Notable Alumnae & Awards

Bennie overcoming boundaries in the financial world
	Gina Bartell '95 is an inspiring Bennie who is not afraid to follow her passions. Bartell is a registered investment advisor, a field represented by only 30 percent of women. Working in a male-dominated profession has not detered Bartell, but rather inspired her to bring a different perspective to her clients. After graduating with a degree in accounting, Bartell spent six years as an audit and tax accountant until she met a female investment advisor who inspired a career change. In 1999, Bartell became a registered investment advisor, and in 2009, she opened an independent office providing client wealth management before merging with Ledge Wealth Management, Inc. in 2012. Currently, she provides wealth management and financial planning services to clients who are nearing and going through retirement. Bartell strives to be the trusted source of financial advice to her clients, always doing what's in their best interest. "I feel successful when I help my clients succeed," she says. "In particular, I have a passion for helping women achieve financial security and assisting them through life transitions." At a young age, Bartell knew she wanted to attend Saint Ben's; her aunt was a nun living in the convent and she attended piano contests on campus during high school. It was a welcoming atmosphere where I could explore who I really was and what I wanted to become," she adds. Bartell is a Bennie, a wife, a mother, an investment advisor and a leader who supports women striving for success.

Bennie overcoming boundaries in the financial world

Gina Bartell '95 is an inspiring Bennie who is not afraid to follow her passions. Bartell is a registered investment advisor, a field represented by only 30 percent of women. Working in a male-dominated profession has not detered Bartell, but rather inspired her to bring a different perspective to her clients.

After graduating with a degree in accounting, Bartell spent six years as an audit and tax accountant until she met a female investment advisor who inspired a career change. In 1999, Bartell became a registered investment advisor, and in 2009, she opened an independent office providing client wealth management before merging with Ledge Wealth Management, Inc. in 2012. Currently, she provides wealth management and financial planning services to clients who are nearing and going through retirement. Bartell strives to be the trusted source of financial advice to her clients, always doing what's in their best interest. "I feel successful when I help my clients succeed," she says. "In particular, I have a passion for helping women achieve financial security and assisting them through life transitions."

At a young age, Bartell knew she wanted to attend Saint Ben's; her aunt was a nun living in the convent and she attended piano contests on campus during high school. It was a welcoming atmosphere where I could explore who I really was and what I wanted to become," she adds.

Bartell is a Bennie, a wife, a mother, an investment advisor and a leader who supports women striving for success.

Alumna speaks at commencement ceremony
	Denise DeVaan '75 senior consultant with ICF International, delivered the address during the 98th annual commencement ceremony at the College of Saint Benedict on May 11. DeVaan graduated from CSB in 1975 after majoring in theology, and went on to earn her master's degree in human development from Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minn. In addition, DeVaan has received certifications from Gallup Leadership Institute and W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Harvard University and the University of St. Thomas. In 1997, after leading a public policy campaign to win passage of the Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota (FAIM) legislation, DeVaan began her Denise DeVaan LLC consulting business with the goal of leading the design and implementation of FAIM, which helps increase financial stability among Minnesota's low-wage earners. Through her role as a senior consultant with the ICF International consulting firm, she helps to lead national financial asset building projects for the Federal Department of Health & Human Services, Washington, D.C. DeVaan was the recipient of the National Kellogg Fellows Leadership Award. In 2011, she was awarded the first Social Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship at CSB and SJU. View commencement video online.

Alumna earns leadership recognition
	Kathryn Enke '05 has been selected as a rising alumna by the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development Alumni Society. The recognition honors alumni of the College of Education and Human Development who have demonstrated leadership and achieved early distinction in their careers. Enke earned both a M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Administration in just four years and is now Chief of Staff and executive assistant to Saint Ben's President MaryAnn Baenninger. She manages the president's office and provides strategic guidance to the president while ensuring effective development and execution of presidential projects and initiatives. "My job presents new challenges and problems to solve each day, and this is invigorating to me," Enke says. In addition to her work at the college, Enke continues to be an active researcher, examining the ways that identities mediate experiences in higher education.

