Employee news August 2010

Periodically, we’ll be sending out a campus-wide update on changes within the non-faculty ranks here at Augustana. As you’ll see, we have several new faces on campus this fall and hope that each of you will take a moment to provide a personal welcome to our new colleagues.

New Employees

Borge Zierke - Chef

Chef Borge is our new Working Chef here at Augustana College. A man of Scandinavian origin and a long time lover of purple and gold (of the Minnesota Viking variety), this college was an easy fit for him. He has been married to his wife, Shawn, for 18 years, and they have five children ages 16, 14 , 9, 9, and 8, and they live on a farm in North Liberty, Iowa.

Borge has 24 years of professional cooking experience to include University of Iowa State Room, Southeast Missouri State University, private fine dining restaurants and most recently owning his own restaurant. Chef Borge cooked for the cast and crew of "Wedding Crashers" and "Failure to Launch" while in Maryland. He can tell you that Owen Wilson likes his tuna tartar and his burgers well-done. He also had the opportunity to cook for Donald Rumsfeld, and every time he came in he made him Foie Gras, and one time he had a double portion.

Chef Borge is most excited about the possibility of the centralized Augustana "fusion" center that will really allow him to pursue his passion of working with high quality farm fresh ingredients and new dishes to serve the faculty and students.

Greg Aguilar - Director of Multicultural Services

Greg is a Quad Cities native and current East Moline resident. He joined the Augustana staff on July 12 as the Director of Multicultural Services. Greg is a graduate of the University of Iowa, and before joining Augustana served as the Community Development Coordinator for Ascentra Credit Union, where he led what is considered one of the best credit union Latino outreach programs in the country. Greg is very involved in the Quad Cities community, serving on numerous boards, committees, and volunteering for organizations like The Illinois and Iowa Quad City Chamber of Commerce, Quad Cities First, Casa Guanajuato, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley, VIVA Quad Cities, St. Anne's Parish, and Our Lady of Guadalupe church. He currently sits as the Vice-Chairman of the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and is a weekly columnist for The Dispatch and Rock Island Argus. He also a writes for Hola America bilingual newspaper and has his own segment on the Quad Cities only Spanish television show Nuestra Gente. In his spare time Greg enjoys playing the guitar, spending time with his family, meeting new people, reading, and playing volleyball.

Quan Vi - Graphic Designer

Quan joined the Augustana staff on July 6 as our graphic design/multimedia specialist. A graduate of Grandview University, he most recently worked for Silver Oaks Communications in Moline. Quan lives in Bettendorf with his wife Mani, 15-year-old son, Alerik, and 12-year-old daughter, Marika.

Clyde Andrew Walter '08 - Events and Outreach Manager

Clyde Andrew Walter joined the Augustana staff on July 19 as the Events and Outreach Manager with the Office of Communication and Marketing. His main office is located on the ground floor of Bergendoff Hall near the ticket office. Andrew graduated from Augustana in 2008, having sung with the Augustana Choir during his time as a student. Over the past two years he completed a graduate degree in social service administration and nonprofit management from the University of Chicago while also holding contract positions related to events and outreach with the ELCA Churchwide Office, University of Chicago Center for Gender Studies and Rush University Medical Center. Andrew's partner, Kyle (also an Augie alum), is currently the Director of Choirs with the Iroquois West Unit District # 10. In his free time, Andrew enjoys cooking, singing, and engaging in stimulating conversation.

Jamie Walters - Head Volleyball Coach

Jamie joined the Augustana staff on July 15 as our women's volleyball coach. Her office is located within the athletic office in the Carver Center. Before coming to campus, Jamie was the coach at Aurora University for three years. Jamie resides in Bettendorf, and away from work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Lisa Sears '91 - Accounts Payable Supervisor

Lisa joined the business office on August 3 and is a 1991 Augustana graduate. Prior to returning to the campus, she served as staff accountant at Barjan LLC, a leading general merchandise distributor for truck stops and travel centers. Lisa lives in Geneseo with her husband, Todd, and one son, Gage (13). Away from work, she enjoys traveling with the family, watching her son play sports, participating in car shows and "trying" to train the family's new little puppy, PJ.

Sara Tisdale - Head Women's Lacrosse Coach

Sara joined the Augustana staff this spring as the women's lacrosse coach. Sara graduated from Central Michigan University in 2006, where she earned a physical education and health education degree and was a member of the women's lacrosse team. She coached the Waverly High School girls lacrosse team in Lansing, Michigan from 2002-2009 and served as the Head Coach of the Michigan State University women's lacrosse club from 2008-2010. Sara also taught high school physical education and health at Grand Ledge High School for four years. Along with coaching and teaching, Sara officiates NCAA Division II and III women's basketball, and aspires to officiate at the Division I level. In her free time, Sara enjoys traveling and boating .

