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The Vision | ProVidence Junior-senior high school 2
Alumni LetterChrista (Payne) Hoyland ’84
As we prepared this issue of the Vision, we looked for leaders in the business world.
It didn’t take long to find many. Choosing how to narrow it down took a little longer. We chose to focus on those whose hard work, gifts and skills had taken them to corporate leadership positions. We found five from the 1980s who fit that description.
Their skill sets and fields of expertise vary but several have much in common. Some went to the same college or chose the same major but now use those experiences differently, even in the same field. Three graduated the same year. And all built on their experience at Providence, including one who started college with nearly a year’s worth of credits.
In talking with these alumni, it affirmed what I have long known, that Providence produces leaders. The seeds are planted and fertilized by teachers who believed in, encouraged and challenged us and who showed us they cared. The seeds are
watered heavily on Senior Retreat, where we learned to love ourselves and share God’s love on the continuing Fourth Day. Sometimes, Providence is a place where the roots take hold so the “plant” can bloom in college or in a career.
Unlike the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:3-9), where the seeds are scattered along the ground, I believe Providence is a place of purposeful “sowing.” Our teachers share their faith as well as their knowledge with their students. They can focus on teaching in a community of learning and faith. And they recognize and nurture the value of each student. It is our responsibility to grow those seeds and share our talents with others, whether or not we are placed in a position recognized as leader. When we do so, we honor those teachers and their efforts. And we can’t help but lead.
Yours in Providence,
Christa (Payne) Hoyland ’84Director of Communication and Alumni Relations
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
– St. Augustine of Hippo
As I sit down to write this letter with a dusting of snow on the baseball field outside my window, I realize it will be spring by the time you read this. The warm weather we have been longing for will have arrived, but soon, we will long for the cool. What fickle things we humans are. As children in elementary school, we long for the day we will be like those older kids in high school, and once we make it there we can’t wait for college. Life seems to be a never-ending stream of horizons. We finally reach one horizon and find another ahead of us.
In the corporate world, careers have many horizons. The adjectives that are often used to describe those reflect the journey. “Climbing the ladder” certainly portrays the energy needed to make it to the top perch
in the corporate setting. Life in the working world is never easy, and the so-called “Rat Race” can be challenging at the executive level.
So, what does it mean to be “The Boss”? I believe Christ gave us the answer when He washed the feet of His apostles at The Last Supper. When the mother of James and John asks that her sons sit on Christ’s left and right, He tells them, “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” Matt. 20:26-28
Those who sit at the top of any organization must have a servant’s heart. They hold the livelihood of those in that organization in their hands. They are responsible for the present and future care and wellness of the organization and those who work there. The executive has a heavy burden and will be called to account for how he or she has used the talents and position he or she has been given. “For to everyone
who has, more will be given, and he will grow rich.” Matt. 25:29 That richness is heavenly wealth in Christ, richness of spirit, love and humility. What we are given is from God and not of our own making.
Our alumni are a testament to the training and education they received here as students. Many of the leaders in the Southern Indiana area are Providence graduates, and we read of their accomplishments in the news. I am always so proud of their accomplishments and never more so than when the news I hear of them is because they have just “given back” – again. There are many other leaders among our graduates who are not local. Some of these you will read about in this issue. They have successfully climbed the ladder using their God-given talents to enrich the world for others. They lead the way and shine the light for our students to follow. Enjoy.
In Christ, I remain faithfully,
Joan M. Hurley
President’s Letter Joan M. Hurley
Table of ContentsDistinctive Alumni ..........................................3
Golden Reunion Spotlight: Susan Schiller ...4
Rising to Lead ............................................ 6-10
Class Notes ....................................................13
PROVIDENCE
Managing Editor/Writer
Christa (Payne) Hoyland ’[email protected]
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ProVidence Junior-senior high school | The Vision 3
Dan Cristiani is a self-made business man who started as an entrepreneur in high school cutting and selling firewood.
After saving enough money, he bought a tractor and began grading yards as part of a landscaping business. He continued to save money, buying bigger equipment and building his business, which now includes 17 companies including Dan Cristiani Excavating. More than 40 years later, his diverse holdings include companies that specialize in large-scale excavation and site preparation; mulch, topsoil and compost producers; equipment sales; farming; snow removal; and real estate development.
As his business grew, Cristiani shared his expertise with the community. He has provided excavating and other services to many local organizations over the years, including the old St. Paul and St. Joe churches, Sellersburg Park, St. Elizabeth-Catholic Charities, and most recently, site preparation for new tennis courts at Providence. Cristiani, who attended Providence his freshman year before transferring to New Albany, said he feels it is important to give back to the community from which he earns his living.
Providence Distinctive Alumni Awards Presented at the annual Gala Dinner & Auction in January
Tom Koetter Sr., founder of Koetter Woodworking Inc.,
started his family business in his basement in 1959 after his employer, Starlite Cabinet, had a supplier’s order fall through and Koetter offered to hand-make the pieces for the cabinet fronts. Koetter soon became the company’s primary supplier for cabinet fronts as well as molding, crown molding and baseboards.