Creating a work of art for incoming students
	Prospective CSB/SJU students received an artistic addition to their acceptance letters, thanks to Anna Boyer '08. Boyer was commissioned in fall 2012 to create a Benedictine Values broadside, on paper made from native grasses found at Saint John's Abbey Arboretum, using the Welle Book Arts Studio on the Saint Ben's campus. "The drawing for the Benedictine Values broadside is circular to demonstrate community and created in a repeated pattern symbolizing the guiding principles of the Benedictine Values we follow," Boyer explained. Boyer earned a master of fine arts degree in book arts and printmaking at University of the Arts in Philadelphia in May 2012. She decided to pursue book arts after taking an "Editing and Publishing" class during her senior year at CSB. Currently, Boyer is teaching book making and letterpress classes at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis, where she also does her own work. She is preparing for her show this summer at the Rochester Art Center in Rochester, Minn.

Creating a work of art for incoming students

Prospective CSB/SJU students received an artistic addition to their acceptance letters, thanks to Anna Boyer '08. Boyer was commissioned in fall 2012 to create a Benedictine Values broadside, on paper made from native grasses found at Saint John's Abbey Arboretum, using the Welle Book Arts Studio on the Saint Ben's campus.

"The drawing for the Benedictine Values broadside is circular to demonstrate community and created in a repeated pattern symbolizing the guiding principles of the Benedictine Values we follow," Boyer explained.

Boyer earned a master of fine arts degree in book arts and printmaking at University of the Arts in Philadelphia in May 2012. She decided to pursue book arts after taking an "Editing and Publishing" class during her senior year at CSB.

Currently, Boyer is teaching book making and letterpress classes at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis, where she also does her own work. She is preparing for her show this summer at the Rochester Art Center in Rochester, Minn.

Foreign Service career sends alumna to Africa
	Stephanie Wegmann Peterson '10 has been assigned by the U.S. Department of State to serve as the U.S. Embassy's public diplomacy officer in Benin, a West African nation. Peterson will be working with the local press, monitoring local attitudes toward the U.S., hosting conferences on issues affecting both the U.S. and Benin, organizing cultural and educational exchange such as the Fulbright Fellowship and introducing American artists, speakers, musicians, writers and athletes to the local population as a means of sharing U.S. culture and attaining cross-cultural understanding. Peterson graduated from Saint Ben's with a major in peace studies and a minor in communication. While at CSB, she received the Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship, which provides educational funding in exchange for a contract to work as a Foreign Service Officer. Peterson went on to earn a master's degree in international development from the University of Denver in 2012. She and her husband Erik Peterson, a 2009 graduate of Saint John's University, are currently in full-time French language training at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, VA in preparation for their departure to the primarily French-speaking country in July. They will be in Benin for a two-year tour after which they will be assigned to a different embassy, likely in a different region of the world.

Foreign Service career sends alumna to Africa

Stephanie Wegmann Peterson '10 has been assigned by the U.S. Department of State to serve as the U.S. Embassy's public diplomacy officer in Benin, a West African nation.

Peterson will be working with the local press, monitoring local attitudes toward the U.S., hosting conferences on issues affecting both the U.S. and Benin, organizing cultural and educational exchange such as the Fulbright Fellowship and introducing American artists, speakers, musicians, writers and athletes to the local population as a means of sharing U.S. culture and attaining cross-cultural understanding.

Peterson graduated from Saint Ben's with a major in peace studies and a minor in communication. While at CSB, she received the Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship, which provides educational funding in exchange for a contract to work as a Foreign Service Officer. Peterson went on to earn a master's degree in international development from the University of Denver in 2012.

She and her husband Erik Peterson, a 2009 graduate of Saint John's University, are currently in full-time French language training at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, VA in preparation for their departure to the primarily French-speaking country in July. They will be in Benin for a two-year tour after which they will be assigned to a different embassy, likely in a different region of the world.

