Alumni | University of Portland

News - Alumni

Rapinoe World Cup 2019

UP Alum Megan Rapinoe announces her retirement

Athletics

Alumni

After a storied career spanning two decades, Rapinoe leaves a venerable legacy as an icon of women’s soccer.

Jim Berchtold

Expanding the Dundon-Berchtold ‘Ripple Effect’ — Multi-Million Dollar Estate Gift Will Fund University of Portland Student Scholarships

Development

Alumni

Advancing the legacy and the enduring impact he created alongside his late wife, Amy Dundon-Berchtold, University of Portland (UP) alumnus Jim Berchtold ’63 has announced an $18 million dollar estate gift that will primarily fund scholarships and tuition assistance for future UP students.

Sarah Mooney ’96

Committed to Her Students

Portland Magazine

Alumni

While scrambling to find toilet paper during the first March of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah Mooney ’96 received a call from her program director. He gave her the classic, anxiety-inducing phrase: “I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news.” The good news was that she won the 2019 Correctional Services Contractor of the Year award for the GED tutoring program she manages. The bad news was that she could no longer go to work. Columbia River Correctional Facility was on lockdown.

Kunal Nayyar addresses students at commencement

Our Corner of the Cosmos

Commencement

Portland Magazine

Alumni

At this year’s Commencement, Kunal Nayyar—UP alum from the class of 2003 and professional actor known best for his role in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory—addressed the graduates of 2022. He told them that anything is possible, and he was so funny, warm, and charming that it was hard not to believe him. What follows is a lightly edited excerpt of his speech.

coquito

Cool Coquito, Warm Memories

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Danny McGarry '17 shares his favorite winter drink and the memories that go along with it as part of University of Portland's 25 Days 'til Christmas.

Ryan Szto

Electric Truckin'

Portland Magazine

Alumni

For Ryan Szto ’21, the joy of engineering begins with the simple notion of being in the field. “I hated sitting behind a desk at school,” he says, “so I didn’t want to do that at work.” Ryan is a product validation engineer at Daimler, a truck manufacturer, whose offices are ten minutes away from campus. There, Ryan is working in the growing field of Daimler’s electric-powered semi-trucks.

Kat Yo

Follow Your Dragon

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Recent graduate and set designer Kat Yo ’21 brings her passion for sustainability and Korean folklore—and her dazzling imagination—to UP’s stage.

David Austin

Nobel Peace Prize 2020

Portland Magazine

Alumni

When David Austin graduated from UP’s newly minted MBA in Nonprofit Management program in 2013, he earned the Moreau Fellows Award for Outstanding Service and Leadership for his work with Mercy Corps. Turns out, that was just a hint of much—much—bigger things to come.

Tara Benavente

Neighbor to Neighbor

Portland Magazine

Alumni

In some ways, the pandemic changed the focus of Tara Benavente’s day-to-day work. In other ways, she is doing what she has always done since she graduated from UP in 2014—bringing her abiding belief in hospitality to the community where she lives.

Cookie photo courtesy of Dawn Nelson

Life Through Cookies

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Dawn Nelson ’82, longtime kindergarten teacher for Portland Public Schools, says she’s “failing at retirement.” The main reason she hasn’t had too much downtime in the last year is her booming cookie business.

Illustration by Jason Sturgill

Amazing

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Sometimes the student and the parent end up learning a thing or two.

Devonna Begay

It Is Up to You

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Thoughts from Graduating Senior, Devonna Begay ’21.

Gina Amato Yazzolino

Introducing Gina

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Gina Amato Yazzolino ’96 is UP’s—no, your—new director of alumni and parent relations, and she has hit the ground running here on The Bluff.

Conor Eifler

UP alum Conor Eifler ’11 named 2021 Oregon Book Award Winner

Alumni

UP alum Conor Eifler’s play “You Cannot Undo This Action,” received the Angus Bowmer Award for Drama from the 2021 Oregon Book Awards. Eifler’s psychological thriller was inspired by conversations with the Ida B. Wells High School community about social media and how it’s affecting the lives of adolescents. In exploring these issues, “You Cannot Undo This Action” aims to spark dialogue about our rapidly evolving digital world.

