1960s
Congratulations to Ken Wiley ’62, who stepped down in December after 41 years of hosting the Art of Jazz show on KNKX-FM. The Seattle Times profiled Wiley in January 2024, calling his long-running Sunday afternoon show “beloved” and “eccentric.” Wiley, now 85, was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2003.
1970s
Scott Elder ’70 now lives in Auvergne, France. His second collection of poetry, Maria, was published in 2023 by Erbacce Press in Liverpool, UK. A third collection, My Hotel, is due in Spring of 2026 by Salmon Poetry in Ireland. Since 2014 his work has been published on both sides of the Atlantic, placed or commended in numerous competitions in the UK and Ireland, and shortlisted for the the Bridport, Fish, Plough, Aesthetica, and Troubadour prizes. Website: www.scottelder.co.uk.
Desera Towle ’74 is retired and living in Deer Lodge, Mont. She is an active member of the Deer Lodge Art Club and is involved with Deer Lodge historic preservation. She recently traveled to Santa Fe, N.M., on a Catholic Saints and Martyrs bus tour.
Randy Aliment ’77, JD’80 has been elected to serve as chair of the board of directors of USA Bobsled/Skeleton. He’ll also attend meetings as a representative to the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. He says he’s excited to lead the USABS board of Team USA next season and during the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
1980s
Bill Bakamus ’83 was profiled in The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.) and other media after retiring as boys’ basketball coach at Mark Morris High School in Longview, Wash. He had been a coach for 41 years, 32 of them at Mark Morris, where his teams were state runners-up three times. Bakamus was named Washington Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in 2023.
A short story by Rob Osler ’85, “Miss Direction,” published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September/October 2023, was a nominee for Best Short Story at the 2024 Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Awards. Osler also appeared on the Writers on the Edge (WROTE) Podcast to talk about his newest mystery novel, Cirque du Slay. The WROTE Podcast helps promote LGBTQIA+ authors, musicians, and other creatives to share their work.
The book Incurable Optimist: Living with Illness & Chronic Hope, by Jennifer Cramer Miller ’87, which was the cover story in the Autumn 2023 issue of Arches, won an International Impact Book Award in January. The book was honored in two categories: family and medical.
Pamela “Jorgie” Sjostrom Fuller ’88 has a new book, Disconnecting to Survive: Understanding and Recovering from Trauma-based Dissociation (Springer Publishing, December 2023). It is for individuals who are in trauma recovery who experience dissociation, and for those helping them. Fuller says, “I continue to enjoy my work, traveling, and being in the mountains with family and friends.”
1990s
Eric Bailey ’91 was inducted into the Business Travel Hall of Fame at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in December 2023. His induction was the culmination of more than 20 years working with the Microsoft travel program to improve the traveler experience through innovative technology and the drive for more sustainable business travel. Eric and his wife, Laurie Zettler ’90, live in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood with their three children.
Paul Weigel ’91 is the author of a new book, Iron Dad: A Cancer Survivor’s Story of Discovering Strength, Life, and Love Through Fatherhood, to be published in June. He also participated, along with Katie Couric, in a PSA about colorectal cancer. Paul was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer in the spring of 2013 and went through radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy—all while training for Ironman Whistler, which he finished in 2014. He has since done four more Ironman races and plans to wrap up his Ironman career at Ironman California in October. About the book, Weigel says, “The biggest thing I’m trying to do is share increased awareness—that colon cancer is the leading cause of death for men and the second leading cause of death among cancers, and that the recommended screening age has been lowered to 45. I was diagnosed when I was 43 and had had symptoms in my 30s.” More info at irondadbook.com.
Erica Stevens Vaughn ’95 is excited to share that her gap year consulting business, The Intentional Gap, is thriving, and she has been able to reconnect with many Loggers because of it. “Who knew that starting a business when you were 50 would be such a great idea?” she says. You can follow her on Instagram (@theintentionalgap) to find out about gap year opportunities around the world.
Julie Davidson ’96 was nominated for Tacoma’s 2024 City of Destiny Award, and named the winner in the Economic Development category. The awards, now in their 38th year, celebrate exceptional volunteers and professionals who have worked to drive Tacoma forward; the Economic Development category honors those who improve, encourage, and promote sustainable economic development for underrepresented communities. Davidson’s work focuses on helping women and BIPOC small business owners gain access to training resources, information, mentorship, and funding to help their businesses grow and thrive. Mayor Victoria Woodards shared in the award letter, “Your commitment is a very important part of what makes our city a great place to live.”
