GCU Today Magazine - November 2017

30 • GCU MAGAZ I NE Ivan Nechunaev, B.S. in Finance and Economics, ’12, and M.S. in Accounting, ’14, recently was accepted into the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which is tied with Harvard University as the No. 1 business school in the country, according to US News Rankings. He is the first GCU graduate to ever be accepted into the prestigious business school. Dean Dick, EMBA, ’13, will lead the crude oil gathering business for Tallgrass Energy Partners, LP in Guernsey, Wyo. Dick has nearly 30 years of experience in crude oil transportation services, including trucking, gathering, terminals and Department of Transportation regulations. Penny Dixon, M.S. in Addiction Counseling, ’13, is a parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) practitioner for the Institute for Child and Family Well-Being at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Dixon provides PCIT and trauma therapy to at-risk children and training to the people who care for them. Felicia Lee, B.A. in ChristianStudies, ’13, is an onsite account analyst for GetixHealth in Glendale, Calif. Lee received the 2016 Acts of Human Kindness award fromDignity Health GlendaleMemorial Hospital and Health Center. Shewas recognized for her composure and patience in handling patient billing. Corey Triassi, M. Ed. in Educational Administration, ’14, was named principal of Starline Elementary School in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Triassi served as interim principal for four months before being selected for the position. She has 30 years of teaching experience and is a 30-year resident of Lake Havasu City. Keith Smith, B.S. in Sports Management, ’14, was hired as the assistant women’s volleyball coach at Providence (R.I.) College. Smith previously served as the graduate assistant coach at McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill., and played for the GCU men’s volleyball team from 2011 to 2014. Tara Bethell, EMBA, ’14, was named to the Phoenix Business Journal’s 2017 class of 40 Under 40 award winners. The award recognizes 40 business leaders under the age of 40 who are making an impact in the Phoenix area. Bethell is the Senior Vice President of Human Services/Risk Management at Beatitudes Campus in Phoenix. Margaret Carter, B.S. inSociology, ’15, has dedicated herself to community advocacy in the greater Phoenix area. Carter workswith the Tanner Community Development Corporation (TCDC) as the assistant chairperson for Helping Enrich African American Lives (HEAAL) coalition. Carter began as a volunteer and has workedwith TCDC for a littlemore than four years. SPOTLIGHT Lindsey Fatherley, ’14 Move to Ford got career in gear Leadership is in Lindsey Fatherley’s genes. One of her grandfathers was a business executive, and she can trace back “a family history of leadership in many different industries.” So it wasn’t a surprise when the former college softball player from Tonganoxie, Kan., decided leadership would be her path. “My passion has always been in leadership and being a good steward of people,” she said, and she decided to incorporate that passion by pursuing her GCU degree in Business Management. Within three years, Fatherley has risen in the Ford Motor Credit Co. ranks — as a customer service team leader inMesa before moving on with the company to Greenville, S.C. Since July, she has worked as a business development manager for Ford in Chicago. One of her career highlights is being chosen in 2016 as an inaugural Ford Thirty Under 30 fellow, which involved taking a yearlong corporate leadership course run by the Ford Motor Company Fund. Outside of work, Fatherley enjoys playing slow-pitch softball, volunteering and just keeping things simple. “Enjoy the journey and relationships GCU has to offer,” she said. “It’s a special place!” — LANA SWEETEN-SHULTS Jonathan “J.D.” Dravecky, ’10 The right tools for a happy ending Jonathan Dravecky would have tried a do-over if he could. The son of former Major League Baseball pitcher Dave Dravecky dropped out of college to go into real estate — “That was a horrible choice to make,” he said— and also got married and had his first child during that time. He was working at Nordstrom selling women’s shoes. Then GCU Admissions Manager Jeff Abramson called and told him about the University’s accelerated degree program. A year and a half later, Dravecky had earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. His first job out of college, selling an app for restaurants, didn’t work out. But then, through a family friend, Dravecky heard a business owner was looking for someone young to take over the company. Dravecky moved his family to “nowhere Central Valley, California,” and he, his wife and two children have been there for six years. He is now the CEO of that company, Swenson Shear, which manufactures heavy-duty metal roof-cutting tools and all-in-one finishing tables for roofing and construction contractors. The company has seen a 57 percent growth since his arrival. — LANA SWEETEN-SHULTS GCU Alumni