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Alumni families provide a warm Luther welcome when they host international students as they arrive in the U.S. From left: Kim Christianson ’94, Paul Slininger, Matthew Lingga ’28, Claire Nguyen ’28, and Tran Nguyen ’28 take in a Minneapolis United soccer game. Read more on page 13.
Cover photo: Maggie Patten ’26 spent J-Term on a Paideia 450 course, National Identity and Memory in Turkey and Greece. She shared this striking photo of Istanbul’s iconic Galata Tower.
A Historic Team
Women’s wrestling completes its first season.
A Collaborative Cookbook
A student and alum team up to showcase a Decorah business through a senior project.
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5
A Paddler’s Friend 6
Professors revise a guide to enrich new generations of river-lovers.
Intentionally International
Students share snapshots from transformational off-campus experiences.
8
A Warm Luther Welcome
13
Alumni families help us welcome students from abroad.
LET’S STAY IN TOUCH
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A gateway A gateway
TO A GLOBAL EDUCATION
Dear Luther Community,
In late March, I had the opportunity to visit with students and faculty participating in our study-away program in Münster, Germany. It was the capstone, and a highlight, of a week of engaging with Luther alumni, students, and faculty and of strengthening partnerships with international secondary schools in Europe. It was powerful to experience firsthand the setting of one of our long-standing, semester-long study-away programs and to hear from students how their study at an urban university in Germany, as
well as living with host families, is advancing their learning and changing them personally. That week in Europe strengthened my conviction that Luther serves as a gateway to a global education. We are a proud Iowa college with a regional presence, a national reputation, and a global impact.
This issue of the Luther magazine features articles that I hope will deepen your appreciation of how global engagement is central to our mission of preparing students to lead with curiosity, compassion, and cross-cultural understanding. In reading them, I hope you learn more about our exemplary studyaway programs and our thoughtful welcome of international students, both of which are made possible by the generous contributions of time, talent, and treasure from our alumni network. And I hope you better understand why we recently earned a 2026 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Interna-
tionalization. Only five colleges and universities in the United States earned the award this year. We are the first private institution in the state of Iowa to be recognized for our globally focused programs, partnerships, and curriculum.
At a time when the relevance of higher education is increasingly questioned, when society is increasingly looking inward, Luther remains committed to nurturing and sustaining a global education, to engaging and serving the neighbor. This is one of the many ways that we inspire and equip students to serve the common good, that we serve as a catalyst for the creation of a more just and sustainable world.
Soli Deo Gloria, Bradley M. Chamberlain President
President Brad Chamberlain
Exercise science major Myiah Wagner ’28 spent J-Term on a course that traced the story of Frankenstein through Europe. She took this stunning photo of the well-preserved ruins of an ancient bathhouse in Rome.
THE LUTHER PROMISE
In February, President Brad Chamberlain announced the Luther Promise, a set of commitments designed to help incoming students earn their bachelor’s degrees in four years while gaining career preparation. The initiative promises a four-year graduation guarantee and a substantial investment of $120,000 in scholarship assistance over a student’s career.
“The Luther Promise makes explicit what our awards, accolades and alumni testimonials have repeatedly told us over the years—that Luther College helps students find a good job and create a meaningful life,” President Chamberlain says.
Full-time first-year college students entering Luther in fall 2026 are eligible for the Luther Promise. Learn more about it at luther.edu/promise.
BISHOP YEHIEL CURRY VISITS LUTHER
View the keynote
Luther hosted a very special visitor when Rev. Yehiel Curry, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, gave the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Day keynote address. Bishop Curry’s visit to campus included a community lunch, a panel conversation with ELCA synodical bishops, and youth engagement conversations. The day was rich in discussions about living our institutional values and building beloved community.
MIKE OSTERHOLM ’75 DELIVERS ROSLIEN LECTURE
Dr. Michael Osterholm ’75, recently named one of the world’s “most influential leaders in health” by Time magazine, delivered the 2026 Dr. David J. Roslien Distinguished Lecture in Science and Leadership. The talk, “Public Health in Crisis: What This Means to You,” shed light on how recent changes in public health policy and leadership shape government agency approaches, scientific research, vaccine attitudes, and more. Osterholm is a Luther College regent. The talk was facilitated by Luther regent Mark Larson ’78.
View the lecture
FULBRIGHT SEMIFINALISTS
Congratulations to three semifinalists for the 2026–27 Fulbright U.S. Student Program!
Sophia Chadima ’26, English teaching assistantship in Czech Republic
Hannah Hoffmann ’23, study/research grant in Spain
Niamh Mee ’26, English teaching assistantship in Estonia
Operating in over 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright Program is the largest and most esteemed exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
ALL-AMERICANS
Mia Prater ’27 tied for 15th in the 50 freestyle at the 2026 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championship in Indianapolis, earning honorable mention All-American honors for the second time in her Luther career.
The Luther men’s wrestling team finished 15th in the nation at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling Championship. The McDonough brothers in particular had a great showing. Bryce McDonough ’26 finished as the national champion runner-up, earning his first All-America honor. Clayton McDonough ’26, the most winning wrestler in Luther history, finished sixth overall in his class to earn his third All-America honor.
A RECORD-SETTING GIVING DAY!
When the Luther community comes together to support our students, big things happen:
1,800+ gifts to the Luther Fund
2,415 volunteer hours served in local communities
357 gifts in honor of Luther faculty and staff
Which added up to . . .
$1,377,593.51—the most successful Giving Day in Luther College’s history!
Scan to hear Luther students express ther gratitude!
Left: Lexi Timmerman ’28. Above: Avani Williams ’29, coach Ryan Timmerman, Lexi Timmerman ’28, Grace Rinehart ’29, Nina Yankey ’28, Kelsey Knief ’29, and Lucy Miller ’29.
A HISTORIC TEAM
Luther marked an athletic milestone this academic year: the addition of wrestling as its 11th varsity sport for women. The Norse had been building up to this historic team since hosting the first Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union regional wrestling tournament in northeast Iowa in February 2023, then hosting Train Like A Norse summer wrestling camps for girls in 2024 and 2025.
Luther has a distinguished history of trailblazing in women’s sports, as it was among the first colleges to establish varsity teams for women beginning in 1964, before Title IX legislation. This year was an opportune time to build a women’s wrestling program, with meaningful investments in wrestling facilities during the Gerdin Fieldhouse for Athletics and Wellness renovation. In addition, the NCAA began officially sponsoring women’s wrestling in February.
Coach Ryan Timmerman was selected to lead the team after a 12-year career at St. Peter (Minn.) High School. He helped grow that program, adding a girls team in 2022, and leading the St. Peter Saints to eight consecutive winning seasons. His daughter, Lexi Timmerman ’28, was part of the St. Peter team and now wrestles for the Norse.
Most members of the Luther team come from a wrestling background. Kelsey Knief ’29 wrestled at Bellevue (Iowa) High School. Grace Rinehart ’29 wrestled at Waukee (Iowa) Northwest High School. Both were eager to be part of an inaugural team at Luther. Kylie Miller ’29 wrestled at St. Croix Falls (Wis.) High School, Nina Yankey ’28 at Iowa City (Iowa) High School, and Lucy
Miller ’29 at Solon (Iowa) High School. Avani Williams ’29 didn’t wrestle at Chicago Bulls College Prep in Chicago, but she played rugby. She was drawn to wrestling, she says, because of how physical it is.
The team, in its first year, is small but mighty. Lucy sees this as a plus: “Everyone cheers each other on, and it’s definitely easier to keep track of each person’s individual growth on the mat or in the weight room on a smaller team. The small team also makes us that much more tight-knit and invested in each other.”
The team has made remarkable strides both on and off the mat. Kylie became its first all-conference member, and Kelsey, Lucy, and Grace became its first CSC Academic All-Americans. This well-rounded success is part of what Coach Timmerman works toward. “I want them to be able to take any challenge they meet head-on,” he says. “I want them to have the skills and the confidence in themselves to be able to handle any battle.”
In the state of Iowa, women’s wrestling is represented in every division of collegiate sports and is likely the largest program in the country, which can make recruiting a challenge since there’s so much competition. Still, Coach Timmerman is on track to more than double his program in its second year, saying, “I’m looking for athletes who want to learn, want to get better, and want to be great students, great athletes, and most importantly, great people.”
—Kate Frentzel
A COLLABORATIVE COOKBOOK
A student and alum team up to showcase a Decorah business through a senior project.
When Sheridan Wilson ’26 started thinking about the senior project for her visual communication major, she knew she wanted to focus on something rooted in the Decorah community. She also wanted to produce something physical.
So she drew on a connection she’d made with a local alum: Decoraharea restaurateur Hannah Garry ’16. The result was a colorful, inviting, and very stylish cookbook that showcases recipes served at Garry’s Blazing Star restaurant.
