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Class notes Updates from UND alumni around the world.

Want to share news with your fellow alumni? Email your updates to AlumniMag@UNDalumni.net or mail them to 3501 University Ave Stop 8157, Grand Forks, ND 58202.

1960

Dr. Victor Hruby, ’60, ’62, has been included in Marquis Who’s Who. He is a regents professor emeritus in the University of Arizona’s Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.

1963

Robert “Tip” Eneback, ’63, was recognized as one of BankBeat magazine’s 2021 Amazing Outside Directors. He is leads Enebak Construction Company and cofounded Tradition Capital Bank in Minnesota.

1971

Scott Branvold, ’71, has retired after 36 years teaching sports administration at the college level. He taught at both the University of Oklahoma and Robert Morris University. He and his wife reside in Pittsburgh.

1973

Bill Palmiscno, ’73, retired after serving the Grand Forks Park District for 47 years.

1974

Tim Casey, ’74, has retired after teaching biology and natural history for 43 years at Drury University in Springfield, Mo.

Rev. Thomas E. Martin, ’74, has retired after 40 years of serving as an ELCA pastor. He and his wife, Donna, live in Garner, Iowa.

Dr. William McKinnon, ’74, ’81, ’83, ’87, has been recognized as the Outstanding Rural Health Care Professional by the Dakota Conference of Rural and Public Health, and as Medical Director of the Year by the North Dakota EMS Association for his involvement with rural ambulance services. He is the medical director of regional development at Altru in Grand Forks.

1976

Dr. Steven Hinrichs, ’76, ’78, ’80, is retiring after 13 years as professor and chair of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Department of Pathology and Microbiology.

Louis Iverson, ’76, ’81, a longtime landscape ecologist with the USDA Forest Service in Delaware, Ohio, was named a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.

1978

Francis Heid, ’78, is executive producer on an episodic treatment of a narrative film called “The Hunter,” filmed in Duluth, Minn.

Jane (Hedahl) Schreck, ’78, ’83, ’13, retired after 21 years as professor of English at Bismarck (N.D.) State and was awarded emeritus status.

1980

Lucy Dalglish, ’80, dean of the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, won the prestigious Scripps Howard Administrator of the Year Award.

Terry Steinwand, ’80, ’82, is retiring as director of North Dakota Game and Fish after 40 years with the department.

1981

Jerry Coffey, ’81, has joined Areté Capital Partners as principal.

1982

Mark Landa, ’82, is executive director of the Crookston Area Chamber of Commerce.

1984

Kari (Bjerke) Cutting, ’84, retired as vice president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council and now serves as president of Cutting Edge Consulting in Beulah, N.D.

Dr. Bruce Dahlman, ’84, received the 2020 American Academy of Family Physicians Humanitarian Award for his work in Africa expanding family medicine training and other services. He provides emergency care through Wapiti Medical at North Shore Health in Grand Marais, Minn., and is a hospitalist for the Mille Lacs Health System in Onamia.

1985

Susan Flicek, ’85, was honored with a Woman of Achievement award by the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educators. She is the due process facilitator in special education for Bemidji (Minn.) Schools and an adjunct professor at Bemidji State University.

1987

John Larsen, ’87, was appointed to the board of directors of CUNA Mutual Group. He is chair, president, and CEO of Alliant Energy Corporation in Madison, Wis.

Carmen (Heinen) Simone, ’87, has joined the board of Twin Cities Development in Scottsbluff, Neb. She is president of Western Nebraska Community College.

1989

Karen Thingelstad, ’89, has joined the board of directors of Altru Health System in Grand Forks.

1990

Connie (Kessler) Sivertson, ’90, was named the Indiana School Counselor Association Counselor of the Year. She cochairs Lawrence North High School counseling department in Indianapolis.

1991

Mark Cazalas, ’91, is general manager of Catholic Communications Network in south Texas.

Tim Lykken, ’91, retired from the Wenatchee (Wash.) Police Department as a sergeant after 21 years of service. Tim has accepted a position with the Chelan County (Wash.) Sheriff’s Department as a code enforcement deputy.

1992

Col. Frank Tank, ’92, has retired from the US Army after 28 years of service. He and his wife Chandra Morrison, '92, have moved their family to Colorado Springs, where Frank works as a Senior Principal Systems Engineer for Science Applications International Corporation.

Kelli (Powers) Tannahill, ’92, ’09, is principal of J. Nelson Kelly Elementary School in Grand Forks.

1993

Daron Olson, ’93, received the Distinguished Research/Creative Activity Award from Indiana University East, where he is associate professor of European and world history.

Aaron Schramm, ’93, is superintendent of Park River (N.D.) Area Schools.

1994

John Grinsteiner, ’94, ’98, a North Dakota South Central District Court Judge, is retiring after 18 years in a judicial robe. He lives in Bismarck.

