Class Notes

Debi Douma-Herren (marketing ’00, business management ‘00) has been hired by SmithCo Side Dump Trailers as the Director of Human Resources. Douma-Herren brings more than 17 years of experience in human resources management to the company, where she will oversee recruiting and engagement strategies.

Paul Maass** (ag business ‘88) celebrated his five-year anniversary as the CEO of Scoular. Scoular is a Logistics and Supply Chain company based in Omaha, Nebraska.

Bruce Stewart-Brown** (DVM ’85) has been named a governor of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. Stewart-Brown is the senior vice president of food safety, quality and live operations as Perdue Foods.

J. Mark Schmidt (MS ’74 arch) & Barbara Jones Schmidt** (’71 textiles & clothing, MS ’75 education) celebrated 50 years of marriage on Sept. 18, 2021. They got married in Ames and now live in Des Moines.

Joseph Bartolotta (RCPC ’08) was recently awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor at Hofstra University through the Department of Writing Studies & Rhetoric. Hofstra University is in Hempstead, New York.

Dale Risius (DVM ’70) is the 2021 recipient of the President’s Award from the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA). Risius is the president of Risius & Associate Veterinary Service.

Tahseen Abdul-Aziz (PhD ’83 veterinary pathology) is the recipient of the Lasher-Bottorff Award from the American Association of Avian Pathologists. Abdul-Aziz is a veterinary pathologist and diagnostician at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rollins Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.

J. Mark Schmidt (MS ’74 arch) & Barbara Jones Schmidt (’71 textiles & clothing, MS ’75 education) celebrated 50 years of marriage on Sept. 18, 2021. They got married in Ames and now live in Des Moines.

Elizabeth Holland (DVM ’08) has been named the 2021 Veterinarian of the Year by the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association. Holland is the owner of Adel Veterinary Clinic.

Gary Althouse (DVM ’94 veterinary medicine) has been named the Theriogenologist of the Year by the American College of Theriogenologists. Althouse is a professor of reproduction and swine health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. He is also a chair in animal reproduction and an associate dean of sustainable agriculture and veterinary practice.

Ryan Shuey (DVM ’16) is the 2021 recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA). Shuey is an associate veterinarian at Southern Hills Veterinary Services.

Steven Hansen (DVM ’85) was elected to be the treasurer of the American College of Animal Welfare. Hansen is the president and CEO of the Arizona Humane Society.

Thomas Moody (’96 accounting) has joined Argent Capital Management LLC as the director of intermediary sales. Moody will be in charge of leading and designing the sales efforts within the intermediary channel.

Diba Malekpour Koupaei (MDS ’18 sustainable environments) received the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) & Straubel Foundation Clean Energy Leadership Award for her impressive research in energy efficiency. This scholarship is awarded to student who strive to make the world a better and more sustainable place.

Catherine Reinhart (’08 integrated studio art) had two fiber works of art submitted to the Terrain Biennial 2021 exhibition in Springfield, Illinois, that runs from Oct. 2 to Nov. 15.

Michael Braley (’93 graphic design) was chosen to be part of the Top 100 in the Madrid Grafica ’21 for his poster titled “Re_: Restart, Revive, Recover.”

Aspen Pflanz (MCRP ’20 community & regional planning) was appointed to the Ames Public Art Commission this past June.

Lori Buzzetti** ('86 biochemistry) and her non-profit organization, So Big, was recently featured on "Inside Indy" WHMB-TV, virtual channel 40 out of Indianapolis, Indiana. So Big hosted a fundraising event in the Indianapolis area on Oct. 7. Buzzetti started So Big to help pregnant mothers in need get essential care. Mothers in the program have the opportunity to move into the So Big Mountain House Maternity Home located in Whitestown with their children.

Beth Ford (’86 management), Ivy alumna and Land O’Lakes, Inc. president and CEO, was included in the “Most Powerful Women” list by Fortune magazine for the fourth year in a row.

Colby Moorberg ('08, environmental science) received the North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Moorberg was nominated by the NC State Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. He completed his master's and doctorate degrees in soil science at NC State after completing his bachelors in environmental science at Iowa State. He then worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Washington Department Civil and Environmental Engineering, before becoming a faculty member at Kansas State University. Now an associate professor of soil science at KSU, Moorberg teaches soil science courses, coaches the soil judging team, and leads the Hydropedology and Root Ecology Laboratory. He has published two open textbooks in soil science. As a tenured faculty member at Kansas State, he has received the Soil Science Society of America’s Early Career Award, the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities Innovating Teaching Awards, and other notable awards.

Jerry and I met at a meeting to prepare a skit for the Homecoming Contest, " Yell Like Hell " . We belonged to the off-campus organization, ISA, Independent Student Association. After the meeting, Jerry asked if anyone wanted to go to Shakey's Pizza Parlor and I was the only taker. Don't know how well we did at the contest, but Jerry and I were the big winners, getting married one year later. We ended up having 6 children, all of whom have been Iowa State students.

Anne Meis (’16 biology) completed medical school at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Meis has since entered residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita Family Medicine Residency Program at Ascension Via Christi Hospitals in Wichita, Kansas.

Ramin Elahi (BSEE ’86) published his first book “Bringing Down Sales Barriers and Challenges: A Road Map for Closing More Deals Faster!” Elahi, veteran salesperson and educator, shares his strategies for improving the sales process from start to close. Elahi offers advice from over 20 years of experience to the next generation of sellers. It is available on Amazon in hardcopy and electronic versions.

Kevin Bieniek (’11 biology & psychology) is the Biggs Institute Brain Bank Director at UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, researching neurodegenerative disorders. The brain bank stores more than 100 donated brains at UT Health San Antonio, where researchers study how the brain works. Bieniek’s research specifically looks at Alzheimer’s disease, which affects over six million people in the U.S.

Lon Pluckhahn (‘91 pol sci, MPA ‘06, MCP ‘06) is the new deputy city manager for Vancouver, Washington. He previously served for 14 years as the city manager of Marion, Iowa.