some advice for anyone considering opening up their own
business: Make sure you have a strong business background and have the
drive to succeed and willingness to provide great customer service.
Alumni Obituary
Otis W. Rose
(’71 Bus. Eco.) died in the VA Hospital in Albuquerque, N.M. on August
11, 2006. His wife writes: "He was a proud graduate of the CBA and
spread the good word about NAU wherever he lived, locally or
internationally. He was also highly pleased to have been chosen Bus.
Admin. Outstanding
Student of the Year…The
family thanks all the good and true staff that taught, encouraged and
guided Otis during his tenure at NAU. He always felt blessed to have
received his degree there."
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