Iowa State's 90th 25-Year Club celebratory banquet will be held Monday, April 14, at the Gateway Center and Conference Center. This spring, the club welcomes 74 new members and honors 45 other faculty and staff for additional service to the university -- 10 employees who completed 45 years of service in 2024 and 35 who completed 35 years of service. Fifty years is another milestone to celebrate, but no employees hit that mark last year.
New members of the 25-Year Club have completed at least 25 years of consecutive service by Dec. 31 of the given year, in this case, 2024.
Laura Helmus, student support specialist at the Memorial Union who's serving as club president, said this year's honorees collectively have provided 3,525 years of service to Iowa State.
President Wendy Wintersteen, who speaks at the dinner each spring, also will be recognized this year among the 45-year honorees. She began her career in 1979 as one of ISU Extension's first female associates in integrated pest management. After completing her doctorate in entomology, she rose through the faculty ranks before stepping into administrative roles in Extension and Outreach and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, including college dean (2006-17).
An Iowa State tradition
Informally founded in 1915, the 25-Year Club was formally organized in 1934 under the Iowa State College Alumni Association. Harold Pride, who served as secretary of the alumni association that year, wrote to the club's charter members:
"Staff members who have served the college as long as you have come to personify the college to her alumni. Buildings and land do not make a college, it is the men and women of the staff who make any college."
Congratulations, honorees
Below is the roster of employees who reached an employment milestone in 2024, many of whom will be present at the 25-Year Club celebration April 14:
For 45 years of service (10)
- Jeff Braland, Horticulture research station, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Lynn Clark, Ecology, evolution and organismal biology
- Richard Cruse, Agronomy
- Garry Greenlee, Recreation services
- Steven Niebuhr, Animal science
- Nancy Qvale, Civil, construction and environmental engineering
- Richard Schultz, Natural resource ecology and management
- Mack Shelley, Political science, statistics
- Warren Straszheim, Office of biotechnology
- Wendy Wintersteen, Office of the president
For 35 years of service (35)
- Peggy Auwerda, Animal science
- Tess Balsley, Veenker Memorial Golf Course
- Jane Blair, Pine team, Finance service delivery
- David Brenner, North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Margaret Carter, Office of biotechnology
- Vinay Dayal, Aerospace engineering
- Rhonda Deshong, Ames National Laboratory
- Susan Elsner, Ames National Laboratory
- Mary Finch, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
- Ann-Marie Fiore, Apparel, events and hospitality management
- Beth Foreman, Student recruitment, College of Health and Human Services
- John Hoffman, Information technology services
- Jennifer Holdredge, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
- Mitchell Hoyer, Youth 4-H, Extension and Outreach
- Mark Huss, Capital projects, facilities planning and management
- Albert Jergens, Veterinary clinical sciences
- Kristen Johansen, Biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology
- Steven Kawaler, Physics and astronomy
- Diana Keech, Redwood team, Finance service delivery
- Renee Knosby, Budget and finance, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Kris Kohl, Agriculture and natural resources, Extension and Outreach
- Richard McColley, Environmental health and safety
- Kristina Miles, Veterinary clinical sciences
- Jennifer Newman, Mathematics
- Lesia Oesterreich, Human Sciences Extension and Outreach
- Jacob Petrich, Chemistry
- Stacey Poling, Office of admissions
- Ronald Roberts, Center for Nondestructive Evaluation
- Marva Ruther, Office of sponsored programs administration
- Hal Sailsbury, Ames National Laboratory
- Julie Schrader, Aspen/Sycamore teams, Finance service delivery
- Wayne Stevens, Campus services, facilities planning and management
- Julie Stewart, Communications, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Kim Vo, Budget and finance, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Curtis Youngs, Animal science
For 25 years of service (74)
- Brenda Allen, Strategy and operations, Extension and Outreach
- Craig Anderson, Psychology
- Michel Baker, Office of biotechnology
- Ashraf Bastawros, Aerospace engineering
- Joydeep Bhattacharya, Economics
- Lora Bierbaum, Office of sponsored programs administration
- Kaela Black, Office of the senior vice president and provost
- Terri Boylston, Food science and human nutrition
- Mary Brunotte, Residence
- Helle Bunel, Economics
- Nolan Christensen, Campus services, facilities planning and management
- Amy Chriswell, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
- Jason Curry, Information technology services
- Dwight Dake, Information technology services
- Domenico D'Alessandro, Mathematics
- Samuel Demarie, Management and entrepreneurship
- Kelley Farrar, Residence
- Carmen Flagge, Student services, College of Health and Human Services
- Glen Galvin, Virtual Reality Applications Center
- Michale Golemo, Music and theatre
- Paul Gormley, Center for Industrial Research and Service
- Manimaran Govindarasu, Electrical and computer engineering
- Heather Greenlee, Graduate College
- Nancy Grudens-Schuck, Agricultural education and studies
- Kamel Harrata, Instrumental services, chemistry
- Kirk Haugland, ISU Dining
- Pol Herrmann, Management and entrepreneurship
- Dwight Hinson, Office of equal opportunity
- Andrew Hochstetler, Sociology
- Joan Howard, Veterinary clinical sciences
- Hiroyuki Iino, Iowa State Online, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
- Yan-bin Jia, Computer science
- Jeff Johnson, ISU Alumni Association
- Doug Jones, Veterinary pathology
- Lenard Kluck, University library
- Marina Kraeva, Information technology services
- Lesley Lackore, Procurement services
- Michael Lohrbach, Information technology services
- Michael Lowe, Facilities, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Richard Martin, Biomedical sciences
- Clarke McGrath, Iowa Soybean Research Center
- Angela McGuigan, Ames National Laboratory
- Kenneth Meeder, Residence
- Tina Mercer, parking office, Public safety
- Terrasa Mouw-Grewell, ISU Dining
- Cathy Owen, Grants Hub, office of the vice president for research
- James Pepper, Campus services, facilities planning and management
- James Reecy, Office of the vice president for research
- Karen Rodekamp, ISU Dining
- Aaron Rogers, Information technology services
- Sarah Ryan, Industrial and manufacturing systems engineering
- Kevin Schalinske, Food science and human nutrition
- Kevin Scholbrock, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences administration
- Jeff Schreck, Campus services, facilities planning and management
- Camille Schroeder, Grain Science Complex, Agricultural and biosystems engineering
- David Schweingruber, Sociology and criminal justice
- Brent Shanks, Chemical and biological engineering
- Jacqueline Shanks, Chemical and biological engineering
- Erik Sjoblom, ISU Dining
- William Spratt, Logistics specialties and services, facilities planning and management
- Sri Sritharan, College of Engineering administration
- Brian Steward, Agricultural and biosystems engineering
- Mark Storlie, Iowa Pork Industry Center
- Mike Stueckradt, Information technology services
- Brent Swanson, University library
- Lezlie Tate, Fir team, Finance service delivery
- Wallapak Tavanapong, Computer science
- Kristin Taylor, Human Sciences Extension and Outreach
- Shelley Taylor, Global engagement, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Lucas Tibbits, Information technology services
- Ann Torbert, County services, Extension and Outreach
- Larry Tranel, Agriculture and natural resources, Extension and Outreach
- Alex Tuckness, Political science
- Mary Wiedenhoeft, Agronomy
