Stephanie Bixler Gouveia, '13 MS Marriage and Family Therapy, is the specialty courts specialist for Las Vegas Justice Court's court education program and is coordinating the Veterans Treatment Court. She received her marriage and family therapist license in February and began her licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor internship in June. She and her husband, Zachery, welcomed their first child, daughter Zoey Dean Kaipolani Gouveia, on Feb. 22.    

Ronald L. Smith, '98 MA Ethics & Policy Studies, is vice president for African Operations for Frontier Markets Partners. A retired career officer with the U.S. Navy, he is experienced in government relations, operations, and international management, including state, justice, and defense departments; foreign governments; and non-governmental organizations. His two sons, Ron Jr. and Mark, are naval officers, while his daughter, Amy Cullinan, is a nurse. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Richard Jones, '89 BA English, is the bestselling author of the Vatican Knights series. The books soon will become a TV series from Amber Entertainment on which he will serve as co-producer.

Alba Arango, '91 BS Education, '94 BA History, '97 MA History, retired from teaching in June to become a full-time author of children’s books. She is best known for the Decoders series and the JJ Bennet: Junior Spy series, both intended for a middle-grade audience.

Aaron Lovaas, '92 BA Political Science, '02 MBA, accepted a partnership position with Newmeyer & Dillion in October 2016. This follows 12 years of owning and operating his own law firm. He continues to practice business law and to represent and counsel a local, national, and international clientele.

Robyn Donaldson, '11 PhD Psychology, co-created SolaceClub, a care package company designed specifically for grief, in October 2016. She says it has allowed her to blend her education in psychology and with her desire to help those who are grieving. Not only does the company offer care packages, but also provides information on its website on how to better support those who are grieving. The death of her husband in a motorcycle accident in November 2013 was one of her inspirations for launching the company. She says that yoga also has helped her cope with her grief. As a result, the company co-sponsors Yoga for Grief classes at a local yoga studio. She lives in Henderson.

Jerry Bean, '04 MS Kinesiology, provides sports medicine and performance enhancement services to all facets of Navy and Marine Corps aviation. Aviation, motorcycles, and the beach are his hobbies. He lives in Pensacola, Florida.

Brittany Norris, '14 BA Film Studies, is a document control specialist at Stantec. Based in Las Vegas, she is working on a $2 billion Honolulu Rail Transit project. She and her boyfriend, Tony, had their first child, Nathan Matthew Norris, in April 2016. She says they love being first-time parents. Her hobbies include playing the violin, drums, piano, and guitar; singing; taking photos; and hiking at Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston with her boyfriend and son. A fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo, she also does some film work. They live in North Las Vegas.

Jennifer Grodman, '05 BA Dance, is in her eighth year as a dance teacher for the Clark County School District. In 2016 she earned a master of liberal studies in arts development and program management from the University of Denver.      

Joe Piscotty, '06 BS Business Administration - Management, has been video coach for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League for five seasons. Previously, he was the video scouting analyst for the Ducks, assisting the hockey operations department with special projects. He enjoys Crossfit and spending time with family. He and his wife, Carrie, have two daughters, Kadence and Lea. The family lives in Huntington Beach, California.

Daliah Zodieru Wachs, '93 BS Biology, is a nationally syndicated radio host and a physician. Affiliated with GCN Network and iHeart Radio, she also is a board-certified family physician and a fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians. She and her husband, Corey Wachs, have two sons.  

Valerie Pelton, '92 MA Political Science, is an attorney and mediator who has represented U.S. and international technology, telecommunications, and aerospace companies in Europe, Asia, and the Persian Gulf. She now represents the U.S. Postal Service in matters before the Postal Regulatory Commission and provides business, technology, and corporate law advice. Previously, she represented the U.S. Department of Labor in mediations and arbitrations and served as a contracting officer’s representative. Prior to entering federal service, she founded the Pelton Law Firm and advised aviation non-profits and international technology companies on business, software licensing, and employment law matters. Before that, she worked for a number of law firms. Prior to practicing law, she served as a U.S. Air Force officer in the areas of signals intelligence and adversary electronic combat operations. She earned an LLM with highest honors in national security & U.S. foreign relations law from George Washington University (GWU) Law School in 2014 and a master's certificate in government contracting from the GWU Business School in 2012. She is studying Chinese at the GWU Confucius Institute and was awarded a summer travel scholarship in 2015 and 2016. She earned a law degree from Whittier College and a dual baccalaureate in modern European studies and French from Vanderbilt University.  She is active in Washington, D.C., area sailing, business, and legal groups and enjoys Argentine tango, salsa, waltz, cruising on the Chesapeake Bay, and sailing Flying Scots on the Potomac River. She lives in Arlington, Virginia.