Doreen Woolley BS’50 has performed in the lobby of the Randall L. Jones Theatre at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for more than 22 years, greeting guests and adding to the festival experience with welcome music before shows. While in college, Woolley played for the Tanner Dance Program, where she developed her skills in improvisation and conversing while playing.
Osvaldo Bascur PhD’82 was named to the National Academy of Engineering Class of 2025. Bascur’s career took off with groundbreaking work in process optimization, particularly in the mining and mineral processing industries. His early work on dynamic simulators and process analysis tools helped revolutionize the industry. But he says one of the most rewarding parts of his career has been the opportunity to mentor the next generation of engineers.
Jensie Anderson BFA’85 JD’93 received a 2025 Lifetime Service Award from the Utah State Bar. The awards “honor extraordinary legal professionals whose careers have exemplified commitment, integrity, and transformative impact in the legal community.” Anderson directed the S.J. Quinney College of Law’s in-house Innocence Clinic from 2002-22 and developed the Post-Conviction Clinic in the fall of 2023. Now professor emerita, she has worked closely with the Innocence Project for more than 22 years.
Lisa Eccles BA’86 was honored with the Giant in our City award from the Salt Lake Chamber, recognizing exceptional and distinguished public service and professional achievement. Eccles has led the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation for more than 30 years, awarding nearly 400 grants annually supporting nonprofits in every corner of Utah. She has also served on the boards of the National Park Foundation, Preservation Utah, and many others.
Reyes Aguilar JD’92 received a 2025 Lifetime Service Award from the Utah State Bar, honoring a career exemplifying “commitment, integrity, and transformative impact in the legal community.” Aguilar was associate dean of admissions and financial aid at the U for more than 32 years. He also served as a member of the S.J. Quinney College of Law Board of Trustees and the Office of Alumni Relations’ former Young Alumni Board.
David G. Derrick, Jr. ex’00 is set to direct an original nature-themed feature for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. Derrick directed Moana 2 and previously contributed to Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, Zootopia 2, the first How to Train Your Dragon, and more.
Kim Cordova JD’01 is president of the Utah Bar Association. Cordova started her legal career as a prosecutor in the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, then co-managed a criminal defense firm before serving as executive director of the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. She is an adjunct professor at the S.J. Quinney College of Law.
David McGlynn MFA’01 PhD’06 has published his first novel, Everything We Could Do, a sweeping story of parenthood, family, and redemption set against the backdrop of a small-town Wisconsin NICU. McGlynn has previously authored two memoirs and a short story collection, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, Men’s Health, Real Simple, and numerous other publications. He teaches at Lawrence University.
Karrie Baldwin (formerly Penney) BFA’03 recently presented the exhibit Looking Up at the Phillips Gallery in Kalispell, Montana. Baldwin grew up in the West and is deeply connected to the landscape. Her impressionist oil paintings focus on light, contrast, and color, particularly the color of the sunsets, reflections on water, and the feeling of standing in the light.
Michael Daly MBA’03 is chief operating officer for cashless payments trailblazer Marker Trax. Daly is a longtime gaming industry executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience in gaming technology, digital, and business growth, including as CEO of Catena Media.
Nick Pedersen BFA’05 created the art installation “Here Today / Gone Tomorrow” to inspire hope and action in response to “this immense environmental issue of the Great Salt Lake’s decline.” Located at 900 South and 900 West in Salt Lake, the pair of street-level billboards offers two futures for the lake. Pedersen creates hyper-realistic photomontages and says his work “explores environmental issues of the Anthropocene, an age of human impact on the natural world” and “questions the world we are now creating.” A native Utahn, Pedersen moved away for about 10 years and says coming back and seeing how much the lake has receded was a shock.
Lindsay Allen MBS’04 MEd’09 is the director of development and alumni relations at the New England College of Optometry. She brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, having previously worked in development, alumni relations, and advancement at Boston University, St. Mark’s School, Clark University, Boston College, and the U.
Robert Cummings MS’06 is director of the Utah Division of Securities, regulating the state’s investment industry. He brings more than 15 years of experience in civil and criminal litigation to the role, having established his own law firm before joining Snow Christensen & Martineau, and trying several cases in the securities industry.
