Class Notes are back! Have you recently celebrated a marriage, welcomed a child, advanced in your career or achieved another milestone? We’d love to hear from you. Please send your life update (in 100 words or fewer) to classnotes@unr.edu.
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Class of '90 to '99
Nicola Neilon β95 (general studies)
Nicola Neilon ’95 (general studies), serves as vice chair of the board of directors for the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. She will become chair in October — the first Nevadan to hold the role.
Paula Riley β96 (social work)
Paula Riley ’96 (social work), writing as JoJo Riley, published “Yellow Moon Rising,” a Depression-era suspense novel and the first in a two-book series. She teaches continuing education courses at TMCC.
Steve Massey β98 M.S. (electrical engineering)
Steve Massey ’98 M.S. (electrical engineering) is chief technology officer of a high-power radio frequency (RF) platform, following the acquisition of his engineering firm, MegaRF Design, LLC, by ACP.
Gabriel Urza β99 (Spanish, English)
Gabriel Urza ’99 (Spanish, English) released his second novel, “The Silver State,” in July. The legal thriller is the follow-up to his acclaimed debut “All That Followed.”
Class of '00 to '09
Becky Bayley β00 (management), β03 MBA
Becky Bayley ’00 (management), ’03 MBA was promoted to vice president at Nevada Rural Hospital Partners and appointed to the National Rural Health Association’s Health Equity Council.
Machelle Miller β01 (general studies)
Machelle Miller ’01 (general studies) transitioned to private practice as a mental health counselor in 2024 and over the past year has expanded her work to a hybrid model of telehealth and in-person services.
Nicole (Chappell) Delgado β02 (English)
Nicole (Chappell) Delgado ’02 (English) was named the 2025 Nevada Assistant Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Brad Lucas β02 Ph.D. (English)
Brad Lucas ’02 Ph.D. (English) was promoted to professor of rhetoric and composition and associate dean of research and graduate studies at Texas Christian University, where he supports graduate students and faculty research.
Lawrence Tam β03 (supply chain management)
Lawrence Tam ’03 (supply chain management), a three-time national boxing champion at Nevada, and his wife Rebecca Haehn welcomed their first child, Parker, on July 23, 2024.
Sheena Harvey β06 (interior design), β14 M.S. (equity and diversity in educational settings), β23 Ph.D. (education)
Sheena Harvey ’06 (interior design), ’14 M.S. (equity and diversity in educational settings), ’23 Ph.D. (education), director of fitness and recreational sports for the 91·ηΓωΔρ³ͺ, has developed a new course on race, sports and culture which she teaches for the University’s Department of Gender, Race, and Identity.
D.J. Gothe β07 (economics)
D.J. Gothe ’07 (economics) was honored as a 2025 CFO of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal for leadership in finance.
Jennifer Richards β09 (information systems)
Jennifer Richards ’09 (information systems) was elected to the Reno Justice Court and began her first term in January.
Class of '10 to '19
Shirley Diaz β12 (international affairs, political science), β13 M.A. (economics)
Shirley Diaz ’12 (international affairs, political science), ’13 M.A. (economics) founded Diaz Vidales PLLC, a law firm focused on wills, trusts and estate planning, with offices serving Nevada, California and Washington, D.C.
Annie Allen β12 (international affairs, Spanish), β14 M.A. (foreign language and literature)
Annie Allen ’12 (international affairs, Spanish), ’14 M.A. (foreign language and literature) celebrated her one-year anniversary in August as chief operating officer at Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada.
Allie Galas β12 (elementary education)
Allie Galas ’12 (elementary education) received a national Milken Educator Award and a $25,000 cash prize. She is a fourth-grade teacher at Jessie Beck Elementary School.
Zach Fretz β12 (international business)
Zach Fretz ’12 (international business) was promoted to vice president, private wealth advisor, at U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, where he has worked since 2012.
