CLU Magazine - Fall/Winter 2023

CLUMAGAZINE

Keeping the Faith

Ze’ev Remer balances basketball and religion

FALL/WINTER 202 3

4 PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Cal Lutheran previews possible new projects and programs.

7 PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

Ahmanson upgrades will create a state-of-the-art facility for STEM programs.

10 NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

• The Rev. Melissa Maxwell-Doherty retires

• Cares Day raises more than $2 million

• Math professor wins teaching award

• Cal Lutheran hires general counsel, senior leaders

• Faculty members retire with emeritus status

13 THE FUTURE OF MUSIC New creative and performing arts head aims to prepare students to adapt skills for future careers.

14 KEEPING THE FAITH Basketball player Ze’ev Remer faces challenges as Cal Lutheran’s only Orthodox Jewish student.

18 SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

• Longtime baseball coach Marty Slimak retires

• Alumnus named water polo head coach

• Kingsmen baseball ends season as SCIAC champions

• Men’s basketball reaches NCAA tournament

• Carmen Bufkin competes at NCAA Tennis Championships

• Pole vaulter ties for 12th at NCAA Championships

22 SETTING THE STAGE

Theatre Arts and Dance program gives students a personal, well-rounded experience.

26 MOVING ON

After 40 years at Cal Lutheran, theatre arts professor Michael Arndt starts his next act.

27 IN MEMORIAM

29 CLASS NOTES

36 MILESTONES

Students explore the Cal Lutheran campus Aug. 25 during New Student Orientation. More than 90% of new students participated in the weekend activities to celebrate the start of the school year.

Photo by Tracie Karasik/TLKmultimedia

Looking to the future with new projects and programs

Greetings from Thousand Oaks, where colleagues and I have spent the majority of the summer hosting a series of leadership briefings to prioritize the proposed projects and programs that emerged from last year’s integrated strategic and campus planning processes. Over the last couple of months, I invited more than 100 of our most loyal friends and donors to discuss several significant proposals that will bolster the student experience at California Lutheran University. Senior leaders and I are now analyzing the feedback we have received and prioritizing the endeavors we believe would generate the most philanthropic and community interest.

I am using this column to share some possibilities we are exploring so that our alumni and friends are up-to-speed on the possibilities at hand. The projects we pursue will depend on the community’s expressed levels of philanthropic support.

Academic Facilities (Main Campus)

• A multimillion-dollar renovation of the Ahmanson Science Center is currently underway to include robotics, optics and physics studio labs; a math suite; and study, tutoring and collaboration spaces

• A new School of Management facility that would allow the university to build on the successes of its many business programs and increase its recruitment of talented business-oriented students

• New music and theater facilities that would offer faculty and students contemporary teaching, learning, rehearsal and performing spaces

Athletic Facilities (Main Campus)

• A much-needed practice and competition facility for our track and field teams

• Aquatic center enhancements that would include spectator seating, concessions, a press area and satellite training rooms

• A new softball stadium that features permanent dugouts, covered bleacher seating, concessions, a press box and restrooms

• Tennis courts expansions that would add additional courts and other amenities

Outdoor and Grounds Improvements (Main Campus)

• The transformation of Memorial Drive from a vehicular thoroughfare to a pedestrian boulevard

• An integrated signage and wayfinding system that welcomes new students, visitors, families and neighbors

Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

• Growing the Seminary Fund to support the operations and initiatives at PLTS

• Strengthening the Center for Climate Justice and Faith, which equips leaders to work for climate justice in communities around the world

• Supporting the TEEM (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries) Certificate program for nonresidential students to study with local pastors on their way to becoming ordained ministers

• Contributing to an Alaskan Natives and Indigenous leaders’ program

Student Support

• Bolstered teaching and learning technologies to keep pace with mid-21st-century needs and expectations

• Expendable scholarships that use the entire amount of a donation to support students, and endowed scholarships, which are usually smaller awards drawn from the earned interest on an endowment gift

• Funds to support paid student internships and on-campus employment

• Revitalization of the Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals program to include online learning options in all majors

Each of the above initiatives would prioritize students; keep California Lutheran University strong, healthy and highly relevant; and build our future. If you are intrigued and want to hear more or assist in our ambitious efforts, please contact Regina Biddings-Muro, EdD, our vice president of University Advancement.

With excitement and optimism,

EDITOR

Linda Martinez

ART DIRECTOR

Sherri Matsumoto

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Gina Cusano

CONTRIBUTORS

Carley Doyle

Martha Groves

Steven Guetzoian

Karen Lindell

Sharon Nelson

Jessi Soporito

VOLUME 31, NUMBER 1

Copyright 2023

CLU Magazine is published twice a year for alumni, parents and friends. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of Cal Lutheran nor the magazine staff.

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CLU Magazine welcomes ideas for articles and nominations for Vocations articles.

Lori Varlotta

ON THE COVER

Ze’ev Remer has learned to balance his faith and basketball.

Photo by David Dewing

PREPARING FUTURE FOR THE

Ahmanson Science Center upgrades will create a state-of-the-art facility for STEM programs.

BY MARTHA GROVES

A second-floor bridge walkway connects the Ahmanson Science Center, opened in 1988, to the new, top-flight Swenson Science Center, dedicated in 2021 during a COVID-19-delayed ribbon-cutting ceremony. The contrasts one notices during the short walk from the newly equipped, airy and contemporary Swenson facility, across that bridge to the aging Ahmanson Science Center, are stark.

University leaders want to mitigate those contrasts so faculty and students in Ahmanson science classes have access to the kinds of state-of-the-art equipment their counterparts use in Swenson. With this goal in mind, Cal Lutheran will make critical upgrades that give our students the tools they need to succeed at a time when teaching and learning in disciplines such as chemistry and physics are constantly changing.

In 2007, Michele LeBlanc, PhD, a Cal Lutheran professor of exercise science, attended the Project Kaleidoscope STEM Institute in Chantilly, Virginia. The workshop used experiential learning and diversity simulation to help higher-education faculty and administrators transform undergraduate STEM – an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math – education in classrooms, departments and institutions. She came away thinking hard about how a university prepares for a technological and scientific future.

“What we learned at the workshop, and from visiting a lot of other science buildings across the country, and talking to colleagues who opened new science buildings, was this: We really need flexible spaces,” LeBlanc said.

Soon after she and other Cal Lutheran faculty members returned from that workshop, LeBlanc was named “project shepherd” for the Thousand Oaks campus's state-of-the-art, $34 million Swenson Science Center.

At the time, that facility was a gleam in the design team’s eye. After a groundbreaking in 2018 and a “soft” opening in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the light-infused building was dedicated with fanfare in an October 2021 ceremony and is fully in use.

The Ahmanson Center, opened in 1988, continues to house classrooms and laboratories, Holm Atrium and Richter Lecture Hall. With an eye toward improving those and other spaces, interior renovations in this facility began in 2021, with more work to come next year. LeBlanc has been asked to shepherd this renovation process as well.

The university is determined to have two highly functional and contemporary science facilities to augment the teaching and learning in STEM disciplines, which a task force of faculty, staff and community members believes can distinguish Cal Lutheran from other schools.

“One of the task force recommendations was the prioritization of science-based programs,” said Senior Associate Provost Taiwo Ande, MBA, PhD, who co-chaired the task force with Tom Hoener, MS, associate vice president for Enrollment Management.

That wasn’t surprising, given the university’s location in the Conejo Valley. Thousand Oaks and Ventura County have long been hubs for technology and biotech companies, including biotech giant Amgen.

“Cal Lutheran is being very deliberate to build out academic programs that have workforce promise,” said Cal Lutheran President Lori Varlotta, PhD. “These are areas where students can move into meaningful and lucrative careers and where there is not already a lot of program saturation in the market.”

“Cal Lutheran is being very deliberate to build out academic programs that have workforce promise.”

— Cal Lutheran President Lori Varlotta

Upgrades to the Ahmanson Science Center will create state-of-the-art labs, classrooms and spaces for collaboration between students and professors. Renderings courtesy of Rasmussen & Associates

During a walk-through of the aging Ahmanson building one recent afternoon, Christine Cano, MPPA ’19, Cal Lutheran’s capital project architect, listed the many improvements in the offing.

“That wall will go, and these solid walls will be replaced by windows,” Cano said, pointing to outmoded expanses.

“These hundreds of drawers of rocks and fossils on the first floor will be moved to the second floor. The herpetology lab will move. The bathrooms will be redone. The greenhouse lab will be gutted. There will be two modern physics studios with pods of tables.”

