‘20
Rachel Kniss was sworn in as the Bemidji Police Department’s newest officer. While studying in BSU’s criminal justice program, Kniss spent three years as a reserve officer for the department. She lives in Fosston.
Josalyn Olson was hired as the community center and registration coordinator for the Proctor/Hermantown communities. She lives in Duluth.
Andrew McCormick became the grade 6-12 band and choir director at Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley School District in Clinton. McCormick previously taught K-12 music for the Greenbush-Middle River School District. He lives in Graceville.
‘19
Nick Kasprowicz worked as a summer clerk for Brink Lawyers in Hallock, assisting with legal research, court proceedings and client meetings. He lives in Grand Forks.
Abby Mellesmoen teaches kindergarten at Marquette Catholic School in Virginia. She previously taught first grade at Washington Elementary School in Hibbing. She lives in Virginia.
Cheyenne Korpi is a second-grade teacher at Falls Elementary School in International Falls. She previously worked as a substitute teacher in the district. She lives in International Falls.
‘18
Derek Bebeau is the choir director and music teacher for Redwood Valley schools in Redwood Falls. After graduating from Bemidji State, he taught at the Starlight Hutterite colony near Gibbon and at Pine River-Backus High School. He lives in Redwood Falls.
Samantha DeAdder was hired as a part-time records specialist for the Faribault Police Department. She lives in Faribault.
‘17
Logan Redetzke is the head volleyball coach for Menagha High School. She has also served as a substitute teacher in Menahga and Sebeka for the past two years while coaching junior varsity volleyball and softball. She lives in Sebeka.
Josh Bestul teaches sixth grade at Floodwood Middle School. Before joining Floodwood’s staff, he taught for two years at Eleveth-Gilbert Elementary School. He lives in Floodwood.
Sasha Moss teaches fourth grade at Falls Elementary School in International Falls. She lives in International Falls with her family.
Ashley Toivola was promoted to director of Virginia’s Range Treatment Center, which offers drug and alcohol counseling services to the Iron Range area. Toivola has worked for the center since 2016 in various roles. She lives in Gilbert.
‘16
Lindsey (Dewey) Wagenbach is a nurse practitioner for Welia Health in Mora. Wagenbach was named Minnesota’s Nursing Administrator of the Year in 2017. She lives in Zimmerman.
Scott Salfer is a licensed insurance agent at First Security Agency in Sleepy Eye where he offers property, casualty, life and health insurance policies. He lives in Sleepy Eye with his wife.
‘15
Rachel Munson was promoted to assistant director of communications and marketing for Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College. She was previously the digital communications specialist. She lives in Bemidji.
Jacklin Hedtke teaches sixth grade at MACCRAY East elementary school in Raymond. She previously taught sixth grade at Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Junior High School in Winthrop. She lives in Atwater.
Tana Wold manages the city of Lakeville’s three retail liquor locations as liquor operations director. She has more than 24 years of retail liquor business experience. She lives in Rosemount.
‘13
Lacey (Riopelle) Nosbisch teaches sixth grade at Walker-Hackensack-Akeley Public Schools. She lives in Walker with her husband, Steve ’13, who teaches sixth grade at Cass Lake-Bena Middle School and is a local fishing guide.
‘12
Bethany (Fluto) Wood was recently named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Wood owns HealthSource Chiropractic of St. Paul Grand Ave. She lives in White Bear Lake with her husband Dan ’12 and their son.
Wendy DeCann teaches first grade at Hawley Elementary School. DeCann previously taught in Little Falls and Fargo. She lives in Fargo with her husband. The couple has two adult children.
‘11
Steven Eastridge owns Up North Canvas Co., a commercial sewing company that specializes in boat covers, canopies and other canvas products. He lives in Bemidji.
Amber Johnson works as an obstetrics and gynecological nurse practitioner for Carris Health in Willmar. After graduating from Bemidji State, she earned a master’s degree in nursing from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts. She lives in Spicer.
‘10
Joe Gould was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs in January 2021. During the two-year term he will oversee operation and strategy for Minnesota’s 12 member organizations. Gould is also a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area and a teacher at Voyageurs Expeditionary School in Bemidji. He lives in Bemidji with his wife, Gwenia.
‘09
Cheryl (Middendorf) Doocy was hired as a personal banker at First National Bank of Osakis. Doocy was previously a licensed daycare provider and owned a fitness studio with her husband, Chad ’09. They live in Osakis.
Jessica (Johnson) Paulson was elected to a two-year appointment on the Minnesota DNR Fisheries Oversight Committee, which oversees the agency’s spending and prepares reports on findings of various studies. Paulson lives in Zimmerman with her husband, Tyler ’10, who works at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, and their son.
