Class Notes: Fall 2024

1960s

David Warford, ’69 BSB, was a volunteer mentor for the Ascend National Cohort hosted at the Carlson School. The six-month program supported entrepreneurs of color from across the country with access to market opportunities and business education. Warford coached a personal protective equipment business based in Arizona. The program culminated in a weekend of presentations and educational sessions in April. 
 

1970s

Richard Katz, ’71 MHRIR, started a new role as executive producer at Politics with a Party.

Douglas Lanner, ’73 BSB, started
a new role as manager at RSM.

David Meyer, ’75 BSB, who is board chair, executive chairman, and founder of Titan Machinery, has been recognized as the Merit Award Winner for Dealer of the Year by the North American Equipment Dealers Association.
 

1980s

Garry Lowenthal, ’80 BSB, ’83 MBT, started a new role as chief financial officer at PetVivo Holdings, Inc. 

Joel Ackerman, ’83 MBA, was recognized in the Star Tribune for his online marketplace where people are able to “trade up” items they no longer need at increasing values. The platform, Red Ladder, then sells the final item and donates the proceeds to local nonprofits. The platform uses AI technology to assess when to close the trade ladder and sell the item.

Kate Kelly, ’86 MBA, was inducted to the Twin Cities Business Hall of Fame for 2024 for her excellence in business, leadership, philanthropy, and community building. She most recently worked as regional and executive vice president for the Minnesota market division at PNC, and served as a board member, founding president, and CEO at Minnesota Bank & Trust. She is also a volunteer for the Carlson School, both as a speaker and on the Carlson Women Global Connect Senior Advisory Board.

Todd Tillemans, ’88 BSB, started a new role as chief commercial officer at Perdue Farms.

Lisa Knipping, ’89 BSB, is now chief
financial officer at Life Link III.
 

1990s

Jessica Schmiesing, ’90 MHRIR, was appointed chief human resources officer and member of Riverwood Healthcare Center’s senior management team.

Joe Wagner, ’90 BSB, ’95 MBA, started a new role as chief marketing officer at IWCO.

Sheri Worthy, ’90 MBA, was appointed as director of the Mississippi State School of Human Sciences.

Brian Lee, ’91 BSB, started a new role as data architect at Ecolab.

Jeff Spethmann, ’94 MBA, was appointed chief executive officer at HydrogenPro, Inc.

Michael Favet, ’95 MBA, was appointed chief executive officer at Revamp Medical, Inc.
Andrew Hulett, ’96 BSB, was appointed to the board of directors at Dynatronics Corporation.

Kara Sime, ’96 MHRIR, received the Small Business of the Year Award for 2023 from the Midway Chamber of Commerce for Your HR Navigator. She founded the consulting practice in 2016 to help small and mid-sized businesses navigate HR challenges.

Kurt Dirks, ’97 PhD, was appointed dean at University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business.

Jim Sheets, ’97 MBA, started a new role as president of health care operations in Colorado and Montana at Intermountain Health.

James (Jim) Moeller, ’98 BSB, founded Moeller Law PLLC, which provides legal expertise in securities, business law, contract negotiation, and investment regulation.

Sean Murphy, ’98 BSB, started a new role as founder and chief executive officer at Helix Decision Science.

James Elasky, ’99 BSB, ’08 MBA, was named senior vice president and chief merchandising officer at PetSmart Inc. Elasky, pictured here with his dog, Otis, has more than 20 years of experience in retail across categories, including toys, sporting goods, electronics, and entertainment, and previously held leadership roles at Target and Best Buy. Elasky credits his MBA for helping to take his career to the next level.
 

2000s

Michael Krans, ’00 BSB, started a new role as vice president of Macy’s media network at Macy’s, Inc.

Dawn Moen, ’00 BSB, was appointed executive director development, marketing and communications at World Bicycle Relief.

Derek Schmidt, ’00 MBA, was appointed president and chief executive officer at Flexsteel.

