SUU to Domestic Relations Attorney

Jennifer Durcan Andrews is making her mark in the Puget Sound region as partner in Andrews & Arbenz, PLLC, a boutique law firm in Old Town Tacoma. Jen specializes in domestic relations, which means she covers everything from divorces to surrogacy contracts, and de facto parentage to same-sex adoptions.

A recognized leader throughout her career, Jen has served as president of several professional organizations and will soon begin her term as president of the Robert J. Bryan Chapter of the American Inns of Court, an organization which fosters excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills.  Jen won a 2017 Community Service Award from the Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association, was voted “Best Lawyer” in 2015 by South Sound Magazine, and was recognized as a “40 Under 40” in 2014 by the Business Examiner magazine.

Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jen arrived at SUU on scholarship in the fall of 1994. She chose history as her major and combined it with a political science minor. She also took a variety of English literature and social science classes, which were areas of personal interest to her. Following SUU graduation in 1999, Jen enrolled at UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law and earned a juris doctorate in 2002.

Following law school graduation, Jen’s heart was with the civil legal aid community, which is how she ended up in Seattle. “I loved helping the underserved and empowering people with legal knowledge and action,” she says.

Jen went to a private firm taking these sorts of cases, doing family law, bankruptcy, and some general civil litigation. After about five years, she was ready for a change and got a job with the prosecutor’s office. She stayed there five years and then decided to branch out to form Andrews & Arbenz, PLLC. This current iteration of Jen’s career is “the first time I haven’t become dissatisfied with a job, which I think is due to the control I have over it and my level of experience.”

Of running her own business, Jen says, “I have the best employer on earth. My boss is super smart, kind, funny, and has the best clothes. It’s me!” she exclaims. “I have been a partner in my firm for a little over six years. I love the flexibility of it and being my own boss. I also love managing people. Sometimes it can be difficult, because running a business and practicing law are two very different things, and sometimes the values of those two things can conflict. But I love a challenge, and every day there is (at least) one waiting for me.”

Jen looks back on her undergraduate days at SUU as an excellent training ground for becoming a successful attorney and business owner.

“The hands-on education at SUU was invaluable. I was taught by PhDs, not teaching assistants. My professors knew my name, and would call me out when I was missing class too much or not giving my all,” she says. “My academics were as rigorous, if not more so, than many others I know who have gone to bigger name schools. SUU taught me to study; I never really needed to until college, and my chosen areas of study really taught me how to think critically.  Frankly, my job boils down to one thing: I fix problems. To do this, I must be objective. I must have the ability to think critically, to distinguish facts, and to pick apart an argument. I began learning to do this in my history, English, and sociology classes at SUU.”

She also learned lot about herself as a student at SUU and discovered who she was and found her voice. Jen learned how to navigate life, how to befriend and respect people whose beliefs were different from her own, when to speak and when to keep quiet, and numerous other long-lasting lessons. As a member of Alpha Phi and a student senator in SUUSA, Jen gained confidence and a desire to help others.

“My SUU friends are the best. I still keep in contact with many of them and travel with some of them,” she says. “They continue to teach me about myself every time we get together.”

SUU to State Basketball Championships

Curtis & Clint Barney

Brothers Clint and Curtis Barney were raised in Panguitch, Utah, and both grew up loving sports. Today, they both coach basketball at Panguitch High School where Curtis coaches the girls team and Clint the boys, and both won a state championship in 2018.

Curtis Barney

Curtis graduated from Panguitch High School in 1980. After serving an LDS mission in Indiana, he married his wife Cindy, a native of Bountiful, Utah, and she convinced him to move to Salt Lake City and complete an accounting degree at Salt Lake Community College, which he did. However, Curtis’ heart was in southern Utah, and he then convinced Cindy that they should move to Cedar City to attend SUU (SUSC at the time) where Curtis earned his bachelor’s degree in business education. Said Curtis, “This was one of those monumental moves that forever changed my life, as I was able to find my way back to my hometown and begin my career.”

While at SUU, Curtis had many wonderful instructors who helped him. 

“They were so personable and it felt like each instructor was there to help just me,” he explains. “The SUU experience for me was great. I remember small class sizes while attending and building great relationships with the instructors. I remember one instructor telling me if I was going to be a teacher I had to quit talking like I was from Panguitch; they knew their students well.”   

Curtis especially enjoyed Dr. Steve Lunt. Even though his major was not in Dr. Lunt’s physical education department, he continued to take as many classes as he could from him. 

