Dispatches Summer 2025

1953

Charles Luke [BusAdm] was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Public Service degree by Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota, in December 2023 for service to that institution. As president of the university for one year, 1983–84, Luke helped reorient the institution’s mission to provide computer-related areas of instruction across all disciplines. 

1970

Dale Marini [SFTV, GradEd ’75], who was associate director of admission and the official scorer for men’s basketball, contributed a reflection about Vin Scully in “Perfect Eloquence,” a book of tributes honoring the late Los Angeles Dodgers announcer. Marini’s fellow contributors include Bob Costas, Orel Hershiser, Ann Meyers Drysdale, Al Michaels, Peter O’Malley, Ross Porter, and many others. Marini was inducted into the LMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 and is a benefactor of LMU Athletics.

1981

Rose Acosta-Yonai [BusAdm], principal and CFO of Tierra West Advisors, was honored in March with the 2025 Mother Pia Backes Award for her work in support of Sacred Heart High School, her alma mater, in Los Angeles.

1989

Shana Hagan [SFTV], a cinematographer and director, won an Emmy in September 2024 for her work on the documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything.”

1992

David Coletta [LibArts] earned his Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapy designation through comprehensive physical therapy coursework and successful competency testing with the North American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapy. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy and owns an outpatient orthopedic physical therapy practice in Bozeman and Manhattan, Montana.

1994

Melissa (Hardy) Franklin [BusAdm, GradBusAdm ’01] was named director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division. She is the first Black person to hold the post.

1996

James Keane [LibArts] has written a book titled “Reading Culture Through Catholic Eyes: 50 Writers, Thinkers, and Firebrands Who Challenge and Change Us.” It was published by Orbis in December 2024. Keane is a staff writer for America magazine, which is published in New York City by the Society of Jesus.

Matt Parlow [LibArts] was named president of Chapman University in Orange, California, effective Sept. 2, 2025. Parlow has been executive vice president, chief advancement officer, and dean of the Chapman University Fowler School of Law. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and was ASLMU president as an LMU undergraduate.

1997

Anthony Napolitano [BusAdm] was elevated to shareholder by Buchalter, where he has worked for the past 15 years in financial restructuring and insolvency matters.

1998

Amy-Jo (Jesmer) Luna [CFA] was named interim executive director at Covenant Philanthropic Solutions, a business consulting firm in Orange, California.

2000

Ramona Wright [SFTV] was presented with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service in May 2023. It is the highest civil award bestowed by the President of the United States and AmeriCorp in recognition of volunteerism.

2002

Stanley Johnson Jr. [GradEd] is senior project scientist at the Center for the Transformation of Schools, which is based in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He also is president of the Los Angeles County Board of Education.

2003

Lauren Casella [GradEd], assistant clinical professor and academic program director for the LMU School of Education’s Catholic School Leadership Academy, was appointed to the Catholic Education Council for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in September 2024. 

2004

Danny Hang [LibArts] was elected to the West Hollywood City Council in the November 2024 election. He is the first Asian American Pacific Islander to be elected to the council. After graduating from LMU, Hang worked at the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, helping county employees with permanent disabilities receive benefits.

2005

Santiago Almaguer-Delgado [BusAdm] was named senior director of Development Operations at AltaMed Foundation in Los Angeles. He began his new post in October 2024.

2006

Lauren (Lewis) Brown [LibArts] was promoted to deputy chief of family and community engagement for the District of Columbia public schools. She will develop the district’s engagement strategy across multiple programs to include intergovernmental affairs and community partnerships.

Gethin Wied [LibArts] was installed as rector of Trinity Episcopal church in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, on Feb. 10, 2024.

2011

Erica Victoria Espejo [GradEd] has had her first book published. “The Fangirl Diaries” is a memoir about anime fandom and the discovery of identity in the 1990s and early 2000s. 

2012

Ebony Gilbert [GradSFTV] is executive producer and co-director of a documentary titled “Ifine: Beauty” about the practice and promotion of skin-bleaching products to young people in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. The film won multiple awards, including Best Documentary Short at the Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival and Best Short Documentary & Audience Award at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles. 

2013

Jamal Adams [GradEd] was named principal of Loyola High School in Los Angeles. In 2021–23 he was principal of LaSalle High School in Pasadena. He previously worked at Loyola High School as a faculty member, director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion and head basketball coach.

2014

JJ (Juanjo) Gálvez [BusAdm] started a new job in January 2025 as business operations manager with Sears Home Services, which is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and has offices around the country.

Anthony Ireland [LibArts] was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in February 2024 in Las Vegas. He was a three-time All-WCC First Team honoree, only the third LMU student athlete to be named three times to the conference First Team. Ireland played in 132 games and started 125, ranking him first in program history in games started and minutes played.

Felicia (Arriola) Turner [SciEng] is head volleyball coach at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She was hired in December 2022 after spending six seasons on the coaching staff of the University of Georgia. She was captain and a stand-out player during her LMU playing career.

2017

Brian Lucas [GradEd] was named superintendent of schools for the Culver City Unified School District in January 2024.

2018

Jake Tannenbaum [BusAdm] was named in December 2024 to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List that highlights young entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators. Tannenbaum is the founder and CEO of Craftmix, which makes cocktail and mocktail mixers aimed at sustainability-focused consumers.

2019

Sanam Khalili [BusAdm] was named in December 2024 to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List that highlights young entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators. Khalili is the director of Artist Partnerships for Range Media Partners. 

2020

Gina Galvin [BusAdm, LibArts] was named in December 2024 to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List that highlights young entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators. Galvin is co-founder and chief creative officer of Stellar Snacks, whose packaging features original art by emerging artists. 

2021

Megan Dedrick [LibArts, GradEd ’22] was named coach of the Archbishop Murphy High School softball team in summer 2024. The school is located in Everett, Washington. Dedrick, who played softball at LMU, was an All-WCC First-Team selection in her senior year at LMU, 

2023

Ruth Luna [GradEd] teaches mathematics at Ramona Convent Secondary School in Alhambra, California. She has a custom of naming cats she has had as pets after mathematical symbols: Delta, Epsilon and Pi.