His late wife, Mary Frances (Newton) Koetter ’58, took over the invoicing after the two were married, and together the couple grew the business. Tom Koetter soon moved his workshop into a concrete block building next to their home. A few years later, they added steel frame buildings built by his late
brother, Bob Koetter (Hon. ’01), who started Koetter Construction. Koetter Woodworking continued to grow as their five sons joined the business upon graduating from Providence: Randy ’78, Rick ’79, Jerry ’84, Brian ’87 and TJ ’88.
Today, four of Tom and Mary Frances’ sons continue to lead the business. (Rick Koetter left the company in 2010 to start his own business, Kentuckiana Trading.) Koetter Woodworking is a major supplier of moldings, doors, stair parts, custom millwork, wood flooring and more.
Koetter, who graduated from the old Flaget High School in Louisville in 1954, said his wife’s Providence education truly helped their business and laid the foundation for
her bookkeeping expertise – and Providence provided his sons with a solid foundation for their on-the job training. In return, the Koetter family has long supported Providence in many ways.
Tom Koetter, who lives in Starlight, has 10 grandchildren who are Providence graduates or students.
Evelyn (Kruer) Lilly ’55 said she has always been grateful
that Providence opened when it did; otherwise, she may not have had the opportunity to earn a diploma because her father wouldn’t allow her to attend a public high school. She was the first of 11 Kruer children to become a Providence graduate and was the start of a legacy in which a member of the extended Kruer family has been enrolled at Providence ever since.
Lilly worked many years as a secretary, first at the old Lipps National Printing in New Albany and then after most of her children were in high school, at Great Financial Federal in Louisville, where she worked for 21 years assisting the bank’s attorney with loan closings. In between those two jobs, she was a stay-at-home mom raising six children, all of whom graduated from Providence: Jeff
Lilly ’76, Pam (Lilly) Kraft ’77, Janine (Lilly) Kelty ’78, Patrick Lilly ’80, Mark Lilly ’81 and Amy (Lilly) Franklin ’97. She also spent several years working in the cafeteria at Holy Family, where her children went to grade school.
Lilly has given freely of her time and talents, volunteering whenever and wherever she was needed at Providence and her parish, Holy Family. At Providence, she has worked many fundraising activities and events for both her children and grandchildren. She also volunteers at the information desk at Floyd Memorial Hospital.
Evelyn (Kruer) Lilly and her husband, Eugene, live in New Albany. In addition to their six children, they have seven grandchildren who are Providence graduates. Additionally, five Kruer descendants are enrolled at Providence.
Julie (Paris) Rorrer ’81, co-owner of J Rorrer & Co.
Certified Public Accountants in Sellersburg and Charlestown, credits her Providence education with planting the seeds necessary for her career as a CPA. While here, she took an accounting class and also began doing bookkeeping for her father and uncle’s business, Typewriter Terminal.
Rorrer earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting at Indiana University Southeast and soon after passed her CPA exam. She
began her career at the old McCauley Nicolas and after eight years decided to branch out on her own and open her own firm with her mother to help run the office. Today, J Rorrer & Co. has three full time CPAs in two locations, and during tax season, the business employs 11 people.
Rorrer said her Providence experience gave her the tools she needed to become a business owner, including the self-confidence she discovered on her senior retreat. She also learned the value of serving her community
and continues to give back. She has served on the Providence Board of Trustees and sponsors multiple sports teams. She is on the board for the Southern Indiana YMCA and helps in various ways at her parish, St. Anthony.
Julie (Paris) Rorrer and her husband, Jeff, live in Sellersburg. Their three children are Providence graduates: Jackie (Rorrer) Keating ’00, Jacob Rorrer ’05 and Justin Rorrer ’08. She is the daughter of alumni Larry ’58 and Mimi (Marguet ’58) Paris, and sister of six Providence alumni.
Honorary Alumnus: Thomas Koetter Sr.
Outstanding Alumna: Evelyn (Kruer) Lilly ’55
Community Service Award: Dan Cristiani
Outstanding Alumna: Julie (Paris) Rorrer ’81
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The Vision | ProVidence Junior-senior high school 4
Most people only dream of traveling the world - from the frozen tundra of Antarctica to the European
countryside. Susan Schiller ’65, however, has made her dream a reality.
Her first adventure took place during the Vietnam War after she joined the Army Nurse Corps “because I wanted to travel,” she said. In 1969 Schiller was stationed in Vietnam to work in an evacuation hospital. Despite being in the middle of a war zone and the hospital being rocketed sometimes, she said she still felt safe working there.
A year later, Schiller was stationed across the world in Germany as an active duty nurse at an Army hospital for two more years. In 1972, she left the military and enrolled at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and earned her bachelor’s in nursing. From there, she moved to San Francisco while she earned her master’s in nursing degree from the University of California.