Jennifer (Franklin) Orolfo β12 (human development and family studies) and Jushua Jay Orolfo β10 (information systems)
Jennifer (Franklin) Orolfo ’12 (human development and family studies) and Jushua Jay Orolfo ’10 (information systems) welcomed their second Wolf Pup, Leon Edwin, on July 29, 2024.
Steven Hammonds β13 (psychology, Spanish), β19 MSW (social work)
Steven Hammonds ’13 (psychology, Spanish), ’19 MSW (social work) is clinical supervisor for the Vitality Unlimited Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Reno. He is also a 2025 Nevada Alumni Association award recipient.
Korry Barnes β14 Ph.D. (chemistry)
Korry Barnes ’14 Ph.D. (chemistry) is assistant department head at the Navy’s Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Laboratory, where he helps protect public health by analyzing environmental and chemical hazards.
Curtis Hartzell β13 (civil engineering) and Sarah Hartzell β15 M.A. (criminal justice,) β24 Ph.D. (public health)
Curtis Hartzell ‘13 (civil engineering) and Sarah Hartzell ‘15 M.A. (criminal justice,) ‘24 Ph.D. (public health) welcomed a daughter, Lily, on Oct. 7, 2024.
Matthew King β15 (geography, Spanish), β18 M.A. (world languages, literatures)
Matthew King ’15 (geography, Spanish), ’18 M.A. (world languages, literatures), is a learning designer for Boston University’s BU Virtual, creating online courses that expand access to education.
Lindsey Forbes β16 (mathematics) β18 M.A. (educational leadership)
Lindsey Forbes ’16 (mathematics) ’18 M.A. (educational leadership) is associate data coordinator at GreatSchools.org, helping families make informed education decisions.
Kate (Dunlap) Levia β16 (journalism), β19 M.A. (higher education administration)
Kate (Dunlap) Levia ‘16 (journalism), ‘19 M.A. (higher education administration) married Yonatan Levia on Nov. 2, 2024, in San Diego, California.
Matt Denney β18 (secondary education)
Matt Denney ’18 (secondary education) was named recruitment coordinator for the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona, supporting student engagement and enrollment.
Taissa Lytchenko β18 (psychology), β24 M.S. (psychology)
Taissa Lytchenko ’18 (psychology), ’24 M.S. (psychology), was named programming and marketing coordinator for the Graduate Student Association at the 91·ηΓωΔρ³ͺ, after years of leadership and advocacy.
Kurstin Sirotek β18 (community health sciences)
Kurstin Sirotek ’18 (community health sciences) serves as environmental coordinator for the City of Elko, leading efforts in environmental health and public education.
Marissa Gillis β19 (international business)
Marissa Gillis ’19 (international business) helps lead a startup that created a biosensor technology to make drug development faster and more affordable.
Vick Singh β19 Ph.D. (materials science and engineering)
Vick Singh ’19 Ph.D. (materials science and engineering) is chief operating officer at Dragonfly Energy, a battery technology company, where he oversees operations and advances research in energy storage.
Class of '20 to '25
Nathan Camp β20 M.D.
Nathan Camp ’20 M.D. completed a fellowship in interventional spine and sports medicine and is now practicing in eastern Oregon.
Joseph Sciancalepore β21 MPH
Joseph Sciancalepore ’21 MPH is clinic operations program manager at the Adult Urgent Care Center at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, overseeing daily operations and improvements.
Logan Lathrop β22 (information systems)
Logan Lathrop ’22 (information systems) graduated from Harvard Law School in May.
Sammy Sadovia β22 (mathematics)
Sammy Sadovia ’22 (mathematics) is a real-time energy trader at Puget Sound Energy in Seattle.
Ria Anand β25 (cellular and molecular biology)
Ria Anand ’25 (cellular and molecular biology) joined the Madireddy Lab at Rutgers Cancer Institute in New Jersey as a postdoctoral associate, where she researches Fanconi anemia, a rare genetic condition that affects children’s blood and bone marrow.