‘06
Zach Burmeister practices agricultural, environmental and governmental law for the Rinke Noonan law firm in St. Cloud. He previously served as an associate at a law firm in Fargo, North Dakota. He lives in Sauk Rapids.
Mark Bensen became principal at Bagley High School after a 14-year stint at Red Lake Middle School, where he taught history and served as dean of students and principal. Bensen is married to Amanda (Baumgart) ’03, who is a social worker at Sanford Health in Bemidji. The couple lives in Bemidji.
[aesop_parallax height=”500px” img=”https://www.bemidjistate.edu/magazine/wp-content/uploads/sites/137/2021/07/Brad-Trask4Edit.jpg” parallaxbg=”fixed” captionposition=”bottom-left” lightbox=”off” floater=”off” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”none” overlay_revealfx=”off”]
Trask’s Record Ride on Lake Bemidji Supports Cancer Research
[aesop_content color=”#ffffff” background=”#333333″ columns=”2″ position=”none” imgrepeat=”no-repeat” disable_bgshading=”off” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”up” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off” aesop-generator-content=”Brad Trask ’17 is using a life-long passion to bring awareness to one of the leading causes of cancer in men. He will likely soon become a world-record holder in the process.
When his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August 2018, Trask came up with an out-of-the-box strategy to raise awareness for prostate cancer research. He decided to attempt a world-record snowmobile ride on Lake Bemidji…in September.
Trask, who lives in Solway, Minn., spent months planning and testing his snowmobile on smaller area lakes in preparation.
“I would have a pit crew, safety spotters in boats and a recovery barge in case something were to happen or I ended up sinking,” he said.
Riding a snowmobile on water is different than on snow; the machine will sink if the rider slows down or loses control. If the rider keeps their forward momentum, however, they can “skip” their machines for miles.
On September 25, in front of dozens of crew members and supporters, Trask rode a total of 60.5 miles on Lake Bemidji, shattering the previous record of 43 miles set in 2005. Trask’s record is pending approval from Guinness, but Trask is confident the record will be approved by the end of winter.
Private donations from friends, family and local businesses in support of his record-breaking ride were presented to Bemidji’s Joe Lueken Cancer Center and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
His father is thankfully now cancer-free, but Trask intends to bring more attention to prostate cancer this July by achieving a personal goal of his – a 200 mile ride on Lake Bemidji.
“I would like to thank God, my family, friends and the community for the support,” he said.
Learn more about Trask’s ride online at the Sanford Health Foundation website
“]Brad Trask ’17 is using a life-long passion to bring awareness to one of the leading causes of cancer in men. He will likely soon become a world-record holder in the process.
When his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August 2018, Trask came up with an out-of-the-box strategy to raise awareness for prostate cancer research. He decided to attempt a world-record snowmobile ride on Lake Bemidji…in September.
Trask, who lives in Solway, Minn., spent months planning and testing his snowmobile on smaller area lakes in preparation.
“I would have a pit crew, safety spotters in boats and a recovery barge in case something were to happen or I ended up sinking,” he said.
Riding a snowmobile on water is different than on snow; the machine will sink if the rider slows down or loses control. If the rider keeps their forward momentum, however, they can “skip” their machines for miles.
On September 25, in front of dozens of crew members and supporters, Trask rode a total of 60.5 miles on Lake Bemidji, shattering the previous record of 43 miles set in 2005. Trask’s record is pending approval from Guinness, but Trask is confident the record will be approved by the end of winter.
Private donations from friends, family and local businesses in support of his record-breaking ride were presented to Bemidji’s Joe Lueken Cancer Center and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
His father is thankfully now cancer-free, but Trask intends to bring more attention to prostate cancer this July by achieving a personal goal of his – a 200 mile ride on Lake Bemidji.
“I would like to thank God, my family, friends and the community for the support,” he said.
Learn more about Trask’s ride online at the Sanford Health Foundation website
[/aesop_content]
‘05
Corinda Edevold published her first book, “The Other Side of the Fence: Ana and the Lilys”, on Amazon. Edevold lives in Bemidji with her husband and five children.
‘04
Steve Johnson was promoted to lieutenant for the North Dakota Highway Patrol and was reassigned as the department’s Southwest Regional Commander. Johnson has served as a patrol officer, field training officer and director of security since being hired by the department in 2004. He lives in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Lucas Doppler works as a relationship manager for First Horizon Bank in Nashville, Tennesee. Doppler previously worked as the bank’s portfolio manager for more than six years. He lives in Nashville.
