Ron Anderson, PhD is a higher education professional with more than 30 years experience working in both the public and private sectors. He retired as senior vice chancellor and chief academic officer of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities in 2022, after completing 26 years of service within the Minnesota State system. Prior to assuming the senior vice chancellor role, he served as president of Century College. During the span of his career, he has held leadership roles in all functional areas of a college or university, including chief academic officer, chief student affairs officer, and chief financial officer. In addition, he has provided leadership to and served on a number of local and statewide boards and committees, including Minnesota Campus Compact, the Minnesota P20 Education Partnership, the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, the Generation Next Leadership Council, the White Bear Lake Economic Development Corporation, and RealTime Talent. He also served as congregational president and lay assisting minister at Atonement Lutheran Church and on the executive committee of the Tubman Board of Directors. Anderson has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the fields of psychology and educational psychology. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Saint Olaf College where he earned a bachelor of arts degree with distinction in psychology. Anderson also holds a master of arts in higher education and a doctorate in educational psychology with an emphasis in psychometrics, both earned at the University of Minnesota. Anderson was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2023.
Cyrus Batheja ’08, ’11 MBA, EdD, is the national vice president of policy and clinical solutions at UnitedHealthcare Community & State. He supports the development and execution of Medicare and Medicaid programs aimed at helping individuals and families access essential social services that are the gateway to better health. His work is centered on achieving health system improvement through the design and execution of patient-centric systems at scale. Batheja earned an associate degree in nursing from Normandale College, bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Augsburg University, and a doctorate in education from the University of St. Thomas. Batheja sits on the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing Dean’s Board of Visitors. He also serves on the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute’s Public Research Advisory Board. He has received the 2019 UnitedHealth Group Sage of Clinical Service Award, the Mpls/St. Paul Magazine 2013 Award in Administrative Nursing Leadership, and is a 2012 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year.
Cheryl T. Chatman, EdD, served as executive vice president and dean of diversity at Concordia University in St. Paul, MN, for 20 years before her retirement. In those roles, she worked closely with the university president to provide links between and among the administration, the university, and the larger community. She also provided vision and leadership for the university’s diversity efforts through creative programming; consultation and partnership with faculty, staff, and administrators; and by creating and sustaining supportive relationships with students and significant public constituencies. Chatman is active in the community, serving as an officer of the NAACP St. Paul Branch, vice president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Association of Black Women in Higher Education (ABWHE), and a co-facilitator of a community organization called EVERY BODY’S IN. She is completing a six-year term as a church council member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Chatman co-chaired the Selma 50th anniversary celebration hosted in St. Paul, MN. During her tenure at Concordia, she received a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Black Women in Higher Education, a pioneering leader award from the Minnesota chapter of ABWHE, and a lifetime achievement award from the governor’s Commission for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration. Chatman has been the recipient of Iowa State University’s alumni achievement award and received a community award from United Minds of Joint Action for maintaining unity in families, community, nation, and race. She has been recognized by the Concordia Staff Organization executive board for excellence in action for her love for people, for being the heart of the campus, and for assisting in reflecting Concordia as a Christian university. Concordia’s multicultural organizations acknowledged her with appreciation awards for leadership, guidance, support, and service. In 2018, the “Dr. Cheryl Troutman Chatman Diversity Center” was dedicated at Concordia University in her honor. Chatman holds a doctorate in education in educational administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a master of science degree in child development from Iowa State University, and a bachelor of science in psychology from Bethune-Cookman College. She and her husband, the Rev. Kelly Chatman, reside in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Karim El-Hibri ’08 is the president of East West Resources Corporation, a private investment and business development firm focused on life sciences and emerging technologies located in Rockville, Maryland. El-Hibri is also a founding board member and strategic advisor of the El-Hibri Foundation, a private, philanthropic organization that supports building an inclusive America by advancing peace and respect for diversity inspired by the universally shared values of Islam. The foundation invests in nonprofit organizations from diverse sectors that advance the inclusion of American Muslim communities, which are currently under-resourced and now face increasing challenges. El-Hibri represents the next generation of leadership at the foundation by offering strategic oversight and financial expertise. Other philanthropic activities include serving as a board member for the McLean School of Maryland, the Oslo Center U.S. Foundation, and the Augsburg University StepUP® Advisory Board. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the American University School of International Service, and graduated from Augsburg’s StepUP® Program.
