Class Notes

1982 | Gilmore Crosby
Social Scientist

The social science I learned at Evergreen and the social science of Kurt Lewin continues to serve me well! From running T-group workshops in Poland, the Bavarian Alps, to upcoming events in Delaware, Seattle and Jamaica, my recent book on DEI and my upcoming 7th book on organizations from the workers point of view, podcasts, on-line trainings, faculty for the Leadership Institute of Seattle (LIOS) and occasional remote teaching at Evergreen! Social science is the tool to create a better democracy at home and abroad! Learn more at www.crosbyod.com!

1997 | Regina Brown
School Counselor

I am proud of how Evergreen helped shaped me, specifically sharpening my lens for social justice.

I would now define my work as a somatic abolitionist elementary school counselor practicing from an embodied social justice framework; or as Dr. Sará King frames it: "Centering the neuroscience of well-being at the service of social justice."

Through this lens, I conducted a statewide survey of school counselors and the work was featured in the following journal article: Ecosystemic Advocacy for Elementary Mental Health

1997 | Elizabeth Paul
College Professor & Writer

My e-chapbook Blue Lovers--a collection of ekphratic prose poems inspired by paintings of Marc Chagall--will be available with Yavanika Press (https://www.yavanikapress.com/our-titles) in mid-September.

2012 | Dever Haffner-Ratliffe
Business Owner

Dever Haffner-Ratliffe, a solar power industry veteran and Evergreen Alumni, has formally launched Solar Quote Check, a solar-focused consumer protection consultancy and website.

The new business will support individuals and organizations navigating solar, including reviewing solar quotes, creating requests for proposals, assessing performance issues, and reporting illegal and unethical solar business practices to regulators.

Haffner-Ratliffe says the business is a response to the growing number of consumer protection complaints filed against solar companies.

"It breaks my heart when I hear about seniors spending their retirement on an overpriced solar array because of inaccurate information and aggressive sales tactics,” Haffner-Ratliffe said. “Solar can be a fantastic investment and way to support renewable energy, but consumers need someone other than a commissioned sales person to help answer their questions."

Dever Haffner-Ratliffe has 15 years of solar experience, including co-founding the Washington Solar Energy Industries Association, working as a solar expert for multiple state agencies, as well as working for an electric utility. She began her career in solar running South Sound Solar, an Olympia-based solar installation company founded by her late father, Kirk Haffner ('88). Dever’s hope is that Solar Quote Check will allow her to use her knowledge and expertise to help homeowners and businesses with their solar situation.

Solar Quote Check will not have any financial interest in whether their customers decide to buy solar or not. The company will bill based on time or a pre-negotiated flat fee. The business also offers a free 30-minute consultation and a free solar calculator. Haffner-Ratliffe also hosts informational webinars, mostly recently about buying and selling homes that have a solar installation.

2013 | Shon-Lueiss Harris
Associate Creative Director (Writing)

The unique interdisciplinary approach to learning at Evergreen set me up perfectly for the advertising field. Creative challenges require multiple perspectives and the skills I learned here translated directly into the agency world. I now lead creatives in coming up with creative solutions for top brands like Adobe and Nike, constantly pulling from the toolkit built at Evergreen.

1987 | Thomas Kolba
College Professor

1999| Elizabeth Switaj

My sequence of experimental poetry, The Articulations, will be published as part of a tête-bêche this November by Kernpunkt Press. It can be preordered at: Kernpunkt Press - The Articulations by Elizabeth K. Switaj

2001 | Emiliana Cruz
Professor at CIESAS-CDMX

Emiliana Cruz was born in Cieneguilla, San Juan Quiahije, Oaxaca, Mexico, and is a native speaker of San Juan Quiahije Eastern Chatino. She is a linguistic anthropologist, earning her PhD in Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin in 2011, and now is Professor-Researcher at the Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS) in Mexico City. Her research trajectories are diverse and interdisciplinary, emphasizing education, linguistic rights, territory, documentation and linguistic revitalization. She has received the Distinguished Community Engagement Award from the University of Massachusetts for her Chatino Language Documentation Project. Cruz’s extensive experience with community collaboration is the hallmark of her work. She is a founding member of the collective, Dialogues among Indigenous Academics. Her more recent publications include Evitemos que nuestro futuro se nos escape de las manos: tomás cruz lorenzo y la nueva generación chatina, a product of collaboration among Chatinos.

2009, 2013 | Sarah Morris
Digital Marketing Manager

My time at Evergreen made me value community and action. This September I am running 143 miles across Kenya fundraising for For Rangers a non-profit that provides funds to support the Kenyan Rangers who protect the many conservancies across the country. A big step from my runs in the F-Lot woods :)

1976 | Mike Corke
In Memoriam

Mike Corke ’76 passed away on June 7, 2024 from cancer. He was 71 years old. While at Evergreen, Mike was part of the student team that designed and built the Organic Farmhouse. After his graduation, he co-founded an architectural firm, Balance Associates, and was an early pioneer in passive solar building design. In the early 1980s he went to work for Peter Kiewit and Sons and spent several years superintending major construction projects. He became an expert in mediation and conflict resolution for construction project. He later joined the law firm Stanislaw Ashbaugh as a consultant on construction disputes. He then co-founded his own consulting firm. After several successful years there, he finished his career at Kiewit. Mike is survived by his wife Ellen, daughter Anna, son Nathan, six brothers, and one sister.

1985 | Chris Holmberg
Applied Philosopher, Corporate Shaman, Human Systems Engineer

Hi all - after completing my course of study at Evergreen I joined the Foreign Service and enjoyed posts in Mogadishu, Somalia and Tokyo, Japan.  In the early 90’s, wanting to return to the US, I transition into an organizational development role within the Federal Government and that eventually led to moving to the private sector where I led the global learning function for high tech multinationals. I moved to external consulting in 2005, first with a small firm and then with my own practice and have been in that field ever since. My work is mostly in the Silicon Valley/tech start up the world where I help executives and their teams create healthy human systems.
My time at Evergreen, though brief, was instrumental in developing critical thinking and productive dialogue skills that have served me well and helped me serve others.

