Class Notes

Erika Lundy ('12 an sci, MS '15) has been hired as a beef specialist for ISU Extension and Outreach in southwest Iowa.

Petey Peterson ('10 child, adult, and family svcs & comm studies, MEd '12), the director of LGBTQA affairs at Wright State University, has been awarded the 2019 Voice of Inclusion Award by the American College Personnel Association.

Yuh-Yuan Shyy (A)(MS '81 ag engr, PhD '84) and his cofounder Majit Misra of the start-up company FloMetrix have been selected for developing one of the 2019 "AE50" honored inventions by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The proprietary technology Shyy and Misra developed, known as RIFF (Real Time In-Like Inclined Flowmeter), can measure the flow of bulk materials such as seeds, grains, fertilizers, food, and pet food ingredients in real time as they move through an inclined pipeline. They founded FloMetrix in 2011.

John Akers (L)('79 journalism), who has spent 18 years as publisher and editor of Basketball Times, was recently inducted into the United States Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame. This year’s USBWA Hall of Fame class also includes Dan Wetzel, Bill Rhoden, and Jack McCallum. As a former president of the USBWA, Akers instituted the organization’s Rising Star award, which recognizes excellence in a member who is under the age of 30. He resides in Charlotte, N.C., where the publication is headquartered, but travels the country writing about hoops.

Ernst Brun ('14 liberal studies) and Ben Durbin (M.Ed. '13) recently opened Premier Athlete Training in Ames, Iowa. The business offers high-performance sports training services for all ages, focusing on strength and conditioning.

Ben Durbin (M.Ed. '13) and Ernst Brun ('14 liberal studies) recently opened Premier Athlete Training in Ames, Iowa. The business offers high-performance sports training services for all ages, focusing on strength and conditioning.

Maureen "Mickey" Mericle (L)('88 pol sci) has been named the senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Shutterfly, Inc., in Redwood City, Calif. Mericle previously held positions in marketing and customer insights with companies such as Walmart, Adobe, Target, and Kinko's, Inc.

Jason Schuster (A)('15 ag engr) EIT, a product engineer for John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, was selected as one of the 2019 "New Faces of ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers)." He was selected in the professionals category, which honors professionals aged 35 and younger. As ASABE’s top New Face for 2019, he will travel to Washington, D.C., to join ASABE leadership as a judge in The Future City Competition finals, where ASABE sponsors two special awards, for food sustainability and use of renewable fuels.

Aaron P. Rasmussen** (’97 elec. engr.) has been chosen as the 2007 State of Nebraska Young Engineer of the Year by the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers.

Lyle Palmer (A)('50 ag ed) and Margaret Boyer Palmer (A)('48 instit mgmt) recently celebrated 70 years of marriage with an open house in Phoenix, Ariz.

Lyle Palmer (A)('50 ag ed) and Margaret Boyer Palmer (A)('48 instit mgmt) recently celebrated 70 years of marriage with an open house in Phoenix, Ariz.

Kaesey Glaess (’18 ag engr) has been hired as an agricultural services engineer at Maurer-Stutz in Peoria, Ill.

Ryan Healy (’13 an sci) has accepted a position as production operator at Flint Hills Resources in Arthur, Iowa.

Amanda Snodgrass (’09 hort & env studies, MS ’12 hort) has accepted a position as a botanist for the U.S. Forest Service at Klamath National Forest in California.

Chris Miller (’07 ag business) has joined First National Bank’s Waverly office as vice president, business banker.

Steve Bierschenk (’87 dairy science) of St. Louis, Mo., has joined the San Francisco-based private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners, LLC as a managing director on its investment team.

Ryan Schon (L)('95 agronomy) of Ankeny, Iowa, has been named general manager of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds -- a family-owned company marketing hybrid seed corn, soybeans, and alfalfa under the Latham brand name. Schon most recently served as senior corporate development manager for Granular and led the post-acquisition integration of Granular with Encirca. Prior to working for DuPont Pioneer, Schon was a business development manager and traits marketing lead with Monsanto.

Dick Isaacson (L)('72 ag bus, MS '75 ag econ) of Agri-Management in Marion, Iowa, was named the American Society of Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers' 2018 Farm Manager of the Year. Isaacson started his business in 1990 and is the majority owner of the company.

Marie Killinger Inkofer (A)('58 home ec) and Walter A. Inkofer (A)('58 chem engr) of Seabrook, Texas, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Jan. 25, 2019.

Marie Killinger Inkofer (A)('58 home ec) and Walter A. Inkofer (A)('58 chem engr) of Seabrook, Texas, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Jan. 25, 2019.

Shelly Kopriva ('03 advertising) of Strategic America will be recognized on March 28, 2019 as one of the Des Moines Business Record's 20th annual "40 Under 40" honorees.

Nora Tobin ('10 pol sci & intl studies) of Self-Help International will be recognized on March 28, 2019 as one of the Des Moines Business Record's 20th annual "40 Under 40" honorees.

Lydia Hornung ('06 marketing) of John Deere Des Moines Works will be recognized on March 28, 2019 as one of the Des Moines Business Record's 20th annual "40 Under 40" honorees.

Emily Schmitt ('08 management) of Sukup Manufacturing will be recognized on March 28, 2019 as one of the Des Moines Business Record's 20th annual "40 Under 40" honorees.

Tyler Weig (A)('05 community health ed) of Des Moines' South Suburban YMCA will be recognized on March 28, 2019 as one of the Des Moines Business Record's 20th annual "40 Under 40" honorees.