Archive for June, 2010

Scorching temperatures didn’t stop more than 100 T-bird students, faculty, alumni and staff from gathering Wednesday for a party to celebrate a newly renovated swimming pool. The popular T-bird pool — nestled between the A and B Dorms — re-opened with a splash after a nearly two-month renovation.

“I’m so happy,” said Director of Administrative Services Crystal Shanahan, who led the renovation project. “I felt so bad for the students who have been here. Arizona is not exactly the coolest place to be in the summer.”

During the afternoon event, partygoers enjoyed a spread of food, beer and snow cones under a large canopy while upbeat pop tunes blasted from speakers. A handful of students even dove into the water.

New T-bird student Mai Luong, who lives in the adjacent dorms, said she is looking forward to enjoying the pool during the hot Arizona evenings.

“When I first toured campus, I was a little disappointed it was shut,” she said. “Now I’m excited it’s open and will use it regularly.”

Student Government President Adam Larson said he was glad that the renovation was completed ahead of schedule. The pool was kept open until the last students graduated, and then workers spent a week on the noisiest portions of the renovation.

The pool is Thunderbird’s only swimming pool, but some T-birds in the past may remember that there were once two. The second pool was cemented and landscaped to resemble the shape of a fish and is the primary venue for barbeques, regional nights and after-parties.

View photos from the party on Flickr

Imagine a castle so peaceful and tranquil that it was described by Franz Josef I as “heaven on earth.”

Then picture yourself there – exploring, networking and learning – with your fellow T-bird Alumni.

Join us Sept. 16-19 at our European Regional Reunion in Bad Ischl, Austria! Attend a regal reception at Kaiservilla, the former summer capital of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Participate in engaging and relevant discussions and learn from guest speakers.

Did you know that this year’s event is also the site of our first-ever reunion celebration in 1982? Now we’re headed back.

But it won’t be the same if you can’t join us…

Our hotel is filling up quickly and space is limited Go to www.thunderbird.edu/reunion to register today.

We’ll see you in Austria!

A number of our alumni have made headlines recently for their work. Here’s a wrap up of a few notable stories:

David Moss,’01, made news headlines in The Arizona Republic this week for successfully overhauling and improving the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce. After moving the chamber to a new and more visible location, Moss is now tackling the issues of low membership, economic development strategies and supporting future growth. Moss is a former international investment financier and small business owner. He accepted the position as president and chief executive of the regional chamber nine months ago.

DJ Schanz,’04, who is running for the Utah House District 20 seat, was recently profiled in the Davis County Clipper. In the article, Schanz, a Republican, discusses the need to be fiscally conservative, maintain a smaller government and lower taxes. Schanz is a self-made businessman who owns and operates a medical transcription service. He and his wife Kristin have three children.

Jarrett Payne,’09, and his business NW Venture Law was recently spotlighted by CNBC for his commitment to sustainable law practice. The company’s eco-friendly practices go beyond simply reducing paper, renting in LEED certified spaces and decreasing its carbon footprint. NW Venture Law also helps entrepreneurs and businesses foster and spread sustainable practices and works with innovators on licensing new green technologies. In 2004, Payne also founded the Community Development and Entrepreneurship Clinic, which provides pro-bono legal guidance, at Seattle University

Susan E. Torroella, ’92, has been named Chief Operating Officer of MEDEX Global Group, a leading provider of travel, security and medical assistance. Torroella joined MEDEX from Columbia MedCom Group, where she was CEO for seven years. Torroella is a past recipient of Thunderbird’s Barton Kyle Yount Award given to the member of each graduating class who most exemplifies Yount’s ideas of scholarship, accomplishment and character.

Alden McCall, ’92, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer and Director of Nostra Terra Oil and Gas Company. In his new position, McCall will focus on leading the company’s expansion in established carbonate and sandstone trends where Nostra Terra is targeting horizontal drilling opportunities. Prior to joining Nostra Terra, McCall was Principal and General Manager of Dallas-based AMX Consulting Services. He is also a Certified Petroleum Geologist and is a member of the Thunderbird Alumni Network Board.

Robert E. Grant, ’99, has been named Executive Officer and President of Bausch + Lomb’s Global Surgical Business. Grant began his tenure as Allergan’s corporate vice president and president of Allergan Medical. Grant has also served as acting chairman, president and CEO of BIOLASE Technology, Inc. and has held positions with Lumenis, Inc. He takes over the role Aug. 1.

Do you have any updates to report? Let us know: alumni@thunderbird.edu

Peasants looking for homes in Lima and other urban areas of Peru did not wait for land titles in the 1950s and 1960s. They simply staked their claims and started building.

“Community leaders would organize land invasions,” said microfinance housing consultant Mahlon Barash ’71, who arrived on the scene in 1978 as a resident adviser for Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF) International. “The government tried to suppress the movement at first but then took a different approach when families kept coming.”

