Class Notes

1972

Wayne Pelzel won reelection as mayor of Sleepy Eye, Minn.

1974

Lee Kanten and his wife, Jeanie (Strube ’75), moved from the Twin Cities back to Ortonville, his hometown, for retirement.

2001

Ryan Sims was named the Nevada Athletic Director Association’s 2020 Athletic Director of the Year. He is currently the athletic director at Reed High School in Sparks, Nev.

2002

Katie (Kizer) Chang is a trade compliance manager for Polaris Industries. Sara (Granheim) Deering (MBA ’04) started a new job at E&I Cooperative Services as a member relations executive covering Minn., N.D., Neb., S.D., and Wis.

2003

Amy (Knudsen) Johnson was named the director of treasury management by Great Western Bank, based in Sioux Falls, S.D. Jayme McGhan has been named the new head of the Department of Theatre at the University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, Ga., and has taken on the artistic and managing director roles of the Gainesville Theatre Alliance.

2004

Jason Mayer is the director of laboratory services for Park Nicollet Health Services based in St. Louis Park.

2006

Michelle (Marotzke) Hull (MBA ’09) has joined the Mid-Minnesota Development Commission to assist Kandiyohi and surrounding counties with recovery from the economic damage from COVID-19.

2007

Cory Isebrand (MS) is the new PE instructor at Gehlen Catholic Schools in Le Mars, Iowa. Jessica (Myrvik) Pearson and husband, Terry Pearson, welcomed a baby boy, Micah, on

May 3, 2020.

2008

Kayleigh (Booker) Karppinen and her husband, Andrew, welcomed their first child, Faye Katherine, on July 2, 2020. Breiann (Harris) Remiger welcomed a baby boy, Malcolm, on Aug. 31, 2020.

2009

Derek Bjoraker and his wife, Charlotte, welcomed a baby boy, Nolan, in June, 2020. Trenton Dammann has started a new role as an attorney for the city of Redwood Falls, Minn. He was formerly a law clerk

for the Fifth Judicial District, based in Redwood Falls. Michael Leischner won two state awards during the 2019 Wisconsin Broadcasters Association banquet, including Best Continuing Coverage for a Series of Stories and Best Medium Market News/Talk Website for WSAU. com, which he maintains along with the rest of the WSAU staff.

2010

Sarah (Kelly) Smith and her husband, Dustin, welcomed a baby girl, Isla, on Oct. 21, 2020.

2011

Stacy (Bottolfson) Hubert and her husband, Kyle, welcomed a baby boy, Logan Riley, on May 4, 2020.

2012

Ben Dolan graduated from law school at the University of South Dakota and is a clerk for a district court judge. He ran as a Democrat for the Minnesota House seat in District 17A, losing to incumbent Republican Tim Miller. Toni (Harms) Lewis started a new job in November, 2020 as the manager of perishables at Hy-Vee in Lenexa, Kan. Tanner Skillings (MBA ’18) started a new job at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, as the development manager in humanities.

2013

Kyle Box currently serves as the city clerk for the city of Marshall. Laura (Johnson) Drager (MBA ’16) and husband, Mitch, welcomed a baby girl, Eden Rae, on May 2, 2020. Laura was also selected to represent the Mankato area at the 2020 Minnesota Young American Leaders Program as a rising leader in the region.

2014

Kassi (Hague) Tietz and her husband, Lucas Tietz (’13/ MBA ’16), welcomed their second daughter, Tatum, on Feb. 25, 2020. Mai Che Vue works at Wells Fargo Auto in Minneapolis as a business support associate.

2015

Ryan Engels married Angela Tauer on Aug. 8, 2020. Anna Surprenant married Robert Jenson on Aug. 3, 2020. Mark Vue became the new owner of Bubai Foods in Walnut Grove, taking ownership of the grocery store in March, 2020.

2016

Rita Fonder (MBA ’18) works at Orphan Grain Train, Inc. in Norfolk, Neb., as an international shipping and public relations assistant.

2018

Mackenzie Clouse married Jesse Vogelgesang on Oct. 5, 2019.

Ryan Koopman began teaching at United South Central School District in Wells, in September, 2020. He teaches social studies.

Jeff Pryor (MS) is an enrollment officer for Galvanize Inc., Denver, Colo.

2019

Ya-Chi (Nicole) Chan (MBA) is an invoice administrator/analyst at U.S. Bank.

Amber Coleman is the executive assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Presentation College, Aberdeen, S.D.

Danika Dahlin is an early childhood special education teacher for grades K-6 at Braham Area Schools, Braham.

Jayden Fleck married Amber Messner (’20) on July 11, 2020.

Alex Jorgensen received a contract to play professional baseball with the Joliet Slammers, a member team of the Frontier League, in Joliet, Ill. Antonio Ledbetter works at Prairie Community Services, Marshall, as a mental health practitioner. Kelsi (Magers) Limoges is a first-grade teacher at Reede Gray Elementary School, Redwood Falls. Ryan Mallinger teaches fourth grade in the Flandreau School District, Flandreau, S.D.

2020

Tyler Behrendsen is a police officer in Pocahontas, Iowa.

Donavan Phoenix is an ag education teacher at Redwood Valley High School, Redwood Falls. He is also the FFA coadvisor.

Kritika Shah is the chief of marketing/office manager at Evergreen Construction Company for the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area.