“My time at SUU prepared me not only for my career in education, but also continued to build my love for kids and athletics, especially basketball,” says Curtis. “SUU really taught me how important the teaching and coaching professions are, and how important it is to build student confidence.” 

In 1993, Curtis took the head coaching job at Panguitch High School for girls basketball.  He said, “I soon found out that girls will work just as hard has the boys and are very eager to learn and get better. I have enjoyed my 25+ years being a part of the girls basketball program at Panguitch High School.” 

Coach Barney has led the Lady Bobcats to a record-tying 11 state championship titles.

“I would like to thank all my players, their parents, other coaches I have crossed paths with, and most of all my wife and children,” he says. “They have been by my side through all these years and have been so supportive of me. It takes special people to be involved in the life of a coach.”

Curtis and Cindy have four wonderful children, Amanda, Tyler, Brady, and Chelsea.

Clint Barney

Clint graduated from Panguitch High School in 1988, and married his wife Missy after completing an LDS mission in England. The couple has six children, and they enjoy spending time together in the outdoors and playing sports. 

“I’m proud of all six of my children and the joy that they bring into my life,” he states.

Clint is currently head boys basketball coach at Panguitch High School where he also serves as athletic director and teaches math. From an early age, Clint knew that he wanted his career to involve being around youth and making a positive impact in their lives.

While at SUU, Clint studied secondary education. His experience at SUU taught him that hard work, dedication, and self-sacrifice are the characteristics needed to accomplish worthwhile goals. Of his time at SUU Clint reflects, “I was well prepared to enter into the education field because of the preparation given to me by the professors at SUU.”

When talking about his career highlights, Clint says, “Professionally, I’m proud that I’m able to represent Panguitch High School as a teacher and a coach. I have been involved in many state championship games in both baseball and basketball and have enjoyed sharing those memories with players, fans, and our community. In the classroom, I am proud of the students that I teach and the success that they have had in building their knowledge for the future.”  

Clint believes that SUU prepared him well for his career. “I enjoyed the experience I had at SUU,” he explains. “I enjoyed the small class sizes and the opportunity I had to know each one of my instructors. SUU taught me how to have a great work ethic and prepared me well to enter into the work force.”

SUU to Dental Practice Owner

Larry Parker (’95) began his college career at SUU as a theatre arts major, and even, in addition, had aspirations of one day working for the forest service. But a change in major to biology set Larry on a path that has led him to Minnesota, where he is now the owner of his own dental practice specializing in general dentistry and orthodontics.

He attended South Sevier High in Monroe, Utah, and Cedar City High School before enrolling at SUU in the fall of 1990. But before Larry stepped on campus, he had his doubts about SUU and wondered about the quality of education he would receive here. He even saw SUU as his “backup plan.”

“I was wrong,” he now says. “I came to realize that learning in a small class atmosphere at bargain tuition is truly priceless. It was an experience that I did not fully understand nor appreciate until I moved to a metropolitan area, attended a large learning institution, and became a number instead of a person.”

Among his many highlights as an SUU student was reinforcing life-long friendships with people like Stewart Clarke (’95), Shon Wilson (’98), and Daniel Cotts (’93), as well as forging new relationships with Darris Clark, Ben Baldwin (’95), and Regan Wilson (’96). Those relationships alone, (thanks in part to Sigma Chi) cause Larry to call himself blessed for making his way to SUU.

He is also grateful to SUU for showing him new ideas and different ways of thinking.

“I was able to be exposed to thinking and ideas that were different and directly in conflict with my own, forcing me to grow as a person as well as a student,” he explains.

To those currently attending SUU, Larry encourages spending plenty of time enjoying clubs and organizations.

“Go out of your comfort zone and experience different viewpoints on life,” he says. “You should also Go Greek, even if ‘it’s not my thing.’”

Larry also met his wife, Shannon Bennett (’98), at SUU and credits her for seeing potential in him what he could not see himself, and refusing to allow him to be satisfied with mediocrity.

“I owe everything to her,” he says.

The couple resides in Mankato, Minnesota, and has three kids, Jordan age 20 (and a sophomore at SUU), Jack age 10, and Sammy age 8.

When not working on teeth, Larry enjoys traveling, scuba diving, snorkeling, golfing, and running marathons with his family.

SUU to NCAA Basketball Coach

Although his job requires him to wear a rival institution's colors, Utah State's Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach Tarvish Felton (’99) admits, "Choosing to go to SUU was the single best thing I did for my life."

