Alumni in the News

Welcome to "Alumni in the News," where you can find links to articles that mention or feature National University alumni. If you are aware of news coverage or wish to share a link regarding a National University alum, please contact Hoyt Smith in the Department of Development and Alumni Reltions at hsmith@nu.edu.

Alumna Myrtle Cole (BBA, 1987/MBA, 1990) was elected to the San Diego City Council’s District 4 seat on May 21. She joins fellow alumna Marti Emerald on the nine-member Council, which serves as the legislative branch of government for the city of San Diego.  Read about her victory in the U-T San Diego.

Alumnus Lt. Gen. Willie J. Williams USMC (MBA, 1981) will retire this summer as Director of Marine Corps Staff, ending a distinguished military career of nearly 40 years. According to the Marine Times, Williams' retirement ceremony is scheduled for July 10 at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C. To read more, click here.

Alumna Gigi Smith (BBA, 1988/MBA, 1990) has been appointed chief information officer at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) by Governor Brown. For more information, click here.

Alumna Michele McDougal (BBA, 1988) was crowned Ms. Senior San Diego 2013 at a preliminary pageant for the Ms. Senior California Pageant on April 26 in National City. Click here for more details.

Alumnus Cory Moles (AA, 1994/BS, Criminal Justice, 1998) Acting Chief of the Escondido Police Department, announced in March that he will retire on July 5, after serving almost 27 years in the north San Diego County city. To read more, click here.

Alumna Rupi Boyd (MS, Ed. Admin, 1997) has been hired as superintendent of the Soledad Unified School District in Central California’s Salinas Valley. To read more, click here.

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) presented its 2013 Excellence in Water Leadership Award to alumnus John Rossi (BBA, 1985) of the Western Municipal Water District. To read more from the Wall Street Journal, click here.

Alumnus Adolfo Gonzales (BPA, 1986) retired as Chief of the National City Police Department in March in order to accept a position as chief of the Dan Diego County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation. To read more in the U-T San Diego, click here.

Alumna Margaret Mims (MPA, 2005), Sheriff of Fresno County, visited theWhite House in May to meet with national reporters and discuss pending immigration reform legislation. To read more in the Fresno Bee, click here.

Alumna Carole Goldsmith (MS, Ed. Admin., 1998) assumed responsibilities in January as President of West Hills Community College in Coalinga, a public two-year community college serving students in the central San Joaquin Valley. For more information, click here.

Alumnus Mike Despain (MA, Human Resource Management) has joined the Clovis Fire Department as Deputy Fire Chief of the Emergency Services Bureau. He previously served as Interim Fire Chief of the Fresno Fire Department. For more information, click here.

Alumnus Tony Russell (MA, Management, 2002) is the new superintendent of FEMA's Emergency Management Institute. Mr. Russell  was formerly administrator for FEMA's Region VI, which includes coastal Texas and Louisiana. For more information on his new position, read the article in Government Security News magazine.

Alumnus David Goldenberg (preliminary single subject credential), an advanced placement history teacher at Beckman High School in Irvine, California, has been named Orange County Teacher of the Year. To read more about Mr. Goldenberg in the Orange County Register, click here.

Alumnus William Shea (MA, Human Behavior, 1987) suffered a brain injury while training for the Olympics. Now he is helping others to overcome their brain injuries. To read more about him in the Illinois Times, click here.

Alumna Sarah Creighton (MA, Human Behavior, 2004), a captain with the San Diego Police Department who was featured on the March 14, 2012 cover of the U-T. She was honored as a trailblazing woman in law enforcement at the Women in Blue luncheon. To read the article, click here.

The U-T San Diego featured real estate developer and National University alumnus Greg Strangman (BBA, 1991) in its business section on February 26, 2012, focusing upon his commitment to community values. To read more, click here.

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye approved the interim appointment of alumnus Ronald Overholt (MPA, 1985) as administrative director of the California Courts, effective September 10. "As chief deputy director of the (Administrative Office of the Courts) for the past 11 years and as a highly experienced former trial court executive, Ron is intimately familiar with the statewide budget process and many other aspects of court administration," Cantil-Sakauye said in a news release.

