1940s
Albert Conrad “Bill” Posz ’44 (Golden Valley, Minn.) and his wife, Marie G. Fjelstad Posz, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2014. They were married Aug. 26, 1944, and celebrated at an Open House Sept. 27, 2014 at Covenant Village of Golden Valley, where they now live. Albert Conrad considers himself “an old Warrior and still a strong supporter of WSU.”
1960s
Kenneth Landro ’61 (Golden Valley, Minn.) was the 2014 recipient of the Jack Dow trophy award. The award
is given annually and honors one member of the Senior Tennis Players Club in the Twin Cities whose attitude, character, sportsmanship, enthusiasm, and service best exemplifies the 1,100-member club.
Tom Caron ’65 (Alexandria, Minn. & Bradenton, Fla.) was chosen as one of eight outstanding Americans from Minnesota by the Minnesota chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Tom was a two-time NIC Conference runner-up and NAIA Qualifier while at Winona State, and has spent 40 years managing and founding various businesses in North America and Europe.
Rev. Dennis Cook ’68 (Fayetteville, N.C.) is the pastor of Christus Victor Lutheran Church. After graduating from Winona State, Cook completed his theological studies at Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. Dennis and his wife have two children and seven grandchildren, and are native Minnesotans who call North Carolina home. Dennis was the first male cheerleader at Winona State!
1970s
Rick Starzecki ’70 (Colorado Springs, Colo.), a two-sport letterman while at WSU, earned numerous accolades during his coaching career, including three-time all-conference in football and one in basketball; All-District 13 All American in football three consecutive years; and All-State status in both football and basketball during his tenure at Cotter High School, Winona. He currently teaches physical education at Rampart High School and coaches boys’ tennis. The 1987 Rampart High School Boys Basketball recently received the designation “the greatest high school team in the Pikes Peak Region.” Rick was the coach for the team.
Irvin Nehring ’70 (Byron, Minn.) retired in December 2013 after 10 years as the chief financial officer of Weber and Judd Company. Irvin was previously a partner with Coffman, Nehring and Christopherson, LLP in Rochester, Minn., and began his public accounting career working for McGladrey in Rochester and Watertown, South Dakota. He has been married for 41 years and has two adult sons.
Roger Runningen ’72 (Springfield, Va.) retired in December as an award- winning reporter for Bloomberg News. Roger began working as a White House reporter in 2003. His West Wing office was located just a few floors below the Oval Office and steps away from the briefing room where U.S. presidents have addressed the nation since 1970. Roger was asked to serve as press secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the George H. W. Bush administration in 1991. A changing of the guard took place in 1994 when Bill Clinton was elected president, and Roger returned to journalism with Bloomberg News. During his time covering the White House, Roger traveled to 38 countries on six continents and filled four passport books.
Gene Pelowski ’75 (Winona) received the Elected Official of the Year award from the Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers. Rep. Pelowski received the award for successfully leading the creation of the Disaster Assistance Contingency Account through this year’s legislative session.
Sonya (Youngbauer) Hansen ’78 (Alma, Wis.) is the new administrative coordinator for Buffalo County, Wisconsin. Sonya has 15 years of management experience as child support services coordinator and assistant director of Health and Human Services for Buffalo County.
1980s
Jeanine McShea ’80 (Chicago, Ill.) is the vice president and managing broker of Related Realty. She is a guest instructor for Roosevelt University’s real estate master’s degree program. In 2008, Winona State honored Jeanine with the Distinguished Alumni of the Year award.
Kristin (Hull) Erickson ’83 (Fergus Falls, Minn.) has worked as a public health nurse for seven years and has recently co-authored two articles related to public health nursing.
Victor Vieth ’84 (Lewiston, Minn.) is the recipient of the 2014 Heroes for Children Award. Victor is senior director and founder of the Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center, and gained national recognition for his work in addressing child abuse in small communities as a prosecutor in rural Minnesota.
