Alumni Masters Week, a program sponsored by the Nebraska Alumni Association, Scarlet Guard and the Chancellor’s Office, will celebrate its 50th anniversary Nov. 19-21 with campus visits by 10 outstanding alumni. In addition, 56 past alumni masters will be on hand for the celebration.
Since 1964, 400 alumni have participated in Alumni Masters Week. Its primary goal has always been to link the university’s outstanding alumni with students who can benefit from their experiences and knowledge. All students are encouraged to take part in lectures, presentations and events with the alumni masters, who will speak about ways to apply formal education to working situations and career goals.
The public is invited to meet the alumni masters and hear their perspectives on success during a panel discussion from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Nebraska Champions Club, 707 Stadium Drive.
The 2014 alumni masters:
Matthew L. Blomstedt has been commissioner of education for the state of Nebraska since January. He previously served as executive director of the Nebraska Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council and also was the first full-time executive director of the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association. Blomstedt received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1994, a master’s in community and regional planning in 1998 and a doctorate in educational leadership and higher education in 2013, all from UNL. He is hosted by the College of Education and Family Sciences.
Tom Christiansen is the sage grouse program coordinator for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and has been with the department for 29 years. He is the chair of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Sage and Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse Technical Committee and serves on the Rangewide Interagency Sage-Grouse Conservation Team. Christiansen received a bachelor’s degree in 1984 from the UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, which is hosting him.
Victoria Collier established her own law firm in 2002 in Decatur, Ga. A certified elder law attorney, Collier has chaired the Georgia chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the State Bar of Georgia elder law section and the Atlanta Bar Association elder law committee. She co-founded Lawyers with Purpose, Lawyers for Wartime Veterans, Veterans Advocates Group of America and Trust Associates Inc. Collier served in the U.S. Air Force, 1989 to 1995, and the Army Reserves, 2002 to 2005. A 2002 UNL law grad, she is hosted by the College of Law.
Terry Connealy was appointed senior vice president of Mutual of Omaha Bank in April. He previously was with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, rising through the ranks from private mortgage banker to branch/area manager to market development manager to regional sales manager. A 1994 graduate, Husker football alum and two-time Academic All-American who played defensive tackle from 1991 to 1994, Connealy was a member of the Nebraska football radio broadcast team for Pinnacle Sports Productions from 1996 to 2002. He is hosted by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Angie Klein is vice president of marketing and sales for Verizon’s Northeast Area, where she leads more than 2,600 employees accountable for regional marketing strategy, revenue plan execution, direct sales and customer service for more than 25 percent of the Verizon Consumer and Mass Business Wireline unit. A member of the Nebraska Womens Leadership Network, she received the Nebraska Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2011. She received bachelor’s degrees from UNL in business and journalism in 2001 and is hosted by the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Edward Kodet Jr. is president of Kodet Architectural Group Ltd., a 20-person Minneapolis firm he founded in 1983. Kodet has served the College of Design at the University of Minnesota and the College of Architecture at UNL, where he currently chairs the Professional Advisory Council. A fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Kodet also chairs the AIA College of Fellows Young Architects 2+2 Program and is a member of the National AIA Design Committee. A 1968 UNL graduate, he is hosted by the College of Architecture.
JoAnn Martin is president and CEO of Ameritas Mutual Holding Co. and chair, president and CEO of Ameritas Life in Lincoln. A 1975 UNL business graduated, Martin serves on the boards of the University of Nebraska Foundation and the Nebraska Innovation Campus Development Corp. She received the Nebraska Alumni Association Alumni Achievement Award in 2002, was inducted into the UNL School of Accountancy Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Dr. Barbara Hibner Trailblazer Award in 2012. She is hosted by the College of Business Administration.
Ayman Sahli is CEO of Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar) in the United Arab Emirates. After receiving his doctorate from UNL in 1994, Sahli worked in process development in Syngenta, Ala., and Wyeth, N.Y. In 2004, he joined Hikma and was appointed deputy general manager of the Jordan Unit, a post he held until 2008 when he joined Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar) as chief executive officer. Sahli extended the company geographically as well as through an investment of $150 million into biotechnology. He is hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences.
Dawn Schaefer is the executive art director for CBS, where she has been for 14 years. Her credits include “Survivor,” “Price is Right,” “Bold and the Beautiful,” “Rock Star: INXS,” “On the Lot” and “The Apprentice Live Finale” in Los Angeles, as well as other corporate events and local shows such as CBS News, “CBS This Morning” and local affiliate KCAL-9. Schaefer has been with “Survivor” since the beginning in 2000. She earned a master’s degree from UNL in 1999 and is hosted by the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.
Don Voelte is managing director and CEO of Seven Group Holdings, deputy chairman of Seven West Media and chairman of Nexus Energy, with 38 years of experience in the global oil and gas industry. Before retiring in June 2011, the 1975 UNL civil engineering graduate was managing director and CEO of Woodside Petroleum. Voelte also is a University of Nebraska Foundation trustee. In 2012, the Government of Australia appointed Voelte an honorary officer within the general division of the Order of Australia. He is hosted by the College of Engineering.
More detailed bios for the alumni masters are available at http://huskeralum.org/masters-2014.
