Alumni Association announces 2010-2011 Young Alumni Council

The Arizona State University Alumni Association announced the newest members of the 2010-2011 Young Alumni Council. This year, for the first time, the council also added a slate of officers to serve in executive leadership in the roles of president, vice president and secretary. 

The council was formed last year to direct and facilitate the development of the association’s Arizona State Young Alumni program, which is aimed at ASU graduates age 35 and younger.  Jennifer Holsman, executive director of operations for the Alumni Association, said the organization recruited a team consisting of more than two dozen volunteers to help plan and execute events.  As the program enters its second year, Holsman said members of the council successfully are shaping the program into one that sets the stage for strategic growth.

“How the Alumni Association engages with new graduates in the years immediately after graduation greatly impacts whether it is able to keep them connected to the university,” Holsman said. “The Arizona State Young Alumni program is guided by the Young Alumni Council, which serves to shape the organization into a powerful tool for keeping Sun Devil graduates embedded in both the ASU and the overall Sun Devil community.”

“We've been impressed by the initiative that our volunteer leadership team has shown,” she said. “We are thrilled to have such impressive talent on the council to provide leadership and guidance for this new program. We’re all looking forward to many great things to come from this very important group.”

Biographies for new Young Alumni Council officers and members

The following ASU alumni will be part of the 2010-11 Young Alumni Council.

Officers

President: Matt Gervin ‘01 B.S., works as a professional liability wholesale insurance broker for Travis Pedersen & Associates. He is active in many industry organizations, including the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Greater Phoenix and the Professional Liability Underwriting Society.  Gervin began his involvement with the ASU Alumni Association while living in Chicago, serving as president of the Chicago alumni chapter. After returning to Arizona, he continued on to serve the Alumni Association as a geographic representative to its board of directors in 2007 and as a member of the National Alumni Council from 2008 to the present.  Gervin also serves on the Sigma Phi Epsilon - Arizona Alpha board and is active with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale.   

Vice President: Meghan Dorn ’02 B.I.S. has worked for the Hilton Hotels Corp. as well as the Arizona Office of Tourism. She volunteers on the event committees for the Arizona Centennial Foundation and the 2010 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. In April, Dorn started her own event planning, public relations, and marketing company, MAD Marketing & Events, LLC. She is the current president of the Interdisciplinary Studies Academic Affiliate of the Alumni Association.

Secretary: Jayson Matthews ’03 M.P.A. is chief programs officer with the Tempe Community Council. He also has worked for the city of Tempe as a management intern for former Tempe City Manager Will Manley and as an executive assistant for former Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano. He has volunteered on the boards of the Tempe Transportation Commission, the City of Phoenix Commission on Housing and Neighborhoods, the City of Phoenix License Appeals Board, and the Tempe Leadership’s board of directors.

New Members

Ryan Abbott ’01 B.S., ’08 M.B.A. is a senior estimator for Sundt Construction, Inc. He has designed and managed the construction of many ASU buildings, including the Biodesign Institute, the Lattie F. Coor Building, the RSS5 Project, CoGen Infrastructure Project, and the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 4. Abbott volunteers with the Sundt Foundation and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona program, and tutors at Tempe High School.

Sara Agne ’04 B.A. currently works as an attorney at Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. She participated in the Leadership Scholarship Program as a student at ASU, served as a mentor at Barrett, the Honors College at ASU, and was a member of the Student Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee. After graduation, she served as the secretary and newspaper editor for the Barrett Honors College Alumni Network. Agne is involved in many local professional organizations, including the Arizona Health Lawyers Association, the Arizona Women Lawyers Association, and the Volunteer Lawyers Program.  She also volunteers with the Arizona Animal Welfare League.

Tim Agne ’04 B.A. is the home page producer and assistant to the social media editor of azcentral.com, the Arizona Republic’s website. At ASU, Agne was a columnist and editor for The State Press, and he also worked as a building manager and information desk associate at the Memorial Union. He has served as a fundraising volunteer for the Student Foundation and volunteered at ASU’s Homecoming FestDevil activities.

Maja Aurora ’03 B.A. is the art coordinator for the City of Tempe’s Library and Cultural Services division. During her time at ASU, she served as the president of Miracles ASU and worked as an adolescent life skills volunteer with Save the Family. Aurora continues to serve the community through her participation in Tempe Leadership with the Tempe Chamber of Commerce and by volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona for more than five years.

