Catching Up with Our Alumni

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Class Notes | Follow the Flag | Alumni Milestones

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Linda (Endow ’74) Hall recently retired after teaching for 42 years, and works at Bonners Ferry Veterinary Clinic in Idaho, which she has owned for 41 years. She was inducted into the Idaho Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for 27 years of volunteer service to USA Wrestling, and is a proud Grammy to Theo, Narasha and Charley Hall.

Larry Hayes ’74 served in the U.S. Army as a military police officer from 1966-68, and received his associate’s degree in business administration from Ventura Junior College in 1972 and his bachelor’s degree in management from Cal Lutheran in 1974. He was a deputy sheriff of Ventura County from 1968-77, and owner of Tony’s Burrito from 1974-77. After graduating from the Santa Clara University School of Law in 1980, he worked at Fenton & Keller and became a partner with the law firm. He also served as a California Superior Court judge in Monterey County, and in the Temporary Assigned Judges Program of the California Judicial Council from 2022 to the present. Outside of Larry’s work accomplishments he enjoys backpacking, hiking, racquetball, RV trips and Scout leadership. Larry is a father of seven, with six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Raymond Hebel ’75 recently retired after almost 40 years as a vocal arts teacher at Moorpark High School. During his tenure he received several awards, including the NBC Television Crystal Apple, Boys & Girls Club Champion of Youth, High Street Arts Center Champion of the Arts and Educator of the Year. He also led the charge for Moorpark High School being named an Exemplary School of the Performing Arts. Even though he retired as an educator, he still performs a tribute to Elvis.

The Rev. Dr. Terry Rommereim ’78, MDiv ’86, retired May 31, 2023, following 17 years as a parish pastorand 21 years as lead chaplain of the VA Central California Health Care System. He also served as chaplain for many Honor Flights to Washington, D.C. He is thankful to his wife, Kim, as his partner in this amazing journey. He will continue to serve in the community, travel, and spend more time with his children and grandchildren. To God be the glory!

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Kevin Charlston ’93 shared photos from the Class of 1993’s 30th class reunion, which was held at Tarantula Hill Brewing Co. in Thousand Oaks.

Andrew Radke ’93 served almost 21 years in the Air Force as a personnel officer and retired in 2015. Since returning from active duty, he has been a Department of Defense federal employee. His civilian jobs have included Inspector General case management, embassy personnel assignments, and in his current job he works in strength management and assignments for Air Force personnel involving NATO positions across Europe.

The Rev. Dr. Jana Schofield ’93, MDiv ’00, was installed as a pastor at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Bellingham, Washington, on June 11, 2023. Pictured are the rostered ministers in attendance at Jana’s installation, including some Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary alumni, with Jana third from right in the front row.

Jayme (Housh ’96) Johnson ’02, EdD ’16, is the new head of school at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in Thousand Oaks. Jayme worked for more than a decade as director of academic technology at Village School in Pacific Palisades, followed by six years at St. John’s Episcopal School, where she served as the head of lower school as well as the associate head for academic and student affairs. “I am incredibly excited to accept the call to lead St. Patrick’s and to carry forward the mission, message and momentum of this great school,” Jayme said.

The Rev. Kristine Schroeder, MDiv ’97, was installed as the permanent pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church of Madison, Alabama.

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Christin Farrell ’00, LPC, has been selected as Hope and Wellness Director of Liberty House Children’s Advocacy Center serving children and families to treat and prevent child abuse, neglect, trauma and grief in Marion and Polk counties in Oregon. She was previously recognized as an Outstanding Young Alumni for her counseling work in the prison system, including serving inmates on death row.

Brian Berman ’02, after graduating from Cal Lutheran, sold all his material possessions to follow his calling to serve others on a mission to the Dominican Republic. Eventually Brian founded the global nonprofit organization Project Mañana International, which has developed a new school provided at no or low cost to local children, and several programs devoted to clean water, nutrition, education and discipleship. The organization, under Brian’s leadership, is working on expanding the school and opening a holistic health and wellness center.

The Rev. Christie (Anderson ’03) Webb is the new head pastor at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Santa Monica.

The Rev. Christine Emerson, MDiv ’05, is the new lead pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Pictured is an outdoor God’s Work Our Hands Sunday service event. Christine was the associate pastor at the congregation for 13 years before taking on her new position.

Adam Jussel ’05 was featured in three articles in The Chronicle of Higher Education, including “What One University Learned About Pandemic Trauma and Its WorkForce,” “How to Support Your Staff Beyond the Pandemic” and “A ‘Trauma Informed’ Return to Campus: How one university is creating space for people to process the pandemic’s damage.” He also coauthored an article for APA PsycNet, “Mental health among university employees during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of previous life trauma and current posttraumatic stress symptoms.”

Jason Sims, MPPA ’05, was the interim police chief, and is now the police chief, for Culver City, where he has a good relationship with the community after leading public meetings.

Brad Mitchell, MBA ’07, will take the helm as president and CEO at NeoSystems. He is credited with aggressively growing the size of NeoSystems’ professional services business while overseeing product delivery and professional services delivery for the past three years. Prior to joining NeoSystems, Mitchell co-owned and managed a consulting business for the GovCon marketplace. Earlier in his career, he was a software developer and project manager and worked as vice president of finance for QinetiQ North America, a multibillion-dollar defense contractor, where he also led a companywide ERP consolidation team.