Jennifer (McNutt) Boon is a special education teacher at Annandale Elementary School. She lives in Maple Lake with her husband and two daughters.
‘03
Ekren Miller was appointed to the Minnesota Golf Association board of directors. Miller is the assistant principal for high school operations for Heartland Christian Academy in Bemidji and serves as head coach for the Beavers men’s golf team. He is married to Kari Kantack Miller ’08 and the couple lives in Bemidji.
Cale Osborn was sworn in as chief of police for the Dillon, Colorado, police department. Osborn has worked for the department since 2016, starting as a patrol officer before being promoted to sergeant. Osborn lives in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Justin Sherwood was named chief of the Bemidji Fire Department. Sherwood began his 18-year firefighting career as a BSU student before becoming captain and overseeing the department’s fire prevention work. Sherwood lives in Bemidji with his wife, Amanda (Goligowski) ’04, who teaches first grade at Bemidji’s Northern Elementary School.
‘02
Kim (Haugen) Szeh was named Teacher of the Year at Roseau Elementary School. Szeh earned her bachelor’s degree in education at the University of North Dakota before completing her master’s degree in curriculum instruction at Bemidji State. She lives in Roseau with her husband.
‘01
Paul Peterson became a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual in Thief River Falls. Peterson was previously the athletic coordinator at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls, where he lives with his wife, Becky ’03, and their two daughters.
‘99
Gretchen Mattson is the principal of Linwood Elementary School in Forest Lake. Mattson has taught grades 2–5 and served in a number of specialist roles for Minneapolis Public Schools over the course of her 20-year career. She lives in Forest Lake.
‘98
Rob Luke has taught English at Delano High School since 2006. His poems have appeared in the Pennsylvania Literary Journal, the Tenth Muse and are forthcoming in the Windward Review. He lives on Lake Minnewashta near Excelsior with his wife, Sara. Read one of Luke’s poems below.
So You Want to be an English Teacher
For Mark Christensen, Bemidji State professor of English
[aesop_content color=”#ffffff” background=”#333333″ columns=”3″ position=”none” imgrepeat=”no-repeat” disable_bgshading=”off” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”up” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off” aesop-generator-content=”I was an outsider to the first university on the
Mississippi River, rustic academia.
Mark was my English Methods teacher.
His classes seemed spontaneous, flashing like
lightning bugs captured in a mason jar. Mark
cultivated us hobos, of uneducated parents,
hanging onto the caboose of literature,
his a high-wire act as a trained
professional, balance in the ballast of
Norton anthologies wedged in his hip pockets.
Mark believed in discussions in lieu of soliloquies.
He unjammed the enjambment of our fear of
free verse poetry.
Each day, Mark presented opportunities to
read, write, and discuss–previously buried in our
parents’ yards of crabgrass and rusty swing sets.
Mark’s skinny frame, draped in suits of a
haberdashery unknown to our dependence on
blue jeans, while he witnessed faith in
pens and keyboards and salvation in his
feedback edits. His credo was the teaching of
English is the good work. I believed him;
I still believe, made possible by his classrooms
located between pine needles and a
clear lakefront
For some of my classmates, Paul Bunyan,
wielding a rusty axe, the lumberjack of
procrastination, and his sidekick, Babe the
Blue Ox, the party animal, got in the way of
becoming a teacher. On Mark’s office shelf,
John Cheever’s short stories were lodged.
Cheever hailed the Chekov of the suburbs.
Those stories were dark, Mark confirmed,
alluding where I came from—blood
mixed with disingenuous drafts, a place of
chewed knuckles and burned books, where
I followed the Mississippi north into sanctuary.
Read more of Rob Luke’s poems about his
Bemidji State experience at bsualumni.org.
“]I was an outsider to the first university on the
Mississippi River, rustic academia.
Mark was my English Methods teacher.
His classes seemed spontaneous, flashing like
lightning bugs captured in a mason jar. Mark
cultivated us hobos, of uneducated parents,
hanging onto the caboose of literature,
his a high-wire act as a trained
professional, balance in the ballast of
Norton anthologies wedged in his hip pockets.
Mark believed in discussions in lieu of soliloquies.
He unjammed the enjambment of our fear of
free verse poetry.
Each day, Mark presented opportunities to
read, write, and discuss–previously buried in our
parents’ yards of crabgrass and rusty swing sets.