Gina Amato Yazzolino

University of Portland Appoints New Director for its Office of Alumni and Parent Relations

Alumni

The University of Portland (UP) has announced the appointment of Gina Amato Yazzolino as its new director of alumni and parent relations effective April 12. UP Vice President for University Relations J. Bryce Strang made the announcement today, concluding an extensive search process. Yazzolino, a 1996 graduate of UP, succeeds Craig Swinyard, Ph.D. ’98, who stepped away from the position last December after six years to rejoin his University academic colleagues as an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics.

Hands holding flower pot

Winter Bloom

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Got questions about your camellias? Jim Nuccio ’72, co-owner of an 85-year-old family-run California nursery, has answers.

Father Dan Parrish

Grace and the Woodshop

Alumni

Portland Magazine

The woodshop at the Holy Cross Court has become a place of refuge, especially during these days of endless video conferences. The stacks of maple, red oak, and cherry and our saws, planes, and chisels beckon us to imagine and create.

Andrew Lafrenz

COVID Investigator, Columbia County

Nursing

Portland Magazine

Alumni

UP’s resident epidemiologist—Andrew Lafrenz ’02—has been working seven days a week since April. Not only is he directing the School of Nursing’s newest major in integrative health and wellness studies, but he has also been offering his expertise to local entities during the pandemic.

Kara Breuer

On Curiosity and Chemistry

Portland Magazine

Alumni

On a crab processor boat, in 1988, in the middle of a storm off the coast of Alaska, Kara Breuer ’95, MAT ’06 made a promise that if she survived, she’d go to college. It took the crew about 17 hours to make it home.

Anderson Johnson III

Pilot's Pilot

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Airline captain Anderson Johnson III ’90 has seen it all from the cockpit of his 747. From meteor showers and space shuttle launches, to watching the sun chase down the horizon near the North Pole. These days, Johnson is now focused on what he is carrying in the cargo of his UPS plane—the COVID-19 vaccine.

University of Portland campus from above

University of Portland alumni Rachel Rapinoe ’08, DJ Widmer ’02 make Portland Business Journal 40 under 40 list

Alumni

Business

The Portland Business Journal Forty Under 40 class for 2020 includes University of Portland alumni DJ Widmer ’02 and Rachel Rapinoe ’08. Both were chosen from a pool of 300 Portland-area entrepreneurs, innovators, and rising stars in the local business community.

Sara Wyffels

School of Education MAT alum Sara Wyffels ’06 named 2021 Arizona Teacher of the Year

Alumni

Education

University of Portland alum Sara Wyffels ’06 was named 2021 Arizona Teacher of the Year by the Arizona Educational Foundation during a virtual award ceremony. Wyffels, who has been teaching for 14 years, currently teaches Spanish Level 2 and International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement levels 5 and 6 at Chandler High School. Wyffels received her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Portland’s School of Education in 2006.

Kaia Sand

Rising to Our Humanity

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Kaia Sand ’94, executive director of Street Roots, the award-winning weekly social justice newspaper, admits she’s an “all-in” kind of a person. A poet and a journalist, she looks at the poet-physician William Carlos Williams as an example— someone who did house visits for patients and wrote poetry on prescription pads.

John Stewart

A Classroom is Kind of Home

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Education

John Stewart ’06 teaches ninth grade English and junior-level advanced placement (AP) language and serves as chair of the English department at Clackamas High School in Clackamas, OR. His 15-year career as a teacher has been marked by many challenges and rewards, but the closure of Oregon schools due to the COVID-19 outbreak has presented a unique set of challenges and impressions. We spoke to John shortly before the end of the spring 2020 semester.

Bailey Saleumvong

Here Comes the Sun: Travel Nurse Works with COVID-19 Patients

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Nursing

Bailey Saleumvong '08 is a travel nurse currently based in Los Angeles. He cares for critically ill COVID patients and sees signs of hope even amid the pandemic.

Renee Espinoza smiling

A Philosophy of Compassion: Renee Espinoza '09, '10

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Education

Renee Espinoza graduated from UP in 2009, then went on to get her master’s in curriculum and instruction with an ESL endorsement in 2010. She went to work for Portland Public Schools that year and currently teaches second grade at Astor Elementary School, mere blocks from the UP campus in North Portland. We reached out to Renee to share her insights and experiences during the switch to distance learning in March 2020.

