Class Notes

Koral Clum (’80 forestry), forester with Clum Forestry Consultants in Dover, Ohio, received the 2017 Ohio Tree Farm of the Year honor.

Mike Breitbach (’92 civil engr), an Illinois professional engineer and certified Envision Sustainability Professional, has been hired as an associate and the civil engineering department manager at the Peoria, Ill., office of Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm.

Mike Breitbach (’92 civil engr), an Illinois professional engineer and certified Envision Sustainability Professional, has been hired as an associate and the civil engineering department manager at the Peoria, Ill., office of Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm.

Glen Smith (A)(’79 ag business), owner of Smith Land Service Company in Atlantic, Iowa, was nominated by President Trump to serve on the Farm Credit Administration board of directors.

Bill Northey (L)(’81 ag business), Iowa secretary of agriculture, was nominated by President Trump to serve as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation.

Kristine Harms (’11 animal science, ag and life sciences education, DVM ’16) has joined the veterinary staff of Topigs Norsvin USA in Burnsville, Minn.

Sarah Wille (’17 ag and life sciences ed) has been hired as the ag educator and FFA adviser for MFL MarMac Community Schools in Monona, Iowa.

Kayla Prosser (’17 ag studies) has been hired as a risk management consultant for Hurley and Associates in Grundy Center, Iowa.

Former Iowa State Daily editor-in-chief Katelynn McCullough (A)(’14 journalism & pol sci) has joined Des Moines’ Davis Brown Law Firm, where she will practice in the litigation division.

Jim Gulliford (L)(’73 forestry, MS ’75) has been appointed Region 7 administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Katie Stutsman (’09 ag business) has been hired as a district manager for Dow Chemical Company.

Amanda Outhouse (L)(’15 an sci) has been hired as a product development scientist with Hormel Foods in Austin, Minn.

Jacob Notermann (’17 accounting) has joined BCC Advisers in Des Moines as a financial analyst.

Kyle Larson (’08 finance & accounting) has been promoted to transaction adviser with BCC Advisers in Des Moines.

Lee Ann DeReus (’86 pol sci) is the co-founder and chair of Panzi Foundation USA, an organization that raises awareness about the brutality against women in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Four new members of the Ames, Iowa Chamber of Commerce team are all Iowa State grads. Edana Carlson Delagardelle (’06 restaurant, hotel, and instit mgmt.) is the director of client support services; Andrea Hammes Dodge (L)(’01 journalism, MEd ’08 higher ed) is director of public relations; Brandon Mumm (’13 mgmt/finance) is director of external business relations; and Calli Sandahl (’15 speech comm/comm studies) is director of program management.

Four new members of the Ames, Iowa Chamber of Commerce team are all Iowa State grads. Edana Carlson Delagardelle (’06 restaurant, hotel, and instit mgmt.) is the director of client support services; Andrea Hammes Dodge (L)(’01 journalism, MEd ’08 higher ed) is director of public relations; Brandon Mumm (’13 mgmt/finance) is director of external business relations; and Calli Sandahl (’15 speech comm/comm studies) is director of program management.

Four new members of the Ames, Iowa Chamber of Commerce team are all Iowa State grads. Edana Carlson Delagardelle (’06 restaurant, hotel, and instit mgmt.) is the director of client support services; Andrea Hammes Dodge (L)(’01 journalism, MEd ’08 higher ed) is director of public relations; Brandon Mumm (’13 mgmt/finance) is director of external business relations; and Calli Sandahl (’15 speech comm/comm studies) is director of program management.

Steven Churchill (L)(’85 pol sci) has accepted an appointment as senior advisor and chief of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to Ambassador Terry E. Branstad.

Melissa Martyr-Wagner (L)(’87 journalism, MEd ’91) has been named to the Century College Foundation 2017-2018 Board of Directors. She is currently the director of operations at NewStudio Architecture in White Bear Lake, Minn.

Tomas Gonzalez-Torres (’98 aero engr) has joined the Iowa State University faculty as a lecturer in aerospace engineering after previously serving as a NASA flight director.