Mark’s skinny frame, draped in suits of a
haberdashery unknown to our dependence on
blue jeans, while he witnessed faith in
pens and keyboards and salvation in his
feedback edits. His credo was the teaching of
English is the good work. I believed him;
I still believe, made possible by his classrooms
located between pine needles and a
clear lakefront
For some of my classmates, Paul Bunyan,
wielding a rusty axe, the lumberjack of
procrastination, and his sidekick, Babe the
Blue Ox, the party animal, got in the way of
becoming a teacher. On Mark’s office shelf,
John Cheever’s short stories were lodged.
Cheever hailed the Chekov of the suburbs.
Those stories were dark, Mark confirmed,
alluding where I came from—blood
mixed with disingenuous drafts, a place of
chewed knuckles and burned books, where
I followed the Mississippi north into sanctuary.
Read more of Rob Luke’s poems about his
Bemidji State experience at bsualumni.org.
[/aesop_content]
‘97
Jenny Loeck is the superintendent of Roseville Area Schools. She previously worked as principal for Roseville Area High School from 2009–2017 and as assistant superintendent for the district since 2017. She lives in Roseville.
Terry Hanson became the vice president of administrative services and chief financial officer for Kilgore College in Texas. He previously worked as the assistant director of planning and data analytics for the city of Fort Worth, Texas, where he lives.
‘94
Jodi (Lund) Sandmeyer, a math and science teacher at Nevis School, was chosen as Teacher of the Year by her peers. Sandmeyer served as the school’s principal from 2002–2010. She lives in Bemidji with her husband, Shawn.
‘93
Shelby Odell became the chief nursing officer for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, Florida. She is responsible for the leadership and management of the nursing department throughout the hospital and its various outpatient locations. She lives in Miami, Florida.
‘92
Mark Grossklaus was hired as the executive director of teaching and learning for the Centennial School District serving the cities of Blaine, Centerville, Circle Pines, Lexington and Lino Lakes. He was previously the principal at Albert Lea High School. He currently lives in Albert Lea with his wife, Tammy (Johnson) ’92.
‘87
Trent Baalke became the general manager for the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars. Baalke had been the team’s director of player personnel since February 2020. He previously served as a football operations consultant for the NFL, and was general manager for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011–2016. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with his wife, Beth (Buckingham) ’89.
‘86
Kay (Aultman) Mack was appointed interim county administrator for Hubbard County after a 42-year career as treasurer and administrator for Beltrami County. She lives in Bemidji with her husband, Larry ’79, who recently retired as maintenance supervisor at St. Phillip’s Catholic Church in Bemidji.
‘84
Patti Weldon retired from her 17-year career as activities director for Robbinsdale Armstrong High School in Plymouth. Weldon played for the BSU women’s basketball team from 1980–1984. She lives in Brooklyn Park.
‘82
Jan (Wroge) Olson retired after a 37-year career with the Luverne Public School District as a sixth-grade teacher and curriculum and alternative school director. She lives in Luverne with her husband.
John Rutten was named the supervisor of the West Central Regional Juvenile Center in Moorhead, which provides services for juveniles with behavioral, protection, dependency and delinquency issues. He lives with his wife in Perham.
‘81
Carl Halverson retired from Royalton High School after a 38-year career as an art teacher. He credits former BSU professor Keith Malmquist as the inspiration for entering the teaching profession. Halverson lives in Rice with his wife, Janet.
‘80
Robert Anderson was appointed by President Biden as principal deputy solicitor to the U.S. Department of Interior’s leadership team, which addresses the country’s responses to COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change. Anderson is a professor emeritus at the University of Washington’s School of Law, where he focused on American Indian, property and water law. He was named an Outstanding Alumni by Bemidji State in 2019. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
‘76
Curt and Rose (Bajda) Antilla were named parade grand marshals of the Aurora Patriotic Day parade scheduled for July 3, 2021. Before retiring, Curt served as the east range economic development coordinator for 30 years. Rose taught for 34 years at Mesabi East School District in Aurora. The couple lives in Aurora.
Joe Rossi retired after a 24-year career as a photographer with the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Rossi helped the newspaper earn its first-ever Pulitzer Prize in 1985 with his photos highlighting the rural farming lifestyle. He lives in Blackduck.
Rick Ellingworth retired after spending 44 years with the Redwood Area School District as a teacher, coach and superintendent. Ellingworth played football for the Beavers before earning his undergraduate degree in business education. He lives in Redwood Falls with his wife, Jan.
‘68
Don Kuusinen was inducted into the Minnesota Wrestling Association’s Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame in October 2020. The honor recognized his contributions to the sport as a wrestling coach for the Grand Rapids Public School District and his 50-year career as a wrestling official. He lives in Grand Rapids with his wife, Laurel.