THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SJSU POLITICAL SCIENCE ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

Alumni News

MATTHEW BELL (‘90) is Director of Marketing and Business Development for Blach Construction Company in Santa Clara. JAMES COBERLY (‘99) is sales development manager with Ixia in Calabasas, CA. JO COFFARO (‘98) has joined the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford as their Government Relations Specialist. JULIA (HARPER) COOPER (’92) is Deputy Director of Finance for the City of San Jose; she was recognized as one of the city’s outstanding employees at the Mayor’s State of the City speech in February. TRISH CYPHER (MPA ‘02) has joined Management Partners, a government consulting group. ROD DIRIDON JR (‘93) was elected city clerk in the City of Santa Clara. DAVID R. DOERR is Chief Tax Consultant with the California Taxpayers Association in Sacramento. DEBORAH EDGERLY (BA ’75, MPA ’80) is city manager of Oakland, CA. BILL EKERN (MPA ‘01) led the San Jose Redevelopment Agency team in the rehabilitation of the spectacular California Theater and was recognized with an award at the Mayor’s State of the City speech in February. WILLIAM FAUS (MPA ’97) is Planning Division Manager for the City of Gilroy. MARIO FAUSTO (’94) is an attorney at law with Truong and Fausto in Redwood City. RACK FUKUHARA (‘88) recently retired from a career in public service with the City of Fremont, the International City Managers Association and the Federal Reserve Bank. ED GUERNICA (‘94) completed his PhD at Tulane University and has joined the faculty of Winona State University in Minnesota. BLANCA HERRERA (’96) teaches sixth grade in San Jose’s Evergreen District and is a lecturer in SJSU’s IT Department. CAROL MOTTE JOHSON (‘76) is Senior Human Resources Manager for SBC. RICHARD LOWRY (’68) came out of retirement to serve as interim superintendent of Corcoran (CA) Unified School District; prior to retiring he was superintendent for the San Benito High School District. JUSTIN MARLAIRE (’03) works in Worldwide Government Relations at Solectron. DAVID K. MARTZ (‘92) is a realtor with Valley Properties in San Jose. JOHN MCLEMORE (‘71) is Vice-Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. JAMES ROWEN (‘84) is completing his Master’s in Urban Planning; he will deliver a scholarly paper entitled “Feng Shui: Cultural Sensitivity or a New Form or NIMBYism” at the Institute for Suburban Studies Conference at Hofstra University in March. JAMES H. SCOTT (‘69) is President of West Coast Properties, a development corporation in Rancho Santa Fe, California. JEFFREY SCOTT (‘98) recently launched a political/humor Web site: http://www.velvetbench.com Major MITCH SCHMITDKE (‘97) completed his last mission as leader of a civil affairs team in Afghanistan before the holidays and has returned safely to his family in the U.S. JOHN SOBEL (‘04) is Legislative Assistant Office of Republican Assemblyman Bill Maze. TYSON SORCI (‘99) is a captain and second in command of a nuclear security squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base near Great Falls, Montana. JACKIE STEVENS (’84) is a teacher in Morgan Hill. JOHN TIMBERMAN (’01) spent a year in Iraq with the California National Guard; he now works for the Federal Transportation Security Administration at the San Jose Airport. MONICA TOOLE (‘01) is teaches at Willow Glen High School. SHEILA TUCKER (‘94) is an Administrative Manager with the City of San Jose’s Converged Network FRP team. DESTINY UMBENHOWER (‘03) is completing law school at Santa Clara University. GAYLE VISHER (’76) works with beginning high school teachers in the Campbell Union High School District. TYLER WARFIELD (‘92) has completed a Graduate Diploma in Journalism at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand. BARBARA ZENZ (’79) is CEO of The Stephenz Group, the second largest advertising agency in Silicon Valley and the 18th largest women-owned business in the Bay Area.

AND IN OTHER NEWS….

LEADERS-IN-RESIDENCE

The Political Science Department is honored to have two prominent and respected leaders of our state in residence this semester to work with our students and faculty. Both have generously volunteered their time, which we recognize is… priceless.

BOB FOSTER (‘69) is President of Southern California Edison and a CSU Trustee. This semester he’s team-teaching a public policy course with Professor Larry Gerston (they went to graduate school at UC-Davis together). Over fifty students are enrolled in the course, which focuses on energy policy. The Department and the Poli Sci Alumni Association will host a reception for Professor Foster on March 16, from 5-7 p.m. Contact Professor Terry Christensen (terrychr@email.sjsu.edu) if you’d like to attend. Bob is also a major donor for scholarships for our Washington DC Internship Program.

JOHN VASCONCELLOS, California State Senator Emeritus, has also joined the department this semester. John will bring his thirty years as a legislator to our classes and plans to do special workshops with faculty and students who are interested in deepening their political commitment and engagement.

THANKS TO LEADERS-IN-RESIDENCE JOHN VASCONCELLOS AND BOB FOSTER

THANKS TO THESE GENEROUS DONORS TO THE ANNUAL APPEAL:

PRESIDENT’S CABINET ($1,000 or more – tuition for a full-time student is $1433): Dustin Derollo

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ($198-280) – enough for a parking permit ($198) and books for one or two classes: Robert L. Farnquist, M.E. Ittner, Carol Motte Johson, Pete Kutras, John McLemore, Jerrold K. Milsted, Bonnie Samuelson, Karen Sepahmansour, Katherine Sprinkles, Beth and Steve Van Beek, Jacqueline Vaughn, Susie Wilson

COUNCIL MEMBERS ($75-110) – enough for materials and supplies for one semester: Victor Arranaga, Jim & Pat Beall, Frank Biehl, Terry Christensen, James Coberly, Rod Diridon Jr., Frances Edwards, Patricia Gardner, Carol Garvey, John Gibbs, Fernando Torres-Gil, Stephen Goodman, Senator Byron Sher, Paul Torres, Fred & Ruth Weed, Forrest Williams, Ed Wong, Richard & Karen Wylie, Ken Yeager

TRUSTEES ($45-60) — membership in Pi Sigma Alpha, the poli sci honor society: Joy Alexiou, Garry Cheney, Kris Cunningham, Stephanie Dean, Rebecca Elliot, Phil Griego, Carl Guardino, Peter Haas, Sarah Janigian, Charles Kilbourne, Lela Noble, Akeem Mostamandy, Eleanor Pett, Sherry Sager, Maurice Stevenson, Rick Torres

GOFERS ($25-35) – pizza and coffee for a couple of all-nighters: Tom Alexander, Julia Harper Cooper, Roy Christman, Jo Coffaro, Darren Deffner, Blanca Herrera, Jose Melchor, Jim Spence

THANKS TO ALL!

ADDITIONAL DONORS

DIANA GILBERT, $20,000 (!), for the John Gilbert Scholarship for Studies Abroad
SUSAN BOYE-LYNN, $1,000, for the Alumni Scholarship
LES FRANCIS, $1,000 for the Les Francis Endowment for Civic Engagement
For the Alumni Association ($25): Frank Biehl, James Coberly, William Faus,
Jerrold K. Milsted, Karen Sepahmansour, Jackie Stevens