Class Notes

Barb (Riedesel) Iverson** (’76 journalism) was recently named president of the North American Financial Services’ industry to practice group for Weber Shandwick, one of the world’s largest public relations firms. Barb continues to work from Weber Shandwick’s Minneapolis office, but she also spends considerable time at Weber Shandwick’s New York City headquarters. Barb lives in Minneapolis, Minn.

Stephen B. Veitch* has been named to the newly created position of regional director of administration at Bryan Cave LLP. Stephen will serve as liaison between the chief administrative office and other directors of administration. Stephen lives in Chandler, Ariz.

Steven Crawford** (’74 indus. admin.) has been promoted to the newly created position of senior vice president reinsurance/chief operating officer (COO) at Grinnell Mutual, where he has been employed for more than 30 years in the reinsurance and marketing departments. Steven lives in Grinnell, Iowa.

Randy Christoffersen** (’79 indus. engr.) has taken a new job, as of late 2005, as vice president of global sourcing for Imation Corporation, St. Paul, Minn. Randy lives in Shoreview, Minn.

Cheryl Wood* (’77 phys. ed.) will be returning to the classroom and will be teaching second grade this fall. Cheryl lives in Austin, Texas.

William I. Griffith* (’70 civil engr., ’72 MS engr. mech.) is the Democratic candidate for South Carolina’s 4th congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. William lives in Greenville, S.C.

Cynthia L. Nielsen** (’79 ed./hum. sci) is currently living in Houghton, Mich., and is now the K-5 Learning Disabilities elementary resource room teacher at Barkell Elementary School in Hancock, Mich. This fall Cynthia began her ninth year teaching special education students in Hancock, Mich.

Debra J. (Betz) Ciskey* (’79 English) received an M.A. degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix in July 2006. Debra lives in Normal, Ill.

Diana (Lanham) McElroy** (’77 home ec. ed.) received an MBA from the University of Iowa in December 2005. Diana is a consumer affairs manager for Tone’s Spices in Des Moines, Iowa, and lives in Johnston, Iowa.

Joan Waters** (’76 pol. sci.) recently accepted a position as the attorney for the Charter Schools Division of the New Mexico Public Education Department.

Jim C. Farrell** (’76 speech comm.) is currently living in Omaha, Neb., and has been with Farmers National Co. for 20 years working in the field as a manager in Minnesota. He later worked as vice president of marketing, and today he is president and CEO. Farmers National is a 20-state farm management and real estate company.

Joseph R. Marconi** (’72 dist. stds.) was recently named to the board of directors of the ALFA International global network of independent law firms. While an ISU student, Joe was a member of the 1971 Sun Bowl football team and was selected to the All-Big 8 Academic Football Team. Joe lives in Chicago, Ill.

Diane Henson* (’76 econ.) was elected to a six-year term on the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals. Diane was the only Democrat to win a contested appellate court race in the entire state of Texas. Diane lives in Austin, Texas.

Amy Beth (Sickels) Osborn* (’89 biology) and her husband, Tim Osborn, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Sabrina, in March 2006. They also have a 3-year-old son, Evan. Amy Beth and her family reside in Cypress, Texas.

Mark Schoeberl** (’88 pol. sci.) has been named the new executive vice president of advocacy for the American Heart Association. Mark lives in Plano, Texas.

Susan (Simmons) Hanke** (’87 mktg.) is the new assistant vice president of product marketing for American Republic Insurance Co. Susan lives in Clive, Iowa.

Bill Gahan** (’82 const. engr.) has been promoted to president of Martin Marietta Materials, Inc., Midwest division, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Bill is a 24-year veteran of Martin Marietta currently serving as the vice president/general manager of the Iowa region. As president of the Midwest division, he will be responsible for all operations in the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Bill lives in Clive, Iowa.

Steven Ahlers** (’84 trans./log.) has accepted a new position with Performance Food Group as vice president of operations in the southeast region. Steven lives in Antioch, Tenn.

Mark Thedens** (’83 mech. engr.) has accepted a job with Musco Lighting as the manufacturing engineering manager in Muscatine, Iowa, where he currently resides.

Mark Nobbe** (’85 indus. engr.) is moving to Houston, Texas due to a job transfer. Mark received his master’s degree with honors from Webster University in December of 2004. He studied Information Systems and Resource management.

Donna (Evans) Gnidovic** (’83 mktg.) was recently promoted to national account executive for the newly-formed Chicago Sun-Times news group. The group of papers includes the Chicago Sun-Times, Pioneer Press, Joliet Herald News, Daily Southtown, Gary Post Tribune, and others. Donna lives in Chicago, Ill.

Steven C. Allgood** (’83 dist. stds.) was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserve Medical Corps. Steven lives in Mason City, Iowa.

Michael Shuba** (’82 const. engr.) has been named vice president of MJ Electric, Inc., an electrical specialty contractor. Michael and his family will be relocating to the Chicago, Ill., area.

Julie Gethmann** (’82 gen. stds. fam. con. sci.) is employed by QCI in Des Moines, Iowa. She is the senior consultant – business solutions, working with business software and systems (ERP) consultation, implementation and training. Julie writes that her oldest son, Dustin Iverson, just transferred from Arizona State to Iowa State. Julie lives in Ankeny, Iowa.

Todd Kruse** (’89 econ. & pol. sci.) married Jaleh Nahvi on Nov. 11, 2006. They live in Apple Valley, Minn. Jaleh is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.