Rita Cook (’10 public service and administration in ag, ag business) has been hired as an assistant vice president and ag loan officer at Green Belt Bank and Trust in Iowa Falls.

Shawn Bates (’93 stat, MS ’95) has been hired as the vice president of data science at LiftPoint Consulting in Eden Prairie, Minn. Bates joins the organization with 20 years of experience in applied analytics and predictive intelligence for retail business.

Curtis Chrystal (’81 entomology) has been named president and chief executive officer of Wisconsin Bank and Trust.

Dan Cwach (MS ’12 sustainable ag) has been hired as the high school physics and physical science educator at Vermillion Schools in Vermillion, S.D.

Kyle Behrens (’14 ag business) has been promoted to sales representative in the Ohio Valley Region for Hormel Foods.

Ashtin Walker (’16 animal science, ag and life sciences education), has been hired as an ISU Extension and Outreach youth outreach educator in Jefferson County.

Ashtin Walker (’16 animal science, ag and life sciences education), has been hired as an ISU Extension and Outreach youth outreach educator in Jefferson County.

Scott German (L)(’05 mgmt info sys) has been promoted to principal, consulting for the Des Moines office of RSM US LLP, the nation’s leading provider of audit, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. German previously led the company’s technology and management consulting practice for the infrastructure teams in Des Moines and Omaha.

Jennifer Holmes Latterell, D.O. (’00 biology) has been appointed associate dean for clinical affairs in Des Moines University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. She will begin her new post Jan. 1, 2018.

Ryan Schon (L)(’95 agronomy) has been hired as senior manager of corporate development for Granular.

Byron Sleugh (L)(MS ’97 crop prod & physiology, PhD ’99) has been hired as a technical portfolio strategy leader for the pasture and land management agriculture division for Dow DuPont.

Corey Wagner (’05 an sci, MS ’07 meat sci) has been named director of technical services at Premium Iowa Pork, LLC.

Adam Fichter (’15 ag bus/international ag) has been hired as a financial officer with Farm Credit Services of America.

Todd Kennedy (’97 architecture) has been promoted to principal at Cottle Carr Yaw Architects (CCT) of Aspen, Colo. Kennedy has been with the CCY team since 2000.

Lori Ebbers Buzzetti (L)(’86 biochemistry) has left her OB-GYN practice to start a maternity home for pregnant women and their newborns: “Mountain House”: in Zionsville, Ind.

Eliza Briggs (A)(’11 criminology) is a federal criminal defense investigator for the District of Nevada – Las Vegas and Reno offices.

Albert Farr (A)(’00 English, MA ’02, PhD ’11 education) joins Des Moines Area Community College as the new associate provost of academic services at the urban campus.

Susan Hatten (’04 apparel merch & marketing), a senior consultant for Holmes Murphy & Associates, has been named the 2017 Meredith Emerging Woman of Influence by the Des Moines Business Record. She will be recognized Aug. 10 in a ceremony at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown.

China Wong (’01 pol sci), owner of Salon Spa W in Des Moines, has been named the 2017 UNI Woman Business Owner of the Year by the Des Moines Business Record. She will be recognized Aug. 10 in a ceremony at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown.

Des Moines Area Community College administrator Mary Sconiers-Chapman (MS ’77 education) has been named a Des Moines Business Record Woman of Influence for 2017. She will be recognized Aug. 10 in a ceremony at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown.

Dave Pepper (L)(’85 construction engr) of Barrington, Ill., chairman of Pepper Construction Group, has been inducted into Iowa State University’s Construction Engineering Hall of Fame.

Steve Purcell (’88 marketing) of Urbandale, Iowa, vice president for Iowa operations at Mediacom, has been named Regional Executive of the Year by Cablefax magazine. Purcell was cited for leading the team that deployed new broadband technology to make Iowa the nation’s first gigabit state.

Urbandale (Iowa) Community Schools administrator Bill Watson (L)(PhD ’09 education) has been named the 2017 recipient of the Character Champion award from Character Counts! Iowa.

