Alumni Notes

In the spring 2025, Peter Nordgren published a new book, A Place on Water, a natural history memoir of northwest Wisconsin. It's available through regional bookstores and at www.northbranch.info.

Ngawang Gonsar (PhD ’21) received the distinguished faculty of the year award from Normandale Community College. She received the award at the Commencement ceremony.

Brittany Strelow (BS ’08) has been elected as American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) Director at Large.

Jana Craft (PhD ’13) has been named dean of the School of Business and Management at SUNY Brockport. Located just west of Rochester, Brockport is part of the SUNY system and serves nearly 950 business students across undergraduate and graduate programs.

Amanda Thein (PhD ’05) has been appointed the dean of the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder effective July 1, 2025. She is a nationally recognized scholar in English and literacy education with a passion for the work of educational democracy—work that is uniquely carried out through the research, teaching and service missions of schools and colleges of education. Read more.

Congratulations to Cole Schaefer (BS ’20, business & marketing education) for being named to the 2025 Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Food & Drink Category. Schaefer, along with his co-founder and fellow U of M alum, Brian Waddick, own Smackin’. Starting out of their dorm room in college, they created a sunflower seed […]

Alissa Partee (BS ’07), Chief People Officer (CPO) at Restaurant Technologies, has transitioned into a new role as the company’s Chief Operations Officer (COO). In her previous role, Partee led the human resources team at Restaurant Technologies and joined the company as CPO in 2020. During her tenure, the company grew from 1,000 employees to […]

Mary R. DeGrote Goering (PhD ’16) has been named a 2024 Provost’s Unit Service Award recipient at the University of Minnesota. This award was given in recognition of her exceptional service that has strengthened the functioning and climate of the School of Nursing where she works. Her work on creating an online Prelicensure Preceptor Resource […]

On September 18, 2024 Sara K. Sterner was honored with the Cal Poly Humboldt Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, Tenure Line. She is a teacher education scholar who is passionate about teaching and has created a welcoming and safe classroom environment. Sterner uses technology and various teaching methods intentionally and seamlessly, demonstrating strong […]

Congratulations to Domonique Gilmer (K-12 administrative licensure certificate) for being honored with 2 awards earlier this year. In July, he received the Mentor Award from Sons of Bransford. This award recognizes Black men who exemplify redemption, responsibility, and resilience in overcoming life’s challenges. It celebrates those who provide extraordinary service to their communities, inspiring others […]