Class Notes

1960s

Deanna Claire Dick, 1964, Zoology, had a 30-year career in clinical laboratory science, working in hospital and outpatient laboratories in California and Washington. She retired from Humboldt Central Laboratory in 2000 but returned in 2016. She worked for United Indian Health Services, traveling from Arcata to Weitchpec, Klamath, and Fortuna. She retired again in 2018.

Donald Moseley, 1964, Economics, was born in Scotia, California, to Adeline (Safford) and John Moseley on March 10, 1942, and passed away on May 11, 2020, surrounded by his family. He graduated from Eureka High School, served in Vietnam, and worked as a regional transportation manager for Hershey Chocolate in Oakdale. He was a Stockton resident for 46 years. In retirement, he often taught digital photography for Stockton Institute for Continued Learning at San Joaquin Delta College. Photography was his passion, and he enjoyed world travels that gave him photo opportunities. He was an avid reader and loved movies and games. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, daughters Jennifer Moseley and Michelle Espy, and grandchildren Amber, Joseph, and Zachary Espy.

Kent K. Willis, 1969, Biological Sciences, earned his teaching credential in 1970 at Humboldt State. He taught middle school in Fortuna, California, for 42 years, as an 8th grade teacher, basketball and track coach, and vice principal. He earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate over these years. His wife, Marsha (Gallon), who is also a teacher, graduated from Humboldt State as well. They have two children, one who also graduated from Humboldt State. He retired from teaching in 2013 but has continued to coach 8th grade boys’ basketball. A memoir, Teaching 42+, of his years of teaching has been published by Amazon, as has his most recent book, An Auto Biography, which has stories about him driving the bus for biology class field trips at Humboldt State.

Barbara Brovelli-Moon, 1967, Sociology, was awarded the 2021 Alaska SeaLife Center’s Marine Science Outreach Award. This award is given to a person or team that has made an outstanding contribution to ocean literacy. It is sponsored by the Alaska Ocean Observing System. After retiring from over 40 years in education, Brovelli-Moon’s passion for teaching and Alaska’s wildlife continues through her company, Ocean Otter Publishing. She has written and published six field guide books for children and families about Alaska’s animals, filling a niche previously unavailable to youth. Her work is a valuable resource that helps children connect to the living creatures in Alaska and teaches them they can make a difference.

1970s

Gary Coyne, 1973, Oceanography, worked for 40 years as a scientific glassblower, with over 30 years at Cal State University, Los Angeles. While working at CSULA, he wrote The Laboratory Companion and had a wonderful career helping to make glass apparatus used in general labs and many one-of-a-kind apparatuses used by chemists, geologists, biologists, and physicists. He retired in 2015 and since then has gone deeper into his hobby of woodworking and has spent more time on his bike. He also helps Adobe in its forums, answering questions on things such as Lightroom, Photoshop, Acrobat, and other related programs. In addition, he still provides support to the national organization American Scientific Glassblowers Society.

Don Treasure, 1974, Wildlife, spent 37 years working for and with the federal government as a biological technician, environmental protection specialist, and environmental specialist. He is now retired.

Bob Freeman, 1976, Biological Sciences, retired from his job as a public health microbiologist and lab director but is still writing software for the laboratory information management system. Freeman also writes science fiction.

Nancy Ross-Flanigan Pokerwinski, 1976, Biological Sciences, is now focused on writing memoir and fiction after a rewarding career as a science writer for the Detroit Free Press and the University of Michigan. Her memoir, “Mango Rash: Coming of Age in the Land of Frangipani and Fanta,” was published by Behler Publications in 2019, after winning first place in the memoir/nonfiction category of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Awards. She is working on a novel about creativity, outsider art, and madness.

Paul J. von Hartmann, 1978, Special Major in Art, Wildlife Behavior, and Journalism, has been an international cannabis scholar and filmmaker for the past 30 years. He wrote a book and made the film,“Cannabis vs. Climate Change: How hot does Earth have to get before all solutions are considered?”