Mark White ’87 (La Crescent, Minn.) is the principal of Hintgen Elementary School in La Crosse, Wis. He also serves as president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
Jason Elliott ’89 (Overland Park, Kan.) is the Director of Major Gifts for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Jeff Friedman ’89 (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) is the sales engineer for Fusion- io Inc. He is married with two children.
1990s
Jackie Costa ’90 (Milwaukee, Wis.) has joined the Zizzo Group of Milwaukee, an integrated marketing firm, as an account executive to its marketing team. Jackie has more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications planning, community relations and development.
David Boone ’92 (New Hope, Minn.) was elected to the Robbinsdale Area School Board. He currently teaches and coaches at Edina High School in Edina, Minn.
Andrea (Larson) Grabrick ’92 (Welch, Minn.) has retired after working 16 years at Mayo Clinic.
Laurie (Slagle) Hamen ’92 (River Forest, Ill.) has been named president of Mount Mercy University. Laurie previously served as vice president for enrollment management, athletics, and student affairs at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., for 18 years. In addition to her master’s degree from Winona State, Laurie holds a Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Ill., and has completed Ph.D. coursework in educational administration at the University of Minnesota.
Paul Chick ’93 (Plainview, Minn.) received an award from the Rochester Area Math Science Partnership organization in Dec.
Roxanne (Prinsen) Fry ’93 (Windsor, Colo.) was named a Northern Colorado Woman of Distinction by BizWest Media. The award program celebrates the achievements of Northern Colorado’s most influential women, recognizing those who have made considerable contributions of leadership, time, and philanthropy to the Northern Colorado region. Roxanne and her husband have an 11-year old son.
Trenda Boyum-Breen ’94 (Minneapolis, Minn.) became president of Rasmussen College in March. Trenda joined the institution in 2012 as chief academic officer. She previously served as vice president at Metropolitan State
University and held leadership positions at many higher education institutions for more than 15 years. Trenda has a master’s degree from Winona State in Elementary School Counseling.
Scott Mertes ’94 (Midland, Mich.) received the 2014 John Zaugra Outstanding Research Award from the Michigan College Personnel Association, a state division of the American College Personnel Association. Scott is also a member of the Winona State University Alumni Society Board of Directors.
Michelle (Strunge) Mertes ’95 (Midland, Mich.) was elected to the post of Area 15 Governor of Toastmasters International. She is the current vice president of education for her local club. She previously served as vice president of membership, and has earned the Competent Leader Award.
MaryLu Gerke ’95 (La Crosse, Wis.) is the new interim dean of the College of Nursing, Health and Human Behavior at Viterbo University. MaryLu earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Viterbo, master’s degree in nursing administration from Winona State, and master’s degree and Ph.D. in human and organizational development from Fielding Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Eric Wollan ’96 (Winona) was promoted to Technical Director at PlastiComp, Inc., a global leader in long fiber thermoplastic (LFT) materials and technologies. Eric and wife Kärin have two sons.
Terry Oliphant ’96 (Forest City, Iowa) married Kristi Leonard Oct. 12, 2013. Terry works for Frito Lay as a route sales representative.
Jason Narverud ’99 (St. Paul, Minn.) has worked as an application engineer for the past four years at HealthEast
Care System. He and his wife, Kristin, are expanding their photography and videography business. Their daughter, Claire, was born March 10, 2014.
Jolene Danca ’99 (Winona) is the new assistant middle school principal at Tomah Middle School. She obtained her administrative license through Winona State in ’13. Jolene is also in her fourth year as owner of Scrappin’ on the Ranch, a local Winona business, located in Pickwick, Minn.
Charlotte (Suchla) Roraff ’99 (Winona) was promoted to senior branch manager of the Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union, Winona. Charlotte will provide leadership and guidance to branch managers in Winona, Rochester, Mankato, Faribault, and Hastings, Minn.
2000s
Jocelyn (Bevis) ’00 and Michael Braun ’00 (Madison, Wis.) welcomed their third son, Crosby Michael, March 3.