While working at Impact Coffee—another alum-owned Decorah business—Sheridan met Garry, a former Impact employee and co-founder of Blazing Star. Sheridan loved the branding of this vegetable-forward restaurant and catering service on Water Street. As her senior project crept closer, she started to talk with Garry about collaborating on a cookbook.
Working together, the two decided to focus the book on Blazing Star’s beloved sauces. Once they settled on how to organize the recipes, they had to make, style, and photograph them.
At times, the scope of the project—which Sheridan imagined would be 20 pages but which actually ended up at 106—felt overwhelming. “When I started the first day of taking photos, I was like, What did I get myself into?” she says. “But each time I had a photo shoot at Blazing Star, it got easier and easier. And then I was like, I actually enjoy this. I’m really getting good at this.”
The end result beautifully showcases Blazing Star cuisine. The photos in the book are unfussy yet chic, the layout clean and modern. Sheridan has done one print run so far and sold 65 copies. But her pride lies more in the concept than in the physical product.
“I’m proud of how I could connect my senior project to the community,” she says. “The final product is also a big thing to be proud of, but the project made me realize all the connections I built. My professors and the community were so supportive. People were like, This is amazing. You’re going to do great things. And that made me realize that I’m proud of my degree. I think that’s what the senior project really is about—it makes you appreciate all you’ve learned at Luther.”
—Kate Frentzel
A PADDLER’S FRIEND
A revised guide by two Luther professors will enrich new generations of river-lovers.
Curious paddlers this season are in for a treat. Professor Jon Jensen ’89 and emeritus professor John Moeller, with the help of Luther students and staff, have finished revising the indispensable Guide to the Upper Iowa River.
Originally published in 1971 by chemistry professor George Knudson, the guide has been a decades-long staple for would-be navigators of the river. Moeller says, “When I
came to Decorah in 1981, it seemed like everybody I knew had a copy of it.” Jensen and his family used it when he was a kid, and Jensen picked it up again when he moved back to Decorah in 2002.
The Knudson family, who moved to Decorah in 1948, were avid paddlers, even renting out canoes from their backyard just off campus. George used to lean out over area bridges to paint numbers on them for navi-
George Knudson
George Knudson
John Moeller (left) and Jon Jensen
gation purposes. (Moeller says old-timers still refer to the bridges by their numbers.) After fielding many requests for paddling advice, George decided to organize what he knew in the original Guide to the Upper Iowa River.
Jensen adds that around this time, national legislation was introduced to start protecting rivers. The Upper Iowa was one of the rivers under consideration, and Knudson became so passionate about it that he even went canoeing with Iowa congressman John Culver to lobby for the cause.
George and his wife, Shirley, died in a plane crash in 1977. As infrastructure, river contours, and information changed, and copies of the guide became scarce, Jensen and Moeller started talking about keeping the guide—and awareness about the river—alive.
In their revised edition, the pair aimed to keep the
spirit of the original guide, with its handy size and handdrawn maps. They continued to include information on navigation, flora, and fauna. They built upon Knudson’s sections about natural history and added information on climate change, agriculture, flooding, water quality, and more.
Their update has been years in the making. It involved three student researchers—Collin Kern ’20, Jonathan Rivera ’20, and Leif Saveraid ’22—who paddled the entire river in the summer of 2019, as well as artists Rachel Heinrich ’24, Iris Johnson ’20, and Julie (Strom) Hendrickson ’93.
“While so much has changed in the 60 years since George Knudson started canoeing the Upper Iowa River,” Jensen and Moeller write, “the river still has the ability to amaze and transform us.”
—Kate Frentzel
The revised Guide to the Upper Iowa River is available at the Luther Book Shop. Profits fund Luther faculty and student research on the natural history and conservation of the river.
River illustration by Julie (Strom) Hendrickson ’93
Intentionally INTERNATIONAL
In February, Luther was awarded the 2026 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization.
Only five U.S. universities and colleges were selected this year to receive the award, which recognizes excellence in integrating international education throughout all facets of university and college campuses. Luther is the first private college in Iowa to receive the recognition.
“The honor is even more striking because it almost always goes to large universities rather than small liberal arts colleges,”
says Victoria Christman, Luther’s Center for Global Learning director. “But the award rightly recognizes decades of intentional international engagement on the part of Luther College, and the success of Luther in embedding that internationalization throughout the curriculum and the student experience.”
Nearly 80 percent of Luther students study off campus before graduation. Between 30 and 40 faculty and staff lead study-away programs each year, and Luther provides $250,000 annually in need-based scholarship support
for study-away educational opportunities.
The result is a student body that engages with global issues and ideas and with cultures outside their own. And they learn deeply in the process. As Myiah Wagner ’28, who traveled from London to Rome during the J-Term course In Frankenstein’s Footsteps, says, “I never thought I would be able, in a month, to learn so many things. When they say, ‘You had to be there,’ it doesn't even begin to describe what I discovered.”
In January, Anna Tauscher ’26, an economics and political science major, took Paideia 450: National Memory and Identity in Turkey and Greece. She caught this photo in the ancient city of Ephesus, outside of Izmir, Turkey. She says, “We spent a day walking among ruins, learning about how many ancient Greek sites are actually found in Türkiye, highlighting the connection between the two countries’ pasts and how it has shaped their current identities.”
Above: visual communication major Jackson Loomis ’29 spent a month on the Theatre in New York J-Term course, where he snapped this fantastic photo of the Manhattan Bridge with the Empire State Building centered in the middle, as seen from Dumbo, Brooklyn. “I heard of this photo spot and was excited to test my photography skills in framing a subject,” he says.
Below: psychology major Maggie Patten ’26 spent J-Term on the Paideia 450 course National Identity and Memory in Turkey and Greece. She took this photo of the Izmir clock tower in Turkey. She says, “This monument’s significance is interesting because it is secular, whereas most of the major sites in Istanbul, the other city we visited in Türkiye, are religious in nature. Religion versus secularism was one of the prominent binaries we examined in our course.”
Above: Jacob Bruns ’28 also spent J-Term in Turkey and Greece. He caught this photo of Athens at night, taken from a lookout spot in the Anafiotika neighborhood. “This is a neighborhood historically populated by immigrants from Greek islands,” he says. “Our course looked into how legacies of migration shaped Athens, as well as the broader region encompassing Turkey and Greece, into the places they are today.”
Above: Lawson Morris ’27, an environmental studies and political science major, traveled to Montana during Environmental Studies 239: The Good Life? He captured this atmospheric photo of students taking in the mighty ponderosa pines on their foggy first day at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp in Lakeside, Montana.
Upper left: biology major Jacob Michaelson ’26 spent January on the Marine Biology course in Roatan, Honduras, where fellow traveler Henry Lenaburg ’27 took this photo of Jacob exploring the reefs with other Luther students.
Middle left: social work major Ashlynn Thorsen ’26 spent January on the Practicing Embodiment course in Costa Rica, where she captured this sunset at Dominical Beach.
Lower left: global health major Jermaine Dizon ’26 spent J-Term on Paideia 450: People and Parks in Tanzania, where he captured this stunning photo. The course examined how conservation intersects with cultural identity, as seen through the lens of the Maasai people of northern Tanzania. Jermaine says, “We had a great experience traveling to many conservation areas and interacting with Maasai communities in rural and urban settings. We were so grateful to be immersed in and appreciate the cultures we were surrounded by and to have seen all of the wildlife as well!"
Left: Molly Paffenroth ’29, an English secondary education major, traveled through Italy, England, France, and Switzerland during the J-Term In Frankenstein’s Footsteps. She commemorated riding with fellow students in a red cable train up to the Mer De Glace in Chamonix, France, where the group visited the same piece of ice that Mary Shelley wrote about in her novel. “We spent the whole trip learning a lot about Romantic era literature, so seeing these places in real life was very powerful,” Molly says.
Middle left: Charlie Krob ’28, a neuroscience major with a minor in Spanish, spent J-Term on the Spanish for Medical Professionals course in Oaxaca, Mexico. She spent a week of clinical rotations in Santa María Coyotepec, where clinicians, she says, “taught me something more impactful than medical terminology or conjugations of Spanish verbs—they helped me learn how to slow down, to savor simplicity, to appreciate the quiet parts of life just as much as the exciting ones.”
Lower left: English major Katherine Griffin ’26 spent spring 2025 on the Nottingham program. She took this photo in Whitby, England. “This is the Whitby Abbey that was left to ruins after King Henry VIII switched to Protestantism,” she says. “I learned that this was the inspiration for part of Bram Stoker’s Dracula because of the ruins and the sudden cliffs right next to the abbey.”
Below: exercise science major Myiah Wagner ’28 spent J-Term on the course In Frankenstein’s Footprints, tracing the story through Italy, England, France, and Switzerland. In Venice, she says, her group focused on Romantic poets and the history of the Doge. They also enjoyed traveling along the city’s famous canals.