Brian Slipka, ’00 BSB, published the book Win Some: 5 Proven Life Strategies to Win in Relationships. The story follows an aging professional baseball player struggling to connect with those around him who, with some help, learns how to set aside selfish ambition in order to build meaningful positive relationships.

Dr. Alina Chircu, ’01 PhD, was appointed dean of University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management.

Dennis Goetz, ’02 MBA, was appointed to the board of directors at SkyWater Technology.

Scott Holstine, ’02 MBA, was named chief commercial officer of Belgian medical technology company Nyxoah, to help it prepare for a U.S. commercial launch.

Adam Rowan, ’02 BSB, is now business solutions director at Medica, a promotion from principal business architect.

Terrence Delahunt, ’03 BSB, is now director of IT audit and data analytics at Boston Scientific, a promotion from senior manager of business strategy and system development.

Jessica Phillips, ’03 MBA, vice president of brand development and strategic initiatives at Ulta Beauty, was honored with the prestigious Spirit of Life Award by City of Hope, a cancer research organization for which she helped raise more than $800,000 this year. The award recognizes her dedication to amplifying voices, fostering inclusivity, and driving positive change within the beauty industry and beyond. Phillips has also dedicated her time to the Carlson School as a speaker, volunteer, and member of the Alumni Board.

Mohamed Turay, ’04 BSB, ’08 MBA, is now senior marketing manager of global management, inclusive experiences and technology at Amazon, a promotion from senior marketing manager.

Brian Durmaskin, ’05 BSB, was appointed to the board of directors at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.

Renee Konzelman, ’05 MHRIR, started a new role as chief people officer at Pampered Chef.

Matthew Dmytryszyn, ’06 BSB, started a new role as chief investment officer at Miracle Mile Advisors.

Mark Coffey, ’06 MEP, retired from their role as group vice president of supply chain at Hormel Foods.

Robert Houghton, ’06 MBA, was appointed chief financial officer at Pivot Bio.

Elda Macias, ’06 MBA, started a new role as chief marketing officer at MidWestOne Bank.
Enrique Espin Salazar, ’06 MBA, is now senior director of finance at Microsoft.

Alia Allison, ’07 BSB, started a new role as vice president of talent and organizational development at Lovesac.

Adam Hanson, ’07 BSB, started a new role as senior vice president – agile and product practices lead for digital platforms at U.S. Bank.
Radha Chavali, ’08 MBA, started a new role as chief information officer at Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union.

Jennifer Melin Miller, ’08 MBA, and her production company Stone Arch Theatricals, was nominated for several Tony Awards for her work bringing the musical Suffs to the stage and the revival of The Who’s Tommy.

Holly Bocchi, ’09 BSB, ’18 MAcc, started a new role as manager of internal audits at Tennant Company.

Simon Hu, ’09 MBA, was appointed as the CEO of HEYFOCUS.

Ashutosh Jaiswal, ’09 MBA, started a new role as principal at Amazon.

Steve Shepherd, ’09 MBA, was named Minnesota Commercial Association of Real Estate’s (MNCAR) Broker of the Year for 2023.
 

2010s

Madeleine Essman, ’13 MBA, is now director at Schwan’s Company, a promotion from senior marketing manager.

Margaret Behrens, ’14 BSB, started a new role as senior merchandise planner at Target.

Andrew Jison, ’14 BSB, started a new role as consulting account lead at Google.

Erin Dady, ’15 MBA, won the individual HERBIE award from the St. Paul Area Chamber for her dedication to the community.

David Horn, ’15 MBT, was named the new director of the Carlson School’s Master of Business Taxation Program.

Andrew Rogers, ’15 MBA, was appointed general manager at the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park.

Niandra Theiss, ’15 BSB, is now associate director and senior manager at Sogeti, a promotion from manager consultant.

Chelsea Crosby, ’16 MBT, started a new role as income tax compliance specialist at Solventum.

César Carmon, ’16 MBA, started a new position as senior technical consultant at C3 Space.

