Mike La Vita, ’00 BS Hotel Administration, is a senior event planner and team lead in the conferences and events department for Commonwealth Financial Network. He plans and executes networking, educational, and incentive conferences. His hobbies include travel, golf, cooking, poker, and movies. Married since 2013, he lives in Milton, Massachusetts.

Dolores Campuzano-Pignatello, ’00 BS Hotel Administration, is director of banquet operations at The Mirage Resort and Casino. In 2014 she received the highest honor given by MGM Resorts International, the Terrance J. Lanni Award for Excellence. This year she received the Glass Ceiling Award from NAWBO. She chairs the Hispanic/Latino Network Group at MGM Resorts International and serves on the board of the Women’s Chamber of Nevada. She has worked with MGM Resorts for more than 12 years. Previously, she worked for Disney World in Florida. Her hobbies include family, friends, faith, travel, music, animals, arts, culture, Broadway, movies, and the outdoors. She and her husband, Joseph Pignatello, have been married four years. They have two daughters, four sons, and three dogs.

Barbara Britton, ’00 BS Business Administration, is retired from California’s Napa County where she worked as the property tax manager for the auditor-controller department. She lives in Yountville.

Tony Zaranti, ’99 BS Hotel Administration, is general manager of the Summit Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Previously, he served as assistant general manger at Ridglea Country Club as well as at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. His hobbies include golf, travel, food, and boutique wines. He and his wife, Christi, live in Bixby with their two rescue dogs, Riley and Allie.

Todd Weinstein, ’99 MS Hotel Administration, launched Gavia Partners to provide executive coaching, leadership development, and consulting services to clients in hospitality, technology, and specialty retail. He has focused his efforts in human resources positions in the areas of employee relations, leadership development, talent management, and organizational change at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas, as well as Expedia.com and PetSmart. He is an avid trail cyclist, independent film enthusiast, musician, and cook. He and his wife, Beth Appelbaum Weinstein, ’98 MS Hotel Administration, live in Phoenix.

Charles “Mike” Prince, ’99 BA Elementary Education, is the recipient of the Will Rogers Medallion for best Western novel for young adults in 2014 for his latest book, Flint Pierce, the Adventures of a Young Nevada Cowboy. This is his second Will Rogers Medallion. He currently is working on a book about Flint Pierce and the Arizona Strip outlaws. He retired this year from teaching science and math at Pahranagat Valley Middle School. Raising cattle is one of his hobbies. He and his wife, Jean, live in Alamo.

Jesse Oakley III, ’99 BS Civil Engineering, is a supervisor II associate engineer for the Nevada Department of Transportation. He is a published author, having pennedGreetings Happy People: The Positive Words and Wisdom Through the Eyes of Mr. I-I-I. He served as the 2012-13 District 33 governor for Toastmasters International, serving clubs in Southern Nevada and central California. This summer, he and his wife, Dana, served as host district co-chairs of the 2015 Toastmasters International Convention, which took place at Caesars Palace. They have been married since July 1, 2012.

Angie Staples Abdelmonem, ’99 BA Anthropology, is completing her doctoral degree in anthropology at Arizona State University (ASU) with a research specialization in sexual violence, social movements, non-governmental organizations, transnational feminism, and Egypt and the Middle East. Her dissertation explores the cultural politics of grassroots activism to combat public sexual violence in Egypt. She is a faculty associate with ASU’s global technology and development program. She also is part of a British Academy-funded project exploring media, public sexual violence, and respectability. She is married and has three children. She divides her time between North Las Vegas, Arizona, and Egypt.

Anne Alama Carpenter, ’98 Master of Public Administration, is a captain with the Nevada Highway Patrol, responsible for the commercial, rural, and urban day shift operations. In March she receive the Public Safety Award from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Safety Communications Award from the Strategic Highway Safety Plan/Zero Fatalities for the “It Can Wait for 28” Distracted Driving Program.

Michael Berk, ’98 BS Hotel Administration, recently became director of catering for JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek. He will lead the team of catering and event managers. He has spent the majority of his career with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, most recently serving as the director of catering at the Four Seasons Denver. He also has worked at Four Seasons Jackson Hole (Wyoming) and Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas.

Catherine Mazzeo, ’97 BA Psychology, ’02 JD, will be the 2016 president of the Clark County Bar Association.

Cindy Kern, ’97 BS Education, ’07 Master of Education, ’13 PhD Secondary Education, has been named a visiting assistant professor of education and director of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Center for Science and Teaching at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. The center is a network of scientists, engineers, and educators collaborating to advance the art of science, technology, engineering, and math education from kindergarten to the university level. She previously was an assistant professor at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. Previously, she taught at Green Valley High School for 16 years and served as an adjunct science professor at UNLV. She and her husband, Jason, have a son, Khorbin.