The building will feature new floors, furnishings, lights and heating and air-conditioning systems.

“Each room will have its own HVAC package unit and will be able to be controlled separately as opposed to ‘zoned’ cooling/ heating, which would turn on the system for a bank of spaces even though only one room calls for service,” Cano said.

The new HVAC systems and LED lighting are expected to greatly improve the building’s energy efficiency.

HOW TO HELP

With renovations underway, now is the perfect time for our alumni and friends to support this important project. If you are interested in donating toward the Ahmanson Science Center renovations, please contact Cal Lutheran’s Advancement office at 805-493-3160 or development@CalLutheran.edu.

Upcoming construction will include new labs that will be easily configurable for specific projects, meeting the need for flexibility. A new lobby and math classrooms are in the works, as is a remodel of Richter Lecture Hall. Classes will begin in Ahmanson in Fall 2024.

Ahmanson also will feature LeBlanc’s top priority: “sandboxes.” These are open study and interaction spaces adjacent to professors’ offices, allowing for ready assistance as students work on projects and assignments.

These changes will modernize Ahmanson so that it, like Swenson, will facilitate mid-21st-century teaching and learning in some of academia’s most dynamic fields. Inside that three-story, 47,000-square-foot space, science is on display thanks to extensive interior windows that make work inside the labs visible from a central hallway on each floor.

Varlotta said the university already has committed some capital reserves for the Ahmanson project, but also is relying on funds yet to come from foundations and individuals. The total cost for improvements is projected to be $7.7 million.

“We are investing proudly in these areas since we know they will help our students put their skills to work in the world,” Varlotta said. “Nothing could be more directly aligned with the values of a Lutheran arts and science university.”

Martha Groves is a Los Angeles-based freelance journalist who worked as an editor and a reporter for the Chicago Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer and Los Angeles Times.

Saying farewell after 22 years of service

After eight years as vice president of Mission and Identity and 14 years as campus pastor, the Rev. Melissa MaxwellDoherty ’77, MDiv ’81, retired in May. She served as campus pastor alongside her husband, the Rev. Scott MaxwellDoherty ’76, MDiv ’81, who retired in 2021. The couple, who married in 1981, attended Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) in Berkeley, California, after graduating from Cal Lutheran and returned to the Thousand Oaks university in 2001 to serve together as campus pastors.

The Maxwell-Dohertys received the President’s Award for Distinguished Ministry from PLTS in 2001. Melissa assisted with the development of the university’s strategic plan and served on the President’s Diversity Council.

In addition to building houses over the years with Habitat for Humanity, Melissa helped lead service trips with students to Biloxi, Mississippi, and El Salvador. She believed strongly in creating and upholding inclusive practices at the university, making sure the Wennes Interfaith Meditation Chapel remained a space for people of various faiths, and helped create a walking labyrinth behind Samuelson Chapel.

She is known by students and colleagues for truly listening to every community member she meets, working tirelessly to make Cal Lutheran a welcoming place for all, and showing genuine joy in serving the university.

The campus community celebrated her retirement with a reception May 18 in Lundring Events Center and through Zoom. President Lori Varlotta said she “exudes generosity and grace not commonplace in most work environments, including higher education. These values are, however, the cornerstones of the Lutheran Church and the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) universities affiliated with it. California Lutheran University is a better place having had a leader who consistently and naturally embodies the values and ideals that guide who we strive to be today and tomorrow. Indeed, Melissa Maxwell-Doherty has been a guiding light at the university for over two decades, and we are grateful for her presence and spirit.”

Her former position has been reconfigured to associate vice president of Mission and Identity, which was filled in July by religion professor Colleen Windham-Hughes.

“Melissa Maxwell-Doherty has been a guiding light at the university for over two decades, and we are grateful for her presence and spirit.”

— Cal Lutheran President Lori Varlotta

Cares Day raises more than $2 million

This year nearly 1,800 donors participated in the most successful Cal Lutheran Cares Day ever. On April 12, donors made 2,352 gifts to the annual fundraising campaign that totaled more than $2 million.

Students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends of the university in 37 states and eight countries participated, contributing to the areas and initiatives most meaningful to them. Those included athletic programs, campus equity and inclusion, student scholarships, counseling services, veterans, the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival, and our college and schools. Altogether, 29 departments and groups encouraged support for 65 causes and 27 scholarships.

A new scholarship created this year was the Asian Students Scholarship Fund, established by Felix Wang of Best Western Hotel in Thousand Oaks to provide tuition support to Asian students at Cal Lutheran. Cares Day Ambassador volunteers provided updates about the campaign throughout the day and late into the night.

University Advancement Vice President Regina BiddingsMuro said Cares Day “inspires a wave of positive goodwill. It’s wonderful that the campus community members who serve on the front lines get the chance to tell their stories and hear directly from students as well as the alumni and families who appreciate how their Cal Lutheran experiences set them up for success.”

Gagliardo gets President’s Award for Teaching Excellence

Michael Gagliardo, PhD, professor of mathematics, received the 2023 President’s Award for Teaching Excellence. The award was created in 1995 to recognize professors held in high esteem by their peers, students and university community.

In nominating Gagliardo, a colleague wrote, “Above all, he is truly committed to constantly improving the effectiveness and academic quality of his courses by fearlessly searching [for] and implementing some of the newest teaching methods at the forefront of mathematics educational research.”

Gagliardo recently applied the Inquiry-Oriented Linear Algebra (IOLA) teaching method in his upper-division course. This approach engages students in challenging tasks that use concepts before formal definitions, so they develop a deeper understanding.

“Whether he is traveling to Spain with Dr. Fiore Urízar and students as part of the Mathematics, Architecture and Detective Fiction seminar; participating in Center for Teaching and Learning workshops; using a flipped classroom technique and drawing from Inquiry-Oriented Linear Algebra; or advising the Mathematics Club or Student Life Committee, Dr. Gagliardo’s passion for teaching, mathematics and student engagement is obvious,” Cal Lutheran President Lori Varlotta said in presenting the award.

GIANA GUTRIDGE ‘17, MBA ‘21

TRACIE KARASIK /T LK MULTIMEDIA

Students celebrate Cal Lutheran Cares Day on April 12, 2023.

Cal Lutheran hires general counsel, promotes two senior leaders

The university has welcomed a new general counsel, Marvin Richards, to campus and promoted two other community members to senior leadership positions. Richards will serve as Cal Lutheran’s chief legal officer, advising the president, Board of Regents and other university community members on such matters as employment and human resources, contracts, grants, tax regulations, liability and insurance, and intellectual property. He most recently served as general counsel at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara and held key legal positions in Cleveland, Ohio. As a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps, he serves as the commanding officer of a unit that provides legal services to military members and commands in the western half of the United States.

Also, after an internal selection process, Interim Vice President for Finance Rick Ysasi has been appointed chief financial officer and vice president for Administration and Finance. Ysasi, who came to Cal Lutheran in 2021, initially served the university as the associate vice president for finance and controller.

After a national search process, Colleen Windham-Hughes was named associate vice president for Mission and Identity. She has been a highly respected faculty member for 13 years and served as the associate dean of interdisciplinary programs in the College of Arts and Sciences. Windham-Hughes succeeds the Rev. Melissa Maxwell-Doherty ’77, MDiv ’81, who retired in May after a long tenure as vice president of Mission and Identity.

Faculty members retire with emeritus status

The Board of Regents awarded emeritus status to five retiring Cal Lutheran faculty members who have a combined total of more than 115 years of service: theater arts professor Michael Arndt, MFA (41 years), associate professor of special education Elizabeth Brennan, PhD (12 years), education professor Michael McCambridge, EdD (21 years), associate professor of English Bruce Stevenson ’80, PhD (27 years) and professor of information technology management Paul Witman, PhD (17 years).

Arndt, in addition to teaching, directed numerous Cal Lutheran theater productions, and founded and serves as artistic director of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company. Brennan joined the Graduate School of Education faculty as an associate professor, then served as associate dean of

the Graduate School of Education and director of special education programs. McCambridge, director of liberal studies in education for the Graduate School of Education, has more than 40 years of teaching and administration experience. Stevenson, a 1980 alumnus, served as chair of the English department and university faculty, and taught American literature, history of the novel, literary criticism, and early American fiction. Witman is the founder and former director of the Master of Science in Information Technology program at the School of Management, and former director of the school’s undergraduate programs in business, accounting and economics.

This recognition highlights these faculty members’ substantial contributions to and lasting impact on the university.