Schiller returned to her hometown of Jeffersonville and spent most of her career working as an advanced registered nurse practitioner at the Louisville VA Medical
Center. In 1989 during the Persian Gulf War, she joined the U.S. Army Reserves as a member of the Army Nurse Corps. In 1990, she was stationed in Kuwait as part of a mobile army treating soldiers as well
as indigenous people wounded in the war.
After she returned from her deployment, she still wanted to be involved with veterans and veteran care, so Schiller remained on
active duty and went to work as a nurse practitioner at a VA hospital in California.
“I liked the patriotism and helping the veterans and their families,” she said.
Retirement No Time to Slow DownSchiller retired from the military in 2005 with the rank of lieutenant colonel and once more returned to Jeffersonville, where she resides with her two rescued greyhounds from the Greyhound Pets of America organization. She continued to work at the VA Medical Center in Louisville, where she remained until her retirement in 2007.
Although Schiller’s time in the Army and Reserves had taken her to Asia, Europe and the Middle East, her adventures didn’t stop there. In fact, they were just beginning. Schiller travels regularly with a group called Overseas Adventure Travel because
it focuses on making the trips more personal by arranging person-to-person activities. By traveling in small groups, she is able to enjoy planned tours and spend time with the local people of each city she visits and submerge herself in the culture because the tour group arranges activities and dinners to be held at local residents’ houses.
Schiller said her interest in travel was sparked at Providence in her literature class with Sr. Ambrose.
“She instilled a lifelong love of books and reading that opened up my mind and heart to so many dreams, travels and experiences that will be with me all my life,” Schiller said.
In recalling her favorite adventures, Schiller has several. In Antarctica she did a polar plunge. In China she ate a fried scorpion. In Africa she saw mountain gorillas in Rwanda. In France she took a bicycle trip to see the castles. In Egypt she was able to see all the antiquities, ruins and temples.
When Schiller was in Russia this past summer the highlight of that trip was going to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and getting to go behind the scenes to see some of the old warehouses filled with old carriages and antiques.
“It was full of treasures from different time periods,” she said.
Next on her world tour: a Bordeaux River Cruise in France and later this year, India. And Schiller plans to keep traveling and exploring all for the love of learning about different cultures and the history of each region.
“When you’re going through these old places and seeing these old things, you feel the passage of time and the people who’ve been there for years and years,” she said. “Being able to see and be a part of that is really amazing.”
Susie Schiller ’65 lives in Jeffersonville and is active in her parish, Sacred Heart, and as a volunteer with Greyhound Pets of America. She has two rescued greyhounds, Bunny and Heart.
’65 Grad Still ExploringBags Packed, Will Travel By: Alexas Gregory ’08
Save the DateThe Class of 1965 is invited to theGolden Diploma Ceremony & Dinner April 23, 2015, at Providence.
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ProVidence Junior-senior high school | The Vision 5
The Class of 1955, which celebrates its 60th reunion this year, boasted the first Pioneers, not just on the court and field but in spirit. Many of these graduates became entrepreneurs, community leaders, physicians or otherwise reached success in their careers. Here are a few:
1 9 5 1
ALwAys A PioneeR
John MacLeod Graduated from Bellarmine College in 1959. Perhaps best-known ’55 graduate, MacLeod had a lengthy career coaching college and professional basketball, helming the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks, the New York Knicks and the University of Notre Dame. Lives in Phoenix, where he coached the Suns from 1973 to 1987.
Ron KochertFounded Kochert Insurance in 1961. The family-owned, full-service insurance agency now has offices in Lanesville, New Albany and Louisville. Kochert retired 12 years ago, and children Rick Kochert ’80 and Debbie (Kochert) Wolfe ’78 hold crucial roles, with Ron helping occasionally.
Bob ReinmillerSecond president of the Louisville Independent Electrical Contractors Association. Founded RKR Electrical Contractors in the early 1990s. Daughter Susan (Reinmiller) Cox ’82 now in charge of the family-owned business. RKR has 18 employees and works with numerous local construction contractors, including Koetter Construction, Brasch-Barry and the Cornerstone Group.
Jack LeuthartDied January 2011. Founded Highway Press, a commercial printing business that remains family-owned and is headquartered in Jeffersonville. Leuthart was active in the community, serving 16 years on the Clarksville Town Council, 40 years on the American Red Cross Clark County Chapter Board, 28 years as a board member for New Hope Services and 20 years on the board for the Providence Retirement Home.
Daniel BurkeReceived his juris doctorate from the University of Louisville and practiced law locally beginning in 1962. Engaged primarily in private practice work but most notably was selected as Floyd County’s first magistrate judge in 1999. He retired in 2014.
Jim ThorntonInitially worked in television production at WHAS-TV in Louisville and ultimately earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Louisville. Became assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, practiced law in Evansville, and eventually became an administrative law judge in Evansville and in Miami, Fla. Resides in Miami Beach.
