70s
David Pyle, B.A. ’70, M.A. ’74, Sierra Vista, Arizona, earned his doctorate in Psychology from the University of Missouri- in Kansas City and was a licensed psychologist for 27 years. For the past 15 years, Pyle has been a psychologist with the U.S. Department of Defense working with active- duty soldiers. He is presently at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where he serves as psychological consultant to the 305th Military Intelligence Battalion.
Tom Kidder, B.A. ’71, Newbury, Vermont, is retired from teaching and video production and now serves as the chair of the Tucker Mountain Town Forest Management Committee.
Larry Chambliss, B.A. ’74, Massillon, Ohio, celebrates 45 years in education as a teacher and administrator.
Randy Earl, B.A. ’74, Longmont, won his 400th game as a high school basketball coach
at Valley High School in Gilcrest, Colorado, and was inducted into the Berthoud Sports
Hall
of Fame.
Bob Larson, M.A. ’74, Alva, Oklahoma, wrote a self-help book, Two Hundred Pounders Don’t Win Marathons but Persevere Anyway.
Deb Kenny, B.S. ’75, Monument, celebrates nearly 50 years as a nurse, after service for 24 years in the military. Kenny now teaches aspiring nurses at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Don Dirnberger, B.A. ’77, Lakewood, took his second Global Village Build trip for Habitat for Humanity International in November 2024 to build water cisterns for a community in Brazil. His first trip was in April 2023 to El Salvador.
Mary Jo Drew, B.A. ’79, Loveland, recently celebrated 10 years as a volunteer mentor
in
the Professional Engagement Program, sponsored by the Association for the Advancement
of Blood and Biotherapies. Dr. Drew enjoys learning her mentees’ perspectives on current
issues in the field, as well as learning what new techniques and technology are changing
in practice.
Donna Hendren, B.A. ’79, retired after a 48-year career in the cattle feeding business. Starting her journey with Monfort, which later became ConAgra, Smithfield Foods, Swift, JBS and finally 5Rivers Cattle, Hendren dedicated her professional life to an industry she deeply cared about, becoming a respected leader and mentor.
80s
Mark Schneider, B.S. ’80, Los Lunas, New Mexico, retired in fall 2024 from a 40-year career teaching elementary education.
Richard Sonnet, M.A. ’81, Franklin, Pennsylvania, retired after 34 years as an international educator in eight countries.
Phyllis Robinette, B.A.E. ’86, Colorado Springs, elected as the president of the Colorado chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, a women’s educational honorary society.
Greg Worrell, Ed.D. ’87, Eaton, was the keynote speaker at the International Society for Ergonomics and Safety at their 36th Annual Conference, The Art and Science of Selling Occupational Ergonomics: Three Dozen Years of Field Experience!
90s
Paul McCrackin, B.S. ’90, Grand Junction, was promoted to director of retail at Western National Parks Association, a nonprofit education partner of the National Park Service.
Terry Simonich, B.A.E. ’90, Parker, retired in 2024 after a 34-year teaching career, most of those years in the Cherry Creek School District.
Lora Cheadle, B.A. ’91, Littleton, published her second book, It’s Not Burnout; It’s Betrayal: 5 Steps to FUEL UP & Thrive, in January 2025. Building on the momentum of her TEDx talk and her first book, FLAUNT! Drop Your Cover and Reveal Your Smart, Sexy, & Spiritual Self, Cheadle has been speaking, training and coaching individuals, teams and organizations worldwide. Her youngest child graduated from UNC in 2022.
Andrew Barnitz, B.M.E. ’94, Lakewood, retired after 31 years of teaching.
00s
Kristina Valtierra, M.A. ’01, Denver, published a book, Preparing Early Career Teachers to Thrive: Sustaining Purpose, Navigating Tensions, and Cultivating Self-Care, which addresses the post-pandemic crisis of early career teacher turnover that harms students and entire school systems. Based on 10 years of qualitative research and practical application, this guide supports teacher professional identity formation, resilience and agency. The text offers a humanistic conceptual lens to the most pressing issues expressed by novice teachers.
