Trustees give $50 in each student’s honor
The Augustana College Board of Trustees wanted to honor each student in the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 because their Augustana experiences were disrupted by something that no one could have anticipated.
In appreciation of the students’ commitment to the college and their personal growth during the past 15 months, select members of the Board of Trustees collectively donated sufficient funds to make a $50 gift to Augustana on behalf of every member of the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021. Each student then had the opportunity to choose from seven areas and direct what that $50 gift would support.
Participating trustees
Wiley S. Adams '82 of South Holland, Ill., is retired vice president and chief legal officer of PGIM, Inc., a global investment management firm with more than $1.5 trillion in assets. At PGIM, Adams led a team of 80 lawyers supporting operations around the world. At Augustana, Adams created a wide-open future for himself with four majors: accounting, business administration, economics and political science. He went on to receive his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Steven C. Bahls is the eighth president of Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., where he has served since 2003. During his tenure Bahls led the college in tremendous growth, advancing Augustana’s mission and supporting a transformative liberal arts education for the 21st century. President Bahls will retire as Augustana’s president in 2022, after 19 years leading the college.
Julie K. Hamann ’82 Elliott, of Omaha, Neb., majored in music education at Augustana and went on to earn a master’s in piano performance. Upcoming renovations to Augustana's Bergendoff Hall will include a stunning, intimate performance space named for Elliott. In 2013 she initiated the college's Close the Gap financial awards for students of high academic ability and great financial need. Six years later, she was awarded the Brenda C. Barnes Award for Distinguished Service to Augustana.
Deb Gammon ’78 of Barrington, Ill., completed her Augustana B.A. with majors in accounting, computer science and mathematics. After graduation she worked as a manager at Ernst & Young for five years before starting a position as assistant corporate controller for Budget Rent a Car. Today she is CFO for Motor Werks Auto Group, an 11-franchise auto dealership with headquarters in Barrington.
Dr. Dan Gottschling '77 is senior staff scientist at Calico Life Sciences in San Francisco, Calif. He majored in chemistry at Augustana and went to graduate school at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Prior to Calico, he was an affiliate professor of genome sciences at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center of the University of Washington in Seattle from 1996-2015 and taught at The University of Chicago from 1989-1996. Dr. Gottschling won the NAS Award in Molecular Biology in 1995 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2011.
Dr. Diane Griffin ’62 is a professor of infectious diseases and neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After Augustana, Dr. Griffin received her M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. She is the Alfred and Jill Sommer Professor and Chair in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research focuses on viral diseases. Her team is currently investigating how measles virus infection suppresses the immune system. She currently serves as vice president of the National Academies of Science.
Douglas M. Hultquist ’77 of Moline, Ill., is retired president and CEO of QCR Holdings, Inc. After working since graduation from Augustana as an accountant with McGladrey (formerly Peat, Marwick and Mitchell), Hultquist and his friend Mike Bauer co-founded the Quad-City Bank and Trust in 1993. Today QCR Holdings is a multi-bank holding company that oversees five banks in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.
Natalie M. Kessler ’92 of Galesburg, Ill., is the co-owner and director of education at Masters Educational Services. She also co-founded Masters Educational Services in Illinois. Her influence has impacted the Masters curriculum, creating a sharp contrast between common seminars and a real learning environment. Kessler is best known for creating many custom-developed educational programs for corporate customers within the collision repair industry. She earned her bachelor’s in economics and history at Augustana and completed postgraduate work at Knox College.
Dr. Millicent Knight ’82 of Jacksonville, Fla., is an award-winning national leader in eye care. As a senior vice president at Essilor of America, she leads a customer development team focused on eye care professional education and relations, and sales force training. Knight received her bachelor of arts in biology from Augustana, and her bachelor of science and doctorate of optometry from the Illinois College of Optometry.
Zachary A. Larson '01 is a founding partner and wealth advisor with IntentGen Financial Partners in Naperville, Ill. He graduated from Augustana with a B.A. in business administration – finance and management. His professional specialties include: retirement income planning, investment management, wealth transfer, tax efficiency strategies and charitable planning.
Robert D. Mitchum ’75 of Davenport, Iowa, is a retired president and CEO of Network Services Co. After graduating in accounting from Augustana, Mitchum worked and advanced to become a partner during 18 years at Arthur Andersen LLP. He began at Network Services & Co. in 1999 after serving as CFO for Discovery Zone in Chicago. Along with his service to Augustana, Mitchum is a board member for PJP–Penn Jersey Paper Company.