Alumna helps students aim for college
	A sign at the entrance of Adalante Prep reads "Climbing the mountain to college," and Heather Busch '07 is helping her fifth grade students do just that. The charter school in Minneapolis is the middle school offshoot of Hiawatha Academies, an elementary school aimed at helping students from low-income families achieve academic success. The school was ranked among the highest achieving high-poverty schools in 2011, based on Minnesota's new multiple measurement rating that takes into account how well impoverished and minority students perform and how much they improve over the year. Busch and the other teachers at Hiawatha and Adalante Prep teach an extended school day and are required to be available via their cell phones until 9 p.m. each evening in case students need help. The schools also have a longer academic year that results in 40 percent more instructional time for students. Busch is motivated to put in this extra time and effort because "with longer days, students are spending more time engaged in academic tasks that are getting them prepared for college and life as a happy, successful, good person." College is always on the minds of Busch's fifth grade students, as each classroom at Adalante takes on the identity of a college or university and is decorated with the school colors. Busch's students learn in a Saint Ben's and Saint John's themed homeroom. At the beginning of the year they learn about the school and were able to visit last year to get a glimpse of college life. "I think my experience at CSB shapes me every day as I work with my fifth graders," Busch said. "I want them to have a college experience like mine: meeting new people, taking risks, making mistakes, laughing, learning and growing. I want them to have all of the opportunities provided to them that I received from Saint Bens."

Alumna helps students aim for college

A sign at the entrance of Adalante Prep reads "Climbing the mountain to college," and Heather Busch '07 is helping her fifth grade students do just that. The charter school in Minneapolis is the middle school offshoot of Hiawatha Academies, an elementary school aimed at helping students from low-income families achieve academic success. The school was ranked among the highest achieving high-poverty schools in 2011, based on Minnesota's new multiple measurement rating that takes into account how well impoverished and minority students perform and how much they improve over the year.

Busch and the other teachers at Hiawatha and Adalante Prep teach an extended school day and are required to be available via their cell phones until 9 p.m. each evening in case students need help. The schools also have a longer academic year that results in 40 percent more instructional time for students. Busch is motivated to put in this extra time and effort because "with longer days, students are spending more time engaged in academic tasks that are getting them prepared for college and life as a happy, successful, good person."

College is always on the minds of Busch's fifth grade students, as each classroom at Adalante takes on the identity of a college or university and is decorated with the school colors. Busch's students learn in a Saint Ben's and Saint John's themed homeroom. At the beginning of the year they learn about the school and were able to visit last year to get a glimpse of college life.

"I think my experience at CSB shapes me every day as I work with my fifth graders," Busch said. "I want them to have a college experience like mine: meeting new people, taking risks, making mistakes, laughing, learning and growing. I want them to have all of the opportunities provided to them that I received from Saint Bens."

Alumna named president of Illinois College
	Barbara A. Edwards Farley '81 has been named the 14^th President of Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill. She will begin her presidency July 1, 2013, replacing Axel D. Steuer, who will retire at the end of the academic year (May 2013). Farley is the second CSB alumna to be named president of a college in 2012. "My leadership of Illinois College will be grounded in the college's values of excellence, integrity, community, justice, service, respect and openness," Farley said in a statement released by Illinois College. "I offer an unwavering commitment to academic excellence, enrollment strength and financial vitality." CSB President MaryAnn Baenninger noted that the appointment is a testimony to Farley's leadership skill and her commitment to residential liberal arts education. "I am pleased to welcome her as a fellow president, and as an ally in sustaining the liberal arts and sciences. As a successful alumna, she serves as a great inspiration for our current students and Bennies to come." Farley graduated from CSB in 1981 with a degree in business administration. She earned her doctorate in strategic management and organizational behavior, and master of business administration degrees from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. According to the biography posted on the IC website, Farley states she "is a proud alumna of the College of Saint Benedict and credits her experiences at Benedictine institutions for instilling in her the values of listening, hospitality, justice, community living, stewardship and respect for all persons." She is currently vice president of academic affairs and dean at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minn., a role she has had since 2006. Prior to her current role at Augsburg, Farley was also academic dean/associate dean and associate professor of business administration at the college. She also served as academic dean and chief academic officer at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Penn. and as chair and graduate program director in the management department at The College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, Minn. From 1985-94, Farley was an associate professor of management at CSB and SJU. Founded in 1829, Illinois College is a residential liberal arts college located in Jacksonville, Ill. with an enrollment of nearly 1,000 students.