1993 | Catherine Darley
Sleep Expert, Naturopathic Doctor

My life’s work has been Naturopathic Sleep Medicine, which all started with student projects at Evergreen! After 20 years of treating people of all ages with sleep disorders, this year I turned all the lessons learned into sleep skill courses. Rather than a generic course, each one is customized to the unique challenges of people in different life circumstances. This allows the depth and specificity that is needed to rebuild their sleep. For those Greeners who have podcasts, with listeners who sleep (!), I’d love to come share sleep skills. Check it out at skilledsleeper.com.

1999 | Linda Frank
Reflexology School Owner & Instructor

As the recent recipient of the 2024 National Excellence in Education award, I have no doubt that my unique education at Evergreen played a large and significant role in my receiving the award.

Evergreen's opportunity to write my own course curriculum, which I did under the brilliant guidance of Dr. Stephanie Kozick with a course I called Brain Laterality in Education and Culture, laid the foundation for my creating curricula for my school, Reflexology Academy NW in Tacoma, as a thoroughly enjoyable creative process.  During my time at Evergreen I’d no notion that I’d ever teach, let alone own a state-approved school. But just as I was able to flow with that self-designed Evergreen class, I was able to decades later flow into teaching and then opening a school.

After conceiving of a way to bring reflexology education to those residing in areas where there is no reflexology school with something I call The Interstate Teaching Collective (ITC)  I realized how Evergreen’s team-teaching model laid the foundation for my belief that there could be a way reflexology instructors could collaborate with skilled reflexology practitioners to educate students to a skill-base that would qualify them to take the national (ARCB) reflexology exams to become Nationally Board Certified.

My gratitude for Evergreen is immense, which is why I continue to support  scholarship funds. Evergreen provides so much more than “just” an education.  Evergreen elicits life skills that might be applicable in the near future, and/or turn up decades later, in surprising ways, as it did for me.

2009 | Marie Goodart
IT Software Business Owner, improving Human-Computer Interaction since 2009

We recently moved back to Olympia, WA for the first time in 16 years, and the 3-story house I renovated as a part of my architectural studies in 2007 is now filled with children's laughter, instead of fellow student roommates. They hear all the stories of my college years, local landmarks and how things have changed and not changed (for worse or better). My youngest, twin girls Emma and Ella, are graduating from kindergarten this year! Congrats and it's been a joy to see the Greener legacy grow and live on in our future generations.

2017 | Katherine Thompson
Psychiatric Social Worker

Cascadia Cares, a nonprofit started as part of a class at Evergreen State College, recently gave out 1,000 free organic heirloom tomato plants at our Growing Community event in Centralia, WA!

Cascadia Cares works to promote food sovereignty. We serve three hot meals in two different counties each week in addition to giving out garden starts. In Centralia we have Free Hot Pizza and the Church of Cheese where we give out pizza to anyone with a belly button on Sundays at George Washington Park. In the Longview/Kelso area volunteers show up with a free hot meal each Sunday. No questions asked. We do not attach a religious dogma, prayer, or lecture. We simply want to create a world where helping people is normal.

This nonprofit exists as a direct result of attending Making Changes Doing Social Justice program at The Evergreen State College in 2015.

1979 | Ken Shulman
Nonprofit Executive Director

Lambert House, The LGBTQ Youth Center where I serve as executive director, recently became the fifth such community resource in the country to own its facility outright. Having raised $3.45 million, we retired our real estate loan and have commenced a renovation to add new program space by upgrading the basement. We now have five in-person service locations in King County, WA, and our online programs have supported LGBTQ youth in 10 countries and 28 U.S. states.

1991 | Alex Lubin
Professor of African American Studies and History at Penn State University

Alex is a professor of African American Studies and History at Penn State University. He has been elected President of the American Studies Association for 2025.

2019, MPA 2024 | Andrea Sherrell
Direct Care Provider

Published author of Going Home Who Am I? on Amazon and Dorrance Publishing located in Pittsburgh, PA.

Completed my Master’s of Public Administration and my Bachelor of Arts in Law and Public Policy at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA.

Student Representative in 2018-Legislative Committee, Volunteered and Interned with The Housing Justice Project in King and Thurston County, Unemployment Justice Project-King County, Student Profile at Highline College in Des Moines, WA.

1976 | Jasper Hunt
Professor Emeritus. Minnesota State University. Mankato, Minnesota

An original Greener graduate. Entered Fall, 1972.

1989 | Sean Murphy
Playwright/Legal Services Attorney

Sean Murphy signed a licensing contract with Next Stage Press to publish and distribute his anthology of short plays, The Flat and The Spare. The plays were developed in collaboration with Idiom Theater of Bellingham, Washington, founded and run by fellow Evergreen Alum Glenn Apollo Hergenhahn-Zhao. Sean lives with his wife Lisa Scheff in Tucson, Arizona, with their friends Major Tom and Ninja-chan, two feline creatures rescued from an alley in Oakland, California.

1990 | Elyssa Gersen-Thurman
Therapist

In September 2022, I made a career pivot and I have been working as a therapist ever since. My positive experience in the program 'Human Health & Behavior' in 1988-1989 led me to pursue my M.A. in Counseling Psychology at St. Martin's University where I studied with Dr. Leticia Nieto, who was also my career counselor at Evergreen. I moved to New York City in 1998 and due to early challenges with licensing, my path diverged and I spent 20 years working as a nonprofit program director overseeing clinical services. I am grateful to return to my passion of direct care as a therapist. On a more personal note, I have been happily married for 20 years, I love our home in South Slope (Brooklyn), and our son just completed his first year at Clark University, a small liberal arts school that reminds me of my Greener days!

