Alumni Notes

Dr. Mary Tjosvold (BS ’64, PhD ’75) featured in Most Admired CEO Series

Congratulations to Dr. Silvy Lafayette (PhD ’13) for being named the recipient of the 2026 Richard Green Scholar Award by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA).

Congratulations to Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed (MA ’00) for being named the recipient of the 2026 Kay E. Jacobs Memorial Award by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA). This prestigious award recognizes female administrators who demonstrate exceptional leadership, a deep commitment to students, and significant contributions to the field of education. As the Superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools, Dr. Mhiripiri-Reed has been a transformative leader, most notably spearheading the district’s "Vision 2031" to redefine student-centered learning. We are incredibly proud of Dr. Mhiripiri-Reed’s dedication to equity and innovation in Minnesota schools!

In the spring 2025, Peter Nordgren published a new book, A Place on Water, a natural history memoir of northwest Wisconsin. It's available through regional bookstores and at www.northbranch.info.

Ngawang Gonsar (PhD ’21) received the distinguished faculty of the year award from Normandale Community College. She received the award at the Commencement ceremony.

Brittany Strelow (BS ’08) has been elected as American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) Director at Large.

Jana Craft (PhD ’13) has been named dean of the School of Business and Management at SUNY Brockport. Located just west of Rochester, Brockport is part of the SUNY system and serves nearly 950 business students across undergraduate and graduate programs.

Amanda Thein (PhD ’05) has been appointed the dean of the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder effective July 1, 2025. She is a nationally recognized scholar in English and literacy education with a passion for the work of educational democracy—work that is uniquely carried out through the research, teaching and service missions of schools and colleges of education. Read more.

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 […]

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 […]