John Murabito ’80 of Philadelphia, Pa., is the executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Cigna Corporation, the global health insurance company. He also is the board chairman and a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources. Murabito received his bachelor of arts in economics at Augustana, and currently serves as chairman of the Augustana College Board of Trustees.
A nationally recognized autism expert, Dr. Gail Richard ’76 is currently director of the Autism Center at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) in Charleston, Ill. She was on EIU’s faculty for 34 years in the communication disorders and sciences department, and spent 14 of those years as department chair. She retired in 2014 with professor emeritus status to serve as director of EIU’s Autism Center. She is a former president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). In addition to serving on ASHA’s Legislative Council, Dr. Richard was named an ASHA Fellow in 2000. She earned her master’s from EIU and Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
Mark F. Saran '77, of Lake Forest, Ill., has been president of Investmark LLC; executive vice president of investments for North Shore Private Asset Management, Harbor Financial Services; and executive vice president of Harbor Financial Services since 2014. Saran, with more than 30 years in the investment business, is responsible for managing investment portfolios for both individual and institutional clients. Saran earned his bachelor’s in political science and government from Augustana and his MBA from Dominican University.
Lee S. Selander ’72 of Naperville, Ill, is the retired executive vice president of The Northern Trust Company. He earned his bachelor’s in geology/earth science from Augustana and then obtained his MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. In 2020, Selander was elected Chair of the Board of Directors for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI), a nonprofit, statewide social services organization. He has served on LSSI's board in varying capacities since 2011, most recently as treasurer.
Lynette Skow ’87 Rasmussen of Des Moines, Iowa, is general counsel for The Rasmussen Group, a company specializing in bridge building in the American Midwest. She completed her J.D. at Drake University Law School after graduating from Augustana. In 2010 Rasmussen received from her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark the appointment of Honorary Consul for Denmark for the State of Iowa.
Peter Simshauser ’79 of Boston, Mass., is the chief legal officer and general counsel for Motional AD Inc., a pioneer in driverless technology that launched the first robotaxi pilot in its goal to create safe and reliable self-driving vehicles. After graduating with a bachelor's in mathematics from Augustana, Simshauser earned a bachelor's in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Sunder Subbaroyan ’87 is chairman of the board for Doerfer Companies in Moline, Ill. The Doerfer Companies are a leading provider of global engineering and manufacturing solutions for customers, focusing on material handling, robotics, process development and contract equipment manufacturing. Originally from Mumbai, India, Subbaroyan came to the United States through the Rotary Exchange Program. After graduating from Rock Island High School, he studied biology at Augustana.
Dr. Cheryl True ’90 is a family medicine specialist and health/wellness coach in Davenport, Iowa, with more than 20 years of experience in the medical field. She owns True Lifestyle Medicine Clinic LLC. She graduated from Roy J. Lucille A Carver College of Medicine at The University of Iowa. Among her many affiliations, she is an executive board member of the Quad City Health Initiative; executive board member of the Scott County Medical Society; and member of Trinity College of Nursing and Health Sciences’ Board of Trustees.
Thomas Weigand ’85 of Fitchburg, Wisc., is founder and president of IWI Ventures, area operator of the quick-casual Noodles & Company franchise. A native of Rock Island, Weigand met Noodles & Company co-founder Aaron Kennedy ’85 at Augustana. Weigand completed his bachelor’s in geography before earning his master’s in urban planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Aaron L. Wetzel ’90 of Moline, Ill., is vice president of Small Ag & Turf Production Systems with John Deere. Wetzel joined John Deere in 1988 as a summer student in accounting and began full-time in 1990 as an auditor after graduating from Augustana with a degree in accounting. He earned his MBA at Duke University – The Fuqua School of Business. Wetzel is on the Quad City Symphony Board of Trustees and the Two Rivers YMCA Board of Trustees.
Karl Zobrist ’71 of Kansas City, Mo., is an energy partner in Dentons US LLP, primarily representing electricity, natural gas and telecommunications companies. He graduated from Augustana with majors in political science and government, and then earned his J.D. at The University of Iowa College of Law. Zobrist is recognized by Best Lawyers as the energy law “Lawyer of the Year” for 2021, an honor he also received in 2013.