Left: Hannah Coy ’26, an elementary education major, used an Imagine Fellowship to travel to France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain to study art, architecture, and nature to inspire elementary art lessons and projects. Along the way, she snapped this photo of an overlook of Manarola in Cinque Terre, Italy.
Below: psychology and art major Lauren Ingram ’26 spent J-Term on a Paideia 450 course in Turkey and Greece. She took this photo of the Vallianeio Megaron, which served as the National Library of Greece until 2017. She wanted, she says, “to display the artistry and attention to detail that went into the creation of this beautiful building.”
Left: Anna Tauscher ’26, an economics and political science major, spent spring 2025 on the Washington Semester. She took this striking photo in her Securing the Homeland course, during a tour around historic monuments in D.C.
Donor support helps make study-away experiences like these possible. To learn more about funding opportunities, please contact the Advancement Office at advancement@luther.edu or 563-387-1861.
A WARM LUTHER
Welcome
The flipside of our study-away programs—and part of why we’ve been recognized with a rare 2026 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization—is the way we welcome students from abroad, with invaluable help from alumni.
by Kate Frentzel
Kim Christianson '94 and her family regularly host Luther students as they arrive in the U.S.
From left: Claire Nguyen '28, Kim, Matthew Lingga '28, Nhi Nguyen '28, and Tran Nguyen '28.
Since 2023, international students receive a true Luther welcome as soon as their plane touches down in Minneapolis. Through Luther’s Center for Intercultural Engagement and Support (CIES), Luther alumni can volunteer to host international students until they head to campus.
Since the program’s inception, its supporters have included Kim Christianson ’94 and her husband, Paul Slininger, and daughter, Abbi Slininger ’24. Residents of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., they were already veteran hosts for international high school and college students, as well as a student teacher. When Kim saw the call looking for volunteers, she thought, This feels important. These students are coming from an international location, coming to start school, and they probably have a lot of uncertainty. It could be fun to make them feel welcome and be a first Luther connection.
Kim, Paul, and Abbi hosted three students that first summer. “They were so nice with us,” recalls Anthi Giannakopoulou ’27, who traveled from her home in Greece. “They offered to take us to Target if we needed anything before we left for the dorms. They had a little gift bag for each one of us. It felt like they went all out just so we could feel welcomed, but at the same time like they didn’t change much of their schedule just because we were there, which also made it so homey for me. We all just blended in with their everyday life immediately.”
During Anthi’s first year at Luther, Abbi scheduled lunch with her once a week just to check in. “It reflects the kind of family they are and how good they’ve been to me,” Anthi says.
Anthi considers Kim and Paul her “American parents,” saying, “All I can think about when coming back to school each year is which days I can go visit them.”
Kim and Paul have maintained meaningful connections with most of the nine students they’ve hosted through the CIES program. They all have a group chat where they keep in touch, and in addition to taking the students out to dinner when Kim and Paul are in Decorah once or twice a year, their home has an open door for the students, like Nhi Nguyen ’28, who spent two weeks there last August after her summer internship ended.
“Their kindness and generosity are rare,” Nhi says, citing special trips to the zoo and to go hiking, as well as the healthy, delicious meals Kim and Paul serve. As an aspiring nurse, Nhi also appreciates the efforts the family has made to introduce her to fellow nurses, including Paul, Abbi’s friend Jo Muenkel ’24, and Kim’s college roommate Kelly Dorris ’94. When Nhi had two summer jobs to choose from,
Above (from left): Nhi, Claire, Tran, Matthew Kim and Paul enjoy a meal at Kim and Paul's home.
Left: Paul, Abbi Slininger '24, Kim, and Nhi took in a Minneapolis United game last August.
From left: Paul, Nhi, Anthi, and Kim celebrated Christmas together in 2025.
From left: Anthi Giannakopoulou '27 and Kim
Kim and Paul were among the first people she texted for advice.
Nhi says, “I’m convinced I won the host-family lottery!”
He’s Here, He’s Safe
For some students, the prospect of studying in the U.S. can be filled with equal parts excitement and uncertainty. Muhammad Ibrahim Ahsan ’29 felt pretty nervous coming to the U.S. from Pakistan. “But the moment I saw Kim and Paul waiting for me along with Nhi, who had spent her first year at Luther, I immediately felt welcomed and cared for,” he says. “They helped carry my bags and greeted me with so much warmth that all my nervousness melted away.”
Muhammad deeply appreciates the special care the family took with his meals and the homemade cupcakes “that felt like a hug in every bite.” He says, “They gave me my own room, which made me feel completely at home, relaxed, and safe after such a long journey.” The night he arrived, Muhammad, Kim, and Paul made a quick video call to Muhammad’s family. “My parents were overjoyed knowing I had met such a kind, generous family,” Muhammad says.
“His parents had to be so filled with anxiety, but they could see our faces and know he’s here and know he’s safe,” Kim says.
A Community That Shows Up for New Students
In the past two years of the CIES program, Luther has had enough hosts to accommodate every student who came through MSP airport.
Michelle Boike ’13, assistant dean and director of CIES, oversees the program and says, “Having alumni who are excited to welcome new students to the United States and have experienced life at Luther is such a fantastic opportunity for the students to feel welcomed and supported in the first few days of their Luther journey, and they start making connections to Luther right away. This weekend takes a community like this one to make it happen.”
This warm and generous welcome for students from all over the world is part of why Luther is so successful at educating global citizens. We send students out into the world, and we also receive students—warmly! generously!— from all over the world. These students’ lives, backgrounds, and contributions help enrich our campus community and help build future leaders who’ve been shaped by diverse perspectives. By being that first Luther connection and that first welcoming face, our alumni help make this rich learning environment possible.
From left: Anthi, Kim, and Paul took in a football game together when Kim and Paul visited Decorah in fall 2023.
When they're in Decorah, Kim and Paul try to treat students to a meal at Koreana. Claire recalls them surprising her with a birthday celebration there one year. “It was such an emotional moment, and experiences like that make me feel truly cared for and welcomed when I’m far from home.” From left: Kelly Dorris '94, Nhi, Muhammad Ibrahim Ahsan '29, Claire, Paul, Kim, Anthi, Matthew, Abbi, and Tran.
For more information about signing up to be an alumni host, please contact Michelle Boike at cies@luther.edu.
Above (from left): Kim, Paul, Nhi, Jessie Dang '29, and Muhammad at Kim and Paul's house.
Action ART INSPIRING
Katie (Anderson) Fischer ’01 founds a performing arts company in the Twin Cities that promotes collective healing and social change.
The lights dim inside Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka, Minn., and the audience murmurs itself into silence. One person after another steps onto the stage, each telling a story of the slow build of abuse and the impossible calculus of leaving. The stories braid together, mixed with vocal solos and a dance between a husband and wife while “What’s the Use of Wonderin’?” from Carousel plays. It’s an infamous song, the one everyone hates, the one where the abused woman sings, He’s your fella and you love him and all the rest is talk.
The show is called Flight. It centers on domestic violence, and you can feel the weight of it in the room. But when the applause fades, the audience doesn’t
carry that weight home alone. They’re invited to stay— to talk with the actors, with each other, with representatives from The Dwelling Place and Anoka County Violence Prevention Roundtable, offering information and ways to help.
It’s not your typical night at the theatre. It’s a performance that asks something of you.
This is the seventh season of Twin Cities-based nonprofit The Art of Reconciliation, founded and led by executive and artistic director Katie (Anderson) Fischer ’01. It gets at something Katie has been reaching toward her whole career: the moment after the curtain falls, when an audience is moved but doesn’t know what to do with it.
“I find that so often shows bring up a lot of really good points, a lot of really hard topics,” Katie says. “And then you walk out and you’re like, Now what?”
Every production is built around that question. Each show pairs a performance with an education component, bringing in professionals working on the highlighted issue, then closes with a partner organization offering real ways people can help. The audience leaves with somewhere to put what they’re feeling.
Fischer is quick to explain the instinct behind it.
“When something really horrible happens to a family, I’m coming over with food,” she says. “That’s part of my makeup. Instead of just sitting in the hurt and sorrow, it’s like, Well, what can we do? We can make a hot dish.”
The Art of Reconciliation began in 2019 with the question: What if a production of Jane Eyre could connect audiences to the work of healing childhood trauma? When Jane Eyre reached the stage in 2021— rehearsed, in the early days, in Katie’s driveway—the response was strong enough that she incorporated as a 501(c)(3) the following year. Since then, the company has worked with over 150 creative collaborators, supported eight nonprofits, and brought more than 3,000 people through its doors.
