More about Alumni Masters Week
Owner/Operator Steffen Ag Inc. Policy Advocate College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources Ben and his wife Paula Sue operate a diversified dairy and crop production farm in southeast Nebraska while serving in multiple leadership roles. Ben is currently past-president of Agriculture Builders of Nebraska, where he has worked to enhance the University of Nebraska and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. As a delegate to the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching, Ben has represented the University of Nebraska at the national level, advocating for Federal support of Land Grant Universities. Formerly President of the Nebraska Association of County Extension Boards, his broad understanding of Extension and IANR has led to service on several program review teams as well as search committees within the Institute. As an advocate, Ben has testified before the U.S. Congress in the Senate Agriculture Committee as well as before the Nebraska Legislature. Ben and Paula Sue have worked extensively with cover crops and no-till cropping systems and have had public speaking engagements and hosted field day demonstrations addressing those experiences. Hear a radio interview with Mr. Steffen here and watch an interview with him here. »
Vision Director/Principal, BVH Architecture College of Architecture Kristine Dorn is president of BVH Architecture, an architectural firm engaged in the design and preservation of the built environment. After a career in retail marketing, Kristine found her true passion in interior design and began her career at BVH in 2005. Solid instincts and an ability to clearly see the heart of the problem and quickly find solutions have led her to find success across numerous projects in the religious, education, and business sectors. Kristine’s ability to hone and define clear messages and strategies has also led BVH to contribute to many cultural and historic projects across the Midwest, including award-winning projects like the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer and Rangeland Laboratory at Chadron State College. While also serving on several local community boards, Kristine is working with an internal team to develop strategic partnerships with other industry and community partners that hope to aid in solving community and social issues through the built environment.
CEO, ITI Data, New York Computer Science College of Arts & Sciences Brian Vaske founded ITI in 1999 with a company mission to deliver world class data and information management systems. In his early career as a systems architect, he established a reputation of reliable delivery and innovative vision in business intelligence and data integration solutions for top financial institutions. These institutions included Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, FICO and Wells Fargo. After 17 years, he continues to pursue his vision as CEO and has grown ITI into a global technology solutions company with over 300 employees worldwide. Today, ITI provides a full suite of capabilities from strategy and development, to implementation and support. Their successful track record in delivering effective data management solutions is evidenced by the year-after-year, double-digit revenue growth of the firm.
Senior Director of Basketball Operations, National Basketball Association Athletics Garth graduated with distinction from UNL and the College of Law. After graduating from Law School, Glissman became partner at Kutak Rock Law Firm in Omaha while serving as a volunteer high school basketball coach. He has combined his legal background with passion for basketball by moving to New York City to be Senior Director of Basketball Operations for the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Executive Chairman of the Board, Nelnet College of Business Michael Dunlap established the company that would become Nelnet in 1996 with Stephen Butterfield. He now serves as executive chairman of the board and previously served as chairman and CEO of the company from its inception. Dunlap attained his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1986, and his juris doctor from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1988. He is a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association. Dunlap also serves in different leadership capacities for many organizations, including Union Bank & Trust, Union College, Vision Lincoln 2015 and Capital Casualty Company.
U.S. Department of Defense at Madigan Army Medical Center College of Education & Human Sciences In July 2016, Jaime Gonzalez began working in his self-described “dream job.” He works for the U.S. Department of the Army at Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Tacoma, Washington. He serves as a consultant to staff and Army Commanders on clinical and counseling psychology issues to include psychological evaluations, diagnosis and treatment. Gonzalez also provides patient-centered care to include group and individual short and long-term psychotherapy, and if indicated, evidenced-based psychotherapy to soldiers who desire treatment with particular focus on ensuring dosage metrics for PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, and Anxiety related disorders.
Vice President, Technology at Hexagon-Lincoln College of Engineering As the VP of Technology at Hexagon-Lincoln, Dr. Norman Newhouse directs technology development that has allowed the company to increase sales by six-fold over the past decade. The company makes filament-wound composite pressure vessels. In addition, he directed a program which led to the production of the world’s largest all-composite commercial pressure vessel. The vessel was designed to transport compressed natural gas to regions, primarily in Southeast Asia, not served by natural gas pipelines. The success of this endeavor led to the expansion and construction of a new production facility in Lincoln. Dr. Newhouse has been a valued partner for the College of Engineering in Mechanical & Materials Engineering, serving as the Chair of its External Advisory Board and assists in providing countless internship opportunities for MME students.
Associate Professor of Music (Clarinet and Saxophone) & Assistant Chair of the Music Dept. Millersville University of Pennsylvania College of Fine and Performing Arts Christy Banks is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Millersville University of Pennsylvania where she also serves as Assistant Chair of the Music Department. Prior to her appointment to the Millersville University Music Faculty in 2005, Dr. Banks taught clarinet, saxophone, and related music courses at Nebraska Wesleyan University, Concordia University, Doane College, Union College, and Peru State College. A former member of the Lincoln Symphony and the Nebraska Chamber Players, Banks has performed with the Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Reading Symphonies, Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Allegro Chamber Orchestra, and Opera Lancaster. She has appeared as a soloist/recitalist throughout the US as well as in Italy, Austria, Germany, China, New Zealand, and Iceland. Passionate about new music, Banks is a member of NakedEye Ensemble and the Spatial Forces Duo. Additionally, she is a member of the BATIK Clarinet Quartet and the Manor Winds Woodwind Quintet. National/International Conference performances/presentations include the College Music Society National Conference (2016, 2017), International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest® (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016), NACWPI National Conference (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017), New Music Gathering (2017) and SEAMUS (2013). Banks received her DMA and BM in clarinet from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MM in clarinet from Florida State University. Her primary clarinet teachers are Diane Barger and Frank Kowalsky. Dr. Banks is the Pennsylvania state chair of the International Clarinet Association and the founder of the Millersville University Single Reed Symposium.
Former Marketing Officer, Google College of Journalism and Mass Communications
Cindy McCaffrey was the 26th employee hired by Google. She served as the company’s first marketing executive. In her role as vice president of Corporate Marketing at Google, McCaffrey managed global corporate marketing and communications of the company's products and services to consumers and business customers worldwide. The early growth in awareness of Google was largely attributable to McCaffrey's efforts to disseminate information about the company through viral communications efforts and targeted marketing initiatives in lieu of large expenditures on advertising or promotion. She says her biggest accomplishment was “being part of the team that built Google from a small enterprise into an important global resource that benefits so many people around the world today.”