Lyndsey Oates, M.S. ’04, Greeley, head coach of the UNC Bears Women’s Volleyball team, was named the Coach of the Year by the Big Sky Athletic Conference after securing Northern Colorado’s 14th Big Sky title.
Ryan Trevarthen, B.A. ’04, Castle Rock, was hired as the senior account executive at SADA, a leading cloud solutions provider for Google Cloud.
Jenn Worley, B.A. ’04, Longmont, celebrates nine years as a probation officer with the State of Colorado.
CeCe Majchrowski, B.A. ’05, Severance, earned the role of policy advisor with the Weld County Department of Human Services.
Shea Shackleford, B.A. ’05, Borger, Texas, completed his master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling, after working as a school counselor for two years.
Miranda Harp, B.A. ’06, Denver, is pursuing her special education licensure and will transition from her role as paraprofessional at DSST: Montview High School.
Shannon Wood, B.S. ’07, Pace, Florida, was promoted to practice director at Coastal Vascular and Interventional in Pensacola, Florida.
Samantha Disney-Saxton, B.A. ’08, Colorado Springs, was named the Art Educator of the Year in 2004.
10s
Jamie Lloyd, B.A. ’10, Flagstaff, Arizona, graduated with her doctorate in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University in December 2024. Her dissertation Foundations in Understanding NACURH: Training Regional-Level Advisors in a Professional Learning Community, focused on student organization advisor training and development.
Bob Burns, B.A. ’12, Monument, has been working as an archaeologist in Ireland. He uses CAD and GIS to produce maps and figures for archaeological reports and publications, conducts aerial drone surveys prior to road and infrastructure development, and produces 3D models of built heritage such as derelict medieval churches and castles.
Alexander Hill, B.M. ’13, Loveland, recently recorded his first feature album with APOLLO5, an internationally renowned vocal ensemble. The album is set to debut in 2025.
Kerrie Pitts, M.M. ’17, Fayetteville, North Carolina, reenli sted in the Army along with her husband, Grant Barker, M.A. ’19, under their commander Major Joel Du Bois, D.A. ’07.
Madeline Azari, B.A. ’18, Greeley, was named the 2024 Intermountain Affiliate Advisor
of the Year. This accolade recognizes advisors who make meaningful contributions to
communities through advising roles. Azari currently leads leadership programs within
Residence Life at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work was acknowledged on
a regional scale, representing institutions across eight states and two Canadian provinces.
Miranda Martino, M.A. ’19, Kansas City, Missouri, was named president-elect of the Missouri Association of School Psychologists. She will spend the next two years in the president role of the state association. She is currently a school psychologist in North Kansas City Public Schools.
20s
Meghan Bonde, Ed.S. ’20, Westminster, was invited to speak at TedX Woodinville about how gifted adults can increase their impact. She also launched intensityhub.com to support neurodivergent professionals.
Zach Brake, M.M. ’20, Thornton, was commissioned by Colorado Mesa University (CMU) to write a piece to be premiered at the 2024 Best of the West Festival, held in Grand Junction, Colorado. His original composition, Collisions, was met with audience acclaim and featured both the CMU Wind Symphony and Guerrilla Fanfare. Brake is a member of the Mapleton Public Schools District Performing Arts Program teaching staff, where he serves as director of Jazz Studies, Conductor of the Skyview Symphonic Band and teaches itinerant beginning band.
Alexis Riemenschneider, B.A. ’20, Ordway, published her debut novel in March of 2025, a new adult retelling of the legend of Medusa.
Mandy Farrar, B.A. ’21, Loveland, completed her master’s in Special Education from
the University of Kansas and is privileged to be impacting and supporting kids in
her community.
Killing It: Alumna and two-time All-American Sid Cole, ’24, is the only volleyball player to play professionally in the United States, making her debut with the Vegas Thrill in January. Cole is one of the most decorated players in UNC history, racking up more than 30 honors and awards, including NCAA All-American Honorable Mentions in 2022 and 2024.
Submit Alumni Notes online at unco.edu/unc-magazine
Stay connected! Join more than 80,000 people and follow us on LinkedIn @university-of-northern-colorado or on X @UNCBearsAlumni for the latest news and highlights.