Tarvish grew up an hour and a half south of Atlanta in a small town called Perry, Georgia, and, along with his older sister, was raised by his mother and grandmother. From an early age, these strong role models instilled in Tarvish a desire to serve and give back. Initially, he believed a white coat and stethoscope would be his calling, but eventually decided on a different uniform.

"When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a doctor,” he says. “As I got older, I continued to develop a passion for sports, and basketball specifically. Growing up in a single parent home and being around others in the same situation, I realized the men in our lives were our coaches."

Recruited to Southern Utah University by Bill Evans (’73), Tarvish became a charismatic and dominant figure representing the Thunderbirds on the basketball court. During each season spent as #21 for SUU, Tarvish ranked in the top ten in points, rebounds, free throws, steals, and blocked shots.

"Meeting Bill Evans and having the opportunity to play for him and learn life's lessons was the best thing I could have done,” he says. “To this day, I continue to have amazing relationships with all the wonderful people from all walks of life I met on campus. SUU opened the world to a small town black kid from the south, and I am forever grateful."

Tarvish has been teaching the T-Bird philosophies he learned from his academic and athletic pursuits to student athletes in Los Angeles, Laredo, and Sacramento before settling into ten years as part of the Utah State Men's Basketball program. In Logan, he oversees every phase of the program from recruitment, student-athlete development, scheduling, academics, and compliance.  And, he credits SUU for influencing his coaching style.

"It gave me the tools to go out and succeed in the world. Being a student-athlete at SUU allowed me to be me, to write my own story,” he explains. “Now, I am able to share that story with the young men I am fortunate enough to engage with on a daily basis."

While Southern Utah University helped Tavish capitalize on his desire to impact future generations, he says the greatest lesson he learned from his time in Cedar City is work ethic and chivalry.

"The thing I learned more than anything about myself at Southern Utah is that if you work hard and treat people right, you can achieve anything," he says.

Tarvish is proud of his time at Southern Utah University and the education that has helped him be a positive influence on the student-athletes who cross his path.  But what really makes him smile is his family. He is married to the former Jana Doggett and the couple has two children, DeAubrey (18) and Deekan (3), who is already showing some potential with a basketball and sure would look good in Thunderbird red.

SUU to Police Officer

Crystal Bingham likes shoes and admits that she probably has more heels in her closet than the nearest shoe store has in stock.

But she also is perfectly comfortable in a pair of cleats on the softball field, spikes on the golf course, or tactical shoes for her police work. The ability to excel in very different roles and opportunities in her life is what made Southern Utah University the perfect choice for a diverse college experience.

Crystal grew up in the White Mountains in a town called Show Low, Arizona, but she was truly raised on the softball field. The youngest of five children, she spent her days attending her older sisters' softball practices, clinics, and private lessons imitating her sibling’s motions from the sidelines.

"It was always my goal to be better than my sisters who were both amazing ball players,” she says. “And after my collegiate softball career ended, I took up golf and quickly found out that I have a new hobby that I can do for years to come to satisfy my competitive nature!"

After her time in Arizona, Crystal finished up high school in Preston, Idaho, where her father took a job as the principal and athletic director. It was during her time at West Side High School, that Southern Utah's softball program took notice.

"From the day Coach Laurel Simmons walked into my house to recruit me to be a Thunderbird, I knew I would decline all my other scholarship offers to play for any other school,” she explains. “I had eleven total offers and chose SUU not only for the appeal of the university and the town, but because I wanted to play for a coach I trusted."

Once on campus, Crystal developed an interest in criminal justice and cites great professors and mentors for helping her become a police officer in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. She just started her twelfth year as a Buffalo Grove Police officer in the patrol division.

"My day to day duties are never the same, which is why I love what I do,” she says of her job. “I respond to calls, enforce traffic, and am a field training officer, which means I train the new officers we hire and show them the ropes as well as part of the recruitment team which recruits future officers to our agency from various career fairs and colleges. I am also a DUI/SFST instructor and a Rapid Deployment instructor which involves police response to high stress situations such as active shooter scenarios, room/building clearing, etc..."

Crystal credits her professors at SUU for teaching her how to apply her education to real life. 

"You're in your late teens and early twenties thinking criminal justice is just like an episode of CSI or Law & Order when really it's nothing like that,” she says. “I felt like my professors had real life experience and knowledge of the topics they were teaching me and weren't just reading from a textbook."

In conjunction with the "real world" education she received from Southern Utah University, Crystal believes the qualities Thunderbird athletics taught her also play a vital role in her success.  

