Congratulations to Cole Schaefer (BS ’20, business & marketing education) for being named to the 2025 Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Food & Drink Category. Schaefer, along with his co-founder and fellow U of M alum, Brian Waddick, own Smackin’. Starting out of their dorm room in college, they created a sunflower seed inspired by the nostalgia of spitting seeds on the little league ballfields, but upgraded for the 21st century customer.

Alissa Partee (BS ’07), Chief People Officer (CPO) at Restaurant Technologies, has transitioned into a new role as the company’s Chief Operations Officer (COO). In her previous role, Partee led the human resources team at Restaurant Technologies and joined the company as CPO in 2020. During her tenure, the company grew from 1,000 employees to over 1,500 nationwide. In addition to her role as CPO over the last year, Partee led the implementation of a new nine-person operations excellence team, a team that she will continue to lead in her new role.

Before joining Restaurant Technologies, Partee spent three years at Caribou Coffee & Einstein Bros. Bagels with her last two years as CPO. She holds an MBA in Finance and Human Resource Management from the DePaul Driehaus College of Business, and a BS in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota.

To learn more about Restaurant Technologies, visit rti-inc.com.

Mary R. DeGrote Goering (PhD ’16) has been named a 2024 Provost’s Unit Service Award recipient at the University of Minnesota. This award was given in recognition of her exceptional service that has strengthened the functioning and climate of the School of Nursing where she works. Her work on creating an online Prelicensure Preceptor Resource Toolkit was highlighted for this award.

On September 18, 2024 Sara K. Sterner was honored with the Cal Poly Humboldt Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, Tenure Line. She is a teacher education scholar who is passionate about teaching and has created a welcoming and safe classroom environment. Sterner uses technology and various teaching methods intentionally and seamlessly, demonstrating strong organizational and communication skills. On the same day she was acknowledged for her August, 2024 promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor, achieving tenure a year early.

https://now.humboldt.edu/news/honoring-distinguished-faculty-2023-24

Congratulations to Domonique Gilmer (K-12 administrative licensure certificate) for being honored with 2 awards earlier this year. In July, he received the Mentor Award from Sons of Bransford. This award recognizes Black men who exemplify redemption, responsibility, and resilience in overcoming life’s challenges. It celebrates those who provide extraordinary service to their communities, inspiring others to draw strength, courage, and hope as peaceful warriors, resisting despair and hopelessness.

In September, he received the Alumni Distinguished Service Award from Concordia University, St. Paul. This award honors individuals who demonstrate a notable commitment to Concordia University’s mission through leadership in the church, community, or profession. Recipients are recognized for exceptional service, personal engagement, and distinct performance, standing out among their peers

Mark Meier (BS ’90) founded Face It Foundation 15 years ago in the Twin Cities metro area. Their mission is: leveraging the power of Peer Support, Face It works with men to recover from depression and prevent suicide. In addition to depression, the organization serves men who deal with anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, trauma histories, and a host of other mental health challenges. The organization currently serves ~225 men with 24 ongoing peer support groups, a monthly calendar filled with classes on things such as meditation, journaling, job coaching, financial advising, yoga, improv, breathing, etc. They also host a monthly breakfast with a speaker that attracts 50 men and own a 4000 sq ft retreat center (Face It Northwoods) in Northern Minnesota, where they provide regular retreats for men to address their mental health needs.

Meier recently collaborated with Bill Doherty and Tai Mendenhall to contribute to a chapter in their APA published book (January 2024) titled, “Becoming a Citizen Therapist -Integrating Community Problem Solving Into Your Work as a Healer”.

Joann O’Leary recently published her new book with co-author Sarah Vollman, Born Into Loss: Shadows of a Deceased Sibling and Family Journeys of Grief. Subsequent siblings, who are sometimes referred to as replacement children, are people who were born after the death of a brother or sister. This non-fiction, self-help, psychology book breaks new ground by assembling rich and heartfelt life stories from a diverse group of subsequent siblings while also weaving in clinical literature and discussion.

