Profiles - Alumnus

Mark Jackson is the first alumnus to be honored by the Portland State University President's Diversity Award.

How do you find your path in life? For Ian Ruder, ’05, it began with overcoming the devastating effect of an automotive accident and led through Portland State University into the heart of Portland’s communal fabric, where he now resides as a writer, editor, and social advocate.

Justin Zoradi '09 leads a nonprofit called These Numbers Have Faces from a brick-walled loft in Portland’s Central Eastside. Zoradi and his staff steer about $200,000 a year in scholarships to students in South Africa and Rwanda. Recipients are starting to graduate from colleges and trade schools; each must pledge a year’s tuition for someone else once they’re working.

Peggy graduated Portland State in 1959 with a degree in education. She had majored in music for two years singing soprano, however her parents urged her to get a teaching degree as “something to fall back on.” That had a lot to do with social conditions; it was only a year before she graduated that the first African American woman, Gloria Davy, sang at the Metropolitan Opera. During her time at Portland State, Peggy was the only African American in the music department.

Lindsey, an Honors Program alumna, received a B.A. in Science and Spanish in 2012.

Alex, an Honors Program alumnus, received his B.A. in German Literature in 2012.

Jade, an Honors Program alumna, received her degree in Anthropology.

Jack, an Honors Program alumnus, received his B.A. in History in 1999.

Ryland, an Honors Program alumnus, was a pre-medical student at Portland State who participated in an Honors Internship.

Leshu, an Honors Program alumna, received her bachelor's degree in Arts & Letters in 1995.

Aaron, an Honors Program alumnus, received his B.A. in History in 2004.

Patryck, an Honors Program Alumnus, received a B.A. in Russian in 2002.

Michael, an Honors Program Alumnus, received a B.S. in Biology and Science in 2008.

MBA alum, Anita Ramachandran (’07) knew she wanted her work to have a direct impact on the world around her – and she has found that in her role as Partnerships Development Officer at Mercy Corps.

Born and raised in Portland, OR, Kent Hartman graduated from Portland State in 1983 with a degree in Political Science. Kent’s first book, The Wrecking Crew, was released in 2012 by St. Martin’s Press and won a 2013 Oregon Book Award in the category of nonfiction.

Coming from hardworking, blue collar, supportive but poor families, the Yadens both received scholarships during their time at Portland State and remained integral to their future successes. This year two undergraduate students in the College of Urban & Public Affairs will be the first recipients of the Yaden family endowed scholarship; their goal for this endowment is to help students from similar backgrounds. “It makes me really happy to think that someone like me whose father had maybe finished 8th Grade could get a university degree with a little financial help.” Janice says.

Before coming to PSU to pursue his MBA, Jason owned and managed Paccini's, an on-campus restaurant. As successful as the venture was, though, he knew he would ultimately outgrow his restaurant. So he decided to join the part-time MBA program to explore his options.

Portland State Alumnus Douglas Soesbe is a story analyst and editor working for NBCUniversal. He recently wrote a feature film entitled “Boulevard.” It is being shot in May of this year with Robin Williams starring. It will be directed by Dito Montiel, whose film, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, is a previous Sundance winner.

Tiffany, an Honors Program Alumna, received a B.S. in Biochemistry in 1999.

Nanette Reid chose the PSU MBA program over law school because of the resources and introductions it offered to the Portland business community.

Andrew Essreg has built a career around sustainability, starting with earning a sustainability-focused MBA from Portland State University.

Portland State MBA alum, Yulia Smirnova believes that regardless of where you get your MBA, the true value lies in what you make of the experience.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumnus is literally moving mountains.

Mark Prater earned his BA in Accounting from Portland State in 1981. He is currently the deputy staff director and minority chief tax counsel on the Senate Finance Committee. Prater became the committee's chief tax counsel when Sen. Robert Packwood was chair, who is well-liked and widely praised on both sides of the aisle. Prater’s expertise extends beyond taxes to other areas under the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction including health care.

Congratulations to Angela Frank (MIM '01) on being selected as a member of the 2012 First Mover Fellowship Class at the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program! The Aspen Institute Business and Society Program announced the fourth class of First Mover Fellows, individuals who are working within companies to unite business growth with a sustainable society in the products and services they are developing.

Past Commencement Speaker

What do the Kardashians, women’s college basketball, and a Notre Dame study on income and agreeableness have in common? Goel Auzeen Saedi ’07.

Ramon Torrecilha ’84, MA ’86 was recently appointed provost, the second highest academic post, at California State University - Dominguez Hills. But back when he began his education at Portland State—as a farm worker who spoke little English—this appointment would be too fantastic to even consider.

Olga Lafayette ’98 remembers loving language so much as a 6-year-old in Siberia that she concocted a foreign language. Later, she begged her sister, who was learning German, to teach it to her.

Mario completed his Master of International Management (MIM) degree in 2008 and now works for DHL Global Forwarding as the Strategic Customers Manager.

