Professional musician and 2009 Augustana graduate, Ashley Ballou-Bonnema is the founder and Executive Director of Breathe Bravely, (breathebravely.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to giving voice to cystic fibrosis. Using her personal experiences Ashley created sINgSPIRE as a way to use singing to combat CF, pairing individuals from around the world who have CF with voice instructors for virtual singing lessons. Ashley, her husband, Mark, and their two dogs live in Sioux Falls.
Holly Johnson, is president of Lanterna Consulting, (lanternaconsulting.com) which provides strategic leadership services for organizations making a positive difference in the world. After graduating from Augustana in 1989, Holly continued her education with an MBA from Duke University. She has a great love of the natural world which she experiences volunteering as a University of Minnesota master gardener, hiking in all forms of parks, and in simple daily walks with her little dog Teddy with whom she lives in a St Paul suburb.
Having recently retired as VP Everest Reinsurance Co, but still a licensed attorney in New York, Jeff Kayl, and his wife, Yuriko Anderson, decided to move their primary residence to Fort Myers, Florida. Although they have kept their home in New Jersey and have an apartment in Sioux Falls, the milder Florida climate is particularly appealing this time of year. After graduating from Augustana in 1973, Jeffery completed both a law degree and MBA from the University of South Dakota.
Augustana Professor Emeritus of English Sandra Looney spent her first year of retirement traveling across India, Germany, and England. Sandra has two married children. Anja and her husband, Chris, daughter, and son live in Kansas City. Aaron and his wife, Judith, two daughters and son, live in Germany.
Margie Nelsen, who with her husband, Bill, (Augustana President 1980-86) conceived of a friends’ group for the Augie library; a group that in supporting the library would champion academics, the Augustana Library Associates. Margie served as the first president of the Associates and was instrumental in recruiting the first board members. A published children’s author, Margie and Bill now live in St. Peter, Minnesota.
Residents of Arlington, Virginia, Rodney Olsen is a retired American historian and Florence Olsen is a retired journalist, having written for The Chronicle of Higher Education. As brother and sister-in-law to Sandra Looney, both have played a significant role in the selection of readings for A Winter’s Tale over the years. Sandra would share her ideas and they would collectively discuss authors and writings that might work. After the event, an audio recording offered an opportunity to enjoy the annual magic.
A 1991 graduate of Augustana, Mike Reszler is Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for the American Public Media Group, the non-profit parent organization for American Public Media, Minnesota Public Radio, and Southern California Public Radio. In his position Mike oversees strategic development and planning across the enterprise, as well as leading M&A, social impact, and the innovation center. Mike lives in St. Paul where he enjoys reading, long walks, cooking, ABBA, and Star Wars. He is always looking for the next great conversation.