Joann O’Leary has a PhD, MPH from the University of Minnesota, and MS in Psychology from Queens University Belfast, NI. Endorsed as a Level IV research mentor in Infant Mental Health. She was a 2018 Fulbright Specialist at University College Cork. Her research focuses on how perinatal loss and the pregnancy that follows impact families and has spoken nationally and internationally on this topic. Her book will be available for purchase on Amazon.com on December 3.

Britta Babel (BS ’17, youth studies) was awarded Grassroots Professional of the Year by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) for her outstanding work in grassroots organizing in support of our mission to make cancer a national priority.

This annual award is given to an ACS CAN staff member whose strong dedication to grassroots organizing furthers the achievement of advocacy mission goals.

“Britta is truly a critical and impactful team member who brings significant value and expertise to our work,” said Lisa Lacasse, president of ACS CAN. “She has made exceptional contributions to advancing Minnesota’s fight against cancer and is adept at empowering grassroots volunteers to amplify their voices on behalf of everyone facing a cancer diagnosis.”

Britta has served as the grassroots manager for ACS CAN Minnesota for six years. In that time, she has used her creativity to draw attention and priority from state lawmakers to ACS CAN’s legislative campaigns. She has amplified and empowered the voices of volunteers and partners, ensuring they were elevated throughout the continuum of ACS CAN’s policy work. She leads with empathy and understanding, empowering ACS CAN’s volunteers and helping them find and use their power, directly or indirectly, with local, state, and federal lawmakers.

The award was presented on Sept. 15 as part of the annual ACS CAN Leadership Summit and Lobby Day. Nearly 750 cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones met with their elected officials to urge them to support policies that increase funding for cancer research and urge lawmakers to pass the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act.

ACS CAN is grateful for Britta’s passion and determination to reduce the toll of cancer on patients, survivors and their families.

Each year, the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) honors award recipients from around the globe who are shaping their industries and strengthening the University community. Congratulations to Randy Griffith (MEd ’84, physical education), Kelsey Joson (BS ’13, kinesiology), and Kyle Whipple (PhD ’18, STEM education) for being named 2024 alumni award recipients! They will be honored at the 2024 Alumni Awards Affair on Thursday, October 24.

Randy Griffith (MEd ’84) is the recipient of the 2024 Advocate of the Year Award. After earning his Master’s in Physical Education from the CEHD in 1984, Randy Griffith devoted 27 years of his life to guiding the next generation as a teacher. Upon retiring, he redirected his energy toward the U, quickly becoming one of the most active members of UMN Advocates (the University’s digital advocacy program) and MN 201 (the Alumni Association’s relationship-based advocacy program).

Kelsey Joson (BS ’13) is the recipient of the 2024 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. Since her time at the U of M, Kelsey has emerged as an influential voice for equality and representation in the Twin Cities’ entrepreneurial community. In 2019, she founded InControl-MN, a service that supports adults with disabilities through in-home, preventative services that span physical, emotional, and social wellness.

Kyle Whipple (PhD ’18) is the recipient of the 2024 Community Leader Award. Dr. Kyle Whipple’s perspectives are rooted in authentic lived experience, beginning with a 20-year career as a humble high school mathematics and science teacher in rural Missouri. Alongside the added challenge of breaking barriers to gain visibility as a trans man in academia and mathematics, Kyle earned his doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota in 2018, where he first took a deep dive into the work he’s celebrated for today via his dissertation, “LGBTQ Secondary Mathematics Educators: Their Identities and Their Classrooms.”

Congratulations to Dr. Larry Guggisberg for being named the recipient of the 2023 MASA Polaris Leadership Award by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA). Dr. Guggisberg was honored for his exemplary school leadership and a lifetime of achievement in education and the wider community at a statewide recognition ceremony at the 2023 MASA Fall Conference in October.