1995 | Kirk Hanson
Director of Forestry - Northwest Natural Resource Group

Kirk has been the Director of Forestry at the Northwest Natural Resource Group for 15 years. He recently co-authored "A Forest of Your Own: The Pacific Northwest Handbook of Ecological Forestry", published by The Mountaineers. He consults with small woodland owners throughout the Northwest.

1997 | Elizabeth Paul
Associate Professor of English

I received a 2024 Teaching Excellence Award with recognition in inclusive teaching at George Mason University (https://stearnscenter.gmu.edu/awards/2024-teaching-excellence-award-win…). I am forever inspired by my experiences at Evergreen and the faculty with whom I worked.

2003 | Holly Carter
Law

Holly Carter graduated from Purdue University with a Juris Doctorate in 2023, and has passed the California State Bar Exam. She is looking forward to using the master's tools in the realm of land based law, with focus in environmental, ag and/or estate work, with the ultimate view of shifting paradigms from private rights to collective responsibility.

1974 | Eric Stone
Photographer/Writer

For the past eight years I have been working on a photographic and writing project to document the politics and culture of Bogota, Colombia through the city's street art - which may well be the most extensive and widespread of any city in the world. I have photographed more than 9,000 paintings on walls and interviewed over a hundred artists. It is beginning to look as if a book of my work will be published in 2024. In the meantime I have been warehousing images - sorted roughly by location in the city - on a website (that needs updating) - www.bogotawalls.com

I have also organized a street art festival in the small town where I live, Clarksdale, Mississippi - in the Mississippi Delta, home to the mythological crossroads where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil to become a great blues singer / songwriter. The festival, Paint the Town, has taken place three times and is likely to be held again in October 2024. It has involved local artists as well as artists from other parts of the US, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Italy. There is also a website that needs updating - www.paintclarksdale.com

MPA 1985 | T.M. Sell
College Professor

My third book, Washington State Politics and Government, has been published by the University of Nebraska Press. This is a direction that I began at Evergreen with my master's thesis on campaign finance in Washington state. I am now in my 27th year of teaching political science and economics at Highline College.

1985 | Ray Sachs
Retired Land Use and Transportation Planner

Retired, living in Eugene, OR near one daughter (and soon to be granddaughter) and spend winters in North Carolina near our other daughter (and granddaughter and grandson). Playing a lot of music and enjoying life, despite these fraught times.

1999 | Elizabeth Switaj
Interim President, College of the Marshall Islands

My poetry collection, The Bringers of Fruit: An Oratorio (11:11 Press, 2022) has won the 2023 Whirling Prize from Etchings Press.

2001 | Donn Gallon
Teacher

I was awarded the District Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher for December 2023 for the Lower Yukon School District out of Mountain Village, Alaska. I have been teaching in LYSD since 2014. I switched to teaching a digital media class this year that has the school excited. I will be starting up a film making class for middle and high school students for spring semester.

2019 | Joseph Soel
Author

I have published my anti-war, Iraq War memoir entitled “The Broken Mirror of Memory: Iraq and Other Tales” available on Amazon. I hope the rest of the class of ‘19 is doing very well. I miss our time together.

1978 | Jeff Jacoby
Professor of Media Arts

Hi Everyone! I'm still professing at SF State in the BECA department, and we recently started a new M.F.A. program in Media Arts. My teaching and advising are deeply influenced by the Evergreen experiment. Cheers to everyone, and feel free to get in touch!

1982 | Gilmore Crosby
Social Scientist, Organization Development, Author

Before the interdisciplinary approach at Evergreen, there was Kurt Lewin who wove anthropology, sociology, psychology, biology, physics and even topography into his unique social science. Little did I know that my TESC studies would be the perfect preparation for my 40-year career as a Lewinian organization development professional and social scientist. I can't imagine thinking in a non-interdisciplinary way...

1982 | Gretchen Christopher Matzen
BMI Million Airs Songwriter, Multi-Gold Recording Artist, Producer

As a Leap Day Baby, I am celebrating my 21st Birthday with my sophomore Solo Album (working title) 21 - the Times of Our Lives - 12 Birthdays Songs. My freshman Solo CD, Gretchen's SWEET SIXTEEN (Suite 16) is a Billboard Critics' pick for 10 Best Albums of the Year.

Hear Sound Clips at GoldCupMusic.com

1990 | Paul Ortiz
University Professor

I have been named Brooklyn College's Hess Scholar-in-Residence for the academic year of 2023-2024. Most importantly, during Hess Week (April 1-4), Brooklyn College will be hosting a series of events featuring panels and a library exhibit centering on my academic work and leadership in the labor movement. Past Hess Scholars include Edwidge Danticat, Robin D.G. Kelley, Lisa Lowe, and Barbara Smith.

For more information on the program, you may contact Professor Gaston Alonso, director of the Wolfe Institute for the Humanities at Brooklyn (GAlonso@brooklyn.cuny.edu). I'm also happy to discuss the week's activities.

Paul Ortiz – Hess Scholar-in-Residence Exhibit
Hess Week Events - Brooklyn College

1998 | Nate Mahoney
Design Researcher and Artist

I’m happy to share that in 2023, work from my Forest Bathing: Queer Portraits in Nature art series was shown in galleries and museums in San Francisco, CA. Portraits were shown at 2358 MRKT Gallery, selected for the de Young Museum Open 2023, a juried community art exhibition, and multiple photography and video pieces from the series were exhibited in an installation at Radian Gallery. This January I hosted a public gallery talk about the series at Radian Gallery. In Spring 2024, photographs from the series will be shown at The Lord Mayor's Pavilion in Cork, Ireland.

2003 | Cathy de la Cruz
Manager of Metadata, Penguin Random House

Cathy de la Cruz (BA, 2003) has three pieces (two essays and one interview) in the newly published anthology, The Weird Sister Collection: Writing at the Intersections of Feminism, Literature, and Pop Culture, edited by Marisa Crawford and published by the Feminist Press. Publishers Weekly calls the collection "an approachable examination of contemporary feminism".