Alumna named president of Illinois College

Barbara A. Edwards Farley '81 has been named the 14^th President of Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill. She will begin her presidency July 1, 2013, replacing Axel D. Steuer, who will retire at the end of the academic year (May 2013).

Farley is the second CSB alumna to be named president of a college in 2012.

"My leadership of Illinois College will be grounded in the college's values of excellence, integrity, community, justice, service, respect and openness," Farley said in a statement released by Illinois College. "I offer an unwavering commitment to academic excellence, enrollment strength and financial vitality."

CSB President MaryAnn Baenninger noted that the appointment is a testimony to Farley's leadership skill and her commitment to residential liberal arts education. "I am pleased to welcome her as a fellow president, and as an ally in sustaining the liberal arts and sciences. As a successful alumna, she serves as a great inspiration for our current students and Bennies to come."

Farley graduated from CSB in 1981 with a degree in business administration. She earned her doctorate in strategic management and organizational behavior, and master of business administration degrees from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

According to the biography posted on the IC website, Farley states she "is a proud alumna of the College of Saint Benedict and credits her experiences at Benedictine institutions for instilling in her the values of listening, hospitality, justice, community living, stewardship and respect for all persons."

She is currently vice president of academic affairs and dean at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minn., a role she has had since 2006. Prior to her current role at Augsburg, Farley was also academic dean/associate dean and associate professor of business administration at the college. She also served as academic dean and chief academic officer at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Penn. and as chair and graduate program director in the management department at The College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, Minn. From 1985-94, Farley was an associate professor of management at CSB and SJU.

Founded in 1829, Illinois College is a residential liberal arts college located in Jacksonville, Ill. with an enrollment of nearly 1,000 students.

Alumna nurse a "guadian angel" to patients
	Bethany Waletzko '11 was awarded the Guardian Angel award and the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses from Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, N.D. for her compassionate care as a registered nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU). While caring for a stroke patient who was nearing death, Waletzko developed a connection with the patient's family over their shared faith. She was inspired to sew a pillow with an angel on it to give to the patient as something to hold onto while in the ICU because "there are times in life when one just needs a little something to hold onto," Waletzko said. After receiving the angel pillow, the patient's condition improved enough to be transferred out of the ICU. Waletzko approached her supervisors with the idea to incorporate the pillows throughout the unit, and they accepted her plan without hesitation. She continues to sew pillows for patients, and each one comes with a written prayer from Waletzko and a Bible verse. Waletzko says the Benedictine values and Catholic social teachings emphasized in the Saint Ben's nursing department are values she uses each day when caring for patients, and it is clear they feel the impact. Waletzko was nominated for both the DAISY award and the Guardian Angel award by the patient and family who received the first angel pillow. "Being able to incorporate the angel pillows into the critical care unit brings me a sense of inner joy and honor," Waletzko said. "Right now, this is my mission work for God."

Alumna nurse a "guadian angel" to patients

Bethany Waletzko '11 was awarded the Guardian Angel award and the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses from Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, N.D. for her compassionate care as a registered nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU).

While caring for a stroke patient who was nearing death, Waletzko developed a connection with the patient's family over their shared faith. She was inspired to sew a pillow with an angel on it to give to the patient as something to hold onto while in the ICU because "there are times in life when one just needs a little something to hold onto," Waletzko said.

After receiving the angel pillow, the patient's condition improved enough to be transferred out of the ICU. Waletzko approached her supervisors with the idea to incorporate the pillows throughout the unit, and they accepted her plan without hesitation. She continues to sew pillows for patients, and each one comes with a written prayer from Waletzko and a Bible verse.

Waletzko says the Benedictine values and Catholic social teachings emphasized in the Saint Ben's nursing department are values she uses each day when caring for patients, and it is clear they feel the impact. Waletzko was nominated for both the DAISY award and the Guardian Angel award by the patient and family who received the first angel pillow.

"Being able to incorporate the angel pillows into the critical care unit brings me a sense of inner joy and honor," Waletzko said. "Right now, this is my mission work for God."

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