SUPPORT AT EVERY STEP
Innovative, personalized resources launch St. Kate’s students to success.
A HISTORIC INAUGURATION
In January, Kaohly Her was sworn in as St. Paul mayor at The O’Shaughnessy. The city’s first woman, first Hmong, and first Asian American in the role, Mayor Her took the oath of office surrounded by other historic women “firsts.” She selected St. Kate’s for the ceremony as a women’s and Minority Serving Institution.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
KHATMEH OSSEIRAN-HANNA
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
MARY HAEG, JD
DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
LAURA GREENLEE-KARP
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
SARAH VOIGT MAOL’25
EDITOR
MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17
DESIGNER
HEATHER LONGMORE
CONTRIBUTORS
KARA D eMARIE MLIS’16
LYDIA FASTELAND MLIS’17
KENDALL GRAHAM
ADAM KINTOPF/LINNEHAN FOY
MOLLY ORTH
AMY SHAW/ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS TEAM
LIZZY TEGELER
PHOTOGRAPHERS
LEENA ABDULLA ’24
KRISTIE ENGEBRETSON ANDERSON
PATRICK CLANCY
FAITH NORTON ’27
REBECCA ZENEFSKI SLATER ’10
TARA SLOANE
ERIN SMITH
ADDRESS CHANGES 651-690-6666
STKATE.EDU/UPDATEINFO mag.stkate.edu
@st.kates
@stkates
St. Catherine University
St. Catherine University Magazine is published three times a year by the Office of Communications. No part of this publication may be reprinted without permission.
St. Catherine University was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1905.
Learn more: stkate.edu/ourhistory
21
FEATURES
When Opportunity Knocks
At St. Kate’s, adult and online education validates professional experience, accelerates academic progress, and opens doors.
BY ADAM KINTOPF
Support at Every Step
Intentional resources help students build purpose and momentum on their educational journeys.
BY ADAM KINTOPF
Meet Laura Greenlee-Karp
Introducing the new director of Alumni Relations.
BY KENDALL GRAHAM
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
In March, St. Catherine University donors honored over 450 inspiring women with a gift to the Katie Fund — a triple celebration of Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day, and our annual Give to Honor Her. See the list of honorees on page 18.
PHOTO/CITY OF SAINT PAUL
From the President
As I have made my way around the country on the Destination St. Kate’s Tour, my visits with alumni have given me a glimpse of some of the extraordinary lives lived, thanks to a St. Kate’s education. At each stop I hear about the strong connections alumni continue to have with St. Kate’s because of the support and encouragement they felt from the faculty and staff they interacted with while they were students. The stories I receive on this tour remind me of the enduring gift St. Kate’s offers to every student we meet.
Innovative support and encouragement for our students is a practice that is alive and well today at St. Kate’s, as you will read on page 12. Our student retention rates for fall 2025 were the highest in a decade, but that accomplishment was thanks to the intentional work from our teams that develop support programming and encourage our students’ persistence in the face of some extraordinary challenges.
A universal theme I have heard from our alumni while on the tour is that the experiences they found at St. Kate’s were unlike any other education offering available to them. It was St. Kate’s that helped them find their voice, connect with their calling, and graduate to lead and influence. Surrounded and inspired by these bright, motivated women, I have left each tour stop with renewed energy to pour that collective wisdom
back into the community of learners we now welcome to St. Catherine University.
That includes students who study our online course offerings as well as adult learners, as you can read about on page 4. Their education, shaped by lived experiences and a deep sense of purpose, is one our faculty and staff have thoughtfully created with programs and learning environments that honor the complexity of adult life while opening doors to new possibilities. In fact, at their most recent board meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a new set of strategic priorities, developed by our Senior Leadership Team, that reflect a renewed commitment to online and adult learning opportunities. I am excited to share more about these priorities in the near future.
The gift of a thriving and engaged alumni community is a true blessing for our students. I remain deeply grateful for your fellowship and mentorship that strengthen the St. Catherine University community. You continue to lead our students by sharing the examples of your life paths. It is your journeys that influence our students’ progress, and breathe life in our mission.
Marcheta P. Evans, PhD President
The
stories I receive on this tour remind me of the enduring gift St. Kate’s offers to every student we meet.”
When Opportunity Knocks
At St. Kate’s, adult and online education validates professional experience, accelerates academic progress, and opens doors.
BY ADAM KINTOPF
When Kyleigh Besta ’25, MSN’27 opened the email announcing her acceptance into St. Catherine University’s Master of Science in Nursing entry-level program, she felt something unexpected: quiet confidence.
After a winding path through community college, program changes, a break from school, and a demanding job in a dermatology clinic, she had finally found her way forward.
“I had just fallen in love with the idea of nursing,” she says. “Getting that letter felt like confirmation that I hadn’t been wrong to keep going.”
With the support of St. Kate’s adult online education pathways, Besta completed her undergraduate degree with the University’s new Bachelor of Health Science — the program’s first graduate — and began her next chapter in the master’s program. Her journey reflects a broader truth at St. Catherine University: adult learners bring determination, lived experience, and a deep sense of purpose. What they need is a community ready to meet them where they are.
And at St. Kate’s, they find it. Across campus and online, faculty and staff are designing programs, conversations, and learning environments that honor the complexity of adult life while opening doors to new possibilities.
KYLEIGH BESTA ’25, MSN’27
— JaeEun Joo, EdD, associate provost “
Online and in-person each offer distinct strengths … We modernize and innovate because we have to — but we do it in a way that strengthens our mission, not dilutes it.”
“HONORING THE WORK PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY DONE”
That sense of possibility is woven throughout St. Kate’s approach to adult and online education. Programs are intentionally designed to support learners balancing careers, caregiving, and community commitments. Flexibility is not an accommodation; it is a core value.
Overseeing the University’s adult and online learning strategy is JaeEun Joo, EdD, associate provost for adult education and online learning. Adult learners, she notes, are not a monolith. Some students are returning to school after years away. Others are enrolling in higher education for the first time. What they share, says Joo, is clarity of purpose and a desire to be seen as professionals and as whole people, not as exceptions to the norm.
“They know why they’re here,” Joo says. “They’re motivated, pragmatic, and deeply service-minded. Yet they navigate significant time constraints, continually balancing professional responsibilities alongside family and community commitments.”
AN EYE — AND EAR — FOR POSSIBILITIES
St. Kate’s commitment to serving adult students begins with educators like Mira Blume ’19, MAHS’21, assistant professor of interprofessional education and health science.
Blume has spent years working with adult learners, and she understands the emotional weight many carry when they return to school. Some have been away for years. Others have navigated financial pressures, family responsibilities, or academic setbacks. What unites them is uncertainty about whether they belong.
“Adult students aren’t unsure because they lack ability,” she says. “They’re unsure because life has taught them how much is at stake.”
Blume’s philosophy — and that of the wider University — begins with listening. For instance, when Besta first reached out, she wasn’t looking for a checklist. She was looking for reassurance that her goals were still within reach.
She found just that, in Blume’s steady encouragement and ability to see potential where students often see only obstacles.
“I said, ‘This is what I want to do, but I don’t know where to start,’” Besta recalls. “Mira didn’t tell me what I couldn’t do. She helped me see what was possible.”
St. Kate’s commitment to meeting adult students where they are is evident in Credit for Prior and Alternative Learning (CPAL), a program that recognizes the academic value of professional experience. Through CPAL, students connect their work experience to course outcomes in narrative form, which faculty evaluate with the same rigor applied to traditional coursework.
The experience is transformative for many learners. It validates their professional lives and accelerates their academic progress, often reducing both cost and time to completion. Initiatives like CPAL fit squarely into Joo’s broader strategy for access and completion. She describes CPAL as a cornerstone of St. Kate’s adultlearning model.
“When we recognize learning that happened outside a traditional classroom, we honor the work people have already done,” Joo says.
Blume agrees, describing CPAL as both practical and deeply respectful. For adult learners, that respect can make all the difference, smoothing pathways into programs, shortening time to completion, and reinforcing confidence along the way.