2020 | Jackie Schramm
Program Specialist 2, Washington State Patrol

My years at Evergreen were very special to me and part of the reason they were so great was all of the people I met along the way. Hope everyone is doing great and I miss you guys!

2021 | Douglas Greene
Stocker

I was a student through The Evergreen State College Native Pathways/ Peninsula College House of Learning with Dr. Corey Larson from 2019-21. I liked the changes I saw in previous fellow classmates so I thought I would give it a try, after a few quarters I developed a higher level of critical thinking skills and a clear lens on indigenous history, philosophy & research skills. I really haven't found my place yet, met some cool people & the staff is amazing! Through their guidance I managed to navigate through a pandemic though! Student debt is a monster, managing to still survive, waiting to thrive.

2021 | Dylan Posos
Marketing Specialist

After leaving Evergreen, I was hired at Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho as a receptionist at my local clinic. After nearly a year, I decided to follow my dream of being an artist and responded to an internal job posting in search of a Brand Specialist who would oversee the graphic design and marketing of eleven clinics in Central and Eastern Washington - I was hired! While art is not what I attended Evergreen for, a love for digital art was nurtured in my final classes with Alex McCarty and Zoltan Grossman and it stayed with me in the years that followed graduation. I now get to create art for Planned Parenthood, and work to create inclusive marketing strategies that reflect the diverse people that come into our clinics.

1981 | Patricia Chase
Sustainable Development Strategist

Evergreen was a tremendous influence on me both personally. and professionally. I am a sustainable development strategist and the author of a book entitled, "Envisioning Better Cities, A Global Tour of Good Ideas."

A sustainable development strategist, Patricia has worked with real estate developers, timber companies, utilities, architects, local and state politicians, and senior city staff to expose them to global best practices. She has led over 40 professional research missions to cities in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. She has served as the managing partner on research and communication projects for both the public and private sectors. Through both professional research missions and a variety of communication projects, she has facilitated the public and private sector coming together in a shared vision. She has co-authored a book entitled, “Envisioning Better Cities: A Global Tour of Good Ideas” with University of Washington professor Nancy Rivenburgh.

As a recognition of her work with I-SUSTAIN, Patricia was made an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects in 2007 “for creating a uniquely effective program to educate and inspire political and business leaders through international models of sustainable design and development.”

At the request of the Mayor of Seattle, Greg Nickels, she was a member of the 2008 Mayor’s Green Building Task Force, which provided guidance on appropriate policy mechanisms that would reduce the energy use of new and existing buildings by 20%. As a result of the task force, changes in the law regarding building energy disclosure requirements have been enacted in Seattle and have spread to other US cities.

Patricia has served as a Board Member of the Cascade Bicycle Club, the largest bicycling organization in the US. In 2010, she was made a Fellow with the World Affairs Council, and she was on the board of Great Cities, an urban advocacy group. She co-founded a non-profit organization, the International Sustainability Institute (ISI).

1985 | Patricia Muller
Retired Educator

I retired from teaching, both stateside and international, six years ago. Currently living in Galicia, Spain.

1985 | Wendy Mintiero
Acupuncturist & Craniosacral Therapist

I did 3 programs at Evergreen: French Culture, Nutrition and Community Health, and M2O. I enjoyed working at the Women's Clinic for two years. These were excellent programs and allowed me to pursue my interest in healthcare and alternative healing arts. After graduation I moved to Albuquerque to study massage, and then returned to the Pacific Northwest. Ten years later, I went back to school, attended the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for a Masters in Acupuncture. I live in Seattle, I've been in practice for 25 years and love what I do - combining acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, sound healing and some Taoist practices and Qigong. Big hugs to my fellow Greeners.

1999 | Elizabeth Switaj
Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, College of the Marshall Islands

My mini-chapbook, Supply Chain Problems, was published by Ghost City Press in summer 2023. My third full-length collection of poetry, At (Ghost) Depth, is forthcoming from Mouthfeel Press.

2006 | Brendan Basham
Writer, Artist, Educator

I have sold and published my debut novel on a major label: Swim Home to the Vanished, from Harper Books/HarperCollins, a lifelong dream, dedicated to my little brother Tristan, who also briefly attended Evergreen before his death in 2006, is now available at your local bookstores (and the corporate, too).

2021 | Tony Mealy-Chapman
Curriculum Coordinator at Evergreen

Hopefully we'll see more class of '21 students :) so glad I came to R2E!

1992 | Bret Alderman
Writer, Depth Psychologist

Routledge has published my second book! It appears in their series Philosophy and Psychoanalysis. Many of the authors that I draw from I first came to know at Evergreen. 

Eternal Youth and the Myth of Deconstruction by Bret Alderman

From the Publisher:

In Eternal Youth and the Myth of Deconstruction, Bret Alderman puts forth a compelling thesis: Deconstruction tells a mythic story. Through an attentive examination of multiple texts and literary works, he elucidates this story in psychological and philosophical terms.

Deconstruction, the method of philosophical and literary analysis originated by Jacques Derrida, arises from what Carl Jung called “a kind of readiness to produce over and over again the same or similar mythical ideas.” In the case of deconstruction, such ideas bear a striking resemblance to a figure that Jungian and Post-Jungian writers refer to as the puer aeternus or eternal youth. To make his case, in addition to a careful analysis of numerous Derridean texts, he offers readings of literary works by Milan Kundera, J.M. Barrie, Dante, Apuleius, and others. These texts help illustrate that deconstruction’s preoccupations over questions of presence, deferral, authority, limits, time, and representation are also recurrent issues for the eternal youth as described by Marie-Louise Von Franz and James Hillman. Judith Butler’s deconstruction of sex and gender reflects similar patterns, and she features in this work as a contemporary exemplar of the deconstructive approach.

Eternal Youth and the Myth of Deconstruction will be a compelling read for both students and teachers of depth psychology and continental philosophy. The clarity of its style will be appealing to advanced scholars and educated laypersons alike.

