MIRA COSTA HIGH SCHOOL Distinguished Alumni 2014 Noreen
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MIRA COSTA HIGH SCHOOL Distinguished Alumni 2014 Noreen Harris Baer A career doing something you love is particularly rewarding. Noreen Harris Baer (1980) does that performing and teaching music. Her talent was recognized early; first as the outstanding Fine Arts graduate at Long Beach State in 1988 and then with USC scholarship support in earning a doctoral degree in Musical Arts. Today, she is a renowned trombonist, performing with symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles across the country, including such organizations as the Long Beach Civic Light Opera, the Milwaukee Symphony and the North Jersey Symphony. As a bandleader for Disney, she played trombone for artists as different as Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons, Charlotte Church, and Styx. Noreen teaches trombone and music theory at the Rockland Conservatory of Music in New York and trombone and brass chamber music in the Mason Gross School at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she also directs the University Trombone Choir. Huntley Castner Building businesses is challenging and rewarding. Huntley Castner (1981) has made a career doing it. At 26 he and a partner founded a successful restaurant chain in San Francisco, running it for ten years before selling it off. Seeking other growth opportunities, Huntley became vice president of strategy and finance for Panda Express. He later brought his talents to Yogurtland, Inc. Serving as CFO and later as CEO, he helped Yogurtland become one of America’s fastest growing companies, now operating more than 270 stores worldwide. Huntley also is a leader in organizing the annual UCLA Restaurant Industry Conference, a specialized program for food industry leaders to learn, network, and be inspired. Business building is team building, and Huntley’s other passion is building youth soccer teams. Huntley has coached 20 girls’ soccer teams, always emphasizing that success requires teamwork, a lesson he hopes his players will carry into their adult careers. Lance Dixon For most, the world of theoretical physics is a mystery. For Lance Dixon (1978) it’s home. A distinguished professor at Stanford University’s Linear Accelerator Center, he researches particle physics and the origins of the universe. His many accomplishments include publishing more than 160 scientific journal articles, appointment as a visiting professor or distinguished lecturer at several European universities, and having a year-long Scientific Associate position at the CERN particle research center in Switzerland. CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is among the world's largest and most respected scientific research centers. Lance is the editor of the Journal of High Energy Physics and serves on numerous prestigious national and international scientific advisory boards, including the National Science Foundation and the Munich Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics. A Fellow in the American Physical Society, he won the 2014 J. J. Sakurai Prize which recognizes outstanding achievement in particle theory research. MIRA COSTA HIGH SCHOOL Distinguished Alumni 2014 Jim Lindberg Music of one kind or another moves us all. The music of Pennywise, the skate punk rock band founded in 1988 by Jim Lindberg (1983), two other Costa graduates and a Redondo graduate, has moved millions of people. Having sold over 4,000,000 records, Pennywise still plays to sold-out audiences worldwide. Jim is the lead singer and songwriter, but his accomplishments reach beyond the music world. He is a published author whose book inspired a Showtime documentary. He also is a community-aware philanthropist, contributing to both local and international charitable causes. Jim has organized several benefit concerts with all proceeds going to L.A. based charities, among them a muscular dystrophy research center. A lifelong surfer, he helped arrange two compilation albums and a concert to benefit the Surfrider Foundation, an environmental organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans and beaches. He was elected to the foundation’s board of directors in 2013. Jeff Rohrer Tackling something big and succeeding is one of life’s pleasures. Jeff Rohrer (1977) has done that both literally and conceptually. Jeff played linebacker for Yale University, winning all- league and all-conference honors. After graduation, he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, playing seven seasons under legendary coach Tom Landry. When his football career ended, Jeff began a career in commercial film production. Starting at entry level, he rose to become an outstanding producer. Today, Jeff is a partner in and an Executive Producer for Recommended Media, an internationally known advertising film company. Jeff has produced award-winning commercials in 15 countries across four continents. Odds are that you have seen some of his work. One of his commercials played during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast. He has won high honors, including a Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival honor and a CLIO award, two of the most prestigious awards in all of advertising. Marianne and Cormac Wibberley Movies fascinate us, and two Costa graduates, Marianne Sellek Wibberley (1982) and Cormac Wibberley (1978), are a married writing team contributing to the wonders that films create. Their first major movie was “The 6th Day” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which opened in 2000. Later credits include “I Spy,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” “Bad Boys II,” “The Shaggy Dog,” and “G-Force.” They are perhaps best known as the architects of the very successful “National Treasure” franchise, starring Nicolas Cage. They are currently working on projects at Paramount Studios and 20th Century Fox. The Wibberleys write everything together, working at side-by-side computers in their home office. Neither has a set role in the process: they both pitch lines, try to make each other laugh, and act out movements. Generous in sharing their knowledge and experience, the Wibberleys volunteer substantial time helping aspiring writers through participation in screenwriting conferences and the Writers Access Project. .