“We work to respect people’s time,” she says. “Time is money for our adult learners.”
For Besta, CPAL was a turning point.
“I had never heard of anything like it,” she says. “The idea that what I was already doing at work could count for college credit was incredible.”
“
The idea that what I was already doing at work could count for college credit was incredible.”
— Kyleigh Besta MSN’27
MIRA BLUME ’19, MAHS’21
JAEEUN JOO, EdD
PHOTO/TARA SLOANE
PHOTO/KRISTIE
PHOTO/PATRICK
MISSION STRENGTHENED BY INNOVATION
Joo’s career evolved to focus on building holistic academic systems, helping adult learners access education without forcing them to put their lives on hold. When the opportunity at St. Kate’s arose, it felt like a natural fit.
“My role is University-wide,” she explains. “My job is to make sure adult learners can access high-quality education that is also flexible, learner-centered, and sustainable.”
CPAL is not the only way Joo and St. Kate’s are rising to this specific challenge. The associate provost’s outlook is evident in how the University facilitates online education and designs the programs.
Interprofessional sessions offered via Zoom allow adult students to participate during evenings or lunch breaks, bringing their lived experience into conversations that deepen learning for everyone involved. Faculty and administrators carefully consider which content works best online, which benefits from in-person engagement, and where hybrid or fully online models make the most sense.
“Online and in-person each offer distinct strengths, and our responsibility is to align the instructional approach with the learning goals and outcomes,” says Joo. “We modernize and innovate because we have to — but we do it in a way that strengthens our mission, not dilutes it.”
Joo describes a progression that starts with that institutional mission — educating women to lead and influence — and builds outward. Rather than chasing trends, new programs are designed as extensions of St. Kate’s identity.
When Joo came to campus, she found that University faculty not only support her philosophy, but were eager to drive it forward and further develop programs that prepare students for the future in new ways.
One such faculty member is Stephanie de Sam Lazaro ’05, MAOT’06, OTD’14. She is a three-time St. Kate’s alumna, associate professor, and the interprofessional education director for the Institute for Simulation and Interprofessional Learning (I-SAIL), who brings a practitioner’s perspective to her work.
For example, de Sam Lazaro, a former occupational therapist, understands the demands of healthcare education and the importance of preparing students for hands-on collaboration. I-SAIL facilitates thousands of hours of simulation each year, creating
realistic clinical scenarios with trained patient actors and “high fidelity” mannequins that mimic a wide range of bodily functions such as pulse and blood pressure.
But the true innovation lies in the culture surrounding the simulations — an environment designed to be both supportive and challenging.
“Students need spaces that are both safe and brave,” de Sam Lazaro says. “Places where they can try, fail, reflect, and try again.”
“ST. KATE’S CONTINUES TO CARE AFTER YOU GRADUATE”
Together, the stories of students, faculty, and leaders reveal a clear throughline at St. Kate’s. Adult and online education here is a carefully built academic ecosystem grounded in St. Kate’s mission, shaped by lived experience, and animated by the belief that accessible education empowers.
Looking ahead, Joo is invigorated by what’s possible. She aims to strengthen student and faculty orientations and enhance the quality and coherence of course delivery. Joo also hopes to employ data-informed decision-making with greater intentionality to illuminate what is working well and where further refinement is warranted.
The emphasis, she says, is not on building digital tools, but on using them responsibly and thoughtfully in service of the University’s vision for itself and its community of learners.
“We can’t fall behind — but we also won’t lose who we are,” Joo says.
Blume’s commitment is personal. A two-time St. Kate’s alumna whose mother also graduated from the University, she highlights the power of connection.
“What really sets St. Kate’s apart,” Blume says, “is how the University continues to care about you after you graduate.”
That care is evident in classrooms, simulations, advising conversations, and online spaces where faculty and staff work to ensure that every student — no matter their age, background, or life circumstances — has a path forward.
“They already understand responsibility,” de Sam Lazaro adds. “What we help them do is translate that into shared decision-making and advocacy.”
For Besta, the journey has been life-changing. She regained confidence she didn’t realize she had lost, discovered new strengths, and found a community that believed in her from day one.
Her story illustrates what becomes possible when support, flexibility, and mission align: “I went from thinking, ‘I don’t know if this is for me,’ to realizing I can build a life and go to school at the same time,” she says.
UNIVERSITY PROGRAMMING SUCH AS THE INSTITUTE FOR SIMULATION AND INTERPROFESSIONAL LEARNING (I-SAIL) HELPS PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE IN INNOVATIVE WAYS. EACH YEAR, I-SAIL FACILITATES THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF SIMULATION USING HIGH-FIDELITY MANNEQUINS AND TRAINED PATIENT ACTORS TO CREATE REALISTIC CLINICAL SCENARIOS.
PHOTOS/ERIN SMITH
Bookmark
The 2026–27 St. Kate’s One Read for Racial Justice highlights stories of refugees who have made Minnesota their home.
BY LYDIA FASTELAND ’12, MLIS’17 AND LIZZY TEGELER
The St. Kate’s One Read for Racial Justice is an interdisciplinary common read program for and by the St. Kate’s community. Each year, a committee of students, staff, faculty, and community members select a book written by a BIPOC author for the campus to read together. Campus communities are invited to interact with the text through discussion, course integration, programming, and working with community partners to take action against systemic oppression facing communities of color. The vision is to come together as a community through reading, celebrating, and centering the stories of BIPOC authors while exploring the full complexity of identity and experience.
One Read was founded in 2016 by St. Kate’s alumna and former librarian Amy Mars MLIS’12 in response to the murder of Philando Castile. The first selection was A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota, edited by Sun Yung Shin, which features the essay “Dark Trees in the Landscape of Love” by Hmong-American Minnesota author Kao Kalia Yang. In this tenth year of the One Read for Racial Justice, the committee is excited to announce that another text by Yang, Somewhere in the Unknown World: A Collective Refugee Memoir, has been chosen for the 2026–27 academic year.
In Somewhere in the Unknown World, Yang shares the stories of refugees from all over the world who now make their home in Minnesota. Her lyrical writing style captures a diversity of personal experiences, all of which emphasize that leaving home and starting anew is never easy. The One Read committee chose this collective memoir for its ability to reflect the refugee experience on our campus, in our state, and in the country at large, which feels exceptionally important at our tumultuous present moment.
Currently, the program is co-chaired by St. Kate’s staff members Lizzy Tegeler and Lydia Fasteland ’12, MLIS’17, with gratitude to all who have served on this committee over the years. Previous One Read texts include The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis, Dream Country by Shannon Gibney, Girl Gone Missing by Marcie Rendon, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas, The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Juanda Petrus, and Our Stories Carried Us Here: A Graphic Novel Anthology, published by Green Card Voices and featuring a narrative short story by a St. Kate’s alum.
Everyone is invited to read along — stay tuned for One Read programming throughout 2026–27: stkate.edu/OneRead
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, I could not fail to see an America that was questioning its long history of refugee resettlement, an America that seeks to define itself by casting its vulnerable immigrants and incoming refugees to the margins of society. Greater than my fear of what I could not do was a growing need to convey the refugee lives around me, to show our shared understanding of war and hunger for peace, our vulnerabilities and strengths, and to offer our powerful truths to a country I love.
—
Kao Kalia
Yang, Somewhere in the Unknown World: A Collective Refugee Memoir
Support at Every Step
Intentional
resources help students build purpose and momentum on their educational journeys.
BY ADAM KINTOPF
At St. Catherine University, student retention isn’t just a metric — it’s a reflection of how deeply students feel seen, supported, and connected.
In its fall 2025 student census report, the University reported its highest first-to - second-year retention rate in a decade: 84.2 percent of first - time, full - time, degree - seeking students returned for their second year. This significantly exceeds the national average for U.S. students — 69.5 percent, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
At a time when higher education often makes headlines for uncertainty, St. Catherine University offers a different story — one of intentional design, human connection, and belief in students’ potential. To the people who make up the St. Kate’s community, that retention rate is more than a number. It’s a testament to what happens when students are not just enrolled, but truly supported, challenged, and known.