Stephanie (Nilson) Edell ’00 (La Grange Highlands, Ill.) studied in India last summer. Stephanie is a librarian at La Grange Highlands School District 106 in La Grange Highlands, Ill., and traveled as part of her graduate coursework in the pursuit of her master’s degree from Miami University.
Sarah (Hesse) Kieffer, ’00 (Minneapolis, Minn.) is an award-winning food blogger and has been featured in online and print publications. Her blog, The Vanilla Bean Blog, recently won Saveur magazine’s Best Food Blog of 2014 in the baking and desserts category.
Kathryn Lammers ’00 (La Crosse, Wis.) received the Lillian Mood Award from the Wisconsin Nurses Association. The award is given annually to a member who demonstrates achievement in environmental health. Kathryn is Assistant Professor of Nursing at WSU.
Jennifer (Sellner) Melberg, ’00 (Elk River, Minn.) and husband Raymond welcomed their second daughter, Leah Grace, May 11. She joins big sister Alyssa age 5.
Brian Semling ’00 (Fountain City, Wis.) shared his insights as a successful local entrepreneur in his presentation titled “Maximizing Potential” as part of the WSU College of Business Speakers Series. Brian highlighted how he grew Brian’s Toys from a small company worth $20,000 to a $5 million business over the last 20 years.
Phil Sonnenberg ’00 (Winona) and wife, Deb, welcomed their son, Ettrick, Nov.
3. He joins big sisters Elleigh and Anna, and big brothers Ajay and Eagan. Phil is currently the Foundation Account Manager at Winona State.
Emily Cassellius ’01 (Winona) was named the 2014 Winona Education Association Teacher of the Year. Emily has been teaching for 13 years, with the past 10 years in Winona. Emily earned her bachelor’s degree from Winona State, and went on to earn her master’s from Saint Mary’s University and Administrative License from Winona State. She is currently pursuing an administrative specialist degree. Emily and husband John have two children, Bryan and Molly.
Casey Indra ’01 (Winona) is the new activities director for Winona Area Public Schools. Casey previously served as activities director in the Houston Public Schools in Houston, Minn., since 2008.
Jamie Nutter ’01 and ’08 (Fennimore, Wis.) was selected as Wisconsin’s 2015 Superintendent of the Year. Jamie has served as the district administrator of the Fennimore Community School District since 2008. Nutter and wife Stacey have three boys, Alston, Aidan and Amryn, and one daughter, Alexa.
Bryan Boysen ’02 (Spirit Lake, Iowa) is the elementary principal at Pleasantview Elementary in Lakefield, Minn., and serves as director of curriculum and instruction for Jackson County Central Schools. Bryan and wife Jennifer have two daughters. He is on track to receive his education specialist degree from Winona State in 2015.
Jacquelyn (Severson) Schreiner ’02 (La Crosse, Wis.) and Ryan Schreiner were married Sept. 12.
Stefanie (Steinmann) ’02 and Jeremy Schussler ’02 (Savage, Minn.) welcomed their second child, son Charlie Croy, Dec. 4, 2013.
Andrea (Fredrickson) Hanson ’04 (Goodhue, Minn.) was one of 27 middle and high-school math professionals recognized nationwide as a “2014 Math Hero” for her creative and interactive techniques to make math real and relatable for students. The Raytheon Company program provides winners with a $2,500 award and a matching grant for his or her school. Andrea teaches math at Lincoln High School in Lake City, Minn.
Nicholas Jaeger ’04 (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and wife, Jennifer, welcomed their daughter, Addison Jo, Aug. 19.
Jessica (Odeen) Wenzel ’04 (Winona) and Jeremy Wenzel were married Oct. 9, 2010. Jessica works at Winona State as a human resources specialist.
Laura DuChene ’05 (Wadena, Minn.) joined Wadena Clinic’s team of physicians practicing family medicine. Laura has a special interest in obstetrics and pediatrics. Laura is a native of Big Lake, and currently lives in Wadena with her husband and three children.