Alumna Debbe Deverill (BBA, 1977) is the co-chair of this year's Incline Village Relay for Life in Lake Tahoe, California. She is semi-retired from commercial real estate as a broker and director of marketing, assisting with home and space design and sales. To read more about Deverill, click here.

Alumnus Brody Barrios (MEd, 2010), assistant wrestling coach at Palomar College for the past five years, has been promoted to head coach. Barrios also serves as wrestling coach at San Marcos High School. He was a two-time California state champ at Poway High in the 1990s. For more information on Barrios, click here.

Alumna Kate Povletich (MS Ed., 2000), a Golden Valley High School social studies teacher, was announced as the District Teacher of the Year, by the William S. Hart Union High School District Governing Board. She is the social studies department chair, senior class advisor and a member of the professional development team. To read more about Povletich, click here.

Alumna Stephanie Burns (MBA, 2008) is the creator of Chic CEO, LLC, (www.chic-ceo.com), a free web resource for female entrepreneurs. Her site was named one of the top 10 Entrepreneurial Websites for Women and one of the top 100 Websites for Women by Forbes. To read more about Burns, click here. To visit her web site directly, click here.

Alumnus Steve Salvatori (MBA, 1983) is one of five candidates running for Commissioner of Spokane County in the state of Wasington. He is founder and chief executive officer of Spokane Entrepreneurial Center. Click here to read about his views on the issues that impact his district.

The Governor of California appointed National University alumna Lori Freiermuth (MS, Education, 2001) to the California Academic Content Standards Commission on June 4. Ms. Freiermuth is employed as a math teacher with the Sweetwater Union High School District. She is a National Board Certified Teacher. To view the news release announcing her appointment, click here.

Alumna Melody S. Thornton, CPA, (BBA in Accounting, 1983) has been elected president of the San Diego Chapter of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA) for 2010 - 11. CalCPA is the nation's largest state accounting organization and the largest CPA association in California. Thornton, a resident of Carlsbad, Calif., is a tax partner with J.H. Cohn LLP, San Diego.

Alumna and Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims (MPA, 2005) was honored by The National Drug Czar in Washington D.C. on April 7 for last year's Operation Save Our Sierra, a program targeting marijuana-growing operations in the foothills of Eastern Fresno County.

Alumnus Jeff Watkins (MS, Special Education, 2001), has been named Principal of Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory High School. You can read about him by clicking here.

Alumna Gloria Pualani (MBA, 1989) was recognized in February by her employer, Northrop Grumman, for her outstanding contributions to engineering and community service at the 2010 Black Engineer of the Year Awards in Baltimore. Ms. Pualani is director of socio-economic business programs and government relations for Northrop Grumman. She received the Supplier Diversity Award for her advocacy for increasing business development opportunities for minority-owned firms and other classifications of small business. Under Ms. Pualani's direction, Northrup Grumman has received numerous commendations for its achievement in support of the U.S. Department of Defense Mentor-Protege and Service Disabled Veterans programs.

Alumnus and Forensic Entomologist Carlos Rivera (MFS, 2008) has established a forensic science class at Millville Senior High School in New Jersey, in partnership with Cumberland County College. Rivera creates crime scenes and instructs his students to solve the crime by utilizing the science that they are taught. His class is funded in part by a grant from the school district.

A winning essay by National University student Oral Urquidi has earned her a $500 scholarship, according to a news release distributed on January 14. Ms. Urquidi is a mother of three who is attending school online as a full-time student. She plans to obtain her Single Subject Teaching Credential, Math in 2010. To read Ms. Urquidi's essay, click here.

National University Alumna Lisa Culpepper (BA, English, 2006) is one of three teachers nationwide to be named a National Intern of the Year by the National Association for Alternative Certification (NAAC). She will receive a cash award of $1,000 on Jan. 30 during the 20th Annual NAAC conference in Summerlin, Nevada. For more information, click here.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) has selected National University alumna Jami Parsons (MS, Educational Counseling, 1995) of Laguna Beach, California as one of eight nationwide finalists for its Counselor of the Year award.

Alumnus Tony Russell (MA, Management, 2002) has been named named as the new Region VI Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In that capacity, he will work with the governors of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas to coordinate the nation's emergency response teams and recovery efforts in those states. Most recently, Mr. Russell served as Acting Director of the Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office, where he led a staff of over 1,300 FEMA personnel. For more information, click here.