Rick Ysasi

Colleen Windham-Hughes

Marvin Richards

Michael Arndt

Beth Brennan

Michael McCambridge

Bruce Stevenson

Paul Witman

Q&A The future of music

Michael Hart aims to prepare students to adapt their skills for future careers.

BY LINDA MARTINEZ

When it comes to his students, Michael Hart, DMA, wants them to be prepared to adapt to a changing world. He’s seen many changes in his 13 years at the university and has been guiding the Music Department through them as the chair since 2019. In his new role as associate dean for the creative and performing arts, he’s looking forward to shepherding the division – and its students – into the future.

Will you share some of the recent changes within the Music Department?

Exciting things have been happening recently. One is that the choir is going on tour in Europe next year under the direction of Wyant Morton. It’s the first international tour since before the pandemic.

Also, we built a recording studio for the Music Production Program. It includes the live room where recordings take place, the control room with the big soundboard, and several rooms where students can work on their projects and learn how to use the equipment before going into the control room. We’re excited to have this high-end production studio that many liberal arts campuses don’t have.

And I’m excited that a new performing arts facility is included in the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan and Campus Plan. I think our music and theater departments have gone above and beyond what you would think we are capable of, considering our facilities. I’m proud of the faculty and what we’re able to do with the resources we have to put forth high-end productions.

What sort of challenges has the department faced?

One of the big things has been recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

At first it was about figuring out how to provide a space for our students to perform and bring our audiences back, while making sure everyone stayed safe and healthy. We successfully navigated that and last year we had the highest number of performances since I’ve been chair. It was great to have music back on campus because I think it really contributes to our vibrant liberal arts and sciences campus.

The pandemic had an impact on some of the high school arts programs and we see some of the effects on music students coming in. Maybe they didn’t have the daily fundamentals they would have had during in-person learning, so they’ve had to work a little bit harder to catch up.

The pandemic also strained some students’ mental health. We care about the mental and physical health of our students, along with their intellectual and cultural development, so Cal Lutheran is working to improve that.

Like many fields, the music industry changes rapidly. How do you prepare students for a career and what will that look like 20 years from now?

There are so many directions you can go with music, so it’s exciting to see what our alumni are doing. Some are music educators, others are performers. With music production, we’re so close to a lot of recording studios in Los Angeles that some alumni are working in them, some do artist management. Some are producing their own music and many do several things to piece together a career. Everyone does something that fits their interests and skill set.

One thing we try to impress upon our students is that they need a broad skill set because the music industry is constantly changing. The minute we think we have it figured out, we’re already behind. We try to instill that reality and help our students learn how to promote themselves and to think creatively and entrepreneurially. We’re always thinking about our curriculum and how to prepare our students for the 21st century.

What will your new role as associate dean for the creative and performing arts entail?

I see my role as helping guide the entire creative arts division — music, theatre and dance, art, multimedia, and film and television — through the larger strategic plans of the university as we start creating our own initiatives within the division. So, I’m a shepherd if you will, working with department chairs on everything from large-scale planning to more granular issues like faculty contracts and budgets and course scheduling. I love the process of taking what can sometimes be big, abstract ideas and figuring out how they work on a departmental level. That’s what I really love doing.

keeping the

Ze’ev Remer is open and eager to share information about his religion with others. His basketball uniform includes a yarmulke, and his teammates are learning that a tzitzit is tassels or fringes worn on Jewish garments.

BY KAREN LINDELL | PHOTOS BY DAVID DEWING

The NCAA’s basketball rule book is a dizzying 146 pages long, and as a point guard for Cal Lutheran’s men’s basketball team, Ze’ev Remer is tasked with following all the guidelines. As the team’s only Orthodox Jewish member, as well as the lone Orthodox Jewish student at Cal Lutheran, Remer is equally committed to following the guidelines of his religion, set forth in numerous sacred written texts and oral tradition.

Identifying with his spiritual side is important while he’s at Cal Lutheran, Remer said. “I could, hypothetically, for four years just drop religion and be all-in on basketball, but this is really an opportunity to share that I am just another human being.”

Remer is also a full-fledged member of the team, respected and admired by his coaches and teammates.

“He’s all about growing and getting better, on and off the court,” said Kingsmen basketball head coach Russell White ’94

“Ze’ev’s a great teammate, No. 1, and he’s also a great player,” said 2023-2024 team captain Stephen Davis ’23, who’s returning to Cal Lutheran to earn a master’s degree. “He’s smart and super unselfish.”

Playing basketball and being Cal Lutheran’s only Orthodox Jewish student hasn’t been easy for Ze’ev Remer, but he’s up for the challenge.

Ze’ev Remer wears a yarmulke or kippah (to use the Hebrew term) as part of his religion. He said it occasionally falls off during games, but his teammates are respectful and allow him time to put it back on.

Remer is open and eager to share information about his religion with others.

“Honestly, the more questions people ask, the happier I am,” Remer said. “I think everybody should be curious about everything. The world would be a better place if that were the case.”

FROM JEWISH DAY SCHOOL TO CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

Remer grew up in the Beverlywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The youngest boy in a family of four boys and one girl, he started playing basketball at age 5 or 6, following in the footsteps of his dad and brothers. “Basketball was just always in my life,” said Remer, speaking via a Zoom interview from Israel during a summer internship in Jerusalem.

Remer attended nearby Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles, where he was a two-time league MVP on the basketball team. He graduated in 2021, then spent a gap year in Israel before starting at Cal Lutheran in 2022.

Remer is learning how to navigate being the only Orthodox Jew at a university with a Christian heritage (albeit one that welcomes all faiths). His basketball uniform includes a yarmulke (or kippah). He eats separately from his teammates because the Cal Lutheran cafeteria doesn’t currently have kosher meals. He finds ways to get to games without riding in a car or the team bus during Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. His teammates are learning what tzitzit (tassels or fringes worn on Jewish garments) and tefillin (leather cases holding slips inscribed with scriptural passages worn during prayer) are, and they’re all learning to work together to accommodate spiritual and athletic needs.

“I took a gap year to Israel and went to yeshiva (an institution devoted to Jewish study) for the year,” Remer said. “I went to Jewish day school my entire life and was always a religious kid. (But) … my relationship with religion was very surface-level pre-yeshiva; I have developed a more meaningful relationship after my year in Israel.”

Many Orthodox Jewish students who are serious about playing basketball in college do so by attending Yeshiva University, a private school in New York City with a Division III-level basketball team. Students at Yeshiva University observe Jewish rites such as keeping kosher and observing Shabbat.

“ The more you watch Ze’ev play, the more you appreciate what he does. He’s a student of the game, but he also sees the game really well. He’s an excellent passer, and he can score, but he doesn’t need to score. You just appreciate how hard he plays.”

— Head coach Russell White ’94

But Remer, who wants to play professionally after college, most likely in Israel, said that when he was in 11th grade, Cal Lutheran head coach White reached out to him. “I wasn't so interested at first because I was very insecure,” Remer said. “He was adamant that I would do well and I’d like Cal Lu, regardless of it being a Lutheran college and me being Jewish. It's a pretty open, welcoming culture.”

Remer’s parents, he said, were supportive no matter which college he chose, and because they are close by, can easily attend his games.

Remer said he “definitely hesitated. But ultimately, I wasn't sure that I would have as great of a basketball opportunity at other colleges as I would with Cal Lutheran.”

“The more you watch Ze’ev play, the more you appreciate what he does,” White said. “He’s a student of the game, but he also sees the game really well. He’s an excellent passer, and he can score, but he doesn’t need to score. You just appreciate how hard he plays.”

MAKING IT WORK

Remer, a computer science major, said he was “extremely excited” to live on campus his first year, but “for any college kid, I think freshman year is a big transition and just a hard year. But I made it work.”

“There are a lot of Jewish holidays at the beginning of the year that prohibit me from doing schoolwork or writing or just even showing up to class sometimes,” he said, but he worked everything out with his professors.

Cal Lutheran does have other Jewish students, but none who are Orthodox like Remer.

Dietary restrictions are one of Remer’s biggest complications at Cal Lutheran. He keeps a kosher diet, and the kitchens in dining halls and eateries at Cal Lutheran are not koshercertified, so Remer drives home weekly to replenish his stock of meals. He often apologetically has to turn down food offered by his roommates.

The most difficult obstacle to handle, he said, was away games on Shabbat, because travel is limited for Orthodox Jews during that time. So he and his parents would usually drive separately to the city on Friday before Shabbat and stay at a hotel that was close enough to walk to the gym.

He made one exception. After he had a car accident, he was reluctant to drive on his own to an away game in Redlands on a rainy day. “I just didn't feel comfortable,” he said. “So I took the team bus. That was a really big decision in my life, and I don't know if I fully agree with it. But what is done is done.”

