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
Sharon Rigby
June 10, 2019
Sharon Byram Rigby, '06 JD, was appointed by then-Gov. Brian Sandoval to the Nevada Tax Commission in 2017 as the mining industry member. She lives in Elko.
David Klink
June 10, 2019
David Klink, '11 JD, has been practicing plaintiff's personal injury and health care licensing board defense in Arizona as a sole practitioner since 2015. He enjoys the autonomy of solo practice and accepting cases where he can make a difference. He and his wife, Ashley, welcomed their second daughter, Ruby June, on Sept. 24, 2018. The family lives in Glendale.
Whitney Cole
June 10, 2019
Whitney Cole, '18 BA Communication Studies, is pursuing a master's degree online. Her hobbies include basketball and writing.
Alan Mann
May 16, 2019
Alan Mann, ’81 BS Hotel Administration, is a senior vice president for wealth management with Merrill Lynch in Las Vegas. He has been in the financial services industry for 31 years, 24 of those with the investment firm of Morgan Stanley. He has held board positions with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southern Nevada as well as Olive Crest foster placement service. He is a court-appointed special advocate for children in the foster care system. Alan and his wife of 30 years, Dena, have three grown children and live in Henderson.
Angela White
May 2, 2019
Angela M. White, '92 BS Education, '02 JD, has been a federal attorney for the Social Security Administration since 2010. She previously worked as a deputy public defender, largely handling felony cases for indigent clients in rural Nevada. Watercolor painting and drawing are her hobbies. She and her husband, Dennis Redoutey, have two "fur babies," Mini Might Missy and Theo. They live in Henderson.
Michael Amato-von Hemert
May 2, 2019
Michael Amato-von Hemert, '10 BS Gaming Management, is the owner of MaidPro Henderson, a company started in October 2018. He has spent the past 13-plus years studying the hospitality and gaming industry, traveling, and building businesses. He serves on the UNLV Alumni Association Board of Directors, which helps him stay connected, pay it forward, and support his alma mater.