Class Notes

Eldean “Dean” Borg, senior correspondent and producer for Iowa Public Radio, has been selected by the faculty of Iowa State University’s Greenlee School as the 2016 recipient of the James W. Schwartz Award honoring distinguished service to journalism and mass communication. The Forest City native is a 1959 ISU graduate in technical journalism. He also holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Iowa. His degrees have helped distinguish Borg as one of the state’s foremost voices on public policy and politics. In addition to his IPR reports, Borg hosts and moderates Iowa Public Television's popular “Iowa Press” broadcast, now in its 45th year. In 2008, Borg received the Jack Shelley Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Iowa Broadcast News Association. Shelley was the Greenlee School’s 1993 Schwartz Award winner. Other past winners of the school’s highest honor include CNN’s Christine Romans and former Time Magazine White House bureau chief Hugh Sidey. “I’m fortunate to have learned from–to have been prepared by—Jim Schwartz,” Borg said upon learning he had won the honor in his former professor’s name. “Not only the photography and journalism law classes where he shared his expertise, but four years of observing his professional standards and personal character that served as a model for my classmates and me. “I profited because Jim was good. Good at his profession and superb at mentoring students.” Michael Bugeja, Greenlee School director, said he was delighted to hear that Borg had won the Schwartz Award. “By coincidence or serendipity, Dean and I shared the same mentor,” former Iowa State agricultural journalism and broadcast professor Harry Heath. Heath, who left ISU to become director of the Oklahoma State journalism school, hired Bugeja from United Press International and played a key role in helping him transition from reporter to professor. “Harry would be exceptionally proud to know that Dean Borg has won the award," Bugeja said. Borg credited Heath with teaching him broadcast journalism. “It wasn’t in a formal classroom, but in a radio studio that Professor Heath crafted in the journalism department basement. He developed an arrangement with KASI, a downtown Ames commercial station for a daily, five-minute broadcast from our remote studio. “Harry, with shirt collar unbuttoned and necktie loosened, would look over my copy. With an editor’s pencil, he’d mark it up and send me into the studio while he operated the engineering switches for our daily newscast. We were quite a team," Borg said. Heath also arranged media assignments for Borg, including stringing for UPI. “Harry Heath was a journalistic Godfather to me," Borg added. "He not only guided me academically, but also pointed me to professional opportunities that shaped my career. But most of all, he prepared me to succeed in those opportunities.” Borg's reputation for quality journalism and ethical character made him a prime candidate for the Schwartz Award, Bugeja said, and faculty and administrators across campus were excited to learn he'd been selected. “Dean Borg is part of our extended Greenlee family," Bugeja added. Borg and spouse Sheila have five children, including son Lindsey Borg, director of integrated communications for Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business and also a Greenlee School Advisory Council member. Dean Borg will attend the Greenlee School October Advisory Council meeting where he will be honored officially with presentation of the Schwartz Award.

Larry Ebbers, university professor in the Iowa State School of Education, retired in May 2016 after more than 50 years of service to Iowa State University.

Steve Berger, a farmer near Wellman, Iowa, has received the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Conservation Pioneer Leader Award.

Todd Wiley, a farmer near Walker, Iowa, has received the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Amy Millmier Schmidt, assistant professor in the departments of biological systems engineering and animal science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was honored with the Outstanding Pork Service Award for Producer Outreach by the Nebraska Pork Producers Association.

Garrett Smith, a graduate student at Ohio State University, has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship.

Maria Bumgarner was named a 2016 ACE (Architecture, Construction, and Engineering) "Outstanding Mentor" at the organization's awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., April 25, 2016. Established five years ago, the ACE Twin Cities affiliate, where Maria has mentored for the past two years, is considered an emerging affiliate. As the lead mentor at a high school drawing students from a very diverse and underserved neighborhood, Maria has faced numerous challenges while creating a successful ACE program. This year, for example, only two students initially registered for the program, but through her special outreach efforts, the team ended the year with nine active students. It placed second in the affiliate’s final presentation event. Because of her contributions, the affiliate’s board of directors has nominated her to become a member starting in the fall. Maria is an MEP Project Engineer at Mortenson Construction in Minneapolis.

