Alumni Updates

Lowell Cottle

Geography, 1998

After graduation, Lowell stayed in Trinidad for a few years and ran the first private kayaking company there, North Coast Adventures. After leaving Trinidad, he worked as an environmental consultant in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, doing stormwater monitoring, sampling, and stream restoration on Caltrans, PG&E, and privately funded projects. Lowell moved to Folsom in 2019 and now works as a Senior Environmental Scientist for the Regional Water Quality Control Board for the State. There, he supervises two compliance and enforcement units, making sure construction and industrial sites are doing the right thing and not harming our most precious resource, water. He oversees about 2,600 permitted sites across most of the 22 counties and still gets into the field regularly with his teams. He says he really loves working for the Water Board, it's a very challenging but fulfilling job...and his company loves Humboldt Grads! They hire Environmental Scientists (Geography grads are especially welcome!), Geologists, Engineers, and anyone with a science background. He would love to hear from my old classmates or anyone else from the Geography Department - Cheers!

Adam Lodge

Geography, 1997

Adam Lodge is currently the Director of Solutions Delivery at Farallon Geographics, where he focuses on streamlining project management processes and managing key strategic client projects. Recently, he relocated to Encinitas, California, after spending many years in the San Francisco Bay Area following his graduation from HSU.

After earning a GIS certificate from San Francisco State University in 2000, Adam began his career as a GIS Analyst at San Mateo County, where he worked for six years. This experience provided him with a solid foundation for his transition into consulting at Farallon, where he has managed numerous projects involving GIS implementation, data development, and application development for local governments. One of the highlights of his career has been developing and implementing a software platform called Arches, which is designed to support the management of cultural heritage information. In recent years, Adam has shifted his focus away from technical work and concentrated on enhancing project management practices within his firm.

For more about his professional background, Adam can be found on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/adam-lodge-pmp-30651a13.

Joy DeBruyn

Geography, 2002 (BA - Geography); 2006 (BS - Wildlife Management)

Joy currently holds the position of Senior Technical Support at H. T. Harvey & Associates, an ecological consulting company, where she essentially fulfills the role of an office manager. She resides in Arcata and has a deep affection for Humboldt County, having left several times only to return each time.

Since graduating, Joy's career path has included valuable experiences working in Sequoia National Park as well as various field jobs across California and Oregon from 2002 to 2007. However, in order to establish a more stable local job and embrace her role as a mother, she transitioned to an administrative position with the ecological consulting company in 2007, where she has continued to work through 2026.

On a personal note, Joy's husband also graduated with a degree in Geography from Humboldt State University (now known as Cal Poly Humboldt). The couple initially met during a Physical Geography field trip and has since been married for 19 years, raising two children together.

Daniel Blazich

Geography, 2020

Since graduating from Humboldt State University (the last semester to be called HSU), Daniel was hired as a Surveillance Officer at Cher-Ae Heights Casino in Trinidad. He is currently one of five Gaming Compliance Officers, with his "slice of the pie" being Title 31 Compliance (anti-money laundering).  He tracks, monitors, and reports unusual monetary transactions to FinCen (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network), which falls under the Department of the Treasury.  

Cody Leviloff

Geography, 2021

Cody is currently working for Mendocino County DOT in the County Surveyor's office, checking maps, determining right-of-way, and operating remote sensing equipment on behalf of the municipal government. 

Jennifer Elizabeth Wood

Communication, 1972

Jennifer thought it would be interesting to report that she wrote and published two books in recent years: “What Did Uncle Harold Know?” in 2016, and “Defying Adversity as I Race to Achieve My Dreams” in 2024. The first book imagines what her long-deceased great-uncle might have learned in his long career as a bartender at the famous Copacabana in New York and then at The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. The second book is a memoir about her long career and life joys, such as becoming the first intern in 1973 of an unknown new U.S. Senator named Joe Biden, as well as spending a weekend at the Kennedy Compound and sailing with Ethel Kennedy and several of her children in 1978. Jennifer later worked on the White House Staff. But a nightmare was following her during all these wonderful years: terrible physical symptoms that defied medical diagnosis and inspired dismissive reactions from doctors. The future development of MRI technology would at last confirm what she had believed. She had  Multiple Sclerosis. Both books are available on Amazon.

Caleb Chen

Sociology, 2025

Caleb Chen was recently interviewed about Cannabis research on mycannabis.com.

Tracy Alvarado

Art, 2025

As an Associate Governmental Program Analyst (AGPA) State of California DMHC for the Provider Complaint Branch (PCB) for 25 plus years, your core responsibilities center on protecting the financial stability of California's healthcare system by ensuring health plans pay providers accurately and on time.
As an Associate Governmental Program Analyst (AGPA) on the DMHC Equity in Action team, l analyze internal and external data sets to identify inequities and recommend strategies for promoting a more diverse, inclusive workplace. You are responsible for coordinating equity activities, such as healing circles and training sessions, to normalize conversations around race and ensure that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) are integrated into the Department's day-to-day operations.

Shea King

Theatre, 2015

Shea King (he/him/his) is a Professor of Theatre at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, NV. He holds an MFA in Directing from University of Idaho. In 2022 Shea was featured in American Theatre Magazine’s ROLE CALL as a “Theatre Worker You Should Know.” His directing credits include HAPPY DAYS and MURDERERS (Snowy Range Summer Theatre); PERFECT ARRANGEMENT and SEUSSICAL (Reno Little Theatre); DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS, and YOU MAY HAVE SIX (Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company); OBAMA-OLOGY (Bay Street Theater); 5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE and THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE (Redwood Curtain Theatre); HAND TO GOD, EMME AND THE TAKING OF THE WOODS (Columbia Basin College); ROMEO AND JULIET, COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) [REVISED] (The Rude Mechanicals); CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (Lake City Playhouse); EURYDICE and CARRIE The MUSICAL (Lewis-Clark State College); DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD, NEARLY, WASHINGTON and THAT DAY IN TUCSON (Truckee Meadows Community College). Shea is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the National Alliance of Acting Teachers. 

Patrick M Orr

Sociology, 1982

Retired from American Airlines after 34 years of flying.