Alumni Updates

1996 - Stephen McFeely

Stephen McFeely (M.A. English, ’96) was co-writer, with Christopher Markus (M.A., English, ’96), of the just-released movie "Avengers: Endgame.” The two met at UC Davis in the creative writing program. They've written scripts for the "Captain America" films, the "Chronicles of Narnia" movie franchise, and won an Emmy for their screenplay of HBO movie, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers."

2011 - Maria Kuznetsova

The debut novel by Maria Kuznetsova (M.A., English, '11) was published in March 2019 by Spiegel & Grau/Random House. OKSANA, BEHAVE! is a coming-of-age story about a young woman whose family has emigrated from Ukraine to Florida. Kuznetsova, a native of Ukraine, also received an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her writing has been published in The Threepenny Review, The Normal School, The Bennington Review, The Iowa Review and Indiana Review.

1979 - Debby Stegura

Debra A. “Debby” Stegura (B.A., mass communications and political science, ’79), immediate past president of the UC Davis Cal Aggie Alumni Association, will soon be representing all UC graduates as an alumni regent.

1997 - Rene Olivas

Rene Olivas (B.A., anthropology, '97) is a special agent with the fraud detection office in the U.S. Office of Inspector General, Department of Justice. Last year, Olivas won the Inspector General’s Award for Fraud Prevention and completed an investigation of a former Department of Justice trial attorney accused of stealing and attempting to sell sensitive, sealed court documents. In November he received a Law Enforcement Award from the U.S.

1992 - Heidi Sanborn

Heidi Sanborn (B.A., political science - public service, ’92) was sworn in Jan. 17 as a member of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s board of directors.

2006 - Maureen (Pacheco) Maycheco

Maureen (Pacheco) Maycheco (B.A., history ’06) launched a new podcast this fall with friends and colleagues at One K Creative, a creative agency in Boulder, Colorado. The podcast, Good and Social, is a series of conversations with social and environmental innovators from across industries.

2007 – Dan and Kate (O’Rear) McCoy

Dan and Kate (O’Rear) McCoy — who both graduated with political science degrees in 2007 — live in Sonoma County, where he is an associate attorney at a family law firm and she works as a management analyst for the Petaluma Police Department.

1972 - Jackie Speier

U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (B.A., political science, ’72) has written a memoir, "Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back." The book’s release in November 2018 coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre in Jonestown, Guyana.

2008 - Jessica Bejarano

Jessica Bejarano (M.A. music, '08) was recently featured on the KQED's "Bay Brilliant" program. Bejarano is music director of the San Francisco Civic Orchestra. "I didn't look at the lack of females in the field. I just knew that I was motivated, I was thirsty for it, and I was passionate about conducting and being a leader. So I just went for it."

1974 - Jack De Golia

Theatre Graduate Gives Voice to Explorer’s Story

During the past few years, Jack De Golia (Theatre and Dance, ’74) has narrated 90 audiobooks for Audible.com, done e-learning narration for major companies, and provided voices for video games and commercials. His favorite project has been the dark detective series Dirty Deeds by Armand Rosamilia, for which he recently won an Earphone Award from Audio File Magazine.

1987 - Dea Monfort

Dea Monfort (B.A., economics and international relations, ’87) was elected June 13 to a one-year term as executive board president of the AFSCME Local 1902 chapter for retired Southern California water employees.

1980, 1988 - Allan Johnson

Allan Johnson (M.A., 1980, Ph.D. 1988, English) has had a new poetry collection, In A Window, published. His poems have appeared in over 60  journals, including Poetry, Poetry East and Rhino. He has received an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship, Pushcart Prize nominations and First Prize in Poetry in the Outrider Press Literary Anthology competition. He teaches writing and literature at Columbia College and DePaul University in Chicago.

1990 - Graça Vicente

Graça Vicente (Ph.D., chemistry, '90), distinguished professor at Louisiana State University, has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, or PAESMEM. PAESMEM recognizes outstanding efforts of mentors in encouraging the next generation of innovators and developing a science and engineering workforce that reflects the diverse talent of America. Vicente received her doctorate at UC Davis under the direction of Professor Emeritus Kevin Smith.

1997 - London Breed

London Breed (B.A., political science, ’97) is only the second woman and the first African American to serve as San Francisco's Mayor. Her term runs until January 2020.