Nathan Taylor
August 20, 2019
Nathan Taylor, '06 BA Political Science, has announced plans to run in 2020 to represent District 19 in the State Senate. District 19 includes parts of Clark, Nye, Lincoln, White Pine, Eureka, and Elko counties. In 2009, he formed Taylor Consulting Group, a land-use, zoning, licensing, and government affairs firm. During the past decade he has helped more than 1,000 small businesses obtain the licenses they needed to successfully operate.
Jamie Bichelman
August 20, 2019
Jamie Evan Bichelman, '13 BA Psychology, left his job with Nevada state government in the spring to take a job at Harvard. He also is completing two master's degrees at Harvard, one in journalism and one in psychology. Additionally, he is working toward a business communication certificate and a marketing management certificate at Harvard. He, his fiance, and their rescue and foster animals, live in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Stacy Shavinsky
August 20, 2019
Stacy Shavinsky, '00 BA Education, taught for nine years before becoming a school counselor. A professor at Touro University, she has two sons in high school. The oldest, a senior, is looking at colleges.
Meredith Gower
August 20, 2019
Meredith Evans Gower, '05 BA Psychology, is the mother of UNLV student Adrianna Gower, who is a pre-med student pursuing a bachelor's degree in biology.
Aaron MacDonald
August 20, 2019
Aaron MacDonald, '07 BA Political Science, '11 JD, is a staff attorney at Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. He works in the consumer rights department where he protects low-income Nevadans.
Chase Jansson
July 18, 2019
Chase Alexandra Jansson, '10 BA Anthropology, will be joining Campbell Johnston Clark (CJC) as an associate in the firm's new Miami office, which will open Sept. 2. She is an admiralty and maritime lawyer licensed in Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia. CJC is an international law firm with established offices in London, Newcastle, and Singapore that specializes in shipping and international trade. CJC’s Miami office will be its first in the United States.
Carol Bontrager Wagers
June 24, 2019
Carol Bontrager Wagers, '77 BS Education, '81 Master of Education, retired from her job as a guidance counselor at Green Valley High School in 2002 and now teaches two ukulele classes for UNLV's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). One is a beginners' class, while the other is a workshop for more experienced players. In 2018, her workshop students were asked to headline a ukulele show at the Marta Becket theater at Death Valley Junction, California. An experienced church pianist and organist, she also is certified as a master craftsman in counted thread techniques by the Embroiderer's Guild of America. A widow with three stepchildren, she attends three book clubs monthly.
Phil Ralston
June 21, 2019
Phil Ralston, '84 BS Accounting, is president of American Nevada Company. He recently joined the board of directors for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants. He got involved with the foundation to support a friend's daughter who was diagnosed with cancer. He has since become one of the leading Las Vegas fundraisers. As a St. Baldrick’s volunteer "shavee" since 2008, he has raised more than $309,000 for lifesaving childhood cancer research and his team, Bald by Design, has raised an additional $516,000 to help conquer childhood cancers. Ralston has challenged his team to raise $174,000 next year — its largest goal to date — to surpass $1 million raised for St. Baldrick’s 20th anniversary.
Kelly Kichline
June 20, 2019
Kelly R. Kichline, '01 BSBA - Human Resource Management, '07 JD Law, has rejoined Jackson Lewis in the firm’s Las Vegas office as a principal. Previously, she worked at Caesars Entertainment Corporation, where she was vice president and chief counsel, employment law. She has extensive experience handling employee issues in the hospitality industry, as well as employee issues arising in the heavily regulated gaming industry, including extensive federal and state compliance requirements. She also has significant experience advising and counseling clients in all areas of employment law compliance, focusing on claims prevention and efficient resolution strategies.
James Dold
June 12, 2019
James Dold, '06 BA Criminal Justice and '06 BA Psychology, has been chosen by the Board of Directors of Human Rights for Kids as CEO of the organization. He founded the organization in 2017 after nearly 10 years of advocating for children in need. Dold, who earned a law degree from the Univeristy of Maryland, previously served as advocacy director for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.
Phillip Harris
June 11, 2019
Phillip Harris, '18 Doctor of Musical Arts, is now a published author. His first book is Songs and Spirituals: The Life and Music of Jacqueline Hairston. He also provided the foreword for Hairston’s new anthology (with the same title) through Classical Vocal Reprints. Harris, a singer (baritone), teacher, church musician, and music scholar, performed Hairston's music at New York City's Lincoln Center in a June concert honoring prolific spiritual arrangers. His debut CD, Phillip Harris in Recital with Damien Sneed, is available on all major digital streaming and downloading outlets. He lives and works in the Oakland/ San Francisco area.
Maria Roncal
June 10, 2019
Maria Roncal, '11 BA Journalism and Media Studies, has been promoted to senior social media manager at Kenshoo, a software company for social media and search advertising. Notable clients include brands such as REI, The Honest Company, and tech disrupters such as San Francisco-based Stitch Fix and Bogota-based app Rappi. She became engaged to Brian Wuethrich during a trip to Santorini, Greece. They are planning a May wedding in Cancun, Mexico. The couple recently moved from San Francisco, where they met, to Los Angeles. Her hobbies include dancing in heels, CrossFit, and exploring Los Angeles’ food and culture scene