Daniel Mandell, 1979, History, wrote The Lost Tradition of Economic Equality in America, 1600-1880. The book was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in April 2020. He used that work to write commentaries on current issues for the Washington Post, Time, and The Conversation, which were then republished in various newspapers.

1980s

Dennis Halligan, 1980, Fisheries Biology, fished in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea for 12 years before and after graduation. During that time, he also owned and operated an oyster mariculture company in Humboldt Bay. Halligan has been a fish and wildlife biologist for the past 30 years and has worked on hundreds of projects including the decommissioning of the Humboldt Bay nuclear power plant, permitting the Klamath Dam removal, and a wide variety of construction, watershed restoration, and fish and wildlife surveys. Halligan hopes to retire in a couple of years but loves his job and will probably work part-time until he drops. Cheers!

Bill Ramos, 1980, Forestry & Wildland Resources, has been re-elected to his second term as a representative in the Washington State House.

Charles Lamb, 1983, Biological Sciences, completed a Ph.D. in Neurophysiology at Louisiana State University in 1991 after graduation from HSU. During his doctoral studies, he spent one year conducting research at Kagoshima University School of Dentistry in Kagoshima, Japan. He then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center from 1991 to 1995. Since 1995, he has been a faculty member at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. His positions there have included professor of Biology, chair of the School of Natural Sciences, and chief research officer for the university.

Michael Mooradian, 1983, Business, retired in March 2020 after more than 32 years with the Los Angeles County Assessor. “A lot of hard work and taxpayer contact wore me down, and now, at last, the old gray mare ain’t what she used to be,” Mooradian said. He now volunteers his time with the Armenian Relief and Development Association. This organization builds housing, sends food and clothing, and maintains a healthcare facility in Armenia for the benefit of impoverished Armenians. Many of these people have been living in cargo containers since an earthquake in 1988. Mooradian thanks the God of the Bible for his education at Humboldt State University and the benefits it provided him throughout his life.

Robert Miller, 1984, Oceanography, is the co-owner and CFO of Sea Dwelling Creatures Inc. and founder of The Coral Ark.

Veronica Sirkis Dunning, 1984, Economics and Spanish, published Violet Ribbons, a finalist in the San Diego Book Awards. The book is available on Amazon and Kindle and is an enjoyable read for escaping with fiction in these trying days. Violet Ribbons provides positive, encouraging messages of self-worth and dignity.

Dan Severson, 1985 and 1987, Wildlife, spent 39 years working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on eight national wildlife refuges in California, Oregon, South Dakota, Kansas, and North Dakota as a wildlife biologist, assistant refuge manager, and the last 12 years as a project leader over a complex of refuges and wetland management districts in North Dakota. He retired Jan. 1, 2021, and will spend retirement golfing, hunting, fishing, and woodworking. He lives in Jamestown, North Dakota, and has three daughters and three grandchildren.

Michael Tuffly, 1988, 1995, Forestry & Wildland Resources and Natural Resources, has worked for various state, federal, and non-governmental organizations over the years. He completed a Ph.D. in Forest Science from Colorado State University in 2012. He has his own consulting business, ERIA Consultants,LLC and lives in Boulder, Colorado. He consults with private and public entities all over the world on forest carbon sequestration, wildfire mitigation and assessment, and various wildlife habitat enhancements. For the past 10 years, he has been climbing 14,000+ foot peaks in Colorado with two other HSU alumni.

1990s

Kristin Klamm-Doneen, 1992, Philosophy, serves as the chair of the Philosophy & Humanities Department at Anoka Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. She obtained her Ph.D. in Practical Philosophy from Stockholm University, her M.A. in Individual Studies: Comparative Philosophy & Religion from Central Washington University, and an M.A. in Practical Philosophy. When pursuing one of her advanced degrees, she was very pleased to take a distance learning class in advanced logic from her Humboldt State University advisor, Michael Goodwin. She absolutely loves her job in Minnesota, where she has taught full-time in Philosophy for the past 15 years. “Thank you, HSU, for the great start!”