Edward BowlingEarned his doctor of dental medicine from the University of Louisville and became a dental corpsman in the Air Force. After his service, he accepted a job in public health in Virginia and ultimately started his own practice in Fairfax, Va. Still active, he segued into orthodontics over the past few years and plans on working until “I run out of patients,” he said.
Dan MacDougallGraduated from University of Kentucky medical school and resides in Mesa, Az., where he has been an anesthesiologist for 50 years. “I’ll keep doing it as long as I’m enjoying it,” he said.
Robert ThrockmortonCo-founded Clark County Beverage in 1965 with brother Ted, who may be familiar to locals as the long-time radio announcer for the Jeffersonville Red Devils. Business was bought out by Indianap-olis-based Monarch Beverage. Throckmorton is very active in the local Elks Club and can be seen golfing at most local courses.
Leo ReidingerGraduated from Bellarmine College in 1959 and began working for Early Times Distillery in 1960 in the laboratory. Worked his way up to supervisor, general manager, and in 1990, vice president. Also earned a degree from the University of Louisville in business and commerce in 1980 and retired in 2004.
Larry McAllisterDied October 2013. Owned McAllister Auto Sales at the corner of State and Main in New Albany for 38 years, was an auctioneer, and served for 16 years on the Floyd County Council. He also served in the Kentucky Air National Guard and was a proud member of the Floyd County Saddle Club, his wife Joyce Ann (Longest ’59) reports.
Robert McLaughlinResides in Greenwood, S.C., where he’s retired from owning a Goodyear Tires dealership. Attended Loyola College of New Orleans, where he was a noted point guard and led the Wolfpack to two NCAA tournament berths. He then traveled the world playing basketball in the Middle East and Far East, ultimately settling in South Carolina, where he raised his family. Joyce (Schindler) Schmitt
Married Bob Schmitt in 1958 and became involved in the family business, the Schmitt Furniture Store located at the “Furniture Corner” of State and Main in New Albany since 1936. Bob Schmitt, who died in December 2014, was its longtime president. Joyce is still active at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Albany.
Louis BodnerAttended Bellarmine College and served in the Army. Retired third-generation proprietor of Wolf Glass, which is still family-owned and located on Market Street in New Albany. He and wife Winnie divide their time between New Albany and Naples, Fla.
The Vision | ProVidence Junior-senior high school 6
Ed Schwartz ’80 knew soon
after earning his mechanical engineering technology degree from Purdue University that he wanted to use that
training beyond the traditional career track. He initially found design work exciting, he said, especially being part of a team that designed the first Delco Electronics CD radio for General Motors. As he looked around the office, however, he realized all the managers were much closer to retirement than he wanted to be when he reached that level.
“I wasn’t going to sit around and wait ’til I was 40 to be promoted,” he said.
Instead, he took a job that was more sales than design and quickly advanced through management. Today, Schwartz serves as executive vice president of Detroit-based Soave Enterprises. He is responsible for multiple divisions within Soave Enterprises, overseeing the privately owned company’s $1.5 billion industrial activities, from environmental services and metal recycling to fracking. It’s a level of responsibility on which he thrives.
“Leading a large organization requires making a lot of decisions that directly impact the well-being of a lot of people,” he said. “I’ve been doing it since 1996 and certainly made some mistakes but hopefully made more right than wrong.”
Schwartz said he made the right decision in 1989 when he took a chance and accepted the job offer from Philips Electronics to move to Detroit to create a sales territory with the “Big 3” automotive manufacturers. He drew on his engineering knowledge to explain the products to customers, most of whom were engineers, and developed inroads into the automotive industry when prior attempts by Philips had failed.
Within two years, Schwartz became sales manager and over the next five years built that territory into $200 million in annual sales. He quickly shed the engineering expertise and worked instead on developing an expertise in
finance – through on-the-job training. He did take some graduate finance and management courses at Indiana University but said most of his schooling came through facing challenges, such as when a factory he opened in Hungary lost tens of millions of dollars in its first year.
“That’s how you learn really quickly, when you’re under the gun,” Schwartz said. “You have management reviews every week on what you’re doing about it, and you learn the hard way.”
A Knack for Building Business After that first year of losses opening the factory for Philips in Hungary, Schwartz improved the factory’s output, streamlined inventory and increased profitability. He found he enjoyed building new locations and turning businesses around. Two years before the job in Hungary, in 1996 (and still far from age 40), he had been promoted to general manager of Philips’ component division in optical storage in Michigan and had overseen the successful opening of a factory in Mexico. That project was enjoyable, so he readily accepted the transfer to Hungary but said the language barrier and cultural difference made his role in that country more challenging.
In 2000, Schwartz was tapped for an executive position as vice president of the optical storage division in The Netherlands and moved his young family with just two weeks’ notice. Less than two years later, Schwartz was able to return to Michigan as executive vice president and managing director of the Americas for L.G. Philips Display. In early 2003, he left Philips for Bloomfield, Mich.-based TriMas Corp. as an executive, overseeing various divisions with similar success over the next six years,
including moving the former private equity ownership through the initial public offering process.