Electrical Engineering - LSAMP Student Action Team

Melanie, an Honors Program Alumna, received a B.S. in History in 1976.

Systems Science Graduate Program - Alumnus

The U.S. economy is slowly improving, raising questions and concerns among business leaders over the slower than expected growth.

Each year the Portland Business Journal recognizes 40 overachievers under the age of 40. The 2012 list of winners includes three Portland State School of Business Administration alumni.

Aditya Bhutada

Cassie, an Honors Program Alumna, received a B.A. in English in 2008.

Mazen Alobaid

Sudin Maharjan

Nour Abboud

Min Cai

Fadil AlQatari

Katharina de Biasi

Judith Waswa

Patrick Mok

Abdulrahman Yousuf Al-Homaid

Amani Aljamid

Hiroshi Hada

Zahed Reza Khurasani

Yuko Amano

Bader Alharthi

Bandar Alsaif

Claudia Welala Long recalls her experience as a TRIPLE alumna of the School of Social Work, (BSW, MSW, PhD).

Outstanding young alumnus Nabil Mistkawi earns international acclaim.

Alumni service winner Amber Fowler opens doors for low-income women.

Alumna Angela Wykoff blazed a path for female engineers.

Alumnus Andre Craan advocates for consumer safety.

Congratulations School of Social Work graduates for your outstanding work!

It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind—something Rebecca has done three times in her choice of career. After studying business and engineering, she found her true calling and majored in social work at PSU. She’s also forged strong friendships with students of very different beliefs and backgrounds.

Avel is modest about her accomplishments, perhaps because to describe them all would require a day. The first African American woman elected to the Oregon State Senate, she is a dedicated activist, community leader, PSU professor and author—to name just a few. To top it off, she’s a phenomenal storyteller, as we found out in our interview.

Dr. Heidi Allen of the School of Social Work and colleagues recently published early results from the Oregon Health Study, the first randomized clinical trial of the impact of Medicaid expansion to the uninsured.

2004 MBA Graduate Charlie Devereux credits his program with helping him start a successful business in the industry he loves.

Terry L. Cross, founder and executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association, based in Southwest Portland, will receive the Embracing the Legacy Award of the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps.

Many business students dream of ascending the ranks to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and worldwide brand. Scott Davis ’74 did exactly that.

Scott Davis to be PSU's 2011 June Commencement Speaker

Soon after Thomas Ezra was honorably discharged after serving four years in the United States Marine Corps, he began searching for his next step.

Shannon Burley '00

Rosanna Bowles ’77

Behzad Hosseini ’96, MBA ’97

Providing mental health counseling at service centers located near ground zero and several other disaster sites providing mental health counseling for both the victims and volunteers.

Becoming a critical piece of the safety net for people in our community.

Electrical Engineering

BECAUSE OF PSU -- "I encouraged youth in foster care to go to college." --

Social work fed her passion to make a difference for the greater good.

In 2004, Chip Shields (M.S.W. '03) was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives by residents of North and Northeast Portland's 43rd district.

She strives to empower the individual and to create programs and collaborative relationships that promote education, self-reliance and equality for all people in our community.

Laura puts together three critical activities - community development, public policy, and philanthropy - to make a real difference in increasing access to health care.

Board President and founder of Returning Veterans Resource Project Northwest (RVRPNW).

A career in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHS)

Since receiving her M.S.W. in 2005 - one year after her breast cancer diagnosis - Carol Lundin has been creating programs in the Portland area empowering communities and cancer survivors to recognize their courage and ability to 'contribute'.

After earning her MSW in 1988 and her PhD in 2001 at PSU, she's now helping people in an unusual way - as an environmental epidemiologist for the State of Oregon.

Micro/Molecular Biology

Chris came to social work gradually, without realizing at first what it was called.

Looming demographics of aging Americans point to the need for more geriatric trained social workers.

Daren's work with VOA has helped him to build on his own strengths while helping others recognize theirs.

One of the hallmarks of Barry's work has been his focus on improving the systems of mental health care in our communities.

Miriam Calderon took her passion to improve services for young Latino children and their families to Capitol Hill.

Rekah Strong is the Diversity Coordinator for Clark County, Washington. Looking back, she can honestly say that she would not be where she is today without her MSW.

Karla Diaz works at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Quito, Ecuador.

Taylor Clark has been helping people for years -- as a medic in the army, as a nurse, and as a case manager.