Remer’s commitment to his faith was visible during games when he wore a yarmulke hand-knit in Cal Lutheran colors by a friend.

“To me a kippah's significance lies in the fact that you can't see it on yourself,” Remer said. “You're unaware how it looks on you, and it is only something that other people notice. It shares a lot about someone without saying any words. It is a way that I can honor god and represent my beliefs.”

White said Remer is “ultimately going to be a leader. He's training himself for that now, even though he probably doesn't know it.”

Karen Lindell has been a newspaper, magazine and website writer and editor for more than 15 years, including work at the Ventura County Star, L.A. Parent magazine, Los Angeles Times, Ojai Valley News, VC Reporter and Ranker.com. She lives in Pasadena.

“I took a gap year to Israel and went to yeshiva (an institution devoted to Jewish study) for the year. I went to Jewish day school my entire life and was always a religious kid. (But)… my relationship with religion was very surface-level pre-yeshiva; I have developed a more meaningful relationship after my year in Israel.”

— Ze’ev Remer

Longtime baseball coach

Marty Slimak retires

Marty Slimak, or “Coach Slim” as he’s been known on the diamond, has announced his retirement from Cal Lutheran and the Kingsmen baseball program.

After serving as an assistant for four seasons, which included back-to-back NCAA Division III College World Series appearances in 1992 and 1993, Slimak was chosen as the 10th head baseball coach at Cal Lutheran in the summer of ’93. He retires as the winningest coach in program history with a record of 793-386. His teams won more than 30 games in a season 13 times, posting winning records in 27 seasons. He led the Kingsmen to 14 NCAA West Regional appearances, 12 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships and five SCIAC Tournament Championships.

In his final spring as coach in 2022, Slimak once again led the Kingsmen into the NCAA Tournament after securing his fifth SCIAC Tournament title.

Slimak saw 13 of his players drafted by Major League Baseball. He coached three First Team ABCA All-America players, six Second Team honorees and six Third Team selections.

Longtime assistant coach Erik Scherer, who served as the acting head baseball coach in the spring of 2023, will continue in that role while Cal Lutheran conducts a nationwide search for the next head baseball coach.

Alumnus named men’s and women’s water polo head coach

John Jacobson, MBA ’11, is the new head coach for the men’s and women’s water polo programs.

“With the goal of developing fundamentally sound, respectful and nationally competitive water polo players, our teams will work hard in and out of the pool to represent themselves, the university and their families to the best of our abilities,” Jacobson said. “Through commitment, teamwork and training, our men’s and women’s programs will aspire to be the best in the country.”

At Cal Lutheran Jacobson coached as a graduate assistant from 2009-11, and was a member of the coaching staff when the women’s team won the Collegiate III National Championship in 2010.

In 2013 he founded the Northwest Water Polo Club in Bellevue, Washington, where he served as executive director and head coach. He has coached over 50 USA Water Polo Academic All-Americans, and placed 15 athletes on NCAA rosters — five selected to the USA Water Polo National Team, and six named Junior Olympic All-Americans.

As an undergraduate player at Whittier College, Jacobson helped his team win the 2004 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship. He was the 2005 Most Improved Player and ranked in the top five for all-time saves.

“

Through commitment, teamwork and training, our men’s and women’s programs will aspire to be the best in the country.”

— Head coach John Jacobson, MBA ’11

Photos courtesy of Cal Lutheran Sports Information

Kingsmen baseball ends season just shy of regional championship

Cal Lutheran’s baseball team finished the 2023 season one game short of a regional championship. In May, the Kingsmen became the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament champions for the second straight year after defeating Chapman University, 6-2, with Brendan Durfee named the tournament’s most outstanding player. The team’s win earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships in Marshall, Texas, where Cal Lutheran eliminated Pacific University (Oregon), 8-1, before losing to Trinity University (Texas), 11-2. One of 60 teams competing in the 2023 NCAA tournament, the Kingsmen for the second straight time fell one game shy of playing for a regional championship. The team looks to rebuild so it is ready for another run in 2024.

MARIAH ZERMENO

Men’s basketball team reaches NCAA tournament

The Cal Lutheran men's basketball team, after winning their first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship, earned SCIAC’s automatic bid for the NCAA Division III National Championships in March. In the SCIAC tournament, the Kingsmen upset No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer, 79-73, in the semifinals, and No. 3 Redlands, 69-68, in the championship game. Devon Lewis was named the most outstanding player.

The Kingsmen traveled to Glassboro, New Jersey, to compete in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2000-2001. They battled Rowan University in the first round, but were outlasted in the final minutes, 83-77. Four Kingsmen scored in double figures: Devon Lewis, Brock Susko, Tommy Griffitts and Desi Burrage. In his fourth season as head coach, Russell White turned the program around. Going 4-21 in 2019-20, the Kingsmen now have back-to-back SCIAC Tournament appearances.

Carmen Bufkin is first Regal to compete at NCAA Division III Tennis Championships

Carmen Bufkin made Regal history this year by becoming the first woman to represent Cal Lutheran tennis at the NCAA Division III Tennis Championships. Bufkin, a First Team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, opened the 2023 tournament in Orlando, Florida, in May against Matia Cristiani of Babson College. Cristiani took the early lead and won the first set 6-1. Bufkin fought hard, but fell 6-2 in the second and saw her championships end. Just a sophomore, Bufkin will have more chances to compete at the NCAA Championships.

Cooper Curtin ties for 12th in pole vault at NCAA Championships

Cooper Curtin represented Cal Lutheran men's track and field in the pole vault at the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in Rochester, New York, in May. Curtin, competing in the championships for the first time, cleared the starting height of 4.60 meters in his first try. The second height was 4.75 meters, and he was up and over on his second attempt. He was not able to clear the third height of 4.90 meters, despite having previously made the mark and set the Cal Lutheran record, and tied for 12th place. The senior came into the championships ranked 18th in the nation, and moved six spots to conclude the season on the national stage. He was also named SCIAC’s Field Athlete of the Year, clearing 4.81 meters to take gold. Curtin also made the NCAA Division III Outdoor All-Region list.

JEREMY KNIFFIN

The cast and crew of Almost Maine pose on the set in the Black Box Studio Theatre during the final weekend of the spring production.

Cal Lutheran’s Theatre Arts and Dance program gives students a personal, well-rounded experience.

BY KAREN LINDELL | PHOTOS BY GABRIELLE REUBLIN ‘19

Ever since Lia Tracey started in the theatre, when she played Miss Hannigan in a grade-school production of Annie, she has had an uncanny knack for memorizing entire scripts of the plays in which she acts. She’s regaled her friends and family with lines from Mama Mia!, one of her personal favorites; Shakespeare in Love, after playing the starring role in a Cal Lutheran production; and Angels in America, from which she pulled her audition material for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival’s Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship.

The prestigious scholarship is awarded to 16 regional and two national honorees each year; in 2023, Tracey, a Cal Lutheran second-year theatre arts and English major, was selected as the runner-up for Region 8, which includes students from colleges and universities in Arizona, Central and Southern California, Hawaii, Southern Nevada and Utah.

Tracey, a native of Aptos, California, said she chose Cal Lutheran and its theatre department over other performing arts schools because “there is a lot more hands-on training, and a focus on students’ individual growth. At Cal Lutheran it's collaborative, and also very personal to you and how you learn and grow.”

At left, Kiki Ragland stars as Pete and Anya Pandhi plays Ginette in the “Prologue” to Almost Maine Below Almost Maine director Ken Gardner talks with Olivia Zonni backstage. TRACIE KARASIK/TLKMULTIMEDIA

She and other Cal Lutheran students, present and past, praise the school’s Theatre Arts and Dance program for being well-rounded and more personal than what they’d find on a larger campus, whether they’re seeking, or have already found, a career in theatre, TV or film, as performers or in a role behind the scenes.

The success of Cal Lutheran’s theatre program doesn’t apply only to students interested in performance.

Will Cowles Meyer ’15, who earned his BA in theater with an emphasis in technical theater, is now a successful project manager at 4WALL Entertainment, a full-service lighting, video and rigging company that has helped stage the recent Super Bowl in Los Angeles and music festivals at Coachella.

Newbury Park actor Josh Banday ’08, who plays Dennis on the ABC sitcom Not Dead Yet and Ivan on Amazon Prime’s sci-fi comedy-drama series Upload, majored in multimedia but got the acting bug after auditioning for a musical at Cal Lutheran his first year. He kept acting, joined the improv group and directed a student show.