At Soave Enterprises, he continues to succeed with his skills in corporate strategy, finance and leadership. When he came on five years ago, he was responsible for a single $30 million division within the company. He worked with the management team to develop and implement a new business plan. Today, he takes great satisfaction in knowing that division has nearly tripled in size in that short time, he said.
“This team of people who had pretty stagnant careers have taken on a lot more responsibility and can look back and see what they’ve done,” Schwartz said. “That part of it I really enjoy.”
That turnaround led to his being named EVP in 2013, and Schwartz is now responsible for two-thirds of the diversified holding company’s business.
Schwartz said that although he found little use for or enjoyment in engineering, he does value his Purdue education and relationships he built there – and at Providence. At Purdue, he said, he learned several valuable skills – mainly self-discipline and how to learn—and made lifelong friends. For the last 20 years, he has gotten together each year with his college friends for a houseboat trip to Dale Hollow, Ky. Earlier this year, his Providence classmates organized a reunion of sorts in Scottsdale, Ariz..
At Providence, Schwartz said, “the most important and practical course” he took was typing from the late Agnes Veleta – a class he hated at the time but which helped him build a skill set that served him well with the advent of the personal computer a few years later.
“I hated it, but thank God she taught me how to type,” Schwartz said. “Nobody thought five years from then we’d all be using computers and keyboards.”
Ed Schwartz ’80, EVP of Soave Enterprises, lives in Commerce, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, with his wife, Kathie, and their two teenage children. He and his family enjoy taking advantage of the region’s seasonal sports, from snow skiing to water sports on Lake Michigan.
Photos courtesy of Ed Schwartz ’80
Schwartz Finds Success in Strategic LeadershipMaking His WayBy: Christa (Payne) Hoyland ’84
Rising to Lead
ProVidence Junior-senior high school | The Vision 7
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs
Providence has produced many leaders in its 60-plus years – in government, the community, and the workplace. The following is a look at five graduates from the 1980s era – three, coincidentally, from the Class of 1983 – who hold senior or executive leadership positions at corporations around the country.
There’s no easy path to
becoming a corporate executive. Often, that level of success requires overcoming many obstacles. And Ann Stickler ’83 has spent
her career doing just that. As senior vice president/global marketing manager of the tequila division for Brown-Forman Corp., she has been meeting – and enjoying – such challenges her entire career, including her latest of expanding the high-end tequila market around the world.
“I like the fact that we’re in a business where we help people celebrate,” Stickler said. “It’s a really fun business to be a part of.”
A graduate school internship with Miller Brewing Co. in the early 1990s started Stickler down the path of alcohol marketing and sales. After completing her master’s in business administration in 1992 from Indiana University (where she previously received her bachelor’s in marketing and decision sciences), she joined Miller Brewing fulltime.
Her first role at Miller Brewing was as a brand assistant for Sharp’s non-alcoholic beer, but she was quickly moved over to the Miller brand as an assistant brand manager. She was responsible for managing the marketing, creating growth strategies and coordinating teams of people in marketing, promotions, financing and operations. She soon found she really enjoyed the mentorship part of management.
“It’s fun to coach people as they develop their careers, particularly in marketing.” Stickler said.
Stickler did so well in that role that she was tasked with an interesting challenge: Get more people in St. Louis, home of rival beer brand Budweiser, to choose Miller when they were celebrating.
“It was definitely ‘enemy territory’ but the way I looked at it, there was nowhere to go but up,” she said.
And up she went, from regional marketing manager in St. Louis to senior brand manager for Miller Genuine Draft. And at every step along the way Stickler exceeded expectations with her brands, grew market share in a very competitive industry and helped expand the reach of her products in new directions. So much so, that in 2001, she was promoted to director of strategy for new business development, where the challenge shifted from increasing the market share of an existing brand to creating entirely new products.
Two of the products Stickler launched in her time in that role were Skyy Blue, a flavored malt beverage created in collaboration with Skyy Vodka, and ready-to-drink Jack Daniel’s Original Hard Cola, which had her working with the whiskey brand’s parent company Brown-Forman for the first time. That introduction enabled her to take a position with the Louisville-based wine and spirits producer and move back home in 2003.
“I met such quality people with Brown-Forman that I knew it was an organization that I’d really like to work with, but then it was nice because I got to come back home,” Stickler said. “My family was all here, and my husband’s family was all here. It was just the perfect combination.”
Breaking Ground on Home TurfAt Brown-Forman Stickler has managed a number of brands, from Tuaca liqueur and Southern Comfort whiskey-flavored liqueur to Woodford Reserve Bourbon. In 2011 Stickler became the first woman to lead Jack Daniel’s U.S. business as the vice president
of Jack Daniel’s North America, a role in which she continued to innovate. One of her successful product launches was Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, named in an AC Nielsen survey “Best New Spirit of 2011” and recipient of numerous other awards.
Her track record led in 2013 to her current role in which she is responsible for growing the craft tequila brands Herradura and El Jimador in the United States and Mexico as well as expanding their reach to include Canada, Australia, Brazil and the United Kingdom, traveling regularly to those countries.
