All posts by Becky Nixt

Tom Herman

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Education – Private University – Professor

Tom Herman is a teacher and journalist. He is the tax columnist for The Wall Street Journal’s wealth management section. After graduating from Yale, Tom joined the news staff of The Wall Street Journal in New York, where he was given the food beat. Tom wrote for The Wall Street Journal as a full-time staffer for more than 40 years, including 16 years as the Tax Report columnist. In 2014, he received the Elliott V. Bell Award from the New York Financial Writers Association. The award is given annually to “an outstanding journalist for significant long-term contribution to the profession of financial journalism.” He retired in May 2009 to devote more time to teaching, writing, travel and tennis. He has been teaching a seminar in the Communication Studies Department at the University of San Diego since 2012.
Tom was a regular weekly guest on NBC News at Sunrise for more than seven years from in the 1980s and 1990s. Before that, he was a regular weekly guest for more than a year on an NBC news program with The Wall Street Journal. called “Before Hours.”
His wife, Marilyn Lytle, was a lawyer in New York City for many years and now studies watercolor painting.

Tom thanks his sponsors Stan Hartman, Steve Treadgold and Michael Brunker.

Dale Gray

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Associations – Institute of Reproductive Grief Care

In February of 2023, Dale Gray took over the role of Director of Mission Advancement at the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care. Prior to joining the Institute, he served at the university level as the Director of Philanthropy, and has over 23 years experience before that driving sales and growth in the technology industry.

Dale and his wife have been married for 30 years, and they have two daughters, Leila, 20 and Adrienne, who is 23. They have moved several times over the years, making San Diego their 9th stop, and Dale hopes it is their final. He has always had a passion for sports. After pursuing football and baseball in college he had the opportunity to try out for several professional teams. His new passion is for surfing as he loves being in the ocean.  He recently retired as a college and high school basketball official, and plans to be involved in our Military Affairs and Youth Homelessness committees.

Dale thanks his sponsors David Oates, Michael LaCroix and Drew Moser.

Kristine Smith

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Social Services and Welfare – Neighborhood House Association

Kristine is the Senior Director of Nutrition Services for the Neighborhood House Association where she has worked for sixteen years. Originally from Seattle, WA, Kristine joined the Navy right out of college, then received her BS in dietetics from Kansas State University, and later her Master of Science in Environmental Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Alabama. ROLL TIDE!

For the past several years Kristine has also worked as an educational consultant, teaching USDA governmental regulations, operations and nutrition classes to more than 300 early childhood educators annually, while also working as a professor at Point Loma Nazarene University teaching 3rd and 4th year college-level courses related to finance, business management and nutrition.

She is the former vice president of San Diego Hunger Coalition, and has been an active member of Child and Adult Care Food Program Board of Directors, CA Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and SD County Childhood Obesity Initiative. Kristine is very much into sports having been a former amateur boxer for many years while also playing basketball and tennis. She met her husband in the Navy, and they have been married for 24 years, having moved to San Diego in 2007 for his final Naval post. They have two cats.

Kristine thanks her sponsors Duke Sobek, Elizabeth Fitzsimons and Matt Ryan.

Mary Dawe

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Retired-Law

Mary Dawe is a retired Senior Staff Attorney of California State of Appeal, where she served for 27 years. She grew up in Southern California, graduated from UC Riverside, and later went to Law School at USD with the support of her late husband Jim, while they were raising three young children.

Mary says Balboa Park is a special place for her as she worked at was the Museum of Man as her first job out of college. She has served on their Board of Trustees and then as President of the Board. She has also served on the Mingei International Museum board and the Museum of Natural History board. She currently volunteers as an adult literacy tutor with READ San Diego, is an active member of the San Diego Women’s Foundation and a volunteer small claims court judge.

Mary has two lovely daughters, two great sons-in-law, three adorable grandsons and fourth one on the way!

She was a member of the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary since 2004, and thanks her sponsor Michael Brunker.