Cardinal Pride: News Notes About Our Alumni

1960s

Robert Crowe, ’63, New Castle, IN, celebrated his 80th birthday with family at the home Ball State men’s basketball game February 1. Crowe played basketball for Ball State from 1959-1962.

1970s

Doug Haberland, ’72, of Traverse City, MI, was among readers who pointed out an error in our last issue that stated Hurlburt was the first coed residence hall. “Elliott Hall was a coed seniors dorm in 1971-72,” with men and women on alternate floors. “I lived there after doing my student teaching during first quarter. Though it was seniors only, that would have been before Hurlbut went coed in 1975.”

Anthony Infante, ’72, San Antonio, a professor of pediatrics at University of Texas Health San Antonio, serves on the state’s Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Advisory Council with 13 other doctors. It advises the legislature on syndrome-related research, diagnosis, education, and treatment.

1980s

A veteran school counselor in Delaware City Schools, outside of Columbus, Ohio, Marie Weller, ’84, enlisted her closest allies, several toy puppets, to join her in a series of YouTube videos created in her kitchen to help students emotionally weather the COVID-19 crisis. Weller said her students needed her assistance as much as ever as they participate in online learning.

Jerry Orem, ’86, Brownsburg, IN, was promoted to president of Hendricks County Bank and Trust. He has worked in banking for more than 30 years and will oversee daily operations and commercial lending. Orem is a board member of Premier Capital Corp. and a member of the Commercial Lending Committee for Indiana Bankers Association.

John Hudock, ’87, Indianapolis, an information technology senior business analyst at OneAmerica, earned a OneAmerica ASPIRE Outstanding Team Impact Award. It recognizes his outstanding service on behalf of the life insurance, retirement, and employee benefits organization. Hudock began with the company days after graduation.

1990s

Erik G. Watson, ’93, New Haven, IN, was recently made officer of bank at 1st Source Bank in New Haven. Watson has been with 1st Source since 2011, also working in its Fort Wayne Downtown and North Anthony banking centers.

In February 2020, Jill Isenbarger, ’94, Pelham, NY, became chief of staff of the U.N. Foundation. Jill is a member of the foundation’s leadership team and is a member of the Executive Office, reporting to the president and CEO. She also serves as principal liaison for the U.N. Foundation board and is a founding member of the League of Women in Food & Agriculture. Her husband, Keith P. O’Connor, ’94, is the city design practice leader for the New York and Washington, D.C., offices of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, one of the world’s leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms.

Jan Behounek, ’96, LaGrange, IL, has joined FGM Architects as a principal in its Chicago office. Behounek has more than 20 years’ experience and will work primarily on higher education projects  and business development.

Juliana M. Mosley, ’96, King of Prussia, PA, is now chief diversity, inclusion, and community relations officer at Chestnut Hill College. In this role, she will continue to lead and implement policies to support the mission to sustain a campus of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and will now be responsible for cultivating external partnerships with Philadelphia leaders.

Lisa A. Price, ’96, Carmel, IN, executive vice president of human resources for KAR Auction Services, has taken on an expanded role of chief people officer. The new position increases focus on KAR’s company culture, employer brand, and employee safety and security. Price joined DESA, a business unit of KAR, in 2005 as corporate counsel.

John R. Gregg, ’99 BAR ’99, Hampstead, MD, was promoted to a principal of GWWO based in Baltimore. He will assist in formulating company policy and positioning GWWO for ongoing success. Gregg has been with the firm since 1999.

2000s

Amy Amyx, ’00, works to ensure COVID-19 hospital patients receive proper nutrition. As a certified nutrition support clinician at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, Amyx is attending to the nutritional needs of intensive care unit patients who must be fed through tubes or IV. “We have handled tough times here in the past and are now taking this in stride as we take all the necessary precautions. Honestly, it’s been emotional.”

Stacey R. Hartman, ’02, Fort Wayne, IN, was named 2019 Indiana State Police Forensic Scientist of the Year. This annual award is given to a forensic scientist who has consistently provided superior service to the criminal justice community. Hartman works in the Forensic Firearms Identification Unit at the Fort Wayne Regional Laboratory.

Abbi Richcreek, ’02, Warsaw, IN, was recognized as a Project Lead The Way Outstanding Teacher at the national conference. Teachers are selected for their focus on empowering students. Richcreek is a technology education teacher at Edgewood Middle School in Warsaw.

Morgan Saltsgiver, ’02, Fishers, IN, director of Brownfields & AgriBusiness at EnviroForensics, is now president of the Midwestern States Environmental Consultants Association. She is the association’s first female president.

Andy Planck, ’05, Fort Wayne, IN, and Ball State Professor Beth Turcotte presented The Wild Party by Andrew Lippa. The jazzy, off-Broadway 1920s whodunit was put on at the Philmore on Broadway in Fort Wayne earlier this year.

Kelly M. Bryan, ’06, Elkhart, IN, was tapped as executive director of the Midwest Clinic, an international band and orchestra conference that draws nearly 17,000 people annually. He will be in charge of marketing, social media, and booking venues.

Jonathan Neal, ’08, Indianapolis, recently was a judge for United Way of Central Indiana’s ELEVATEAwards. Neal was one of six volunteers who helped select a winner from nearly 100 finalists for the honor,which recognizes Central Indiana’s next generation of philanthropists and activists.

2010s

Since 2018, Emile Dixon, ’10, has served on the faculty of Ball State’s Department of Architecture. He is also a designer for the new Ball State Multicultural Center, in collaboration with RGCollaborative, and did the rendering of the new building, as shown in our previous issue.

Shaun E. Bussert, ’11, Decatur, GA, a family law attorney, has joined Boyd Collar Nolen Tuggle & Roddenbery. He has nearly 10 years’ experience in family law matters, including mediation, contempt, and modification of child support, visitation, and custody.

As principal planner for comprehensive planning for the city of Burlington, Vermont, Meagan Tuttle, ’10 MA ’11, was assigned by the mayor’s office to play a lead role in an emergency team assembled to coordinate a citywide response to the epidemic. She spoke to an online class of urban planning students about the experience.

Singer-songwriter and record producer Tiara Thomas, ’12, co-wrote a song for H.E.R.’s self-titled release that won the Grammy for best R&B album in 2019. This year, H.E.R.’s I Used to Know Her was an album of the year nominee. Thomas co-wrote the opening track, “Lost Souls.”    Thomas also co-wrote “Slide,” a single H.E.R. released after I Used to Know Her. “She’s like my little sister,” Thomas said of H.E.R. “I’ve known her since she was 15. … I’ve always known she was special.”

A Sports Link alumnus, Drew Adamson, ’15, helped bring NASCAR back to TVs across the U.S. via virtual racing. Adamson, who lives in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, produced the first eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event. It had over 900,000 viewers, making it the most-watched esports program in TV history.

Sarah Hallowell, ’15, Columbus, IN, expects the debut of her young adult book, A Dark and Starless Forest, in Fall 2021. The fantasy tells about a mysterious caretaker who secludes nine magical siblings in a dark forest while grooming them for a dark and mysterious purpose.

Jamill Smith, ’15, played football at Ball State and then in the Canadian Football League. Now back in Muncie, he created Millz2bemade Training to help high school athletes prepare for college play and the recruiting process.

Architectural designer Ege Yener, ’15, is using his skills in conceptual-design thinking and 3D and 2D design software to help protect health care workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Yener has been integral in organizing a group of architects and designers who own personal 3D printers to work together to print protective gear for medical professionals. He and his wife, Tugce, delivered the first 100 masks to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center in April.