THE ROAD TO RECONCILIATION
Getting to this work required the kind of winding path that couldn’t have been planned. A theatre/dance major at Luther, Katie found herself in a department that was unusually rich. She trained under radically different approaches: ballet, modern, jazz, Capoeira, somatic movement fundamentals.
The summer before her senior year, she planned to spend time in New York. Instead, she went out for a bike ride and woke up in a hospital. Found unconscious by three middle schoolers who applied pressure to her head wound until help arrived, she spent months recovering, the somatic techniques she
learned at Luther shaping her healing and her next move.
She found a California training program called Moving On Center, and went west to join it. What she encountered reoriented something foundational.
“I was there when 9/11 happened,” Fischer recalls. “It shifted my mentality from I’m performing to be seen to This can be a powerful influence in the world.”
She returned home to Minnesota, started working in movement therapy and children’s ministry, and spent 15 years choreographing, always circling back to the same question: What do audiences do with what they feel after the curtain falls?
It’s the question from which The Art of Reconciliation emerged. Each production has partnered with a different organization—among them The Secret Garden with Urban Roots, which empowers St. Paul youth through nature and healthy food. This summer brings a full production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel—eight performances, with a resource fair reflecting the show’s central theme: breaking generational cycles of abuse.
None of this is lucrative. Katie is candid about the financial reality. Ticket prices are on a sliding scale by design, stipends are modest, and the arts are perpetually underfunded. But the community she’s built is something Katie talks about with unmistakable warmth. Actors return. Audiences come back. Organizations keep partnering.
“Creating space for people to come together, to be present, to put your phones away and value live performance,” Katie says. “To me this is so satisfying and so much different than watching quick entertainment on TV.”
In the Twin Cities right now, that kind of space feels like more than art. It feels like a response.
—Kelli Billstein ’07
To learn more about Katie’s work, visit theartofreconciliation.com.
ONE FINAL Bow
Bruce Tammen ’71 wraps up an acclaimed conducting career.
Bruce Tammen ’71 was making a name for himself as a baritone chorister in Chicago when he answered a call—both literally and figuratively—that would forever change his life.
The year was 1977, and the caller was none other than Weston Noble ’43, his former Nordic Choir director. It didn’t take long for the esteemed educator to ask Bruce one very important question: Do you want to start a new first-year choir at Luther?
“I said yes, and that decision put me on a completely different path,” he says.
While Bruce shaped the new Chapel Choir over the next three years, he also paid close attention to the other Luther music faculty. He watched, he listened, and he learned—from Noble most of all.
“Weston taught me how to deal with different personalities, how to mollify someone who is dissatisfied, and how to manage conflicts in a group,” he says. “We talked about topics like that all the time.”
In 1980, Bruce returned to Chicago to earn a master’s degree in vocal performance from Northwestern University. Four years later, he landed back at the University of Chicago—where he had earned a master’s degree in English in 1974—to head the school’s choral program. For 12 years, Bruce thrived in that role.
In 1996, when his wife, Old Testament scholar Esther Menn ’80, was offered a faculty position at the University of Virginia, the couple moved to Charlottesville. There Bruce spent the next six years directing the university’s all-male glee club. In 2001, another job offer for Esther (at the Lutheran School of Theology) brought the couple back to the Windy City and serendipitously presented Bruce with the opportunity of a lifetime. “I was unemployed when I ran into one of my former choir members,” he recalls. “We chatted for a bit about what I might do next, and she said, ‘Well, let’s start a choir!’”
Thus was born Chicago Chorale, the highly acclaimed, professional-level volunteer ensemble that Bruce has directed for the past quarter century. In a big city with myriad musical groups, the chorale occupies a niche all its own and is regularly lauded for its vocal purity, stylistic accuracy, and adventurous programming. (Think Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Bruce’s favorite work.)
After 25 years at its helm, Bruce will direct Chicago Chorale one last time, on May 31, in a performance of the Fauré Requiem. As he looks ahead to retirement, he also looks back with gratitude for the place that helped make his remarkable career possible.
“Over the years, I’ve worked with people who came from every conservatory in the country and sung with people who had very specialized, high-end training,” says Bruce, the 2012 recipient of the college’s Weston Noble Award.
“It was Luther, a small liberal arts college in the Midwest, that prepared me to succeed at that level.”
—Sara Friedl-Putnam
THE GIFT OF Resilience
Linh Luong ’20 engineers medical devices that help people lead longer, better lives.
In thinking about how she got to where she is now, Linh Luong ’20 boils it down to one word: resilience. From immigrating to La Crosse, Wis., from Vietnam at 10 years old, to navigating a serious new health condition during a pandemic, to bouncing back from a layoff in late 2025, Linh says, “I’ve definitely built up a lot of resilience.”
Now she’s part of a team that gives others their best chance to bounce back, too, and lead better, longer lives.
Linh entered Luther planning to pursue medical school. One of Luther’s first neuroscience graduates, she conducted summer research projects with professor Colin Betts ’93 in her anthropology minor and professor Kristy Gould in neuroscience. She found that she really loved research and decided to take a gap year to think harder about pursuing medical school versus earning an advanced degree in a research-based area.
Halfway through her gap year, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Linh suddenly developed a seizure disorder. While it’s largely under control now, it wreaked a lot of havoc during a time when she was trying to make life-altering decisions.
A new question confronted her: Could she handle an academic program alongside her new condition? To test the waters, she enrolled in a master’s degree in biological sciences at the University of Minnesota. In addition to her love of neuroscience, she had an interest in physics and engineering and liked that the
degree was flexible.
She took to the program extremely well. She spent her first semester working in a neuroscience lab focused on seizure control in epilepsy and eventually carved out a path for herself in quality engineering in the medical device sector.
Quality engineering, she says, “is a culmination of my passion for medicine, science, innovation, and helping people.”
Now, as a quality engineer at Forj Medical (previously Minnetronix) in St. Paul, Minn., Linh helps develop medical equipment of all kinds, from devices that get implanted in a patient’s body to surgical equipment used in operating rooms. In her role, she looks carefully at each element of a new device and how those elements work together, as well as safety and policy compliance for the different continents where a device will be used. She partners with her team to develop testing protocols and also conducts audits to make sure that her team is holding all parts of the company accountable.
“At the end of the day,” she says, “I want to make sure that the things that we make for patients will be safe and improve their lives.”
—Kate Frentzel
WHERE SCIENCE AND SERVICE MEET
Esther Bitijula ’25 aims to help people with compassion backed by research.
Growing up, Esther Bitijula’s mother was a model for serving her community. From caring for orphans, to holding women-empowerment workshops, to volunteering in hospitals, she sparked a passion in Esther to make a similar impact.
Esther attended Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa, then made her way to Luther, where she majored in psychology and social work.
“Psychology gave me tools to understand behavior, emotion, and mental health, while social work really grounded me in systems of equity, advocacy, and access,” she says.
“The combination of fields helped me realize that caring deeply wasn’t enough for me—I wanted to probe behind what I intuitively knew. I wanted rigorous training and diverse perspectives. Sometimes psychology focuses on what’s wrong with a person, but social work focuses on what’s wrong with a community. Studying both fields was my way of saying that I want to care well, but also competently and responsibly.”
As a Luther student, Esther earned a $10,000 Davis Project for Peace grant to work with women with phys-
ical disabilities in her home country of the DRC Congo, offering workshops on mental health, social empowerment, and financial literacy, and teaching income-generating skills.
“Empowerment is not something that you give to someone; it’s something that you cultivate together.”
“It required humility, listening, and consistency, which is something I learned in my majors. I was connecting theories I learned in class to real-life experiences,” she says.
As a student assistant in the Forgiveness Lab, directed by Luther psychology professor Loren Toussaint, Esther fell in love with research. “I wasn’t there as a passive assistant—I was really actively trained as an emergent scholar, asking rigorous questions,” she says. “That’s where I began to understand that behind every intervention, every assumption, and every policy, there must also be evidence.”
Esther graduated into a difficult job market for young workers, but her deep experiential learning landed her a research assistant position at Wayne State’s Trauma History Investigation of Neurodevelopment in Kids (THINK) Lab. The THINK Lab furthers understanding of how early-life adversity, trauma, and environmental exposures influence brain development and mental health outcomes in people of all ages.
“It’s a beautiful place to grow intellectually,” Esther says.
Esther currently supports a THINK Lab critical trial that uses clinical assessments, neurological imaging, and physiological measures to assess the efficacy of cannabidiol in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy to treat general anxiety disorders.
The work has piqued her interest in pursuing clinical psychology because of its ability to provide both therapy and rigorous evaluation and to improve interventions used in the field. After further schooling, she’d love to design and test evidence-based treatments that are culturally responsive and accessible to marginalized communities.
“I want to remain in spaces where science and service meet,” she says, “and where we don’t have to choose between data and dignity.”