Illustration of nurse speaking to elderly couple over a computer

When Nurses Speak, We Listen: A Reminder

Alumni

Nursing

Portland Magazine

A nurse makes home visits during the pandemic. What does she see? Body, Mind, Emotion, Spirit, Dream.

Jennifer Graves sitting on hospital cot

When Nurses Speak, We Listen: On Ethical Leadership

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Nursing

For many years I wasn’t able to articulate the value of a liberal arts education. But right now, particularly for nursing and particularly around COVID-19, I think about the value of the liberal arts education, about how I had courses in philosophy and ethics, how I feel very grounded in ethical decision-making.

Kenechi “Kene” Anigbogu

Resilience: Kenechi “Kene” Anigbogu ’18

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Kenechi “Kene” Anigbogu ’18 was a member of the 100th group of American Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Morocco. His Peace Corps service was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beth Biggs

Here for You: 1st. Lt. Beth Biggs ’18

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Army ROTC

When 1st. Lt. Beth Biggs ’18 received her orders on March 29, she was ready. She was in the Army ROTC program during her time at UP and is now part of the Oregon Army National Guard 141st Brigade Support Battalion’s COVID-19 response team, distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout Oregon.

Sean Ducey

For the Students: Sean Ducey ’13, ’19 MBA

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Those among you who have attended a Rock the Bluff concert, a mainstay event at UP since 2012, probably didn’t know you have Sean Ducey ’13, ’19 MBA to thank for the tradition. He was only a junior when he founded the annual concert and learned that event planning and behind-the-scenes work was his calling.

Diana Salgado Huicochea

Devotion: Diana Salgado Huicochea '20

Portland Magazine

Alumni

At the start of her four years at University of Portland Diana Salgado Huicochea ’20 felt overwhelmed and alone. Though a cradle Catholic, Diana had never attended Mass celebrated in English, and, unable to respond to the prayers, she felt like an imposter. Yet she returned, took pictures of the missal, and after finishing homework, practiced responses aloud nightly until she memorized them.

Fedele Bauccio

The Dream is Intact

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Every day—even now, especially now—Fedele Bauccio ’64, ’66 is feeding people who need healthy food. In March he partnered with World Central Kitchen to feed passengers and crew quarantined on the Grand Princess cruise ship.

Etzel field on University of Portland campus

If You Build It…

Portland Magazine

Athletics

Alumni

The University’s new baseball stadium will need to wait until next season for its premiere, so we’re taking this opportunity to look back on the blood, sweat, and puddle suckers that got us here.

Evan Fontaine

First Pitch

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Engineering alum Evan Fontaine ’18, ’19 works in the prostheses lab at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) with a clear mission in mind: to make better prosthetics for growing and active children. Case in point: he and his team are working to set up a young patient to throw the first pitch at the National Softball Championship.

UP students with alumna Clare Duffy in New York

Beacon Reporters Past and Present on the Ground in New York City

Alumni

Portland Magazine

On March 11, ESPN NBA reporter Malika Andrews ’17 landed in New York after a long flight from Los Angeles. Although she’d been scheduled to cover a game in Milwaukee, ESPN was pulling reporters back home. She did not yet know that the NBA would suspend its season due to concerns about COVID-19, or that she would be reporting on it that night.

Rob Justus

Rob Justus '87 transforms lives building affordable housing

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Rob Justus ’87 has a track record of building Portland-area housing—512 units and counting—for individuals on a fixed income. He’s just getting started.

Kay Toran, Kelly Fox, and Emily Harrington outside the Blanchet House

The clinic the house built: Alumnae Emily Harrington, Kay Toran, and Kelly Fox work to add nursing services at the Blanchet House

Nursing

Alumni

Portland Magazine

The Blanchet House has a long history with the University of Portland. Three alumnae--nursing professor Kelly Fox '90, Volunteers of America Oregon president and CEO Kay Toran '64, and nurse practitioner Emily Harrington '03, '06--are working to strengthen that relationship with the soon-to-open Harrington Health Clinic--a nurse-led clinic staffed with UP nursing students.

portrait of Scott Hatley

University of Portland alum Scott Hatley ’01 named "Executive of the Year" by Portland Business Journal

Alumni

The Portland Business Journal recently named University of Portland alum Scott Hatley ’01 as one of their “Executives of the Year.” Hatley is the executive director and co-founder (along with fellow UP alum Vail Horton '02) of Portland-area non-profit INCIGHT.

