Sister Sandra Rodemyer was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, but raised in Des Moines, Iowa. She attended St. Augustin and St. Joseph Academy. Sr. Sandra went on to Clarke College in Dubuque for two years and then entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the BVMs) in 1961. From Mount Carmel she was sent to Mundelein College in Chicago to finish her degree. She taught at St. Albert High School in Council Bluffs, Regina High School in Iowa City where she was also chair of the Social Studies Department, and Dowling for 18 years.
In 1995 following her retirement from teaching Each year Dowling Catholic proudly honors
skills coach for the University of Nebraska
she became the Food Pantry Director for the
deserving alumni of St. Joseph Academy and
athletic department. She also created and
Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC)
DCHS with the Distinguished Alumni and
implemented a city-wide life skills resiliency
Emergency Food Pantry. She was responsible
Distinguished Young Alumni Awards. We are
program for at-risk/incarcerated youth and
for ordering food for the 11 pantry sites and
honored to recognize Marthaellen Florence
teen mothers for a consortium of community
overseeing 50 volunteers. She retired from the
‘75, Sandra Rodemyer, BVM ‘59 and Meghan
centers which is still in use. She is also a
Food Pantry in 2007.
E. O’Neill ‘02 as our 2021 award recipients.
trained mediator and life coach.
Marthaellen Florence retired in 2019 from an
For more than 30 years she has served as
At Dowling she participated in the Teens
award-winning career in public broadcasting
a consultant for LeaderShape, Inc., co-
Encounter Christ (TEC) program for seniors.
(PBS) spanning more than 40 years. Ms.
facilitating workshops for university faculty
In 1992 she joined the Residents Encounter
Florence is a graduate of the University of
members and future leaders selected
Christ (REC) prison retreat program at the
Nebraska-Lincoln and holds a bachelor’s
through college honors programs.
women’s prison in Mitchellville. She worked
Sr. Sandra served on two retreat programs.
degree in broadcast journalism.
on 32 retreats and volunteered in the prison’s She strongly believes in servant leadership
Religious Library. She retired from prison
She currently serves as a faculty
and takes great pride in her community
ministry in 2018 after volunteering for 23 years.
member with the Center for Leadership
involvement. She feels it is important to give
Sr. Sandra served on the Catholic Peace
Development (CLD), an agency under the
back and has served in numerous leadership
Ministry board and the Holy Trinity Peace
federal government’s Office of Personnel
roles on local, regional and national boards.
and Justice Committee. She served on the
Management which offers education
Holy Trinity Stephen Minister team where she
programs across the U.S. and the world. She
She has been recognized with many awards,
served as a trainer for new Stephen Ministers.
also serves as faculty chair for the agency’s
including the Lincoln Mayor’s Heart of the Arts
She was a member of the Des Moines Sisters’
diversity, equity and inclusion initiative
and NAACP Leola Bullock Community Service
Council for over 40 years, often serving in
working with the Office of Personnel
awards. She was a YWCA Woman of the Year-
leadership positions. She currently serves on
Management and the U.S. White House on
Tribute to Women honoree, named one of
the BVM Ministry Grant Committee which
aligning the recent presidential executive
Leadership Lincoln’s Community Co-Creators
awards grants to organizations serving the
orders on racial equity.
and inducted into the University of Nebraska
needs of women and children.
Multicultural Hall of Fame. She is extremely Ms. Florence has a strong leadership
honored and humbled to be recognized with
In 2007 Sr. Sandra received the Governor’s
background. She began honing her
the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Volunteer Award for her prison volunteer
leadership skills in the mid-90s as a life 14
D O WLIN G CATH OLIC H IGH SC HOOL
work, and in 2008 she received the Des