—Kate Frentzel
Class Notes
Notices as of February 28, 2026
’62
Judy (Ream) Davis of Winona, Minn., was honored by the Winona Community Foundation with the 2025 Founders Award.
’69
David Ellingson of Edmonds, Wash., published his newest book, Running around the World in 80 Days. Copies are available in the Luther Book Shop.
’71 James Ashcraft of Jackson Heights, N.Y., retired from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he worked as a senior legal assistant.
’75 Melissa Hayden of Lutherville-Timonium, Md., is retired.
’76 Kevin Hibbard of Carrollton, Ga., is professor emeritus at the University of West Georgia and continues as music director of the community chorus Collegium Vocale in Atlanta and choir director at Grace Lutheran Church in Carrollton.
Karen (Horn) Mault of Morehead City, N.C., is an active fine arts photographer, with photographs in several regional galleries and juried exhibitions. Karen is also a kite builder who flies large show and art kites at kite festivals around the United States.
Ann (Olson) Wendling of Landrum, S.C., retired from her position as medical director of population health at Sharecare.
’81 Bryan (Carlson) Andrews of Lisle, Ill., is a retired school administrator who serves on the board of the Illinois Teachers Retirement System. After retiring, Bryan attended Soder World for Therapeutic Massage training and has opened three Suburban Oasis locations in Chicago; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Palm Springs, Calif.
Eva (Nord) Benedetto of Farmington, Minn., retired from Ameriprise Financial.
Kristin (Aleckson) Bodholdt of Newell, Iowa, is retired.
Mark Davidson of Onalaska, Wis., is a retired teacher.
Judith (Tollefsrud) Halverson of New Orleans retired as assistant professor and director of clinical education from Delgado Community College.
Carol (Gustafson) Hetrick of Lindstrom, Minn., is retired and a member of the Philosophical Educational Organization, helping raise funds to support women. Carol also volunteers at Trinity Lutheran Church in her hometown.
Kathy (Blobaum) Meisgeier of Maynard, Iowa, retired from a 39-year nursing career.
Dave Moe of Eagan, Minn., is enjoying retirement by being papa to four grandchildren.
Caren (Tesdahl) Nemec of Big Lake, Minn., is retired.
Marianne (Becker) Niessner of Suamico, Wis., retired from John Muir Health, where she worked as a pathology operations manager.
Kip Nordstrom of Henderson, Nev., is retired.
Paul Ohlrogge of Black Earth, Wis., retired from the University of Wisconsin Extension.
Dan Ploenzke of Altoona, Wis., is retired.
Sue Rothmeyer of River Forest, Ill., is retired.
Cheryl Ryder of Hanover Park, Ill., is a pension clerk at Graphic Communications–National Pension Fund in Carol Stream, Ill.
’82
Julie (Klausen) Moe of Eagan, Minn., is retired.
’84
Ruth Heuer of Raleigh, N.C., retired from an education research career at RTI International.
’85
Lance Bolson of Decorah retired from an accounting career in the Twin Cities.
’86
Monte Amundson of Eagan, Minn., is retired.
Mark Anderson of Arlington Heights, Ill., received recognition for having completed 30 years of service as associate director of financial aid at Lake Forest College.
Carla (Meyer) Coleman of Decorah is retired after nearly a decade of teaching and living in Mozambique, Indonesia, and China.
Mark Hillman of Eden Prairie, Minn., is an instructional coach at Community of Peace.
Kate Hook of Mount Horeb, Wis., is happily retired with her husband, Jeff.
Sara Karow of Houston, Texas, retired from her position as librarian at the Houston Public Library.
Timothy Kunau of Minneapolis is a bioinformatics engineer at the University of Minnesota Genomics Center.
Burton Lodwick of Grimes, Iowa, is associate scientist I at Eurofins Scientific in Des Moines, Iowa.
Kaia (Larson) Long of Byron, Minn., retired from Mayo Clinic after a 37-year career as a certified registered nurse anesthetist.
Stephan Sandness of Belle Fourche, S.D., retired as an ELCA pastor after 35 years of service.
Chuck Sena of Beaver Dam, Wis., is a food and beverage business unit manager at Midwest Engineered Systems.
Stephen Streufert of Alameda, Calif., is executive director at Outward Bound–California in San Francisco.
’87
Carla (Meyer) Hillman of Eden Prairie, Minn., is retired.
’88
Jennifer (Wallace) Anderson of Watersmeet, Mich., is an elementary music teacher at Northland Pines School District in Eagle River, Wis.
’89
Amy (Schroeder) Fisher of Las Vegas was named the 2024–25 Section 7 Volleyball Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations. Amy led her teams to three state championships and more than 400 career victories.
Tom Kraabel of Decorah returned to the U.S. after working overseas for 25 years and is senior vice president and chief HR officer at WOW Logistics.
LuAnn Wangsness of Wenatchee, Wash., is a social worker at DaVita.
’91
Deanna (Lindell) Drum of Anaheim, Calif., is vice president of global HR at Parsec Automation.
Gretchen (Nelson) La Pour of Bluffton, S.C., is a sixth-grade teacher at Highlands Latin School Beaufort.
Kevin Larson of Long Grove, Iowa, retired from John Deere after 34 years as finance director for the worldwide ag and turf division and chief technology officer.
Keith Lenaburg of Appleton, Wis., is a driver and activity assistant at ThedaCare following his retirement from Thrivent.
Antoinette Leopold of Naarden, the Netherlands, works as a branch manager market at BAWAG PSK bank.
Marit (Ness) Lloyd of Corona, Calif., is senior director of toxicology at Enveda.
Piper MacRae-Egan of Dubuque, Iowa, is a clinical specialist at Healogics in Jacksonville, Fla.
Sonja (Hoidahl) Wattles of Godfrey, Ill., retired as physical education and health teacher at Mattoon Community School District #2.
’92
Chris Tyler of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received a 30-year service award from the Iowa Swim Coaches Association.
’93
Kristin (Aasmundstad) Walsh of Lombard, Ill., earned a master of health communications degree from Northwestern University.
Luther College Book Shop lutherbookshop.com
Muhammad Mughees Akbar Warraich ’26, a computer science and data science major from Punjab, Pakistan
’96
Heather Bassett of Albuquerque, N.M., is assistant principal at Albuquerque Public Schools.
Donelle (Jensen) Hintermeister is living out her dream of traveling the U.S. with her husband, James, in their RV.
Katie (Schiebe) Johnson of Nevis, Minn., is owner of Park Street Inn B&B and the Tippy Canoe. Katie also works as an account executive at American Solutions for Business.
Lucia (Grunseth) Lebens of Alexandria, Va., is chief government affairs officer at PCMA and was named a top lobbyist by The Hill for four consecutive years. Lucia was also included on Washingtonian magazine’s list of the 500 most influential people shaping policy.
Jessica (Johnson) McCann of New Brighton, Minn., is HR director at the University of Minnesota Libraries.
Jodi (Bofenkamp) Mongan of Cherokee, Iowa, is treasurer of Cherokee County.
Beth (Keller) Mork of St. Paul, Minn., is a hospitalist at M Health Fairview.
Monica Peterson of Colo, Iowa, is an ER physician at Grundy County Memorial Hospital in Grundy Center, Iowa.
Scot Reisinger of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is assistant dean of student services at the University of Iowa–College of Public Health.
Jill (Danielson) Seys of Chesterfield, Mo., is senior director of analytics and advisory at Health Information Management Systems Society, North America.
’98
Nate Ersig of Rochester, Minn., is a remote Slate consultant for Human Capital Education in Denver.
’99 Lori (Loomer) Zahnd of Boone, Iowa, earned a master’s degree in mental health and wellness and a postgraduate certificate in health psychology from Grand Canyon University.
’00 Ryan Bies of Lakeville, Minn., is a judge in Minnesota’s First Judicial District.
’01
Laura (Riordan) Berardi of Des Moines, Iowa, is board executive officer at the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing.
Mollie Busta Lange of Onalaska, Wis., received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame.
Matt Herrick of Papillion, Neb., is an IT infrastructure operations manager at General Dynamics Information Technology.
Maren (Loken) Hooper of New Berlin, Wis., is an associate pastor at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Waukesha, Wis.
Jason Howard of St. Paul, Minn., is president and CEO of First State Bank and Trust.
Danny Johnson of New York is a vocal director at Celebrity Cruises Entertainment in Miami.
Tara Kuckkan of Edina, Minn., is senior HR manager at Juut Salon Spas in Minneapolis.
Heather (Ciernia) Nelson of Athenry, Ireland, is owner of Bloomin Heather Travel.
Kofi Odoom of Mechanicsburg, Pa., is a founding partner of Avotri Odoom and Co. in Camp Hill, Pa.
Dana (Flohr) Olson of Edina, Minn., is an OB-GYN hospitalist at Allina Health System.
