’00
Eric Gapinski, Becker, was named director of collections for The Affiliated Group. • Craig Theis, Cold Spring, is vice president for public finance at Minneapolis’ Dougherty & Company.
’00 ’01
Jill (Gohmann) Hoffmann, St. Joseph, is part of the supervisory committee for the St. Cloud Federal Credit Union.
’01
Allan Karki, Sartell, purchased Insurance by Lundgren. Karki is owner of ProGrowth Insurance Agency. • Christopher Keller, Big Lake, is the spring 2012 outstanding graduate student in Metropolitan State University’s College of Management. Keller, who earned an M.B.A., is the chief financial officer with Sportech in Elk River.
Lori Larsen, Brainerd, is a full-time English instructor at Central Lakes College. • Kimberley Nordin, Cary, Ill., is owner of whEAT REAL, which teaches how to cook with whole grains.
Matthew Steinbrink, Hugo, is associate attorney at Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey in their personal injury practice.
’02
Benjamin Barton, La Crescent, is superintendent of the Caledonia Area School District and principal at Caledonia Elementary School. Barton was principal in La Crescent for seven years. • R. Josh Holly, Minneapolis, is senior director of new business development at SMS Market Research in Eden Prairie.
Daniel Williamson, Alexandria, is sports director on Eyewitness News at WDIO-TV.
’02 ’09
Jonathon Blissenbach, Sauk Rapids, is vice president of product and business development for Atomic Learning. Blissenbach has been with the company for six years.
’03
Jennifer (Schiltgen) Halvorson, Alexandria, is a long-term substitute teacher in second grade for Osakis Public Schools. Halvorson has taught off and on at the Osakis schools for the past six years.
Robert Hudson, Missoula, Mont., is evening co-anchor at WDAZ-TV in Fargo, N.D.
Bradley Hunter, Oshkosh, Wis., was honored as one of Oshkosh’s Four Under 40 emerging business leaders by the Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper. Hunter is a chiropractor at Belville-Fletcher Chiropractic.
Laura Kennedy, Fridley, is a kindergarten teacher in Westwood Intermediate School’s Spanish immersion program and is 2012 Teacher of the Year at the elementary level.
Mandi (Lighthizer) Lighthizer-Schmidt, Austin, is executive director of the United Way of Austin.
’03 ’07
Mark Roelike, Freeport, is security operations specialist at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant.
’04
Erik Book, Waverly, Iowa, is the associate athletic director/ticket operations at Texas Tech University. Book was previously assistant athletic director/ticket operations at the University of Miami.
Elizabeth (Stawarski) Brenckman, N.Y., is an associate at Fish & Richardson with a focus on trademark law.
Nicole (Storkamp) Folkerts, St. Joseph, is an engagement director at CliftonLarsonAllen certified public accounting and consulting firm.
Mynul Khan, Minneapolis, is CEO of Field Nation, a leading provider of independent field service technicians.
’05
Kristin (Vassallo) Baker, Maple Grove, is director of marketing for Northwestern Mutual, The Columns Resource Group, of Minneapolis.
Michael Ceynowa, Duluth, is a sergeant in the Duluth Police Department and commander of the Violent Crimes Unit where he has worked as patrol supervisor and the crime scene investigation unit.
Lana Kozak, St. Cloud, was honored as an Excellent Beginnings Program Achiever by lia sophia, a jewelry direct-sales business.
Melanie Pudsey, Kearney, Ontario, became part of the first group of Royal Canadian Air Force pilots to earn their fighter pilot wings in the United States.
Joseph Reed, Fargo, N.D., is a business services loan officer at Mid-Minnesota Federal Credit Union.
Travis Williams, Coralville, Iowa, is an internal medicine hospitalist physician at the St. Cloud Hospital after finishing his internal medicine residency at the University of Iowa.
’06
James Peterson, Minneapolis, is the weekday morning meteorologist at KAAL-TV where he was most recently the weekend meteorologist.
Katrina Pierson, Sauk Rapids, is a member of The Center for Nonprofit Excellence and Social Innovation Board of Directors. Pierson is a partner and principal at HBH Consultants.
’07
Colleen (O’Shaughnessy) Frein, Waterloo, Iowa, is KWWL-TV’s multi-media journalist. She reports on politics, education, community issues and the military.
Andrew Overby, Sartell, invented Safety Slap, a silicone slap bracelet with an embedded QR code. The safety band combines a QR code with a mobile website to assist in reconnecting lost children with their parents and can communicate medical conditions.
’08
Andrew Sandholm, Astoria, N.Y., is a producer at CNBC. • Jay Timmerman, Middleton, Wis., published “Far Distant Echo,” a book that is part adventure and part travel memoir from a canoe expedition that began on Lake Superior and ended in York Factory on Hudson Bay.
Travis Weldon, St. Cloud, was promoted to senior recovery agent by Preferred Credit Inc.
’09
Darlene Anthonisen, Springfield, Mo., graduated with a Master of Arts degree in counseling from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.
Jenna (Wundrow) Lee, Toledo, Ohio, is morning anchor and investigative reporter at Toledo News Now.
Patrick McCabe, Sauk Rapids, is the athletic media relations director for the College of Saint Benedict Blazer athletic department. • Jeb Willis, Rice, is a consumer and mortgage lender at Stearns Bank.
’09 ’11
Leah (Kranick) Palmer, Rush City, is teaching grades 7-12 special education at Braham Area High School.
’10
Misty Granholm, St. Cloud, is part of the recruiting team at Pace Analytical Services, Inc.
Heather Miller, New York, N.Y., qualified for USA Olympic heptathlon trials.
Justin Montbriand, St. Cloud, is a risk analyst with US Bancorp. Montbriand is working towards completing his master’s degree in the applied economics program at St. Cloud State.
John Sherwin, Rochester, is captain of the Rochester Police Department in charge of the patrol division.
Julie Tappe, Staples, is publishing her first novel, “Little Falls,” in a series set as a Nook book.
Frederick Williams, Milwaukee, Wis., plays football for the San Jose SaberCats in the AFL. • Leigh Wright, Duluth, will attend a 12-week leadership development program at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., in January.
’11
Amy Denneson, Buffalo, is the principal and director of teaching and learning for the Rockford Middle School Center for Environmental Studies. • Rachel Hanson, Norwood Young America, is teaching special education at Central Elementary School.
Aaron Holthaus, Buffalo, is co-owner of Cone Castle in St. Joseph.
Samantha Johnson, Bemidji, is an assistant account manager at Karwoski & Courage Public Relations. • Trista LaFontaine, St. Cloud, is a dancer with the Minnesota Dance Ensemble.
Manking Lee, Sioux Falls, S.D., is a senior survey technician in the public works division at Bartlett & West Inc. • Nicholas Lenz, Lake Crystal, is a weekend sports anchor at KDLT-TV in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Robin Sand, Freeport, graduated from basic combat training at Fort Sill, Lawton, Okla., and earned the Pvt. Louis Birtz Award for exceptional meritorious achievement.
Rhonda (Leonard) Zimmerman, Albany, is completing plant and bird surveys in Wildwood County Park during the 2012-13 summers as part of her master’s research that will influence how the park is developed.
’12
Reuben Aleckson, Burtrum, is an outside salesman and account manager for Fastenal Company.
Matthew Evens, Cold Spring, is a data analyst at Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC. • Christopher Foley, Sauk Rapids, is a surveyor with Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson, an engineering, surveying and planning firm, in the Brainerd office.
Andrew Godziek, Maple Grove, is pursuing a Master of Arts in international studies at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
Joshua Hautala, Hibbing, is an engineer technician with Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson in the Bismarck, N.D., office.
Brittney Moffatt, Coon Rapids, participated in Run Free, a 200-mile border-to-border journey across the state of Minnesota as part of Venture Expeditions Just+Hope Campaign.
Samuel Swedberg, Owatonna, is a financial analyst for IBM.
Elisa Traut, St. Cloud, is an account manager at Leighton Interactive.
Mathew Welinski, Sauk Rapids, is a surveyor with Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson in the Brainerd office.
