| 1979A book by Gary Grossman, Ph.D., a gourmet venison cook book titled A Bone to Pick: Everyone’s Guide to Gourmet Venison Cookery was published by Elliot & Fitzpatrick. He also recently presented a lecture in the ecology and evolution seminar series at UC Davis on his research in southern Appalachian streams. Grossman is currently the Distinguished Research Professor of Animal Ecology in the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. • Tom Tomich was named director of the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI) as well as the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP). In this role, he will provide leadership for research, teaching, outreach and extension efforts in agricultural sustainability. Holding joint faculty appointments in the departments of Human and Community Development and Environmental Science and Policy, Tomich is also the first professor to hold the new UC Davis W.K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Sustainable Food Systems. Before joining ASI, Tomich served as global coordinator of the Alternatives to Slash-and-Burn Programme, hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre in Kenya. |
| 1982Former student assistant to the late Chancellor James Meyer, Arturo González has been named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in California by the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He is chair of the Trial Practice Group at the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster, where he has been practicing for 22 years in the firm’s San Francisco office. |
| 1983Chaim Poran, M.S., Ph.D. ’85, has been serving as the director of infrastructure at the Millennium Challenge Corp. since 2005. Established in 2004 as a U.S. government corporation, MCC works to reduce global poverty through the promotion of sustainable economic growth. Poran has been involved in such areas as transportation, water and sanitation, energy, information and communications technology, education and health infrastructure, and urban development. For more information about the corporation, visit www.mcc.gov. • Sherrie Smith-Ferri was honored with the Generations of Women Moving History Forward award at a celebration in Ukiah sponsored by the American Association of University Women of Ukiah, the National Women’s Political Caucus of Mendocino County, the Saturday Afternoon Club and Soroptimist International of Yokayo Sunrise. She was honored for her role in working to preserve and enhance local history. Smith-Ferri has been the director of the Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House in Ukiah for 10 years. • Hayman Tam was named manager of the ground mechanical design department at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. in Sunnyvale. The group is responsible for the design of specialized equipment used in the assembly, testing and transport of both government and commercial satellites. Members of the design team include Denise Ohara ’99, Donald Parkison ’03, Jagdeep Shergill ’04 and Nick Parry ’04. |
| 1984At press time, Danny Watt was planning a 90-mile bike ride in Massachusetts to benefit Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization that helps provide jobs and friendships for people with intellectual disabilities. Watt is riding in the “Volvo Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port” in May in honor of his oldest son, Aaron, who has Cri du Chat syndrome, a disorder that causes developmental disabilities. Watt is part of the Patriot Pedalers, a 20-person team that expects to raise more than $50,000. Watt lives in Lexington, Mass., and works as a fundraiser for the MIT Hillel Foundation. |
| 1985The Office of Research and Development of the Environmental Protection Agency appointed Audrey Levine, Ph.D., as the national program director for drinking water. Levine is an environmental engineer with extensive research experience in water quality, water treatment and distribution systems, treatment technologies and water reuse. She joins the EPA after being a faculty member of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida in Tampa. • Chris Spitters, a physician working in tuberculosis control and general public health, lives in Seattle with his wife, Norma. He has three children and two stepchildren. • Kevin Toy retired in September as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force after 22 years of service. He joined the Air Force as a project engineer and led aircraft, propulsion, chemical-biological defense and space acquisition programs throughout his career. Toy currently works for the Harris Corp. as a senior programs manager. |
| 1987English teacher Robynne Rose and science teacher Yvonne Bach ’90 brought their students from Discovery High School in Natomas for a visit to campus in February. They attended the Western African Textiles Exhibit at the Design Museum and received a personal tour by Professor Victoria Rivers. |
| 1989A global defense and aerospace company in Reston, Va., BAE Systems, named William Ballhaus as president of its Network Systems business. Ballhaus previously served as president of the company’s National Security Solutions and Mission Solutions businesses. He spent nine years at Boeing as a senior vice president of system engineering before joining BAE Systems in 2003. • Cheryl (Blankenship) Kupras was appointed by the Campbell City Council to the city’s Civic Improvement Commission in February. This body advises the council on library concerns, beautification, cultural concerns, history, social services, seniors and youth. Kupras is a licensed clinical social worker with the Santa Clara County Department of Alcohol and Drug Services. She and her husband, Brent Kupras ’90, have two children, Bria and Brock. • Cheryl Robbins has been living in Taiwan since graduating from UC Davis and works as a Chinese-to-English translator and reporter for a number of arts and cultural publications. She currently owns and operates Tribe-Asia.com, an Internet-based company that helps Taiwan’s indigenous artisans market their works internationally. |
| 1990Darren De Anda was named a partner of the Barry-Wehmiller Design Group. He started with the firm’s Sacramento office as a project manager in 2001, following 10 years of related industry experience with Campbell Soup Co. De Anda was then promoted to director in 2005. • Molly Greek was promoted to assistant vice president of project management at EDFUND in Rancho Cordova, a student loan guarantee company for which she has worked for eight years. Greek was also recently selected to be the employee representative on the company’s board of directors, a three-year appointment. She lives in Sacramento with her husband and also plays competitive volleyball regularly. • Kelly McCarthy Sutherland was selected as one of 12 Outstanding Young Californians for 2007 by the California Jaycees, a leadership training and community service organization for young adults. Sutherland practices law with Lombardo & Gilles in Salinas, with specialties in employment law, litigation and land use. She and her husband have three children. |
| 1991John April has contributed to a public art installation in downtown Indianapolis titled Picture Windows: Urban Interpretations — an artistic makeover of windows in the Chase Building. A combination of digital projection, paper, glass and mirrors, his artwork is a text-based digital installation that he describes as an experiment in cultivating awareness and attention. • Johnny Johnson was named editor of a Christian magazine, Good News Tucson, in Arizona. He is also a full-time pastor and teaches leadership and ministry-related online classes for Patten University in Oakland and Life Pacific College in San Dimas. Johnson has been married for 14 years and has four children. |
| 1992Darcie (Wright) Garcia and her husband, Greg Garcia ’93, are the proud owners of the Screaming Squeegee in Davis. The graphic apparel company custom-prints or embroiders T-shirts, sweatshirts and other apparel. The two met as sophomores at UC Davis, married in 1996 and have two daughters, ages 6 and 3. |
