Alumni NewsSpring 2025

1970s

David C. Antonucci, M.S. ’74, published the book Geology of the Lake Tahoe Basin — History and Features with Fonthill Media.

K.C. Bacon, ’74, published Poems, Prose, One Liners, and Cartoon, available on Amazon. Bacon is the author of two collections of poetry, two collections of aphorisms, a novella, a comic novel and a volume of short stories. In addition, six of his paintings are housed with the School of History, Philosophy and Religion. Learn more about his work.

Suzanne Barchers, Ed.M. ’73, has 300 books in print, ranging from children’s books to teacher resources to two college textbooks. She chairs the educational advisory board for Lingokids, a literacy app used by millions of children around the world, and frequently appears on national television, speaking on educational and parenting issues. Learn more.

Miriam (MacVicar) Berkeley, ’74, co-founder of the nonprofit Mexico Medical Missions, was featured in the magazine Texas Monthly. The article explores her work with her husband to bring medical care to the isolated Tarahumara people of Mexico’s Chihuahua state.

KC Cowan, ’79, signed a four-book deal with Dragonblade Publishing for a Regency Romance series. The first book will be published in 2026. Learn more.

Arthur Rathburn, M.S. ’72, Ph.D. ’80, published his ninth book, To a Better Place, a historic novel based on the life of an English couple who settled in Massachusetts in 1654.

1980s

Julia Brim Edwards, ’84, was elected to a four-year term beginning January 2025 as a Multnomah County commissioner representing District 3. Brim Edwards had served a partial term in the position since June 2023 after filling a seat left by a departing commissioner.

Keith Wilson, ‘86

Keith Wilson took office this January as the first Oregon State alumnus to serve as mayor of Portland. He won in the city’s inaugural ranked-choice election and will lead under its new council-oriented form of government. Wilson, the owner and CEO of TITAN Freight Systems, a fossil-fuel-free trucking company, founded the nonprofit Shelter Portland and political action committee Breathe Easy Oregon.

Steven T. Clark, ’88, president and CEO of family-owned heating and fuel distribution company Genesee Energy, was appointed to the Board of Directors of Federated Insurance Companies.

Amy Hackett, ’83, retired as the longest-serving athletic director in University of Puget Sound’s history. Her 21 years there were part of a 40-year career in athletics administration. At OSU, Hackett majored in physical education and was a student representative on the athletics board, as well as a member of Delta Gamma where she made lasting friendships.

Marie Marston, ’80, senior project manager at Davis Evans and Associates in Tustin, California, was named one of the American Public Works Association’s top 10 public works leaders of the year.

Bill Rompa, MSB ’88, published the book Power Pro Man: An Allegory of a Lesser Known Vietnam Era Air Force Warrior, available from LifeRich Publishing. Learn more.

Loretta Smith, ’87, was elected as a member of Portland City Council for District 1, and took office in January 2025.

Shane Wall, ’88, partner at the venture capital firm Fusion Fund, was profiled in The Cross & Crescent magazine. A veteran of technology companies including HP and Intel, Wall co-founded the software imaging products company PrintPaks and served on the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology during the Obama and Trump administrations. Read the article.

1990s

Kara H. Daley, ’95, attorney at the Cherry Tree Law Firm in Corvallis, published Final Thoughts: A Guide for Those Left Behind, an estate planning workbook, available at Powell’s and Amazon.

Mike Hylland, M.S. ’90, recently retired after a 35-year career in geology. He worked as a geologist for the U.S. Forest Service at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington; as an engineering geologist with GeoEngineers in Redmond, Washington; and then spent 30 years with the Utah Geological Survey in Salt Lake City, retiring as deputy director.

Hanna (Lentz) Valva, ’97, was promoted to chief technology officer for Wilshire, a leading global financial services firm.

Beverly Hobbs, Ph.D. ’93

Beverly Hobbs, a pioneer in Oregon 4-H Latino outreach and the inclusion of young children, was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame at the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals conference in Boise, Idaho. Under her leadership at OSU Extension Service’s 4-H Youth Development program, her team designed, implemented and evaluated programs to attract Latino youth and families that influenced the development of similar programs within Oregon and across the nation. Hobbs was also instrumental in the creation of the 4-H Cloverbuds program (formerly Oregon Adventures) for children ages 5 to 8.

Photo courtesy of OSU Extensions

2000s

Luke Betts, ’02, senior safety management consultant for SAIF Corporation, received the American Society of Safety Professionals Broken Top Chapter (Central Oregon) Safety Professional of the Year Award.

Nicole DeCosta, ’05, is celebrating 10 years this April as an on-air TV personality for Portland’s CW. She also works for KOIN 6 and is known for her uplifting lifestyle stories and celebrity interviews, and for highlighting events around town. She got her start as a student writing for The Daily Barometer and reporting live on KBVR News. Learn more at NicoleDeCosta.com.

Mike Dill, ’07, the director of advocacy and sustainability at Organically Grown Company, was appointed to a two-year term on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. Dill also serves as chair of the Oregon Organic Coalition, vice-chair of the Organic Trade Association’s Produce Sector Council and coordinator of the Organic Produce Wholesalers Coalition.