Stickler travels most frequently to Amatitan, Mexico, the home of the world’s oldest tequila-producing hacienda, where tequila has been produced since 1870. She said she has enjoyed her world travels, sometimes taking her family with her, and realizes she would not have been to many of these destinations were it not for her work.
Still, Stickler finds time to volunteer, serving on the board at the Salvation Army as the chairperson of its annual Angel Tree project.
Through the challenges of ‘enemy territories,’ launching brand new products, being the first female vice president of Jack Daniel’s North America, to growing a craft brand into new areas of the world, Stickler has enjoyed her work and is thankful for all those who have helped her along the way.
Whether it was her parents, who sacrificed to send her to Providence, a friend’s parent who helped her secure her first job or a classmate who helped her make her first interview connections, Stickler recognizes that “you never truly do any of this yourself. There are always so many people helping you along the way. And you have to be appreciative of that.”
Ann (Vest) Stickler ’83, SVP, global marketing manager, tequila, for Brown-Forman Corp., lives in Glenview, Ky., with her husband, Larry, and son Chase, 7. She also has two stepdaughters, one who lives in Crown Point, Ind., and another who is a student at Indiana University. An interesting side note: Stickler met her husband, a Clarksville native, upon returning to Louisville through their mutual friend Chip Reeves ’84. (Read his story on p. 11.)
Photos courtesy of Ann (Vest) Stickler ’83
Stickler Brings Innovation to Beverage MarketingBuilding the BrandBy: Jeff Taylor ’94
The Vision | ProVidence Junior-senior high school 8
For Matt Smith ’83, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Dow Corning Corp. in Midland, Mich., a
single college elective set the course for his career. Originally an economics major at Purdue University, he took a class on the psychology of consumer behavior on a whim and found studying the social science of marketing much more fascinating than his required classes. Because Purdue didn’t offer a marketing major at the time, he switched to management with a focus in product management. He has been intrigued by studying the buying choices of customers ever since.
Early in his career, as a marketing associate with General Mills, his work was more advertising than marketing, creating animated commercials for children’s cereals. But with the development of the barcode on consumer goods, Smith said, he realized the reams of data produced via the scanning of those barcodes gave great insight into consumer behavior. Studying such analytics is commonplace today, but in the early 1990s, Smith was quick to see their value.
“I was an early adopter and used it and really made changes in the business approach because of it,” Smith said
Smith used spreadsheets and computer and Internet applications – all new business tools in the early 1990s – to provide those analytics to develop and implement product management decisions. Today, he continues to seek the latest technology to help his team glean information from the data and make decisions based on customer buying behavior and trends in the marketplace.
Curiosity and creativity have served him well in a career based on the numbers. It helped him to advance to business unit director at General Mills within his ten years with the company as he demonstrated his agility at making sound product-management decisions with the information at hand.
“That’s the left brain/right brain of
marketing,” Smith said. “It really isn’t one or the other. You need some creativity, and you have to have line of sight to consumers and what they do, which is an art, and then there’s a science to it, which is just using the data to understand and interpret what’s going on. You have to do both. … To bring them together where you sort of blend the two to find opportunities and value, that’s really the fun aspect of it.”
Getting a Head StartSmith credits his experience at Providence for his early advancement to management. His high school courses were some of “the most challenging and energizing,” more so than even his graduate level courses at Indiana University, he said. Teachers like the late Norma Reynolds (chemistry) and Judy Payne (Spanish) challenged him and taught him how to learn. At Purdue, he said, he developed his interpersonal and leadership skills, getting involved in multiple organizations and intramural athletics.
Smith said the greatest advantage he gained from his time at Providence came from taking as many Bridge-to-College courses through IU Southeast that he could, transferring almost a year’s worth of credits to Purdue. That head start enabled him to work a co-op assignment with Vermont American while in college and still graduate on time – with a year and half of work experience. He chose to pursue his master’s of business administration degree immediately after earning his bachelor’s degree, and a summer internship at General Mills during those years led to his first job.
Smith spent most of his career in the Minneapolis area, with only short stints in Ohio and Kansas. He left General Mills in 1998 to serve as a vice president for Pinnacle Foods Group in Columbus, Ohio, but when that corporate headquarters moved to the East Coast a few years later, he returned to the Twin Cities as director of marketing at powersports manufacturer Polaris Industries. In 2006, he became vice president of marketing and innovation at global agriculture company Cargill, where he worked for nine years, including a two-year rotation in Wichita, Kan.
His work at Cargill gave him the opportunity to travel to more than 40 countries, and he often took time to extend his trips briefly to explore the surrounding area to fulfill his curiosity and desire for “exploration and newness,” he said. His favorite countries were New Zealand for its people and history and Chile for its natural beauty.
