John "Jayson" Medema, '15 BS Geology and '17 MS Geoscience, was hired as a technician with Sunrise Engineering, After 1.5 years, he was recruited by Southwest Gas Corp. as a senior geographic information system analyst. He's now employed with Esri. Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute), a multinational geographic information system software company, primarily known for its ArcGIS platform. Esri is a leading supplier of GIS software, web GIS, local intelligence, and geodatabase management applications.

Stephanie Hannum, '07 BSW, works at the Department of Mental Health within the state of Massachusetts' Child, Youth, and Family Team. She recently graduated from Simmons University with a doctorate in social work.

Megan Bellamy-Lanze, ‘10 DMA, wrote the textbook, Music and the Human Experience, published by Cognella Academic Publishing. The textbook is for use in music appreciation courses with an emphasis on the psychology of music and how our choices reflect our senses of self. Bellamy-Lanze was promoted in 2023 to senior instructor at Colorado State University.

Thomas Oates, ‘85 BA Criminal Justice, served with NCIS from 1986-90. He then fulfilled his dream of becoming an FBI agent after joining the organization in 1990 and retiring in 2019. Oates would like to thank UNLV for preparing him for all his endeavors. He enjoys traveling, golf, and home maintenance.

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.

Sara (Costanza) Sibley, '06 BA Journalism & Media Studies, and her husband JC Sibley, '07 BS Kinesiology and Nutritional Sciences, welcomed a son, Apollo Joaquin on March 13, 2025. Sara is a former member of the UNLV Cheer & Dance Team. JC is a former UNLV baseball player.

Kristine Jan Cruz Espinoza, '24 Ph.D. Higher Education and '22 Graduate Certificate in Program Evaluation and Assessment, is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at California Lutheran University. A peer-reviewed she co-authored with colleagues titled, "Oceania in the Desert: A QuantCrit Analysis of the (Under)Counting of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students at an AANAPISI-HSI," was chosen as the 2025 Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Charles F. Elton Best Paper and was recognized on the AIR website and with recognition at the upcoming 2025 AIR Forum in May in Orlando, Florida.

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.

George Polyard, '16 Hotel Administration, was promoted to chief operating officer at ComOps, a leading provider of strategy and operational support for the hospitality and gaming industries. Polyard has expertise in the gaming and hospitality sectors, and has been instrumental in driving operational improvements across ComOps’ portfolio of more than 50 casinos and hotels. His approach to integrating guest and employee feedback has led to significant enhancements in customer satisfaction, workforce engagement, and overall business performance. He's led numerous successful omnichannel CX implementations, including for a 3,600-room luxury integrated resort and the seamless migration from a legacy platform for a 16-property international luxury hotel brand. Polyard and his wife, also a UNLV grad, have two children and proudly live in Las Vegas, where they've persuaded both pairs of parents to retire.

Yolanda Tuttle, '07 BS Hotel Administration, returned to Las Vegas to join the Suiteness.com team as a concierge. She is excited to get reacquainted with Sin City and her Sigma Kappa sisters!

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.

Lisa Kelleher, '11 Ph.D. Higher Education, was recently recognized for the Carol C. Harter GIVE Award, garnering her the selection as "Honorable Mention." She was recognized at the Celebrating Our Successes Social held by the UNLV Women's Council. The GIVE award celebrates and encourages diversity initiatives across UNLV. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding efforts in programming, outreach, and other initiatives by faculty, staff, individual students, and student organizations.