Carrie Leonard, 1992, Oceanography, has moved to implementing policy to address climate change and racial justice at the Oregon State Legislature following 20-plus years of research and managing research operations. She’s excited to move to implementing ideas instead of answering questions.

Daniel Macomber, 1992 (B.A.), 1997 (M.A.) English, is the manager of Cornerstone Sober Living at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission in Santa Barbara. Macomber says, “COVID-19 has presented many challenges, but they shall continue to be overcome! I am also an independent contractor in the field of educational assessment/measurement. Great memories of my years at HSU!”

1990s Continued

Laura Aguada-Hallberg 1993, World Languages & Cultures, made the move to higher education after 20 years as a public school teacher and school administrator. She was hired as an assistant professor at Benerd College, University of the Pacific in 2018. She launched a new doctoral program in the fall of 2019 and in July 2020 was appointed assistant dean of Benerd’s Learning, Leadership and Change graduate programs.

Christopher Scott Neamtzu, 1993, Natural Resources, is currently serving as the community development director at the City of Wilsonville in Oregon, where he has been employed for 26 years, starting as an assistant planner. He owes his initial start with the city to past HSU professor Stephen Lasbrook, who originally hired Neamtzu on a temporary basis, and to HSU for connecting him to such an amazing mentor. He lives with his wife of 23 years, and fellow HSU alumni, Margot Fervia-Neamtzu, in Sherwood, Oregon, along with their son Jonathan Forest. Caring for and protecting the natural environment has consistently been the heart and soul of his professional career, a deep moral undertaking that is rooted in his time at HSU.

Katrina S. Hagen-Radlick, 1994, Politics, was appointed by the governor of California as the director of the Department of Industrial Relations, based in Oakland. The Department of Industrial Relations’ core functions include Cal/OSHA, Division of Workers Compensation, and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

Tyler Smurr, 1995, Forestry & Wildland Resources, was recently promoted to vice principal for an elementary school in San Antonio, Texas.

Joseph E. Torralba, 1996, Sociology, retired from the Department of Justice-Bureau of Prisons after 22 years. Torralba served previously in Los Angeles and Lompoc, California, and Hazelton, West Virginia.

Matthew Woodman, 1998, English, was named the 2019-2020 Kern County Poet Laureate.

2000s

Robert Deane, 2007, History and Journalism, works in the Public Services Department of the Oregon Tech Library in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He graduated with his M.A. Ed. in Social Studies from Western Governors University in 2019 and is nearing completion of his master’s degree in Library Science: Children & Youth Services from St. John’s University.

Sara Dykman, 2008, Wildlife, has published her first book, Bicycling with Butterflies. She describes it as part science, part adventure, part love letter to nature. It tells the story of her 10,201-mile bicycle adventure following the monarchs from Mexico to Canada in 2017.

Chad Kaufman, 2008, World Languages & Cultures, Spanish Language & Literature, worked at a bilingual school before moving to Cholula, Mexico, to pursue a master’s degree. In 2011, he graduated with an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from La Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Mexico. He then moved back to Minnesota with his amazing spouse to be close to family. Kaufman has been working as a full-time Spanish interpreter at Children’s Minnesota, a system of pediatric clinics and hospitals.

Aydee Zielke, 2008, Environmental Science & Management, obtained her dream job, joining the San Dieguito River Park JPA, taking on the role as the park environmental planner. Her work includes habitat conservation, preservation, planning, permitting, and mitigation for trails and parkland. She is also using her cartography skills to create map exhibits and maintain and update GIS data. She had worked for various private consulting firms and earned a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Hawaii (2015). She met her husband while studying at Humboldt, and they have taken on the role of parents, raising their two outgoing children in Coastal North County San Diego.