1979 | Tim Pearce
Assistant Curator, Mollusks, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Still chasing snails and still loving it! Recently got 150,000 records of Carnegie Museum mollusks onto GBIF.org, adding those dots to distribution maps used by researchers worldwide. Forthcoming publications compare snails in an Indiana lake 94 years ago and now, predicting diets of snail-eating beetles, and freshwater sponges in western Pennsylvania; I am preparing a paper about land slugs in diets of baby salmon in Seattle. This past spring, wife Alice Doolittle and I visited my 50th state (Mississippi), where I was recognized as the guy who tells snail jokes on social media (TikTok,Instagram). Still play fiddle in our band, the Gregarious Slugs. No car, no smart phone, no TV, yes garden, yes happy.

1981 | Gavin Lakin
Counselor and Educator, Writer and Musician

Gavin recently passed the National Counselor Exam (NCE) and received his National Certified Counselor (NCC) designation from the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. On a whimsical note, his third-grade students that he student-taught at Boston Harbor Elementary School in Olympia would now be approximately 49-51-years old! He has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for nearly forty years (2024, September). He loves to ride Snickers the Mare in Santa Rosa. Once weekly, Gavin volunteers at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, walking the broods and studs in the neonatal (making puppies!) department.

1981 | Frances Vandal
Retired

I received my B.A. in Studio Arts in 1981. Went on to receive an M.F.A. In Fine Arts/Graphic Design. Last year I had the opportunity to travel to Antarctica with Quark Expeditions (2023). If you’ve ever dreamed of traveling to the 7th Continent, follow my Substack Blog Minus90 as I recount the trip preparation and ultimate experience.

Evergreen left an indelible mark on me as has setting foot on the Antarctic Peninsula.

2000 | Jared Pappas-Kelley
Academic and Artist

Jared Pappas-Kelley’s new book Stalking America was just published by Delere Press and he speaks about his approach with it recently in an Interview with 3:AM Magazine.

“There’s the idea of tricking a truth into revealing itself, but instead it might be a sidestepping, and as an approach it is maybe like with an eclipse—not something to be viewed directly. Building these overly-complex and clunky apparatuses or structures—like a hole poked in construction paper inside a cardboard box with a paper towel tube: an eclipse viewing box, to make the indirectly viewable visible—might allow us to approach this idea of truth, to catch it unaware or startle it into view like a woodland creature.”

2019 | Andrea Sherrell
Currently Student / Book Author

Published my book, Going Home, Who Am I? The hard copies came out in February 2023, I am on Amazon at this time, E-book and Paper Copy, no audio book at this time (Which would be awesome and another format of accessibility and inclusion.)

Publishing house is Dorrance Publishing

1973 | Dave Groves
Retired state worker

Political Ecology

1979 | Janet Nolan
Children's Picture Book Author

I'm excited to announce the release of my next book Get Ready for School, Albert Whitman & Company, 2023.

1982 | Neil Rockwell
Retired Teacher

Just wondering where my old friends have ended up. Class of 1982.

1985 | Consuela Metzger
Book Conservator

After working as a book conservator and book conservation faculty a few places around the country, I have happily settled in Los Angeles for the past 9 years. I work as head of Preservation & Conservation for UCLA Library. I hike and hike and camp and wander the landscape whenever I can, and am always grateful for my Evergreen education!

1988 | Paula Barnett
Semi-Retired

Attended Evergreen from 1985 - 1988. Tides Of Change; Women’s Music student club co-coordinator.

1992 | Jana Harper
Associate Professor of the Practice in the Department of Art, Vanderbilt University

I am a 2023/2024 Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow (SARF) co sponsored by National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH).

1992 | Janelle Crabb-Cotogna
School Counselor and Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Janelle graduated with her Masters in Counseling, Professional School Counseling from City University Seattle in June 2023. She is currently working as an LMHCA via telehealth for a small counseling firm and as a school counselor for the Tahoma School District.

Janelle and her husband, Chris, celebrate 31 years of marriage in December and welcome their first grandchild this November. They have six adult children and enjoy spending time together with their many animals on their small farm.

1993 | Geoffrey Wirth
Woodworker

Still making things on Whidbey.

1999 | Darrell Nelson
Detective Sergeant

Class of 1999 - Tacoma Campus

2000 | Kate McPherson

Earned Ph.D.

2000 | Brigitte` Antoinette Ware
Business Owner

Hello, Tacoma Greeners. May you all continue to support each other and future students. May our Creator, bless you too.

2002 | Kimberly Lawson
Longshoreman, Coach, Counselor, Reiki Master

Just Saying hello to all. Wanted to reach out in case anyone ever wants to get in touch... students enrolled now and alumni from back in 2002. Please reach out, maybe we can have a laugh, a cry, or we could solve world peace... one never knows.

2006, MES 2011 | Liesl Plomski
Washington State Park Ranger

Evergreen gave me so much more than just academic learning. It gave me an appreciation and love for the natural world and the communities that depend on them. The tools I crafted while at Evergreen have made me a better mother, park ranger and person in general. The future is hopeful.

2007 | Emily Stennes
Event Producer & Fundraiser

I began my event planning career while studying at Evergreen more than 15 years ago. My focus was in Arts and Events Management. Upon graduation, I worked at the NW Folklife Festival and Bumbershoot Festival, eventually moving to Portland to be closer to my Greener friends. I’ve had the privilege of producing more than a hundred creative and memorable events that have made a positive impact in the community. While I’ve spent most of my career in the non-profit and DIY arts field, I have recently began working in animal welfare. Since January, I’ve been working as the Director of Special Events and Sponsorships at the Humane Society for S.W. Washington. I recently re-read my summative self evaluation and was reminded of how Evergreen really set me up for success. Proud alumni!

2008 | Elizabeth Martin
Occupational Therapist

I have started my mental health occupational therapy private practice, Holistic Community Therapy in Portland, OR. It is the only one of its kind in the state. To think I almost became a dance and movement therapist.. now I help adults with functional movement to get back to the lives they find meaningful.

