Skip to content
Issue

Valpo alumni are doing amazing things across the country and around the world — in their professional and personal lives. They’re leading industries, contributing knowledge, and serving in a multitude of ways. These class notes offer a glimpse into their activities, accomplishments, and milestones. If you have news to share with your fellow Valpo alumni, please share it below.

Submit a Class Note

1950s

1951

Maria-Gisela Von Hase ’51 Boehringer was interviewed for the upcoming “Ensnared in the Wolf’s Lair,” a National Geographic Kids history book detailing the failed Valkyrie plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler. Maria is the daughter of Lt. Gen. Paul Von Hase, who participated in the operation. In addition to being an alumna, Maria worked in the international studies department at Valparaiso University. Her husband, the late Rev. Hans Boehringer, was a member of the theology department and was director of the Institute of Liturgical Studies from 1962–1974. Their three children Elizabeth ’79, Catherine Boehringer ’82 Isaza, and Gregory ’83 are all alumni.

1952

Bill Sittler ’52 turned 90 with style as his friends from Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Tellico Village, Tennessee, surprised him with a drive-by birthday party. Bill and Ruth ’51 sat in the driveway and watched as 28 cars participated in the parade passing by their house.

1960s

1965

Deaconess Carol Heinemann ’65 Halter continues her work as an LCMS missionary in Hong Kong. With the assistance of Pastor K. K. Fung and Wong Ga Sing, Carol is completing edits to her Chinese-language book “Practical Evangelism.” The trio met over Zoom for several weeks before lifted restrictions allowed them to meet for editing in person. Also assisting Carol with English-language editing is Miriam Carter, a missionary serving in the Lutheran Church Hong Kong Synod.

1965

Roger Brauer ’65 founded and is president of the Safety and Health Historical Society (SHHS). Founded in 2015, SHHS is a national educational and 501(c)(3) charitable organization devoted to collecting and publishing historical information related to occupational health, fire safety, and other specialties. Its quarterly journal, the Archives of Safety and Health, covers a wide range of events, people, practices, and advancements in the field.

1970s

1974

After 30 years working in fundraising for the University of Minnesota, Lynn Slifer ’74 retired in November 2020. She spent her last three years working for the UM Foundation, developing and training new development officers. In retirement, she plans to focus on creative and other writing, paper arts and scrapbooking, and seeing friends and traveling when the pandemic permits.

1976

James “Jim” Torgerson ’76, ’79 J.D. retired as director of reinsurance recovery at Nationwide Insurance, Scottsdale, Arizona. Prior to working in reinsurance, Jim negotiated and managed enterprise and international IT contracts for Scottsdale Insurance Company; USAA in San Antonio, Texas; and American Express and Wells Fargo, both in Minneapolis and in the Phoenix areas. He is currently a member of Christ Church Lutheran in Phoenix, Arizona, where, after 50 hours of classroom and practical study, he was certified as a Stephen Minister. Jim and his wife own and operate two social media websites, simplibuzz.com and mychurchbuzz.com, and were pioneers in the field of combining social media tools for simultaneous posting and providing content and photo libraries for those who post using their sites. The United States Patent Office granted them a utility patent in association with their SimpliBuzz site in 2019. Another utility patent associated with simplibuzz. com is pending. Jim and his wife, Mary Ann, along with their son Jayden and daughter Cheryl, reside in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

1976

Rev. Canon Robert Duerr ’76 was appointed canon precentor at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buffalo, New York, in August 2019.

1977

Geoff Fisher ’77 of Tolland, Connecticut, is grateful to God that his oldest son has been in remission from acute lymphoblastic leukemia for six years

1980s

1981

David ’81 and Risë Sloup ’81 Lange are enjoying life in Champaign, Illinois, and their new role as grandparents. David completed his term as president of the American Concrete Institute, a 30,000-member organization that serves the concrete industry. His presidential duties included opening the first ACI international office in Dubai and traveling to 14 countries during 2019. David is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

1981

Kimberly Ruse ’81 Davidson and her Roanoke Valley Children’s Choir were selected as a featured performing choir at the 2020 American Choral Directors Association Southern Region Conference in Mobile, Alabama. Kim is in her 33rd year directing the Roanoke Valley Children’s Choir, and this was their fourth convention performance

1982

Cornell Boggs ’82, ’85 J.D. joined the Chicago office of law firm Quarles & Brady as counsel and senior strategic advisor in August 2020. Cornell, who serves on the Valparaiso University Board of Directors, will play an integral role in the firm’s diversity and inclusion and client relations efforts

1983

Rev. Dan Borchers ’83 has recently become board certified by the Association of Professional Chaplains. He serves as chaplain at Holy Family Memorial Hospital in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

1990s

1992

In September 2020, Scott Kozlov ’92 J.D. resigned as director of unauthorized practice of law litigation for the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission to accept a position as chief ethics officer to the Cook County, Illinois, Clerk, Karen Yarbrough.