Sara Moret, ’16 MBA, is now senior director of generative AI strategy at Target, a promotion from director of strategic planning and chief of staff.

Hannah Poss, ’17 BSB, started a new position as deals advisory manager at PwC.

Alise Gray, ’18 BSB, is now senior sales director at Swoop, a promotion from sales director.

Elizabeth Hadala, ’18 MBA, is now cardiology group marketing manager at Boston Scientific, a promotion from principal marketing transformation manager.

Brian Thompson, ’18 MBA, is now director of product sales at Schwan’s Company, a promotion from senior product sales manager.

Brian Wilde, ’18 BSB, started a new role as senior financial analyst at Donaldson.

Jared Woodford, ’18 MBA, started a new role as human resources business partner at the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Maryam Becker, ’19 MBA, is now senior human resources manager, headquarters human resources at Target.
 

2020s

Kyle Burkhardt, ’20 MBA, earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical as a co-producer on Suffs.

Thomson Thamsir, ’20 BSB, ’22 MSF, started a new role as Carlson Impact Lab mentor at the Carlson School of Management.

Crystal Osman, ’22 MBA, started a new role as regional development officer at Yellowstone Forever.

Corey Scott, ’23 MBA, started a new role as chief executive officer at Midwest Dairy.
 

2024 Poets & Quants Best & Brightest MBAS 

In Memoriam

Norb Berg, ’57 MHRIR, died in July 2024. Berg was a pioneer in the field of human resources. As an executive at Control Data Corporation, he developed the Employee Advisory Resource, which became a template for employee assistance programs worldwide. He received many accolades, including the University’s Outstanding Achievement Award for his impactful work.

 

Cynthia “Thia” Breen, ’72 BSB, died in May 2024. Breen was a significant figure in the beauty and retail industries, including 40 years at The Estée Lauder Companies, culminating in the C-Suite role from which she retired in 2017. One of the Carlson School’s biggest supporters, she spent a decade on the Board of Advisors, hosted several cohorts of students at Estée Lauder, and provided the school’s 2012 commencement address. The University of Minnesota honored her with its Outstanding Achievement Award in 2011.
 

 

Pierson “Sandy” Grieve, died in February 2024. Grieve, a prominent Twin Cities business leader, retired as CEO of Ecolab in 1995 after helping transform it into a multibillion-dollar global corporation. At the Carlson School, Grieve played an active role on numerous boards and committees, including as chair of the Board of Overseers. In recognition of his service, Grieve received the University of Minnesota Regents Award in 2000.
 

 

1950s

Morton Weisberg, ’52 BSB, died in March 2024.

James Eddy, ’57 BSB, died in February 2024.

William Martin, ’57 BSB, died in January 2024.
 

1960s

Willis Cook, ’60 BSB, died in January 2024.

Dr. Stanley Edin, ’61 BSB, died in March 2024.

Jack Ellis, ’63 BSB, died in January 2024.

James Gulenchyn, ’66 BSB, died in April 2024.

Kent Swanson, ’67 BSB, died in March 2024.
 

1970s

George Weimer, ’70 BSB, died in June 2024.

Kenneth Richard Jr., ’71 BSB, died in January 2024.

Curtis H. Miller, ’72 BSB, died in June 2024.

Nancy Broz, ’78 BSB, died in January 2024.

Michael Prijatel, ’78 MBA, died in February 2024.
 

1980s

Lorrie Iverson, ’87 BSB, ’89 MBA, died in February 2024.

Patricia Hegstrom, ’88 MHRIR, died in March 2024.
 

1990s

Ryan Pfeil Darling, ’91 BSB, died in June 2024.

Jan Mina Parker, ’93 MBA, died in March 2024. 

Christine Spresser, ’95 MBA, died in June 2024.
 

2000s

David W. Burns, ’02 MBA, died in April 2024.
 

2010s

Rebecca Weber, ’13 BSB, died in April 2024.