Kevin Olson of Edina, Minn., earned an MA in teaching from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and is a sixth-grade science teacher in the Eden Prairie School District.
Angie (Johnson) Richards of Mantorville, Minn., is vice president of strategic initiatives at Titan Asset Management Group.
Andrea Ricketts-Preston of South Hadley, Mass., is director of athletics and chair of physical education at Mount Holyoke College.
Mark Robinson of College Park, Md., is technical theatre director at Bullis School in Potomac, Md.
Ryan Sabby of Savage, Minn., is manager of the Field Compensation Interaction Center at Thrivent.
Dana Sandstrom of Springfield, Va., is chief development officer
at Management Sciences for Health in Arlington, Va.
Jenny (Olson) Sanford of South St. Paul, Minn., is director of community engagement at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.
Michelle (Meyer) Schlicht of Rochester, Minn., is software test engineer at Boston Scientific.
Joy (Christian) Stevens of Peterson, Minn., is a physician assistant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Brigit (Broghamer) Storhoff of Decorah earned a master’s degree in school counseling from Viterbo University and is a high school counselor for the Decorah Community School District.
Gene Tesdahl of Platteville, Wis., participated in the “Black Joy in the Midwest” panel at Luther College during Black History Month, joining Frank King, Novian Whitsitt, Ashley Howard, and Mark Guerci to discuss moments of joy in three centuries of Black history in the Midwest.
’02
Gordy Hunter of Concord, N.H., earned a PhD in chemistry education from the University of New Hampshire, where he serves as adjunct faculty. Gordy is also a science teacher at Plymouth Regional High School.
’03
Jenna Westby of Minneapolis was recently appointed as judicial referee in Ramsey County District Court, Second Judicial District, Minn.
’04
Jenny (Drake) Vermeer of Orange City, Iowa, earned an MA of worship with leadership emphasis from Liberty University. Jenny works as a paraprofessional at MOC–Floyd Valley Community School District.
Zach Wigle of Fairfield, Iowa, is superintendent for the Fairfield Community School District.
’06
Andrew Best of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a product sales specialist–anesthesia at GE Healthcare.
Nate Evans of North St. Paul, Minn., is a client development manager at GBBN Architects in Minneapolis.
Alissa (Jacobson) Gambrel of Dassel, Minn., is HR director for the city of Willmar.
Lauren (Kraus) Keller of Broomfield, Colo., is tech rep program manager for Adidas.
Shawn Kennedy of Kenner, La., is employer partnership coordinator for Samaritan Fund Program. Shawn received the 2025 Samaritan Award.
Katie (Young) Lane of Shore view, Minn., is lead instructional designer for the state of Minnesota.
Kelly Miller of Wheaton, Ill., is an oncology clinical educator at Incyte Corporation.
Alex Nugent of Atlanta is senior software engineer at JPMorganChase.
Rachel (Miller) Palermo of Eden Prairie, Minn., is director of nursing at M Health Fairview in Minneapolis.
John Sill of Long Lake, Minn., is information systems specialist at Wayzata Public Schools in Minneapolis.
’07
Kurt Gulsvig of Irvine, Calif., is area director for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.
Rachel (Appelt) Hansell of Eagan, Minn., is a vocal music teacher at Breck School in Golden Valley, Minn.
’08
Aaron Nyquist of Minneapolis was elected as a shareholder at Fredrikson and Byron, where he practices in the areas of cross-border mergers and acquisitions as well as corporate law.
’11
Kelsey Anderson of Byron, Minn., was promoted to senior vice president of client service at Carnegie Dartlet.
Brett Epperson of Lodi, Calif., has been named artistic director of the Sacramento Master Singers.
Katie (Wilson) Ferrell of Austin, Minn., is an adult basic education math teacher at Austin Public Schools.
Nicole (Wilson) Goetzl of Denver was promoted to finance manager of construction operations at Comcast.
Elizabeth Harrell of Alexandria, Va., is a pursuit manager at Deloitte in Arlington, Va.
Christine Kennedy of Burnsville, Minn., is assistant principal at Bancroft Elementary School.
Zach Kotz of Dallas was promoted to senior director of finance at Uplift Education.
Katie (Campbell) Marty of St. Paul, Minn., is CoMinnesota program and outreach manager at CoNorth.
Nicole (Olson) Payne of Olathe, Kan., earned an MS in curriculum and instruction (effective practitioner) from Emporia State University. Nicole is a thirdgrade teacher at Ravenwood Elementary School.
Andrew Ritter of Williamstown, Mass., works at Images Cinema as a bartender, lounge lead, and box office attendant.
Jeff Rose of Moline, Ill., is an applied physical education teacher at Rock Island High School.
Liz Rose of Moline, Ill., is vice president of marketing at Firefighters First Credit Union.
Tim Sauerbry of Farmington, Minn., is a national account manager for the Toro Company in Minneapolis.
Vaughn Tackmann of Roseville, Minn., is head women’s track and field coach at Hamline University.
Mel Tyler of San Francisco is executive program director at OCD Anxiety Centers in San Mateo, Calif.
’14
David Baxter of Bettendorf, Iowa, is an IT infrastructure and security lead at Allredi.
Callie Mabry of Brookings, S.D., earned an MS in community development from South Dakota State University.
Kim Osberg of Portland, Ore., was named the inaugural composer-in-residence for Chatter PDX.
Erin Schmidt of Irvine, Calif., earned an MS in nursing education from the University of Connecticut. Erin works as a clinical nurse IV at Rady Children’s Health in Orange County and is adjunct faculty in the nursing program at Concordia University Irvine.
’15
David Pfotenhauer of Minneapolis is senior associate for Industrial Economics Incorporated in Cambridge, Mass.
’16
Kelsey Agather of Minneapolis is project manager at SPS Commerce.
Ryan Bennett of Chicago is network engineer at Hudson River Trading.
Shelby (Oelschlager) Bowman of Waterloo, Iowa, is field clinical representative at Inspire Medical Systems.
McKenzie Brace of St. Paul, Minn., is vice president of clinical and business operations at Aeris Medical Group.
Alex Brandt of Minneapolis is a financial analyst for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Dairy and Meat Inspection Division.
Hannah Burmahl of Chicago earned a postgraduate certificate in education from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Coriann Dorgay of Sheboygan, Wis., is epidemiologist and communications coordinator at Sheboygan County Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health.
Kate Gerike of Maple Grove, Minn., is pastor of faith formation at the Word of Peace Lutheran Church.
Kaley (Grosse) Grotnes of Waukee, Iowa, is an employee benefits consultant at Gallagher Benefit Services.
Spencer Hackler of Waukon, Iowa, is a school psychologist at Rochester Public Schools.
Miriam Harries of New York is a game designer for Meta.
Bryn (Hedlund) Hazelwonder of Grimes, Iowa, was promoted to member attorney at Whitfield and Eddy Law. Bryn was also recognized in Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch and received the Edward F. Seitzinger Award from the Iowa Defense Counsel Association, where she serves on the board of directors.
Anna Jeide-Detweiler of Minneapolis earned an MDiv and a certificate in religion and conflict transformation from the Boston University School of Theology.
Erika (Balk) Kaney of Centennial, Colo., is chief of staff at United Healthcare.
Sara (Schloesser) Meyer of Decorah is a licensed and certified esthetician and owner of Aura Beauty Studio.
Sarah (Eckhert) Moen of Decorah is senior customer success manager at Motorola Solutions.
Blake Peterson of Duluth, Minn., is assistant baseball coach at the College of St. Scholastica.
Eddie Shimkat of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is senior specialist of technology deployment and sales capabilities for the Campbell’s Company in Camden, N.J.
Ellen (Widerski) Swartwout of North Bend, Wash., is a software engineer at Google.
Shayla (De Jong) Van Hal of Bloomington, Ind., is interim director of music and organist at First Christian Church.
Timothy Walch of Jamestown, N.D., is a technology assistant at Jamestown Public Schools.
Jayse Weaver of Western Springs, Ill., is associate physicist at Rush University Medical Center.
’17 Paige Johnson of Lakewood, Colo., is mitigation support section chief for FEMA.
’18
Ethan Harris of Hopkins, Minn., earned an education specialist degree from the University of St. Thomas and is an elementary music specialist at Bloomington Public Schools.
Aaron Herman of Minneapolis is a security software engineer at Netflix.
Sofie (Wallock) Walz of Cologne, Minn., is a board member at Art, Heart, and Hoofbeats: Equine Rescue and Sanctuary. Sofie is also a web coordinator at Three Rivers Park District in Minneapolis.
’21 Paige Bartlett of Rochester, Minn., is a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic.
Chloe (Cleven) Bendt of Minneapolis is a marriage and family therapist at Hudson Counseling Clinic.