1992

Elizabeth Pagliarini ’92 was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the 2020 Orange County (California) Business Journal’s CFO of the Year Awards. Elizabeth is chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Summit Healthcare REIT Inc.

1993

James W. Harkness ’93, ’96 J.D. was named partner at the Chicago and Lisle, Illinois, offices of Swanson, Martin & Bell LLP in Dec. 2019.

1994

Wendy Turner ’94, MSW, Ph.D., was named director of the bachelor of social work program at the University of Southern Indiana in August 2019. Wendy earned her master of social work (1995) and Ph.D. (1998) from Ohio State. She’s been at USI since 2003.

1994

Leah Hoppes ’94 was honored with the Leadership-Excellence-Achievement-Professionalism (L.E.A.P.) award by the St. Charles (Illinois) Chamber of Commerce. The award is presented to a chamber member who has been of remarkable assistance to other women. Leah was honored for her achievement as a leader in publishing and her volunteer hours spent with women in crisis at Christ Community Church.

1996

Jason Winkler ’96 was named CFO of Motorola Solutions in June 2020. Jason most recently served as senior vice president, leading finance for the products and sales group, including the video security business and global finance teams. Jason also held a number of key financial leadership roles within the company, including finance lead for global sales and services, finance lead for North America, chief of staff to the chairman and CEO, and senior director of investor relations.

1999

S. Glenn Jaffe ’99 was appointed to a second term as president of the North Carolina Chiropractic Association.

2000s

2001

Stefan Hoffmeister ’01 and his wife Natalie welcomed Madison Cassidy Hoffmeister on Oct. 13, 2019. Madison joins brother Clayton, age 2. Stefan and Natalie married on Oct. 4, 2014, and reside in San Francisco, California.

2002

Jakob Rinderknecht ’02 Ph.D. authored the 2016 book on Lutheran-Catholic Ecumenism “Mapping the Differentiated Consensus of the Joint Declaration” (Palgrave-MacMillan), which was awarded the 2020 Harding Meyer Prize in Ecumenism from the Strasbourg Institute of Ecumenical Research.

2002

Josh Messner ’02, who works in marketing and communications at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, helped to launch a video series designed for elementary school children called “All about Coronavirus.” The brief video teaches kids about the virus, providing basic ideas for how they can stay safe and help out during the pandemic. A companion family guide helps parents and guardians prepare to watch the video with their children and have a constructive conversation around the video’s content and the questions it might raise. Both the video and the family guide are available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, German, and French.

2004

Eric Perino ’04 and Emily Boedecker ’08 Perino welcomed son Jonah Brandon on January 14, 2020.

2004

David Byers ’04 and Jelena Gober ’04 Byers welcomed their son Daniel on March 15, 2020.

2005

John “Chaz” Weber ’05 was elected to the firm partnership of Tucker Ellis LLP in January 2020.

2005

Lindsey O’Malley ’05 J.D. joined Howard & Howard law firm in February 2020.

2005

Michael Allen ’05, ’08 M.Ed. was named principal of the year by the Illinois Principals Association. He currently serves as principal at Oakton Elementary in Evanston, Illinois.

2006

Jason Hallman ’06 and his wife Kristin Renn ’07 Hallman welcomed their fourth child, Mirabel Sueann, on July 13, 2020. She joins three older brothers Everett (2011), Owen (2013), and Callum (2018).

2006

Therese Ure ’06 J.D. was elected to the U.S. Committee for Irrigation and Drainage (USCID) board of directors in spring 2020.

2006

Jeremiah Posedel ’06 was elected partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in February 2020.

2006

Justin Hampton ’06, Operation Calculus program coordinator at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, Illinois, was named a Top Influencer of 2019 by nowdecatur.com.

2007

Monica Bartsch ’07 Zore and her husband, Kurt, welcomed twins, Claire and Greta, to their family on June 11, 2019. They joined big sister Jane, born in 2016. Monica, who earned her MSN from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2015, works as a nurse practitioner at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

2007

Kristin Renn ’07 Hallman and Jason Hallman ’06 welcomed their fourth child, Mirabel Sueann, on July 13, 2020. She joins three older brothers Everett (2011), Owen (2013), and Callum (2018).

2008

Courtney Rahrig ’08 Holley was honored as 2019 Employee of the Year for HealthOne’s SkyRidge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado. Courtney is the hospital nurse practitioner for the spine/orthopedic unit and has also worked in the ICU for five years.

2008

Emily Boedecker ’08 Perino and Eric Perino ’04 welcomed son Jonah Brandon on Jan. 14, 2020.

2009

Jonathan ’09 and Julie Flowers ’09 Plant welcomed Jonathan Gerald Plant Jr. on Nov. 5, 2019. He joins sister Jenevieve Plant, age 4.

