1960s

Cliff Branch (English, ’69) published a book, “American Made: Reflections of a Boomer,” about growing up as a baby boomer in America. Branch discusses the impact of growing up as part of the first American generation to be immersed in television, middle-class prosperity and pop culture in the years following World War II. The book covers a wide range of subjects, including advertising, politics, Wall Street and religion.

1970s

Kathleen J. Evans (Home Economics, ’76) achieved ABD (all-but-dissertation) status toward a doctorate in education in organizational leadership. Her working thesis title is “On the Edge of Chaos: Complexities Within the Apparel Industry.”

1980s

Stacey Garrison (Home Economics, ’84) earned a Master of Nursing, with a concentration in clinical informatics and patient-centered technology from the University of Washington in 2014. She works at the University of Washington in Seattle as the manager of the Epic Electronic Health Record Clinical Applications for UW Medicine.

1990s

Michele (Morris) Cohen (Journalism, ’91) will be entering her fourth year owning and operating Bands to Fans, a social media company that caters to bands and musicians.

Michelle LaCouture-Ramirez (Human Development, ’92) is now the human resources manager at Leal Vineyards Inc. in Hollister, Calif.

Neal Losey (History, ’93) recently celebrated 25 years on San Luis Obispo radio — 20 years with Central Coast Public Radio KCBX FM. He first stepped up to a microphone in 1989 as a student deejay at Cal Poly’s KCPR FM. In 1993 Losey started volunteering at KCBX FM, and in 1997 he became the station’s music director and host of The Morning Cup of Jazz program. Losey has also worked for commercial radio stations over the last 25 years, including KOtter, KBear and The Beach.

^ Norah (left), the second child of Matt Lazier (Journalism, ’97) was born April 1, 2015, joining her big brother Braeden.

2000s

Jessica Christina (Hammes) Elliott (Child Development, ’04) married Matthew C. Elliott in December 2013 in Costa Rica, becoming a stepmother to 10-year old Maddie. The family resides in Austin, Texas. Elliott is working to launch her business, The Inspired Guide, the first program of its kind to support adults working with children to help their development and well-being. She hopes to bring this interactive program to an international level, but will focus on introducing it in Austin.

Mark Noce (English and History, ’05; M.A. English, ’07) recently signed a two-book deal with New York publishers Thomas Dunne Books for his upcoming novel “Between Two Fires” and a sequel. The book is historical fiction set in Medieval Wales and is expected to come out in fall 2015. His book deal was mentioned in Publishers Weekly. More information can be found on Noce’s blog or Goodreads author page.

Leela (Stedt) Sherbon (Graphic Communication, ’05) and her husband, Justin, are owners of Sentinel Security Solutions, ranked as one of the 50 fastest growing security service providers in North America by SD&I Magazine for four years running. The couple founded the company in 2006.

Marquel S. M. Ramirez (Modern Languages & Literatures, ’07) is a member of the Modern Languages and Literatures Department Alumni Advisory Board. She has served as an AmeriCorps Member (2009) and a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal (2011-13). She is beginning her second year of law school.

^ Kendra Aronson (Modern Languages and Literatures, ’09) is the writer, photographer, designer and self-publisher of “The San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market Cookbook: Simple Seasonal Recipes & Short Stories from the Central Coast of California.” The cookbook is inspired by and showcases the food growers and farm-to-table chefs of San Luis Obispo County. Learn more at slofarmersmarketcookbook.com.

2010s

^ Michael “MJ” Robotham (Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies; Industrial Design, ’10) moved to the Bay Area in 2013 to work for Cisco Systems. This year the company gave him the opportunity to work abroad in Sydney, Australia.
^ Jeff Rauch (Art & Design, ’11) married his wife, Jackie, at Jack’s House & Garden in San Luis Obispo in 2013. The two met in San Luis Obispo in 2011 just before Jeff transferred to Cal Poly.

^ Alyssa Hutton (Communication Studies, ’12) and Trevor (Computer Engineering, ’13) were married September 27, 2014.

^ Brian Peters (Communication Studies, ’12) and Katie Colombo (Business Marketing, ’13) got engaged in March 2015 at Zion National Park. They are planning their wedding for May 2016 at Jack House & Gardens in San Luis Obispo.

^ Claire (Kister) Swenson (Communication Studies, ’12) and Ryan Swenson (Architectural Engineering, ’10; M.B.A., 2010) were married May 2014 in San Jose, Calif.

^ Bissy Sancimino (Communication Studies, ’13) is working in Australia at Expert360, an online consulting company. Her favorite place in the country, she says, is at Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island.