Alabama

Decatur

Six months after graduating from University of Phoenix, LaConda Davenport, Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Health Administration (MSN/MHA) ’11, received a promotion to clinical manager of the hospice department for the Muscle Shoals branch of Alacare Home Health and Hospice. Prior to her promotion, Davenport had been with Alacare for five years as a field staff nurse. Says Davenport, “I was promoted because I exemplified what the organization was looking for: a person with a diverse field of knowledge and one who could take and show initiative.”

Arizona

Scottsdale

Anne M. Hanson, Doctor of Education in Education Leadership (EdD) ’06, has been appointed as Classified Employee Relations Administrator in the Scottsdale Unified School District’s (SUSD) Human Relations Department. Hanson served as president of the Scottsdale Education Association’s teacher union when she was asked to take on the newly created position established to improve support of SUSD’s more than 1,300 classified employees.

California

Sacramento

It’s not often that siblings and parents get to go to school and graduate together, but Michael A. Castaneda, Bachelor of Science in Business Management (BSB/M) ’12 (dad); Michael D. Castaneda, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT/SE) ’12 (son); and Anna L. Castaneda, Bachelor of Science in Health Administration (BSHA) ’12 (daughter), are doing just that. The father, son and daughter have each completed their respective University of Phoenix degree programs this year and will attend the commencement ceremony in Sacramento on Sept. 15. “It will be a very proud day for the Castaneda family and friends as the three of us walk across the stage,” says the elder Casteneda.

Maryland

Silver Spring

Fatima Savage, Bachelor of Science in Business with a Concentration in Management (BSB/M) ’11, and her husband Ibrahim Savage were recently named Washingtonian magazine’s Washingtonians of the Year for 2011. A native of war-torn Sierra Leone, Fatima Savage arrived in the United States in 1986 and began sending money back home to help children escape. In 2010, the Savages became licensed as foster parents and opened their home to children of Sierra Leone who needed help in America. Soon, they had taken in 11 kids, including siblings in order to avoid separating them. Last June, the Savages became foster parents to three siblings—two with autism—who had been abandoned, according to Agnes Leshner, director of Montgomery County Child Welfare Services. Neither of the autistic children spoke or had ever been to school, and they needed constant supervision. “Without this support and love, these children might have been placed in an institution,” Leshner told the Washingtonian. “Mr. and Mrs. Savage exhibit tremendous love, warmth and flexibility.” The children are currently enrolled in public school and making strides. Says Fatima: “Every kid deserves a home and somebody to love them.”

New Mexico

Farmington

Ena Niemand, Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management (MBA/HCM) ’06, was recently awarded fellow status by the American College of Healthcare Executives, a leading professional society. To obtain fellow status, candidates must fulfill requirements such as passing a comprehensive exam, meeting academic criteria, earning continuing education credits and demonstrating professional and community involvement. Niemand, executive director of San Juan Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, is a member of San Juan County’s Community Health Improvement Council as well as the Farmington Chamber of Commerce’s committee for health and wellness and the relocation committee.