Jack de Golia (BA, dramatic art, ’74) has been working in his "post-career career" as a voice actor since 2009. An audio novel he narrated, Noble Chaos, received a 2020 Best Team Award from Audio Book Reviewers. The book, set at the University of Kansas in 1969–70, brought back vibrant memories for him of his freshman year at UC Davis. He has narrated more than 140 audiobooks, all available at Audible.com.

Scott Lay (B.A., political science, ’97; J.D. ’00), author of California politics newsletter The Nooner and former leader of the nonprofit Community College League of California, died in his Sacramento home in early September 2021. He was 48.

Read an In Memoriam article about him. 

Cynthia Friend (B.S., chemistry, ’77), a professor of chemistry and materials science at Harvard University, was recently named incoming president of the Kavli Foundation. The foundation supports the advancement and public understanding of science, establishing research institutes at universities and awarding $1 million Kavli Prizes in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience.

Atmospheric chemist Kimberly Prather (B.S., ’85, Ph.D., ’90, chemistry) was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in April 2020. She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2019.

Deborah Nichols Poulos (B.A., English, ’67; Cred., ’68), a retired elementary school teacher, wrote The Conscious Teacher (Page Publishing, 2019). Part memoir and part how-to, the book tells her story of not being able to read until she was in junior high school and offers effective classroom strategies for educators and parents. She taught for many years in the Davis Joint Unified School District. 

Jodi Connelly (M.F.A., art, '18)  has been awarded the first ever Ali Youssefi artist residency award. The award includes studio space and a solo exhibition (December 2019 - February 2020) at the Verge Center for the Arts in Sacramento and a monthly stipend.  Connelly’s work investigates the complexities of the human relationship to nature and the environment. Through site-specific environmental interventions that include photographic documentation, sculpture and drawing, she explores issues of climate change and the effects migration and development have had on native ecosystems. 

Chris Ransick (M.A., English/creative writing, ’90), author of six books of poetry and fiction and Denver’s Poet Laureate from 2006 to 2010, died in early November. He last book, mummer prisoner scavenger thief, was published this year not long after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Ransick, 57, taught English and writing at Arapahoe Community College near Denver for 25 years and for 15 years taught at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop.

Tavarus Blackmon (M.F.A., art, ’18) has been making art his entire life. First comics as a kid, then experimental music, tattoos, video and film, short stories, poetry, painting, and now art that brings it all together. His work gives viewers a noisy, candy-colored, loop-the-loop ride that journeys to darker places, and tackles issues of poverty, labor, and violence.

A movie directed by Ben Wang (B.A., Asian American studies, '04) is streaming on The World Channel during July 2019. Breathin': The Eddy Zheng Story tells about a Chinese immigrant teenager tried as an adult. The documentary follows Eddy Zheng as immigrant, son, prisoner and activist on his journey to freedom and rehabilitation. Wang is co-director of the Asian Prisoner Support Committee. Read more about Wang. 

Todd Calvin (B.A., political science, ’86) was recently elected vice president of the Opera League of Los Angeles board of directors. He has served on the board for nine years. Calvin has been vice president for business and legal affairs for Viacom Media Networks (Nickelodeon and TV Land) for nearly eight years. He worked for the Walt Disney Company in business and legal affairs for seven years and also held jobs at the San Francisco Opera and Showtime.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj (B.A., political science, '07) has been named to Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2019.  He came to prominence as senior correspondent on The Daily Show starting in 2014 and in 2018 began hosting Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj on Netflix. His first stand-up comedy special, 2017’s Homecoming King won a Peabody Award. 

Christopher Markus (M.A., English, ’96) was co-writer, with Stephen McFeely (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."