2011 | Maya Brodkey
Teacher

Maya Brodkey, '11, was selected as a 2023-204 Fulbright Teacher for Global Classrooms. She is also a 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellow.

2015 | Devin Peterhans
School Counselor

Evergreen allowed me to explore my privilege and identity and make active choices on how I want to show up in the world.

2018 | Jesse Pena
Infrastructure Engineering Analyst

Completed degree Winter 2018. Walked the stage Spring 2018.

2019 | Samantha Norberg
Woodworker at Sasquatch Woodworking

Hi everyone! I graduated in December of 2019 with a BAS. While at Evergreen, I studied Marine Biology and Zoology. Having graduated into the 2020 pandemic, I became a co-owner of a general contracting company with my life partner. This year we decided to close the company and pursue new careers. I am currently looking for my perfect career fit. I am very interested in wildlife preservation and animal behavior.

2007 | Lauriel Amoroso
Outdoor School Curriculum & Training Specialist 

My research was just published by Routledge in an edited collection on the making of Autoethnography. The book is titled: Crafting Autoethnography Processes and Practices of Making Self and Culture (2023), Edited By Jackie Goode, Karen Lumsden, Jan Bradford. My chapter (12) “Walking as Knowing, Healing, and the (Re)making of Self” is based on work I did during my Doctoral dissertation at Portland State University (2021). I hope this book is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in Autoethnographic and Narrative research methods. 

2013 | Rachel Morris
Energy Project Manager

Interested in reconnecting with other greeners!

1973 | Tom Anderson
Mixed Media Artist

I started at Evergreen in 1971 and graduated in June 1973. The first year I was in the Man and Art Program and the second year I had an individual contract in film animation. I co-created the library stairwell mural, KAOS FM radio, the 16mm animation facility and worked as the first graphic design assistant to Connie Hubbard from 71-73. She and I co-created the first Evergreen logo and all the college catalogs and marketing material. I was a member of The Board of Governors from 2011-2018.

1980 | Ali Ramezani
Social Researcher 

Left for Iran after graduation. Lived through a revolution and a long war. Taught science in high schools among other occupations. Left for Canada where I have worked as a community mediator/facilitator and public policy analyst. Meanwhile I returned to school to compliment my Bsc in science with a master degree in philosophy and a PhD (ABD) in sociology and political economy. 

1983 | Kris Nelson
VP business development, MemPro USA Ltd.

Grateful to become the VP of business development for a nanofiber membrane startup that has developed a process for producing green hydrogen so efficiently that it promises to render fossil fuels too expensive. Thanks to the COVID lockdown, recording and now performing world jazz and songs on mandolin and flutes. Let's connect!

1999 | Tracy Wuster
Professor of Instruction 

In 2019, I joined the "Human Dimensions of Organizations" program at the University of Texas at Austin. This interdisciplinary program teaches students to use insights from the liberal arts to solve people-centered problems in organizations.  We teach students to develop critical thinking (and feeling), improve their communication skills, to develop cultural competence, to collaborate effectively, and to become creative problem solvers.  I put the interdisciplinary skills I developed at Evergreen to work everyday. 

I am also the Executive Director of the American Humor Studies Association and published my first book--Mark Twain: American Humorist--in 2016.

2000 | Heather Sin 

Nader didn't come but Groening did!

2003 | Janelle Gauthier
Therapist 

While at Evergreen I developed a passion for mental health and social justice. I’ve been a psychotherapist for over 15 years specializing in working with parents who have lived through trauma, adversity and attachment difficulties. I’m so excited to be back in the Olympia community as owner/therapist at Flourish and Thrive Therapy. 

2012, MES 2017 | Greg Eide
Scientist 

As an undergrad I spent 4 quarters with Bret Weinstein. He wasn't my favorite professor, but it was a great experience. The night I was supposed to present my master's thesis, campus was closed because a group of students kidnapped the president of the school and were never disciplined for violating the student handbook, or the laws of the state of Washington. I was fully aware of the issue leading up to this day and I will always remember how poorly the leadership handled this situation. Otherwise I have very fond memories of attending Evergreen, and I recommend the school to any youth interested in a college experience with narrative evaluations.

1973 | Doug Richards
Old man fly fishing

Selling my fishing camp in Thorne Bay, Alaska this year. This may be my last year. Still got my truck camper. POW Island has been my summer home since 1999. Only missed two years for prostate cancer and moving from NY to Pa. Two handed fly fishing for steelhead and salmon, with my Labrador, watching the eagles and the bears and listening to the river and the sand hill cranes. Spinal Stenosis, getting a cortisone shot to help make the trip.

1980 | Ali Ramezani
Consultant, public policy, consensus building, group facilitation and conflict resolution

B. Sc. graduate with strong commitment to social justice

1980, 1992 | Birdie Davenport
Aquatic Reserves Program Manager

I've been working at Washington Department of Natural Resources for over 30 years, looking forward to retiring fairly soon. It's been an rewarding career, 22 years with the Natural Areas program, some of the most beautiful and unusual native landscapes in the state, more recently managing the state's Aquatic Reserve, incredible waters that shelter diverse underwater plant and animal life. At home, many dear horses have been in my life, all now deceased or returned to their owners following a big accident last year which put me out of commission for quite a while (broke femur/hip.) Focused now on gardening, big time, and healing. Figuring out what's next.

1989 | Cindi Rowan
Landscape Architect

Hi! I am class of 1989, and would like to share a couple of updates. I currently live in Toronto, Ontario and am Studio Director at FORREC, a global Landscape Architecture and design firm. I work on major projects in Canada and around the world, and am the Chair for FORREC’s Sustainable Design Task Force. I recently produced the Spring Issue of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects national publication “Landscapes | Paysages”. Produced in French and English, the issue is titled “Explore” and focuses on innovative works of landscape architecture related to tourism, recreation and visitor experience. I would love to share this with the community.

