Jason Schwartz, '80 BA Social Work, received an MS in social psychology from University of California-Santa Cruz in 1995. He's been director of community support services at Mojave Mental Health for 31 years. Schwartz has been married 34 years and has three children. He enjoys jam music.

Emigdio Sandoval, '93 BS Business Administration, retired from the Air Force as master sergeant in 1995. He was accepted in 1996 to be a director of Tonopah Test Range of Nye County, Logistical Nevada resident services of Department of Energy. He has worked with sub contractors for Nellis Air Force Base. He is married to Alma Sandoval and has two children. Della Sandoval majored in nursing in 2023 and Joshua Sandoval majored in aviation and was employed by United Airlines as a pilot in 2022. Emigdio Sandoval was diagnosed with having a brain tumor and was moved to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, in 2014. A recurrence of brain tumors in 2019 forced him to take a six weeks of proton radiation. This put him on VA Disability and Social Security Disability in 2020. In January 2024, his history of exposure to downwind radiation from the atomic and nuclear weapons from the test range at Nellis and USAF 4477th and 4450th group put him in reserve research by University of Texas. He is a member of the Invisible Enemy group and this year, will be filmed by 60 Minutes about radiation exposure. He is proud to be a veteran from the Cold War era and educated by UNLV. He was born in Dimmitt, Texas, and became a Nevada resident in 1987.

Jill Derby, '70 BA Anthropology, is a lifelong Nevada political activist and recently published her memoir, When You Dare to Say Yes: Jill Derby and Nevada Activism. When You Dare to Say Yes is a decades-spanning account of how a conservative and conventional upbringing, which began in rural Nevada, evolved into progressive political activism that influenced the course of the state’s education system and advanced women’s gender equality in public life. Derby grew up in Los Gatos, California, but spent her early childhood on the family Flying Flapjack Ranch near Lovelock, Nevada, and every summer through college on the shores of Lake Tahoe in Glenbrook. She earned a BS from the University of California, San Francisco, and after living abroad, returned to Nevada to earn a BA from UNLV, and both her MA and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. Her political activism started in the mid-1970s with her involvement in Nevada’s effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1988, she was elected to the first of three six-year terms on the Nevada Board of Regents. She was the Democratic candidate for Congress in Nevada’s Second Congressional District in 2006 and 2008. Derby is currently a senior fellow with the Association of Governing Board of Universities and Colleges, and past chair of the board of the American University in Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan.  

Alexa Ching, '23 BS Education, is an elementary school teacher at Stanford Elementary School. She teaches second grade and was just nominated and awarded New Elementary Educator of 2024 for Clark County School District. Ching likes to spend quality time with loved ones, binge watch the Star Wars saga, and spend time outdoors. 

Maurice Perkins, '03 MS Educational Leadership, is the principal at Hughes Middle School in Mesquite, Nevada. She was recently honored as the Principal of the Year for Clark County School District at the annual Starlight Awards on April 16, 2024.

Jenna Preszler, '23 BS Education, was named New Secondary Educator of the Year for the Clark County School District CCSD. She teaches resource math in grades 6-8 at Jack and Terry Mannion Middle School.

G. Lis Dziminski, '01 BS Education, is a STEM program manager at the Governor's Office of Science, Innovation, and Technology. Dziminski received a Master of Education in advanced teaching and leadership from Sierra Nevada College with a specialization in gifted studies in 2010.

Arthur “Richie” Plunkett, '09 BA Anthropology, graduated with a master’s in mental health counseling in 2013 and, shortly after, accepted a job with the Kent Police Department in Washington State. He's been in law enforcement for over a decade. He now works for the Spokane Police Department. Plunkett was recently promoted to sergeant. He also worked as hostage negotiator, field training officer, and neighborhood resource officer. Before becoming a sergeant, Plunkett worked for three years in the Behavioral Health Unit and worked closely with many agencies to get individuals housing, substance use treatment, and mental health resources. He's taught locally to Spokane non-profits on Crisis Intervention and how to work with individuals through empathetic and compassionate means. Plunkett teaches for the WA Criminal Justice Training Commission (academy) in Crisis Intervention, Substance Use, Emotional Intelligence, Communication, and Below 100. He's presented regionally, nationally, and internationally regarding the toll of the job on police officer mental health and well-being. He's been featured in local and regional newspapers and media. One of his biggest accomplishments was being named the Washington State Officer of the Year by Police1 in 2020. Plunkett is married and lives in Spokane with his wife, Katie. They have been married 10 years and are foster parents. The couple has one son whom they adopted after 3.5 years in their foster home and hope to adopt more children. Plunkett enjoys fishing, biking, running, working out, camping, and reading. He follows UNLV football misses his days playing at Sam Boyd Stadium on the offensive line. He's also a huge F1 and Golden Knights fan.  

Glenn Webb, '14 DMA Percussion Performance, has been appointed associate dean for the College of the Arts at Utah Tech University. He directs the percussion, new music, and jazz programs at Utah Tech. 

Alan Kilker, '78 BS Hotel Administration, has been a senior sales executive at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona, for the past 18 years. Prior to that, he worked for the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Wyndham/Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort, and the Arizona Biltmore in various sales leadership capacities. While at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge, his team won Resort Sales Team of the Year for 2023. Originally from Fullerton, California, after his UNLV graduation in 1978, Kilker attended Florida International University in Miami, where he graduated with a MS in hotel and restaurant management. Following his FIU graduation, Kilker moved to Phoenix to accept his first hospitality position at the Arizona Biltmore. Now, having lived in Arizona since 1980, he resides in Scottsdale with his wife, Gina, of 36 years. He has two children, Shane who works for Zillow and Natalie who is a lawyer for the state of Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality.  

Matt Velure, '96 BM Music Education, was appointed a senior flight instructor at Alaska Airlines. He teaches new-hire pilots and those upgrading to the captain's seat. He has been teaching at the airline since 2001.

Lisa Rubin, '12 PhD in Educational Leadership, was recently promoted to full professor at Kansas State University and was recognized as a research fellow by the College Sport Research Institute at the University of South Carolina.