Ellen Ewald is co-owner and executive advisor at Tysvar LLC and MobileAxept. She holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree from the University of Bergen (Norway), and a master of science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). Her background includes business development, management, and VC/private equity in science and technology sectors for Norwegian and U.S. businesses, universities, and government organizations. She served as director of higher education and research at the Honorary Norwegian Consulate in Minneapolis. Additionally, Ewald is a mental health advocate and is passionate about supporting brain research and fighting the stigma associated with mental illness. Ewald has served on the University of Minnesota Neuroscience Advisory Committee and is a certified mental health first aid instructor for the National Council of Behavioral Health. She has also served on the board of the Ella and Kaare Nygaard Foundation, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum Executive Committee, and is also currently on the board of People Incorporated. Ewald helped establish the new University of Minnesota Alumni Chapter in Oslo and served as president. She is a recipient of M.I.T.’s Harold E. Lobdell ’17 Distinguished Service Award and Norway’s 10 Topmost Successful International Women award. Ewald was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2019.
The Rev. Regina Hassanally has served as bishop of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA, since September of 2019. As bishop, she delights in conversations with pastors and deacons, walking alongside congregational leaders, Sunday morning coffee hours, and imagining future possibilities. She believes in the power of God to transform lives and her ministry is focused on gospel proclamation. Prior to being called as bishop, Hassanally served a vibrant and lively congregation in rural southeastern Minnesota. While serving as a parish pastor, she loved preaching, teaching confirmation, and, along with her congregation, exploring Scripture as they discerned together the ways the Spirit was at work for the sake of God’s glory in the world. Bishop Hassanally has a bachelor of arts in biology health professions from Northwestern College, Orange City, Iowa, and a master of divinity from Palmer Theological Seminary in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Bishop Hassanally was appointed as an ex-officio member of the board in 2023.
Saanii Hernandez is the chief operating officer for the Constellation Fund, a philanthropic organization focused on fighting poverty in the Twin Cities. Hernandez provides strategic leadership and management as Constellation is moving from a start-up to a long-term, growth-focused fund. She oversees the fund’s grantmaking, fundraising, research and evaluation, and operations. Prior to Constellation, Hernandez was the vice president of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, where she provided strategic leadership across the foundation and launched the Women’s Pathways to Prosperity and Young Women’s Initiative. She also previously led programs at Hispanics in Philanthropy and Northwest Area Foundation. She likes to spend her time reading, learning to golf, enjoying the beach, and hanging out with her family. She’s a native of Southern California and moved to Minnesota to study at Carleton College, where she received her bachelor of arts degree in American studies with an ethnic studies focus and a women’s studies concentration. Hernandez was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2023.
Pahoua Yang Hoffman is the senior vice president of government and community relations for HealthPartners. In this capacity, she and her team partner with local, state, and national organizations and government agencies to improve community health and well-being while ensuring access to high quality, affordable care and coverage. To make certain HealthPartners programs and services are community-informed, she also works with HealthPartners’ eight hospital foundations and leads the organization’s community engagement initiatives and advocacy efforts on behalf of HealthPartners’ patients and members, which benefit the broader community. As a former refugee and immigrant to the United States, she shares HealthPartners’ commitment to providing culturally sensitive care and advancing health equity. Her 20+ years of experience working with under-served communities and empowering community members to act as their own agents of change have not only led to increased community capacity but have also resulted in policy and systems change. Hoffman’s previous leadership roles include serving as senior vice president of community impact at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, executive director of the Citizens League, and manager of legislative affairs at Twin Cities PBS. Her current board service includes Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, the Constellation Fund, Girl Friday Theatre Productions, and the Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas. Hoffman holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Brian.
