Alumni News
1986 Laura Dotseth is
Elaine (Olsen) and Gary Johnson ’82 live in Andover, Minn. She is owner and director of Sounds and Praise and director of children’s ministries at Faith Lutheran Church in Coon Rapids, Minn. He is a network architect at MedNet Solutions Inc. in Minnetonka, Minn.
practice director of the enterprise transformation and strategy national practice at Trissential in Minneapolis. Teri (Palmquist) Hansen is a nursing education specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Jim Knutson teaches music at Cotter High School in Winona, Minn.
Dan Kuester published his book Green Wave, a murder mystery, in June. The book can be purchased in bookstores and online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.
BJ Larson earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership from St. Catherine University. She is spiritual health service director and systematic strategic head for SHS at Fairview Health Services in Burnsville, Minn.
Anne (Mattson) McAnallen is investor reporting manager at Ditech Financial LLC in Tempe, Ariz.
Miri (Peterson) Mattson is an office professional at Thrivent Financial in Decorah. Chuck Mueller of Nisswa, Minn., is founder and president of Solution Tactics. Pam (Norris) Phillips is retired in Alexandria, Minn. Curt Tryggestad is superintendent at Eden Prairie (Minn.) Schools and president-elect for the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. He will serve a three-year term. Cathy (Miner) Weber is a nurse case manager at Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque, Iowa.
1982 Deanna Barth is a
librarian at Washington Middle School in Kenosha, Wis. Donalee (Rima) Burns of Decorah has been costumer for New Minowa Players for 41 years. She costumed 59 people in the theater company’s summer musical, Fiddler on the Roof, last June. Nancy (Hermeier) Hershfield is director of advancement and assistant dean at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Sisters Kim (Christensen) Mahlum ’83, Pam (Christensen) Nelson ’84, and Jenny (Christensen) Boswell ’86 reunited in Lanesboro, Minn., last summer and took a road trip to Luther and Decorah to see the changes on and off campus.
Tony Awards presented by Carnegie Mellon University, she was one of 20 to earn honorable mention for excellence in theatre education.
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Luther Alumni Magazine
Sean Taylor is professor of history at Minnesota State University– Moorhead.
1985 Jana Christen Albers of Hiawatha, Iowa, is a social worker at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and in the Child Health Specialty Clinic in Decorah.
Jim Biedermann is plant manager for Sparboe Foods in New Hampton, Iowa.
Gina Sauer is volunteer coordinator for Lyric Arts Main Street Stage in Anoka, Minn.
1987 Bruce Dir is owner and
president of Tighthead Brewing Company in Mundelein, Ill. Dir and his business were featured in the Chicago Tribune in June. Lisa (Minske) Klever of West Des Moines, Iowa, is a pharmacy accountant for the Hy-Vee Inc. corporate office. Phil Meirick is a premier onebranch manager for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Des Moines, Iowa. This year marks his 26th working for Wells Fargo.
Andrea Urice is senior lecturer in drama at Washington University in St. Louis.
1983 Sandra (Bergstrom)
Dawson earned a master’s degree from St. Xavier University. She teaches special education at Rockford (Ill.) Public Schools. Kim (Christensen) Mahlum of Ettrick, Wis., is a district nurse for the La Crosse School District.
1984 Julie (Roehl) Coffin
is executive editor for DoubleInk Publishing Services based in Dublin, Ireland. She works from her home in Spencer, Ind., developing, writing, and editing educational materials for elementary and middle school reading and language arts.
Nancy (Nickerson) Lee is director of arts programming at Washburn High School in Minneapolis. Out of the 1,100 teachers nominated for
Kay Rathjen-Tulppo is a reading specialist and literacy coach at Sheboygan (Wis.) North High School.
Luther graduates attended the Iowa Campus Compact Annual Meeting and Upper Midwest Civic Engagement in Iowa City, Iowa. Among those who were recognized was Erin VanLaningham ’96 of Dubuque, Iowa, earning the Emerging Innovation Award. Brothers Paul Pribbenow ’78 and Dean Pribbenow ’87 presented “Brotherly Love: Reflections on Leadership and Community Engagement.” Pictured (left to right) are Anna (Haug) Pena ’05, Paul Pribbenow ’78, Justin Ellis ’06, and Erin VanLaningham ’96. Those in attendance but not pictured include Karen (Antons) Sindelar ’85 and Dean Pribbenow ’87.