SPACE TO GROW
For students like psychology major Faith Norton ’27, that support began the moment she stepped onto campus. Norton grew up homeschooled in Hopkins, Minnesota, which reported a population of 19,462 in the 2024 U.S. census. Looking at colleges, she knew what she didn’t want: a sprawling infrastructure where she might disappear.
“
Maddie [Jarmola] continuously reached out to make sure I had the support I needed. It made me feel valued — I wasn’t just another student on a list.”
— Faith Norton ’27
MADDIE JARMOLA, STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF RETENTION AND STUDENT SUCCESS, EMPHASIZES THE RELATIONSHIP-DRIVEN, CAMPUSWIDE EFFORTS OF HER TEAM IN UNIVERSITY RETENTION SUCCESSES.
PHOTOS/REBECCA
“I really wanted to stay close to home,” Norton says. “I didn’t want a big campus, and I didn’t want to feel lost.”
St. Kate’s felt different. “The campus is small and selfcontained and that really sold me,” she says. “It felt like a community.”
Public health and public policy major Rayan Abdulkadir ’27 recognized that sense of community immediately as well, even though she arrived with less clarity about her academic path.
“Honestly, I never had a dream college,” she says. “College, for me, was just something that was expected of me at first.”
What she did want was supportive space: to figure things out, to be seen, to grow.
“I came to St. Kate’s because I saw that there was a really close -knit, tight community,” she says. “I wanted room to figure those things out. At bigger institutions, it’s easy to get drowned out and not feel like you’re really being seen or heard.”
Both students describe arriving with uncertainty about their futures, abilities, and place in higher education. And both describe finding the same thing: people who refused to let them navigate those uncertainties alone.
Norton remembers a psychology professor who walked with her through a period of health challenges.
“She was constantly supportive,” Norton says. “Emailing me, offering to sit down and talk, helping explain concepts I didn’t understand. That made a huge difference.”
Norton also points to staff members who checked in regularly, especially Maddie Jarmola, strategic director of retention and student success.
“Maddie continuously reached out to make sure I had the support I needed,” Norton says. “It made me feel valued — I wasn’t just another student on a list.”
Abdulkadir echoes that experience almost word for word.
“Every time I had a struggle, Maddie was there,” she says. “I never felt like I couldn’t ask her for something, even if it was personal, even if it was non-academic.”
“THIS IS FOR YOU”
Behind these individual stories is a coordinated, campuswide effort led by Jarmola and her team.
“It really goes from digging into the numbers to boots- on-the -ground work with students,” Jarmola says. “Then zoom all the way out to large -scale programming, like summer bridge and first-year experience courses. Retention is impacted by everything in between.”
Her philosophy is simple: “Never struggle alone. We’re here to help, but we can’t help if we don’t know what’s going on.”
Jarmola sees firsthand the weight students carry — multiple jobs, caregiving responsibilities, financial pressures.
“It’s beautiful, and it’s an intense load,” she says. “And it’s so different from what people usually imagine when they think about typical college students.”
Her goal is ambitious but grounded: “My dream is to hit 85 percent retention and maintain it,” she says. “St. Kate’s is special. And it’s a privilege to be part of a place that’s willing to do this work.”
That kind of relationship - driven support is not accidental — it’s the backbone of the St. Kate’s retention strategy. Stacy Dean, PhD, assistant vice president of learning resources and academic success, sees it as essential for a student body that often carries responsibilities far beyond the classroom.
“Our students balance a lot,” she says. “Many of them have caretaking responsibilities at home. Many of them are caring for younger siblings or working significant hours to support their families and fund their education.”
Because of that, Dean explains, the University has intentionally broadened what academic support looks like, moving beyond traditional tutoring to help students where their need is.
“Tutoring works when students show up,” she says. “But students might be embarrassed to ask for help, or don’t know it exists. So we’ve worked to diversify the types of support we provide.” That includes “write-ins” where students draft papers alongside their peers, embedded tutors in classrooms, and study nights where asking questions is simply what everyone does.
For Dean, the goal is to dismantle the assumption that needing help signals weakness — especially for firstgeneration students navigating unfamiliar territory.
“Many St. Kate’s students come from families where no one has done this before,” she says. “They don’t always know that asking for help is part of college, not a sign you don’t belong. Everything we build is designed to send one message: this is normal, and this is for you.”
That message — this is for you — is one students feel long before they arrive on campus. Programs like the Learning Enrichment and Advising Program (LEAP) and Katies Embark offer early transition support, from academic skills to financial aid navigation.
“Before I even got here, I already had the resources I needed,” Abdulkadir says. “It helped with everything: registering for classes, financial aid, knowing who to talk to.”
STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM KATIES EMBARK, WHICH PROMOTES COLLEGE READINESS. THE PROGRAM FEATURES ACADEMIC SKILL DEVELOPMENT, RESOURCE SHARING, AND SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES. ACTIVITIES LIKE THE HIGH ROPES COURSE PICTURED HELP PARTICIPANTS BUILD PEER CONNECTION, A GROWTH MINDSET, AND THE CONFIDENCE THAT THEY “CAN DO HARD THINGS.”
PHOTOS/KATIES
PEER TUTORING IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF ADAPTABLE, RELATIONAL METHODS THAT FACULTY HAVE FOUND SUCCESSFUL FOR STUDENT LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT. “ IT BREAKS DOWN THAT HIERARCHY, AND THAT’S REALLY HELPFUL,” SAYS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR KAYLA LANTZ, Ph D.
Those early touchpoints matter, especially for students balancing significant responsibilities. Abdulkadir worked nearly full time while attending school full time.
“It didn’t feel like a lot of my peers were experiencing that, so I felt really alone,” she says. “But I knew if I left when it got hard, I would lose a lot of opportunities. I’ve had access to things I wouldn’t have had anywhere else.”
One of those opportunities came through the Centers for Equity and Belonging, where Abdulkadir found a place to lead, create, and grow.
“It was where I could use the space openly, create programming, and really see myself shine,” she says.
COURSEWORK WITH PURPOSE
Faculty play a critical role in that sense of belonging as well. Assistant professor of chemistry Kayla Lantz, PhD, sees retention as deeply relational, and attributes St. Kate’s 15-percentage point eclipse of the national retention average to this approach.
Lantz has adapted her teaching to meet students where they are, experimenting with embedded tutoring and mini-flipped classrooms.
“Students find peer tutors more approachable because they’re students,” she says. “It breaks down that hierarchy, and that’s really helpful.”
The results were immediate: “We were having all-time attendance highs,” she says. “We celebrated because every student turned in the first homework on time. Every student. We were shooting streamers. Like, this is working. Something is going right.”
For Lantz, the key is trust.
“If students don’t think I’m acting in their best interest, then it doesn’t matter what I do in the classroom,” she says. “You put just a little bit out there, and the community will envelop you and make sure you succeed.”
That sense of being enveloped — by peers, by faculty, by staff — is what keeps students like Norton and Abdulkadir moving forward even when they question their paths.
“I face doubt to this day, not knowing if this is the right area I should go into,” says Abdulkadir. “And the money aspect is intimidating. Paying for undergrad, and then thinking about a master’s program — that’s a lot.”
But conversations with friends and professors helped her reconnect with her purpose.
“They asked me to think deeply about the core reason I started all of this,” she says. “And for me, it always comes back to wanting to help people.”
Abdulkadir found her own turning point in an unexpected place: human anatomy.
“That course took me out,” she laughs. “I was like, ‘This is not for me.’” But she pushed through. “I did it,” she says.
“And I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m an adult, and I can do hard things.’”
Classes like The Reflective Woman (TRW) helped her articulate that growth. “The course forced us to ask questions like, ‘Why do you do what you do?’” Abdulkadir says. “It helped me build a sense of self-identity. I had no idea who I was when I came into college.”