2009

Valerie Kaufman ’09 CPA was promoted to the role of director of talent management and forecasting/senior manager at Chiampou Travis Besaw & Kershner LLP in August 2019.

2010s

2010

Leigh Wiedelman ’10 Grizzard and her husband, Mark, welcomed a daughter, Natalie Mardelaine, on Oct. 20, 2020.

2010

Andrew ’10 and Brooke Davisson ’10 Robinson welcomed their son Patrick in October 2020.

2010

Katie Krieter ’10 Piet added a new baby to her family in June 2019.

2010

Lydia Heerwagen’s ’10 2019 family reunion featured 13 of the 37 family members who attended Valpo!

2010

Kylie Johnson ’10, ’14 J.D. Connell and her husband, Christopher, welcomed their son Isaac Theodore on Feb. 19, 2020. He joins Alexander Thomas, age 2.

2010

David Deters ’10 and his wife were married in 2019 and welcomed their son, Micah August, on March 25, 2020.

2010

Kelly Bylica ’10 joined the Boston University faculty as assistant professor of music education in summer 2020.

2010

Tiffany Forte ’10 Berauer M.D., and her husband, Peter, welcomed a daughter on Feb. 15, 2020.

2011

Ryan ’11 and Laura Ehlen ’12 Norris welcomed daughter Isla Joan on Sept. 16, 2019

2011

Melissa Macchia ’11 J.D. was named partner at Taft Law in January 2020.

2011

Mark Johanson ’11 accepted a new position as associate minister of music at Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, in June 2019. He is a co-leader or traditional and contemporary worship. That same month, Mark and his wife, Elizabeth Marquardt, welcomed their first child, Lydia.

2011

Laura Rickey ’11 Bach and husband, Cody, were married June 15, 2019.

2012

Mary Fazio ’12 completed her DNP at Chamberlain College of Nursing in April 2020.

2013

Stephanie Sepiol ’13 married Jordan Milne in a private ceremony on Dec. 28, 2020.

2013

Quinn Huebner ’13 Christensen was promoted to senior vice president, operations at The Peoples Community Bank in Spring Green, Wisconsin in January 2020. Quinn has worked for The Peoples Community Bank for 15 years, starting as a bank teller at the age of 15. In August 2020, he completed a graduate degree in banking at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Quinn now resides in Mineral Point with his husband, Mike, and their cat, Liza. When he’s not at the bank, he is the director of music ministries and organist at Grace Lutheran Church in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. He also serves as treasurer on the board of directors for the Mineral Point Opera House.

2013

Alison Bergmann ’13 graduated with a master of engineering management degree from Duke University in 2018. Alison is in her ninth year at John Deere, where she works as a strategic supply management specialist. She currently volunteers as a national senator for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), where she helps develop the strategic plan for the 40,000-member organization. Alison is one of 15 recipients awarded the SWE New Emerging Leader in Technology and Engineering (ELiTE) Award for 2020.

2014

Nick ’14 and Ana Eveler ’15 McIntyre welcomed baby Liam on Jan. 6, 2020. He joins big sister Chloe, born in 2018.

2014

Nathaniel ’14 and Sarah Newlon ’14 Jones welcomed new addition Savannah, born in May 2020. She joins big sister, Marley, age 2.

2015

Kyle ’15 and Julie Fisher ’15 Jordan were married Sept. 21, 2019.

2015

Ana Eveler ’15 McIntyre and Nick McIntyre ’14 welcomed baby Liam on Jan. 6, 2020. He joins big sister Chloe, born in 2018.

2016

Bryan O’Neal ’16 MBA was named vice president and dean of Moody Bible Institute. Bryan will oversee Moody’s undergraduate school, which includes the Chicago campus and Moody Aviation in Spokane, Washington. In addition to curriculum and recruitment strategy for faculty and academic programs, he’ll support departments such as the library, academic records, financial aid, and others who serve the student body.

2016

Alexander Fenn ’16 studied desert and marine landscapes through ecological and social field methods in Baja during the summer of 2019. Alexander, a whitewater raft guide at Adventure Bound, lives in Caratunk, Maine, and is a graduate student in Miami University’s global field program.

2017

Haneefah Khaaliq ’17 J.D. was appointed in 2017 by Gary mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson to preside over the local civil rights agency. Additionally, Haneefah was one of 40 applicants selected for the Indiana Democratic Party’s Emerging Leaders Program. She plans to run for U.S. Senate in 2022.

2017

Frank Caputo ’17 married his wife, Maggie, on March 2, 2020. By his side was his first year roommate, Ethan Gasbarro ’17.

2017

Nathaniel Forret ’17 and Nikolina (Nina) Milankovic ’17 were married June 1, 2019, in Indianapolis.

2019

Brynn Horne ’19 Hadley and her husband welcomed a daughter, Brooklyn Mary, in January 2020.