Katie (Bombardi, MDiv ’07) Osweiler is the new chaplain at Kent College Pembury in England. Pictured is David Hinchliffe, chair of the Methodist South East District, at Katie’s welcome service to Kent College at St. Peter’s Church, Pembury. The Church of England parish has a partnership with Kent College, an independent Methodist school.

The Rev. Ryan Roberts, MDiv ’09, and the Rev. Bre (Tavenner, MDiv ’10) Roberts celebrated 15 years of marriage in August. They took a trip to Canada with their two kids to mark their anniversary. The photo features the Roberts family at Niagara Falls.

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Sawyer Merrill ’10 graduated with an emphasis in education and was honored with the Rotary Club’s 2023 Sandy Lundberg Educator of the Year Award.

Tom Herman ’97 (left) and Jacob Norlock ’12 met on the sidelines of the Florida Atlantic University versus Charlotte football game Oct. 27, 2023. Tom is the head football coach for the FAU Owls. Jacob is the vice president for GPS DataViz, a performance data automatization platform used by FAU football. FAU won the game 38-16.

Taylor (Guyette ’14) Cruz and Arthur Alvarado ’19 visited Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico, in July 2023 after attending a mutual friend’s wedding.

Natalie Kalamdaryan ’16 is a musician who has performed at the Crypto.com Arena multiple times for a variety of sports teams including the L.A. Lakers and L.A. Clippers. She has also performed in Michigan Stadium, the biggest in North America. Natalie’s music has charted on the Shazam Top 50 Charts in the US, and her song “I Wish it Was You” was chosen as a semifinalist in the International Songwriting Competition. As an actress, she has appeared in multiple national TV commercials, and most recently starred in a Super Bowl 2023 commercial for Clark Pest Control.

The Rev. Dr. Niveen Sarras, MDiv ’16, a Palestine native, was ordained by the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), and serves as pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Neenah, Wisconsin. Sarras’ first call was with Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wausau, Wisconsin, where she served six years. She began her new call with St. Mark Lutheran after expressing interest in ministering in a metropolitan area and engaging with more lay leaders.

Monica Echeverri ’17 is excited to share that her artwork will be on display at coffee shop The Five07 in Thousand Oaks. Displaying her work at a coffee shop has been a fun dream, and she says it couldn’t feel more right starting  at an alumni-owned place so close to Cal Lutheran. Her artwork features paintings of national parks including Redwoods, Yosemite and Death Valley.

The Rev. Crystal (Larsen, MDiv ’17) Stewart is the new pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Alameda, California. She also served as associate pastor for United in Grace Lutheran Church in Vallejo. After graduation from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, she completed a chaplain residency program, and now serves as a staff chaplain at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley.

The Rev. Andrew Flatt-Kuntze, MDiv ’19, is the new lead pastor at University Lutheran Church in Seattle.

Cody Jones ’17 represented Team USA at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in France, finishing sixth. He recorded his best javelin throw since returning to the sport after a hiatus, and his mark of 43.25 meters in the F38 category was his best throw in more than two years. Cody previously represented Team USA in the 2016 Paralympics.

Lauren Fesler ’19 and Ryan Kyaw ’20, who coach the men’s and women’s golf teams at Cal Lutheran, are getting married in Kingsmen Park on June 8, 2024. Jeff Lindgren, the head golf coach, will be their officiant. Lauren and Ryan are excited to celebrate their special day at Cal Lutheran, where they met and played on the golf team together.

Michael P. Ramirez, MS ’19, has been selected as the new city manager for Carpinteria. He is currently the assistant city manager, and during his tenure served as interim risk management and human resources manager, and interim parks, recreation and community services director. Ramirez has over 24 years of public sector experience, including prior work with the Oxnard Elementary and Hueneme School districts, and with the cities of Moorpark and Oxnard.

Emily Willams ’19 is the Newbury Park High School new girls’ varsity soccer head coach. A Panther through and through, she is a graduate of NPHS and served as the girls’ varsity assistant coach for the past six seasons. During the day she works as a physical education teacher in the Simi Valley Unified School District, and at night is on the pitch as the head coach of the Los Angeles Football Club’s 2015 Girls. Emily’s coaching approach is to provide guidance and support that inspires and empowers female athletes in developing their overall mindset and

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Stetson T. Stallworth ’20, MBA ’21, sold his first business, Because We Care Cleaning, in July 2023. During his time as owner-operator, the company employed seven individuals and cleaned more than 800 homes in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is now turning his attention to his job as director of guest relations for the podcast A Better Life with Brandon Turner.

Peter Appleby ’22 is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service after the agency’s global evacuation in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He will serve as a volunteer in Kosovo in the education sector. “I am looking forward to gaining experience teaching, developing foreign language skills, and acquiring a grassroots perspective on international affairs,” Peter said. Upon finishing a three-month training, volunteers collaborate with their host communities on locally prioritized projects in one of the Peace Corps’ six sectors – agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health or youth in development – and all will engage in COVID-19 response and recovery work.

Lukas Prelooker ’23 started the PharmD program at the University of Southern California, marked by the White Coat Ceremony.

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Births/Adoptions

Deaths

Marriages

Ashley (Reagan ’05) Dunster and Joe Dunster celebrated their wedding on May 5, 2023, in Santa Barbara, California, surrounded by family and friends.