Kelsey (Patton) Hostetler ’05 (Madison, Wis.) married Matthew Hostetler Sept. 20. Kelsey is currently employed with Forward Dental in Madison, Wis.
Stacy (Bowe) Reynolds ’05 (St. Paul, Minn.) and husband, Joseph Reynolds ’06, welcomed daughter Haley Grace Aug. 10.
Michelle (Walsh) Seliga ’05 (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and husband Dan welcomed their first child, Allison Marie, April 24. Michelle teaches fourth grade and is entering her 10th year teaching in the South Washington County District.
Jaime (Dinsdale) Miller ’06 and Chad Miller ’07 (Rosemount, Minn.) welcomed their first child, Blake David, Aug. 4.
Heather (Lindner) Roth ’06 (Chili, Wis.) and husband Brad welcomed their baby girl Anna Marie
Feb. 21.
Kate (Weber) Carlson ’07 (Winona) and husband Adam welcomed son Henry Robert Sept. 15.
Kellie Jorgenson ’07 (La Crescent, Minn.) was promoted to Winona branch manager at Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union after serving as a member advisor for 13 years. She will manage all direct operations, staff and, member services in her new role.
Emily Lorenz ’07 (Rochester, Minn.) is engaged to Matt Krowiorz. and working as a social worker at Olmsted Medical Center. They live in Rochester with their two children, ages four and six.
Rebekah (Ditthardt) Van Dalen ’07 (Rochester, Minn.) and husband Justin, along with big brother Jude, welcomed Eden Lael Sept. 16. Rebekah works part-time as a nurse in primary care internal medicine at Mayo Clinic.
Nathan Fuller ’08 (Sharon, Wis.) accepted a new position as education curator of the Rock County Historical Society in Janesville, Wis. Nathan graduated with a history degree from Winona State and received a master’s degree in teaching from Trinity International University. He was previously employed at the Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum in Poplar Grove, Ill.
John Smith ’08 (Rochester, Minn.) returned to Winona State as the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach
this season. John played in the NBA D-League in Vermont, Portugal, Holland, and Austria. John returned to the Winona area in 2011 as an assistant coach for the Lewiston-Altura basketball team, and then as an assistant for the Winona Cotter basketball team. John is currently pursuing his master’s degree in sports management.
Rebecca (Putzier) Todd ’08 (Seattle, Wash.) was accepted into Seattle Pacific University’s pilot year of their Master of Education in Digital Education Leadership graduate program. Rebecca earned her first master’s degree from University of Wisconsin.
Sarah (Word) ’08 and Jonathan Roberts ’10 (Winona) were married Aug. 23 in Winona.
Eileen Strube ’09 (Durham, N.C.) is a licensed physical therapist at Northwest Ohio Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, where she began work as an athletic trainer. After receiving her athletic training education from Winona State, she worked at Fort Benning Army Base and earned her master’s in education in exercise science from Auburn University and her doctorate of physical therapy from Duke University in 2014.
Kathryn (McElroy) Turpin ’09 (Medford, Ore.) married Matt Turpin Oct. 25.
Kate (Pleskonko) Wilwert ’09 and Drew Wilwert ’11 (Faribault, Minn.) were married Oct. 18. Kate is employed at Rochester Lourdes High School as an art teacher and reading specialist. Drew is working with the Nature Conservatory.
2010s
Michon (Mulder) Budziszewski ’10 (Pittsburgh, Pa.) married Nathan Budziszewski Aug. 2. She currently works for Montauk Energy as an environmental specialist.
Samantha (Steneman) Johnson ’10 (Winona) married Chad Johnson June 28.
Ashley Kyne ’10 and Eric Hart ’09 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) were married May 31. The two met while playing Ultimate Frisbee on Winona State club teams. Ashley earned her degree in social work and is currently working in child welfare. Eric earned his degree in Mass Communications – Broadcasting and is a director for KGAN CBS 2 in Cedar Rapids.
