Thomas Herndon ’07 to speak at Return to Evergreen

Economics grad student Thomas Herndon ’07, the Greener who schooled Harvard economists over their faulty math and shook up the global austerity world, will speak on campus June 1 as part of  Return to Evergreen. In an afternoon session, Thomas will talk about the project he initiated at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst that eventually debunked the influential Harvard study asserting economic growth slows precipitously when a country’s debt rises above 90% of GDP. In case you missed it, see Thomas make us all proud on The Colbert Report.

Xbox Creator Dan Black ’91

 Dan Black ’91 tells great stories. Well, just imagine: father of Xbox, gamer-extraordinaire, this Greener has spent years working with top game developers, engineers, marketing geniuses and all manner of creative geeks. Of course he’s brimming with tales from the inner sanctum of this amazing and booming industry. Dan has worked on  game franchises such as “Assassin’s Creed,” “Grand Theft Auto,” and Tom Clancy’s “Splinter Cell.” This session will appeal to current students, faculty members and alumni from a broad spectrum of fields and interests: education, gaming, investment, computer science, and show business.

Maia Bellon ’91, newly appointed Ecology Director

Maia Bellon ’91 came to Evergreen as a starry-eyed 17 year old straight out of high school.  She loved to dance. At Evergreen, she fell under the spell of neurobiologist Linda Kahan – (in)famous for teaching the the toughest classes at Evergreen. Emerging from that crucible, Maia graduated, went to law school, and, as an Assistant Attorney General, became a tenacious, environmentally focused litigator. Today, Maia is settling into her new Olympia office as Director of Washington State’s Department of Ecology, the first Greener to hold such a position. Talk about Evergreen changing lives!  Talk about serendipity in action!   Well, actually, that is exactly what we’ll be talking about when Maia teams up with faculty members Linda Kahan and Bill Ransom to reflect on life, serendipity and Evergreen.