That growing sense of identity now fuels her ambitions. Abdulkadir is launching a health literacy program she designed, partnering with community organizations and supported by independent funding. She studied abroad in Denmark, her first solo international experience.
“[Global Studies] staff at St. Kate’s helped me get a passport,” she says. “They helped me find funding. They made it achievable.”
Across campus, the emphasis on making student journeys easier is paying off — not just in numbers, but in lives transformed.
“Our students are going through four years, getting their degrees, and going back out to help their families, their communities, and the greater Minneapolis area,” Lantz says.
For Norton, the reason to stay is simple. “People here care,” she says. “They remind me why I started — and why it’s worth continuing.”
And for Abdulkadir, the journey has reshaped her sense of what’s possible. “I can do hard things,” she says. “I didn’t know that when I got here.”
Before I even got here, I already had the resources I needed. It helped with everything: registering for classes, financial aid, knowing who to talk to.”
— Rayan Abdulkadir ’27
PHOTO/LEENA
Who are the women who inspire you?
On March 3, St. Catherine University donors celebrated our eighth annual Give to Honor
Her by recognizing over 450 women who have made an impact on their lives.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province
Felicia Abler
Margaret Thoennes Abler
Mary Jo Abler ’87
Jenell Agrimson
Lois Agrimson
Tonya Allen
Elizabeth Anderson
Jeanne M. Haessly Anderson
Mary Anderson
Nancy JP Anderson ’01, MAT’17
Mary Andresen
Denise Baird
Amber Baker
Chanda Smith Baker
Julie Balamut
Kelly Barak
Nicole Beckmann
Evelyn Belden
Anne Bendel, MD
Catherine M. Bendel ’81, MD
Kay Sullivan Bendel
Mary Bendel-Simso, PhD
Emily Bendelsmith
Ellen Bendel-Stenzel, MD
Lilly Bendel-Stenzel, PhD
Margaret Benzoubair
Sharon Maloney Berkner ’62
Knorr Betcher
Dorothy Betts
Heather Bidinger
Kylah Hitchcock Bierbrodt
Virginia Hartmann
Bisanz ’72
Nancy Blattner
Sarah Bock
Patricia Bongaarts
Cheena Borzalski
Kate Boyle
Mary William Brady, CSJ, ’31
Ruth Haag Brombach ’60
Erin Brunner, and her
daughter Olivia
Dr. Anne M. Butler
Judith Krekelberg
Butler ’74
Gail Buuck
Ann Coleman Campbell
Katherine Campbell
Cheryl Canfield
Rosalie Canfield
Gretchen Probst Caprio
Kris D. Carlton
Susan Carroll
Shelley Carthen Watson
Elizabeth Chaney
Rachel Chaney
Anne Graham Charles
Eve Christian
Mary Jo Agee Clasen ’74
Class of 1993 — forever strong
women
M. Kathryn Clubb ’79
Jane Campion Coleman
Cindy Conley
Francine Conley
Mary Conley
Marie Sauro Conlin
Anne Wheeler Connor ’69
Vee Crichton-Hill
Sr. Miriam Joseph (Genevieve)
Cummings
Marie Joan Dahl
Jeanne Dahlin
Kira Dahlk
Kathleen Daniels
Camille Davidson
Amanda Davis
Latisha Dawson
Stacy Dean
Donna DeGracia
Geeta Deka
Martha Delehanty
Nairy Digris
Donna DiMenna
Erin Dirksen
Jane Dowd
Alissa Downham
Anita Duckor
Bernadine Brenny Duevel
Mary Coleman Dybsky
Katherine Egan, CSJ, ’56
Tahereh Enayat
Frankie Misher Evans
President Marcheta P. Evans, PhD
Anne Hamel Hickey Everett
Audrey Everson
Bobbie Everson
Marge Falvey
Sue Wollan Fan ’84
June Federwitz
Sarah Felde
Sharon Fitzgerald
Dianne Fitzpatrick
Karma Fladten
Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan
Katharina Fleischhacker
Dr. Jackie Font-Guzmán
Margaret Arola Ford ’82
Maria Fox
Fran
Lena Francis
Katherine Buuck
Fratzke ’17
Linda Funk ’81
Iesha Galloway-Gilliam, MD
Eucharista Galvin, CSJ, Class of 1924
Mary Grace Severson Galvin
Alicia Garcia ’94, MSW’05
Angela Garcia ’89
Emma Garcia
Hailey Garcia
Teresa Fike Garcia ’63
Elizabeth Winum
Garry ’47
Louise Wolf Garvey
Lory Gaskill
Eileen Gavin
Phyllis Goff
Azela Gohl-Giese
Amy Goldman
Jennifer Quayle Gonderinger
Julia Gonderinger
Renee Nicole Good
Marisa Gotsch
Anne Davis Gotte
Anne Govern
Bitsy Jennings Govern
Eireann Bennett Govern
Elizabeth O’Mahoney Govern
Catherine Graeve
Lillia Gray
Irene Green
Millie Gryskiewicz
Kathy Guida
Shirley Gunderson
Mikaela Haertl ’12
Sr. Marie Philip Haley
Margaret Moran Halliday
Laurie Halverson
Samantha S. Hanson
Ali Hara
Kathy Hara
Taylor Hara
Marie Joan Harris, CSJ
Kathleen Hartmann ’62
Rose Hartnett Foy MBA’25
Dr. Kari Hartwig
Marialice Harwood
Jane M. Hauer
Mary Edward Healy, CSJ, Class of 1928
Izzy Hempler
Bianca Henderson
Casey Henderson
Mary Henderson
Vera Henderson
Harriet Hentges ’62
Mayor Kaohly Her
Elsie Herzberg
Heather Hetteen
Andrea Hinding
Michelle Hoff
Angela Hohmann
Kristin Houck
Helen P. Howell ’65
Juanita M. Howell
Alberta M. Huber, CSJ, ’37
Audrey Hughes
Rock Star Human Resources
Team
Lauran Hundshamer
Mary Hurley
Diane Shelstad
Huston ’81
Irene Hutchins
Valerie Jarrett
Inez Olson Jaspers
Mary Lou Jirik
Barbara R. Johnson
Dr. Josie R. Johnson
Marlenne Johnson
Kathleen Delaney Jolin ’59
Dominique Jones
Dr. Julie Miller Jones
JaeEun Joo
Sally Rathmann Kadifa
Megan Kalina
Mary Kamish
Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz ’82
Susan Kiener Keller
Zoe E. Keller
Amy Kelly
Jean Abler Kelly
Antonius Kennelly, CSJ, Class of 1922
Colleen Keough
Elaine Kaster Kiener
Kathleen Pritschau Kiener
Shirley Kimball
Yamini Kimmerle
Dr. Reatha Clark King
Molly Kinsella
Senator Amy Klobuchar
Anne Wollan Kocon ’82
Betty Koenig
Julianne Kollitz
Cecilia Konchar Farr
Amanda Koschmann
Kara Koschmann
Mary Jean Kramer
Senator Mary Kunesh ’95
Lynsay Lambrecht
Ellane Langer
Gayle Langer
Isabella Langer
Holly Larsen
Shirley Slettum Larson
Bernadine Leach
Andrea C. Lee ’06
Andrea J. Lee, IHM
MaDonna Koenig Leenay
Suzanne Lehman
Virginia Colson Leidheiser
Frances Mary Lentsch
Joan Mary Lentsch
Kate Lentsch
D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch
Jill Jorgensen Levin ’01
María Lezama
Taylor Lieber
Christine L. Lienert
Donna Lindgren
Victoria Lo
Poppie Longmore
Monica Lopez-Garry ’19
Catherine Lupori
Lonnie Reding Lutz
The Mahoney and Nimis
Women
Lynn Halvorson Maier ’80
Jan Malcolm
Penny Mallet
Roz Mallet
Catherine Ann Murray Mamer
Vera Catherine Mangan
Jean Marie Martinson
Margaret Johnston
Marvin ’64
Oxana Matuznaya
Makayla Mayes
Mary Connolly McAlpin, Class of 1928
Gini McCain
Carrie McCann
