Alumni Notes 1995 - 1999

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Nikki K Graves BA 1992 MA 1995 Nikki_Graves@bus.emory.edu After graduating with my MA from Auburn in 1995, I began a Ph.D. in Women's Studies at Emory University. While working on my Ph.D. I served as a business writing consultant at Emory's Goizueta Business School and as the Scholarship/Fellowship Advisor for the College of Liberal Arts. When I graduated in 2003, I was offered a position as an Assistant Professor in the Practice of Management Communication at Goizueta. My husband and I are currently building a house in Avondale Estates, where we live with our blue and gold macaw, Star. If anyone wants to talk about transitioning from the humanities to the Dark Side (business), let me know. July 2006
Stan Cleiland BA 1995 Presently, I am the Director of Corporate Communications for WJCT-TV/FM, the PBS/NPR affiliate in Jacksonville, FL. Previously I was publicity manager for WMFE TV/FM in Orlando, FL. February 2006
Nikki K Graves BA 1992 MA 1995 Nikki_Graves@bus.emory.edu After graduating with my MA from Auburn in 1995, I began a Ph.D. in Women's Studies at Emory University. While working on my Ph.D. I served as a business writing consultant at Emory's Goizueta Business School and as the Scholarship/Fellowship Advisor for the College of Liberal Arts. When I graduated in 2003, I was offered a position as an Assistant Professor in the Practice of Management Communication at Goizueta. My husband and I are currently building a house in Avondale Estates, where we live with our blue and gold macaw, Star. If anyone wants to talk about transitioning from the humanities to the Dark Side (business), let me know. July 2006
Andrea Smith Barnes BA 1996 andibarnes@charter.net My job at the moment is being a mom to my 3 boys, Ryan (7), Tyler (4), and Kyle (2 months). Although I'm not in the workforce, I do get to use my degree by being editor of our church's ladies' ministry newsletter. October 2005
Margaret S. Derry BA 1996 mderry@jam.rr.com Married 6+ years to Joe Derry, 96 grad of GA Tech. 2 kids, Fenner (son) 3 years and Georgia Blanche (3 months). Owner of Slideways Productions - Custom Video and DVD slideshows. September 2005
` Jayson Griffin BA 1996 jgriffin@hfhi.org I am the Instructional Technology Coordinator with Habitat for Humanity University. My primary responsibility is to identify and implement the technologies necessary for creating and delivering e-learning. May 2004
Jaquelyn Stevens Hinkle Bachelor of Arts 1996 jacquelyn.hinkle@intercept.net Jacquelyn is currently working in Birmingham, AL with InterCept, Inc. as their Lead Documentation Specialist. She mainly writes User Guides and Tech Guides, but is also responsible for the Documentation Department's templates, style guide, and overall dir May 2004
Angela Pulley Pulley Hudson B.A. 1996 angela.pulley@yale.edu Angela Pulley Hudson is a Ph.D. Candidate in American Studies at Yale University in New Haven, CT. She received her M.A. in English from the University of Georgia in 1999. Her dissertation and other works-in-progress focus on uniting Native American Studies and African American Studies particularly in relation to the history and literatures of the American South. May 2004
Angela Denise Bean Jackson-Brown M.A. 1996 adjackson68@hotmail.com I am currently working at Jefferson Community College in Louisville, KY as the Institutional Advancement Coordinator in the Fundraising Department of the College. I provide information to potential donors about planned giving and I coordinate all fundraising activities for the college. I finished my first novel, DRINKING FROM A BITTER CUP, and am now waiting anxiously for my agent to give me the good news that we have found a publisher. I am remarried to a wonderful man and my son, who was a wee tyke when I was at Auburn, is now a Freshman in High School. November 2004
