1980s
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Greg Clark (MA '85) received a 2025 Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Award from the University of Iowa. The award, established in 2015, honors members of the armed forces with a strong UI connection who demonstrated exceptional service to the United States military, their communities, and the university. Their leadership, service, and continued impact exemplify the Hawkeye spirit. Clark served in the United States Army across two enlistments: Combat service in Vietnam and later as a helicopter pilot in South Korea and the U.S. His military honors include the Vietnam Service Medal and the Purple Heart. After his military service, Clark became a pioneering counselor and advocate for Veterans’ mental health. He founded the Cedar Rapids Vet Center and led the creation of Iowa’s first Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team. He continues to support Veterans through crisis response, trauma counseling, and pro bono PTSD evaluations. Clark earned a master’s degree in counseling and human development from Iowa in 1985. He stays involved with the College of Education through mentoring, guest lecturing, and establishing scholarship funds for Veteran students.
Colonel Todd Jacobus (BA '89) received a 2025 Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Award from the University of Iowa. Jacobus served 33 years in the United States Army and Iowa Army National Guard, with deployments to Germany, Iraq, and Kosovo. He commanded the 224th Engineer Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom and earned multiple honors, including two Legions of Merit and the Bronze Star. In 2022, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Jacobus to the role of executive director of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs and commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home. A 1989 graduate of the University of Iowa, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a secondary education teaching endorsement. He volunteers extensively, serving on civic and Veterans’ boards, mentoring youths through the Boy Scouts, and leading community initiatives.
1990s
Marcie Jedlicka (BA '97, MA '26) is the new Early Learning Center (ELC) and elementary assistant principal and district special education director for the West Liberty Community School District.
Jolie (Cain) Pelds (BA '93, MAT ’95), director of STEM Education at the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines, shares that the center hosted the inaugural Iowa AI Convening in April, bringing together leaders from education, industry, and the community to discuss the growth of AI in Iowa. Participants said the day-long event gave them a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the state. Pelds reflected, “Staying human means staying connected to other people through listening and the sharing of ideas. That is what this event was all about.”
Colonel Kirk Stabler (BA '91) received a 2025 Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Award from the University of Iowa. Stabler served 27 years in the United States Air Force, culminating as commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, overseeing global law enforcement and counterintelligence in 255 locations. His military honors include the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Stabler remains involved with the University of Iowa through the IVETS Program and UI Health Care, and service on the UI Veterans Association Leadership Board. He also volunteered with Trail Life USA, Team Rubicon, and various church-sponsored outreach efforts. He graduated from Iowa in 1991, earning a Bachelor of Science in science education.
2000s
Lou Ann Montgomery (PhD '00), MAN, RN, NPD-BC, FAAN, associate chief nursing officer- professional practice, Nursing Services & Patient Care, co-director, Nursing Clinical Education Center, retired from University of Iowa Health Care on Sept. 11, 2025, after 47 years of service in a variety of staff and leadership positions in neonatology and nursing administration. Montgomery was also honored during Nurses Week in May 2025 with the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award
Lucía Osa-Melero (MA '01, PhD '02), associate professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was appointed to direct the Center for Hispanic Studies at Duquesne University.
Kathryn Rader (BA '09, MA '16) returned to the classroom in fall 2025 as a special education teacher at Kirkwood Elementary School in Coralville after several years raising her children and operating an in-home daycare. She previously taught at Herbert Hoover Elementary School and later served as a field experience supervisor and adjunct instructor in the UI College of Education. A recent highlight was reconnecting with former student teacher Mayssa Miller (MA '25), now a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at Lighthouse Autism Center, while collaborating to support students and families.
Carol Seehusen (BA ’08, PhD ’20), assistant professor in Grand View University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program in Des Moines, was named president-elect of the American Counseling Association of Iowa, effective July 1, 2026. She will spend her first year supporting the current president before serving as president in year two, helping lead statewide advocacy and professional development for mental health professionals.
Trevor Templeman (BA '08, MA '17) joined the University of Iowa College of Education’s Iowa Testing Programs as a test development associate after serving as a social studies teacher and instructional leader in the Cedar Rapids Community School District. He will help lead development of Iowa’s new statewide social studies assessment for students in eighth through 11th grades.
