Dispatches Summer 2026
1975
Greg Erlandson [LibArts] won first place for writing in the 2024 Catholic Media Awards, which were announced in June 2025. His columns for Angelus magazine, a publication of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, earned him the honor.
1983
Tess (Bronk) Perko [GradBusAdm] has written her first novel, released in April 2026: “Learning to Whistle,” (She Writes Press), which has been described as part travel novel, part coming of age story.
1989
Elizabeth Mee Scott [SFTV] won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Special — Championship Event for NBC’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Besides NBC, Liz has been producing and directing for ESPN, CBS, Fox Sports, and others. She also covered the 2025 college football season for ESPN. Liz is married to Darryl Scott [LibArts ’90], former Lion and major league pitcher and the current pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels.
1995
Collin Hinds [LibArts] was executive producer on “Finding Faith,” a film released in June 2025 about a woman whose life and faith are shaken by the experience of sudden tragedy.
2003
Sara Whelan [LibArts] took a new post in March 2026 as director of development for gift planning at LMU.
2004
Manny Aceves [GradEd ’07, Ed.D. ’13] was named vice president of development at Green Dot Public Schools California.
Jorge Gamboa [BusAdm] is a full-time associate planner with the City of Pasadena. After graduating from LMU, he earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning at UCLA.
2006
Vickie Calhoun [GradEd] is the president of the Board of Trustees of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District and was elected to the board in 2020.
Marcos Gonzales [LibArts, GradEd ’11] was selected for the Leadership Greater Chicago Signature Fellow Program of 2026.
Aram Nadjarian [LibArts], founder and managing partner of Mozaic Media & Communications, was named to the Board of Trustees of the California Museum in Sacramento in 2025.
2012
Taylour Paige [CFA] stars in Boots Riley’s film “I Love Boosters,” which premiered in March at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. The movie went into wide release in May 2026.
2014
Korey Hlaudy [GradEd, Ed.D. ’22] is an assistant principal at The Accelerated Schools in South Los Angeles and an educational consultant with CORE Learning.
2015
Michelle Flowers-Taylor [GradEd], who holds a doctorate in educational leadership for social justice from LMU, was appointed in March to the Board of Trustees of Bellevue College in Bellevue, Washington.
2017
Christina Brooks [GradEd] was named director of strategic communications for ISEP Study Abroad in Washington, D.C.
2019
Gabriela Gonzalez [LibArts] works for the L.A. County Department of Public Health. In April, she returned to campus to speak with students about careers in sociology.
Hunter Patterson [CFA] is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Pistons. He previously worked the news desk at The Athletic. Prior to his employment with The Athletic, Patterson was a broadcasting assistant with the NBA.
2022
Heather Cruz [LibArts] is the marketing team lead at Patagonia in Pasadena, California. She returned to campus in April to speak with students about careers in environmental contexts and urban affairs.
Hector Favela-Coreas [GradEd] began his doctorate in education in the LMU Educational Leadership for Social Justice program. He has been a counselor and professor at Long Beach City College, Pasadena City College, and elsewhere.
Elena Martinez [SciEng] married Joseph Ortiz [SciEng ’22], her college sweetheart, whom she met in 2018 at the Google Computer Science Summer Institute hosted by the LMU computer science department. Elena is a Ph.D. student in computational mathematics at Stanford University, and Joseph works at Google in Mountain View, California. They live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Lizbeth Ramales [LibArts] is a special education teacher at Legacy College Preparatory Charter School in Santa Ana, California. In April, she returned to campus to speak with students about careers in sociology.
2023
Cole Roberts [LibArts], who played for the LMU baseball team, is bench coach for the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers, who are part of the Detroit Tigers organization. Roberts was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2019 but chose to attend LMU for four years. In 2023, he was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks as an undrafted free agent. He later played Double-A in the Philadelphia Phillies organization and was released in 2025.
Christopher Wilson [BusAdm] returned to LMU this past January as operations manager in the Office of the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at LMU. He has previously worked as an associate with KPMG US.
2024
Riley Lewis [CBA] qualified for the 125th U.S. Open Championship in June 12–15, 2025, in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. As a senior at LMU, Lewis was named the WCC Golfer of the Year and to the NCAA Division I Ping All-Region Team.
Laurie Virtusio [Ed.D.] is now the California Association of Asian Pacific Leaders in Education (CAAPLE) regional director for Orange County.
2025
Khadim Diaw [BusAdm], a standout player for the LMU baseball team, is on the roster of the minor league Cedar Rapids Kernels. He was drafted in 2024 by the Minnesota Twins.
Kai Gamboa [LibArts] is an environmental underwriting analyst with AIG in Los Angeles. In April, he returned to campus to speak with students about careers in urban affairs and the environment.
Chaiya Jeffries [LibArts] is pursuing a master’s degree in public diplomacy at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. In April, she returned to campus to speak with students about careers in sociology.
IN MEMORIAM
Robert Brazelton [LibArts ’52] on Jan. 19, 2024
Joseph Collins [BusAdm ’53] on May 22, 2025
Frederick Lower Jr. [LibArts ’56, Law ’64] on Jan. 30, 2026
Al Roth [BCLA ’53, GradEd ’59] on Jan. 8, 2026
Robert Dahl [BusAdm ’55 Law ’58] on Nov. 7, 2025
James Alan Madden [BusAdm ’57] on Feb. 4, 2025
Robert Ambrose [LibArts ’58, Law ‘61] on June 21, 2025
Richard Honzik [BusAdm ’59] on Jan. 27, 2024
Edward Healy [SciEng ’61] on Oct. 31, 2023
Albert Gad [LibArts ’64, GradLibArts ’68] on April 29, 2025
Edwin McDonald III [SciEng ’66] on Nov. 5, 2025
Marie Elena Lewis [LibArts ’68] on Oct. 29, 2025
Daniel Haeuter [LibArts ’71, Law ’76] on March 29, 2025
Sr. Carmel Marie Silva, O.P. [GradEd ’71] on April 18, 2025
Marc Hurwitz [Law ’72] on Jan. 4, 2026
Eric Fisher [BusAdm ’75] on July 5, 2025
Toni Pearsall Thompson [LibArts ’77] on April 13, 2025
Joseph Marinelli [CFA ’79] on June 22, 2025
Mark Volman [GradSFTV ’79] on Sept. 5, 2025
Marta Avila [LibArts ’87, GradEd ’89, GradEd ’91] on Jan. 14, 2026
Carolyn Hansen [GradEd ’97] on April 8, 2025
Jameson O’Neil [LibArts ’22] on Feb. 6, 2026
Lauren Craven [LibArts ’23] on Oct. 20, 2025
Emily Beutner [CFA ’26] on Jan. 6, 2026
Kallkidan Horlock [LibArts ’26] on March 29, 2026
James Hodges III [CBA ’27] on July 5, 2025
Spencer Collins-Williams [LibArts ’29] on Nov. 28, 2025