ClassNotes

Carlos Manuel Chavarría '95 is the Director of the Theatre Program at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY. He recently published his one-man show "La Vida Loca: an Apolitical in-your-face Odyssey of a Mexican Immigrant," and is in negotiations for an edited anthology of Chicano Plays, as well as awaiting the publication of his play "Lloronas." Carlos recently received a faculty development grant to research and write a play about Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo and will be traveling to London to teach at King's College and attend the summer Olympics in July 2012.

Lisa A. Cesario M.A. ’95 is the new superintendent at the Las Lomitas School District, leaving her six-year post as an assistant superintendent of the Santa Clara Unified School District.

William "Bill" S. Carter ’71, MSEE ’95 was selected as a School of Engineering Centennial Award recipient in recognition of his many contributions to the profession of engineering and to his alma mater. While earning degrees in electrical engineering at SCU, he was selected for membership in three national honor societies: Tau Beta Pi (engineering), Eta Kappa Nu (electrical engineering), and Alpha Sigma Nu (Jesuit). This 30-year veteran of the tech industry began his career at Zilog, where he designed and managed the design of NMOS microprocessors and peripherals. He later joined Xilinx, where he helped pioneer the development on the first Field Programmable Gate Arrays, a market that Xilinx invented and continues to dominate. Today he is Xilinx Fellow, the highest position a person can earn on a technical level. A Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award recipient, Carter also serves on the School of Engineering’s Industry Advisory Board and currently is a member of SCU's Board of Fellows, and member of the Center for Science, Technology, and Society Advisory Board. He has authored and co-authored several technical papers, holds 10 U.S. patents, and recently traveled to India with SCU faculty.

Michael Cannestra MBA ’95 was named vice president of business development at Horizon Technology, an international distributor of storage devices, displays and system parts.

Cannestra has more than 20 years of progressive sales operations and financial experience. He will be responsible for all facets of business development for Horizon Technology including the strategic partnerships, channel development and acquisition of the new business and sales operations. He comes to Horizon Technology from Western Digital as senior director of sales operations for the Hitachi Global Storage Technologies brand. Prior to WD, Cannestra was the senior director of sales operation at Seagate.

Maire O'Keefe Byrne '90 expanded her catering business in the fall of 2009 to open Thyme Café and Market in Santa Monica. Thyme Café specializes in seasonal fresh gourmet foods.

Nicole Bugna-Doyle '95 and E. John Doyle IV '95 welcomed twin boys, Colin and Thomas Doyle on November 19, 2011. The family lives in Los Angeles.

Kevin and Devon (Woodfin) Beals '00 welcomed their first child, Zachary Matthew Beals, on December 16, 2008.

David Banmiller ’95 is a managing director at KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., the corporate and investment banking arm of KeyCorp.

Banmiller joined KeyBanc Capital Markets from Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Houston, where he served as director of investment banking and managed client relationships, both US and international, in the upstream, midstream and oilfield services sectors within the energy and power group. Before Bank of America Merrill Lynch, he was a vice president at Bank of America NA in Dallas.

Reza Aslan ’95 is speaking at the University Forum Distinguished Lecture Series this spring at Appalachian State University. Aslan’s lecture is titled “Understanding Muslims and the Future of the New Middle East” and addresses a drastic shift taking place in the Middle East.

A new generation of youth in the Middle East are clamoring for their rights and freedoms, and they drastically outnumber their elders. Seventy-five percent of the population of the Middle East is under the age of 35, and 50 percent is under the age of 25. The young, educated, and politically motivated youth in places like Iran, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and beyond have a new vision – one that represents their values, not the values of a ruling elite or of the generation that preceded them.

Aslan is a world-renowned expert on the Middle East, its history, economy, culture and populations. In this eye-opening talk, Aslan goes beyond skin-deep punditry and reveals the true nature of these historic societal changes. What motivates the Muslim youth of today? What will the new Middle East look like? How will these sudden regime changes affect the world’s economic and political climate? With unparalleled authority and eloquence, Aslan unravels the complexities of the new Middle East and shows audiences what the future holds for this often misunderstood part of the world.

