[ class notes ] 1971 Terry Timm, former senior vice president, retired from North Star Mutual Insurance in Cottonwood after 39 years. 1979 Photographs taken by Jill (Tardy) Bemis were published in the December 2013 issue of Catholic Library World. The photographs graced the cover and illustrated the article, “A Cathedral of the Book,” which profiled the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library at the University of St. Thomas. 1981 Debi (McFarland) Reyes welcomed her first grandchild, Caroline Michelle McFarland, on July 11, 2014. 1989 Julie (Juusola) Schimek teaches sixth grade social studies at Willmar Middle School. 1990 Kurt Schimek has been promoted to general manager of Farm Service Elevator and Willmar Logistics, subsidiaries of Life Science Innovations and Affiliates of Willmar. 1991 Stephanie (Hoffman) Moser is the new Yankton, S.D. Convention and Visitors Bureau director. She will oversee the Yankton CVB’s programming and initiatives. 1993 Terry Brandt was elected bishop of Eastern North Dakota ELCA Synod on May 11, 2014. He will serve a six-year term. Jeff and Nancy (Wagener) Vierkant were named the 2014 State of Iowa Special Olympics Family of the Year.
Walker ‘98
Vincelli ‘01
Minnesota West Community and Technical College recently named Rebecca (Wollschlager) Weber as the new local campus dean. She will oversee both the Canby and Granite Falls campuses. 1998 Paul Brunner was recently promoted to associate professor at Indiana University, where he is Head of Theatre Technology. He continues to stay active in regional theatre by serving on an advisory committee for the renovation of a 1938 theatre in New Ulm. Sister Mary Sarah Macht, RSM (Richele Macht) graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in December 2013 with a master’s degree in nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner and is currently serving as the administrator of Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center in Alma, Mich. Michael Walker is the Director of the Office of Black Male Student Achievement with the Minneapolis Public Schools. SMSU adjunct English faculty member Melanie Gabbert-Gatchell had her photography featured in the K.K. Berge Gallery in Granite Falls. 2001 Dr. Nicholas Vincelli became a full partner and co-owner of Horizon Eye Care Professionals in Owatonna on Jan. 3, 2014. Nicholas and his wife,
Brusven ‘02
Amy (Cox ’02), along with twin brothers Elijah and Will, 3, welcomed a baby boy, Caleb Pasquale, on May 2, 2014.
Dattagupta ‘04/’07
Master of Social Work degree from the University of South Dakota on Aug. 1, 2014.
2002 Christina (Kubat) Brusven was elected as a new shareholder of Frederickson & Byron law firm. Christina works in the Minneapolis office as a member of the Energy, Renewable Energy, Transmission and Government Relations Groups.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey (MBA) was re-elected this past November and received over 60 percent of the votes. This is his third term. The position oversees a department of 340 employees responsible for water quality, conservation initiates and inspections of meat, dairy, grain, feed and fertilizer operations.
Matt Hanson (MS ‘07) finished fifth overall with a time of 8:39:22 in the Coeur d’Alene Ironman in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on June 29, 2014.
Satyajit Dattagupta (MBA ’07) is the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Washington College in Chestertown, Md.
2003 Natasha (Kuhle) Reierson (MS ’13) accepted the position of executive director of the Thief River Falls Education Foundation on Aug. 5. She spent the previous seven years as the Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Women’s Administrator at UM-Crookston. Natasha and her husband, Jarod, live in Thief River Falls with their daughter Rylie.
2005 Niaz Patwary was the first person from Bangladesh to be accepted into the Kiva Fellows Program. He has taught strategy and entrepreneurship in India for the last four years. Now, he travels Bangladesh as a motivational speaker and helps promote SMSU. He has successfully climbed Mount Elbrus, Europe’s highest peak, as well as Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa and Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak of South America.
2004 Crystal (Niemeier) Devore and husband Tyler welcomed home twins Savannah Faith and Jameson Bradley on Feb. 5, 2014.
Erik Porter and his wife, Andrea, welcomed Everett Glenn on May 28, 2014.
Alyssa Downing and Rhett Lamoreaux were married on August 23, 2014 in Eden Prairie.
Josh and Melissa (Wookey ’07) Scholten welcomed Oliver Henry on July 29, 2014.
Emily (Gengler) Hutchinson received her
Traci Hansen (MS) is an Education faculty
All cities are in Minnesota unless noted.
14 | FOCUS
Hutchinson ‘04
Devore ‘04
member at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa. 2006 Jamie Brink-Thordson and husband, Justin Thordson (’98), welcomed Beckett Steven on Sept. 22, 2014. David and Lisa (Peterson ’07) Christensen welcomed Connor Norman on May 4, 2014. Brett Glirbas became the chairperson of the South Dakota Board of Vocational Rehabilitation on June 25, 2014. Lindsey (Nelsen) Rausch is a forensic DNA analyst for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations in Cleveland, Ohio. She married Bryce Rausch in 2007. Bryce is the Director of Sales at MOVABLE in Cleveland. The couple had their first child in September 2014. Wade Degler (MS ’10) and his wife, Christina, welcomed Aiden on Aug. 1, 2014. 2007 Nathan (MS) and Alicia (MBA ‘07) Burns, along with big brother Gabe, welcomed Kya Jean in October 2014 Jammie (Enger) Lanners and her husband, Galen, welcomed Ella Mae on Aug. 12, 2014. Mary Sobiach married Nick McCarthy on July 19, 2014. Beth Vanderpoel graduated from Colorado