Alumni Updates-San Francisco

Alumni Updates

Kevin Alin, FPPA 2005 SF, is the Director of Operations and External Affairs at Citizens Leadership Academy in Cleveland, Ohio.

Vicenta Arrizon Maffris, FPPA 2005 SF, heads to Cal State University Long Beach this fall to obtain her Masters in Student Development and Higher Education.

Kathryn (Kara) Bailey, FPPA 2007 SF, is an attorney at Stember Feinstein Doyle & Payne in Pittsburgh, PA.

Diane Bisgeier, CLP 2002, is now a Program Manager, WebFWD Innovation Accelerator at Mozilla Corporation.

Adam Byrnes, FPPA 2005 SF, recently started a three year program at University of Michigan to obtain a dual degree: a MS in Natural Resources and the Environment and an MBA. His focus will be on sustainable energy systems and entrepreneurship.

Katherine Casey, FPPA 2007 SF, after two and a half years at Education Pioneers in Oakland and ten years in the Bay Area, is now on the East Coast to obtain a Doctorate in Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) at Harvard.

Drea Chicas, EL 2003, in September started at Seattle University to obtain a Masters in Transformational Leadership through the School of Theology and Ministry.

Regina Chien, EL 2002 SF, is a Relationship Advisor for Silicon Valley Bank in NYC.

Zoe Duskin, EL 1999 SF, is the Founding Principal of the Inspired Teaching School, a new public charter/teacher training school in Washington, D.C.

Elise Gautier, FPPA 1980 SF, works as a freelance editor and publication designer, and volunteers for Ceasefire Oregon, which works to prevent gun violence.

Hunter Gordon, FPPA 2009 SF, and wife Kristen welcomed their first child, a daughter, Scout LaRae Gordon, on August 24, 2011.

Letitia Henderson, FPPA 2005 SF, is an Education Program Coordinator for the Oakland Housing Authority, where she develops and manages education services to OHA's 5,800 low-income families with school age children. She is also involved with a variety of civic groups, including the Gurls ROCK program.

Johnson Hor, CLP 2006, recently joined First Republic Bank as a Senior Analyst, Operations Strategy in San Francisco.

Benedict Hur, FPPA 1999 SF, currently serves as the chair of the San Francisco Ethics Commission, where fellow commissioner Beverly Hayon is also a Coro graduate, WP ’78 SF. Ben is a partner at Keker Van Nest LLP, and Beverly is a retired media and communications professional.

Craig Ishihara, FPPA 2008 SF, graduated with an MBA from UC Davis and is now a Management Consultant for Gallup Consulting. He and his wife became first-time parents this summer to a daughter, June Ishihara.

Ryan Iwata, EL 2004 SF, is an Estimate Assistant & Social Media Manager at Yerba Buena Engineering and Construction in San Francisco.

Fatima Kassam, FPPA 2002 SF, is Chief of Governmental Affairs for the African Risk Capacity (ARC) -- A Project of the African Union. ARC is a financial entity that would provide participating countries with immediate resources in the event of a severe drought, flood or cyclone allowing governments to respond more quickly and efficiently to those affected. Fatima is based in Johannesburg with frequent travel to Addis Ababa and other capitals in the region.

Paul Knepprath, FPPA 1987 SF, after 21 years of leadership at the American Lung Association in California, is moving to Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California as the Vice President, Policy and Public Affairs.

Christine Ku, FPPA 2005 SF, is a Law Clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals 2^nd circuit in New York City.

Israel Lazo, EL 2005 EB, is a Training Intern at Global Citizen Year.

Benjamin J. Meshoulam, FPPA 2001 SF, is now a Judicial Law Clerk at Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Matt Podolin, FPPA 2011 SF, is currently working as a contractor for the City of Novato, where he had his government placement last year. The City Manager Michael Frank and Assistant City Manager Cathy Capriola are 1987 SF Coro grads.

Joe Rosenheim, EL 1999, is a North Bay journalist who covered the financial services industry for several years as a staff writer for The Green Sheet magazine and now works as a freelancer covering both financial services and general news (for America Online). He founded a satirical website in May: The Concern News - "Serving the Bay Area since very recently."

Kimya Saied, FPPA 2011 SF, enjoyed a trip to Iran visiting family over the summer and is now in law school at Hastings.

Chris Simi, EL 2002, after graduating from Columbia University in 2007 and working for over three years at NYC’s Affordable Housing Agency, returned to the West Coast to attend the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley.

P. Anthony Thomas, FPPA 1989 SF, is the Vice President of Public Policy for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Dan Viederman, FPPA 1989 SF, CEO of Verité, was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 in the United States by the Geneva, Switzerland-based Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. He joins Darell Hammond of KaBOOM! and Elizabeth Hausler of BuildChange in receiving this honor.

Scott Vila, FPPA 1985 SF, is the VP of Current Scripted Programming for Syfy television in Los Angeles.

Galen Wilson, FPPA 2011 SF, is an Analyst at Goldman Sachs.

David Shih-Chun Wu, FPPA 2005 SF, is now a Social Work Intern at Kaiser Permanente