Meet Your 2014 Alumni Masters

 Each year, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln invites prestigious alumni from each college back to connect with students and the University. All UNL students are invited to join the Masters for a dessert reception and success panel, and Scarlet Guard members have the exclusive opportunity to network with the Masters at luncheons the days following the panel. In the past, Scarlet Guard members have received internships and job offers as a result of the connections made during Alumni Masters Week.      

     We are thrilled to welcome back a group of ten outstanding alumni for the 2014 Alumni Masters Week.

Matthew L. Blomstedt | '94, '98, '13

     Matthew Blomstedt has both a Ph.D. in educational leadership and higher education and a Master's degree in community and regional planning from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has worked alongside Nebraska school district officials, policy makers, and educational stakeholders for the past 16 years and was on the Nebraska School Finance Review Committee in 2001. Blomstedt has served in various educational advisory roles within the state government and higher education, including his role as Executive Director for the Nebraska Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council. He was named Commissioner of Education by the Nebraska State Board of Education in January of this year. Blomstedt is hosted by the UNL College of Education and Family Sciences.

Tom Christiansen | '84

     Tom Christiansen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, Journalism, and Natural Resources from UNL in 1984. For 29 years, he has served with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Christiansen has many roles with the sage grouse conservation program, including serving on the Rangewide Interagency Sage-Grouse Conservation Team, the Wildfire and Invasive Species Working Group, the Science and Policy Implications of Climate Change to Sage Grouse Working Group, and serves as chair of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' Sage and Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse Technical Committee. Christiansen is hosted by the UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

Terry Connealy | '94

     Terry Connealy is a Husker football alum and two-time Academic All-American. He has co-hosted a nationwide radio call-in show and, from 1996-2002 was a member of the Pinnacle Sports Productions' Nebraska football radio broadcast team. In the past, Connealy worked with Wells Fargo Home mortgage as a private mortgage banker and eventually rising to a regional sales manager. Currently, he is serving as Senior Vice President of Mutual of Omaha bank. Connealy works with the virtual mortgage team, fosters relationships with community association banking, and leads the strategic growth and management of Mutual of Omaha's sales channels. Connealy is hosted by the Department of Athletics.

Victoria L. Collier | '02

     Victoria Collier served in the United States Air Force from 1989-1995 and the Army Reserves from 2002-2005. She started The Elder and Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC, in 2002 in Decatur, Georgia. She has been recognized as a rising star in the 2005 and 2009-2012 editions of Georgia Super Lawyers, co-founded Lawyers with Purpose, Lawyers for Wartime Veterans, Veterans Advocates Group of America, and Trust Associates, Inc., chaired the Georgia Chapter of the National Academy of the Elder Law Attorneys, the State Bar of Georgia elder law section and the Atlanta Bar Association elder law committee. She has also been admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Collier is hosted by the UNL College of Law.

Angie Klein | '01

     Angie Klein received bachelor's degrees in Business and Journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has served on the CBA Young Alumni Board, the NAA Board of Directors and Alumni Advisory Council, and is a member of the Nebraska Women's Leadership Network. She serves on the Lower East Side Girls Club Board of Directors in New York City and received a Nebraska Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2011. Klein currently resides in New York and is vice president of marketing and sales for Verizon's Northeast Area. She is responsible for more than 5 billion dollars of annual revenue. Klein is hosted by the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Edward J. Kodet Jr. | '68 

     Edward Kodet Jr. currently serves as President of the 20-person architectural firm he founded in 1983 in Minneapolis, Kodet Architectural Group, Ltd. He chairs the Professional Advisory Council for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and has previously served as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, as an officer for local, state, and national brances of the AIA and chairs the AIA College of Fellows Young Architects 2+2 program. He has also previously served at the University of Minnesota, served as treasurer, vice president, and president-elect of the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary, has won numerous AIA Design Merit Awards, and received the AIA Minnesota's Gold Medal. Kodet is hosted by the College of Architecture.

JoAnn Martin | '75

     JoAnn Martin is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln business grad and is currently the president and CEO of Ameritas Mutual Holding Company, and chair, president, and CEO of Ameritas Life in Lincoln, Nebraska. She serves on the National Research Corporation Board, the University of Nebraska Foundation Board, and the Nebraska Innovation Campus Development Corporation Board. She has received the Nebraska Society of CPAS Public Service Award, the Dr. Barbara Hibner Trailblazer Award, and was recognized as one of Insurance Networking news' Top 10 Women in Insurance Leadership. Martin has also received a College of Business Administration Leadership Award, an NAA Alumni Achievement Award, and has been inducted into the UNL School of Accountancy Hall of Fame. She is hosted by the UNL College of Business Administration. 

Ayman Sahli | '94

     Ayman Sahli earned his Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and serves as CEO of Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries. He has previously worked in process development in Syngenta, Ala., and Wyeth, N.Y.. He joined Hikma, a multinational pharmaceutical company, in 2004 and was appointed deputy general manager of the Jordan Unit until 2008, when he acquired his current position at Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar). Sahli extended Julphar geographically and through a $150 million investment in biotechnology. He plans on increasing Julphar's regional manufacturing bases. Sahli is hosted by the UNL College of Arts and Sciences. 

Dawn Schaefer | '99

     Dawn Schaefer earned her master's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has served as the executive art director for CBS for 14 years, during which time she has been involved with numerous television shows such as Survivor, Price is Right, Bold and the Beautiful, and The Apprentice Live Finale in Los Angeles. She has also been credited with various corporate events and local shows. Schaefer has been with Survivor since its 2003 beginning, including when Survivor: Thailand was nominated for an Emmy in Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program. Schaefer is hosted by the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.

Don Voelte | '75

     Don Voelte earned his degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He currently serves as the managing director and CEO of Seven Group Holdings, deputy chairman of Seven West Media, and chairman of Nexus Energy. He boasts 38 years of global oil and gas industry experience, has held a number of senior executive positions at Mobil Corp., Atlantic Richfield Company, and Chroma Energy Inc.. He previously served as managing director of Woodside Petroleum. Voelte is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Chi Epsilon Honor Society. He is a Foreign Fellow to ATSE, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and was appointed an honorary officer within the general division of the Order of Australia. Voelte is hosted by the UNL College of Engineering.