Congresswoman Betty McCollum ’87
Tami McDonald
Virginia Claessens McDonald
Brittany McGhee
Martina McGhee
Morgan McGhee
Rebecca McGill
Mary Lou Dowd McGough
Patricia Kelly McGough
Diana McGrath MBA’17
Rachael McGraw
Mother Antonia McHugh, CSJ
Mary Esther Stephens McKay
Anne McKeig ’89, JD
Cecelia Wattles McKeig ’61
Belle McNamara
Donna McNamara ’68, PhD
Jenni McBride McNamara, MA, LMFT
Winni McNamara
Catherine T. McNamee, CSJ
Sue McNaughton
Nora McNeely Hurley
Sr. Maureen McPartland, OP, ’68
Zamira Mendoza
Anne Witrak Meyer
Jessica Miehe
Kelly Milkus
Anne Ward Miller ’63
Meera Miller
Gigi Halliday Mireault
Monica Delaney
Mitby ’57
Joan Mitchell, CSJ, ’62
Kati Mitchell
Lucile Mixson
Mary Moberg
Ulla Moe
Frances Momoh
Anne Joachim Moore, CSJ, ’37, BA’47, MAT’01
Carolyn Moore
Christine Webster Moore
Susan Schmid
Morrison ’60
Kathleen McNamara
Mucha ’66
Katie Mueller
Mary Alice
Muellerleile ’60
Sharon Kay Lobland Muhich
Joanne Jirik Mullen ’83
Continued
Senator Erin Murphy MAOL’05
Catherine L. Murray ’81
Marcie Myers
Patricia O’Connor
Myser ’56
Jennifer Kimball Nadeau
Gertrud Mueller
Nelson ’58
Laura J. Nelson ’09
Audrey Nganwa
Marguerite Nicol
Shirley Niebeling
Emily Nowak
Molly Catherine Nuñez
Joan Oberle, CPPS
Colleen O’Boyle
Antonine O’Brien, CSJ, Class of 1926
Kathleen O’Brien
Juliette Ochola
Veronica (Bonnie) O’Connor ’60
Susan Oeffling, CSJ
Sade O’Gilvie
Kendra Okposo
Colleen O’Malley, CSJ, ’63
Irene O’Neill, CSJ
Martha Ordonez Daniels
Donna de St. Aubin
Orf ’72
Ann Osmond
Khatmeh Osseiran-Hanna
Meg Palmsten
Annette Palumbo ’77
Anita Pampusch ’60, PhD
Martha Paschke
Dr. Anupama Pasricha
Barbara Paulson
Mary Ann Scovill
Paulson ’47
VaLinda Pearson
Anne Pereira, MD
Patty Perell
Gloria Perez
Barbara J. Peterson
Mary Kay Peterson
Evonne Drotts
Peterson-Stenberg
Etienette Pillet
Carmen Poppert
Grace Poppert
Senator Lindsey Port
Brandi Powell
Colleen Powers
Edith Ritchie Pritschau
Susan Paulson
Proudfit ’84
Carolyn Puccio, CSJ, ’65
Barb Puzycki, MD
Mary Wollan Quigley ’81
Teresa Rolling
Radzinski ’86
Karen Rauenhorst
Mary Ann Lowrey Reardon ’72
Jennifer Ford Reedy
Nina RC Rehwaldt
Kelley Reiter
Karwyn Casperson Richtman
Eloise Ridley
Anne Riggs
Lois Riley ’73
Susan Bass Roberts
Turkessa Robinson
Ann Rockswold
Patty Roessler
Lois Gross Rogers ’63
Jeanne B. Roloff
ReBecca Koenig Roloff ’76
Emily Roseth
Ann Ryan ’75
Deb Saunders
Beth Floeder Schaffer
Caitlin Schauer
Millie Fain Schneir
Amy Rebecca Schwartz
Nneka Mokwunye Sederstrom
Annie Sellers
Annie Mae Sellers
Cathy Sellers
Deborah Sellers
Barbara Seng
Lisa Shannon
Mary Shearen
Marlene Shelstad
Therese Sherlock, CSJ, ’62
Norma Signorelli
Eleanor Simon
LaRue Simonson
Julie Sims
Sharon Sinclair
Patricia M. Skemp
Angela Hall Slaughter ’97
Maxine Anderson Slettum
Kori Frics Smith ’65
Senator Tina Smith
Lois Sonstegard
DeeDee Stacy
Ann Rothstein Stanley ’72
Margaret Andersen Steffens
Renette Grandstrand
Stinson ’79
Patty Jo Struve
Minda Suchan ’95
Frances Selzer Talbert
Judi Druke Teske ’66
Ann Thompson
Mary Tinucci
Kris Torma
Anne Monica
True MLIS’00
Mary Laurel True ’81
Mary Pat Delaney True ’55
Carol Bissell Truesdell
Jill Underdahl, CSJ, ’92
Alayne Van Erem
Cora Voigt
Sarah Voigt MAOL’25
Andrea Walsh
Meghan Walsh, MD
Marney Wamsley ’46
Amanda Webb
Virginia Webb, CSJ
Arlene Webster
Regine Webster
Kathryn Welter
Cynthia A. Wesley
Kristine West
Viola Westrich
Pamela Wheelock ’81
Ryann Whitely
Cathy Whittecar
Karen Whitted
Elizabeth Whitten
Sunny Bach Wicka ’55
Annette Wildenauer
Brynn Wildenauer
Debra L. Wilfong
Amari Williams
Marisa Williams
Anne Wilson
Judy Hadrath Wilson ’59
Mary Weivoda Wilson
Letha Wilson-Barnard
Jean Wincek, CSJ, ’62
Dorothy Winczewski
Karla Winczewski
Sr. Esperance Wittry, CSJ
Barbara Probst Wollan ’58
Carolyn Self Wollan ’91
Catherine Wollan
Elizabeth Wollan
Emily Wollan
Kate Wollan ’86
Kristen Vogel
Womack ’08
Sr. Mary Davida Wood
Brenda Grandstrand
Woodson ’80
Emily Worrall
Renee Grandstrand
Wright ’79
Nancy Yde Messman
Tamara Zurakowski
This list includes all names honored online through March 5, 2026. For the most up-to-date list of honorees, visit the digital tribute. Names of honorees reflect no endorsement by the University and appear as submitted by the donor. stkate.edu/honor-her
Meet Laura Greenlee-Karp
Introducing the new director of Alumni Relations
BY KENDALL GRAHAM
When Laura Greenlee-Karp joined St. Catherine University as director of Alumni Relations in September, she hit the ground running. A whole slate of opportunities for bringing together the St. Kate’s alumni community awaited her — from the Destination St. Kate’s Tour visiting alumni around the country to the annual Reunion celebration on campus.
“In the short time I have been at St. Kate’s, I have been completely swept up in what amazing people Katies are — they truly are unique in their ability to advocate, empower, and lead,” Greenlee-Karp says. “I am inspired every single time I get to talk with current students, faculty, staff, and alumni. There is a deep level of commitment to social justice, community, and belief in each other.”
Though she is new to St. Kate’s, Greenlee-Karp is no stranger to fostering connections in the world of education. She comes to this role with over 15 years of experience in program development, community engagement, and event organization. She brings a background in education, having previously served as the youth programs coordinator for District 622 (North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale Schools) and worked at Voyageur Outward Bound School. As director of Alumni Relations, she aims to apply her passion for community building and strategic programming to cultivating lifelong connections between the University and its alumni network.
In service of that sense of connection, one of her priorities is increasing the number of volunteer opportunities and ways for alumni to give back — both to fellow Katies, through mentorship and career connections, as well as to the surrounding community. She wants to embrace openings for alumni to connect with each other and with current students, and to continue making the impact on the world that St. Kate’s grads are known for.