Kenneth Holmen ’74, MD, is the president and CEO of CentraCare in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Holmen provides leadership and strategic direction for CentraCare, which includes numerous hospitals and health care centers throughout Minnesota. Holmen earned a bachelor’s degree at Augsburg and a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is a board-certified anesthesiologist. Holmen served on Augsburg’s alumni board and the advisory committee to the physician assistant program. Along with his wife, Linda Bailey Holmen ’74, Holmen established a scholarship fund that provides annual awards to students studying chemistry or biology with the goal of attending medical school. He has received honors such as the Distinguished Alumni Award from Augsburg University, the Service to Humanity Award from United Hospital Foundation, the Physician Award from Regions Hospital Foundation, the School District 742 Exceptional Leadership Award, and the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation Leadership Award.
James Hereford is president and CEO of Fairview. Hereford joined Fairview in 2016, bringing extensive experience in strategically guiding organizations, strengthening core operations and bringing teams together to drive cultural change. Prior to joining Fairview, James served as chief operations officer at Stanford Health Care. Previous roles included chief operations officer at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and a series of leadership roles with the Group Health Care Delivery System. James holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Montana State University. He has taught courses with Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, University of Washington’s Master of Health Administration program and The Ohio State University’s Masters of Business Operations Excellence program. He is a frequent writer and presenter on the topic of lean management systems and transformation. Hereford was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2020.
Veena Iyer, JD, is the executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. From 2015–19, Iyer served as a shareholder in the labor and employment group at Nilan, Johnson, and Lewis. From 2018–19, she was chair of the firm’s diversity and inclusion working group. Iyer is a passionate leader who understands, energizes, and activates organizations and their stakeholders. She is also a skilled and creative problem solver who excels at leveraging teams to analyze and resolve complex employment and organizational issues. Iyer is a past president of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association, a past board member of Minnesota Women Lawyers, and the recipient of MNAPABA’s Leadership Award, MWL’s Service to MWL Award, and Minnesota Lawyer’s Diversity and Inclusion Award. She was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2020.
Diane L. Jacobson, PhD, retired as director of the Book of Faith Initiative for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She is professor emeritus of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, where she taught from 1982-2010. Jacobson is a frequent speaker throughout the church at synodical assemblies, rostered leaders gatherings, and churchwide consultations. Jacobson’s main areas of teaching and scholarship have been in Wisdom and Psalms. She has authored and co-authored numerous publications, including the Book of Faith Lenten Devotional, “Water Marks,” adult study on “Ruth” and “Opening the Book of Faith: Lutheran Insights for Bible Study.” Jacobson holds a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College, a master’s degree from Columbia University, and a doctorate from Union Theological Seminary. She was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2014 and serves as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee.
Eric J. Jolly, PhD, is president and chief executive officer of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, where he continues his lifelong work to educate, elevate, and give voice to people in his communities. The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation matches donors’ charitable resources with community-led solutions. Jolly began leading the foundation in August 2015 and is forging meaningful, lasting partnerships with donors and members of the community to create a stronger, healthier, and more equitable Minnesota. Before joining the foundation, Jolly was president of the Science Museum of Minnesota for a decade. Jolly came to St. Paul after serving as vice president and senior scientist at the Education Development Center in Massachusetts. Before that, he worked as a professor and administrative leader in successive academic roles. He serves on a number of local and national boards, including the Bush Foundation, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and Greater MSP. He is a member of honor societies, including Sigma Xi, Phi Eta Sigma, Mortarboard, and Golden Key. He is also a life member of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. Jolly earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Oklahoma and previously served on the Augsburg Board of Regents from 2008 to 2015. He was elected to a new term in 2017 and serves as vice-chair of the Academic Affairs Committee.
Cynthia G. Jones, ’81, PhD, is the senior level advisor for nuclear safety and analysis at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), providing expertise for major policy, program, and operational issues associated with nuclear safety and security. From 2012–16, Jones was the nuclear safety attaché to the U.S. ambassador at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna, Austria, providing programmatic and policy oversight for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) and United Nations nuclear safety programs. In 2011, she became the first female NRC expert appointed to the U.S. National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, and more recently served on the Georgia Institute of Technology Advisory Board for Nuclear Engineering and Medical Physics graduate programs. Jones also formerly served as a physicist in the Center for Radiation Research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and in the radiation safety department at UCLA. Prior to that, she held positions teaching health physics at Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Tennessee. In addition to her bachelor’s degree in physics from Augsburg, Jones earned a master’s degree in health physics at Georgia Institute of Technology as well as a master’s and a doctorate degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Maryland. Jones served on the Augsburg Board of Regents from 2010–12 and was elected to a new term in 2017.