Wendy Richards

Wendy Richards '87 and family start foundation for children in Hawaii who have lost a parent

Portland Magazine

Alumni

When Reid Richards '88 died of cancer, his family honored his memory by starting the Reid JK Foundation to provide resources to children in Hawaii who have lost a parent.

Donald Wilson

Basketball alum Donald Wilson returns to the The Bluff as a broadcaster

Alumni

Athletics

Portland Magazine

A wide support network helped Donald Wilson thrive at University of Portland. He's returned to The Bluff as a broadcaster for men's basketball and "pays it forward" by working with several non-profits in the Vancouver, WA, area.

Michael Dowse

Racquet man: Michael Dowse '89 named CEO and executive director of the United States Tennis Association

Alumni

Athletics

Portland Magazine

From recreation tennis to the US Open, former Pilots tennis player Michael Dowse '89 now leads the US's national governing body for tennis.

Rey Ortiz

Rey Ortiz '19 takes the next step with FC Cincinnati

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Athletics

Rey Ortiz '19 was a Major League Soccer SuperDraft pick for FC Cincinnati. He's proud to be making his dreams come true, and equally proud to be a first-generation college student at University of Portland.

Portland Police Chief Jami Resch

University of Portland alumna Jami Resch ’96 named Portland Police Chief

Alumni

University of Portland alumna Jami Resch ’96 was named Portland police chief on Tuesday, December 31. Prior to this position, Resch was the assistant chief of the investigations branch and had previously served as the acting commander of North Precinct.

Lupita Ruiz-Tolento

Supporting Latinx Journalists: Meet Lupita Ruiz-Tolentino '13

International Languages and Cultures

Psychology

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Lupita Ruiz-Tolento '13 is the director of institutional development for SembraMedia, a nonprofit that supports independent digital journalism in Latin America.

Neal and Frances Hook

#LifeGoals: At 95, Neal Hook shows no signs of slowing down

Portland Magazine

Alumni

95-year-old Neal Hook '49 is still going strong. Find out the secret to his long and happy life.

Juliana Flores Baza

Made for Walking: Juliana (Flores) Baza '13 engineers Nike shoes

Engineering

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Juliana (Flores) Baza '13 earned a degree in mechanical engineering. After an internship at NASA, she took a job engineering bike helmets and was recruited by Nike to join its team as a shoe product engineer.

University of Portland cross country coach Rob Conner

30 years and running: Track and cross country coach Rob Conner continues to rack up the wins

Alumni

Athletics

Portland Magazine

Rob Conner has been coaching track and cross country at University of Portland for 30 years. Along the way he's trained numerous All-Americans, tallied 34 conference titles, and led the men's team to three podium finishes in the national championships.

Pulse line leading to red star

Listening to America: A UP alumnus answers the White House Comment Line

College of Arts and Sciences

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Nathan Sherfinski '05 spent the summer of 2010 answering calls to the White House Comment Line--an experience that taught him the art of listening.

Howard Hall

An Ode to Howard Hall

Alumni

Portland Magazine

The old pile had to go, yes, but saying good-bye came a little harder than most of us expected. An ode to UP's gym-auditorium-swim center-intramural facility that graced campus from 1928 to 2017.

Revlon, 280 Bubbly: A champion markswoman reflects on her shooting career and public persona

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Katherine Gamble rose to fame on the junior marksmanship circuit after an improbable perfect debut. She leaned into a carefully curated competition persona, but despite her successes, she questioned her place in the sport and her ambitions.

Devin Ajimine

Think Big, Think New: Entrepreneur Scholars Program Turns 20

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Franz Center

University of Portland's Entrepreneur Scholars program is turning 20. More than 300 students have participated in the program. Some ideas are still going strong; some have lived a full life; some flopped and inspired the next idea. Here are stories of five alumni from the program.