Jason Atherton, 2009, Communication, went to graduate school at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He lived with an HSU classmate while studying Educational Leadership and Policy. After completing his master’s degree, Jason held positions at universities in Florida, Michigan, and Utah. In 2019, Jason won Outstanding Academic Advisor for the local, state, and national advising conferences. He now lives in Salt Lake City and works with two other HSU alumni who share his same birthday. Atherton appreciates how ahead HSU was in diversity and social justice issues and is amazed how conversations that were happening in Arcata 10 years ago are now in public discourse. Go, Jacks!

2010s

Rae Miller, 2010, Business, and her husband quit their jobs and hit the road to travel in an RV full-time. They started a blog (getawaycouple.com) and began sharing everything they have learned about RVing there. Along the way, they’ve made incredible friends who live the same lifestyle, and they created a business with them called RV Masterclass. This is an online education platform for new RVers who want to learn how they, too, can live life full-time on the road. She wants to share with HSU that they recently sold their first business, RV Masterclass! She gives credit to her Business degree for helping her live this exciting lifestyle.

Ryan Bieker, 2012, Politics, utilizes data to examine and interpret changes in California retirement law and how it will affect CalPERS’ actuarial responsibility to the State of California. Bieker is married to Rita Dunn (‘13, Politics), who is in her final year of law school and is currently clerking with U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Claire.

Brittany Britton, 2012, Art, received her Master of Fine Arts in Craft from the Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2015. Britton moved back home to Humboldt County and worked as an Art History lecturer at College of the Redwoods at the Klamath-Trinity Instructional Site in Hoopa. From 2018 to 2020, Britton was the curator/registrar of the Native American collection at the Clarke Historical Museum. In June, 2020, Britton became the gallery director of the Reese Bullen and Goudi’ni Native American Arts galleries at Humboldt State University.

Trever McSwain, 2012, Politics, has been practicing law in Indiana since 2016. He is a captain in the Indiana National Guard Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps and a legal aid attorney for Indiana Legal Services Military Assistance Project, where he assists low-income veterans.

Patrick Murphy, 2013, Environmental Science & Management, has been working for the Orange County Water District for the past six years. His job consists of water-quality monitoring through the sampling and water-quality data analysis of many groundwater and surface-water sites. Murphy has also recently obtained an M.S. in Environmental Studies from California State University, Fullerton.

Jon Mann, 2014, Biological Sciences, has created and launched his own business, a laboratory calibration company.

Emilie Uemura, 2015, Anthropology, has worked as an archaeological technician for the Six Rivers National Forest, the Pike National Forest, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Lassen National Park, and DZC Archaeology since graduating from HSU. Working closely with natural resource and land managers, her interests grew to include sustainable communities, climate resiliency, environmental protection, and GIS. She is now pursuing a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree at Eastern Washington University.

Mariko-(Jade) Takimoto, 2016, International Studies, was fortunate enough to teach for a year abroad in Seville, Spain, after graduation. Once she returned to the United States, she worked as an advisor for entertainment-art students at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Now she is a recruiter/sourcer for Sony PlayStation - Santa Monica Studio, God of War team. Takimoto says, “None of this would have been possible if not for the support of the HSU staff and faculty, especially those in the departments of World Languages & Cultures and International Studies, and Center for International Programs. Thank you all for the support you have shown me and your willingness to continue to inspire students to be the very best version of themselves. Thank you, HSU! <3”

Julie Tyler, 2016, Liberal Studies Elementary Education, recently received their multiple-subject credential and moved back to Humboldt County over the summer. They are now working at a local elementary school in Arcata, a place they love with all their heart.

Ryan Ward, 2017, History, obtained a teaching credential from San Jose State University and was hired as a government and economics teacher at Westmont High School. After teaching two classes for the 2020-21 academic year, he was hired to a full-time position for the 2021-22 school year.

Karleigh Shepard, 2019, English, is a Master of Public Policy candidate at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs. She has been appointed to the executive board of the Association of Master of Public Policy Students as engagement chair.