As she looks ahead, Greenlee-Karp’s vision for St. Kate’s alumni is a community that is active and involved — and
having fun while doing it. After all, moments of laughter and friendship make up some of the most cherished memories of St. Kate’s for so many alumni. Greenlee-Karp recognizes that, and hopes to add to those meaningful memories as director of Alumni Relations.
“The best part of this role is meeting alumni and being trusted as a keeper of their stories,” she says. “I feel so grateful and honored to share in the retelling and reliving of some of the most important and fun times in Katies’ lives.”
NEW DIRECTOR LAURA GREENLEE-KARP JOINED UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP ON THE DESTINATION
ST. KATE’S TOUR, VISITING ALUMNI AND FRIENDS AROUND THE COUNTRY (BELOW, IN ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA IN NOVEMBER).
Celebrating graduates of class years ending in 6 and 1. Learn more and register at stkate.edu/reunion
Katies in Action
Melody Her ’24 advocates for children’s futures, needs, and passions.
BY KENDALL GRAHAM
A little over a year after graduating, Melody Her ’24 returned to the St. Catherine University campus for the first time as an alumna — to moderate a conversation with Minnesota’s first female lieutenant governor, Marlene Johnson. Her admits she was nervous to visit her alma mater again after time away, but she quickly reconnected with the faculty, staff, and students who made her time memorable.
“Coming back to St. Kate’s, it always feels like a community,” Her said. “It’s big, but it’s so small at the same time and I think that’s what I love about St. Kate’s. Building that community has been really special to me.”
The “lunch and learn” event with Johnson was hosted by the Center for Community Work and Learning (CWL), where Her, a political science and economics major, spent a lot of time as a student.
“It was a very community-driven conversation because a lot of the students had questions,” Her said of the event. “Everybody was really involved and really interested to learn about the former lieutenant governor, and what her experience as a woman is and how to lead in the community, and that was really inspiring.”
These connections between students and alumni, faculty, staff, and the greater community are part of what draws Her back to St. Kate’s. Now working as a guardian ad litem for Hennepin County, she credits her experience in St. Kate’s, CWL, and the Student Senate for helping develop her leadership skills.
As a guardian ad litem, Her acts as a court-appointed advocate for youth whose families are involved in child protective services. In this role, Her meets with children and their families to make sure their interests are represented, and to help find placements for them with family or foster homes if needed.
“It’s very challenging work because it’s real lives involved,” Her said. “They’re going through one of the hardest things that they’ve ever had to go through in their life. We are trained to expect strain. But we’re there to support them as much as possible. You do eventually start to build the rapport with the kids especially, and I think that’s been my most rewarding experience so far.”
Finding ways to support and inspire future generations has long been Her’s passion. Both her parents work in education, and before beginning her current position, she spent a year working in a middle school with AmeriCorps. She knows the challenges faced by youth — particularly youth of color, youth in low-income families, and firstgeneration students — and wherever her career may lead her, she’s committed to supporting them.
“I grew up with a lot of friends who didn’t have the resources that they needed,” Her said. “I really, really wanted to see them succeed, but they didn’t have the support — from family and friends, but from the system either. So I want to be able to find resources and be of support for those kinds of youth. I love seeing kids with passions, whose eyes get bright when they can pursue them.”
Between her work for the county and her involvement as an alum, Her also finds time to engage in her longtime love of theater — a necessary outlet from work that can sometimes be heavy.
“I always say that I feel like I’m a person with purpose,” Her said. “If I’m doing really important work, even if I’m not making that much money, as long as I’m helping my community, giving back to my community, I feel more fulfillment.”
PHOTO/TARA SLOANE
Around Campus
LILLY RENEWS $1M COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS GRANT
St. Catherine University has received a second $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment to fund the Partnership for Contemplative Discipleship for another five years. The first grant was awarded in 2020 to help establish the program, then called the Initiative for Contemplative Discipleship.
St. Kate’s Partnership for Contemplative Discipleship brings together congregational leaders and congregants from different denominations to cultivate spiritual
practices and connect through small groups. The goal is both spiritual renewal and community connection across difference.
Bill McDonough, STD, professor emeritus of theology and the coordinator for the initiative at St. Kate’s, says contemplative discipleship is a valuable practice for anyone seeking to live a grounded life: “It’s something before social justice — it’s the kind of grounding that makes care for the common good possible.”
Going forward, the initiative hopes to expand from 25 participating congregations to 50 in the next five years, bring a spiritual practices teacher to St. Kate’s, and continue building on the partnerships that have made the program successful so far.
NEW VARSITY SPORTS AT ST. KATE’S
St. Catherine University is proud to announce the addition of flag football and lacrosse as new varsity sports, expanding opportunities for student-athletes and continuing the institution’s commitment to growth within NCAA Division III athletics. The new teams mark the Wildcats’ first program additions since that of golf in fall 2011.
Flag football is slated to begin competition in spring 2027, and lacrosse in spring 2028. Athletics will conduct national searches for head coaches who will lead program development, recruiting, and competitive readiness.
I-SAIL RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION
In January, the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) awarded full simulation accreditation to St. Catherine University’s Institute of Simulation and Interprofessional Learning (I-SAIL). A core part of St. Kate’s healthcare curriculum, I-SAIL provides state-of-the-art simulation training and interprofessional experiences for all nursing and health sciences students.
“This accreditation by SSH, the world’s largest healthcare simulation organization, recognizes the quality and consistency of the I-SAIL’s preparation of future healthcare professionals,” said Denise Baird, PhD, provost and senior vice president. “Our dedicated faculty and staff have worked tirelessly to create this simulation infrastructure, ensuring that students develop the confidence and caregiver competence needed to provide outstanding,
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compassionate care to patients and improve the health of entire communities.”
I-SAIL was further recognized during the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare in San Antonio, Texas, where St. Kate’s team members also led presentations. “Celebrating our accomplishment at the international simulation conference and participating in the programming was a reminder of the larger impact of our work in I-SAIL, particularly in the area of interprofessional simulation,” said I-SAIL director Stephanie de Sam Lazaro ’05, MAOT’06, OTD’14. “At the same time as we are educating future healthcare professionals across disciplines, we are contributing to and learning from the wider knowledge base of simulation in healthcare.”
For more news and to read full announcements, visit stkate.edu/news.
CARNEGIE, FULBRIGHT RECOGNIZE ST. KATE’S FOR SCHOLARLY ENGAGEMENT
In January, St. Catherine University received the designation of Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, as evaluated by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. St. Kate’s is one of only three Minnesota private colleges and one of 237 institutions nationwide to earn the classification, which will remain in place through 2032. The designation recognizes the University’s institutional commitment to community engagement. In its selection, the Carnegie Elective Classification celebrated St. Kate’s for its ongoing work deepening community partnerships and tackling societal challenges.
A NEW ROLE AND A NEW LEADER
In February, the Fulbright Program announced St. Kate’s as a Top Fulbright Producing Institution, one of three institutions in Minnesota and 96 nationwide to achieve this recognition. Two St. Kate’s graduates were selected for Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards for the academic year 2025–26. St. Catherine students and alumni have been awarded Fulbrights for multiple consecutive years (including, most recently, 2024–25, 2023–24, and 2022–23), with the very first Katie recipient awarded in 1953.
Both designations recognize initiatives and programming supported by the Office of Scholarly Engagement, the University’s hub for engaged learning.
In January, Anupama Pasricha, PhD, transitioned from her previous position as dean of the School of Business to a new role in the University leadership team: President’s Senior Fellow for Leadership Integration. As the inaugural fellow, Pasricha will lead the design of several forwardlooking initiatives across the University related to belonging, organizational culture, and leadership development, informed by her research and experience. Pasricha, who was named dean in 2024, has over 30 years of experience in education; she has been with St. Kate’s since 2005 and has served as the chair of the Fashion Design and Merchandising Department for over 11 years.