Aslan is the author of the international bestseller No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which has been named by Blackwell Publishers as one of the 100 most important books of the last decade. It’s now available in 13 languages. Aslan appears regularly in the media, on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and The Colbert Report, among other high-profile outlets. He has degrees in religion from Santa Clara University, Harvard and UC Santa Barbara, as well as a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction.

Matt Armanino J.D. '95 is chief executive officer of Armanino McKenna LLP of San Ramon, the largest CPA firm headquartered in California.

Bridget (Branson) Albert '95 and husband Mark Albert welcomed the birth of their second son, Samson Steam, in May 2009. Samson joins big brother William Hawkeye in their home in Bend, Oregon.

Paul Aggarwal MBA '95 was appointed as vice president of pre-construction services from his former position as vice president of estimating at Cupertino Electric, Inc. Aggarwal will set the strategic direction for the company's pursuit of new projects and oversee all pre-construction activities. 

Bernard Zanck ’67 writes, "My son, Bernie Zanck ’96, just graduated from University of Chicago with an MBA on March 22, 2013. He was also the Director of Recruitment for the university's MBA program, and during his time as director he spent 3 years in London recruiting for the program."

Freshman Dorm: Campisi

Jacquie Walker '96 writes: "My husband Matt Walker '95 and I live in Dallas, Texas with our two boys, Barrett (5) and Casey (3). I worked for an investment bank in New York as a graduate recruiter before moving to Texas in 2006 and 'retiring.'"

Garrett Wade '96 and his wife Lisa welcomed their first child, Emily Marie Wade, into the world on June 11, 2010.

Garrett Wade '96 and his wife Lisa welcomed their second daughter, Madison Riley Wade, into the world June 4, 2012.

Stephanie (Melia) Tsiagkas '96 and husband Nick welcomed their second daughter, Katherine Anne, on Oct. 12, 2008. The family currently resides in Sunnyvale with 3-year-old daughter Amelia.

Mary Trujillo '96 earned her master's degree in Spanish from the University of Colorado.

Alison Tanigawa ’96 was named advertising and media director for Island Insurance Company in Hawaii. Tanigawa, who has nearly 15 years of experience, will be responsible for managing the company’s advertising and media activities.  Prior she was the marketing manager for DTRIC insurance.

Eric Swenson MBA '96 welcomed Katelyn Olive Oct 15, 2009 who joins 5-year-old brother Ethan. The family recently relocated to the Pheonix, Ariz. area.

Alison (Beimfohr) Stanely '96 and husband Shawn welcomed their second child, Trevor Alan Stanley, on June 23, 2009.  He joins big sister Lauren, 2, in the family's Dallas, Texas home. 

Carrie Ann Shirota '96 has been named a 2009 Open Society Institute Justice Fellow. A lawyer and advocate in Wailuku, Hawaii, Shirota  will work to mitigate and reduce the transfer of incarcerated Hawaiians to mainland prisons thousands of miles away. Hawaii's growing reliance on transfers severs family ties, disconnects Hawaiians from cultural traditions, gives rise to prison gangs, and complicates community reintegration. 
 

Christopher Shepherd '95, principal with Shepherd & Associates Insurance Services of San Jose, and Sarah Almazol Shepherd '96 proudly announce the birth of their first child, Olivia Almazol Shepherd on June 29, 2011. The family resides in Santa Clara and are loving every minute with little Olivia.

Jim Schiechl '96 and Mary Higgins Schiechl CPE '00 welcomed a son into the family on December 9, 2010. Alexander James (AJ) joins his 4-year-old sister Julia. Jim now works as a middle school principal for the Kent, Wash., school district. Jim and Mary live in Auburn, Wash.