Valley People

Water district employee retires
Office supervisor Terri Kerr retired this week from her position as office supervisor at Scotts Valley Water District.
Kerr, a 12-year employee of the district, was hired as a customer service representative and became supervisor in 2006. Kerr sat at the front desk and will be “sorely missed,” according a memo from Charlie McNiesh, the district’s general manager.
The district’s board of directors adopted a resolution July 12 recognizing Kerr for her service to the district. Her last day was Tuesday, July 31.
Nurse recognized for management skill
Scotts Valley resident Brenda George was named Manager of the Year by the Permanente Medical Group at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center.
George is a registered nurse who has been a manager in the hospital’s emergency department for 12 years. She is working toward a master’s degree in health care administration.
As part of the nomination process for the award, a co-worker wrote that George emphasizes exceptional care for patients.
“I always loved providing direct patient care and never imagined that I would want to be in management,” George said. “But when I saw that as a manager I could streamline improvements that impact every patient that comes through the door, I never looked back.”
George has four sons — 10, 9 and 6-year-old twins — who attend Brook Knoll Elementary School. The family is active in Little League baseball and martial arts.
 
Students make dean’s list
Felton resident Thomas Scott and Boulder Creek resident Shannon Sessions made the academic dean’s list at Azusa Pacific University for the spring semester. Both students received a 3.5 or better GPA.
Scott is majoring in cinematic arts, and Sessions is studying nursing.
 
Politician named ocean hero
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Mark Stone was honored by Save Our Shores as the organization’s 2012 Ocean Hero. According to Save Our Shores, the award is a response to Stone’s leadership in authoring and passing Santa Cruz County’s single-use plastic bag ban, which aims to reduce pollution in the ocean and waterways.
 
Local woman graduates with high honors
Boulder Creek native Cheyenne Street Houck recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a bachelor’s degree in literature and a concentration in creative writing and fiction.
Houck, a 2006 San Lorenzo Valley High School alumna, transferred to the university from Cabrillo College.
At UCSC, she graduated summa cum laude with highest honors in her major. She received a Regents scholarship and was accepted into the Golden Key Honor Society. In addition, she was selected to participate in the 2012 Undergraduate Literature Colloquium, and her senior project won the dean’s award for most outstanding senior thesis. She maintained a cumulative GPA over 3.9 and graduated in the top 2 percent of her class.
Houck recently published a collection of short stories and hopes to have her first novel published soon. She plans to pursue a doctorate in literature.
 
SLV alumnus earns doctorate
Kevin Wilson Fox, a 2000 alumnus of San Lorenzo Valley High School, was awarded his doctorate in philosophy by Heidelberg University in Heidelberg, Germany, on July 4.
While studying in Germany, Fox was awarded a STIBET grant for international doctoral candidates. He became state-certified in the German language and was invited to conduct research at the German Literature Archive in Marbach, Germany.
He is now a resident scholar at the philosophical institute Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici, also in Heidelberg. 
Fox was a varsity basketball player and a member of SLV High’s 2000 Central Coast Section championship football team. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from University of California, Irvine, in 2004 and received master’s degrees in philosophy from both San Jose State University and Heidelberg University between 2005 and 2008.