Also in January, Kenneth Cooper, PhD, began his role as dean for equity and belonging. He brings more than a decade of experience in higher education, with a strong record of advancing student success, leadership development, and institutional equity. Most recently, Cooper was director of the Ciresi Walburn Leadership Fellows Program at the University of St. Thomas, where he led a nationally recognized, multimillion-dollar initiative supporting first-generation and low-income students in their academic and leadership journeys.
Class Notes
1960
MARY LOUISE MAVETZ ICENHOUR ’61, PhD, was named to the Ely Green Team, an Ely City Council subcommittee formed to plan greater environmental sustainability in Ely, Minnesota. Icenhour’s term on the Green Team will run until 2028.
1980
PAMELA WHEELOCK ’81 was selected for the 2026 TCB 100, Twin Cities Business’ annual list of business leaders driving change. Wheelock is chair of the Destination Medical Center Corporation board of directors.
ANNE K. M cKEIG ’89, JD, Minnesota Supreme Court associate justice and University trustee, delivered the keynote address at the Mitchell Hamline Law Review’s 2025 legal symposium, titled “Legal Frontiers: Challenges and Opportunities in the Rural Midwest.”
1990
BRENDA DIPPREY NORTON ’90 was recognized by Lake Area Technical College for 30 years of service as physical therapy assistant instructor at the Watertown, South Dakota institution.
PAULA CISEWSKI ’98 wrote her sixth collection of poems, The Becoming Game, which Hanging Loose Press published in June 2025.
DANA D e MASTER ’99 was hired as Dakota County director of employment and economic assistance in Hastings, Minnesota.
2000
HEATHER CARLSON KEHREN ’00 began a new position at the University of Minnesota in June 2025 as a national media relations strategist.
KRISTINE MEWHORTER
CAMPBELL ’01 visited her 50th U.S. State Capitol building in 2024, completing her “capitol quest” in Honolulu, Hawaii, and completed the Minnesota State Parks passport program in 2025. Last year she also reached her 20th anniversary working in the digital department at Allianz Life, where she is a digital business support manager.
BRIDGET RACH ’01 began a new position in November as global systems and process senior manager at Best Buy.
WILLIE PEARL EVANS ’02 was featured in the September 2025 issue of Health Affairs for her work as community prevention lead at the Minnesota Department of Health. The article highlighted her role in Hennepin County’s response to opioid crises and her advocacy for Black-led overdose prevention initiatives.
ERIN MURPHY MAOL’05, Minnesota state senator, spoke on a panel hosted by Twin Cities Nonviolent at St. Catherine University in September 2025. Senator Murphy, Minnesota state senators Zaynab Mohamed and Heather Gustafson, and former senator Patricia Torres Ray discussed ways to reduce violence in our communities.
JESSICA LOPEZ LYMAN ’08, PhD, wrote Place-Keepers, published in November by the University of Minnesota Press. In her book, Lopez Lyman examines how Latina/x artists in the Twin Cities reclaim spaces through their art. Assistant professor of Chicano and Latino studies at the University of Minnesota, Lopez Lyman is also the creator of La Luchadora, a mobile community screen printing cart for political posters.
REBECCA GILLE TUMINELLY ’08 and her husband Brian, through their company Impossible Kitty Enterprises, Inc., purchased Riteway Business Forms & Digital Printing, Colorworks, and Survey Systems in spring 2025. The Tuminellys formed Impossible Kitty Enterprises in 2024.
2010
CYNTHIA BEMIS ABRAMS
MAOL’10 co-authored an article published in Volume 9 of the Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review, “Power Plays: Women and Progressive Television Battle Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment in the Twentieth Century.”
JORDYN ARNDT ’11 led a diplomacy simulation at the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN) January policy seminar in Washington, D.C. Arndt is a PLEN alumna and new board member.
ST. KATE’S ABIGAIL QUIGLEY
McCARTHY CENTER FOR WOMEN (now part of the Centers for Equity and Belonging) has sponsored students for over 40 years to participate in PLEN, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing college women for leadership in public policy. In January, St. Kate’s PLEN students and alumni gathered for dinner during the 2026 PLEN conference in Washington, D.C.
EMMA SHUKLE ’11 married Max Rewitzer at Our Lady of Victory Chapel on November 8, 2025. Shukle obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and was a cantor in the Chapel while a student at St. Kate’s.
ADRIENNE MAIERS ERO-PHILLIPS
MAOT’15 founded Nature Kids Therapy Art Center, serving neurodivergent children, all children, and families with occupational services and sensory-aware open play sessions in its gym, ceramic studio, and garden.
CARA GIBBS WEIR ’16 married Ben Weir at Our Lady of Victory Chapel on October 18, 2025.
COURTNEY KIRKEIDE GALLOWAY ’17 married Alex Galloway at Our Lady of Victory Chapel on November 22, 2025.
DULCE OCAMPO ’18 began a new role in Solventum in January as account manager of infection prevention solutions.
MARY “MURPHY” PICKETT
YONGA ’18 married Paul Yonga at Our Lady of Victory Chapel on August 16, 2025.
HALEY HOIUM CHRISTENSEN ’19 married Dylan Christensen at Our Lady of Victory Chapel on October 3, 2025.
Alumni class and chapter leaders gathered in Minneapolis last December for a meeting hosted by Karen Jothen MAOL’06, previous alumni relations director (back row, second from left). Multiple former staff members present included longtime alumni relations team member Ruth Haag Brombach ’60 (bottom row, second from left), who retired in 2023.
2020
ERIN NELSEN ’20 began a new role in June 2025 as intelligence and investigations analyst at Patreon.
KATHRYN (KATIE) BENJAMIN ’22 was profiled in The PilotIndependent for her career as an elementary school teacher in Walker, Minnesota.
JULIE HUISKEN MSN’22, DNP’24 received a $1,000 Love of Learning Award from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Huisken will use the award to complete sexual assault nurse examiner specialized training.
RACHEL KULLAS SCHREIFELS
MAOT’22 married AJ Schreifels at Our Lady of Victory Chapel on September 27, 2025.
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE
CONTACT US
Online: stkate.edu/alumni
Phone: 651-690-6666
Email: alumni@stkate.edu
facebook.com/katiealumni
St. Catherine University Alumni
In Memory w
Our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the following St. Catherine University graduates, faculty, staff, and community members.
