Class Notes

1950s

‘53 Carolyn (Cummings) Haurum, BA, Cedar Falls, is 90 years old and started teaching in 1953. Her husband, Harlan Haurum ‘52, was in the first master’s class at UNI.

1960s

‘62 Marlys (Benning) Folkers, BA, MA ‘70, Cedar Falls, received the Governor’s Volunteer Award in 2022.

‘63 Carroll Engelhardt, BA, Moorhead, MN, published his fifth book “By the Sweat of His Brow: The R.M. Probstfield Family at Oakport Farm,” which recounts the story of a prominent German pioneer family living in the Red River Valley frontier of Minnesota.

‘67 David Prescott, BA, Oklahoma City, OK, was awarded a 50-year certificate of appreciation from the Oklahoma Bar Association.

1970s

‘74 Cheryl Mullenbach, BA, Panora, published two books, “Women of the Spanish American War: Fighters, War Correspondents and Activists” and “Grit, Not Glamour,” which celebrates contributions by our foremothers to farming and ranching in the 19th and 20th centuries.

1980s

‘80 Randy Pilkington, BA, MA ‘98, Waterloo, received the 2023 Cedar Valley Legacy Award from Grow Cedar Valley. He is the executive director of Business and Community Services at UNI.

‘81 Joel Alter, BA, Saint Paul, MN, retired in April 2022 after 39 years of conducting nonpartisan research, program evaluations and investigations for the Minnesota Legislature. He served as program evaluation coordinator, director of special reviews and interim legislative auditor.

‘81 Ronald Langford, BA, Milwaukee, WI, was a Wisconsin state public defender from 1985 2003 and now is in criminal defense private practice. He is licensed in both Iowa and Wisconsin and has received numerous awards, including National Top 100 Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers of 2018 and Top Ranking Attorney Iowa 2020.

‘86 Deb Vangellow, BA, Sugar Land, TX, received the 2023 Nancy Lopez Golf Achievement Award from the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

‘88 Patrick Murphy, BA, Northport, AL, entered his 28th year with the University of Alabama softball program. He is the winningest coach in any sport in school history.

1990s

‘93 Dean Eyler, BA, Minneapolis, MN, was recognized by the World Trademark Review as a Global Leader in Private Practice for 2022. He is a partner at Lathrop GPM LLP. He was appointed by the Governor of Minnesota as district court judge in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District.

‘93 Jennifer (Stephens) VanHaaften, BA, Fort Atkinson, WI, co-authored a chapter on national and ethnic dress with UNI professor emeritus Annette Lynch that will be published in “The Routledge History of Fashion and Dress, 1800 to the Present.” She is the assistant director at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison, WI, serves on the Wisconsin Federation of Museums’ board and was program chair for the 2021 and 2022 Association of Midwest Museums annual conferences.

‘95 Krista (Ficek) Castellanos, BA, Aliso Viejo, CA, was elected president of the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees, which represents the 8th largest school district in California. She is also an elementary teacher for the Santa Ana Unified School District.

‘97 Karla Williams, BA, Pflugerville, TX, launched Echelon Protection Group, a business specializing in high end executive protection.

2000s

‘02 William Hagans, BA, Houston, TX, was board-certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in the area of personal injury trial law.

‘02 Grant Menke, BA, Ankeny, was named deputy secretary of agriculture with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

‘04 Chad Lang, BA, Glenwood, was selected as the School Administrators of Iowa Central Office Administrator of the Year for 2023. He also has written a book with UNI assistant professor Matt Townsley, called “A Parents’ Guide to Grading and Reporting: Being Clear About What Matters.”

‘04 Ashley (Atherton) Thompson, BA, Ames, was named to the United Way of Story County Board of Directors.

‘05 Stacey (Conaway) Mahajan, BA, BA ‘10, Austin, TX, was awarded by the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants as one of the 2023 Rising Stars in the accounting profession. She is senior finance manager at Wilsonart International.

‘06 Philip Jones, BA, Waverly, was named to the 2022 2023 Leadership Iowa class. He is the president of Rada Mfg. Co.

‘07 Jaymes Sime, BA, Omaha, NE, received the 2023 JCI (Jaycees) USA Ten Oustanding Young Americans Award. He is the president and CEO of Child Saving Institute.

‘09 Bryan Conaway, BA, Verona, WI, is a retail sales leader at AAA Madison West (WI), AAA Rockford (IL), and AAA Vernon Hills Car Care Plus (IL) for the Auto Club Group.

‘09 Leann (Schroeder) Pederson, BA, Polk City, was named one of the 40 under 40 by the Des Moines Business Record for 2024. She is a senior partner with RDG Planning & Design.

2010s

‘10 Alexa Hach, BA, MA ‘14, Grundy Center, was named one of the Cedar Valley’s 20 under 40 by the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier for 2023. She is a public health professional with the Iowa Department of Health & Human Services.

‘10 Darius Robinson, MA, Waverly, is the attorney for Bremer County.

‘10 Julia Ruetten, BA, Albuquerque, NM, earned a master’s of studies in law from the University of New Mexico School of Law.

‘11 Adam Haselhuhn, BA, Des Moines, was named one of the 2023 40 Under 40 winners by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. He is the director of development with John Stoddard Cancer Center at UnityPoint Health Des Moines Foundation.

‘12 Nick Krob, BA, Des Moines, is the 2023 chair of the Licensing Executives Society Iowa Chapter. He is an attorney with McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC.

‘12 Spencer Walrath, BA, Glenview, IL, is the system director for corporate reputation for NorthShore University HealthSystem in Chicagoland.

‘13 Tyler Avis, BA, Grinnell, celebrated 10 years working in local government utilizing GIS skills obtained at UNI and seven years as the building official for the City of Grinnell.

‘15 Tirzah Roussell, BA, Delhi, is an attorney with Dentons Davis Brown.

‘17 Shantel Kahrs, BA, Hudson, received the 2023 Gold Star Award for Outstanding Teaching. She is a 7th grade social studies teacher at Peet Junior High in Cedar Falls.

‘17 Kerra Kruse, BA, Muscatine, is a sales coordinator for Musco Sports Lighting and is pursing a master’s degree in business administration.

‘18 Kaylee Clemens, BA, Des Moines, has been a medical social worker with Iowa Home Care for five years. She also teaches dance for Devine Dancers in Des Moines.

‘18 Alexis (Hawley) Rogers, BA, San Marcos, TX, earned a MS in criminal justice from Texas State University and works for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victim Services Division. She will also be working on a Master of Arts in professional counseling and concentration in clinical mental health.

‘19 Jordan Gehlhaar, BA, Waukee, joined the Peddicord Wharton law firm as an associate attorney.

‘19 Shantavia Parker, MSW, Waterloo, was named one of the Cedar Valley’s 20 under 40 by the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier for 2023. She is a Leader Valley coach and facilitator.

2020s

‘20 Marissa Miller, BA, Waukee, graduated from Drake Law School in 2023 and is an associate attorney at Dutton Law Firm.

‘21 Kaitlyn Evers, BA, Clinton, is the assistant director of the Sawmill Museum.