USD Magazine, Winter 1998

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where Marie is busy as a mother to their first child, Austin Cole.... In October 1996, Brenda Martens sold a large RV park in Wald– port, Ore., that she owned and operated for five years. She plans to move back to Vancouver, Canada. Brenda writes: "It is amazing to me that many years later, I draw on the education and guidance from USO.'' ... Rita Radecki moved from Aspen, Colo., to Denver for a new job as assistant treasurer in the institutional equity sales and trading office of Bankers Trust. ... Marla Rubinson is president of The Law Offices of Marla Merhab Robinson. She and her husband, Charles, live in Yorba Linda, Calif. GRADUATE AND LAW SCHOOL ALUMNI Robert Lennan (M.B.A.) and his wife, Petra, have two children, Kurt and Kara. Robert is a division controller at Shorewood Packaging in Springfield, O re.... Barbara Trent (M.S.N .; Ed.D. '93) published her doctoral dissertation, " Student P erceptions of Academic Advising in an R .N. to B.S.N. Program," in the Sept. 10, 1997, issue of Journal of Continuing Education. Barbara is on the nursing faculty of the University of Phoenix in San Diego.

Judith lirashak '89 (laft) and Mary Ellan Wdhraw, U.S. tnaunr. MINT CONDITION

I n the eyes of the 300 people who who started as a rank and file electrician and worked her way into an administrative post.When she throws aside her high heels for safety shoes, goggles and ear protection and walks the floor of the U.S. Mint in Denver, the employees know she under– stands the technical side of their jobs. "To the workers I'm unique:• Groshek observes."They're not used to upper man– agement being out and about as much as I am. But because they see me as one of them, they feel very comfortable talking with me." Groshek took over as production man– ager at the mint in April, and makes it a point to visit the production line frequently. She likes to get to know the workers, but also needs to learn the process of coin making. Previously a production manager at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, Calif., Groshek oversaw the manufacture of parts and compo– nents for aircraft, managed the quality control department and handled the business of the production line. She knew nothing about blanking, annealing or stamping coins. But her 28 years of experience with the Department of Defense in technical and managerial positions more than qualified the USD grad for her new position. The years she spent earning a bachelor's of busi– ness administration from USD and a mas– ter's of human resources and organizational development from the University of San Francisco, while also working full-time for work for Judith Groshek '89, she is the best kind of manager - someone

the federal government, proved Groshek was serious about advancing in a career tra– ditionally dominated by men. Groshek recalls one of the most diffi– cult questions she was asked in a grueling, day-long interview with U.S. Mint officials: "What would you say if I said you are overqualified?" the superintendent asked. In the split second it takes to answer such a question, she remembers wondering if it was a trick question, and if so, what's the not-so-obvious answer. Then it just came, straight from her gut. "I would have to say, being a woman in a predominantly male environment, I have always had to be overqualified to be thought of as equal:' she answered. The answer, and her business know– how, won Groshek the job. "They hired me to manage and run the mint as a business," she explains, adding that Congress last year voted to stop pumping money into the Denver facility and told officials to operate the mint from its own profits. Under Groshek's daily watch is the plant where raw metal is cut into coin-sized discs, heated and washed, then stamped into pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and half dollars. The operation inside the walls of the 1904 building also includes a ware– housing and shipping department, die man– ufacturing facility, machine and carpentry shop, and water treatment plant. Still awed by her new job five months after starting, Groshek says, "Yesterday we produced 30 million pennies!"

19&3 [El 15-Year Reunion Celebration Fall 1998

CLASS CHAIR Chris Pascale

CLASS CORRESPONDENT Rick Sanchez 1453 West Kesler Lane Chandler, AZ 85224 e-mail: rsanchez@ionet.net

UNDERGRADUATE ALUMNI Tadd Cummings is a wholesale lending account executive for Downey Savings & Loan in Red– lands, Calif. Todd and his wife, Julie, were married on April 29, 1995, and they have two Golden Retriever dogs. Todd has been a member of the R edlands Optimist C lub for six years. ... Chris Gualtieri passed his oral board exam and is now a board-certified oph– thalmologist with a medical practice in Winston Salem, N.C.... Lisa Herzog is an administra– tive assistant with IBM in Kirkland, Wash. She writes: "I've taken to the healing arts, studying Shiatsu at the Body-Mind Academy and am putting a plan together to move to and explore the Asian culture.'' ... Karen Halhnann manages a rehabilitation department at a skilled nursing facility in Bakersfield, Calif., and is a home health physical therapist on the side. Karen and her husband, Tim, have four boys: Jake, 9, Zack, 5 , Lance, 3, and Jesse, 1. ... Shelley (Greaves] Ridge and her husband, Steve, were transferred by Steve's company to

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