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The College of Liberal Arts Alumnus of the Year went from being uncertain about the future of his education to being one of the top residential real estate agents in the Las Vegas Valley.
Ronald L. Smith, '98 MA Ethics and Policy Studies, is an executive with experience in international and domestic business, security affairs, military training, and diplomatic negotiations. A retired career Naval Officer, his previous positions include commanding officer; and
director of the Logistics Readiness Center for Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet for Operation Sea Signal. He was responsible for the rescue, housing, feeding, health care and security for more than 50,000 Cuban and Haitian migrants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. At the conclusion of the operation, Smith identified and redirected $14.3 million of a $400 million budget to US Atlantic Fleet projects. He interviewed and took part in the vetting process with the White House liaison and the Secretary of Defense’s chief of staff for selection as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs.
Smith was a candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2020. He was the only non-incumbent GOP candidate endorsed by the State Employees Association of North Carolina. He was appointed by the Speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives to the Judicial Standards Commission. Since August 2021, Smith has been working with Rescue From Chaos/Operation 620 and serves on the Global Friends of Afghanistan Advisory Committee.
He is married to Joan M. Smith. They have three children: Ronald L. Smith, Jr.; Mark Smith, and Amy Smith.
Christopher Aiken
Christopher Aiken, '07 BA Psychology, is an associate professor in and head of the kinesiology department at New Mexico State University. He is married with two kids. His oldest daughter is named Scarlet in honor of his time at UNLV.
Breyen Canfield
Breyen Canfield, '16 BA Philosophy and '19 JD, accepted an appointment to a position in the federal government after law school. He recently published a book called Plato's Barbell: What Ancient Philosophy Can Teach Us About Olympic Weightlifting. He started the book (edited by fellow UNLV philosophy grad, Shad Taylor) in undergrad after many conversations with some of the great professors in the UNLV philosophy department who were able to help him learn about Plato, Aristotle, and others by putting them in contexts that do not have any obvious connection to ancient philosophy. Canfield thought he could help those in another field he loves, weightlifting, learn more about that sport by drawing on lessons from ancient philosophers while hopefully generating an interest in strength sports in the philosophy field. The book is published by Jailhouse Strong, a company devoted to promoting education in all sports of strength and is available on Amazon.
He lives in northern Illinois with his wife and kids.
Michael Clark
Michael Clark, '89 BA Psychology, is the COO of Image Analysis Group in London, England.
Brandon Duke
Brandon Duke, '19 BA Political Science, is retired/disabled. For hobbies, he enjoys reading, motorcycles, and gaming.
Iris Hattersley
Iris Hattersley, '12 BA English and '17 MA English, is the author of the memoir, Lucky Thirteen, published through Amazon in 2022. The work includes her career in the U.S. Marshals Service. Lucky Thirteen refers to recruitment as one of the first 13 women hired to carry the badge of a Deputy U.S. Marshal. The memoir is being sold in the gift shop of the new U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Hattersley is a member of Sun City Anthem Authors and enjoys writing and reading. She is currently writing a fictional mystery work titled, My Name is Jimmy.
Karen Hawkes, Esq.
Karen Hawkes, Esq., '96 BA Political Science, is the founder and managing attorney at Hawkes Law, APLC. Featured in Modern Luxury Magazine as a "Dynamic Woman," Hawkes focuses her practice on trademark, copyright, and corporate law. She has been protecting brands and content for two decades and has litigated dozens of trademark and copyright cases in federal court and before the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board in Washington, D.C. Hawkes and her team represent entrepreneurs nationwide, including in the entertainment industry. She also serves as director and professor of law of the California Western School of Law Pro Bono Trademark Clinic. Her husband David Hawkes, Esq. is a partner in a La Jolla firm. They love to travel and are involved in philanthropy in La Jolla, Del Mar, and Rancho Santa Fe.
Dane Hanawahine-Gaither
Dane Hanawahine-Gather, '18 BA Psychology, is a bioenvironmental engineering apprentice in the U.S. Air Force and is currently assigned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. He enjoys swimming, hiking, photography, snorkeling, kayaking, and video games.
Jason B. Cooper
Jason B. Cooper, '97 MA Anthropology, is a professional archaeologist working with the Washington State Department of Transportation. He is the cultural resources lead for WSDOT's Northwest Region based in Seattle. He was recently re-elected as president of the Association for Washington Archaeology, a non-profit organization committed to the protection of archaeological and historic resources in the state of Washington. Cooper recently co-authored an archaeological monograph, Hunters of the Mid-Holocene Forest: Old Cordilleran Cultural Sites at Granite Falls, Washington, that examined the archaeological evidence recovered from two precontact sites that were being impacted by highway construction. He is married to wife, Karin, and is father of Marlene, 21, and Caleb, 18, and lives in Seattle.
Lisa Levy
Lisa Levy, '00 BA Interdisciplinary Studies and '04 MA Special Education, has spent 20 years as a special education teacher at two local high schools. She's worked in the Clark County School District for over 35 years. Levy loves traveling and watching NASCAR.