Lucas (Byl) Carlson of St. Paul, Minn., earned an MDiv from Luther Seminary and is a pastor at West Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Elsa (Thonn) Impola of Spooner, Wis., is an environmental analysis and review specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Maddy Lomprey of Madison, Wis., is regional manager for the Americas at James Cook University in Douglas, Queensland, Australia.
Daniel Opdahl of Minneapolis is a software developer at National Information Solutions Cooperative.
Emerson Pagel of Tacoma, Wash., is branch manager at ABC Supply and is on the board of directors for the Roofing Contractors Association of Washington.
JOIN YOUR PEERS.
MAKE AN IMPACT.
In 2025, 401 Luther alumni and friends age 70½ and older chose to support Luther College through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from their IRA. Together, they gave more than $2.4 million to strengthen programs, enhance facilities, provide scholarships, and support other areas that transform learning experiences for Luther students.
Both the total amount given and the number of donors who chose to give through a QCD in 2025 are the largest in Luther’s history. To all our donors who give through a QCD—thank you! We are deeply grateful.
A QCD allows individuals age 70½ or older to donate directly from their IRA to Luther tax-free. These gifts may satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution (age 73 or older) while making an immediate difference for students.
Jackson Robelia of Minneapolis is a reading interventionist for the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District.
Jacob Southerland of Forreston, Ill., is a K-8 music teacher at St. Mary Catholic School.
Olivia Steffl of Anoka, Minn., is a recreation facility supervisor for the city of Crystal, Minn.
’22
Erin Keller of Jefferson, Md., is associate director for Mar-Lu-Ridge Camp and Retreat Center.
’23
Ani Chauhan of Clarksville, Tenn., is senior product designer with Affirm in San Francisco.
Nick Drilling of Lakeville, Minn., is marketing and communications coordinator at Harris Company in St. Paul, Minn.
’25 Charlotte Appel of Avon, Minn., is band director at Holdingford Public Schools.
Enhance the student experience, strengthen academic excellence, and sustain the vibrant community that defines Luther College.
Learn more at legacygiving.luther.edu or email plannedgiving@luther.edu
Luther friends from the class of 1996 gathered to celebrate the marriage of Marla Hampl ’96 to Karry Knoll. Left to right: Amy (Forde) Kleiber, Sheilah Byrne, Marla Hampl, Lucia (Grunseth) Lebens, Emily (Barr) Fritcher, and Niki (Reed) Steele. Emily was the couple’s ordained minister.
One of the longest running community arts traditions in Grand Marais, Minn., is the annual Christmas Concert presented by community members, now in its 65th year! This year, Janet Simonen ‘74 and Laura (Dahl) Popkes ‘79 asked the orchestra and chorus if there were any other Luther alumni participating. They were thrilled to find Bob Evans ‘72 and take a photo.
In January, Susan Schmidt, associate professor of social work, connected with two alums at the headquarters of the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Left to right: Heidi Simpson Tjeltveit ’77, Mental Health Connect board member; Renée Labat ’15, NAMI Minnesota youth program coordinator; and Susan Schmidt. Renée has co-led several trainings for Luther social work students and staff about the CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means) suicide prevention curriculum.
Race Fisher ’19 and Annika (Sandford) Fisher ’20 sent us this photo of their lovely wedding celebration in June. Congratulations, Race and Annika!
In March, Luther alumni, parents, and friends gathered with President Brad Chamberlain at the Hortus Botanicus (Botanical Gardens) in Leiden, the Netherlands. Front row (from left): Sarah Sturm ’16, Claire Seitzinger ’16, Amelia Scarbrough ’17, Julia Curtis ’17, Luisa Forsgren, retired director of international admissions Jon Lund. Back row: Robbert van den Broek and Carla van den Broek-Feenstra (parents of Lot van den Broek ’27), vice president for enrollment management Matt Beatty ’03, President Brad Chamberlain, Peter Forsgren ’82
Marriages
Notices as of March 25, 2026
’96
Marla Hampl and Karry Knoll, Aug. 2024
Monica Peterson and Mike Fetters, Aug. 2025
’98
Jennifer Erwin and Jon Hepperly, Oct. 2025
’01
Liz Forde and Matthew Sikora, June 2025
’06
Seth Moucka and Melissa Rossi, Sept. 2025
’11
Zach Kotz and Rosie Manzo, March 2025
Alyssa Ritter and Austin Sutton, Sept. 2025
’12
Dallas Wulf and Tristan Arsenault, Feb. 2025
’16
Taryn Bolea and Jarrod Klopp, Oct. 2024
Karl Boyce and Abby Titus, Nov. 2024
Shelby Henkelman and Colin Smith, Oct. 2025
Erika Storvick and Russell Nelson, March 2026
’17
Benjamin Voss and Cecilia Mitchell ’18, May 2025
’19 Race Fisher and Annika Sandford ’20, June 2025
Births & Adoptions
Notices as of March 25, 2026
’06
Connor, Feb. 2024, child of Lyndsey (Ludwig) and Jeremiah Wedll
Ilah, Jan. 2026, child of Kevin Oppermann and Keely Oppermann
Jensen, Dec. 2025, child of Jack Hamilton and Mara Hamilton
’09
Samuel, Nov. 2025, child of Rebekah (Stadie) and Chris Shepard
’10
Abel Michael and Abram Matthew, Aug. 2025, children of Andrea (Hatleli) and Andrew Halvorson
Mira, Nov. 2024, child of Ryan Egan and Julia (Schiefelbein) ’11
’11
Dylan, Aug. 2025, child of Liz (Cox) and Jeff Rose
Helen, Oct. 2025, child of Kim (Horner) and Thomas Carr
Landon, Sept. 2025, child of Kelly (Bandman) and Brian Scocchera
Livi, June 2025, child of Gui De Mello Castro and Kayla (Sonnicksen) ’12
Marlowe Violet, March 2025, child of Libby (Dahms) and Matthew Brunner
Oliver Thomas, May 2025, child of Greg Woodin and Kelly Woodin
Rollin Irene, Nov. 2024, child of Rachel Gabbert and Jason Naicker
Ruby, Sept. 2025, child of Maggie (Buchta) and Rick Westermann
’12
Mariya (photo 1), Aug. 2023, child of Matt Christoffersen and Bekah Christoffersen
Simon Paul (photo 2), Jan. 2026, child of Elisabeth (Archer) and Matthew Tursi
’14
Connor, June 2025, child of Melissa (Hernes) and Geno Pickerign
Liam, July 2025, child of Aubrey (McElmeel) and Will McCardell
Nels Malcolm (photo 3), Aug. 2025, child of Hans Becklin and Marissa (Dienst)
’15
June, Jan. 2025, child of Phil Johnson and Emily (Gehlsen) ’16
Kellan, July 2025, child of Brandon Lafferty and Hannah Sackett ’16
’16
Aubrey, Aug. 2024, child of Lindsey (Pielage) and Colin Scott
Cecilia, Sept. 2025, child of Ellen (Widerski) and Matt Swartwout
Colton and Raelyn, Nov. 2025, children of Elie (Strube) and Joe McCarthy
’20
John Bendt and Chloe Cleven ’21, March 2024
David Pontius and Kaitlynn Rivers ’21, Sept. 2025
’21
Evan Anderson and Yoshie Terasawa, Oct. 2025
Jackson Robelia and Elena Dant ’22, Oct. 2025
’23
Katie Bevers and Jeremiah Yoder, Feb. 2026
Everett Dale (photo 4), Oct. 2025, child of Amanda (Jenkins) and Timothy Walch
Ivy Imogen (photo 5), Oct. 2025, child of Olive (Peterson) and Thomas Winter
Liam Jan, Jan. 2024, child of Karl Boyce and Abby Titus Mabel, Nov. 2024, child of Shelby (Henkelman) and Colin Smith
Royce Wayne, Feb. 2026, child of Taryn (Bolea) and Jarrod Klopp Vivian, Dec. 2025, child of Makayla (Marinack) and Jacob Dahleen
’17
Henry (photo 6), April 2025, child of Kylie Hanschman and Kyle Knoke
’20
Micah (photo 7), Dec. 2025, child of Josie (Lange) and Logan Morrison
In Memoriam
Notices as of March 24, 2026
RETIRED STAFF
Jay Uthoff of Decorah died December 23, 2025, age 65.
’50
Adeline (Lovstuen) Langland of Decorah died February 28, 2026, age 98.
’51
Alden Lien of La Crosse, Wis., died October 12, 2024, age 94.
Phyllis (Peterson) McSherry of Waupaca, Wis., died April 21, 2025, age 95.
’53 Milan Davig of Waconia, Minn., died December 16, 2025, age 94.
Esther (Lund) Dolphin of Onalaska, Wis., died September 21, 2024, age 92.