Staying ConnectedNow at Dow Corning, an international corporation focusing in silicone products, he’s enjoying the milder winters and the opportunity to work with Chip Reeves ’84. Smith said he had kept up with Reeves’ career through fellow 1983 classmate Ann (Vest) Stickler (see her story on page 7), whose husband is good friends with Reeves. Smith mistakenly thought Reeves worked for similarly named Dow Chemical and was pleased to discover Reeves is a member of his team. (See Reeves’ story on page 11.)
Smith said he has enjoyed moving to new jobs or communities because “I like new things” but was able to give his family a sense of stability because 20 years of his career
were in Minneapolis. He was able to coach his four sons in basketball during their years at Catholic grade school, and he said he is pleased each of them will have graduated from the same Catholic high school in nearby Victoria, Minn., when his youngest graduates in two years. Allowing his youngest to continue that legacy at that school is important enough to the family that Smith commutes to Michigan while his wife and son remain in Minnesota.
Smith said his sons’ school reminds him of Providence, and he is pleased they have received the same foundation he did, learning from teachers passionate about their subject and committed to seeing their students learn.
“Just the passion (in teachers like Norma Reynolds) was absolutely undeniable and infectious,” Smith said. “When you experience that early and with that challenging subject matter and someone there really helping you learn it, it’s just indispensable. Having that basis made college – and even now makes big, complex business issues – easier to navigate because you learn how to learn.”
Matt Smith ’83, SVP and CMO for Dow Corning Corp., lives in Spring Park, Minn., with his wife, Danette, and works in Midland, Mich. They have four sons ages 16 to 24. In his free time, he and his wife enjoy golf and traveling.
Photos courtesy of Matt Sm
ith ’83
Smith Masters Art, Science of MarketingThe Beauty of AnalyticsBy: Christa (Payne) Hoyland ’84
ProVidence Junior-senior high school | The Vision 9
As chief financial officer for Papa Murphy’s International, Mark Hutchens ’83 loves the black and
white of financial analysis. The numbers support his proposed strategy or guide him in the allocation of resources. But his favorite part of his job is getting out from behind his desk and meeting business partners and customers face to face. He has built his success as much on his ability to relate to people as on his financial expertise.
“What’s enabled me to be successful is being able to do that math but also being able to talk to people,” he said. “Most business concepts are supported by a relatively complex math equation but not everybody understands the math, so you have to be able to take that and distill it down to key relevant points to bring everyone else along with you.”
Hutchens’ talent at translating financial proposals and closing the deal has taken him around the world working for companies such as Yum! Brands, Office Depot and Bloomin’ Brands before taking the job at Papa Murphy’s in the Portland, Ore., area last year. For Yum! (after advancing from senior manager in financial and capital planning for the KFC Division of PepsiCo, which later spun off the restaurant company), he led mergers and acquisitions for the international
division starting in 2002, selling company-owned businesses to franchisees in Spain, Venezuela and Puerto Rico as well as helping to restructure a joint-venture business in Eastern Europe. He was then promoted to general auditor working on global audits, spending a lot of time in China and elsewhere in Asia.
In 2006, Office Depot recruited
Hutchens to lead the finance function of its international division as senior vice president of finance. His primary focus was on the company’s large business in Europe, but he also worked on a joint venture in Mexico and nurtured new business in Asia. Six years later, a former Yum! boss recruited him to Bloomin’ Brands, where he worked as CFO of the international division. This job took him to Brazil and South Korea working with the large established Outback Steakhouse business in those countries. He also returned to China and Mexico to oversee the startup of Outback restaurants there.
Hutchens said he enjoyed each of those roles, for the opportunity to develop relationships with people from many different countries and to travel to new locations. As much as he enjoyed learning about new places and experiencing different cultures, however, he became most comfortable when he found similarities. The French countryside, for example, reminded him of rural Floyds Knobs. And his new home in Vancouver, Wash., a suburb of Portland, has many similarities to the Louisville area, with the nearby “vibrant urban city” surrounded by areas in which to hike, bike and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
The most striking similarity he has found among those with whom he has worked in any location is a shared love for food, part of the reason why he has chosen to return to companies with brands in the restaurant industry. That commonality is what often helps him connect with customers in whatever country he is working.
“No matter where in the world you are, when you sit down and you start to talk to people and get beyond the cultural differences, the people and the customers are the same; whether you’re in Asia, you’re in Europe or you’re in Latin America; people are passionate about food and food products,” Hutchens said.
Success Starts at Home, ProvidenceHutchens credits his affability to his large family. As the youngest of 11, he was comfortable talking to older people at a young age, he said. His family also influenced his career in other ways. Midway through college, he decided he wanted to be a corporate man like his father, a retired controller for CSX Corp., and switched his major from political science to accounting. His four older brothers inspired a mutual love for cars and fueled his enthusiasm for his first job working for Ford Motor Co. in Detroit, where he worked in finance and product
development. Once
Hutchens had decided on his career choice, he approached his undergraduate degree with a laser focus, earning his bachelor’s from Indiana University Southeast in 3 1/2 years – just two years after switching his major. From there, he went straight into the IU Bloomington Kelley School of Business – coincidentally at the same time as fellow 1983 Providence grad Matt Smith – to earn his master’s in business administration in finance.