Eva Keiser, ’94, received the Donald G. Padilla Community Service Award from Minnesota Public Relations Society of America for demonstrating outstanding leadership in the profession of public relations. She is principal at The Plural I, an independent PR and marketing communication firm.

Karen Nyberg, ’94, retired NASA astronaut, has created a new glow in the dark “space fashion” collection called Dinos in Space a nod to a very personal memory during the 166 days she spent on the International Space Station and her desire to stay connected to her young son, Jack.

1995

Candida (Dudley) Braun, ’95, is assistant principal for Cheney Middle School in West Fargo.

Johnathan Campbell, ’95, was Artist in Residence at Cross Ranch State Park near Center, N.D. He is a Bismarck-based photographer who creates stunning nighttime images.

Tricia (Olson) Lee, ’95, ’99, is chief executive officer of Development Homes, Inc., in Grand Forks.

1996

Robin David, ’96, ’01, coordinator of Grand Forks Public Schools’ Mentor Center, received this year’s #InnovativeND Award for Collaborative Culture.

Dave Hakstol, ’96, was named the first head coach of the Seattle Kraken, an NHL expansion team.

Dr. Mary Patay, ’96, is the recreation director for the City of Mackinac Island, Mich. She is also a soccer, girls basketball, and golf coach for Mackinac Island Public Schools.

Steve Shirley, ’96, ’06, was elected vice chair of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council and will chair the planning and finance committee. He is president of Minot (N.D.) State University.

1997

Dr. Jennifer (Soupir) Fremstad, ’97, ’13, principal of West Fargo High School, was named North Dakota Principal of the Year.

George Hellyer, ’97, is the new executive director of the Grand Forks Park District.

1998

Dr. Dean Frohlich, ’98, ’04, is the Director of Scientific Affairs at the Sarcoma Foundation of America.

1999

Joel Bird, ’99, a private wealth advisor with Ameriprise Financial in Bismarck, has been named to the list Barron’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors, published by Barron’s Magazine.

Dr. Stephanie Dahl, ’99, will lead the new Bismarck, N.D., branch of CCRM Fertility, specializing in fertility treatment, research, and science.

Chaminda Prelis, ’99, ’04, is the new chair of the Department of Aerospace at Middle Tennessee University in Murfreesboro.

2000

Dr. Kari Berg, ’00, was honored with the 2020 Circle of Leadership/Circle of Excellence award at Dynavax Technologies, a California-based Biotechnology company. She is a regional account manager covering multihospital systems Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa.

Anthony Hebert, ’00, has joined The Village Family Service Center in Fargo as a development officer.

Adam Kurtz, ’00, has been promoted to community editor at the Grand Forks Herald.

Dave Schmlafman, ’00, was named to Barron’s Magazine’s list of Top 1,200 Financial Advisors. He is a private wealth advisor at Ameriprise Financial in Bismarck.

2001

Courtland Merrill, ’01, is a partner at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr’s Minneapolis office, drawing on 20 years of experience as a trial lawyer to help clients with claims involving patent enforcement and intellectual property rights.

2003

Jadee (Rosenquist) Hanson, ’03, is Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Code42 in St. Paul.

Shari Jerde, ’03, ’09, a business education teacher and family and consumer sciences teacher at Community High School, has been selected as Grand Forks Public Schools’ 2020-21 Teacher of the Year.

Kelsey (Solberg) Roth, ’03, has been promoted to vice president of human resources for western North Dakota at Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Ryan Salisbury, ’03, ’09, is principal of Sheyenne High School in West Fargo.

Paul Sallach, ’03, was named to Vegas Inc.’s list of 40 Under 40 people in business. Sallach is president of All In Aviation, which was awarded the Cirrus Training Center of the Year for North America.

2005

John Butgereit, ’05, is regional director of the North Central Human Service Center in Minot, N.D.

Jason Loos, ’05, is the Lake Oswego, Ore., city attorney.

Ben Schneweis, ’05, was named Associate Athletic Director at Concordia (Minnesota) College.

2006

Kelly (Seaworth) Coulter, ’06, is marketing director for Private Advisor Group, based in Morristown, N.J.

Jennifer (Buckowski) LaFramboise, ’06, ’12, is owner and certified health professional at Total Skin Dermatology and Aesthetics in Grand Forks.

2008

Capt. Tyler Bonnett, ’08, an F-35B Lightning II pilot based at Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., graduated with accolades from the Expeditionary Warfare School’s Blended Seminar Program.

Shane Mahlum, ’08, is a business services officer at the Fargo Veterans Blvd. Branch of Capital Credit Union.

Constance Soper, ’08, PA, specializes in family medicine at Essentia Health West Acres clinic in Fargo.

Zac Wanzek, ’08, CFA, CPA, was named deputy chief investment officer for Bell Institutional Investment Management by Bell Bank. He lives in Fargo.

