David Scharfenberg, '98 BS Hotel Administration, was named senior vice president of Northland, located in Newton, Massachusetts. Northland is a leading real estate private equity firm. In his role, Scharfenberg will direct and oversee all aspects of the company’s multifamily property management operations. Bringing over two decades of experience in real estate management and operations, his leadership will be instrumental in guiding Northland's multifamily teams, comprising over 500 professionals both on-site across 16 states and in corporate roles.  Prior to joining Northland, Scharfenberg served for over 12 years as the senior vice president of Operations at Waterton, where he played a pivotal role in managing and repositioning a $10+ billion portfolio. He oversaw the acquisition of more than 40 communities and the disposition of 22 properties. Before his time at Waterton, Scharfenberg was a regional director for Holiday Retirement, where he managed the operations and sales for senior living communities throughout the state of Washington. He also spent nine years with Oakwood Worldwide, where he had oversight of corporate housing communities in major U.S. markets. His early career began at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas, where he held various managerial roles, cultivating a deep understanding of hospitality and customer service.  

Michele A. L. Villagran, '01 BSBA International Business, was awarded tenure and promotion to the rank of associate professor at San José State University School of Information effective August 19, 2024.

Ammir Aziz, '19 BA Sociology and '24 M.Ed., joined UNLV's School of Public Health as the regional program manager of The Defensive Line. The Defensive Line is a non-profit organization co-founded by former Las Vegas Raider Solomon Thomas to end the epidemic of youth suicide, especially for young people of color. The School of Public Health works in partnership with The Defensive Line to help execute its mission in Southern Nevada.

Jodi Branton, '08 MS Education, started a cultural consulting business, Awishinaabe, to share Ojibwe culture and help others teach from a multicultural perspective: "Appreciation over Appropriation!"

Timothy Gupton, '97 BA Romance Languages, received a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 2010. He was promoted to the rank of full professor of Spanish linguistics in the Department of Romance Languages at University of Georgia. He has worked at UGA since fall 2010, when he was hired as an assistant professor. He sees his coursework in UNLV's Department of World Languages and Cultures — especially his coursework in Spanish and French linguistics with UNLV professor Deborah Arteaga — as foundational in setting him on a path toward a career in linguistics.

Nathaniel Niles, '07 Political Science, is a special agent in the Criminal Investigation Section of the Colorado Department of Revenue. He works complex investigations with a financial nexus. Cases typically involve theft, fraud, drugs, and prostitution. Niles works with various district attorneys throughout the state of Colorado. He has four children and lives in Denver. Niles enjoys going to the gym, traveling, and sports. He's a big fan of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, Raiders, and Rebels!

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.