Daniel E. Retzer BA - English (Technical & Professional Communicati 1996 DRetzer@xsp.com Currently living in Hoover, AL. Married to Maxine (Joe) Retzer (Auburn 1995 - MS Business Marketing) with two children (Carmen Cecilia - 6 yrs and Phillip Eugene - 3 yrs). Dan Retzer is the Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer for XcitekSolutionsPlus, LLC (XSP) - a Financial Services software development company located in Birmingham, AL with offices in New York, NY and London, UK. As CTO, Retzer is responsible for all technology operations, including the Software Development Lifecycle, Project Management, Product Management and IT/Systems Management. His involvement in the transformation of XSP – from domestic provider to global leader – has been as principal decision maker on technology and product architecture initiatives. This involves strengthening XSP's partnerships with other premier, global corporations and organizations – including Microsoft and SWIFT – as well as recognizing worldwide technology trends in financial services and guiding XSP's technology strategy to meet those trends. Prior to joining XSP, Retzer held positions as Webmaster and Web Services Manager at the Colonial BancGroup, Inc. in Montgomery, AL. Retzer is a frequent speaker on the topics of Enterprise Architectures and Global Technology Leadership for various events and organizations, including the Society for Design and Process Sciences. He is the co-creator of the Service-Oriented Enterprise Engineering Lifecycle (SOE2L) - a lifecycle for managing enterprise-wide implementation of Service-Oriented Architectures that is used to streamline the operations of global corporations and government agencies alike. The SOE2L was premiered at the Ninth World Conference on Integrated Design and Process Technology in July of 2006. Retzer graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Technical Communication, and from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a MS in Electrical Engineering. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the AITA, Retzer serves on the Auburn University Department of English Alumni Advisory Board and on the Magic City Technology Council Executive Committee. February 2007
Lisa J Smith MA 1996 ljs_2@msn.com Lisa graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1999, and currently works as an attorney representing lead poisoned children in Baltimore, MD. June 2004
Christopher Stewart Smith BA/MA 1996 smittyco@bellsouth.net Please update my info as follows: Chris Smith BA, MA 1996 smittyco@bellsouth.net Chris married that cool chick he worked with at The Plainsman (Kate Greene), forsook academia for journalism, and is now the news editor at The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville, Tenn. He has three kids, a dog, a cat and a minivan. He occassionally works as an adjunct professor at Austin Peay State University teaching Copy Editing. He previously worked as a copy editor at The Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat and at the Daily Home in Talladega, Ala. He writes a weekly parenting humor column that has been compiled into a book, "Daddy On Board: Tales from the Front Seat, Volume 1," available on his Web site, www.daddyonboard.com. (February 2005) May 2004
Jacquelyn Stevens BA 1996 jskitchen@bellsouth.net I work as the Lead Documentation Specialist for a division of Fidelity, Inc., which produces banking software. Aside from my job and my two young sons, I am actively involved in the Birmingham chapter of STC! September 2005
Nicole Lanette Ward BA 1996 nikkiward3@hotmail.com I'm currently living in Vermont, working for a Community Mental Health agency, and pursuing my MA in Mental Health Counseling. October 2005
Amy Elizabeth Weldon BA 1996 weldam01@luther.edu I'm currently assistant professor of English (Creative Writing) at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. I received my PhD in 19th-century British Lit. from UNC-Chapel Hill in August and am finishing my first story collection. October 2005
Katherine Mason Goodhart BA 1997 kgoodhart@bellsouth.net I am working for BellSouth Business as an Internal Communications Manager for Sales & Customer Support Staff. My career involves the business writing and technical skills I learned while at Auburn. November 2005
L. Roxanne Russell MA 1997 roxannerussell@nc.rr.com Since graduating from Auburn in 1997, I have applied my writing background in several different fields, including advertising and an experiment with law school (ooops). Primarily, I've been teaching writing to students of all different levels from undergraduate Developmental Writing to post-doctorate English as a Second Language. I have been an Instructor at Auburn University, Tuskegee University, Atlanta English Institute, Michigan State University and Shaw University. I am presently a full-time instructor at North Carolina State University and a part time facilitator for the University of Phoenix On-line. On a personal note, my husband and I are expecting our first child in February of 2005, and we will move back to Atlanta in January. Expect to see us tailgating in Auburn for the 2005 football season! July 2004