Devin Ajimine

From magic wallets to product management, Entrepreneur Scholar Devin Ajimine learned to take chances and embrace failures

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Franz Center

Engineering

Devin Ajimine recently graduated from University of Portland. He credits the Entrepreneur Scholars program with teaching him how to travel globally, network, and communicate clearly. Now a product manager at T-Mobile, Devin is also pursuing a master's in human centered design and engineering.

Molly Gowan

From founding a business to corporate sales: Skills learned in Entrepreneur Scholar program serve Molly (Sexton) Gowan throughout her career

Alumni

Communication Studies

Franz Center

Portland Magazine

Molly (Sexton) Gowan '00, created an executive management seminar for parish priests for her Entrepreneur Scholar project. After graduation, she founded her own company and eventually found her way to corporate sales, noting that entrepreneurial skills are beneficial in every career.

Thomas Iwasaki

Entrepreneurial spirit takes root in Thomas Iwasaki '14

Franz Center

Business

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Entrepreneur Scholar alum Thomas Iwasaki '14 designed a customizable bluetooth speaker for his project and went on to a career at Nike. He's now the co-creator of Usonia, a business data company.

Vail Horton

Vail Horton uses Entrepreneur Scholar program to launch innovative crutch, found a non-profit

Portland Magazine

Business

Philosophy

Alumni

Franz Center

International Languages and Cultures

A life-long user of crutches, Vail Horton knew first-hand the need for an ergonomic crutch. With a team of fellow Entrepreneur Scholar students at University of Portland, he founded Keen--an innovative crutch company. He now runs a non-profit.

Fatima Ruiz Villatoro

Entrepreneur Scholars program leads Fatima Ruiz Villatoro to career in hospital construction

Alumni

Engineering

Portland Magazine

International Languages and Cultures

Franz Center

A 2015 graduate with degrees in engineering management and Spanish, Fatima Ruiz Villatoro's Entrepreneur Scholar student project of decorating hospital rooms for terminally ill children turned into a career project managing medical facility construction.

John Carroll Jr

J.H. Carroll Jr., We Remember You

Alumni

Portland Magazine

University of Portland's Praying Hands War Memorial is the only marker on U.S. soil for alum John H. Carroll, Jr., who perished in World War II. His family only recently discovered its existence.

Travis Vetters

More Ties that Bind: Gus Little and Travis Vetters

Portland Magazine

Alumni

Business

Athletics

After Travis Vetters successfully donated a kidney to his friend and baseball teammate Gus Little, the connection between them remains strong.

Itzel Moreno-Vega

Warm and Proud: Itzel Moreno-Vega teams up with Operation Warm to provide coats for students

Social Work

Alumni

Portland Magazine

College of Arts and Sciences

When Itzel Moreno-Vega noticed that many of the students at Cesar Chavez School in North Portland were coatless during the winter months, she turned to Operation Warm to provide coats to every single student.

Dylan Hite in classroom

Teacher to Teacher: Bonnie Robb and Dylan Hite use neuroscience to improve educational outcomes

Education

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Under the mentorship of Bonnie Robb ('95, '01 MEd, '16 EdD), Dylan Hite '19 used best practices in neuroeducation to help second graders at Duniway School in Portland understand and learn new concepts.

Megan Rapinoe

Pilot soccer alums Megan Rapinoe, Christine Sinclair, and Sophie Schmidt set to shine on the Women's World Cup stage

Athletics

Portland Magazine

Alumni

University of Portland alumni and former Pilot soccer stars Megan Rapinoe '08 (USA), Christine Sinclair '06 (Canada), and Sophie Schmidt '10 (Canada) are set to lead their countries on the world stage at the Women's World Cup, June 7-July 7 in France.