Sister Ladonna Woerdeman (MS ’79 fam env) has been selected as the 2017 recipient of the Mother Bartholomew, OSF Lifetime Achievement Award from Cardinal Stritch University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in home economics in 1967. Woerdeman is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at UnityPoint Health’s Diabetes and Kidney Center in Cedar Rapids.

Rich Shuler (L)(’67 animal sci), president and CEO of Shuler Consulting Services, received the 2017 Iron Paw Award from the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor.

Charles E. Sukup (L)(’76 ag engr, MS ’82) has been named a 2017 recipient of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Stop Foodborne Illness presented its first annual Dave Theno Food Safety Hero Award July 9 at the International Association of Food Protection (IAPF) conference in Tampa Bay, Fla. This prestigious award recognizes the numerous contributions the late David M. Theno (’72 journalism) made to the food safety field. For 40 years, Theno worked to advance collaboration between the scientific community and the meat industry to solve food-safety issues and in so doing, left an indelible mark on the food safety landscape. Theno died June 19 while swimming off the coast of Lanai, Hawaii.

U.S. Army Capt. Steven Woods (’12 psychology) recently participated in the 2017 Best Ranger Competition in Fort Benning, Ga. His two-person team finished in the top half of the three-day event considered to be one of the toughest, most physically demanding competitions in the world.

Vanessa McNeal (’15 child, adult, and family svcs) received two international IndieFEST Film Awards for her documentary “The Voiceless.”

Marty Braster (MS ’03 agronomy), environmental management specialist for the Rathbun Regional Water Association, was honored as “Iowan of the Day” by the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation Aug. 17.

Kevin Holst (’89 ag studies), a farmer near Eldridge, Iowa, was honored with the “Way We Live Award” Aug. 11 at the Iowa State Fair.

Brad Taylor (’78 ag and life sci ed, MS ’00 professional ag) of Roland Story Community School has been named the Iowa Agri-Science Teacher of the Year by the Board of Directors of the Iowa Association of Agriculture Educators.

Varel Bailey (’62 farm op), a farmer near Anita, Iowa, received the 2017 Iowa Corn Walter Goeppinger Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ames Community School District science teacher Mike Todd (’03 elec engr & physics, MA ’05 sci ed & neuroscience) is a finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honors for K-12 educators of math and science. The award is given on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy by the National Science Foundation.

Ames Community School District science teacher Mike Todd (’03 elec engr & physics, MA ’05 sci ed & neuroscience) is a finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honors for K-12 educators of math and science. The award is given on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy by the National Science Foundation.

ISU School of Education associate professor Connie Hargrave (PhD ’93 curriculum & instruction) was inducted Sept. 9 into the Iowa African American Hall of Fame, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of African Americans who have enhanced the quality of life for all Iowans. For the past 11 years, she has served as director of Science Bound at Iowa State University.

Kelly Schwalbe (L)(’82 ag journalism) has been awarded the Professional Development Award for Public Relations by the National Agri-Marketing Association. Schwalbe, partner and public relations director for Sage, is an active member of the Missouri-Kansas NAMA chapter.

Stan Rasmussen (A)(’68 animal sci) received the National Barrow Show’s 2017 Distinguished Service Award.

Tom Baas (L)(’72 animal sci, MS ’89, PhD’ 90), an ISU professor of animal science, has been inducted into the National Barrow Show Hall of Fame.

The American Institute of CPAs has selected Bruce Webb (L)(’70 indus admin & accounting) of RSM (formerly McGladrey) as a recipient of its 2017 Gold Medal of Distinction Award. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the AICPA.

Leslie Dooley (’14 psych, MS ’17 human sci), an ISU graduate student in human development and family studies, recently received the 2017 Kathleen W. McCartan Award from the Division of Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.

Matt Fett (’08 finance), a senior financial analyst with BCC Advisers in Des Moines, has been chosen as a member of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry’s Leadership Iowa Class of 2018.

Don Greiman (L)(’52 animal sci) and his wife, Yvonne, have been named 2017 “Cy’s Favorite Alum” by the ISU Department of Athletics.

Robert E. Allan (L)(’52 farm op) received the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Plant Breeders. He served as a wheat breeder and geneticist in Pullman, Wash., for 40 years. He developed numerous genetic stocks and a number of wheat varieties, as well as identified and named the two semidwarf plant height genes that facilitated the “Wheat Green Revolution.”

