Francis Joseph Beckwith, '83 BA Philosophy, a professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University, was appointed by President Donald J. Trump to be a member of the Advisory Board of Legal Experts for the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission.

Thomas R. Boswell, '12 English, has joined the San Diego office of Ogletree Deakins as an associate. His practice focuses on employment law. Boswell earned his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law and has represented public and private entities as well as 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations in employment matters in state and federal court. Boswell also has experience defending wage and hour claims on a class and representative basis under the Private Attorneys General Act. Previously, he worked at a large plaintiff-side firm and has experience handling claims with various administrative agencies, such as CRD, Cal-OSHA, and the EEOC.

Joshua Chévere Cohen, '25 Nonprofit Management Graduate Certificate, '12 BA English, and '12 BA History, is a marketing and communications manager for UNLV's Black Mountain Institute. Cohen was selected by UNLV's English department as their 2025 College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Department Alumni. The 2025 Distinguished Department Alumni Cohort was recognized at the College of Liberal Arts Honors Convocation and presented with "COLA Keys to Success" on April 23, 2025.

Kendall Fearn, ‘09 BA Psychology and ‘11 MS Athletic Administration, was hired in June 2025 as head softball coach at California State University in Long Beach, California.

Jean Reid Norman, '09 MA English and '14 Ph.D. Public Affairs, has been promoted to full professor of journalism and emerging media at Weber State University effective July 1.

Karen Hawkes, Esq., '96 BA Political Science, is the Founder of Hawkes Law, A.P.L.C., an intellectual property and business law firm specializing in trademark and copyright in San Diego, California. She launched her firm in 2014. Previously, Hawkes was a trademark and copyright litigator in a firm for over a decade. She also serves as director and law professor of the California Western School of Law Trademark Clinic, where she teaches students to become practitioners and represents pro bono clients nationwide before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, D.C.

Johnny Dominguez, '13 BA Political Science and '18 M.Ed Higher Education, was recently appointed executive director of Improve Your Tomorrow for the Nevada region, a national nonprofit focused on increasing college access, persistence, and completion for young men of color through mentorship, academic support, and college-to-career programming. He continues to focus his career on educational equity and empowering first-generation students. Dominguez is excited to return to statewide impact work through his role at Improve Your Tomorrow, serving the same Southern Nevada communities he grew up in. He was recently honored as a 2024 Las Vegas Raiders “Inspire Change Changemaker” and is a proud alumnus of Leadership Las Vegas (Class of '22) and Surge Academy Las Vegas. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring new places with his wife, Celinda (Pena) Dominguez, '11 BS Human Services and '13 MSW, and two young children; weight training; and rooting for the Dodgers.

Patrick W. Naughton, Jr., '04 BA History and '13 Emergency and Crisis Management, recently published a book for those who have served and for those who seek to understand war and its generational impact. April 2025 will be the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Born from War: A Soldier’s Quest to Understand Vietnam, Iraq, and the Generational Impact of Conflict provides a fresh perspective on Vietnam for a new generation who just went through 20 years of their own wars, which their children, too, will one day struggle to understand. In addition to being an author, he is also a husband, father, U.S. Army officer, and historian.

Jennifer Hatcher, '08 BS English and '16 J.D., was made partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP.

Hillary Maxson-Kobayashi, '08 BA History, received her Ph.D. in Japanese history from the University of Oregon in 2018. She then taught East Asian history at Pacific University for two years. In 2020, Maxson-Kobayashi moved to Japan, where she worked as a freelance writer and editor. She's now working on starting an editing business in Japan. She lives with her husband, daughter, and cat. The family loves to travel around Japan and internationally. On their days of, they go to the hot springs. Maxson-Kobayashi volunteers for a women's organization that grants scholarships to women and people with visual impairments. She enjoys reading books and cooking new recipes in her free time.