“There is a lot more hands-on training, and a focus on students’ individual growth. At Cal Lutheran it's collaborative, and also very personal to you and how you learn and grow.”

– Lia Tracey

Sacaiah Shaw plays Phil and Dani Tran is Marci in a scene titled “Where it Went” from Almost Maine

From left , Joey Grimaldi plays Jimmy, Hailey Starr plays Villian and Grace Aguirre plays Sandrine in “Sad and Glad,” a scene from Almost Maine

Traditional and practical

Ken Gardner, professor of drama, started teaching at Cal Lutheran in 1985. For the 2023-24 year, Gardner said, around 60 students are majoring or minoring in theatre arts, and more than 100 students overall, including nontheatre majors, will end up participating in plays, musicals and dance concerts.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, a collaboration between Cal Lutheran’s theatre department and the Santa Susana Repertory Theatre that was co-founded by professor emeritus Michael J. Arndt (see Page 26), offers opportunities each summer for students to serve as interns, apprentices and performers.

Although Cal Lutheran offers traditional theatre classes, Gardner said the university also recognizes that “the vast majority of paying jobs” in the entertainment industry are in TV and movies, especially behind the scenes.

The theatre program works closely with the film department, and over the years has brought in guest speakers, including professional actors like Gary Sinise, Stacy Keach, Alan Ruck, Jesse Plemons, Kevin Pollak and Melissa Gilbert, to talk about how to make it in show business. Guest alumni speakers have included Robert O'Neill ’92. Now senior vice president of content strategy and acquisitions at Paramount; and Joe Tandberg ’14, who is the voice actor for the polar bear named Iorek Byrnison in the TV series His Dark Materials

Setting the stages

The department presents about four productions each year: in the fall, a student-directed show and a Mainstage production; and in the spring, a festival of one-act plays and a musical. It also presents dance concerts each semester. In addition to popular and classic theatre repertoire, Cal Lutheran presents both student- and faculty-written plays and musicals.

“We’re encouraging creativity and original works,” Gardner said.

Productions take place in the 95-seat Black Box Studio Theatre and 200-seat Preus-Brandt Forum, and at the nearby Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. After the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center opened in 2006, the old gym was converted into a theatre building that includes the Black Box Studio Theatre, classrooms, dressing rooms, a costume shop and offices.

Gardner said he’d like to see a performing arts center built with a large theatre that “would fulfill needs not just at Cal Lutheran, but in the community. It would probably pay for itself and be a big draw for students.”

Lia Tracey, left, stars as Hope and Soren Marius plays Man in a scene from “Story of Hope,” an act from Almost Maine

Rhianna Smith as Shelly and Rylli Matter as Deena perform a scene from “They Fell,” one of the acts in the spring production of Almost Maine

TRACIE

KARASIK/TLKMULTIMEDIA

After 41 years at Cal Lutheran, Michael Arndt starts his next act

BY KAREN LINDELL

Michael J. Arndt, MFA, wasn’t sure he wanted to run the theatre department at Cal Lutheran when he was offered the job in the early 1980s. The prefabricated, single-story steel structure that served as the university’s performance space was basically a 40-by-50-foot former maintenance shed, hardly appropriate for a proper theatre program. Cal Lutheran’s promise to build a new performing arts center convinced him to make the move.

“I'm still waiting for the new building,” Arndt said with a laugh.

He intended to work at Cal Lutheran only a few years and move on to “bigger and better opportunities” but ended up staying 41 years. In May 2023, Arndt retired and was named professor emeritus of theater.

In 1997, “we formed the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company and that was the final linchpin that kept me involved,” said Arndt, who will remain artistic director of the professional theater program that stages the annual summer Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival.

Arndt said he is willing to help the theater department with recruiting or advising, if needed, and he’s interested in preserving the archive of Cal Lutheran theater history, and possibly writing a history of performing arts in the Conejo Valley.

A Vietnam combat veteran, Arndt is passionate about using the arts to help wounded veterans, and over the years has staged plays that allow former veterans to tell their stories. He’s working on a book with a fellow veteran and is on the board of Warfighters Advance, a nonprofit that works to reintegrate veterans into society without using medication.

In addition to teaching classes in acting, directing and theater history at Cal Lutheran, he’s directed numerous productions at the school, including his own Under Fire: Stories of Combat Veterans Across Generations.

He and his family also created the Michael J. Arndt Family Visual and Performing Arts Endowed Scholarship Fund, which awards continuing students who may not have received a scholarship when they first came to Cal Lutheran.

“Mainly, what made me take the job was the future, the potential that existed when I got here. I was basically a one-man department, so there was a lot of entrepreneurial opportunity.”

– Michael J. Arndt, MFA

Donald Bielke

1932-2023

Donald Paul Bielke, former Cal Lutheran basketball head coach from 1973 to 1982, then a teacher in the Kinesiology Department, died Feb. 2 at age 90.

Born in 1932 to Paul and Francis Bielke, he grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1950 he went to Valparaiso University in Indiana, where he played basketball and baseball, and competed in track and field. At Valparaiso he met Martha Ann “Marty” Borchelt; they wed in 1954 and were married for 68 years.

Bielke played briefly in the NBA with the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons before the team moved to Detroit. Don and Marty then went to Oakland, California, where Don began teaching physical education and coaching basketball and baseball at Concordia High School/Junior College. He obtained his master’s degree from San Francisco University and in the early 1970s came to Thousand Oaks to coach and teach at Cal Lutheran.

He was honored at a Cal Lutheran basketball game in February. Krister Swanson ’89, former Alumni Board president, said Bielke helped establish “a caring, welcoming, studentfirst culture during Cal Lutheran's formative years.”

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife and two sisters, and survived by his three children and four grandchildren.

William E. Hamm

1944-2023

William “Bill” E. Hamm of Waverly, Iowa, vice president for Admissions and University Relations at Cal Lutheran from 1980 to 1986, died on June 6 in Waterloo, Iowa, at age 78.

A native of Clarion, Iowa, and a graduate of Wartburg College, Hamm spent his entire career in higher education. In addition to his service at Cal Lutheran, he was president of Waldorf College, head of the Foundation of Independent Higher Education, president of the Lutheran Educational Conference of North America and interim president of Wartburg College.

Hamm was a Community Leaders Association supporter, and Cal Lutheran’s William E. Hamm Outstanding Service Award is named in his honor. The award recognizes volunteers who have contributed exceptional service to the development of the university and the betterment of the local community.

Hamm’s final weeks were spent in his home, where his spirits were lifted by visits and phone calls from friends, and he was surrounded by his beloved art collection.

Sandy Smith

1950-2023

Sandy Smith, MPPA ’14, a senior adjunct faculty member in the Master of Public Policy and Administration program at Cal Lutheran since 2005, died from cancer on July 15 at age 72.

A third-generation resident of Ventura County, Smith served on the Ventura City Council from 1997 to 2005, taking on the position of mayor from 1999 to 2001. Since 2010, he had worked as a land use consultant for Sespe Consulting in Ventura. He also served as the board chair of the Ventura County Economic Development Association, a board member of the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County, and an Executive Committee member of the Ventura County Civic Alliance. The Ventura Chamber of Commerce gave Smith its Citizen of the Year award in November 2022.

Current Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder told the Ventura County Star that Smith was “a Renaissance man at a local level. He'd be embarrassed if I called him that. But he was well-read. He liked to write, think, and he was kind. He could do it all."

Smith is survived by his wife, Joann Roby Smith.

A L U M N I AWA R D S

Paul Witman, PhD | Honorar y Alumni

Across a 40-year career spanning private industry and academia, Paul Witman, PhD, has found his most rewarding work in day-to-day interactions with students at Cal Lutheran. As a professor of information systems in the School of Management, Witman has been instrumental in developing programs that challenge undergraduate and graduate students to think critically about the real-world implications and ethics of technology use. A widely published scholar, Witman shaped the curriculum for numerous Cal Lutheran courses, launched the master’s degree program in information systems and technology, and participated in a Lutheran Heritage Travel Seminar through Germany. He also serves as a guest lecturer in the MBA and Global Business programs at FH Joanneum, a university in Graz, Austria. Prior to joining the faculty at Cal Lutheran, Witman was awarded a U.S. patent for his part of the work on customer-activated technology for the visually impaired. He has found his purpose through volunteerism with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Appalachia Service Project. He is looking forward to an active retirement.