Teniqua Broughton ’00 B.I.S., ’05 M.Ed. is the program director for Free Arts of Arizona. During her time at the university, she oversaw the programming in the Cultural Participation Department of Gammage and continues to volunteer with this department. Broughton is chair of Americans for the Arts’ Emerging Leader Council, sits on the boards of Arizona Citizens for the Arts and the Desert Botanical Gardens. She recently received the 2010 YWCA “Tribute to Women” Emerging Leader Award and was named as one of the Phoenix Business Journal’s “40 under 40” in 2009.

Ashley Irvin ’07 B.A., ’09 M.Ed. works as a senior student coordinator for Barrett, the Honors College at ASU. During her time at ASU, Irvin has been involved in many organizations, including “A” Week, Homecoming and the Programming and Activities Board.  She also worked as a research assistant for the Arizona Couples project. Her volunteer service portfolio also includes positions on the board of the Leadership Scholarship Program, serving as an advisor for the Barrett Honors College Council, and acting as a mentor for the Obama Scholarship Program. Irvin is also active in the Valley Tourism Ambassadors Program.

Arlene Miramon ’06 B.S. works as a talent acquisition coordinator for Everest University.  She was active during her time at ASU with the Hispanic Business Student Association. After graduation, she served as a member of the advisory board for the Los Diablos chapter of the Alumni Association and currently serves on the board of the Hispanic Business Association alumni chapter. Miramon volunteers as a career coach for the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation and as a mentor through the Be a Leader Foundation. She is a recent graduate of the Valle del Sol’s Hispanic Leadership Institute.

Oquendo Perez ’06 B.I.S. is a quality business unit leader for Frito Lay, where he has managed multiple teams to improve product quality and overall business results. Perez gives back to the ASU community by volunteering for former campus organizations he was a part of during his undergraduate years, and also helps secure charitable product donations for these organizations.

Michelle Pishkur ’04 B.A., who works as a human resources professional at ASU, has served as a volunteer member of the Commission on the Status of Women and as the representative for administrative services for the ASU United Way Campaign. Pishkur’s other community service includes volunteering as a Girls For a Change coach and as a planning committee member for the Arizona Society for Human Resource Management’s Advocacy Day.

Daniel Seiden ’08 J.D. is an associate at the law firm of Gallagher and Kennedy, P.A. During his time at ASU, he served on the Planning Committee for the 40th anniversary celebration for the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, was president of the Christian Legal Society and the Federalist Society (which he co-founded), participated in several College of Law Habitat for Humanity house-building projects and served as a College of Law Angel Tree Coordinator. He also began volunteering with the Victim Rights Clinic at ASU, an activity he has continued to participate in to this day. A cum laude graduate of the law school, he volunteers with Open Table, The Bridge at Rio Vista food and clothing shelter, St. Vincent DePaul, United Way, Arizona Voice for Victims pro bono service and the Volunteer Lawyers Program. Seiden is also vice chair for the Arizona Republican Lawyers Association.

Tara Trzinski ’05 B.S. works as the manager of community programs for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Trzinski is president of the board of advisors for the W.P. Carey School of Business alumni chapter of the Alumni Association. She also serves on the boards of Best Buddies Arizona and the Camp Colley Foundation and has previously volunteered with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The new council members and officers join current council members Mahilani Akiona ’05 B.A., Patrick Dostal ’02 B.S, ’04 M.Ed., Kendra Ehler ’09 B.S., Maribeth England ’05 B.I.S., Lisette Flores ’00 B.A., ’03 J.D., Brandon Goad ’04 B.A., Tara Gregory ’08 B.S., Stephanie Kaufman ’08 B.A., Sean O’Hara ’03 B.S., Sophie O’Keefe-Zelman ’05 B.A., Nicole Severson ’99 B.A., ’02 J.D., Drew Seybold ’08 B.S.E., Ashlea Taylor ’08 B.A., Heather Watkins ‘08 B.S., and Vernetra Young ’06 B.S.

For additional information on the Arizona State Young Alumni program, visit its Web site at http://alumni.asu.ed/programs/asu-young-alumni.