Brian Beattie BA 1998 bfbeattie@excite.com I am employed as a public defender north of Seattle in Everett, WA. Without a doubt my English degree helped prepare my analytical skills for law school and a career in the law. Other alumni and I are organizing an AU alumni club in the Seattle area. October 2005
Holly Crawford Clawges BA 1998 holly.clawges@gmail.com I am a legal secretary in Atlanta and pursue photography on the side. My husband and I have a two-year old named Lydia. September 2005
Holly Dunlap BA 1998 holly_22473@yahoo.com I am living in Sylva, NC, and I teach English at Southwestern Community College after finishing my Master's degree at University of Colorado Boulder. I am also a published poet. February 2006
David Lawrence Lippert PhD 1998 davidlippert6@msn.com Still living in Denver, working for Qwest. My daughter, Davey Gabriella Lippert, was born June 17th, and my grandson, Eric Alexander Ventura-Hill, was born July 10th. July 2006
Alli Cahill Phelps BA 1998 peterandalli@aol.com I received my English undergraduate and MEd at Auburn, and then received my MA at Alabama. I taught ESL and English for five years at Homewood High School. Currently I am staying at home with my two children, Luke and Lainey, and I married Peter Phelps. October 2005
Karen Zagrodnik PhD 1998 bookprof@gmail.com In May 2005, I was promoted to associate professor here at South Dakota State University in the area of 18th C Brit and juvenile lit. Taught a course this summer through CCSA in England and Scotland on British children's literature. February 2006
Dan Ennis Ph.D. 1999 dennis@coastal.edu I'm now an Associate Professor of English at Coastal Carolina University, which is a 7000-student regional university outside Myrtle Beach, SC. I direct the Honors Program, play in a rock band, help raise my two daughters, and am at work on my second book. I trust Haley Center 8009 is just as I left it. July 2004
Sarah Margaret Hamilton BA 1999 sarah_hamilton95@yahoo.com Since graduating in Dec. 99, I've lived in Atlanta, GA working in PR for Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc. Great company to work for. September 2005
Danon Joel Lucas BA 1999 danonlucas@yahoo.com In Fall 2003, I received a MLS from Auburn University at Montgomery. I taught English Composition for one year, but I have decided to attend law school in Fall 2006. I am still single, I still love to read, and I look back at my time at Auburn as an excellent educational experience! September 2005
` Stephen H. Luther BA 1999 sluther@addmg.com After graduating from Auburn, I went to law school at the University of Georgia and then spent a year taking science classes at the University of Central Florida (required to sit for the patent bar exam). I am currently practicing law in my home town of Orlando, Florida and focus on intellectual property litigation primarily relating to software. My wife Severine and I were married in 2002. She is a Belgian-born attorney who graduated from the University of Lille in France and practices immigration law. We met in law school at Georgia where she was getting her L.L.M. All of this keeps me very busy, but I still steal a few moments away to read good literature and watch Auburn football. Sorry for the dour look in the picture. It's from the law firm's website and is the only one that was accessible when I wrote this." September 2005
` Jana Watson Herring Younger BA 1999 jana.younger@teltron-systems.com After graduation, I worked in the analytical writing and research department of the MDA Professional Group in Huntsville, AL. Currently I am a part-time web designer and technical writer/editor for Teltron Telemetry Systems Corporation. I also have a 4 year old daughter and a 1 year old son and they keep me pretty busy and very entertained! I plan on beginning graduate studies in English when my youngest child starts school, which will be in 2008. I do freelance writing and photography, as well as lots of reading, to keep my brain from turning to mush until then! May 2004