"I invented a chemical formulation that enabled Intel to make new generations of microprocessors." - Nabil Mistkawi, PhD., Physical Chemistry

"I encouraged youth in foster care to go to college." -- Lee Ann Phillips, Master of Social Work

"I got into law school." -- Kimberley Mansfield, bachelor's degree

"I worked with a team to help Nike find the greenest way to transport products." -- Jonathan Jacobs, Master of Business Administration

"We won an NCAA Big Sky basketball championship." -- Claire Faucher and Erin Yankus, bachelor’s degrees

"I drew thousands of students together." -- Christian Aniciete, bachelor's degree

"I helped strangers complete their building and art projects." -- Zach Springer, Master of Fine Arts

First Ph.D. awarded in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Inspiring future CEOs

Creating age-friendly cities

Return Investor

Diplomatic Assignment

Center of hope for Oregonians

Fathering hope in Ghana

Bringing justice to the people

Chad Honl MED '07

Kristin Wells '97

Nick Poindexter, BA '07 Advertising Management and Marketing, is an Office Assistant at Metropolitan Group

On Your Feet is a consultancy that uses improvisation and other experimental techniques to help organizations create, relate and communicate... all while having a ridiculously good time

Systems Science Graduate Student

Adam Reid '03 helps keep a local public charter school running

Businesses looking to stay afloat seek out Renee Fellman, MBA '85

Michaelangelo Aust pursues dental realties over Ferrari dreams.

Kristin Rencher transforms scientific discoveries into beneficial products.

Marshall Simmonds '95 orchestrates search engine strategy to yield maximum traffic for the New York Times and its online properties.

Lorie Wigle MBA '89 oversees strategies for green prduct design and manufacturing as well as Intel's energy efficiency

Emi Noma uses film to tell the stories of women peacemakers around the world.

Gabriele Ross translates academic pursuits into meaningful community contributions.

Kate McCracken '08 advocates for alternatives for juvenile and adult offenders in San Francisco.

Systems Science Graduate Program

Systems Science Graduate Program

Systems Science Graduate Program

Systems Science Graduate Program

Systems Science Graduate Program

Systems Science Graduate Program

Stephen Johnson hopes to produce fuel that is carbon neutral.

Products made by women around the world are sold through KJ Lewis' company.

Professor of Theatre & Film

Dr. Byron Haines Philosophy Professor Emeritus

Who would have thought to grow edible plants on rooftops? Erin Altz did.

By age 19, Pakistani native Saba Ahmed had earned a double major at Portland State.

Nova Newcomer has developed an efficient software program for employee communication.

Bob Sutton MA '73 is now chief historian of the National Park Service.

Tyson Foods convinced Oregon native Michelle Bond to move to its Arkansas offices.

Based in Cairo, Abeer Etefa is a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

As a Portland State student, Sahra Vanderkin Rahimtoola, co-founded the Student Ambassador program.

When John Wykoff, Jr., was editor of the Vanguard student newspaper, it was in boxes downtown.

Erin Hulme '06 loves living and working in Washington, DC.

Leslie Goodlow-Baldwin is the youngest-ever president of the Portland Rose Festival.

David Cowsert heads a new publishing group in Portland.

Mark Prater is the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance's chief tax counsel.

Oregon Teacher of the Year (2006-07) Jackie Cooke describes herself as an optimist.

Alum Ryan Christensen uses "eco-friendly" clothing as his "weapon of choice" to convey a social message.

MaryLou Wendel Webb passes on the Homecoming Queen crown after 35 years.

Paul De Muniz, who graduated from PSU with a degree in sociology, is chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.

Elizabeth Bara runs a nonprofit that helps people in Africa become self-reliant.

Tammy Kimball and her family lived onboard their boat, the Anjuli, for two years.

Deirdre Lorenz lives a high-velocity lifestyle.

Garett Croft Stenson '04 sits in his north Portland bungalow among boxes stacked full of wallets, tape, stickers, and promotional posters, all ready to be mailed to retailers.

Last September, a quarter horse owned by Dr. Ray '69 and Wendy Norgaard '67, MST '72 set the world's record for the fastest 300 yards in a derby trial at Yellowstone Downs in Billings, Montana. Although the couple didn't make any money, they had something better.

Julie Beals '96 keeps the coffee and tea world abuzz

Paresh Patel '96 gets an early start as a successful entrepreneur

Revealing his life as a corporate spy

Chief Financial Officer Scott Davis '74 likes to keep his learning curve growing at a steady pace, and helping to chart the future of UPSa $36 billion corporationgives him that opportunity.

Carolyn Cole '76 has accomplished what most aspiring artists dream of her work is shown in six galleries nationwide and her boldly colored contemporary paintings are held in over 500 private and corporate collections.

"Working with PSU's great research faculty has been an incredible experience."

"For mechanical engineering students, the opportunities at PSU are amazing."

Teresa Neva Tate '94, MA '97 Creates Living History for a New Museum

John Stephens MIM '03 Helps Tsunami Victims in India

"Receiving the Maseeh Fellowship inspired me to want to give back to the professional and academic community."

Joy Hirsch MS '71 Studying Brain Function at Columbia University

Ali M. Al Ali '83 Delivering Mail at a Profit in Qatar

Gloria Lohman Feves '72 explores the history of Oregon's Jewswhy they came, what they found, and how they changed through the years.

Dan Vance '97 has made an independent film in Arizona with a camera of his own design.

Vince Dimone's, MS '03, cost-conscious counseling benefits his clients and himself.

"Thanks to my professors at PSU and my experiences in and out of the classroom, I believe I am fully prepared for what lies ahead."