Theaster Gates (’96 comm & regional planning, MA ’05), the Chicago-born clay-potter-turned-large-scale-artist, is the first American and first African-American winner of the Nasher Sculpture Prize, the largest international prize devoted entirely to sculpture.

Robert Kauffman (L)(’54 animal sci), retired professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was honored with the 2017 University of Wisconsin College of Agriculture and Life Sciences distinguished service award.

Doug Bear (’07 an sci, MS ’11), director of industry relations for the Iowa Beef Industry Council, is a 2017 recipient of the Iowa Governor’s Volunteer Award. Bear was nominated by the Ronald McDonald House of Des Moines for his work through the council’s Governor’s Charity Steer Show.

Dean Fiske Stauffer (MS ’78 animal ecology), professor of wildlife conservation in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment, received the Excellence in Wildlife Education Award from The Wildlife Society during its annual national meeting in September.

Sally Rapp Beisser (L)(’71 elem ed, MS ’76 guidance & counseling, PhD ’99) has been chosen as a 2017 Levitt Distinguished Professor at Drake University in Des Moines. This is the highest award a Drake professor can receive.

Marcelo J. Dapino (’94 mech engr, PhD ’99 engr mech), a professor at The Ohio State University, has been honored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers with the 2017 Adaptive Structures and Materials Systems Award.

Susan McGarvey Latta (A)(’81 journalism and ag & life sci) of Edina, Minn., is author of the forthcoming book Bold Women of Medicine: 21 Stories of Astounding Discoveries, Daring Surgeries, and Healing Breakthroughs (Chicago Review Press, September 2017), which profiles medical pioneers who broke barriers to enter the medical arena from the 1800s to the present.

Bruce Thatcher (L)('59 gen sci) has written the third book in his “History Speaks Today” series. Rise and Decline: Where We Are and What We Can Do About It uses case studies to show that citizens' attitudes toward founding values are a consistent determinant of their nation's life cycle.

Mary Dickens Johnson (A)(’76 anthro/intl studies/African studies) has published her first book, A Collection of Articles on Procurement Topics (Lambert Publishing). The book is a compilation of articles on subjects related to government and commercial contracts procedures, international treaties and export regulations, as well as related business issues.

Randy Bartlett (’86 com sci & stat) is the author of A Practitioner’s Guide to Business Analytics: Using Data Analysis Tools to Improve Your Organization’s Decision Making and Strategy (McGraw-Hill).

Mikaela Kate Schaefer (L)(’06 marketing) of Myrtle Beach, S.C., is the author of “An Invitation to You…From Love (A Book of Poetry & Photography),” a hardcover coffee-table book she says is designed to bring peace, hope, and love to readers.

Paul Shirley (’00 mech engr) has released his second book, Stories I Tell on Dates. Shirley’s stories are about an adulthood spent living all over the world: living in Spain, playing in the NBA, and having his heart (and spleen) broken.

Oscar T. Lenning (’64 engineering ops) has published the book Brain Changers 365: Build a Better Brain with 7 Activities Each Day. The book contains 365 sets of exercises designed to facilitate 10-15 minutes of daily training for improvement of basic voluntary brain functions.

Sarvinder Bal Naberhaus (A)(’83 fashion merch, ’88 el ed, MEd ’10) and Susan Maupin Schmid (’82 speech)are published children’s authors, friends, and critique partners. Naberhaus is the author of three picture books: Boom Boom, White Sky White Stars, and Lines. Schmid is the author of the 100 Dresses series from Random House.

Susan Maupin Schmid (’82 speech) and Sarvinder Bal Naberhaus (A)(’83 fashion merch, ’88 el ed, MEd ’10) are published children’s authors, friends, and critique partners. Naberhaus is the author of three picture books: Boom Boom, White Sky White Stars, and Lines. Schmid is the author of the 100 Dresses series from Random House.