2009

Lindsey Anderson, ’09, ’16, director of internal audit at Town and Country Credit Union in Minot, N.D., earned her Certified Credit Union Internal Auditor designation.

Krista Klabo, ’09, ’12, is the new school psychology and special education evaluation specialist at the Colorado Department of Education in Denver.

Kayla (McDowell) Quinn, ’09, is a certified nurse midwife accepting new patients at Sanford Health in Fargo.

2010

Shelby DiFonzo, ’10, was named assistant director of special education for Fargo Public Schools.

Savanna (Wissbrod) Hendrickson, ’10, ’11, is senior vice president of community banking at the Bank of Tioga (N.D.).

Megan (Tracy) Maxon, ’10, has been promoted to mortgage banking officer at American Bank Center in Bismarck.

Matthew Quinn, ’10, is the Plant Manager at Hankinson Renewable Energy, an ethanol facility in Hankinson, N.D.

2011

Eric Fredricks, ’11, is the Quad City section of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ 2021 Young Member of the Year. He is a design engineer at CNH Industrial in Mount Joy, Iowa.

Jake Landry, ’11, was promoted to quarterbacks coach at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Joe Laszewski, ’11, is a senior portfolio manager with Stack Financial Management in Whitefish, Mont.

Erica (Wondrasek) Thunder, ’11, ’14, was appointed as interim director of North Dakota Indian Affairs.

2012

Rev. Carter Hill, ’12, serves as pastor at Grafton (N.D.) Lutheran Church.

Emily Hills Boyle, ’12, has been promoted to the role of assistant vice president, senior universal loan officer at Gate City Bank’s South Washington location in Grand Forks.

Anne Sim, ’12, was appointed to the Transportation and Circulation Commission for the city of Fullerton, Calif. She serves as a mentor with the Business Communication workshop series for Foothill Consortium students, and is the principal at Attorney Anne Sim.

2013

Michael Raich, ’13, is president of the Northeast Higher Education District of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

Lauren Vad, ’13, founded the South Africa chapter of Warriors of Wildlife, an animal sanctuary at Simbonga Game Farm & Sanctuary.

2014

Emily Westover, ’14, ’17, joined Sanford Health’s surgery team at the Bemidji (Minn.) Main Clinic. She is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

2015

Nick Dockendorf, ’15, is assistant vice president of mortgage loan origination assistants at Gate City Bank in Fargo.

2017

Falan Johnson, ’17, MLSW, joined Dakota Family Services in Fargo. She offers therapy for children, teens, and young adults, ages 7-25.

2018

Brittany (Race) Guttormson, ’18, was named Traill County teacher of the year. She teaches English in Hillsboro, N.D.

Melanie Pratt, ’18, is an Elementary Special Education Strategist at Barnes County North in Wimbledon, N.D.

Merry Tesfu, ’18, is a reservoir engineer at UND’s EERC.

2019

Gaimi Davies, ’19, is a ranch technician on an 80,000-acre bison ranch owned by Ted Turner in the Sandhills of Nebraska.

Bryan Johnson, ’19, a former EMT and flight paramedic, is now a physician assistant at Sanford Health clinics in Canby, Minn., and Clear Lake, S.D., specializing in primary care and family medicine.

Jacob Schmuck, ’19, has joined the Red River Regional Council. He lives in Grafton, N.D.

2020

Sydney (Einarson) Bata, ’20, has joined Einarson Law Office, PC in Grafton, N.D., as an associate attorney.

Kaleb Dschaak, ’20, is founder and CEO of Fenworks, which provides educational competition and coaching services to K-12 schools so they can run their own esports programs. He lives in Grand Forks.

Trevor Hoggatt, ’20, is a pilot at ISight Drone Services.

Dr. Chunxiao Li, ’20, is a reservoir engineer at the Energy & Environmental Research Center in Grand Forks.

Megan Sevigny, ’20, teaches English at May- Port CG High School in Mayville, N.D.

Travis Toivonen, ’20, was drafted by the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

Morgan Tuss, ’20, has joined Patten, Peterman, Bekkedahl & Green PLLC, in Billings, Mont. Her primary area of practice will be general business and estate planning.

Dr. Xincheng Wan, ’20, was hired by the EERC at UND as a reservoir engineer.

2021

Gracie Lian, ’21, was appointed as a student representative on the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education. She is a graduate student at UND and has served as president of the North Dakota Student Association and UND student body president.

Jack Tannahill, ’21, is a financial guide at Alerus in Grand Forks.

ALUMNI AUTHORS

Mardeen (Whitty) Schultz, ’90, wrote and published her first children’s book. “Harry the Happy Troll” tells the story of a young troll who ignores the social norms of the troll world and befriends a human boy. You can find it on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.