Wayne Jorgenson ’71 retired after 42 years in the financial services industry. He began his career at Piper Jaffray, Inc., in 1975 and most recently served as a senior vice president of Wealth Management at UBS Financial Services in Bloomington, MN. He is a Civil War historian and in 2012 published the book “Every Man Did His Duty: Pictures and Stories of the Men of the First Minnesota.” Jorgenson has a passion for Augsburg and has been among the university’s most active alumni—serving on the Alumni Board, the MBA Advisory Board, and more recently as the leader of the Alumni Class Challenge Campaign for the Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion. Jorgenson and his wife, Carol ’72, are members of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, MN. He was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2013.
Ethelind Kaba is the executive director of the Ann Bancroft Foundation, which has awarded more than $2 million to 5,200 Minnesota girls in grades K–12 to provide opportunities to pursue their passions. Kaba previously served as vice president for external affairs at the Center for Economic Inclusion. She also offers her experience and talents on various organizational committees and boards, including The Jeremiah Program, Twin Cities Habitat of Humanity, Edina Public Schools Legislative Action Committee, and TPT Community Resiliency Advisory Council. Kaba founded The Stargirl Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering teen and tween girls, for which she was named a Changemaker by Minnesota Women’s Press. Kaba earned a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from Hamline University, was a policy fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, and is pursuing a master’s in strategic communication at the Hubbard School of Journalism at the University of Minnesota.
Karolynn Lestrud ’68 is a retired photography and publishing industry professional; a former board member in historic preservation and performing arts organizations; and an active volunteer in arts, education, and theater. She is a founding member of both the Steamboat Springs and the Routt County Historic Preservation Advisory Boards in Colorado. Lestrud also has served as president and as a board member for the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp and continues as a volunteer tour guide and archivist. Lestrud also works with children’s education programs as a storyteller in the Steamboat Springs Chapter of the Spellbinders organization. After earning a bachelor’s in English and French education at Augsburg, Lestrud completed a master’s degree in linguistics at the University of Oregon. She was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2017.
Terry Lindstrom, ’73, PhD, is a retired distinguished research fellow at Eli Lilly and Company, where he served for more than 31 years. He holds numerous patents supporting life-changing drugs, including Evista, for osteoporosis, and Cymbalta, an antidepressant also used to treat anxiety and musculoskeletal pain. His research has resulted in more than 115 abstract and peer reviewed papers with several national and international lectures. He also is a past chair and served on the Indiana Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Board for 18 years creating drug formularies and instituting and maintaining best practices in drug utilization in Indiana. Today, Lindstrom continues to serve as a drug discovery consultant, participates in research for treatment of drug resistant tuberculosis, and volunteers with the Augsburg Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunities program giving lectures, meeting with students about their research, and collaborating with Augsburg science faculty. Lindstrom earned bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from Augsburg and completed a PhD in pharmacology at the University of Minnesota followed by a biochemistry postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan State University. He was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2018 and serves as the chair of the Strategic Enrollment Management Committee.
The Rev. Patricia J. Lull has been the bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod since 2014. A native of Fremont, Ohio, she received her undergraduate degree from the College of Wooster and her master of divinity from Yale University Divinity School. Ordained in 1979, she has served in two congregations – St. Paul American Lutheran Church in Alpena, Michigan, and Christ Lutheran Church in Athens, Ohio. With a background in Lutheran Campus Ministry, she also served as the national director for Lutheran Campus Ministry for the ELCA from 1999–2001. A call to serve as dean of students at Luther Seminary brought her to Minnesota in early 2001. Over the past 20 years she has served at Luther Seminary, Augsburg University, the St. Paul Area Council of Churches, and now the Saint Paul Area Synod. Bishop Lull serves as the co-chair for the current Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue in the U.S. She served as the chair of the drafting team for the ELCA’s Inter-Religious Policy Statement, adopted by the Churchwide Assembly in 2019. Her theological interests include the history of religious life in America, the future shape of congregational life, and global and inter-religious interpretations of the four Gospels. Bishop Lull was appointed as an ex-officio member of the board in 2023.