Megan Thompson (BA '05), who teaches AP Government and Politics and Crime and Justice at Osseo Senior High School in Osseo, Minnesota, won the Civic Gold Star Award in the Civic Star Challenge essay contest, presented by the Bill of Rights Institute and iCivics. The honor earned her school a $10,000 grant and an all-expenses-paid trip to a national civic education event. Her winning essay described how, during civil unrest in Minneapolis, she helped students connect the Declaration of Independence and constitutional principles to contemporary issues. Thompson is also a James Madison Fellow, a Sphere 100 Fellow, and a member of the National Constitution Center's Teacher Advisory Board.
Laura Williams (BA '09, MA '13, MA '19) is the new principal at North Fayette Valley Middle School in Elgin, Iowa.
2010s
Janice Byrd-Badjie (PhD '16), associate professor of Counselor Education and School Counseling Emphasis Coordinator at Penn State University, was selected to serve as an associate editor of the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) scholarly journal, Professional School Counseling, the profession’s flagship journal.
Danielle Hakeman (MA '11) is the new principal of Hoover Middle School in Waterloo, Iowa, effective July 1, 2026. She previously served as assistant principal.
Kristin Rourke (MA '14) was named executive director of special education for Des Moines Public Schools. She previously served as the district's director of early childhood education, special education, and Early ACCESS. Before joining DMPS, Rourke was early childhood special education and preschool programs administrator for the West Des Moines Community School District and a special education consultant for Heartland Area Education Agency. She began her career as a special education teacher in the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District.
Bianca Schamberger (MA '12, PhD '26) is a postdoctoral associate in the University of Graz Department of Geography and Regional Science in Austria, where she works with the teacher preparation program for secondary school teachers.
2020s
Justin Colbert (EdD '23) is the new deputy superintendent of the Southeast Polk Community School District in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, beginning July 1. Colbert served as the assistant principal at Liberty High School in North Liberty, Iowa, since its opening in 2017 through the end of the 2019-20 school year, and then served as the interim principal before securing the full-time role.
Alivia Emry (BA '25) in a new preschool teacher in the Columbus Community School District in Columbus Junction, Iowa.
Emma Herr (BA '26) is the new high school math teacher at Columbus Community School District in Columbus Junction, Iowa.
Lindsay Jarratt (PhD '23), an Iowa State University assistant professor in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program, is the recipient of a 2025 Channing Briggs Small Research Grant from NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The grant supports her research project “Other Duties As Assigned: An Ethnographic Review of Invisible Campus Labor in Student Support Roles.”
Sailee Karkhanis (PhD '25) co-authored a new publication in the Journal of Humanistic Counseling, “Counselor Educators’ and Supervisors’ Perceptions of Professional Dispositions: Humanistic Pillars and a Critical Conversation,” with Associate Professor Allison Levine and Professor Susannah Wood, both in the UI Department of Counselor Education.
Colleen Kollasch (PhD '26) is a visiting assistant professor of teaching and learning at the University of Florida.
Alex Lange (PhD '21), associate director, assistant professor, and Higher Education Programs coordinator at Colorado State University, received the 2026 Tenure-Track Faculty Scholarly Excellence Award. Their research focuses on college student learning and development, including a national longitudinal study of transgender students and a Spencer Foundation–funded, multi-institutional study on LGBTQ+ student success.
Karla Madrigal (BA '22, MA '24) joined the University of Iowa College of Education in June as graduate recruitment coordinator. She earned her MA in counselor education from Iowa in 2024. While completing her graduate studies, she worked as an academic coach in the former Center for Inclusive Academic Excellence before spending two years as a school counselor in the West Liberty Community School District. She says she looks forward to growing professionally, building meaningful connections, and helping prospective students envision their future at Iowa.
Emma Phillips (BA '26) is starting her career this fall as a sixth-grade teacher at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Elementary School in Fremont, Iowa.
Reegan Maddy Shoemaker (MA '26) is a new school counselor at Clarke Community Elementary School in the Clarke Community School District in Osceola, Iowa.
Lorry Wilson (PhD '26) is the new executive director of student services for Bettendorf Community School District effective July 1, 2026.