Illustration UP Alumni

University of Portland Alumni Awards recognize four alumni for fulfilling the University’s mission through their life and work

Alumni

Awards and Rankings

Four University of Portland alumni will be individually recognized as Alumni Award recipients at this year’s President’s Awards Gala. Mike Irwin ’78, Margarita Bautista Gay ’87, Molly Craft Johnson ’13, and Cathryn Casey ’19 will be recognized for embodying the University’s mission.

photo of campus from above

Three UP alumni featured in Portland Business Journal’s 2019 “Forty under 40” list

Alumni

Business

Communication Studies

Three UP alumni are featured in the Portland Business Journal’s annual “Forty under 40” list. This list features the “game-changers, move-makers and forces of the future” executives in the Portland area.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez

Q&A with Walter Thompson-Hernandez

Alumni

Political Science

Portland Magazine

Walter Thompson-Hernandez ’09 is a member of the “Surfacing” team at The New York Times, which features stories about underrepresented communities and subcultures around the world. Walter was a contributor to the Winter 2019 issue of Portland Magazine. We caught up with Walter to ask him a few more questions about his fascinating work and his time at UP.

Michael ONeill

Perfect Timing

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Performing and Fine Arts

Michael O’Neill ’10 (MFA) travels the world with an international organization called Clowns Without Borders.

Jay Brannon

Public Servant, Rising Star

Alumni

Engineering

Portland Magazine

J'reyesha "Jay" Brannon '15 is a construction manager with the Portland Water Bureau and dedicated to mentoring young children and women of color in the engineering field.

Joel Rosinbum

Faster, Higher, Stronger

Alumni

Engineering

Portland Magazine

Joel Rosinbum '04 is a software engineer for Black Locus in Austin, TX, and a member of the board of directors for USA Triathlon.

Girls Build camper using a chop saw

Of Course She Can

Alumni

Portland Magazine

The founder of Girls Build teaches girls to take on the trades with confidence, spunk, and imagination. Here’s what first inspired her to pick up a hammer.

Photo of Katherine Phillips Durham and Brian Dexheimer

Katherine Phillips Durham ’88 and Brian Dexheimer ’84 inducted into Pamplin School of Business Hall of Fame

Business

Alumni

Katherine Phillips Durham ’88 and Brian Dexheimer ’84 are the two newest inductees into the Pamplin School of Business Hall of Fame. They join 11 other Hall of Fame members. The Hall of Fame was created 2009 when the Pamplin School of Business celebrated its 75th anniversary.

Shield with words UP Alumni on it.

University of Portland alumni recognized for their work in fulfilling the University’s mission

Awards and Rankings

Alumni

Bill Reed ’72, Katie Hughes ’02 and Tsikata Apenyo ’18 were individually recognized as recipients of University of Portland’s annual Alumni Awards on June 22, 2018. The Alumni Awards are presented annually to those individuals who embody the University’s mission of teaching and learning, faith and formation, and service and leadership in their life and work.

Four University of Portland alumni awarded $34,000 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

Biology

Mathematics

College of Arts and Sciences

Engineering

Psychology

Awards and Rankings

Alumni

International Languages and Cultures

Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement

Chemistry

University of Portland alumni Julia Meng '16, Shannon Danforth '16, Katherine Cummins '17, and Brett Bankson '14 have been awarded $34,000 Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation to fund graduate tuition, fees, and research.

Photo of malumnus on magazine cover. Text reads - Fargo INC! Business Magazine May 2018 Peter Chamberlain M.I.T. Hyperloop. Fargo.

On the cover of Fargo INC! magazine: Peter Chamberlain ’14, develops app to help families care for their elderly

College of Arts and Sciences

Engineering

Alumni

Peter Chamberlain '14 is the founder of WalkSmart, a company developing mobile apps that gather information through devices attached to walkers. This information can be used to help families care for their elderly loved ones.

Jim Etzel '85

Jim Etzel ’85 named Executive Director of Oregon Sports Authority

Athletics

Business

Alumni

University of Portland alumni Jim Etzel '85 (Marketing, Management & Communications) was recently announced as the new Executive Director of Oregon Sports Authority.

Lynn Le '11 (photo by Isaac Lane Koval)

Lynn S. Le ’11 named to Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30”

Franz Center

Alumni

Business

Entrepreneur and sports marketer Lynn S. Le ’11, has been named to Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30 Retail and E-Commerce Class of 2018.”