Charlotte Sweeney ’91 | Out standing Alumni

A champion of equal pay for equal work and the first openly gay federal judge west of the Mississippi River, Charlotte Sweeney ’91 has made fairness and justice her life’s work. Sweeney credits the late Jan Bowman, Cal Lutheran professor emerita, with introducing her to women’s studies and inspiring her to make a difference for those in vulnerable positions. As an attorney in Colorado for 25 years, Sweeney was an outspoken advocate for victims of employment discrimination and harassment. She has published extensively on employment law and has been named a Best Lawyer in America. Sweeney helped draft the 2019 Equal Pay for Equal Work Act in Colorado, seminal legislation that serves as a model for other states. Following President Biden’s nomination, she was appointed as a U.S. District Judge in Colorado in 2022. Sweeney is a past board member of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and she travels annually to Juarez, Mexico, to build homes in impoverished communities with Rhodes to Relief.

Pedro G uillen ’ 16, MBA ’20 | Ser vice to Alma Mater

After immigrating to the U.S. as a young child, Pedro Guillen ’16, MBA ’20, didn’t always see a clear path to higher education. He credits scholarship opportunities at Cal Lutheran for propelling him to become the first member of his family to attend college. Guillen ultimately thrived at Cal Lutheran, where he connected with other students from underrepresented groups and was lifted up by the support of professors, coaches and friends. He played soccer for the Kingsmen as an undergraduate student, launched his career as a technical recruiter at Google and Facebook, and later returned to Cal Lutheran to earn his master’s in management. Today, he is the founder and CEO of Savvi, an Austin-based recruiting firm that supports startups in the fields of robotics, autonomous vehicles and machine learning. In 2020, he and his wife, Karla, established a scholarship at Cal Lutheran — which they fund annually — to help undocumented immigrants realize their dream of attending college.

Sharena Rice ’ 15, PhD | Out standing Young Alumni

Since graduating from Cal Lutheran with University Honors, Sharena Rice ’15, PhD, has drawn on her expertise in neuroscience and entrepreneurship to help shape the trajectory of tech startups that are transforming the world through neurotechnology, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Rice holds a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Michigan, where she earned the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award in 2022. Concurrent with her studies, Rice lived in a Buddhist temple for two years, fostering tremendous personal and spiritual growth. Her work includes tracing circuits in the brain, characterizing a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease, improving safety through autonomous vehicle technology and developing wearable tech that helps neurodiverse people interpret emotions. She credits Cal Lutheran with providing the foundation for turning an idea into something that can truly benefit people. Today, she is driven to build a world that works well for all kinds of minds.

Each year, the Cal Lutheran Alumni Board of Directors recognizes achievements that have brought honor and distinction to the university.

SUBMISSIONS FROM SEPT. 1, 2022, TO JUNE 16, 2023

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Carol J. DeMars ’67 is the author of the historical Christianthemed book Penelope’s Song: A Seventeenth Century Tale for a Twenty-First Century World, which is set to be displayed

by Readers Magnet at the New York Library Association’s 2022 Annual Conference and Trade Show on Nov. 3-4 at the Saratoga Springs City Center.

A group of Cal Lutheran alumni and friends recently sailed the Great Lakes: Sherry Lorentson, Lee Lorentson, Judy (Hampton ’69) Proffitt, Tom Proffitt ’69, Karol Quiring, Peg Huber, Larry Huber, Jim Quiring ’69, Sue (Peterson ’68) Festerling, Mary Ann Muldoon, Dave Festerling ’69, Jerry Muldoon, Kathie (Ditchey ’68) Ferkin, George Ferkin, Chris Wagner and Larry Wagner.

CLASS NOTES ’60s

’70s

Karen (Retian ’65) Anderson went on a cruise to Alaska in August 2022 with her son and family. From left are her grandsons Aiden Anderson and Drew Anderson, “bonus grandson” Gavin Hawkins, Karen, daughterin-law Elizabeth Anderson, son Erick Anderson, “bonus grandson” Ander Hawkins and husband Ed Anderson ’72

The Rev. Mark Reitan ’67 celebrated the graduation of grandson Isaiah Reitan ’23 at the commencement ceremony alongside three generations of CLU graduates. From left in back are Mark, Isaiah, and Isaiah’s parents, Micah Reitan ’95 and Michelle (Smith ’94) Reitan In front is Isaiah’s aunt, Angela (Reitan ’93) Parsons

The Rev. Stephen Bull ’71 retired in 2020 after 45 years as an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) pastor in Indiana and Ohio. Ordained in 1975 in Sacramento, where he is from, Steve supervised six interns and served as a voting member at two ELCA church assemblies. He and his wife, Lise, will be moving to Chesterton, Indiana, to be near their children, Mary and Jonathan, and grandchildren. In retirement, he preaches at different churches and volunteers at the Lutheran Food Pantry. He also has supported interns in the Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Steve stays active reading, walking, golfing, traveling and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Eric Schafer ’66 and Lance Clow ’69 enjoyed the Thousand Springs Art Festival in the Idaho Snake River Canyon.

’80s

George Horton ’80 has joined the Orange County Riptide as a special assistant.

James Hazelwood ’81 released his book Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life on April 27 in various formats. It explores introspection and offers insight into wonder, enchantment, integrity, relationships and destiny. The book, for anyone seeking a more meaningful second half of life, presents a fresh perspective on overcoming midlife challenges and finding fulfillment.

Steven Bulcroft ’83 has mostly retired from a career in marriage, family and child therapy. He started and ran a program for severe emotionally disabled children in Northern California; for domestic violence batterers; and for the prevention of child abuse, neglect and endangerment. Now, he’s gone back to his roots, providing therapy through music.

Patricia (Bodeau ’83) Costahaude took the alumni flag on an adventure to Peru in March 2023. She spent a couple of days in Cusco, then completed a 26-mile hike on the Inca Trail. The fourth day of the hike she arrived at her final destination, the lost city of Machu Picchu. Although protocol prevented a picture of her with the flag at Machu Picchu, Patti did capture one at Plaza de Armas in Cusco.

Lynn (Wirthlin ’85) Lewis and her husband William Lewis launched a new ministry in 2019. Bethesda by the Sea helps pastors and people in full-time Christian ministry who are facing challenges.

The Rev. Brian Malison ’81 said goodbye to the flock he led for 35 years as pastor at Christ Lutheran Church on Tulare Avenue in Visalia, California. When he announced his retirement in a letter to his congregation in December, it was with his usual flourish. He gave his final sermon in February.

Reginald Spittle ’84 has published his second book, Trippin’ Through My 60s: When Adventure Calls, the Trails of Europe Answer, which describes his adventures with his wife on 1,700 miles of distance treks in seven countries.

William M. Torrence ’87 retired Dec. 31, 2021, as a supervisory special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration after 23 years of federal service.

’90s

Geraldine Birch ’90 is the author of three books: The Swastika Tattoo, a historical fiction; Vision of a Happy Life: A Memoir; and Sedona: City of Refugees, a fictional romance set in Sedona, Arizona. She lived in Sedona, where she worked as a reporter, editor and political columnist for the Sedona Red Rock News. Her political column “Gerrymandering” received a first-place award from the National Newspaper Association. Her writing has appeared in The Arizona Republic, Six Hens, the Santa Fe Writers Project, Fiction Attic Press and Reed Magazine. She was a finalist for the 2022 Bellingham Review’s Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction.

Dave Salzwedel ’90 and Scott Schultz ’90 met in Portland, Oregon, for a reunion and a Bruce Springsteen concert in March.

April (Rozen ’91) Sharp co-owns Sharp Homes by the Sea, a real estate and property management company, with her husband, Quinten Sharp, in Huntington Beach, where they live. They have two sons, Stone Sharp ’22 and Reed Sharp, a current student. April also is the marketing manager for 22nd Street Pizza in Newport Beach, and in her free time is an assistant for the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (HBAPA), where she helps film and media students in the Career and Technical Education Department and Broadcast News Department. April also helps HBAPA with outreach. The districtwide performing arts program has around 700 students.

Tom Herman ’97 was a Division III player at Cal Lutheran who climbed the coaching ranks quickly with his enthusiasm and intelligence. Tom was a member of the Ohio State University football team coaching staff until 2015, when he left to become head coach at the University of Houston. The Buckeyes' talent-laden offense underperformed in his absence. Tom was later hired to be head coach at Florida Atlantic University.

Gabe Laizer ’00 visited Tarangire National Park, a game reserve in Arusha, Tanzania, in December 2022. The park has the largest number of elephants in Tanzania. “I am a believer in conservation,” Gabe said. “Visiting these parks gives us an opportunity to learn and share our experiences with others to preserve nature for future generations.