Landscapes | Paysages - Spring 2023
LinkedIn Post - Landscapes | Paysages

1995 | Karena Montag (Formerly Cox)
MFT + Co-Director

i am a Founding Co-Director of STRONGHOLD. STRONGHOLD works at the intersection of racial and restorative justice to support and co-create accountable communities of belonging. i am also a psychotherapist with a private practice in Berkeley, CA.

1997 | Maureen McCaslin
Retired Social Worker

I graduated from the Tacoma Campus of The Evergreen State College in 1997. Dr. Artee Young was my advisor and Dr. Joy Hardiman was the Director. Since graduating from the School of Social Work at Portland State University, I was employed at Children's Home Society in Seattle, WA until the campus was closed in 2010. Since that time, I have been a volunteer advocate for mothers who have been fighting for custody of their children in US Courts in addition to exposing legal abuse of seniors in Probate Court. My case regarding my mother, Wanda Bell, has been filed in both the International Criminal Courts and the US Supreme Court.

1999 | Amy Turner
Writer

My debut novel, Voyage of the Pleiades, will be published on June 6! It's a fictional account of a female naturalist in Chile during the late 19th century. Keeping my Greener natural history roots alive! I was also nominated for a Heartland Emmy for my writing contribution to a Rocky Mountain PBS documentary on indigenous land reparations in Colorado.

2010 | Paul Goodfellow
Environmental Program Specialist, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Class of 2010; Programs included "America Abroad," "Looking Backward: America in the 20th Century," and "The World Wars." Faculty: Dr. David Marr, Dr. David Hitchens, Dr. Tom Rainey

1981 | Steven Miller
Retired

Retired from Federal civilian service after 30+ years with the US Department of the Treasury in 2018. Living in Concord, North Carolina but may be making a change in the near future. Have spent the last 17 years (12 married) with my wife Angie and our 3 cats.  Had no idea that Evergreen existed until a high school classmate told me and invited me to join her tour.  When I set foot on the "Square", I knew I was home.  Since graduation, I have enjoyed explaining to people what a "geoduck" is.  I will always remember my seminar leader, Craig Carlson, telling my mother "He's interested in everything. If he ever finds his niche, look out." I eventually found it thanks to Evergreen.  Looking forward to my next read, family visit, overseas trip or outing with friends. To those I went to school with, I hope your lives have been as wonderful as mine. And to those who followed in our footsteps, let it all hang out!

1982 | Eric Einspruch
Principal

I am the Principal of ELE Consulting, LLC (www.eleconsulting.com), an independent research and evaluation firm based in Oregon. My most recent book, An Introductory Guide to R: Easing the Learning Curve, is published by Guilford Press (2022).

1985 | Milton Riess
Academic Chair and Professor of Film

Currently I am Chair of the Film and Digital Arts Department at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After spending a few decades in Los Angeles working in Television for NBC and other studios, I moved to Santa Fe. I began teaching film production at the local college.  Eventually becoming dependent Chair. Evergreen let me gain the skills in filmmaking which I put to use nearly every day.  

2016 | Jessica Honiker
Oyster Farmer 

I use my Evergreen education every day to help grow oysters and clams in the Puget Sound! I really appreciate all that seminar looking back.

2022 | Jason Biehner
Marketing 

Changing the world one mollusk at a time!

1973 | David Hazel
Lawyer

David Hazel is a Mediation and Arbitration lawyer at David Hazel Mediation in Washington State.

1975 | Diane Berger
Writer and Teacher

Diane just published a book, Small Boat, Vast Ocean: My Years in Solitary Buddhist Retreat. The memoir takes readers along on three and a half years of retreat in the Tibetan tradition, which took place in the Pacific NW. The book appeals not only to Buddhists, but those interested in contemplative life or depth psychology. Now settled in Seattle, Diane is enjoying a full life--which includes four grandchildren.

1978 | Michael Huntsberger
Professor Emeritus, Linfield University

Now officially retired from the Journalism & Media Studies department at Linfield University, but still teaching media ethics, law and history at both Linfield and Pacific University. No longer active in radio, but the home office proudly displays treasures from KAOS FM, including the cast photo from Alive in Olympia, several concert posters, and the 1986 R. P. McMurphy award. My heart is forever at Evergreen, in the studios and control rooms, hallways and pathways, and on the waters of Eld Inlet.

1979 | William Grady Ward
Computing, Lexicography

Following my interests in computers at Evergreen, I learned the necessary skills to become an early employee at Apple Computer in Cupertino, CA. After achieving Senior Member of the Technical Staff, Operating Systems at Apple, my experience at Evergreen again gave me the confidence to change work to solo lexicography while committing myself as a husband helping to raise our two children, which in turn helped my wife and partner obtain her professional degrees.

Currently, my Moby Shakespeare, the first free digital complete works that I put into the public domain in the early nineties is estimated to have close to 100000000+ users directly including programs, apps, and derived libraries according to Andrew Murphy,1867 Professor of English, Trinity College Dublin.

Another work, Moby Thesaurus, also free, digital, and placed into the public domain, is part of the core training set for GPT4, the first widely adopted Large Language Model AI.

I credit Evergreen for my direction, skills, and inspiration to seed my work widely to help other developers contribute in turn. Thank you for my life’s work.

1986 | Kurt Batdorf
Communications Consultant

Kurt Batdorf joined the Washington State Department of Transportation in October 2022 as a communications consultant. He's writing about major construction projects in King County and Snohomish County. He still lives in Skagit County in a house he and his wife saved from demolition in 2017 moved by barge from Seattle.

1991 | Kim Wilson
Higher Education Director 

Kim just celebrated 25 years at the Labor Education Center of the University of Mass Dartmouth. She credits Evergreen in finding her lifetime home in the labor movement through support for multiple union internships and by learning from great faculty like the late Dan Leahy and recently retired Peter Bohmer.

