Alumni Updates

Natalie Burghardt

Environmental Science & Management, 2020

Jesse Bobrow and Natalie Burghardt are engaged! They both attended Humboldt State University from 2017-2020. 

Jerre Winder Maurer

Biological SciencesBiological Sciences Teaching Credential , 2001 and 2002

Jerre would like to thank the Cal Poly Humboldt credential program and biological science department. Jerre just finished her 20th year teaching science for the Bret Harte Union High School District in Angels Camp, California, and continues to love it! Jerre teaches biology and anatomy/physiology. She is also the science department chair and the recycling coordinator. She says it has been a great place to work all these years with wonderful staff and students! The credential program ensured she was prepared to teach! Thank you, Humboldt!

Leah Meyers

Botany, 2022

Leah was hired as a Botanist under Stantec to work in environmental consulting in August 2022 and has recently completed her first year there. She moved to Santa Barbara for this job and has had a wonderful experience working with other biologists and getting out in the field. Living in Santa Barbara is a blast, and Leah is grateful to be a part of protecting California's amazing wildlife—but she says her heart is always in the Redwoods!

Edward (Ed) Busch

Fisheries Biology, 1980

Ed will be retiring from Michigan State University at the end of this week. A short bio can be found at https://michiganstate-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/personal/buschedw_msu_edu…

John Alves

Wildlife, 1980

John has retired after a 35-year career as a Colorado Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologist. He managed sport fisheries and native fish, including Rio Grande cutthroat trout. He served as an officer with the Colorado/Wyoming chapter of the American Fisheries Society. He plans to spend more time with his daughter and grandsons, go fishing, and travel to Alaska.

Marianne Lancaster

Biological Sciences, 1979

After 30-plus years of serving as a high school biology teacher in Humboldt County and Riverside County, Marianne retired and took another job serving as the Nature Education Manager for The Nature Education Foundation at the Santa Rosa Plateau in Riverside County, which supports education programs on the 10,000-acre Reserve known as the Santa Rosa Plateau. Emphasis has been on helping high school students become citizen scientists by participating in data collection for the National Phenology Network, which collects data on the seasonal changes in plants and animals with the changing climate.

Adam Cashman

Environmental Science & Management, 2021

Adam Cashman is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020. Cashman wanted to travel to a different country and work in a different ecosystem and hoped to learn more about agriculture, restoration in subtropical ecosystems, and African culture. He is looking forward to making friends along the way and will serve as a volunteer in Zambia in the environment sector.

Kyle Chang

Natural ResourcesNatural Resources Planning and Interpretation, 1997

Kyle retired from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as a Lieutenant Supervisor for San Bernardino and Riverside Counties after almost 24 years with the Department.

Iris Luana Salamanca

Wildlife, 2018

Iris had the opportunity to serve as a Biological Technician, Public Information Officer, Resource Advisor, Natural Resource and Education Specialist and obtained her red card, allowing her to assist on four wildfires and two prescribed burns this year alone for the Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office in Colorado. After 4 years, Iris is transferring over to the U.S. Forest Service White River, where she will continue to grow as a Natural Resource Specialist and continue assisting with wildfires in various roles.

Ken Russo

Fisheries Biology, 1993

After graduation, Ken moved to the Sacramento area and worked in the aquaculture industry for 18 years, raising white sturgeon for meat and caviar production. 
In 2011 he switched gears and went to work as a transportation biologist for Caltrans District 3. Ken is currently a Senior Resources Biologist working with staff on delivering projects, permitting, and addressing wildlife connectivity impacts and remediation.

Ken has also been married for 25 years to Tani Russo (Rutherford, Humboldt ‘92) and has one awesome son who just graduated from Chico State!