Lauren Mikula ’10 (Phoenix, Ariz.) married Kevin Staneart Oct. 4. Lauren, voted Miss Winona 2009, works as a senior contract furnishing bid representative at Best Western Headquarters.
Sarah (Dombrovski) Tomann ’10 (St. Michael, Minn.) married Alek Tomann Dec. 6, 2013. Sarah is currently working in the intensive care center at Maple Grove Hospital and is a board member of the Patient Experience Advisory Team.
Katheryne Zempel ’10 (Salem, Ore.) is working for Salem Hospital after earning a clinical excellence award along with her doctorate degree in physical therapy from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine in Chicago last June.
Holly Bigelow ’11 (West Bend, Wis.) is the new assistant dean for student affairs at University of Wisconsin – Washington County. She is responsible for managing the Student Affairs office, which provides comprehensive assistance to both prospective and current students. She previously served as Director of Admissions and Records at Rochester Community and Technical College in Minnesota.
Mollie (Kroehler) Cross ’11 and Steven Cross ’08 (Le Sueur, Minn.) were married in May. Mollie earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and is currently working as an office manager for JBeal Real Estate Group in Mankato. Steven earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and statistics and is working as a custom quotes specialist at Elkay. Both Mollie and Steven are grateful for their Winona State education. Their son, Declan Thomas, is now three years of age.
Brandi Hagen ’11 (Twin Lakes, Minn.) recently started a business, Bragen Rights Photography. Her studio opened in September.
Andrew Malovrh ’11 and Whitney (Lundeen) ’12 (Winona) were married Nov. 8. Andrew is currently working at Watlow Controls in Winona.
Brad Meyer ’11 and Jamie Richter ’12 (Sun Prairie, Wis.) are engaged to marry June 25, 2016.
Conor Pesci ’11 (Everett, Wash.) married Jessica Wicks Sept. 20 in Winona.
Jess (Giesen) Strom ’11 and Mark Strom ’08 (Eagan, Minn.) were married Oct. 18. Jess is working as a middle school earth science teacher and Mark is working for the Department of Homeland Security.
Kristyn (Scholl) Teeters ’11 (University Heights, Ohio) married Alex Teeters Aug. 9. Kristyn is a registered nurse at the Cleveland Clinic, and Alex is a pulmonary and critical care medicine fellow at the Cleveland Clinic.
Andrew Pethan ’12 (Rochester, Minn.) received an award through the Rochester Area Math Science Partnerships organization Dec. 10.
Tanna Honermann ’12 and Sam Slaby ’12 (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) were married Feb. 20. Tanna is a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Sanford University of South Dakota Medical Center. Sam is currently operating the Sioux Falls water reclamation facility.
Shannon Bolte ’13 (Rochester, Minn.) joined the KTTC News Center Team as a full-time photographer after her internship in the summer of 2014. Shannon is a Rochester native and majored in photojournalism. She studied abroad in Lismore, Australia, for a semester and spent two weeks in Tsaile, Ariz., to create a documentary about a Navajo Code Talker.
Andrea (Hardrath) ’13 and Bradley Hesse ’13 (Minneapolis, Minn.) were married Sept. 27.
Lauren (Stagakis) Knight ’13 (Shorewood, Minn.) married Wil Knight Aug. 16.
Ryan Corfits ’14 (Rochester, Minn.) teamed up with the students at St. Charles Elementary in St. Charles, Minn., to create a mural in the main entrance of the school. The purpose of the mural was to involve students in creating artwork, since their school no longer has an art program. The composition took more than 100 hours to complete. Ryan calls the mural “Autumn,” reflecting the beautiful autumn season that Minnesota has to offer.
Jodi Misar ’14 (Winona) and Ian Nelson, are engaged to marry in August 2015. A drone flew above them taking pictures of the proposal on a rock ledge on Sugar Loaf.
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