ClassNotes

Freshman Dorm: Campisi

Kristen Weaver ’97 writes that she received her M.A. in education in 1999 from Stanford University; volunteered in the U.S. Peace Corps from 2002 to 2005 as a curriculum development specialist in Nouakchott, Mauritania; and married her husband, Natnael, in November 2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Weaver is presently employed by the U.S. Department of State. Natnael is a newsletter editor who loves IT and woodworking. They currently live in Saudi Arabia.

Chantel Waterbury ’97, founder and CEO of chloe + isabel, was listed in "More 40 under 40" by Fortune magazine. Although the 37-year-old didn't make the main list of business' hottest rising stars, she was nevertheless recognized as being among the latest players on the direct-sales jewelry scene, helping sellers set up virtual store fronts and offering them a range of jewelry to hawk using their social networking savvy. Waterbury has more than 14 years of experience developing jewelry for retailers like Macys, Old Navy, and LVMH's DFS Galleria.

Danielle (Martinez) Sempek '97 welcomed daughter Kathryn McCullough Sempek into the world on Jan. 10, 2011 and son Noah James Sempek into the world on April 2, 2012. She is happily married and working as a registered nurse in Tallahassee, Fla.

Laura Lee Norris J.D. ’97 has been named founding director of the new Entrepreneur’s Law Clinic at Santa Clara's School of Law. 

Yan Yuen Brenda Lao MBA ’97 writes, "I am working at Hong Kong Baptist University now."

Joe Frontiera ’97 and Dan Leidl have completed their first book, Team Turnarounds. The book is distributed through publisher Jossey-Bass. Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner (the Accolti Professor of Leadership at the Leavey School of Business) have written the foreword.

Russell Dahl ’97 is an associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the Departments of Neuroscience and Pharmaceutical Science at The Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University, in North Chicago. Dr. Dahl is the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and an inventor on over 20 patents in small molecule therapeutics. He also directs the Laboratory for Molecular Design and Drug Discovery.

Leigh Burnside J.D. ’97, an attorney with Dowling Aaron Inc. of Fresno, received an “AV Preeminent” rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, which evaluates lawyers in the United States and Canada based on the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and judiciary. The rating is the highest possible professional rating designated by peers.

Burnside is chairman of the firm’s trust and estate litigation practice group.

Kristi M. Bowers ’90, MBA ’97 has joined SCU’s Board of Trustees. Bowers is marketing director for King Mountain Vineyards, a family business that is a French-style, sustainably farmed vineyard in Woodside, Calif. She is a director for The BASIC Fund, which has awarded $55 million in scholarships to more than 17,000 children over the past 14 years. A devoted SCU alumna who is highly involved in University events, since 1999 Bowers has served as an advisory board member for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, which was created by her parents, Linda and A.C. "Mike" Markkula, a founder and former CEO of Apple. She is also director of the family's philanthropic arm, the Markkula Foundation.

Colleen Blake ’97 was named one of Silicon Valley Business Journal’s “100 Women of Influence.” As sr. director, Global People Operations, Brocade Communications Systems Inc., Blake is a key partner in driving the company’s involvement in community initiatives for young girls and women, and is responsible for the company’s diversity and inclusion strategy, including the expansion of Brocade’s Women In Networking (WIN) initiative across the globe. Blake was named to the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 2012 "40 Under 40" list, and she is active in youth and women's organizations.

Imelda Wong ’98 married Jediah Kortens on June 23, 2012 at Northstar, Lake Tahoe. In attendance were fellow SCU alumni Jeff Prentice ’98, Amy Pearsall ’98, Angela (Wang) Fisher ’98, Meilissa Lum ’98, Malissa (Pena) Goldstein ’98, and Mary Grace Barasi ’98. Imelda is a teacher in San Jose, and Jediah works in HR.

Clark Stone J.D. ’98 joined Hogan Lovells as a partner in the intellectual property practice, based in Silicon Valley. Stone's practice focuses on litigation relating to patents, trademarks, Internet privacy, trade secrets, and business disputes for high technology clients, in federal and state courts and the ITC. He has handled cases involving semiconductor devices, manufacturing processes and equipment, electronic circuitry, global positioning systems, cellular handsets, patent licenses, commercial contracts, online trademark issues, software, electronic mail, and trade secrets misappropriation.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Stone worked in both technical and managerial positions for various semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies, including Applied Materials, Inc., and Novellus Systems, Inc. He has an extensive knowledge of semiconductor devices and manufacturing techniques, plasma etching and deposition, and Internet-related technologies.

A past president of the Santa Clara County Bar Association (2007), Stone has served as a volunteer arbitrator for the Santa Clara County Bar Association's Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Arbitration program since 2002, and also serves as a volunteer arbitrator for the State Bar of California's Mandatory Fee Arbitration program.

Robert P. Rutila J.D. '98 has returned to Ridenour, Hienton & Lewis in Phoenix, Ariz. He practices commercial litigation and is focused on construction law, landlord/tenant disputes, creditors rights, real estate, banking and general-contract issues.

Rachel (Palmer) ’98 and David Plut ’97 welcomed their third baby girl, Charlotte Sunshine, on August 20. The family lives in Spokane, Wash.

Jill Cardoza Painter '98 and Al Painter '95 welcomed Lilly Hannah Painter to their family Aug. 17, 2011.

Tina (Hughes) Nelson '86, M.A. '98 and Thomas—the adoption of their daughter, Antonia (Toni) Rose Nelson, on May 18, 2011. The family resides in Willow Glen/San Jose, Calif. Tina is currently the school library coordinator with the San Mateo County Office of Education while Tom is a senior system engineer with Lockheed Martin.

Meredith McKenzie J.D. ’98 was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown ’59 to the Dental Board of California. McKenzie has been vice president and deputy general counsel at Juniper Networks since 2012. She was senior director of intellectual property at Symantec Corporation from 2006 to 2012, director of litigation, licensing and IP for Cypress Semiconductor from 2001 to 2006 and corporate counsel and director of IP at Enuvis Inc. from 2000 to 2001. McKenzie was an associate for Howrey LLP from 1998 to 2000 and patent agent and design engineer at Intel Corporation from 1993 to 1998.

Jill Layfield ’98 contributed “The Trail to the Top” to The New York Times column "The Boss," about her career path. Layfield is the chief executive of Backcountry.com, an online retailer of outdoor gear based in Park City, Utah.

Cathy (Miller) Justl '98, M.A. '01  and David Justl '99 live in Wisconsin and are pleased to announce the arrival of Katherine Yeon Emma Justl, born March 17, 2011, in Osan, South Korea, home forever on August 30, 2012. She joins big sister, Kiya, age 4.

Olga Diaz ’98 was named Civic Leader of the Year at U-T San Diego’s second annual San Diego Latino Champions Awards ceremony.

Brian Crowley MBA ’98 joined MotionDSP, a Silicon Valley–based company that develops advanced, real-time image processing software for video enhancement and analytics, as director of federal solutions. Prior, Crowley led hardware, software, and services sales efforts throughout the U.S. intelligence community and U.S. Air Force for EMC and NetApp.

Jason M. Caskey ’98 is an attorney in the Intellectual Property and Information Technology group at Kutak Rock LLP, specializing in technology licensing, copyright, trademarks, and commercial transactions. His wife, Kirsten, and he welcomed their son Daniel Patrick on December 26, 2011, joining big sisters Grace (6) and Claire (4). The family lives in Omaha, Nebraska, but Jason makes it back to the Bay Area to visit with clients and friends as often as possible.