The article “Exploring Apparel Purchase Issues with Plus-size Female Teens” was named outstanding paper by the Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management's editorial team as part of the 2016 Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence. The article was co-authored by Laurel Romeo and her major professor, Young-A Lee.

Dan Cox, Charles City superintendent, has been elected vice president of School Administrators of Iowa, and will begin his term on the SAI Executive Committee September 1, 2016. “I am deeply humbled and honored to have been elected as the next SAI vice president. I look forward to working with the SAI team to deepen the impact our organization can have on its members,” Cox shared. Responsibilities of the SAI Executive Committee include actively promoting and delivering on the mission and goals of the association, which involve developing Iowa’s educational leaders and learners. Cox became the Charles City district’s superintendent in 2013. He previously served as principal at Hoover Middle School in Waterloo. He began his education career as a Spanish and social studies teacher at Essex High School.

Lori Reesor, formerly the vice president for student affairs at the University of North Dakota, has been named vice provost for student affairs and dean of students at Indiana University Bloomington pending formal approval by the Indiana University Board of Trustees. “Lori comes to IU with the perfect combination of higher-education experience, compassion and a record of success in implementing student success initiatives,” said IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel. “We’re thrilled to welcome her to the IU community and look forward to her continuing our campus-wide efforts to promote inclusion and expand services to ensure the success of every IU student.”

Rachel Hall's (MA English 1989)collection of linked short stories, HEIRLOOMS, was selected by Marge Piercy for the G.S. Sharat Chandra Book Prize. BkMk Press will publish the collection in September 2016.

Pete Kostelnick won the 2015 Badwater 135, the "World's Toughest Foot Race," which covers 135 miles nonstop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, Calif. He placed 14th in the 2014 race before claiming the title the next year. He is a financial analyst at a health care market research firm in Lincoln, Neb.

Susie Veatch has been named president of Kinze Manufacturing, a farm equipment company in Williamsburg, Iowa. Veatch was formerly vice president. She remains the company's chief marketing officer.

For the fourth straight year, Suku Radia -- CEO & president of Bankers Trust Co. -- has been voted by Des Moines Business Record readers as the most influential business leader in greater Des Moines. Radia topped the annual list of top-25 influential leaders that appears in the 2016 Book of Lists.

Scott E. Olson was re-elected to a second four-year term on the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) City Council. Scott was also recently selected to the Midwest Real Estate News Magazine's 2015 Real Estate Hall of Fame class.

Allen Schroeder received the Legacy Award in March, one of the Wisconsin Governor's Tourism Awards. Schroeder is the historic site director for three separate historic sites in the state: Pendarvis, Stonefield, and First Capitol.

Sandra Otten Davis has published Pearls of Leadership Wisdom, Volume II. David is the chair and co-founder of MDA Leadership Consulting in Minneapolis.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. George A. Larson of Rapid City, S.D., recently published South Dakota War Stories: The Great Plains to Southwest Asia. The book begins with the historic "voyage of discovery" of Lewis and Clark and continues through World Wars I and II, the Cold War, Vietnam, and beyond.

Carter Niemeyer has just published his second book, Wolf Land. The book is a collection of nonfiction "campfire" stories, sharing memorable field experiences about Niemeyer's interactions with wolves and people.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden announces the appointment of Dr. Rebecca J. Snyder as curator of conservation and science, a new position that will oversee the management of the Zoo’s growing and diverse conservation and research initiatives. Snyder will further identify and evaluate the Zoo’s conservation partnership opportunities, establish a strategy for conservation spending and messaging, conduct research on the Zoo’s animal collection and publish findings, and expand partnerships with other zoos, local universities and nonprofit organizations. “We are delighted that Dr. Snyder has joined the Zoo team. With the amount of conservation support the Zoo gives through both monetary and in-kind work all over the world, we needed someone who could help oversee this large and significant range of projects,” said Barry Downer, Zoo deputy director. “With a diverse background in animal management and global research and conservation, she will help the Zoo expand its influence and effect on the wildlife we all treasure.”