Christian Masegian ’00

(See this page at far left)

Tom Leogrande ’92 and Christian Masegian ’00 founded Modern Football Technology, which has developed a football intelligence platform that provides coaches with detailed reports on the tendencies of their opponents in real time during games. In the photo, Christian demonstrates the startup’s software on the Cal Lutheran football field.

Bryan Biermann ’93 is vice president of technology for Shondaland.

Kelly Culwell ’95 is the head of research and development for the new division of Sebela Pharmaceuticals, Sebela Women's Health.

The Rev. Kristine Schroeder ’97 started as the new pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 1. Messiah Lutheran’s Call Committee and Congregation Council recognized her gifts for ministry and how perfectly these aligned with the congregation’s plans.

Irene (Tyrrell) Moyer ’00 is vice president of membership and strategic communications at Greater Kitsap Chamber.

Gregory Cope ’03 published his second book, Momentum: A Faith Powered Journey, on Nov. 28, 2022. The book is filled with faith lessons on trusting God through the storms of life. “From salvation and restoring a broken marriage, through many job changes and several unplanned moves, God revealed that He is the faithful God of the Bible He promises to be,” Cope said. “He has a purpose for every trial we face as we learn to trust Him along the way.” Pictured are Gregory and his wife, Vicki, celebrating the book’s launch in Carefree, Arizona.

Todd

Norman ’06, Allison Lee ’09, Eric Prieto ’16 and Kristin Bell ’20 were all recognized by the Pacific Coast Business Times 40 Under 40 awards.

College roommates Dawn (Finney ’98) Williams, Danielle (Gunn ’98) Melucci and Rachel (Dennis ’98) Cardenas visited Boston in October 2022.

John Maier ’07, MBA ’18 was appointed CEO of the newly independent Bose Professional, announced by Transom Capital Group. Maier spent the past several years as an operating partner for Transom, overseeing such businesses as Mackie. Before that, Maier was the CEO of Blue Microphones, a designer of award-winning and critically acclaimed microphones, headphones and accessories.

Christian Parr ’07, EMBA ’22 (See Page 33)

Jenifer Powers ’07 is now working for Crovetti Orthopedics. Her orthopedic surgery practice focuses on pediatric and adolescent lower extremity deformity, with a particular interest in clubfoot, trauma, and pediatric and adolescent hip pathology.

Allison Lee ’09 (See Page 31)

’10s

Khaled Aljbab ’10 is working as a lecturer at Jouf University.

Dawn MegliThuna ’11 has joined the public relations team at Mustang Marketing, a marketing agency in Thousand Oaks. In her new role as communications specialist, Dawn, an award-winning journalist, will work with the director of marketing to implement public relations strategies for clients, develop media and county relationships and write content to support clients’ communications goals.

Casey (Kloehn ’10, MDiv ’14) Dunsworth has recently been promoted to pastor at San Marcos Lutheran Church.

Heather Taylor ’10 is a senior finance writer for GOBankingRates. She is also the head writer and brand mascot enthusiast for PopIcon, Advertising Week’s blog dedicated to brand mascots. She has been published on HelloGiggles, Business Insider, The Story Exchange, Brit + Co, Thrive Global and other media outlets.

Shirley Wang ’10 is a high school English teacher at the International School Manila in the Philippines.

Kevin Ring ’11 is the national training manager at Nationwide Video, teaching audio and video engineers the technology and skills required to operate equipment for high-profile concert tours, virtual production studios, large film and television productions, and more.

Conrad Ulpindo ’08 has been hired as a faculty supervisor and professor at CSU Northridge after serving as a master. After completing a U.S. Fulbright Research Scholarship funded by the Department of State and IREX, he was recognized in Helsinki at the culmination of his research on Finnish education at the Finland Fulbright Foundation offices in November 2022. Conrad conducted research and engaged with schools in Helsinki, Joensuu and Espoo to understand the factors that contribute to Finland's status as a top global learning destination. This was his third U.S. Fulbright Scholarship, after Japan (2004) and Germany (2006).

Justin Stoll ’11 and Lauren Osga ’12 hadn't seen each other since Justin's graduation in May 2011, but recently had a mini reunion since they both now live in Denver, Colorado.

George Steeves ’12 stars in the feature film Saving Paradise, available to stream for free on Tubi. He also starred in his first twoperson show, Shroombody to Love, at the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival. George is submitting his documentary feature film My Life with Asperger’s, based on his show Magic 8 Ball, My Life with Asperger’s, to film festivals.

Ryan Strand-Prewit ’12 has his master’s in pastoral care and counseling from Garrett Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and is practicing as a clinical therapist for a variety of mental health services. He has been a fulltime freelance professional tenor in Chicago and will release two new albums in the coming year. He and P.J. Strand-Prewit, who married in October 2022 (see Page 37), have a cat named Charlie.

Beth Ward ’12, a member of the Command Staff with the Oxnard Police Department, has earned her California teaching credentials in career technical education and English as a Second Language. She trains Police Academy instructors on how to better teach their students. She also founded two nonprofit organizations, Simi at the Garden (a community garden in Simi Valley) and the Oxnard Police Community Foundation, and was named leadership chair of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce for 2017-18.

Pendleton at the ceremony. He is serving as the battalion surgeon for 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, stationed at Camp Pendleton. Rachael is a third-year medical student at USU. At Cal Lutheran, Rachael swam and Andrew played football.

Katelyn Downing ’14 and Chris Park ’12 got engaged on Nov. 26, 2022.

Prince Asante Sefa-Boakye ’15 has frequently been one of the only African American players, and one of very few players of color, in a water polo pool. The 31-year-old, who grew up in Coronado, California, is now introducing the sport to his father’s homeland. Asante is training and working with players in Ghana (pictured) to create the first-ever all-Black water polo team to compete at the Olympics.

Sarah Phoenix Ha ’16, EMBA ’22 (See Page 34)

Eric Prieto ’16 (See Page 31)

U.S. Navy Lt. Andrew Anderson ’13 and U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Rachael (Balcom ’18) Peters are pictured at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton Family Medicine graduation ceremony. Andrew, who graduated from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine (USU) in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2021, was awarded intern of the year (No. 1 of 12 interns) by Naval Hospital Camp

Esmeralda Carrillo ’15 and Ivan Sanchez ’14 got engaged in March 2022 and married in April 2023.

Sharena Rice ’15, PhD, worked on characterizing a new brain wave discovered in a dissertation lab at the University of Michigan. A co-founder and chief scientific officer of Intvo from 2019-21, Sharena received an award of excellence in entrepreneurship from the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at University of Michigan in 2022. She received Cal Lutheran's Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2023.

Karie Portillo Guerra ’17 was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as communications manager for California Volunteers, Office of the Governor.

Daniel Short ’17 has earned his Series 7, 66 Securities, and California Life Insurance, Annuities and Long Term Care licenses. He is also part of a wealth management team and is sitting for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board Exam.

Alyssa Pasetta ’18 is working at Dean Security Inc. as the creative and marketing director. She has also created her own card game, Kings Royale, which is available to buy on Amazon.

CJ O’Brien ’19 has worked in research and advocacy to protect the ocean from plastic pollution in the United States and Zanzibar, Tanzania. She is currently the plastic campaign associate at Oceana, where she works on policies to reduce the production and use of single-use plastic. CJ has a BS in biology from Cal Lutheran; her honors thesis explored the impacts of plastic on the digestive enzyme activity of marine mussels.

Sister Cora Lea Rose ’20, a former Sierra Pacific Synod candidate ordained into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) roster of the Ministry of Word and Service in

2021, has joined the Deaconess Community of the ELCA through the Rite of Reception (formerly called investiture).

School of Management

John Maier ’07, MBA ’18 (See Page 32)

Alec Benett ’20, MS ’22 is the new information technology system administrator for the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center and the varsity assistant volleyball coach for the Cal Lutheran Women's Volleyball team.

Brianna Bryan ’20 is the voice of Rainbow Puppy in Blue’s Clues & You! Rainbow Puppy is a charismatic, confident puppy from the city with a vibrant personality to match her colorful fur.

Madison Karcich '22 is a geologist at Arcadis.

Ali Sadreameli ’20, EMBA ’22 (See this page at bottom right)

Graduate School of Education

Shane Armstrong EdD ’18 has been named the new dean of Academic Affairs, Arts and Sciences at Owensboro Community and Technical College.

Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

Casey (Kloehn ’10, MDiv ’14) Dunsworth (See Page 32)

Linh Snyder, MPPA ’11, MS ’15, a college and career counselor at Malibu High, was recently recognized by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. In an article published in the Malibu Times, Linh described herself as “dreamer, nature-lover, educator, goofy and optimist,” and said being with students is her favorite part of the job. “Every day looks different and I never know what I am walking into,” she said, “but my students keep me entertained, laughing, and remind me how important my role as a counselor is.”

Alec Benett ’20, MS ’22 (See this page)

EMBA students visited Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria, in March 2022, two months before graduation. From left are Arlene Martinez, EMBA ’22, Mayra Riel, EMBA ’22, Jaime Medina, Christian Parr ’07, EMBA ’22, Ram Gurusamy Raja, EMBA ’22, Joseph Barber, EMBA ’22, Ali Sadreameli ’20, EMBA ’22, Sarah Phoenix Ha ’16, EMBA ’22, Gita Montalto and Ryan Melten.

Kristin Bell ’20 (See Page 31)

Congratulations Class of 2023!

Welcome to our newest Cal Lutheran alumni, who celebrated the milestone during the 60th Annual Commencement on May 12.

Tracie Karasik/TLKmultimedia

BIRTHS / ADOPTIONS

1 Rowan Fox McGlynn on Feb. 28, 2023, to Amanda (Hutchinson ’17) McGlynn and Cole McGlynn ’17

MARRIAGES

2 Anna (Berg ’17, ’18, MEd ’19) Hooper and Nathan Hooper celebrated their wedding at the Camarillo Ranch House on Sept. 19, 2022, with friends and family, including many Cal Lutheran alumni: Karsten Lundring ’65, Kirsten (Bodding ’64) Lundring, Dr. Kjersti (Berg ’94) Koskinen, Alexandra Randall ’17, Samantha Whitney, MEd ’22, Sara Berg ’20, Soren Marius ’26, Amanda (Boggs ’92) Berg, Eric Berg ’92, Devin Milligan ’17, Matt Graumann ’92, Mary Jarjour ’18, Mariel Spengler ’92, Matt Smutts ’92, Todd Bersley ’92, Cindy (Wills ’92) Bersley, Adrian Chavez ’16, Sylvia (Kraus ’86) Walke, Anna (Olsen ’98) Berg, Susie (Lundeen ’88) Smuck, Julie Herder ’89, Casey Kornmaier ’17/’18, Cortez Espinoza Jr. ’20, Nate Maxwell-Doherty ’12, Megan Hancer ’19, Dominic Lunde ’17, Amanda Hancer ’17, Eric Reinhart ’16, Jenni Mason ’19, Josh Wood ’17, Mara (Barrows ’93) Hassenbein, Jim Overton H’22, Tim Delkeskamp ’92, Sara Hartley ’92, Christian Berg ’98, Rachael (Fuerbringer ’83) Bowen, Fred Bowen ’79, Brian Hiortdahl ’92, Cody Hartley ’92, Brendan Fuggles ’22, Maia Berg ’22, Matthew Jarjour ’18, Richard Smith ’20 and Drake Balisdell ’22.

3 Tanner Wilson and Taylor (Netter ‘18) Wilson celebrated their wedding with friends and family on June 25, 2022. From left are Josh Cadena ’18, Nelleke Meerman ’20, Tanner, Victoria Lahney ’18, Taylor, Will Arnold ’16, Johanna Rose-Kamprath ’19, Charisse Palaad ’17, Tiersa Jones ’17 and Miranda Morales ’19

4 Grant Escandón ’18 and Ruth (Smitherman ’19) Escandón celebrated their wedding on Nov. 20, 2022, at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu surrounded by Cal Lutheran alumni and friends including Alexis Wallace ’17, Shayley Shimkus ’20, Hailey Schaffner ’20, Chloe Baldwin (Kingsmen Shakespeare alum), Lisa Fredrickson (faculty), Pedro Armendariz ’19, Michelle Handal ’19,

Paul Stafford ’18, Hannah Karzin ’18, Matthew Waxman ’18, Ryan Macias ’18, Francisco Hermosillo III ’18, Nicole Escandón ’19, Torrance Kline ’16, Lucas Frankel ’19, Omar Lopez ’16, Christopher Vazquez ’17, Lauren Harkson-Brady ’19, Kyle Poppert ’18, Annika Dybevik ’17, Melissa Anderson Trust ’08, Talya Camras ’19 and Matthew Case ’16

5 Ruben Hernandez ’13 and Maria (Gomez ’13) Hernandez were married on Nov. 28, 2022, alongside their immediate family and closest friends.

6 Ryan Strand-Prewit ’12 and P.J. StrandPrewit were married on Oct. 15, 2022, at Alice Millar Chapel in Evanston, Illinois, in front of many family and friends in a service they designed themselves, complete with music and communion. From left are Sarah Behymer ’12, Ryan, P.J., Logan Cerri (daughter of Alex and Justine), Justine (Perry ’12) Cerri, Alex Cerri ’12, Katie Plakos ’11 and Kory Plakos.

7 Jessica Helms ’04 and Holly Barber had a small wedding in Ventura, California, in February 2023 with lifelong Cal Lutheran friends and fellow family alums. In the back row from left are Amanda (Whealon ’06, MPPA ’12) Namba, brother-in-law Joshua Banday ’08, Molly Stilliens ’05, Michelle (Brown ’05) Hagen and Erik Hagen '04. In the front row from left are sister Katie (Helms ’08) Banday, Kirstine Odegard '03, Holly, Jessica and mother Elizabeth Helms, MA ’05

DEATHS

Jon W. Backstrom ’78 on Jan. 1, 2023

Lareen Skogi Baker ’66 on April 6, 2023

Lois Barber on March 24, 2023

The Rev. George Beard ’68 on March 18, 2023

The Rev. Sidney Bennett ’64 on April 8, 2023

Linda Boberg ’08 on March 19, 2023

Dorinda (Henry ’90) Bosetti on Aug. 15, 2022

Brenda Brennan on Sept. 7, 2022

Pamela Ann (Myhre ’65) Dragseth on Jan. 2, 2023

Thomas Fanslow ’97 on Jan. 26, 2023

Della S. Greenlee ’82 on Oct. 2, 2022

The Rev. Sandra Hanawalt ’90 on March 25, 2023

Robert E. Hauser ’75 on Sept. 12, 2022

Cori Hayes ‘10 on Aug. 3, 2022

Catherine Hazeltine ’88 on Sept. 18, 2022

Natalia Alejandra Hernandez ’20 on Nov. 20, 2022

Bobby J. Hill ’75 on Nov. 9, 2015

Stanley Hoobing on Jan. 31, 2023

Eric Jensen ’84 on May 10, 2023

Scott Klein ’90 on Dec. 15, 2022

Michael W. Lawler ’74 on Aug. 29, 2022

The Rev. Roger Lee ’67 on April 13, 2023

Nancy J. Lopez-Machuca ’91 on Jan. 14, 2022

Lynn McCracken ’85 on March 9, 2023

Michael R. McLean ’67 on Oct. 30, 2020

Diane Militano ’84 on Sept. 13, 2022

Jeanette H. Minnich ’77 on April 20, 2022

Emily A. Mitchell ’76 on Jan. 24, 2023

The Rev. Larry Nelson ’68 on April 9, 2023

Stephanie M. Novak ’72 on Oct. 1, 2020

Randy L. Nygaard ’84 on June 17, 2020

Raymond Arthur Olsen ’69 on Dec. 21, 2022

George N. Purser ’65 on Jan. 30, 2023

Paulette Ratchford ’70 on June 11, 2022

David Lee Regalado ’66 on Aug. 28, 2022

Lee G. Ruud ’71 on Oct. 3, 2022

Stanley Saez ’71 on June 27, 2022

Carreen (Dittmar ’83) Savoie on Sept. 20, 2022

Marjorie B. Scott ’77 on July 15, 2022

James A. Selfa ’89 on April 20, 2018

Wynston M. Selwyn ’73 on June 22, 2021

Laureen L. Skogi Baker ’66 on April 6, 2023

Matthew Steed ’24 on May 14, 2023

Ronald G. Timmons ’75 on Nov. 26, 2022

Cary Stephen Washburn ’67 on Jan. 2, 2023

Stanley Weinstein on July 9, 2022

The clock at William Rolland Stadium towers over the campus on a beautiful, sunny afternoon.

Photo by Brittany App

60

Thousand

We’ve often heard people say there’s something magical about Cal Lutheran, and we couldn’t agree more. Just take it from Sara Berg ’20 and Cortez Espinoza ’20, who met as sophomores, fell in love and were married on June 10, 2023.