Duane Erickson of Lanesboro, Minn., died February 3, 2026, age 94.
’54
Lucille (Sween) Moe of Colorado Springs, Colo., died December 27, 2025, age 93.
Gertrude “Trudy” (Kolstad) Olson of Brooklyn Park, Minn., died February 2, 2026, age 93.
’56
Paul Anderson of Osage, Iowa, died January 29, 2026, age 91.
Marian (Carlson) Balch of Scottsdale, Ariz., died August 8, 2025, age 89.
Rita (Hoveland) Brown of La Crescent, Minn., died March 1, 2025, age 90.
Audrey (Nordness) Halvorson of Jefferson City, Mo., died October 29, 2025, age 90.
Vincel Williams of Overland Park, Kan., died January 20, 2026, age 95.
’58 John Ericksen of Chippewa Falls, Wis., died December 18, 2025, age 91.
’59
Arthur “Dick” Olson of Minneapolis died February 3, 2026, age 89.
’60
Luther Carlson of Marshalltown, Iowa, died February 3, 2026, age 87.
John “Jack” Crawford of Owatonna, Minn., died January 2, 2026, age 89.
Rolf Flugstad of Powder Springs, Ga., died November 28, 2025, age 87.
Gordon “Gordy” Jensson of Riceville, Iowa, died January 5, 2026, age 97½.
’61
Conway Elton of Winona, Minn., died December 23, 2025, age 86.
Linda (Lee) Rice of Mendota Heights, Minn., died April 1, 2025, age 83.
James “Jim” Wiebe of Minocqua, Wis., died February 6, 2026, age 87.
’62
Earl Lackey of Palmer, Alaska, died November 16, 2025, age 85.
Caryl Sharp of Decorah died February 9, 2026, age 86.
’63
Sharon (Madson) Hill of Marion, Iowa, died February 1, 2026, age 85.
Herbert “Herb” Irgens of Murfreesboro, Tenn., died February 4, 2026, age 85.
Jenele (Erickson) Zitzner of Baraboo, Wis., died December 9, 2025, age 84.
’64
Carole (Cleveland) Birch of Excelsior, Minn., died December 12, 2025, age 83.
’65
John Boots of Ogema, Minn., died December 15, 2025, age 82.
Karen (Aaker) Chellevold of Westlake Village, Calif., died December 12, 2025, age 82.
Thomas Lawver of Colville, Wash., died February 7, 2026, age 83.
’66
Lucille (Landsverk) Lewke of Columbus, Wis., died January 6, 2026, age 93.
Muriel (Bigler) Olsen of Broomfield, Colo., died May 16, 2025, age 80.
Edward Svanoe of Stillwater, Minn., died January 17, 2026, age 84.
’68
David Dreyer of Woodstock, Ill., died January 19, 2026, age 79.
Nancy (Smith) Haas of St. Cloud, Minn., died March 3, 2026, age 79.
John Matter of Decorah died January 13, 2026, age 79.
’69
Pamela “Pam” (Beran) Brinton of Rogers, Ark., died December 15, 2025, age 78.
’70
David Olson of Golden Valley, Minn., died March 9, 2026, age 78.
’71
Carol (Wiebke) Henning of Allison, Iowa, died November 17, 2025, age 76.
’72
Kenneth “Ken” Halstead of Dubuque, Iowa, died January 20, 2026, age 75.
Arden Olson of Olathe, Kan., died October 19, 2025, age 75.
’73
Cassandra “Cassie” (Bentson) Hansen of Fountain Hills, Ariz., died January 31, 2026, age 75.
Alan “Al” Zinsmeister of Rochester, Minn., died January 6, 2026, age 74.
’74
Gary Esboldt of Willmar, Minn., died January 10, 2026, age 73.
Carol (Coupal) Popelka of La Crosse, Wis., died February 2, 2026, age 73.
’75
Alice (Crawford) Elliott of Davenport, Iowa, died February 1, 2025, age 72.
Marlys Svendsen of Sarona, Wis., died March 20, 2026, age 72.
’77
Janice Rambow Beatty of Chicago died February 1, 2026, age 70.
’78
Jefferson Brown of Nassau, Bahamas, died August 13, 2024, age 68.
’80
LaVonne (Ogg) Kaasa of Mason City, Iowa, died December 21, 2025, age 82.
’81
Jeffery “Jeff” Thompson of Brooklyn, Iowa, died February 13, 2026, age 68.
’82
John Jacobson of Ellendale, Minn., died February 12, 2026, age 66.
Joan Meyer of Manson, Iowa, died January 29, 2026, age 65.
Cornell Moss of Nassau, Bahamas, died November 26, 2025, age 64.
’85
Lee (Knoernschild) Johnson of La Crosse, Wis., died December 6, 2025, age 62.
’87
Beth Anne Anderson of Wickenburg, Ariz., died January 2, 2026, age 60.
’89
Mary Nuebel of Iowa City, Iowa, died November 19, 2025, age 59.
’91
Julie (Josephson) Dimel of New Hampton, Iowa, died January 25, 2026, age 57.
Terry (Skersick) Uhlenhake of Decorah died December 13, 2025, age 76.
’92
Michele Cooley of Shueyville, Iowa, died December 6, 2025, age 56.
’94
William “Bill” Morton of Tracy, Minn., died February 8, 2026, age 53.
’00
Rachel Mosbo Collins of Janesville, Wis., died February 26, 2026, age 48.
’16
Blaise Schaeffer of Nolensville, Tenn., died December 10, 2025, age 31.
’21
Georgie Blevins of Oshkosh, Wis., died December 25, 2023, age 25.
Thank you
TO THE NEWEST LIFE MEMBERS OF THE LUTHER COLLEGE PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL
In 2025, these generous alumni, families, and friends crossed an extraordinary milestone— surpassing $100,000 in lifetime giving to Luther College. This year, we are especially inspired to see a larger than usual number of donors joining this level of giving, a testament to the powerful momentum building within our community. Their support strengthens every part of the Luther experience, and we were honored to recognize them at our spring Donor Recognition and Appreciation Event in early May. To those of you on this list: you have my deepest and enduring gratitude.
Bradley M. Chamberlain President
Peggy (Hall) Beatty ‘74 and †Marion L. Beatty ’75
Larry Chellevold ‘65 and †Karen (Aaker)
Chellevold ‘65
David Coe ‘80 and Cheryl Frazier; and the estate of †Wendy (Hillesland) Coe ‘80
Shannon (Miller) Duval ‘95 and DeLane Duval
Donald Eggerling and Glenda Eggerling
Roger Eigenfeld and Carolyn Eigenfeld
Charles Engebretson ‘73 and Janice (Knutson) Engebretson ‘74
Peter Espinosa ‘81 and Kari (Tollefson) Espinosa ‘84
Larry Gregerson and Zylpha Gregerson
Joseph Grimstad ‘98 and Ann Grimstad
C. Carlyle Haaland ‘55 and Mary R. Haaland ‘56
James Hill ‘66 and Nancy (Lofthus) Hill ‘68
Charis (Johnson) Hovden ‘80 and Terry Hovden ‘80
Brian Jorgensen ‘80 and Richard Pietz
Meredith Kvalness ‘69
Ronald Lee ‘61 and Jean Lee
Maxine Losen
Barbara Melin and †John Melin ‘70
Todd Michaels ‘93 and Nicole Michaels
Suzanne (Roverud) Mineck ‘96 and Corey Mineck
Ramona (Feller) Nelson ‘75 and Cy Nelson ‘76
David “Chip” Norris ‘82
David Roslien ‘59 and Joy Roslien
Todd Smith ‘72 and Nancy Smith
Dan Tresemer ‘97 and Stephanie Tresemer
Craig Trygstad and Lynne Coleman
Norris Waalen ‘72 and Hollis Waalen
James C. and Norma I. Smith Foundation
Viking State Bank & Trust
Estate of †Sally Harris
Estate of †Judith (Lueder) Torson ‘62 and †Doug Torson
Estate of †Mark Wardell ‘68
† Deceased
For more information on President’s Council, visit luther.edu/presidents-council.
On April 11, Luther’s Student Activities Council brought Canadian band Men I Trust to campus for a fun and memorable night!
Calendar
COMMENCEMENT
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Luther College
NORDIC FEST
Thursday, July 23–
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Decorah, Iowa
FIRST DAY OF CLASSES
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Luther College
FAMILY WEEKEND
Friday, September 18–
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Luther College
HOMECOMING
Friday, October 2–
Sunday, October 4, 2026
Luther College
ONE TEAM DAY
Thursday, November 19, 2026
Luther College
CHRISTMAS AT LUTHER
Thursday, December 3–
Sunday, December 6, 2026
Luther College
Visit luther.edu/events for more information and to see all campus events.
Congratulations to the class of 2026. Welcome to the Luther alumni community!
