{"id":44396,"date":"2015-02-27T16:59:16","date_gmt":"2015-02-27T16:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/?page_id=44396"},"modified":"2026-02-16T14:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:56:11","slug":"alumni-award-recipients","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/alumni-award-recipients\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Award 2025 Recipients"},"content":{"rendered":"Nominate an Auggie for a 2026 award!<\/a>\n

 <\/p>\n

Distinguished Alumni Award<\/h2>\n

\"Susan<\/a>Susan Allen \u201992<\/b><\/p>\n

Susan is an attorney and shareholder at the Jacobson Law Group in St. Paul, representing tribes and tribal entities in commercial, construction, project finance, corporate governance, and taxation matters. A member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, she served three terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives (2012\u20132018), becoming the first Native American woman elected to the House and the first openly LGBTQ Native American state legislator in the nation. Raised in both reservation and urban Indian communities, Susan\u2019s experiences shaped her lifelong commitment to service.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Michele<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Michele Boyer ’89<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michele Boyer entered Augsburg College on the Presidential Scholarship and graduated magna cum laude in 1989. While an Auggie, Michele discovered a passion for social justice work that continues to this day. An athlete since childhood, Michele
\nwas thrilled to play intercollegiate women\u2019s basketball and fastpitch softball at Augsburg. Due to her contributions to women\u2019s athletics she was named one of the \u201cAthletes of the Decade (1980\u2019s) and was conducted into the Women\u2019s Hall of Fame in
\n2002.<\/p>\n

In 1987 Michele and three classmates founded the first LGBTQ student group in Augsburg\u2019s history. The group facilitated college-wide educational forums, ensured that LGBTQ community literature became widely available on campus, and advocated that more equitable and inclusive policies be adopted and implemented at the college.<\/p>\n

After finishing a master\u2019s program in \u201cgeo-justice\u201d at the Institute of Culture and Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California, Michele returned to Minneapolis (1992) to begin work providing direct services and care to persons living with HIV and\/or AIDS. An early adopter of Harm Reduction and Housing First approaches when working with homeless populations, Michele advocated passionately for program designs involving compassionate service delivery that centered on those principles. Later in her career she focused on developing new and innovative models which would be both financially sustainable and designed to serve the most marginalized communities impacted by HIV.<\/p>\n

Michele oversaw the growth of Clare Housing from a small community-based organization to becoming the largest HIV supportive housing agency in the upper Midwest. She managed a staff of 60 and oversaw an annual service budget of 6.5 million dollars. After retiring as the Director of Supportive Housing from Clare Housing in 2021 she joined a sister organization, The Aliveness Project, and in the past four years has secured over $1.52 million annually in rental assistance subsidies for low-income individuals and families impacted by HIV.<\/p>\n

Michele has received various community service and leadership awards including a \u201cLifetime Achievement Award\u201d from Quorum\/Allied LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce (2018), the \u201cNon-profit Leader of the Year\u201d by the Minneapolis\/St. Paul Business Journal (2019), the inaugural \u201cHousing Hero\u201d of 2019 by the Board and Staff of Clare Housing. She continues to work today on behalf of The Aliveness Project and Clare Housing (the two largest AIDS service organizations in the upper Midwest) to continue to develop affordable housing solutions to some of Minneapolis\u2019 most vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n

Michele enjoys hiking, mountain biking and practicing yoga. She is married to Melissa Conway and lives in south Minneapolis. She has two children, Evan &amp; Ritu Boyer-Conway. Ritu is currently a sophomore at Augsburg College.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ross<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Deacon Ross R. Murray \u201900, \u201909<\/b><\/p>\n

Ross is a Vice President at the GLAAD Media Institute, which provides activist, spokesperson, and media engagement training and education for LGBTQ and allied community members, the media industry and advocacy organizations desiring to deepen their media impact. Ross uses the best practices perfected by GLAAD to train a new generation of advocates in order to accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ people, as well as other marginalized communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ross is also a founder and director of <\/span>The Naming Project<\/span><\/a>, a faith-based camp for LGBTQ youth and their allies. The Naming Project has also been the subject of much media, including the award-winning film <\/span>Camp Out<\/span><\/a>, as well as the controversial episode “Pray the Gay Away?” of Our America with Lisa Ling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ross has secured national media interest in stories that bring examples of LGBTQ equality across diverse communities in America. He specializes in the relationship between religion and LGBTQ people. He is the author of two books, <\/span>Made, Known, Loved: Developing LGBTQ-Inclusive Youth Ministry<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>The Everyday Advocate: Living Out Your Calling to Social Justice<\/span><\/i><\/a> are available from Fortress Press. Ross has also contributed to two books focused on LGBTQ Christian youth: <\/span>Queerfully and Wonderfully Made<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>Welcoming and Affirming<\/span><\/i><\/a>. He has written and appeared on numerous media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, USA Today, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, and Religion News Service.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ross was a producer for the <\/span>“Yass, Jesus!” podcast<\/span><\/a>, a comedy podcast about queer Christianity, hosted by Daniel Franzese (Actor, <\/span>Mean Girls<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Looking<\/span><\/i>) and Azariah Southworth (former host, <\/span>The Remix<\/span><\/i> on TBN).<\/span><\/p>\n

