Class Notes

Sarah Burke (MFA ’13 creative writing & the environment) has won the 2018 Cider Press Review book award for her manuscript Blueprints. The book is tentatively scheduled to be published in August 2019 by Cider Press Review.

New project: Pen and watercolor of Chaminade Hall, Chaminade College Prep School in St. Louis. This one was commissioned for auction for the school's Esto Vir fundraiser, happening 6pm, February 9th, at the St. Louis Frontenac Hilton

Julie Lichty Peterson (L)('81 indus admin), vice president of Peterson Farms Seed in Harwood, N.D., is being recognized as one of Prairie Business Magazine's "25 Women in Business." She will be recognized in the magazine's March 2019 issue.

Dr. Margaret A. Smith ('77 agronomy, MS '80), operator of Ash Grove Farm in Hampton, Iowa, has been chosen along with her spouse, Doug Alert, as the recipient of Practical Farmers of Iowa's 2019 Sustainable Agriculture Achievement Award. The award is granted annually by Practical Farmers to an individual or couple that has shown dedication to sustainable agriculture, generously shared their knowledge with others, and been influential in efforts to foster vibrant communities, diverse farms, and healthy food.

Kyle Peterson ('10 journalism & marketing) has joined the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal.

At the invitation of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University, Stephen Mosher (L)('70 elec engr) spoke to several classes of first-year engineering students on September 6, 2018. In his remarks Mosher discussed the opportunities available to graduate engineers, using examples from his own career path. It is a career path that included design and project engineer (analog radios, inductive cooktops, switching power supplies, RFI suppression), manager of computer development, patent agent, patent attorney, and partner in a law firm. These opportunities came about in large part because of the solid foundation in applied science and technology, and the skills and habits of thinking, analyzing problems, effective communication, and technical judgment developed while earning an engineering degree at Iowa State.

Elizabeth Burns-Thompson (L)('11 ag business), regulatory affairs counsel for the Iowa Corn Growers Association, will receive the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' 2019 Emerging Iowa Leader Award. The award will be presented Feb. 9 at the ISU Alumni Center. Burns-Thompson will also be recognized on the court that same day during the ISU vs. West Virginia women's basketball game at Hilton Coliseum.

Islam El-adaway (PhD '08 construction engr), the Hurst-McCarthy Professor of Construction Engineering and Management at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo., has been named by Engineering News Record as one of the Midwest's 2019 top young professionals. He was recently named a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Mark Coberley (A)('88 biology), Iowa State University's associate athletics director for sports medicine, has been selected for induction into the Mid-America Athletic Training Association Hall of Fame. Formal induction will take place March 29, 2019, in Tulsa, Okla.

Martha Smith (Ag Business, '04) recently accepted a new position within Bayer Crop Science as the Global Issues Management Lead for New Platforms. Martha will be relocating to St Louis, Missouri in January of 2019.

Jean Duffy (L)('87 fam resource mgmt & consumer sci) was recently recognized as one of the Top 50 All-Star Women in the field of retirement plan consulting by the National Association of Plan Advisors, an affiliate organization of the American Retirement Association. Duffy is senior vice president and financial advisor at Captrust in West Des Moines, Iowa.

M. Dudley Bonte ('71 civil engr), PE, of Martinsville, Indiana, was inducted into the Asphalt Pavement Association of Indiana (APAI) Hall of Fame. Bonte’s career included 40 years with Rieth-Riley Construction Company, where he retired as regional quality control director. He served on Rieth-Riley’s board of directors during his last seven years with the firm. After a brief retirement, he served three years as Technical Director for APAI, where he retired in 2017.

Cindy Brack Rollins (L)('79 pol sci) is retiring from her position as budget manager for the city of Bloomington, Minnesota. She has worked in the position for 18 years, but has dedicated her career to public service -- including stints with the State of Iowa, Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, and Patton Township, Pennsylvania. Rollins says her junior-year ISU internship with the Iowa House of Representatives inspired her to launch a career in government.

Craig Morris (L)('92 an sci), who most recently served as vice president of the National Pork Board, has been named chief executive officer of the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers Association in Seattle, Wash.

Dan Houston (A)('84 marketing), CEO of Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, has been voted Greater Des Moines' "Most Influential Business Leader" as recognized in the 2019 Des Moines Business Record Book of Lists.

Andrea Binnebose (PhD ’18 microbiology) has accepted a position at Diamond V as a senior research scientist, microbiology.

James O’Brien (L)(’97 agronomy) co-founded Agrograph, Inc., a software company combining satellite imagery and field data with machine learning algorithms to predict crop yields. Agrograph recently completed a seed funding agreement with the Idea Fund of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Ryan Jardon (’10 ag systems technology) has been promoted to territory sales manager for John Deere based out of Kennewick, Washington.

Nicole Yoder (’14 ag and life sciences education) has accepted a position as the director of marketing at Farmers Bank of Northern Missouri.

Michele (Lambing) Adkins (BS ’92 Family & Consumer Sciences) recently graduated from the College of Saint Mary with a Master’s of Science degree in Organizational Leadership.

Grant Bargfrede (A)(’14 public svc & admin in ag) has been named senior director of operations for Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity.

John Pollak (’73 MS animal science, ’75 PhD) was named coordination lead for the Nebraska Integrated Beef Systems Initiative at the University of Nebraska.

Cameron Jodlowski (L)('17 ag and life sci ed) accepted a role as a precision ag specialist for Diversified Crop Insurance Services in Jacksonville, Ill.

Mandy McWherter ('11 management) has been promoted to director of membership at the Technology Association of Iowa.

Alexander Hanson (A)('17 journalism) has been promoted to technical manager for on-air operations at NBCUniversal's Network Operations Center in Centennial, Colo.