Fall 2019
Dear Class of 2003 Alumni,
It promises to be an exciting year for Luther. In November, the college inaugurated its eleventh president, Dr. Jenifer K. Ward. President Ward joins the Luther community with more than three decades of experience as an educator, scholar, and academic leader after serving, most recently, as provost and dean of the college at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana. Prior to joining Centenary, President Ward served in several leadership roles at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington, including dean of the college, interim provost, and associate provost. She was also a faculty member at Gustavus Adolphus College, where she taught German.
In a message to the Luther community, President Ward said, “Our work together must be strategic, collaborative, creative, and—most importantly—must articulate what it means to be both grounded in Decorah, Iowa with a face to the world, and set goals for how we can adapt Luther’s past and present for a sustainable future.”
A self-described extrovert and lover of art, film, and literature, President Ward started her duties at Luther July 1, and her official inauguration took place November 1–3.
Learn more about President Ward—including her thoughts on food, art, Twitter, Decorah, and higher ed—on Luther’s YouTube channel (youtube.com, then search “Luther College President Ward”) or in the fall issue of the Luther Magazine: luther.edu/magazine.
Also, while you’re at it, use this checklist to up your Luther social media game:
❏ Follow Luther College on Twitter: @LutherCollege
❏ Follow Luther College on Instagram: @LutherCollege
❏ Follow the Luther College Alumni Facebook page: @facebook.com/luthercollegealumni
And, finally, keep in mind that Christmas at Luther takes place December 5–8. This year’s theme is Whom Angels Greet with Anthems Sweet. Luther would be happy to see you there!
Jess (Romens) Schouten
2003 Class Agent
1780 Lochaven Drive
Woodbury MN 55125-9015
952-484-0081
[email protected]
Joel Sommers
2003 Class Agent
5931 Holiday Road
Minnetonka MN 55345-5427
612-202-8467
[email protected]
CLASS NOTES
Pete Baumbach of Sugarland, Texas, is public cloud systems engineer - Texas region at Palo Alto Networks.
Angela Brasell of Minneapolis is a self-employed artist and an administrative assistant, reservationist and manager at Meritage Restaurant in St. Paul, Minn. She earned a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Capella University.
Tim Dahlby is a self-employed artist and restaurant manager at Mary’s Lake Lodge in Fort Collins, Colo.
Derek Distin is service director for the Custom Cloud Division of Right Networks in Alpharetta, Ga.
Drew Dittmer is commercial division manager and estimator at Select painting in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Krissy Haltinner was granted tenure and promotion to associate professor of sociology at the University of Idaho. She also directs the Africana Studies program and the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate program there.
Angie Hietala is principal at East Elementary School in Kodiak, Ala.
Jessie Jeziorski-Wilson is an aseptic technician at Zoetis Commitment to Veterinarians in Charles City, Iowa.
Stacey (Loseke) Jurgensen is a supervisor at CHI Health in Omaha, Neb.
Quraish Khumri is head of cybersecurity for Kabam, Inc. in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Eli Pedelty is founder of 123Ads in the Nantes area of France.
Samantha Pfalzgraf is pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Erie, Pa.
Bronson Power is partner at Morken Eckberg Steiner LLC in Mankato, Minn.
Shannon Schulte is incident and service manager at Granicus in St. Paul, Minn.
Branden Scott is principal archaeologist at Impact7G, Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa.
Matt Steffen is an agent at House of Insurance Agency in Le Center, Minn.
Jessica Stockmyer is senior finance project manager at Denver Health Medical Plan.
Melissa Stull is a partner at Soule & Stull LLC in Minneapolis.
Jason Trost is a virtual learning deployment specialist at Ernst & Young in Minneapolis.
Andrew Weispfenning manages the research farms for Iowa Select Farms in Ellsworth, Iowa.
Melissa (Darrington) Wicklund of Decorah is an instructional designer for AEA Learning Online.
BIRTHS
Amber and BRONSON POWER welcomed a son, Camdyn Michael, in February 2018.
GWEN LYKKEN and ADAM STRAND '04 welcomed a son, Henry John, in January 2019.