Class Notes, Winter 2024-25
2020s
Adedayo Ararau (23MFA) received the Poetic Justice Institute Book Prize for his manuscript The Years of Blood, which will be published by Fordham University Press in 2025.
Jorge Cabrera (22MBA), head of communications for Kone Elevators in Chicago, has been named to Negocios Now’s 2024 list of the 50 Most Powerful Hispanics in Corporate.
Andrew Herkelman (23BA), a calculus teacher in Peoria, Illinois, participated as a contestant on season 2 of FOX’s trivia game show The Floor.
Connor McCaffery (22BA, 22BBA), former Hawkeye men’s basketball letter winner, is an assistant coach for Butler University men’s basketball in Indianapolis.
Derick Edgren Otero (24MFA) is a 2050 artistic fellow at the New York Theatre Workshop, which supports emerging playwrights, directors, and artists.
Morgan Sackett (23BA) is executive producer of the HBO series Hacks, which won an Emmy for Best Comedy Series.
Darrin Terpstra (24BA), an MFA candidate in the Iowa Playwrights Workshop, received the Dramatists Guild Foundation’s Hansberry-Lilly Fellowship, which supports emerging women and nonbinary playwrights of color.
Rachel Whitesitt (20MPH, 21PharmD), a clinical services manager at Streu’s Pharmacy Bay Natural in Green Bay, Wisconsin, received the 2024 Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin Young Pharmacist of the Year Award.
Lauded Literature
Three University of Iowa alumni and faculty members were finalists for the 2024 National Book Award: Nonfiction Writing Program alumna Deborah Jackson Taffa (13MFA) for her memoir Whiskey Tender, Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate m.s. RedCherries (21MFA) for her book of poetry Mother, and English and creative writing associate professor Kaveh Akbar for his novel Martyr!. Additionally, Iowa Writers’ Workshop professor Elizabeth Willis’ book of poetry Liontaming in America and Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumnus Tony Tulathimutte’s (12MFA) novel Rejection were longlisted.
2010s
Michael S. Brown (11BBA) is co-founder of La Liga Pequeña, a nonprofit organization in Colombia that connects at-risk youth to baseball.
Jeffrey Ding (16BS, 16BA, 16BBA), an assistant professor at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., published his nonfiction book Technology and the Rise of Great Powers: How Dif fusion Shapes Economic Competition.
Maria Drout (10BS), an associate professor in the David A. Dunlap Department for Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto, was featured on Time Magazine’s 2024 100 Next List for her work identifying rare star types.
Garth Greenwell (15MFA), a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University, is author of the novel Small Rain.
Andrew James (14BBA), associate director of the Todd Merrill Studio, a New York art gallery that connects artists and collectors worldwide, recently returned to the University of Iowa to speak to art students about business.
Larissa Luckel (10BA, 13MPH, 13MHA), director of revenue cycle services for Revology, an Iowa-City based revenue cycle management firm for health systems, has been named to Corridor Business Journal’s 2024 Forty Under 40 list.
Daniela Moga (12PhD), the Larry H. Spears endowed chair in pharmacogenetics, associate professor of pharmacy practice and science, and assistant dean for research at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, received the UI College of Public Health’s 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award.
Jessa Hansen Parker (12BA) is head women’s gymnastics coach at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Candice Robinson (13MA) is an assistant professor of sociology at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
Mark Willis (10BA, 12MHA), vice president of operations for St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, has been named to Corridor Business Journal’s 2024 Forty Under 40 list.
Anne Bergquist Zepeski (16PharmD), a clinical assistant professor at the UI College of Pharmacy and Carver College of Medicine and a UI Health Care emergency medicine clinical pharmacist, received the 2024 Distinguished Young Pharmacist of the Year Award from the Iowa Pharmacy Association.
Eric Steven Zimmer (12MA, 16PhD), a faculty affiliate at the University of Montana, released his nonfiction book Red Earth Nation on the land reclamation efforts of the Meskwaki nation.
2000s
Brett Bathel (05BSE, 07MS) is team lead of advanced density-based optical diagnostics at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Scott Beck (07BA) is a writer and director for the horror film Heretic, which stars Hugh Grant.
Sean Considine (04BBA), a former Hawkeye football player who won Super Bowl XLVII with the Baltimore Ravens and now works as a financial planner with Byron Wealth Management in Byron, Illinois, has been inducted into the Sports Faith International Hall of Fame.
V.V. Ganeshananthan (05MFA), a McKnight presidential fellow and associate professor of English for the MFA program at the University of Minnesota, received the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 for her novel Brotherless Night.
Vijay Golla (07PhD), vice provost for research and health sciences and professor of health and behavioral sciences at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, received the UI College of Public Health’s 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award.
Paul Harding (00MFA) is a distinguished professor of creative writing at Emerson College in Boston.
Spencer Lourens (08BS, 15PhD) is the chief data officer at CliftonLarsonAllen, an accounting firm in Omaha, Nebraska.
Jennifer L. Miller (08MPH, 10MHA) is chief administrative officer of UI Health Care’s downtown Iowa City campus.
Wes Obermueller (07BS), a former Hawkeye baseball letter winner and Major League Baseball player, is director of player development for Hawkeye baseball.
Libby Skarin (08BA, 11JD) is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming.
Tim Storhoff (07BA, 07BM) is executive director of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra in Kansas.