Instead of fighting the land invasions, the government laid out plots in an effort to bring order to the process. “If you help people plan for the future,” Barash said, “they’re going to do it in a more organized way.”

Families in these regions started with temporary shelters and then gradually upgraded in phases as they accumulated building materials as a hedge against inflation. Barash’s job with CHF was to work with the National Housing Bank and the S&L system to develop a program to expedite the process through small loans that funded various phases of construction.

“Traditional mortgage loans did not work well in this environment,” Barash said. “The challenge was to establish other types of guarantees besides real property.”

By the time Barash moved on to a similar CHF project in Belize with credit unions in 1983, he had helped seven savings and loan associations disburse more than $1 million for 693 home improvement projects that benefited about 3,500 people.

Barash returned to Peru in 2004 (again with CHF) to direct a progressive housing loan program for low-income families without access to bank financing in Cajamarca in the northern highlands. This program had a technical assistance component that helped families to plan, budget, select contractors and suppliers and oversee construction. Some clients came back four or five times as their houses took shape.

Barash, a U.S. citizen from New York and Pennsylvania, remains passionate 27 years later about the power of housing microfinance to lift families from poverty.

“Every microfinance program (including those for housing) should have a financial literacy component,” he said. “Families need to understand debt management, budgeting, savings and how to select and negotiate with financial institutions. This both helps the families to manage their finances as well as reduces risk for the financial institutions”

Barash’s global career, which started in 1965 with the Peace Corps in Peru, has led to assignments in Belize, Bolivia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Serbia, Tanzania, Uganda and the United States. He currently works as a microfinance housing consultant based in Lima, Peru.

Barash shares some of his experiences in “Recuerdos de Huamalíes,” a book in English and Spanish that includes photographs from the author’s Peace Corps days in the Peruvian highlands. To learn more about the book, which is scheduled for publication later in 2010, contact Barash at mbarash@yahoo.com or visit www.devex.com/mabarash.

Enjoy golf?  Why not join your fellow T-bird alumni for a round?

Hanna Brenalt ’09 has already gathered more than 76 T-birds for a monthly golf outing. Brenalt’s events will be located in Miami, but he is encouraging  other alumni chapters around the world to pick up their clubs and plan regular golfing events of their own.

“This is a way to keep local and visitor T-birds together under the bond of golf,” Brenalt said. “I figured it was one more reason to meet with fellow alumni who want to do something together. Also, it’s  a way to give those who do not know how to play, and would like to do it, a chance to learn.”

Brenalt’s group met for the first time last Saturday at Miami’s historic Biltmore Hotel and Resort Coral Gables. Eventually, they hope to plan regular events similar to T-bird  First Tuesdays that are held on the third Saturday of every month.

Interested? For more information and to join the Thunderbirdies, e-mail hannabrenalt@global.t-bird.edu for more information.

Entrepreneur Robert Phillips ’94 assumed he would stand out as a globetrotter when he arrived at Thunderbird as a Presidential Scholar with experience in South America, the Middle East and the United States. Instead, he met classmates who spoke more languages than him and had ties to more countries.

“Thunderbird gave me exposure to people who were truly international,” he said.

Robert, the 2010 Thunderbird Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year, said many of these classmates have remained his friends over the years.

The network has been a support to Robert during his launch of Intelligent Leisure Solutions, a group of five Brazilian companies focused on Internet solutions for luxury travel, tourism development and real estate.
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The Pakistan Alumni Chapter shared excitement and memories in Rawalpindi, Pakistan in March as they gathered for their initial First Tuesday.

“The famed Thunderbird mystique and global bug were so apparent when reaching out to the alumni here,” said Chapter President Yalman Ansari ’07. “They were so thrilled. Some of them were even saying they could not believe their ears hearing the words ‘Thunderbird event’ in Pakistan.”

The Pakistan Alumni Chapter has more than 10 members, many of whom live outside of Pakistan. Ansari said plans are still in the works for the next event. Want to get involved? E-mail yalman@global.thunderbird.edu

“It was a global family-like feeling to welcome T-birds from other countries who were on short visits to Pakistan,” Ansari said. “All in all, having a chapter brings…all the fond memories of the Thunderbird campus.”

Finding time to live a green life can sometimes be tough — but not for T-bird alumnus Josh Dorfman’00!

The founder of media brand The Lazy Environmentalist was recently named “Dad of the Year” by Swedish eco-kids clothing brand Polarn O. Pyret for spreading the word on how to find simple ways to live a green life, reduce environmental impact and accelerate the green economy.

Dorfman founded The Lazy Environmentalist in 2005 and is also executive producer and award-winning host of the Sundance Channel’s television show by the same name. He has published two books and is a husband and a father of one son.