Sean Morrow, ’07, has served as a health volunteer with the Peace Corps in The Gambia since 2022. Previously, Morrow served in Ethiopia from 2016 to 2018, as well as in The Gambia from 2019 to 2020.

Krysta Smith, ’07, took a new position as senior tax manager with Kernutt Stokes.

2010s

Jonathan Gallion,’12, vice president of artificial intelligence and machine learning for OmniScience, was honored with the College of Science’s Early Career Award. Gallion and his team are making it possible to draw insights from the complex datasets generated by biopharmaceutical clinical trials by leveraging the power of large language models.

Valerie McKellar, ’10, was promoted to director of investment operations and lead of the investment oversight team at SageView Advisory Group.

Aida Rahmattalabi, M.S. ’16, a research scientist at SonyAI, was honored as one of 2024’s “100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics” by WAIE. At SonyAI, she focuses on fundamental research on responsible artificial intelligence, creating benchmark datasets and metrics to evaluate algorithms, and applying these insights to operationalize AI ethics.

Edwin Wollert, Ph.D. ’17, founded Stone Ring Press to nurture exceptional new writing talent. Check out his new book with the press, The Philosopher’s Wife, available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Joyce Braden Harris, ’73

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alumni Legacy Award

Joyce Braden Harris, a longtime educator and Black activist, was only 19 when she co-founded the Black Education Center in Portland. Originally a summer school program focused on teaching elementary-age children reading, math and African American cultural history, it later evolved into a private school. Harris built a career as a champion for culturally responsive education and Black students’ success. “I’ve dedicated my personal and professional life to working to improve the lives of children, youth and the communities who have historically been denied access to equitable and high-quality educational experiences and outcomes,” she said. In the mid-1980s, Harris was recruited by Portland Public Schools to contribute to the Baseline Essays project, which aimed to give teachers a “baseline” of knowledge about different cultural groups. Her work on African American traditions in language arts received national attention. Harris has served as co-chair of the African American/Black Student Success statewide advisory committee and was on the Early Learning Council’s Equity Subcommittee. She was also appointed to serve on Oregon’s Every Student Succeeds Act Statewide Advisory Committee. In addition, she is a member of the Oregon State President’s Board of Visitors and is a founding member of the OSU Black Alumni and Friends Network.

Photo by Tom Cook Photo

2020s

Kara McElvaine, M.S. ’21, and Shelbie Turner, Ph.D. ’22

“The brides wore running gear — sneakers, comfy shirts and, for one of them, a black ball cap that said ‘I Do,’” quipped The Philadelphia Inquirer in a feature about the unconventional wedding of Kara McElvaine, M.S. ’21, and Shelbie Turner, Ph.D. ’22. The two exchanged vows during the Philadelphia Half Marathon while family members waved “Here Come the Brides” signs from the sidelines. McElvaine and Turner met while pursuing graduate studies in Oregon State’s College of Health. Turner is now a postdoctoral fellow in geriatrics and palliative medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. McElvaine expects to complete her Ph.D. this spring. She works as a project manager for the education nonprofit Facing History & Ourselves.

AJ Cooper, the Beavers’ inside linebackers coach, was named to the American Football Coaches Association’s 35 Under 35 list. The nomination comes with an invite to a leadership summit for young coaches.

Kara McElvaine, M.S. ’21, and Shelbie Turner, Ph.D. ’22

“The brides wore running gear — sneakers, comfy shirts and, for one of them, a black ball cap that said ‘I Do,’” quipped The Philadelphia Inquirer in a feature about the unconventional wedding of Kara McElvaine, M.S. ’21, and Shelbie Turner, Ph.D. ’22. The two exchanged vows during the Philadelphia Half Marathon while family members waved “Here Come the Brides” signs from the sidelines. McElvaine and Turner met while pursuing graduate studies in Oregon State’s College of Health. Turner is now a postdoctoral fellow in geriatrics and palliative medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. McElvaine expects to complete her Ph.D. this spring. She works as a project manager for the education nonprofit Facing History & Ourselves.

Photo courtesy of Kara McElvaine and Shelbie Turner

Pat Danner, ’23, was appointed northeast district executive of Scouting America’s Narragansett Council. He will oversee the development and implementation of programs that support the growth and success of scouting in southeastern Massachusetts.

Macklin Draves, ’20, has served as a health volunteer with the Peace Corps in The Gambia since October 2023. He teaches computer literacy and is working with health staff to develop a computer program to track patient data and visit history. 

Rickie Ewton, ’20, M.S. ’22, was recognized with an Emerging Coastal Leader Award by the University of Rhode Island, where she is pursuing a doctorate in biological oceanography. Her research investigates the interactions between marine microbes, such as plankton and coral symbionts, and their environments.

Steven Kwan, left fielder for the Cleveland Guardians, became the fifth player in Major League Baseball history to win the Rawlings Gold Glove award three times in the first three seasons of his big-league career.

Sam Lytle, ’20, was made an associate in Goodell DeVries’ Medical Malpractice Defense Litigation Practice Group. He represents healthcare professionals throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C., in litigation involving allegations of medical negligence.

Makayla Wallace, ’23, Caleb Conner, ’24, and Cody Boucher, ’25, joined the Corvallis office of the accounting and business consulting firm, Kernutt Stokes.

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