Ross is an ordained Deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with a specific calling to advocate for LGBTQ people and to bridge the LGBTQ and faith communities. He is a member of the <\/span>2021 OUT100<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

First Decade Award<\/h2>\n

\"Cristian<\/a>Cristian Baca Perez ’16<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since his days at Augsburg, Baca<\/span>\u00a0has become a staple in the Minneapolis and Midwest Music\/Event industry. Whether it\u2019s selling out shows at First Avenue or performing for the MN Twins as the in-stadium DJ, Baca is a living example of the Augsburg mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

His event brand <\/span>Revent\u00f3n<\/span><\/i> has created a unique space to celebrate the rich diversity within Minnesota\u2019s Latin American community while also showcasing its cultural & economic impact within MN and across the US.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Muna<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Muna Mohamed \u201916 <\/b><\/p>\n

Muna is the Founder & CEO of Kalsoni, where community research, co-design, and thoughtful product development come together to remove barriers to movement for Muslim women and girls. A former semi-professional basketball player, Muna earned a B.S. in Exercise Science from Augsburg University and an M.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, training that informs her pragmatic, user-led approach to building apparel that aligns with faith and culture\u2014so no one has to choose between comfort, performance, and values.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kalsoni grew out of a pivotal community-led study\u2014\u201cImpact of Culturally Sensitive Apparel Co-Design on the Physical Activity of East African Adolescent Girls.\u201d From that foundation, Muna developed one of the first culturally sensitive sports uniforms for Muslim girls and built a community-driven, data-informed design practice that emphasizes fit, function, and dignity. Today, Kalsoni\u2014whose name means \u201cconfidence\u201d in Somali\u2014is known for technical sport hijabs and shawls, including styles made with deadstock materials to reduce waste. Kalsoni is a Certified B Corporation, underscoring its commitment to social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. The brand has expanded through strategic retail partnerships; Kalsoni became the first modest activewear brand available in-store at REI and collaborates with programs such as Girls on the Run to increase access to movement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond the products, Muna\u2019s leadership centers representation, belonging, and health equity. She has shared this work on international stages\u2014including a Bloomberg conference in London\u2014and in the media, with coverage in Forbes and the Star Tribune. Her entrepreneurial path includes recognition from the Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship, Target Accelerators, and the Entreprenista100.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before launching Kalsoni, Muna co-founded Cedar Riverside Athletics & Enrichment and worked with the Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx, experiences that deepened her commitment to creating welcoming spaces in sport. Across each chapter, her north star remains the same: partner with communities, design with care, and make it easier for women and girls to show up, move freely, and feel at home in sports and fitness.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Spirit of Augsburg Award<\/h2>\n

Mark S. Johnson, Ph.D. ’75<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mark earned his Bachelor of Arts degrees in sociology and metro-urban studies from Augsburg in 1975. He was on the golf team as a student athlete at Augsburg. After college, Johnson returned home to Two Harbors, Minnesota to work for his family business, Sonju Motors. He served as the city planner in Two Harbors from 1999 until his retirement. He remains involved in Two Harbors through a community fund that he helped establish and that is used to support new projects in response to emerging and changing needs. Johnson has also been very active on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu where he is currently helping to rebuild remote rural roads, bringing artificial intelligence into the classroom, and working with the Fairtrade organization to enhance the coffee growing industry on the island. Johnson funds research opportunities for Auggies through the Torstenson Scholars program. Among his passions, Johnson notes travel and philanthropy. He resides in Naples, Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Distinguished Alumni Award Susan Allen \u201992 Susan is an attorney and shareholder at the Jacobson Law Group in St. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":212,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-44396","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/212"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44396"}],"version-history":[{"count":91,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46202,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44396\/revisions\/46202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/homecoming\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}