Bob Wemer**('65,'74,'76,'88) has retired from farming and has moved to Grinnell, Iowa. His wife, Kim, is a retired RN from Grinnell Regional Medical Center and she now teaches yoga. In 2008, Bob bicycled from Los Angeles to Boston. The journal of his trip can be read at http://www.bobs-adventure.blogspot.com/

"Torpedoed!", a nonfiction book for readers ages 10+ by Cheryl Mullenbach, recreates the events surrounding the sinking of the "Athenia" in World War II. Through first-hand accounts, interviews with survivors, powerful images, and primary sources readers relive the days leading up to the surprise attack and the terrifying hours in lifeboats as survivors battle the elements and imagine the worst.

Tara Goedjen (’04 marketing), a former Cyclone tennis player, recently released The Breathless, a novel that follows 16-year-old Mae Cole’s quest to discover the person behind her sister’s mysterious death.

Early in 2017, Bret Wortman ran a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to create Wrap Buddies, an invention he had been working on for several years. Since then, he has started to produce and distribute these gift wrapping tools through online and brick-and-mortar businesses including Amazon.com. A featured appearance at the National Stationery Show in May, 2018 provides the platform he needs to build interest among retailers and increase their availability.

Kevin Wagner AIA, of Substance Architecture in Des Moines, IA, has received the 2017 Young Architect Award from the American Institute of Architects, Iowa Chapter, for exceptional leadership and significant contributions to the profession in the areas of design, education, and service.

James Dean, MD, PhD (BS in Biochemistry, LAS, 1991) announces a recent career move to Pharmacyclics, LLC. Dr. Dean had most recently been at CTI BioPharma Corp where he led the global study teams developing pacritinib and pixantrone. He previously worked at Seattle Genetics and at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Dean has extensive expertise in cancer biology, drug development, and clinical trials of all phases. At Pharmacyclics, he serves as Senior Medical Director with broad responsibilities for studies of ibrutinib treatment in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, as well as pre-clinical and and strategic cross-programmatic activities.

Paul Movall (BS CprE 86, MS CprE 87) was promoted to Senior Technologist, HDD Firmware, at Western Digital Corporation.

Class of 2021!

Alison Monaghan* (’05 journalism) has accepted a position as the Director of Marketing and Development for Goodwill of Central Iowa, headquartered in Johnston, Iowa.

Recently joined the Town of Queen Creek, Arizona as Capital Improvement Program Manager.

I have completed my one year as President of the Missouri School Boards' Assocation (MSBA). I will now serve as Past President for this year and will be in charge of the MSBA Foundation along with Leadership development and officer Nominations.

Recently moved to Overland Park, KS to become a Workplace Consultant for Scott Rice Office Works.

Accepted a position as Diagnostic Engineer for John Deere.

Brittany Westendorf (’16 psychology) and Khayree Duckett (’17 political science) are happy to announce their engagement. A June 2018 wedding is being planned.

Andrew Albinger accepted a position as Director of Information Security Operations at Iowa State University

J. Mark Schmidt (L)('74 Masters of Architecture) has retired from full-time status with Invision Architecture in Des Moines after 7 years as a senior architect specializing in writing construction specifications. Mark worked for most of his career with Charles Herbert and Associates, which became HLKB Architecture, also in Des Moines.

Leng Vong Reiff, class of 2007, worked with Iowa author T.C. Florer on 4 of his 5 books in the Carrington series, which heavily revolve around ISU. The first in the series begins a love story that takes place right on campus. The fifth book in the series, Carrington Resolve, is in production and is set to be complete the end of May. http://tcflorer.com/novels/

Krystal Jones passed the Bar Examination and is a licensed attorney in the state of Texas. She is now the Regulatory Affairs Manager for Globe Life and six other insurance companies.

On June 5, 2016, Larry Felton (Computer Science, 1969), became President of the Missouri School Boards' Association (MSBA). This organization represents 400 school districts and 2,800 school board members. Larry is currently serving his 4th term on the Mehlville R-9 school board in St. Louis County, Missouri.

Craig Potter, BS Chem '76 - Retired from Avery Dennison, Mentor Ohio in June 2016 - 40 years after graduating from ISU in Feb 1976.