Ayesha Riaz has been chosen among 55 international students to be part of the 2016 Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme. “Upon completion of my PhD, I intend to join my university back to continue teaching and doing research in my field of study. I am excited and honoured to begin my doctoral studies at Cambridge as part of the Gates community,” said Riaz, who is a Karachi University graduate and has also completed her MS in Genetics from the Iowa State University on a Fulbright scholarship.

Beth Shelton, PE, has been promoted to project manager in the transportation department at RPS Klotz Associates in Houston, Texas. Shelton has 10 years of experience in traffic engineering, including modeling, traffic impact analysis, wayfinding signing plans, access management studies, and signal warrant analysis.

A Utah State associate professor with expertise in textiles and apparel design has been named associate director of Oregon State University Extension Service. Lindsey Shirley will begin work at OSU on June 1. She’ll also serve as associate provost. Shirley’s work at Utah State has branched out from textiles and apparel design to include the social dynamics represented by clothing, according to an OSU news release. Among other work, she developed ways to teach design as a STEM subject, bringing science, technology, engineering and math principles into the study. Shirley has a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from Iowa State University and a master’s in education from the University of Minnesota. In her OSU position, she succeeds Deborah Maddy, who retired.

Hugo Cota-Snchez has been named a Master Teacher by the University of Saskatchewan. Since joining the Department of Biology in 2000, Cota-Snchez has earned a reputation as one of the University of Saskatchewan's most esteemed teacher-scholars. Although many of the concepts he teaches are highly technical, Cota-Snchez employs interactive and engaging teaching methods to make the subject matter less intimidating. For example, one of his undergraduate classes is taken annually on a “supermarket safari,” where students travel to a grocery store and learn how various foods and cosmetic products are inextricably connected to plants. Cota-Snchez has also designed a suit made entirely of burlap that he will often wear during class to demonstrate the versatility of plants. As curator of the W.P. Fraser Herbarium on campus, Cota-Snchez also leads many outreach initiatives that introduce a wide range of students to the world of botany. For example, he regularly conducts tours of the herbarium for elementary and secondary school students, and also frequently acts as a guide for Saskatchewan Polytechnic students who are visiting campus during field trips. While Cota-Snchez’s classes can be large, he makes a point to know each student by name. He is engaging and genuine in a way that many teachers strive to be, yet few can truly achieve. This ability to connect with students, and his belief that teachers must consistently assess and adjust their teaching methods, is annually reflected in his student evaluation scores, which are consistently excellent. As one student noted in a 2010 evaluation form, “Hugo is by far the best professor I’ve ever had. … He loves his subject so much and that is a big influence on how he teaches. … Hugo sets a high standard for any prof to live up to. His attitude and positive energy keep the class interesting and fun.” For his exceptional work in the classroom, Cota-Snchez has won numerous teaching honours in addition to the Master Teacher Award. Namely, he twice received the College of Arts and Science’s Teaching Excellence Award (2006, 2014), a Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching (2015), and a USSU Teaching Excellence Award (2003). He also won a Teaching Excellence Award from his previous employer, Iowa State University, in 1997.

Joseph R. Marconi, a 1972 graduate of Iowa State and a 1976 graduate of John Marshall Law School, has been named a 2016 recipient of The John Marshall Law School Spirit Award. The Spirit Award is presented by The John Marshall Law School’s Board of Trustees to men and women in the John Marshall community who “display the true spirit of The John Marshall Law School in his or her work in the community, as well as a concern for the welfare and continued success of our law school.” Joe Marconi is the chair of Johnson & Bell's Business Litigation group and Professional Liability group. He handles and supervises complex civil litigation, including real estate and commercial disputes, professional liability and employment law. Mr. Marconi successfully tries cases to verdict for various professionals including attorneys, accountants, appraisers and brokers. He prosecutes and defends cases involving trade secrets, unfair competition, trademark and patent infringement. In addition, he has extensive experience with a wide range of real estate litigation, both in court and in arbitration, including disputes over purchase agreements, partnership agreements, management agreements, construction and lease disputes.