Photo of actor Kunal Nayyar '03

Kunal Nayyar ’03, actor staring in the CBS television comedy The Big Bang Theory, returns to the University of Portland on October 11

Business

Alumni

Performing and Fine Arts

Actor and alumnus Kunal Nayyar '03, currently staring in the hit CBS television comedy The Big Bang Theory, returns to the University of Portland for a public conversation on October 11.

Photo of Christine Sinclair '06 holding up her Olympic bronze medal.

Former UP soccer star Christine Sinclair '06 appointed to Order of Canada

Awards and Rankings

Athletics

Alumni

Christine Sinclair '06, former UP soccer powerhouse was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada, one of Canada's highest honors, second only to membership in the Order of Merit which is a personal gift of Queen Elizabeth II.

UP Regent Pat Johnson '86 honored among "2017 Women of Influence"

Awards and Rankings

Business

Communication Studies

Alumni

Patricia (Pat) K. Johnson, a member of the University of Portland’s Board of Regents, will be honored this April by the Portland Business Journal at the 14th Annual Women of Influence 2017 Awards.

Eric Daniel Arakawa '02 receives professional achievement award

Alumni

Engineering

Eric Daniel Arakawa '02 has been presented with the 2016 Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award for Professional Achievement.

UP alumna Monica Enand ’05, MBA receives Entrepreneurial Achievement Award

Alumni

Business

UP alumna Monica Enand ’05, MBA in finance, received the Entrepreneurial Achievement Award during the Oregon Entrepreneurial Network's 2016 Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards on October 26. Enand was one of 20 finalists chosen from 141 nominees.

Dr. James Covert

Dr. James Covert, UP professor emeritus in history, passes away

College of Arts and Sciences

History

Alumni

James Thayne Covert, Ph.D., professor emeritus in history at the University of Portland, died at his home on Thursday, October 13, of complications from a stroke. He was 84 years old.

Kyle E. Johnson Memorial Scholarship receives new $1.5 million pledge

Development

Alumni

The family of the late Kyle E. Johnson ’05 has expanded their bequest to a memorial scholarship named in his honor. Keith Johnson and his wife informed the University of an additional gift of approximately $1.5 million to the Kyle E. Johnson Memorial Scholarship. The funds will be held in trust and will transfer to the University as part of Keith Johnson’s estate.

Donald T. Galarneau ’49

University of Portland alumnus and longtime benefactor Donald T. Galarneau ’49 passes away

Alumni

Physics

Engineering

Development

University of Portland alumnus and longtime benefactor Donald T. Galarneau ’49 passed away on Saturday, August 20 after a sudden illness. A Portland native, Don generously gave the University $1.5 million during his lifetime, including matching gifts from General Electric (GE), for whom he worked his entire career.  

Robert W. Franz

Robert W. (Bob) Franz, member of the University of Portland’s Board of Regents and long-time donor to the University, passes away on August 9

Development

Alumni

Robert W. Franz, longtime regent, friend, and donor leaves his legacy as philanthropist for Franz Hall, Franz Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Franz Chair in Entrepreneurship.

University of Portland alumnus Riley Clark wins Northwest Emmy Award

Alumni

Athletics

Riley Clark ’16 won a Northwest Emmy Award for his video, “University of Portland Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Raises Money for St. Baldrick's Foundation.”

Alumnus Mike Merzenich ’64 awarded prestigious neuroscience award by the Norwegian Academy of Science

Alumni

Education

University of Portland alumnus Mike Merzenich ’64 has been awarded the 2016 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience by the Norwegian Academy of Science for his work in documenting the fundamental plasticity of the human brain.

University of Portland alumnus Dennis Hartmann '71 elected to U.S. National Academy of Sciences

Alumni

Engineering

Dennnis L. Hartmann, a 1971 graduate of the University of Portland's mechanical engineering program and a professor of atmospheric sciences at University of Washington, is one of 84 new members and 21 foreign associates elected as a fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Gus Little and Travis Vetters

Gus and Travis

Business

Alumni

Portland Magazine

Athletics

Nursing

Gus Little was in desperate need of a kidney transplant. His former baseball teammate Travis Vetters gave him one. Is this the ultimate University of Portland "story"? Editor Brian Doyle says yes.