Class Notes is a compilation of alumni submissions and reports from newspapers and other media outlets.
Emily Camille Iness, M.A. in bicultural-bilingual education, and a children's book author and retired educator, has penned Pongo the Brave River Cat, Pongo el Gato Valiente del Rio.
Sylvia Reyna, M.A. in education, has been named chief of school leadership for the Dallas Independent School District after serving as chief of administration for the Fort Worth Independent School District.
Joe Izbrand, B.A. in political science, has been hired as the chief communications officer at UTSA.
John P. McMurray, M.B.A. in business, has been appointed to the Vericrest Financial Inc. advisory board.
Ellen Brooker, B.A. in history, was honored as the 2012 Dynamic Woman of the Year at a Chickasaw Nation Arts and Culture Awards ceremony in Oklahoma in October.
Brian St. John, M.F.A. in art, has been named the San Antonio Art League's Artist of the Year for 2012, the organization's centennial year.
Laura Lozano, B.S. in mechanical engineering and M.B.A. '98 from Our Lady of the Lake University, has been named business director of border security and State of Texas for Motorola Solutions.
Roland Benavides, B.F.A. in art and design, has joined Fossil Exhibits International, a trade show and event marketing firm, as lead creative manager.
Todd Joyner, B.B.A. in management, is president and CEO of Great Northern Project Development, LLC in Houston.
Barclay C. Trimble, B.B.A. in accounting, has been appointed as superintendent for the Outer Banks Group–Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.
Ruben Michael Flores, B.A. in political science, has been named president of Palo Alto College by the Alamo Colleges Board of Trustees.
Carl Muniz, B.B.A. in accounting, is the controller at Bartlett Cocke general contractors in San Antonio.
John Engates, B.B.A. in accounting, chief technology officer of Rackspace in San Antonio, delivered the Day 2 keynote address at the 11th International Cloud Expo conference in Santa Clara, Calif.
Lorena Gonzalez, M.A. in bicultural-bilingual studies, is the Urban Strategies Director of National Hispanic Initiatives, and received the 2012 Inspiration Award at the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's 3rd Annual Women's Awards Luncheon.
Chris Human, B.B.A. in accounting, has been named vice president/commercial loan officer for Southwest Securities FSB's San Antonio office.
Rob Killen, B.A. in political science, and his wife Melissa, are the parents of Emily Caitlin Killen, who was born in May. Rob was selected by the San Antonio Business Journal for the 2012 Outstanding Lawyer Awards. He is an attorney with Kaufman Killen, practicing in the areas of land use, economic development and government relations.
Pete Perez, M.S. in environmental management, has been named acting director of the Regional Business Directorate for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Southwestern Division.
Marvin E. Walker, B.S. in kinesiology, has been named assistant coach for the Binghamton University women's basketball team in New York.
Nick Johnson, B.A. in psychology, is the owner of Alibi's Sports and Spirits bar at Sunset Station in San Antonio.
Andy Waltman, B.A. in communication, is vice president at VIP Staffing and is on the board of directors of the San Antonio Manufacturing Association.
Moises Cruz, B.S. in civil engineering, and Diego Gorgazzi, B.S. in civil engineering '02, recently started their firm, A-1 Engineering LLC, to provide structural engineering services in San Antonio and South Texas.
Derek Schriver, B.B.A. in accounting, M.S. in accounting '07, along with Chris Carmona, B.B.A. in accounting '02, have started a CPA firm in San Antonio called Schriver Carmona Carrera PLLC.
Laurenn Garcia, B.B.A. in accounting, M.S. in accounting '07, is now at Phillips 66 in Houston.
Alexander Sammons, B.S. in chemistry, and chief technology officer at Soloshot Inc., noted that the San Antonio startup has created an automatic, robotic camera to allow for hands-free filming.
John Patrick Smith, B.S. in biology, has joined the staff of San Antonio-based The Playhouse as a scenic technician.
Jessica Battes, M.F.A. in art, has an exhibition of new works combining cloth and clay at the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center in San Antonio.
We want to know what you've been up to lately. New jobs, relocations, accomplishments, marriages—whatever your news, share it with friends and classmates. Email: alumni@utsa.edu or write to Office of Alumni Programs, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249.