Angela Nepodal Warfield (09PhD), a principal consultant at Compass Academics in St. Louis, participated as a contestant on season 2 of FOX’s trivia game show The Floor.
Pamela Wong Wiltfang (08BA, 12MPH, 12PharmD), a medical science liaison, rare disease, for the Amgen biotechnology company, has been named to Corridor Business Journal’s 2024 Forty Under 40 list.
Bryan Woods (07BA) is a writer and director for the horror film Heretic, which stars Hugh Grant.
1990s
Paul Burmeister (94BA, 97MA), a former Hawkeye quarterback, is a Big Ten football announcer for NBC Sports.
Peter Craig (93MFA) is co-writer of Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott.
Rick Gates (95BSPh), chief pharmacy officer at Walgreens, has been named one of the 50 Most Influential People in Retail Health by Drug Store News.
Valerie Jensen (90BSPh), associate director of the drug shortage staff at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, received the UI College of Pharmacy’s 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award.
Mona Susan Power (92MFA), a fiction author, received a 2024 Minnesota Book Award for her novel A Council of Dolls.
Jerald Walker (93BA, 95MFA, 02PhD) is a distinguished professor of creative writing at Emerson College in Boston.
D.B. Weiss (98MFA) is co-creator, executive producer, and writer of Netflix’s sci-fi series Three Body Problem, which won an Emmy for Best Drama Series.
Laurie Wichman Willhite (91BSPh, 93PharmD) is a medication safety officer at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis and chair of the board of the Steve Rummler HOPE Network, the largest nonprofit distributor of naloxone in Minnesota.
1980s
Dan Campion (89PhD), a retired editor for the educational company ACT in Iowa City, released The Mirror Test, his latest book of poems, through MadHat Press.
Evan Hammer (82BSPh) has retired after 42 years working as a retail pharmacist at Walgreens.
Brian James (87DDS), a dental practice broker for Integrity Practice Sales, launched Mentoringdentist.com, a resource and community platform to support private dentistry practices.
Robert Kelly Ortberg (82BSME), the former CEO and president of Rockwell Collins, a Cedar Rapids-based aerospace company, is the new CEO of Boeing.
Jeff Reist (82BSPh), clinical associate professor and director of the Pharmacy Practice Learning Center at the UI College of Pharmacy, received the Thomas R. Temple Mentorship Award from the Iowa Pharmacy Association.
Harper Steele (85BA) stars alongside Will Ferrell in Will & Harper, a Netflix documentary about friendship and the trans experience.
Lisa Anderson Stone (84BS, 86MA) is the head women’s basketball coach at Washington University in St. Louis.
Susan Werner (86BM) wrote the music and lyrics for Bull Durham: A New Musical, produced by Theatre Raleigh in North Carolina.
Carol Conductor
PHOTO COURTESY REBECCA KIA-MILLS
Rebecca Kia-Mills (89MA) is on tour again this holiday season, bringing cheer to audiences across the country, including to several towns in Iowa. Each year, the ensemble plays more than 50 shows over about seven weeks, offering a modern take on classic holiday music. Kia-Mills, an Omaha-based violinist and conductor, initially joined the orchestra in 1990 as a backup member for local shows but was asked to be a soloist—and full touring member—after a few seasons.
“I said, ‘No way!’” recalls Kia-Mills, a graduate of the University of Iowa School of Music. “I was too scared to play up front as a soloist.”
But soon, the offer came from someone she couldn’t refuse: Mannheim Steamroller founder and legendary composer Chip Davis. With his encouragement, Kia-Mills not only settled into her soloist role but soon also became the orchestra’s conductor on tour, introducing new musicians and listeners alike to the beloved holiday tradition.
Says Kia-Mills, “I feel blessed with the opportunity to be a soloist and to bring joy to audiences across the country.”
1970s
James Bawden (73BM, 78MA), a retired music educator, has published his original music for handbell choir with From the Top Music.
Barry Carter (78BSPh), a UI professor emeritus of pharmacy practice and science, received the UI College of Pharmacy’s 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award.
Peter Hansen (79BGS, 82JD), a lawyer with Hansen Law Offices in Burlington, Iowa, has been included in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers Guide.
Joy Harjo (78MFA), the 23rd U.S. poet laureate, recently received honorary degrees from Brown University and Harvard University.
Dean Ketelsen (76BA) received a posthumous Excellence and Volunteerism Award from the National Park Service for starting the annual Grand Canyon Star Party astronomy event in 1991.
Jack Stapleton (77BA), a professor of internal medicine at the UI Carver College of Medicine who founded the state’s first HIV/AIDS clinic in 1986 at Iowa and continues to serve as its director, received the 2024 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence for his work as a virologist.
1960s
Nicholas Meyer (68BA), an author, screenwriter, and director, released his latest novel, Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell.
faculty & friends
Neal Fischer, a former student and current filmmaker and writer based in La Grange Park, Illinois, participated as a contestant on season 2 of FOX’s trivia game show The Floor.
Ryan Jacobsen, a clinical associate professor at the UI College of Pharmacy, received the Health-System Pharmacist of the Year award from the Iowa Pharmacy Association.
Nina Lohman, a 2024-25 visiting professor in the UI Nonfiction Writing Program, released her memoir The Body Alone.
Tonya Verbeek, assistant Hawkeye women’s wrestling coach, has been inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame.