| MARCH 2003 |
Alumni Profiles
Alumni Featured in the March 2003 Issue:Molly Loomis '00 and Melis Coady '99
Thom Shanker '78
Lori Garver '83
Taa Dixon '94
Katie Sieben '99, Diana DeGette '79, and Ken Salazar '77
Expedition to Kamchatka, Russia
In April 2002, Molly Loomis ’00, Melis Coady ’99, and two fellow
NOLS instructors journeyed to Kamchatka, Russia, for the first-ever
all-women’s ski-mountaineering expedition.As the group flew into Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Loomis noted how the landscape “looked similar to the Alaskan landscape with immense valleys, broad sweeping ridges and mountains, expansive drainages, few indicators of human presence, all wrapped in a heavy blanket of snow. Then the volcanoes we’d heard so much about came into view. This was what we had come such a long way for — skiing the moderate slopes of these beautiful volcanoes, and remote hot springs hidden amongst their snowy flanks.”
After they arrived, Loomis and Coady made their way toward Pinechevo Pass, which dropped into Nalychevo Valley. “The snow was thick and wet. A dense layer of fog greatly reduced the visibility, hiding what hung above us; the map was not a reliable indicator,” says Loomis of the challenges they faced. Then a fierce storm hit, lasting several days. “High winds howled and snow blew sideways. Two cyclones hit us in succession.”
Loomis describes the summit as beautiful. “To the north, south, east, and west, mountain ranges stacked up against one another as far as we could see. Three volcanoes reigned over the land and towered high above everything else. Nowhere could we see evidence of civilization imposing; there were no roads far off in the distance, smoke signals spewing from refineries, campsites, or climber trails,” says Loomis.
The women skied as much as possible. “Our fun lay in heading in any direction and getting our breath stolen away by the amazing terrain hidden by whatever ridge or peak dominated the foreground. Chutes, bowls, steeps, and long meandering joy rides — something was behind each bend,” says Loomis.
While students at CC, Loomis and Coady were members of the Outdoor Recreation Committee and received grants from the Ritt Kellogg Memorial Fund for multiple expeditions to Alaska. Today, Coady and Loomis are instructors with the National Outdoor Leadership School. When not working Coady makes her home in Talkeetna, Alaska, and Loomis in Driggs, Idaho.
— Lisa Ellis ’82
Thom Shanker Delivers the News from the Pentagon
Pick up a copy of The New York Times these days and you’re
likely to see the byline of Thom Shanker ’78, the newspaper’s
Pentagon correspondent. He joined The Times in 1997 and
began covering the Pentagon in May 2001, four months before
the terrorist attacks.During these pivotal times, his coverage of the Pentagon is especially crucial, having the effect of shaping public opinion. “The Pentagon has returned as a true center of gravity, not only in national defense, but foreign policy as well,” says Shanker, who covered the Pentagon in 1988-90 for The Chicago Tribune. Homeland security, the global war on terrorism, and increasing hostilities with Iraq keep news from the Pentagon on the front page as critical national defense issues are debated.
“America has not been engaged in a global campaign against an adversary since the end of the Cold War,” he says. “Whatever may occur in Iraq, the war on terrorism is global.”
Shanker was on his way to work when terrorists slammed a hijacked plane into the Pentagon, the center of the United States’ military establishment. The New York Times has an office in downtown Washington, D.C., as well as a workspace in the “correspondents’ corridor” on the opposite side of the Pentagon from where the Sept. 11, 2001 attack took place.
Shanker, a political science major, worked at the Daily Oklahoman after graduation. He then spent two years in the master’s degree program at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, specializing in strategic nuclear policy and international law. Prior to joining The New York Times, he served as The Chicago Tribune’s Moscow bureau chief, where he covered the first years of the Gorbachev era. He later served as The Tribune’s senior European correspondent, based in Berlin, and spent most of that time covering the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
If war does erupt with Iraq, it is highly likely Shanker will spend time on the ground there, as he did in Afghanistan.
— Leslie Weddell
AstroMom
During college Lori Garver ’83 was inspired by studying abroad
and by the career of astronaut Sally Ride. Garver connected
the two themes, envisioning space exploration as a positive
global force.Pursuing her interest, she worked for Senator John Glenn, then earned a master’s in science, technology, and public policy. Eventually she landed at NASA as a policy analyst.
Meet AstroMom — Garver’s alter ego. She says AstroMom represents all the regular people who fantasize about space travel. Garver is the first non-millionaire to qualify for a seat on a Russian Soyuz flight to the International Space Station. Yes, she is the one vying with *NSYNC singer Lance Bass for the $20 million in sponsorship dollars to go into orbit.
Sponsoring her will enable companies such as RadioShack to film commercials on the space station. But Garver, a player in the space industry, sees a larger role for business in space. For instance, she advocates that NASA guide the private sector, channeling development towards specific hurdles and areas.
Her employers at DFI, a space industry consulting firm, support her quest. Garver completed her time-consuming medical certification for the Soyuz flight in Russia last spring.
“My CC experience prepared me well for the challenges of this project,” she reports. “The Block Plan teaches you to be incredibly focused, something I have utilized during my time in Russia. In addition, my long-time network of friends from CC have been helpful and supportive of this adventure.”
As a result of the recent Columbia tragedy the Russians have announced a temporary suspension of all space tourism flights. NASA may need to utilize the Russian Soyuz as the primary transportation to and from the International Space Station as a back-up to the space shuttle. A future flight for Garver would likely now be delayed significantly.
While she prepares for her rocket ride, she works and waits with her husband and two boys, 8 and 10, in suburban Washington, D.C. They are her biggest fans and she has included them on her preparatory trips to Russia.
Garver received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from CC in 2000. Follow her progress at www.astromom.net, provided by AstroMom/It’s Time.
— Mary Ellen Davis ‘73
Entrepreneur Taa Dixon
The entrepreneurial spirit developed early in Taa Dixon ’94,
who as a child constantly was undertaking projects ranging from
baking cookies to ironing decals on clothing. Today Dixon, 30,
is the president of 720Media, a Colorado Springs-based company
she co-founded with Kevin Vicroy in June 2000.The company is a digital design and marketing firm that offers a variety of services, including Web design, e-newsletters, virtual tours, graphic design, registering domain names, Web hosting and maintenance, marketing, and interactive media presentations that combine text, graphics, audio, and visual elements.
The company’s name depicts who they are, Dixon says. “At our core, we like the holistic notion of seeing things from every angle – a sort of 360-degree by 360-degree digital bubble”., thus the 720. The “Media” she says, “represents our ability to work in a wide variety of mediums – print, Web, video, audio.” Joined together, they become 720Media (which can be visited at www.720Media.com).
Clients include individuals such as sports figures and celebrities, as well as commercial enterprises ranging from resorts, hotels, and golf courses to real estate companies and shopping malls to restaurants and small businesses.
Many people are intrigued by the company’s virtual tour technology. The company provides the filming and editing necessary, then puts the images on the Web. For example, a real estate company may ask Dixon’s company to film a house, including scenic views from the patio or deck, to show potential buyers. A golf course may desire a virtual tour of its fairways and greens, or a mall may want to show potential renters which sites are available and where they are located in relation to other shops.
Dixon sees endless possibilities for the company, and says a top priority is managing growth while maintaining a high level of service. Since its inception in mid-2000, the company has grown from two employees to ten and more than tripled its office space.
Dixon, who already has experience developing programs for urban youth, hopes to eventually launch a “business boot camp,” aimed at showing young people the ropes of starting a business.
— Leslie Weddell
Election Fever
Authenticity and astute assessments of the political climate
may account for three CC alumni winning their races on November
5th. Their dedication to public service was nurtured at CC.A political science and history major, Minnesota State Representative Katie Sieben ’99 says that she was encouraged to enter politics by her father’s example and by a CC study trip.
“Professor Bob Loevy helped foster my interest in political service,” Sieben says. “Going to the Democratic National Convention in 1996 was incredibly exciting, and it was impressive to me that he made the experience possible, even though he himself is a Republican.”
Back on campus she joined the College Democrats and volunteered on several campaigns. She continued in politics as an intern, including with Tipper Gore. After graduating she worked on Al Gore’s presidential campaign. Working for Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton, she served as his health care advocate in his Minnesota office.
Then redistricting opened the seat that her father had held as representative 20 years before.
“It felt natural for me to run. I was concerned about the issues and I had always been involved in the community. So I thought I’d see if I could win,” Sieben continues. She received 57 percent of the votes.
In the legislature she will work for the health care, public education, and transportation projects dear to her constituents. She advocates a negotiated pricing plan for people without prescription drug coverage, an outgrowth of her work for Senator Dayton.
“Throughout my life, public service has been important to me. But CC helped foster a sense of leadership, responsibility, and excitement about the political process.” Her commitment will inspire future students, and we are bound to hear more of her in the future.
In Colorado races, Attorney General Ken Salazar ’77 and Congresswoman Diana DeGette ’79 won re-election. They, too, attribute their involvement in public life in part to their CC years.
DeGette is gratified by the November polls — she won 69 percent of the vote. Although redistricting placed a few conservative neighborhoods in DeGette’s 1st Congressional District in Denver, it remains a liberal stronghold in an increasingly conservative state. Her margin of victory shows she is in harmony with her constituents.
After a decade in politics, the Denver native is still excited. Grinning at her Capitol Hill swearing-in, DeGette said, “You raise your right hand and swear the oath. The day it stops being a thrill, you should retire.”
That day is far off for DeGette, who says, “My experience at CC helped foster my passion for public service and activism that has guided my career.”
The post of attorney general requires a statewide bid and Ken Salazar beat the odds. He is the only Democrat to win statewide office in Colorado in two successive elections. Salazar’s issues transcend partisanship — protecting kids, the elderly, open spaces, and tough but fair law enforcement.
“He also emphasizes the importance of everyone working together and actively seeks to partner with others to address issues that affect all Coloradoans. Citizens appreciate someone willing to work across party lines… to get things done for the common good,” explains his campaign manager, Ken Lane. Salazar is a fifth-generation Coloradoan from the San Luis Valley, which may account for his sincere and down-to-earth image.
“I’m a lawyer-rancher,” he says. Salazar maintains he has not been tainted by special interests as a lobbyist, an issue in another Colorado campaign.
“Colorado College gave me the opportunity to follow the goal that is an important one shared by all of my family — to help make our world a better place. That goal or value is why I am in public service,” says Salazar, who has returned the favor by serving CC as a trustee since 1999.
— Mary Ellen Davis ’73
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