Michael C. Maxey served as the 11th president of Roanoke College in Salem, VA. He was elected president in 2007, at which time he had already served the college for 22 years in various capacities, and retired in 2022. As president, Maxey focused on student learning and success and the campus quality of life. He was committed to a close relationship between the college, its students, and the local community for the betterment of all. Maxey is a strong advocate for liberal arts colleges, contending that the skills learned through the intellectual and leadership opportunities there serve our democracy by preparing outstanding citizens. On the national level, Maxey is active with numerous educational organizations. He served as chairperson of the Lutheran Educational Conference of North America (LECNA) and on the executive committee of Council of Presidents of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). In 2022 he served as chair of the board of the Council for Independent Colleges. He is past chairman of the network of ELCA colleges and universities. At the local level, Maxey served as chair and vice chair while on the United Way of Roanoke Valley board of directors. He also serves on the board of directors of the Business Council of the Roanoke-Blacksburg Region and the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Maxey was named citizen of the year by the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce in 2007. The Salem Rotary Club recognized him as Citizen of the Year in 2022. He has twice been named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Salem Rotary Club. He also served as past board of directors chair of Salem Historical Society. Maxey is a member of College Lutheran Church in Salem. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in history and a master’s degree in counselor education at Wake Forest University. Later, he earned a certificate of advanced graduate study at the University of New Hampshire and attended the Institute of Education Management at Harvard University. He and his wife, Terri, reside in Salem, VA.
Dennis Meyer ’78 is an accomplished marketing professional and strategist whose disciplined approach to marketing and business development has transformed organization across industries. Meyer most recently served as the first-ever chief marketing and business development officer at the national trial law firm of Robins Kaplan LLP. Prior to that, Meyer served in executive marketing leadership roles in multiple industries including architecture, building engineering, and publishing. Whether overseeing global business development teams or successfully revamping the marketing structure of Fortune 500 companies, Meyer has become known for his ability to develop and execute successful marketing programs focused on market segmentation and stakeholder cross-selling. He was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2013, and now serves as board chair.
Pamela Moksnes ’79 and her husband, Mark Moksnes ’79, have been among Augsburg’s most engaged alumni, with generous gifts to support athletics, campus ministry, the Lindell Library, Oren Gateway Center, and as lead annual fund donors in the Maroon and Silver Society. Prior to her retirement, Moksnes served as vice president for gift planning services, LCMS, through the Lutheran Church Extension Fund. Moksnes is passionate about financial literacy and leadership for women and was instrumental in several Women’s Connections events at Augsburg. Currently, she is involved with the Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE) initiative. Moksnes has served on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes state board; she was elected and served four terms on the National Board of Directors of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund. She attends Cross View Lutheran Church in Edina, MN. Moksnes was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2012.
Nancy (Mackey) Mueller ’85 taught physics and chemistry in the Rochester, Minnesota, public school system for nearly 20 years. Previously, Mueller was a structural engineer specializing in composite materials at the U.S. Navy’s Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Maryland. Mueller earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Augsburg and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland. She again enrolled at Augsburg after moving to Rochester to complete coursework in order to obtain her teaching certificate. She is actively engaged in and provides leadership for a variety of community organizations. Mueller was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2018 and serves as the chair of the Advancement Committee.
John O’Brien, PhD, holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from Augustana University, a master’s degree in Anglo-Irish Literature from the University of Dublin (Trinity College), and a doctorate in English from the University of Minnesota. He serves as the president and CEO of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education through technology innovation. EDUCAUSE serves over 2,300 member colleges, universities, and organizations from 45 countries who themselves collectively serve over 16 million students. In his role as CEO, he speaks and writes on a variety of topics related to higher education, technology, and the crucial intersection where the two meet. Throughout his career in higher education, O’Brien has served as a leader in technology, academics, and institutional leadership. He was a faculty leader in instructional technology, a statewide IT project leader, and associate vice chancellor/deputy CIO at the system level. He has been a college provost and president in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, the fourth largest higher education system in the United States with over 375,000 students. Prior to his appointment at EDUCAUSE, he served as the system’s senior vice chancellor of academic and student affairs. O’Brien was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents and serves as chair of the Student Affairs Committee.
