51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ

Sara Mallett Leoni, ’96 BA Communication Studies, is CEO of Rafter, a college course materials management company that focuses on making education more affordable, accessible, and effective for college students. She says the company has saved 2.7 million students more than half a billion dollars on textbooks. Previously, she held leadership roles at several companies, including Sharpcast, Cafepress, Yahoo!, and E*Trade. While at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ she played center field for the softball team and was named a Second Team All American. 

Andre Lagomarsino, ’95 BA English, has launched a new law firm, Lagomarsino Law. The firm will continue to support clients on both commercial and personal legal matters across key practice areas, including business litigation and business law, family law, employment law, personal injury, criminal defense, and civil rights.  He lives in Henderson with his wife and two daughters.

Tim Delaney, ’94 PhD Sociology, is serving his third term as chair of the sociology department at the State University of New York, Oswego. He was promoted to full professor in 2014. His 16th book, Sportsmanship: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, was released in February. He served as editor and contributing author. His hobbies include sports and travel. In November he made his fifth trip to Russia where he presented a paper at a sportsmanship conference in Moscow.

Nancy Banner, ’94 BS Hotel Administration, is a chef and founder of the Holistic Kitchen. She says she helps busy people (who know they should be eating better) create simple, healthy food that tastes as if they are cheating. She uses whole food and maximizes nutritional content to create recipes that enhance wellness and maximize the quality of life. She is a member of the American Culinary Federation and the American Personal and Private Chefs Association. She is a certified ServSafe Food Manager. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Christina Robinson-Swett, ’93 BA Art, has been an illustrator for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation since 1992. She began her career there through an internship arranged by 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s career services program and became a full-time employee once she graduated. She has done illustration work for various federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy. Among her career highlights have been eight Hoover Dam commemorative medallions, the Hoover Dam 75th anniversary medallion and postage stamp, and event material for a celebration marking an agreement between the U.S. and Mexico. Her hobbies include traveling and painting with watercolors and oils. She is married with three daughters. The family lives in Henderson.

Mike Essig, ’93 BS Hospitality Administration, ’05 MS Hospitality Administration, has been promoted to senior director of information technology for the Choctaw Nation’s newly created Commerce Division. He oversees IT for 21 casinos, 13 travel plazas, and a new grocery store enterprise. He lives in Durant, Oklahoma.

Shawn Danoski, ’93 BS Construction Management, is founder and CEO of DC Building Group, a commercial general contractor firm that he began in 2001. The company’s portfolio includes restaurant-retail, religious, nonprofit, industrial, and office projects. The company has received multiple awards, including the 2010 Contractor of the Year Award from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the 2015 JA Tiberti Spirit Award from AGC and the Nevada Contractors Association. His hobbies include pursuing motorsports with his family. He and his wife, Amber Clark Danoski, ’99 BS Education have two sons, Erik and Alex. 

John Hagen, ’92 BS Chemistry, is a professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He is married to Agnes Wong, ’92 BS Biochemistry.

Alfred McDonald, ’91 BA Criminal Justice, in February became a judge pro tem in Marana Municipal Court in Arizona. He lives in Tucson.

Dennis Gradillas, ’91 BS Hotel Administration, is regional operations manager for American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW). After many years working in the hotel and casino industry, he switched careers five years ago, going to work for ABHOW, which serves older adults in health care and housing. He recently moved to California to work at the company’s home office. He now is pursuing a master’s degree in gerontology. His hobbies include coaching Little League, hiking, biking, and the occasional triathlon. He says he, his wife, and their family are enjoying adapting to the Northern California lifestyle. They live in Brentwood.

Matt Engle, ’91 BS Business Administration, is a commercial insurance broker with Cragin & Pike. A past president of the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Alumni Association, he recently was elected as an executive board member with the Downtown Las Vegas Alliance. He will serve as chair of the membership committee and will assist in the mission of promoting continued growth downtown and ensuring the area is clean and safe.

Christopher Edwards, ’91 BS Business Administration, is a professor in 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s theatre department and serves as artistic director of Nevada Conservatory Theatre. He spent 20 years in New York City as an actor, director, and producer. He also held a variety of positions at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, including stints as director of education, director of apprentice training, and associate artistic director. He also has taught at Bennington College in Vermont and at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He is married, has one child, and lives in Henderson.