1993 | Early Ewing Hurley
Developer

CPJ FOREVER.

2005 | Jennifer Dawson-Miller
Race and Social Justice Advisor, Founder of The Work Wonders

Jennifer Dawson-Miller (Miller) is a Race and Social Justice Advisor with the City of Seattle; committed to organizational change in government technology.  She obtained a Certification in Applied Neuroscience from the Key Change Institute, and has created an Inclusive Leadership Coaching model to support leaders in reaching their goals to become more inclusive and effective overall.  

2006 | Sarah Peace
LPCC, LMHC

My 2 years at Evergreen allowed me to go deep into depth psychology, consciousness studies, somatic psychology, expressive arts therapy. With my programs and evening courses I was ready for graduate work at CIIS. With my MA in Counseling Psychology I worked in California, New Mexico, and Washington. I returned to Olympia and opened my counseling practice there for 5 years. I have recently moved to Los Angeles, where I joined a holistic group therapy practice, Angeles Psychology Group. I provide therapy for California and Washington State adults, specializing in ecotherapy, psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration, Gestalt therapy, and therapy for transgender and all LGBTQIA+ folks. 

2011, MPA 2019 | Christine Lawrence
Judicial Assistant

I graduated from Evergreen with a BA in 2011.  I entered the non-profit sector and engaged in legal justice work.  I then took a deeper dive in legal studies and completed by Paralegal Certificate through the University of Washington in 2012.  In 2015, I joined state service and began to find my calling.  In 2017, I decided to enter the MPA program at Evergreen.  I graduated in 2019.  My husband and I welcomed a son in June 2021.  I am thankful for the skills and knowledge I gained from both programs.  I especially cherish the lifelong friendships and connections I have made.

2012 | Alo Johnston
Marriage and Family Therapist

My first book "Am I Trans Enough?: How to Overcome Your Doubts and Find Your Authentic Self" will be out February 21 through Jessica Kingsley Publishing. There's a section criticizing the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) that was strongly inspired by a paper I wrote at Evergreen through an Individual Learning Contract. Criticizing the DSM always comes full circle.

2012 | Jake Pirkkanen
Associate Director for Research Compliance at Middlebury College

After a 3 year post-doc at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Canada working in a radiation biology laboratory 6,800 feet underground, I have taken a break from research science. In January 2022 began a position as the Associate Director for Research Compliance at Middlebury College in Vermont. This new job involves overseeing research compliance functions involving protection of human subjects, animal use, chemical and laboratory safety, as well as biological and radiation safety for the institution. I love being back home in Vermont and spending a lot more time at the surface of the planet. 

2013 | Melkorka Licea
Journalist

I'm currently a senior features writer at Insider (formerly Business Insider) where I cover the culture of wealth and money and how it intersects with crime and injustice. Before that I worked at the New York Post and The NY Daily News where I focused on enterprise news reporting and investigations. I studied media, film, and journalism at Evergreen and worked at the Cooper Point Journal for three years, serving as editor-in-chief my senior year. I moved to New York City after graduating in 2013 and currently reside in Brooklyn.

2014 | Nate Bernitz
Community and Economic Development

Nate Bernitz ‘14 joined the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension as a Community & Economic Development Field Specialist in January 2023.

1974 | Mary Hoffman Schroeder
Retired Educator

I am an enthusiastic promoter of Evergreen. As a School Counselor I tried to find the right students to recommend the adventure in learning and self realization. I’ve returned to campus to visit, send my voice out over the radio station, and witness the changes over the past 48 years!

1978 | Jeff Jacoby
Professor & Practitioner of Media Arts

I've been actively creating sonic art and working on other, collaborative art projects along with performing my busy role as Professor of Media Arts at San Francisco State University. Among many duties, I advise and teach at KSFS Radio, our student radio station, and I'm also the Faculty Director of our new M.F.A. in Media Art. I invite you to have a look! Hello to all my old Greener friends! I loved my time at KAOS, midnight on Red Square, the actual top of Mt. St. Helens, walks on the nature trail with Kimmy the Radio Dog, and all the wonderful folks, many of whom I am still in touch with. Cheers!

1982 | Gilmore Crosby
Social Science/Organization Development

My next book, Diversity Without Dogma: A Collaborative Approach to Leading DEI Education and Action, comes out on December 20th! I quote my 1978-79 professors Stephanie Coontz and Peta Henderson in it, and apply the theories and methods of Kurt Lewin to understanding and resisting racism and other forms of prejudice.

1986 | Dee Koester
Executive Management

Founder and Executive Director of WA State Native American Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault-WomenSpirit Coalition since 2002, a Tribal Coalition. Dee is An Elwha Klallam citizen.

1993 | Anthony Kesler
Government Services

I am enjoying my time working as an Adjudicator for the Washington State Employment Security Department.

1994 | Cameron Combs
IT Professional

Cameron Combs, using pen name CK Combs, has short stories included in the Creative Colloquy Volume 8 (2022) and Mud Flat Shorts published by Mud Flat Press. Combs is working on his first full length novel, a YA mystery.

2014 | Katelyn Peters
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) candidate, Sarah Lawrence College

Katelyn Peters, New York, NY, began her second year as an MFA candidate in Poetry at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. Katelyn has lived in New York City for five years, after moving for an Editor role at DotDash/Meredith in 2017. She has also worked as an editor for the photography magazines Photo District News (PDN), Rangefinder, and PDNedu, in addition to working as a freelance book editor.

2015 | Dedrick McCord
Data Strategist

Dedrick McCord, Atlanta, is a Harvard University Strategic Data Project Fellow. His research focuses on improving equity data strategy in Atlanta Public Schools.

2021 | Kelly Ramirez
Volunteer Director

Studied media and film at Evergreen, now I'm lucky to invite the change I want to see in media by welcoming those less represented to join as volunteers at Olympia's one and only independent art house theater, Capitol Theater home of the Olympia Film Society.