Class Notes

Greg Connor, B.A., political science, recently joined the American Feed Industry Association as the senior manager of Multilateral Affairs and Market Access. Previously, Greg worked as an international program specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Raelyn Kaplan, B.A., Fairhaven Interdisciplinary Concentration, is managing director at Joyco Digital and was included in Whatcom Talk's 2025 Top 7 Under 40 list.  

Tim Barron, B.S., kinesiology - movement studies, is a doctor of chiropractic who recently returned to Whatcom County to open North Sound Spine & Sports Therapy in Ferndale.  

Whitney Osiensky, M.A., anthropology, is Whatcom County's first full-time archeologist, ensuring cultural resources are protected during construction and maintenance of public works projects.  

Terry Veltkamp, B.S., technology education and '90, M.Ed., technology, was inducted into the White River Athletic Hall of Fame for his work as head football coach at White River High School and winning five league titles. 

Jonathan Zehr, B.S., biology, is a distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Ocean Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He led a team that received the American Association for the Advancement of Science's oldest award, the Newcomb Cleveland Prize, for work published in the journal Science on the groundbreaking discovery of an organelle within a single-celled algae that converts nitrogen gas into ammonia and helps the algae survive in nutrient-poor ocean regions. Their research was funded in part by the Simons Foundation, for which Jonathan is a principal investigator. 

The Redmond High School Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Cami Gates, B.Mus., music education, came in second at the American String Teachers Association National Orchestra Festival in Atlanta in March. The students memorized 35 minutes of classical music and performed unconducted. 

Willie Schnitzer, B.A., Fairhaven interdisciplinary concentration, recently retired after several decades in the real estate appraisal profession in the San Francisco Bay Area, including work in the reconstruction of freeways in the East Bay following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. He's also a volunteer for Oakland's First "T," an organization that assists disadvantaged middle school students. 

Amy Harder, B.A., journalism, is the inaugural journalism fellow for the University of Chicago's Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, where she's the co-host with institute founder Michael Greenstone on the podcast "Shocked," which explores wide-ranging questions in the energy space. Amy also writes about the future of energy as national energy correspondent for Axios. 

Mike Taggart, BAE, mathematics, retired from the Everett School District after teaching math for 36 years. He also coached multiple sports including eighth-grade football and  basketball. 

Mike Acord, B.S., mathematics, was recently honored by the Washington Education Association - Retired for his advocacy work to improve substitute teachers' work conditions in Washington. 

Arthur Lim, B.S., sport psychology, received the 2025 Innovation Honor Award from the Cordage Institute for his development of three new knots. His "Mittens Knot" was featured in Ropecord News. 

Kevin Gudgel, BAE, English - secondary, was named Athletic/Activities director at Burlington-Edison High School, Where he has taught English and served as ASB advisor for 25 years.  

Greg Cox, B.A., chemistry, had some new publications this year, including "People I want to Eat," a grisly new zombie story in issue 371 of Weird Tales magazine, and "Star Trek: The Original Series: Identity Theft," which will be out in December in time for Star Trek's 59th anniversary. 

Mare Sullivan, CERT, elementary education, is a teacher at an outdoor preschool who just wrote a new children's picture book "Come Out and Play!" celebrating the joys of getting outside and exploring the natural world.  

Brooks Smothers, B.A., art - graphic design, recently became the host of the podcast "See America," which highlights unique roadside attractions, history and hidden gems in the U.S. 

Douglas Massey, B.A., anthropology, psychology, sociology and Spanish, received the Princess of Asturias Award for the Social Sciences from the royal family of Spain at a ceremony in October. Massey, the Henry G. Bryan Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University and the director of Princeton's Office of Population Studies, was honored for his extensive work in the fields of international migration and social stratification. 

Dan Whitlock, B.A., business administration, retired as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, after 31 years of service. Col. Whitlock served in command positions at the company, battalion and brigade-level. He served as general’s deputy chief of staff human resources, in intelligence and security, in comptroller positions, and at the Defense Intelligence Agency as reserve director of intelligence in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. Central Command. Col. Whitlock's career also included a combat tour Afghanistan, where he earned a Bronze Star. He is currently an executive project manager with KONE Elevator in Illinois.

Fairhaven Distinguished Alumnus Coll Thrush, B.A., Fairhaven interdisciplinary concentration, recently wrote "Wrecked: Unsettling Histories from the Graveyard of the Pacific," which was published in May by University of Washington Press. Coll is a professor of history and associate faculty in critical Indigenous studies at the University of British Columbia. His previous books include "Native Seattle" and "Indigenous London." 

Megan Peyton, B.A., English, was recently appointed to Clark County District Court. Previously, Megan worked as a defense attorney in Vancouver, Washington.