Ann Pieters Buchen, former administrative assistant, Art and Art History Department w September 20, 2025
Jennette A. Gudgel, former business faculty member w May 15, 2021
Robert D. Gunn, former trustee w August 3, 2024
Daniel J. Haggerty, former trustee w October 15, 2025
Corinne V. Ritt, former facilities office coordinator w July 25, 2025
Amy Seifert Roberto ’93, MAOL’06, former administrative manager, Finance and Administration Office w October 5, 2025
Marlene Melcher Stover, former associate professor of music w October 12, 2025
David E. Vagt, former safety and security staff member w October 20, 2015
Mary Thornton Haaker ’39 w June 17, 2024
Jean Heaney Eichhorn ’42 w May 16, 2020
Peggy G. Shay ’46 w September 28, 2025
Elizabeth O’Keefe Ryan ’48 w September 28, 2025
Bette Stamschror Harlan ’48 w September 12, 2014
Mary Costello Nakasone ’49 w October 15, 2025
Audrey McCarthy Sullivan ’49 w September 2, 2020
Geraldine Sonnen Bradford ’49 w August 28, 2025
Joan Carr Finks ’50 w January 3, 2021
Margaret Costello Ritzer ’50 w September 13, 2025
Mary Dauk Beckel ’50 w July 16, 2025
Barbara Luger McManus ’50 w July 23, 2025
Genevieve Gauthier Scott ’51 w March 17, 2017
Patricia Gephart Grebner ’51 w June 27, 2016
Ingjerd O. Omdahl ’51 w November 24, 2025
Patricia Weber Dziuk ’51 w January 8, 2024
Margaret Burt Dunn ’52 w July 30, 2025
Donna Caye Sullivan ’52 w April 22, 2025
Carole F. Erding ’52 w August 8, 2025
Elizabeth Erding Gosse ’52 w September 16, 2018
Mary Ann Schwietz Stuart ’52 w November 24, 2024
Donna Slaby Beer ’53 w February 23, 2025
Nancy Wannarka Kapusta ’53 w April 4, 2015
Mary Weinberger Wagner ’53 w May 29, 2025
Betty J. Cook ’54 w August 21, 2025
Lucy Gibbs Imholte ’54 w October 12, 2025
Elizabeth Kostelnik Langenfeld ’54 w July 24, 2025
Josephine McGinnity Roche ’55 w May 5, 2024
Joan May Meyer ’56, MLIS’57 w April 24, 2025
Mary Jane O’Leary Bede ’56 w March 2, 2025
Nancy McMullen ’57 w February 25, 2025
Estherann Stelten Olsen ’57 w August 9, 2025
Patricia Pfeifer, CSJ, ’58 w September 14, 2025
Lenore Regnier Augustine ’58 w August 4, 2025
Janet Krueger ’59 w August 23, 2025
Margaret Davern Delapaz ’60 w April 22, 2025
Patricia Gavin Bailey Campion ’60 w November 13, 2025
Molly McIntyre Henke ’60 w January 29, 2025
Bernadine Walther Hyser ’61 w November 16, 2025
Rosemary Arend Kuny ’62 w June 2, 2022
Sharon M. Fitzgerald ’62 w August 28, 2025
Mary Grace Hastings Flannery ’62 w November 24, 2025
Constance Harbolt Oliver ’63 w August 17, 2025
Susan Murray McMahon ’63 w November 26, 2025
Marlys M. Truitt ’63 w June 12, 2025
Martha Diggs Yucel ’64 w May 6, 2020
Cecilia Iacono Lieder ’64 w January 14, 2025
Joanne M. Routzahn ’64 w February 9, 2025
Patricia Pendergrass Schaaf ’65 w July 24, 2025
Pamela J. Zagaria ’67 w October 7, 2025
Bonnie J. Horvath ’69 w July 25, 2025
Elaine Blouin Rochford ’70 w December 11, 2022
M. Therese Newcome Lentsch ’72 w November 16, 2025
Rita Carie, OSB, ’73 w November 1, 2023
Marlene Hudalla Yarusso ’73 w April 27, 2025
Lois Jansen Riley ’73 w December 20, 2024
Dr. Alayne Van Erem ’73 w August 11, 2025
Kathleen A. Wilson ’73 w January 11, 2020
Nancy Lund ’76 w October 26, 2023
Margaret L. Mortensen ’79 w May 22, 2025
Frances M. Riehm ’81 w May 31, 2024
Lisa Contreras Jensen ’85 w October 4, 2025
Mary Froeber Hogg ’85, MAOL’92 w December 20, 2024
Katherine L. McCurry ’85 w May 2, 2025
Marianne McManus Tracy ’86 w November 20, 2025
Janet Barth Manthey ’87 w October 20, 2025
Cheryl Mold Julik ’88 w October 12, 2023
Sherry Bonham Johnson ’89 w December 8, 2023
Consuelo Covarrubias, PBVM, MAT’89 w March 28, 2024
Michelle Lohman Westre Cert’89 w November 1, 2025
Colleen McNally Jennings ’89 w November 7, 2025
Carol Nelson Golder ’89 w February 5, 2025
Laura J. Libertus ’92 w February 6, 2015
Elizabeth Zeidler Woll MAOL’92 w April 2, 2024
Scott C. Poupore-Haats MSW’95 w August 31, 2025
Linda Kubat Bergerson MLIS’95 w September 27, 2025
Becky Larson Barnes MSW’96 w December 8, 2025
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Michelle M. Lee ’96 w November 12, 2025
Nancy Aronson Doig ’98 w October 4, 2025
Patricia Ryznaca Lancer ’99 w November 21, 2025
Linda J. Stephens ’05 w November 15, 2025
Patricia E. Berglund MLIS’09 w April 11, 2025
Paul B. Marinello ’11 w December 28, 2021
Ebyan H. Mohamed ’13 w August 2, 2022
Patrick C. Jager MLIS’14 w August 24, 2025
Halimat F. Alawode ’17 w October 1, 2025
FLORENCE STEICHEN, CSJ, ’50, former trustee, passed away on October 11, 2025. She was 97.
Steichen joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1950, the same year she earned her bachelor’s degree in food nutrition, chemistry, and biology from the College of St. Catherine. In 1966, she received a master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Steichen spent the first 25 years of her ministry work as faculty and social administrator at many CSJ-sponsored schools in Minnesota and North Dakota. In 1987, Steichen accepted a registrar position at Bethlehem University in the West Bank of Palestine. After returning to the U.S., Steichen joined and became president of Middle East Peace Now, and was active in Women Against Military Madness.
MARY CALDER, CSJ, ’61, former trustee, died on October 5, 2025 at the age of 93.
At age 18, Calder’s mother died and she decided to join the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Calder went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology and education from the College of St. Catherine, and in 1979, a master’s in education and administration from the University of St. Thomas. She served for over 30 years as a teacher, principal, and administrator at many CSJ-sponsored Minnesota schools. In 1982, Calder was chosen to serve as assistant province director for the CSJ community, and in 2001 she transitioned to teaching at Learning in Style, a CSJ-sponsored ministry for those seeking citizenship and those learning English as a second language. As Calder approached her eighties, she spent time volunteering at the Bethany Convent, the CSJ Administration Center, and the Carondelet Village Community.
Obituaries adapted from material by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
Katie Diary
BY MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17
Carmen Miró graduated from the College of St. Catherine in 1942, returned to her home country of Panama, and became a legend in Latin American demography.
With a bachelor’s degree in sociology freshly in hand, Miró threw herself into Panamanian political activism and professional fieldwork upon arriving back home. She played a prominent role in the women’s segment of the national coalition that prevented ratification of the controversial 1947 Filós-Hines Treaty. That same year, she was appointed director of statistics and census of Panama’s Comptroller General. The country’s 1950 census, organized and led by Miró, came to be regarded as a benchmark in the region for population studies.
In the following decades, Miró’s achievements were commensurate with her dedication to the social sciences and her persistence as one of the few women in her field. She led as founding director of the United Nations’ CELADE (Centro Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Demografía) in Chile, an office she held for 18 years, and later as the inaugural director of the University of Panama’s Institute of National Studies. She ran for the vice presidency of the Republic of Panama in 1984 and later was the first woman to run for the presidency of the University of Panama. These candidacies were unsuccessful, but Miró’s manifold leadership contributions in governance and policy have been recognized by honorary doctorates and awards from universities, research institutes, and the United Nations.
Most memorably, according to her colleagues and apprentices, Miró centered her leadership in Latin American social science on people themselves: public policy, economic inequality, and actionable solutions that could improve lives in the populations she studied — not just as numbers, but as individuals with their own stories. In a speech honoring Miró with an award from the College of Mexico, Manuel Ordorica described an anecdote from her students, who said that from the first day of class, she knew each by name.
“What is clear to everyone is that she encouraged them to study population issues seriously and responsibly,” shared Ordorica. “When someone commented to Carmen that they forgot people’s names, she said, ‘You are forgetting something very important, the first characteristic of people: their name.’”
Sources: Pioneras de la Ciencia en Panamá, Centro Internacional de Estudios Políticos y Sociales, 2022 (trans. DeepL, Feb. 12, 2026) Ordorica, Manuel. “Carmen Miró: demografía y luchadora social.” Estudios Demográficos Y Urbanos, vol. 22, no. 2. (trans. DeepL, Feb. 12, 2026)
CARMEN MIRÓ ’42 WAS A PIONEER, LEADER, AND ARDENT SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE IN LATIN AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHY FROM THE 1940S THROUGHOUT THE 1970S, RECOGNIZED INTERNATIONALLY BY INSTITUTES AND UNIVERSITIES.
– Rose Swe Zin ’27