CLASS ACTS

the ’60s

Willard Mays ’69 was elected to the Executive Committee of the National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging, which he formerly chaired, and includes over 80 national organizations, governmental agencies, and state coalitions. He was named a Legacy Advisor to the American Society on Aging.

the ’70s

Cassandra Crowley MA ’77 retired from her position as Artistic and Executive Director of the Canton Ballet after 42 years at the helm.

David Head ’70, MS ’75 spent summer 2022 volunteering as an English teacher at a Summer Language Institute in Klaipeda, Lithuania, where he taught international students from Asian and European countries, including many Ukrainian refugees.

the ’80s

Bill Acklin ’82 retired from Roche Diagnostics after 41 years, his entire career. He and his wife, Charisse, have lived in Houston and Switzerland and have now settled in Indianapolis.

Ralph Blessing ’82 received a USA patent for a new baby product that encourages healthier, more active/fun ‘tummy time’ during a baby’s critical early pre-crawling stage development. The brand is called Tummy Turtles and Friends and is made here in Indianapolis.

Kevin Ault ’84, was recently appointed professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Western Michigan Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Ute Finch ’86 celebrated her movie debut in a scene with John Travolta in the film Paradise City. The movie premiered on the island of Maui where it was filmed and is now streaming on various platforms such as Amazon Prime, Google, and Apple TV.

Leah Brandon ’86 is currently the Associate Director of The School at Jacob’s Pillow. She partners in the strategic planning and leadership of The School, focusing on operations, marketing, and recruitment, including a new initiative, the Pillow 360 Intensives with partner organizations and universities around the world.

the ’90s

Leslie (Filter) Sutherlin ’91 is now Director of the Aurora Public Library District. She is also current Past President of the Indiana Library Federation.

Todd McDorman ’92 was named Dean of the College at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. A Professor of Rhetoric at Wabash since 1998, Todd is now serving as the College’s Chief Academic Officer.

Brady Ballentine ’93 recently accepted the role of Chief Information Officer at BCforward, an Indianapolis-based global consulting and workforce fulfillment firm.

Cassandra Hernández Hutzler ’93 was recently promoted to Managing Director of the New York Office of Heritage Auctions.

the ’00s

Kristen Rampe ’00 was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by AccountingToday, and her firm, Rosenberg Associates, was named one of the Top 10 Most Recommended Consultants by CPA Practice Advisor in 2022.

Lennea (Mull) Coombs ’02 was named as a Clinical Director for Physician Assistant (PA) specialty within the Office of Advanced Practice at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky and was also accepted into the next cohort for the Norton Provider Leadership Academy.

Ronald Gilliam ’03 started a new role as SVP, IT Chief of Staff at iQor, an award-winning BPO company.

Kinsey Arnett ’04 was promoted to partner at Faegre Drinker. Joey Wohlhieter ’05, MS ’22 has joined the news and media team at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Justin Nichols ’06 was promoted to Director of Event Operations at Conrad Indianapolis.

Bryan Howard ’07 has been promoted to Vice President, Administration & Technology at U.S. Granules Corporation in Plymouth, Indiana. He has been with the company since 2010.

Jennifer Nuest ’07 accepted the role of Senior Vice President, Transportation Practice Leader at Amwins. She is the first dedicated national industry practice leader at Amwins.

Eric Breitenbach ’08 was recently recognized as a top 50 financial advisor in the south Florida market. Eric serves clients in Illinois, Indiana, and Florida.

EveMarie Bessenbach ’09 has been named the first Director of Development and Communications for Hendricks Live! a new performing arts center under construction in Plainfield, Indiana.

Katherine (Van Wyk) Planas ’09 accepted the position of Director of Development at the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland.

the ’10s

Brett Reardon ’11 and his advising colleagues in O’Neill’s Undergraduate Programs Office were recently honored with an Outstanding Advising Program Certificate of Merit Award by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).

Michael Van De Voort ’13 was named the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Illinois Association of School Business Professionals.

Luke Bunting ’14 received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in May, 2022, where he served as Editorin-Chief of the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy. He currently serves as a Law Clerk for Judge Eleni M. Roumel of the United States Court of Federal Claims.

Luke Wortley MFA ’15 will be releasing his debut full-length poetry collection entitled SHARED BLOOD, forthcoming September 2023 from Gnashing Teeth Publishing.

Laura (Luther) Welch ’16 has been promoted to supervisor and site lead aerospace engineer for the US Navy’s F/A-18 E/F & EA-18G structures branch at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Washington at the age of 29.

the ’20s

Gwen Spencer ’20 received her Associate of the Society of Actuaries designation and accepted a new position as Senior Associate at Fortitude Re.

With just 70 Butler alumni spread across the state of Maine, it may be surprising to find a good number of them in one location. But this has been the case at the home games of the Maine Celtics G-League basketball team. With former Bulldog Kamar Baldwin ’20 joining the team and Alex Barlow ’15 in his first year as Head Coach, the season has provided regular opportunities for a community of alumni (and former Butler athletes) to reunite. Pictured are Kamar Baldwin ’20 (MBB) and Michelle Weaver ’19 (WBB) with their daughter Kaylin; Emily (Newell) Keller ’11 (Collegian Sports Editor) holding son Manuel; and Alex ’15 (MBB) and Belle (Obert) ’16 (WBB & Volleyball) Barlow holding son Colton.