Cheri Mizaur - Secretary, Dean of Students Office

Cheri joined the Augustana staff on August 10 as a new part-time secretary to the Dean of Students Office. After relocating here in 2007 from Frankfort, Illinois, she now lives on Frye Lake in Sherrard with her husband, Dan, and children Derek (18), Madelyn (15) and Dylan (13). She is still enjoying getting to know the area and spends most of her free time at the kids' sporting events.

Kyle Hart - Head Men's Lacrosse Coach

Kyle joined the Augustana staff on August 15 as our men's lacrosse coach. His office is located in the basement of the Carver Center. Kyle graduated from Muhlenberg College in 2007 and worked at his alma mater for three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Kyle lives in Rock Island, just a few blocks from campus.

Laura Mahn - Volunteer and Off-Campus Coordinator

Laura has been an unofficial member of the Augustana community for 3 years by way of her husband, Jason Mahn, an assistant professor in the religion department. She’s worked closely with several Augustana students in her former capacity as the coordinator of the WOW After School Program at St. John’s Lutheran Church and is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Laura and Jason live just a few blocks away from Augustana with 2 sons, Asa, 4 and Gabriel, 2, and dog Jubilee.

Brandon Terronez - Campus Visit Coordinator

Brandon graduated from St. Ambrose University in 2007. He worked at CBS Channel 4 in Rock Island for six years as a director and assignment editor. He then moved on to work in marketing at Rhythm City Casino. Brandon lives in Bettendorf with his fiancé, Monica and their four children. In his free time, he enjoys coaching his daughters in sports, playing softball and studying jiu-jitsu.

Sheri Curran '93 - General Counsel

Sheri returned to Augustana as General Counsel on August 17. Sheri has practiced law for the last thirteen years, and is coming to Augustana from Lee Enterprises, a publisher of newspapers throughout the United States, where she served as corporate counsel for nine years. Sheri and her husband, Chris, are Quad Cities natives and have two boys, Ben (7) and Ryan (5). Between taking her boys to sports pratice, school events, or other activities, Sheri tries to find time to enjoy some of her favorite things, like yoga, downtime with her family, and chocolate (preferably dark!)

Anna Castro '95 - Campus Visit Coordinator

Anna started as a Campus Visit Coordinator beginning on August 16. She is a 1995 graduate of Augustana. She was previously employed at Deere Employees Credit Union as a Member Service Officer. She lives in Moline with her husband, Jose, who is also an Augustana graduate and her children. She is very excited to return to Augustana.

Transitions

Connie Widdop - Secretary, Business and Internships

Connie, the former Secretary for Career Services, has transitioned and is now serving as the Secretary for Business Administration and Internships. Connie's new work area is Carlsson-Evald 311, and she can be reached at extension 7830.

Lisa Slater - Secretary, Career Services

Lisa has previously served as a Campus Visit Coordinator and has accepted the position of Secretary for Career Services. You'll now be able to find Lisa in the new Career Services Office on the first floor of Sorenson and at extension 7339.

Dearly Departed

Helena Schmitt - Accounts Payable Supervisor

After serving for five years as our A/P Supervisor, Helena is relocating to the Detroit area due to her husband's job change. The Business Office staff will not only miss Helena's great skills, but will also miss her decidedly Canadian outlook, fun accent, and particularly her "cheque" runs. Helena's last day on campus was August 13.

Sarah Johnson - General Counsel

Sarah is leaving Augustana after three years of service. Sarah will be spending her time expanding yogaG, a 501(c)(3) organization she started that is dedicated to mobilizing yoga instruction in domestic violence shelters across the country. In addition to a bit of consulting work, Sarah will also continue to serve a number of community boards including the Student Hunger Drive, United Way and Family Resources. And most importantly, the number one driver in Sarah's decision to "retire" from the traditional practice of law is to spend more time with Drew (age 3) and Gracie (age 4). Sarah's last official day on campus is August 25.

Beth Whitty - Software Trainer

Beth is leaving Augustana after six years of supporting the college with all its IT needs. She had a beautiful baby boy, Blake, or better known on campus as "Sprinkle" or "Itty Bitty Whitty", on May 20th and will be leaving Augie to be a stay-at-home mom. She is very sad to leave the campus community and promises to stop in from time to time to catch up. Her last day was August 13, and ITS will be holding a reception for her to say goodbye on Sept 2 - so stay tuned for details because she'd love to see everyone!