Obituaries of members of the Trojan Family appear online at tfm.usc.edu/trojantributes.
Ashley Rhodes-Courter MSW ’12 (SSW), a New York Times and international bestselling author and speaker, established the Foundation for Sustainable Families, a nonprofit with a focus on child welfare, human rights and community public health. Navid Shahrestani ’12 (BUS) is vice president of early-stage banking for Silicon Valley Bank. In 2015, he launched a social network, Young Venture Capital Los Angeles, a monthly gathering for the young angel and venture community. Stephanie Wang MS ’12 (ENG), MS ’16 (BUS) completed a master’s degree in business analytics from the USC Marshall School of Business. Berfin Ataman ’13 (DRA) was assistant costume designer for the 2016 film Max Steel. Vasu Jain MS ’13 (ENG), who has been working in the nonprofit field for more than two years, received a President’s Volunteer Service Award at the silver level in 2016. Jason Sabino ’13 (MUS) is the artistic director of the Oregon Chorale. Brandon Baer ’14 (DRA) directed the pilot episode of Life on Mars and the play Private Eyes at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica, California. Roland Buck III ’15 (DRA) was seen in a Toyota Camry commercial starring Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor. He can also be seen in the second-season premiere of Chicago Med and the 2016 film Sleight. Parag Chaudhari MS ’14 (ENG) works for Amazon Web Services in Palo Alto, California. Carlos Cisneros MPA ’14 (SPP) was promoted to name partner at his law firm in Mexico City. Amber Coney ’14 (DRA) stars as Carolina “Cricket” Diaz in Freeform’s TV series Dead of Summer. She also wrote the teleplay for and acted in the remake of Mother, May I Sleep With Danger? for Lifetime.
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family class notes Jeremy Fusco MSW ’14 (SSW) is a readjustment counseling therapist for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Dallas. He provides individual and group therapy to war zone veterans, veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma, and veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. He is a liaison to the Veterans Courts for Dallas, Collin, Rockwall and Grayson counties. Anthony Greene JD ’14 (LAW) joined Alston & Bird in New York. Previously, he was law clerk to the Honorable Catherine E. Bauer in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Jason Manviller MPA ’14 (SPP) is the principal of Dixie Elementary School in San Rafael, California. Colin Woodell ’14 (DRA) co-stars in the Netflix original film XOXO. Taylor Dearden ’15 (DRA) stars as Ophelia in the MTV show Sweet/Vicious, which also features Dylan McTee ’15 (DRA) as Nate. Logan Heley ’15 (LAS/SCJ) ran in the election for the 21st Kansas State Senate District after completing an internship at the White House Press Office. Sumo (Susie) Liu MS ’15 (ENG) was promoted after six months at Benchmark Analytics & Consulting Inc. Ramiro Rubalcaba EdD ’15 (EDU) is the assistant superintendent of human resources for the Azusa Unified School District in California. Kathleen Siswanto ’15 (BUS/LAS), who majored in finance and biology, joined Citi’s investment banking division in its San Francisco office. She is the daughter of Edwin Siswanto MS ’96, MBA ’96 (BUS) and his wife, Anne. Conner Wagenseller ’15 (ENG) finished his first year working for Northrop Grumman Corp.
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Toshiaki Ogasawara A USC life trustee and publisher and former chairman of The Japan Times, Toshiaki Ogasawara was a leading advocate of international cooperation in trade, science and the arts. Ogasawara served on USC’s Board of Trustees for 21 years, playing a crucial role in the university’s efforts to build enduring partnerships in the Pacific Rim, particularly in his native Japan. Founded in 1897, The Japan Times is Japan’s oldest English-language newspaper. He was named chairman of the board of the paper’s publisher, Japan Times Ltd., in 1985, and served as the company’s president from 1983 to 2006. He stepped down from his role as chairman in 2016. After graduating from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1966, he became the founding president of Nifco Inc., now a leading manufacturer of industrial plastic components for the automobile and electronics industries. He became Nifco’s chairman in 2001. He served as chairman of Simmons Co. Ltd., the Asian arm of Simmons Bedding Co., and as adviser to Bank of America, Avon Products, General Electric, Prudential and Nike, among others. He was a member of the board of governors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. A member of the USC Board of Trustees since 1995, he played an instrumental role in organizing USC’s Global Conferences, which are held about every two years in various locations in Asia. The conferences bring together academic and business experts from both sides of the Pacific to forge relationships, renew connections and exchange ideas. Ogasawara died on Nov. 30, 2016, at the age of 85. He is survived by his son Mitsutaka, daughter Yukiko, brother Kiyoteru, grandson Sanshiro and granddaughter Nanako.
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