Brian Galicia ’96 reports, “I’m thriving with my amazing wife, Lisa Russell Galicia ’98, and grateful to have two teenage daughters and two English cream golden retrievers. On a professional level, I published a bestselling book on LinkedIn and have been recognized as a Top Voice on LinkedIn, all while enjoying a 17+ year career at Microsoft.” The book is Navigating LinkedIn for Sales: The Complete Guide to Social Selling, Sales Navigator, and Account-Based Marketing.
Congratulations to Galvin Deleon Guerrero ’96, president of Northern Marianas College, who received the 2024 Chief Executive Award by the board of Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education. The awards ceremony took place at APAHE’s annual conference in April in Oakland, Calif.
Rachel Martin ’96, Hon.’14 has launched a new podcast, Wild Card with Rachel Martin, in which she “rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life’s biggest questions,” according to NPR. Previously she was host of NPR’s Morning Edition and Up First. She was the subject of an Arches cover story in Autumn 2022.
Ryan Sanada ’97 of Honolulu has been elected to the board of the Hawai’i Employers Council. He is associate general counsel for Outrigger Hospitality Group, which manages about 40 resort locations worldwide; he also is also an officer and director of the nonprofit Outrigger CARES Foundation. He has a law dgree from the University of Hawai’i Richardson School of Law.
Regina Jorgenson ’98, director of astronomy at the Maria Mitchell Association (MMA), spoke about the total solar eclipse visible across North America at the MMA Science Speaker Series. Jorgenson began her career in astronomy with an internship at the Maria Mitchell Observatory in Nantucket, Mass., while she was a student at Puget Sound.
Tracy Y. Williams ’98 has joined international law firm Clark Hill as a senior attorney in the firm’s environmental and natural resources practice. She’ll be based in Denver. She is an environmental and natural resources attorney and advises clients on compliance and issues related to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, or Superfund) and related state laws. Williams came to Clark Hill from Beveridge & Diamond’s Seattle office.
President Biden in April announced his intention to nominate Amanda S. Jacobsen ’99 to be U.S. ambassador to Equatorial Guinea. A career member of the senior foreign service, Jacobsen currently serves as deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Embassy in Gaborone, Botswana. She majored in international political economy at Puget Sound.
2000s
West Mathison ’00, president/CEO of Stemilt Orchards, recently received the Apple Citizen of the Year Award at the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival. Since 1981, the award has recognized an individual who has contributed to Washington’s fruit tree industry. Stemilt specializes in apples, pears, cherries, and other tree fruits. Mathison also is a past president of the Washington Horticulture Association.
Oregon State Rep. Daniel Nguyen ’01 was recently appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence. The council is charged with developing recommendations for the effective use of artificial intelligence in state government, while addressing transparency, privacy, and equity concerns.
A book by Emese Czonka Parker ’02 received a 2024 Independent Press Award in the category Pregnancy & Childbirth. The book, To Carry Wonder: A Memoir and Guide to Adventures in Pregnancy and Beyond (Larkwell Press, 2023), aims to nurture, inspire, and equip pregnant and postpartum women. Parker is a nurse practitioner and also has a Master of Public Health degree.
Sarah Skubas ’04, a principal in the nationwide employment law firm of Jackson Lewis P.C., has been appointed to the board of directors of the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity. The LCD was formed to increase the representation of lawyers of color by uniting the resources and commitment of leading corporations, public sector entities, law firms, law schools, and state bar associations. Skubas is based in Jackson Lewis’ Hartford, Conn., office.
Congratulations to Washington State Senator T’wina Fields Nobles ’06, MAT’07, who in January was voted chair of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee. Nobles, who had been the committee’s vice chair, also is the caucus majority whip, vice chair of the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, and a member of the Transportation Committee and the Behavioral Health Subcommittee.
Kelsey Wells Parke ’08, MAT’09 has been promoted to director of career and technical education at Peninsula School District in Gig Harbor, Wash. She previously was principal of Kopachuck Middle School and CTE director for University Place School District.
2010s
Julia Kruper Jones ’11 has been promoted to associate vice president of growth marketing at KPS3, a marketing and communications agency in Reno, Nev. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Puget Sound and a master’s in business administration from the University of Nevada, Reno; she’s been with KPS3 since 2011.
Darcy Nelson ’12 recently released a single, “Keep the Land,” the third song in her forthcoming debut album. The song celebrates the connections between people and the planet, taking inspiration from the land stewards, advocates, farmers, and friends she has made living in Denver. She hopes the song sparks more curiosity about food systems and their role in combatting environmental issues.
Ana Sofia Arroyo Morales Reilly ’14 is the new owner of Red Elm Café, on Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood. Says her proud husband, Richard Reilly: “Sofie is a queer Mexican immigrant who has fulfilled her dream of owning her own café.”
Olivia P. Mitchell ’16 earned a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from Elon University in December.