Paul C. Pribbenow, PhD, is the tenth president of Augsburg University. Before coming to Augsburg in 2006, Pribbenow served as president of Rockford College in Rockford, IL. He also has served as research fellow for the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College (Indiana); dean for college advancement and secretary of the board of trustees at Wabash College; vice president of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and associate dean of the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. Pribbenow holds a bachelor’s degree from Luther College, and a master’s degree and doctorate in social ethics from the University of Chicago.
John Schwartz ‘67 received a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Augsburg University in 1967 and a master’s degree in hospital administration from the University of Minnesota in 1969. While at Augsburg, Schwartz participated in the Augsburg Choir and has also participated in the Masterworks Chorale. He began his career with St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, now part of Aurora Health Care. Schwartz held several administrative positions with Aurora, including executive vice president of the system. He then served as general manager with SmithKline Beecham Clinical Labs before joining Advocate Health Care, the largest health system in metropolitan Chicago. Most recently Schwartz has been engaged as an interim hospital CEO for Providence Health & Service in Oregon and Montana. He has been on the Board of Directors at the Chicago YMCA, South Chicago Health Care Foundation, Southeast Chicago Development Commission, Apollo Chorus, and East Side Bancorporation. In 2010, he retired as a healthcare executive after 40 years. He now enjoys being an auditioned member of The Apollo Chorus of Chicago, a 120-member choral organization which provides him an outlet for his long-time passion for performing great choral music which began when he was a member of the Augsburg Choir.
Dean Sundquist ’81 serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Mate Precision Technologies, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality tooling for the sheet metal fabrication industry. He also is founder and president of Modulate Capital, an early-stage investment group. Sundquist earned a bachelor’s degree from Augsburg University and a master of business administration from the University of Minnesota. He is an active member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, and the Association for Manufacturing Technology. He also is a long-time member and former board member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and the World Presidents’ Organization. He and his wife, Amy, fund the Augsburg Sundquist Scholars, a summer research opportunity for students in the sciences. Sundquist was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2014.
Jill Nelson Thomas, JD, is a third-generation, lifelong resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She studied psychology and business, earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tulsa in 1977. She returned to TU to study law and received her juris doctor degree in 1986. She and her husband, Robert, have been avid advocates for the Alzheimer’s Association for 20 years. Additionally, they are committed to and provide support for several Tulsa community organizations including the Mental Health Association of Oklahoma, the University of Tulsa, Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, Tulsa Area United Way, and the Tulsa Ballet. She is president elect for Tulsa Town Hall and chairs the board development committee for Family and Children’s Services of Oklahoma. Since 2014, Jill and Robert have been committed to focusing on collegiate recovery through Augsburg and its StepUP® Program. She was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2016 and now serves as board vice chair.
The Rev. Lamont Anthony Wells is the Executive Director of Network of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Colleges and Universities (NECU) and serves as an advisory member of the Augsburg Board of Regents. Wells is the immediate past National President of the African Descent Lutheran Association (the largest ethnic population in ELCA- Lutheranism). Rev. Wells is a graduate of Morehouse College and the Interdenominational Theological Center, both in Atlanta, Ga; and has completed certification programs at Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell University. In 2021, he became a United Nations Fellow amplifying his work as an international human rights activist. As a dynamic speaker, Rev. Wells is frequently called to share insightful and inspiring messages of ecumenism, interfaith plurality, queer identity, social justice, inclusion, and belonging which motivates him as a leader and community organizer.
Noya Woodrich ’92, ’94 MSW, an Athabascan Indian and Alaska native, is the director of the Child and Family Health Division at the Minnesota Department of Health. Woodrich earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from Augsburg and went on to complete Augsburg’s master of social work program. She was president and chief executive officer of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches from 2012 to 2016. Woodrich previously led the council’s Division of Indian Work as senior vice president and executive director, and her connection to the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches began in 1991 through an internship experience occurring as part of her social work education. Noya has taught at Augsburg and at Metropolitan State University. Her involvement on committees, task forces, and boards is extensive and primarily focuses on inequity in health and education for American Indians. Woodrich was elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents in 2016.