Wes Madsen MD’07 has joined The Guardian Group as a Qualified Medical Evaluator in Spine and Orthopaedic Surgery. He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with expertise in adult reconstruction, and his evaluations focus on concise, objective reporting and medical evidence-based conclusions.
Nicholas G. Hanson MD’08 has partnered with MDVIP in Salt Lake City to open a practice that offers personalized, membership-based health care. Hanson is a board-certified family physician who has been practicing in Utah for 13 years. His clinical interests include hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and sports medicine.
Dianne Sánchez Shumway BFA’10 is the director of learning and engagement at the Sun Valley Museum of Art, where she designs and leads immersive programs that foster creativity, inclusivity, and community engagement. At the U, Sánchez Shumway was a research assistant for community-based arts programs, collaborated on mural projects in Salt Lake City, and received grants to develop photography programs for refugee communities in South Salt Lake. When graduating, she was named the Most Outstanding Senior of the College of Fine Arts. Sánchez Shumway now holds a master’s in Arts in Education from Harvard and is pursuing a doctorate in Art and Art Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Raised by Colombian-American parents in Idaho and Florida, she has served as president of the Community Arts Caucus for the National Art Education Association and continues to advocate for the transformative power of the arts.
Matt Sadler MAC’13 is a tax partner with Tanner LLC. With 15 years of experience, he specializes in tax compliance, planning, and M&A, and is actively involved with the AICPA and First Tee of Utah.
Marquis Newman BS’15 is the new director of pro scouting for the Utah Jazz. He was previously general manager of the Salt Lake City Stars, the minor-league basketball team affiliated with the Jazz. Newman has worked for the Jazz organization for more than a decade, starting out as a basketball operations assistant.
Abby Funabiki MPA’15 is the chief of staff of Techbridge Girls, a nonprofit building equitable systems in STEM education. In her new role, Funabiki leads high-impact initiatives and serves as a strategic thought partner to the CEO. She was previously chief of staff at BootUp, where she helped reach over one million students from backgrounds underrepresented in technology.
Jess Morrison JD’15 transitioned from teaching to law, working in Goldman Sachs’ compliance division before joining the U’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) in 2019. As OEO director, he focuses on addressing discrimination and Title IX issues, streamlining case resolutions, and supporting the university’s Impact 2030 goals. Morrison also encourages law students to remain open to evolving career paths.
John Michael Peterson BFA’18 is portraying the character Brill in the North American tour of The Outsiders: A New Musical. Peterson previously performed in the national tour of Cinderella, in shows at The Old Globe and The Muny, and in several with Pioneer Theatre Company, among others. The Outsiders is set to run through mid-2026 on stages throughout the country.
Arielle Hassett BS’18 BFA’18 is a research and development engineer for neurovascular devices at Stryker Neurovascular and a dancer and performer with Stephen Brown Dance. Previously, she performed with Fem Dance Company, RDT’s Regalia, and Brine, and she has trained with the Joffrey Ballet, Ballet West, Vaganova Ballet, RDT, Ririe-Woodbury, and the Juilliard School.
New research led by Stefania Wilks MS’21 explores ancient metates and manos used by Native Americans for grinding food in Oregon. Published in American Antiquity, the work highlights the long history of processing plants with ground stone tools. Wilks has also done significant work at the Crow Canyon lab in Colorado. Studying ancient plant remains reveals both what people ate and how they adapted to changes in the environment.
Diana Clarke PhD’22, a native of Aotearoa-New Zealand, is currently an assistant professor of English and creative writing at the University of Canberra, Australia. Clarke is the author of the novels Thin Girls and The Hop, each, as Roxane Gay writes, an “examination of what it means to be a woman in a body.” She has previously been published in prestigious literary journals including Glimmer Train, The Rumpus, and Black Warrior Review.
Alex Aguirre BS’25 recently spent several months as a marketing intern for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and hopes to move on to the Indy 500. Aguirre previously worked in game presentation with Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals. His passion is to make everyone love sports and entertainment as much as he does, creating fantastic memories for fans.
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