"Benefits are endless as a student athlete at SUU," she says. "Learning to balance a busy life all while maintaining the highest level of physical fitness, grades to maintain scholarships, and meeting academic deadlines when you're busing traveling the country for games and competing with elite athletes taught me how to excel in all areas of life. I have respect for those who have mentored me in my athletic career. As a training officer with my police department, I always say the easiest rookies to train are the ones with some type of athletic or military background because they are used to a discipline that many others may not be and they look at you as their coach."

Crystal believes she has become an effective "coach" in her career because of the lessons she learned at Southern Utah University. She uses her life experience and desire to seek out diverse opportunities to inspire the next generation of police officers.

"One reality check for me in college was that I HAD to study and Coach Simmons made sure we did," she explains. "I think here I learned discipline, focus, and balancing a heaving work load--all of which are the tools that I use every day in my life now, I am grateful beyond words for those lessons. I learned that opportunities aren't always given, sometimes you need to seek them out, SUU taught me that I can always do more than I think I'm capable of."

Southern Utah taught Crystal how to manage wearing all those different shoes in her life, and while it's challenging, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I am engaged to the love of my life, who is also a police officer and proudly serving as a Captain in the Army National Guard. Though extremely busy at times, we live an awesome life."

SUU to Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games Exec

Southern Utah University is excited to announce Pace Clarke ('14) as the Interim Director of the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games.

Pace started with USG in 2016 as the Operations and Development Coordinator. He was responsible for fostering and developing sponsorships, writing grants, managing the budget, and finding new ways to serve volunteers and donors who support the games. He also worked on the strategic planning committee and helped introduce new sports to the competition.

“The Utah Summer Games have been a great avenue for my family to be involved in both the Cedar City and SUU communities,” said Clarke. “The positions I have held within USG have allowed me to be part of a great non-profit organization that I have enjoyed working with throughout the past couple of years.”

As the Interim Director of USG, Clarke will be in charge of maintaining the reputation and growth of the games. He will oversee its operations, events and donor relations.

“We are excited for Pace to lead the Utah Summer Games forward,” said Mindy Benson, vice president of alumni and community relations at SUU. “We have confidence that he will lead a seamless transition and a successful 2018 Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games.”

Moving forward in the thirty-third year of the games, Clarke hopes to get Cedar City and SUU more involved in the process.

“The success of the Utah Summer Games comes from a combined effort,” said Clarke. “One of our main goals is to work together with the local organizations and businesses not only to maintain and further the USG’s economic impact, but also to inspire pride in hosting one of Utah’s largest amateur sporting events.  We have the opportunity to showcase the beauty, culture and support of Iron County. With work from all, USG will continue to grow and maintain its legacy of community and excellence in the human spirit.”

Pace grew up in the small town of Tropic, Utah. After earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern Utah University, he moved back to Tropic to work as the branch manager for State Bank of Southern Utah. He has loved returning to Cedar City and working for the Utah Summer Games while pursuing a Master of Public Administration at SUU.

The Utah Summer Games attracts athletes of all ages and skill level from across the western United States to compete in more than 40 different sporting events. Since 1986, the event has been conducted in Cedar City, Utah, with an average of 9,600 participants, 50,000 spectators, and 1,000 volunteers in attendance each year. 

SUU to Government and Econ High School Teacher

Southern Utah University helped Glynn Wilcox successfully make a career change, and now he is changing the lives of high school students in Texas.

A native of Markham, Texas, and a graduate of El Maton High School, Glynn was working as an account executive for a pharmaceutical benefits management company when he decided to make a change in his career and become a teacher.

“I wanted to go back into education to make the world a better place,” he says.

Today he teaches high school government and economics at Dallas Can Academy in Texas, a charter school that specializes in providing a quality education to students who struggle in a traditional high school setting. Dallas Can Academy’s core values are centered on student decision making, and implementing a rigorous curriculum based on reading and thinking skills to help its’ students succeed.

Glynn graduated from SUU in 2003, with a degree in psychology and criminal justice, while also earning his secondary education certification. He loved attending SUU and says his friends and others students were incredible. He also appreciates the training he received from the education department and the opportunity he now has of helping students graduate from high school who he says, “very well might not graduate otherwise.”

His SUU experience taught him a lot of about himself too.

“Getting what you want out of life is up to you,” he explains. “You have to make decisions to get what you want.”

Glynn and his family live in Dallas, Texas. He loves history, museums, and spending time with his family.

And he never says “no” to a road trip.