That same drive has helped him throughout his career as he has led companies through joint ventures, acquisitions, business start-ups and taking a company public, as he did with Papa Murphy’s soon after his hire. Hutchens said he looks forward to growing the mid-sized company into a large one, pointing out how the Louisville market is just one area targeted for growth.
Attending Catholic schools like Providence and Bishop Kenny in Jacksonville, Fla., where his father was transferred his sophomore and junior years, helped prepare him for many of achievements, Hutchens said. Both schools encouraged him to develop a wide range of interests. That “breadth of perspective” helps him even today to have knowledge and interests in areas well beyond finance and business in order to find a connecting point with customers.
“To be successful in the corporate world or really in anything, you have to have passion and commitment and diligence and perseverance,” he said. “That all starts with learning about hard work and results, and Providence and Bishop Kenny were great places and experiences for that. A lot of it has to do with what happens outside school, but I think Providence was a great foundation for everything I’ve achieved.”
Mark Hutchens ’83, CFO of Papa Murphy’s International, lives in Vancouver, Wash., where he enjoys exploring the natural beauty of the Northwest. He returns often to Southern Indiana to visit his parents, family and two teenage daughters, who live in Louisville.
Personal Touch Helps CFO Connect with CustomersMore than Just a Numbers Guy By: Christa (Payne) Hoyland ’84
Photos courtesy of Mark H
utchens ’83
Mark Hutchens with his father, Elwood.
From the time he was a child growing up in New Albany, Bryan Schueler ’87 was interested in energy and electricity and,
as he grew older, how it could be delivered better to consumers and businesses.
“I used to build motors and light bulbs in the basement, and one time when I was making a light bulb, I blew the fuse box,” said Schueler. “My parents yelled at me from upstairs. They always encouraged me, but I think they thought once our power went out maybe I was going a little too far.”
Schueler also knew early on he wanted to pursue engineering as a career. To help offset the costs of his college education, he had a paper route and operated a grass cutting business throughout his teenage years. During summers in college, he worked at General Electric in Louisville’s Appliance Park in product design, earning money and valuable work experience. Upon earning his degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in 1991, he took a job as a technical engineer for Commonwealth Edison Co. in Chicago for a year.
From that point, his career has been focused on helping employers and the public reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining a high quality of life. After his brief stint with Commonwealth Edison, Schueler went to work for Polsky Energy Corp., which became known as SkyGen Energy before being bought by the Calpine Corp. in 2001. The company’s founder, Michael Polsky, then brought Schueler and several others along and founded Invenergy Inc. in 2003, where Schueler is senior vice president of development.
Focused on a Better WorldThe company’s projects that create and harness energy include wind, solar and natural gas, but it’s in wind turbines where Invenergy has made its mark. The company is headquartered in Chicago – which positions it near several projects in which Schueler is involved in Illinois and in the center of the country.
“Most of our projects are in the U.S., but it’s fun - and interesting - to work on projects we have in Poland, Scotland, Latin America and Canada,” he said.
The company has created or is in the
process of building 57 wind-energy plants across the United States and in Europe. At Invenergy, Schueler has been involved in the development and construction of essentially all of the company’s wind farms and several natural gas-fired facilities.
Renewable energy, such as produced through wind, is still a small, yet growing part of the industry. About four percent of all electricity produced in the United States is produced by wind.
“People desire to have a lifestyle that is more carbon-neutral,” Schueler said. “There has been a lot of growth, especially over the last 10 years, in the renewable energy mix – things have just exploded.”
Schueler truly is energized by the discussion of renewable energy and the changing landscape in the industry. He sees how it can benefit future generations – including his sons – and enjoys putting his knowledge into practice to improve the environment while providing economic benefits for businesses and local communities.
“The energy field is all-encompassing; everyone uses energy, and everyone needs it,” he said. “It requires a very good blend of business and technical skills. I like being involved and coming up with solutions and viewing it from the perspective of our daily lives. There are policy issues, technical and business issues – it’s a great field to be in and always interesting.”
Bryan Schueler ’87, SVP of development for Invenergy, lives in Northbrook, a northern suburb of Chicago, with his wife, Susan, and their children, Mark, 15, David, 13, and John, 10. When he’s not at work, he enjoys cycling and watching his boys play sports and participate in the performing arts.
Photos courtesy of Bryan Schueler ’87
Schueler Builds Career on Renewable EnergyHarnessing the WindBy: Jon Reiter ’93
seussical the MusicalApril 19 and 23-26
Robinson Auditorium at ProvidenceOrder online www.providencehigh.net
or call (812) 945-2538 x 328
ProVidence Junior-senior high school | The Vision
Photos courtesy of Chip Reeves ’84
11
Chip Reeves ’84 has made a career out of stepping into the unknown.
Whether it was as an exchange student, the first American direct sales employee for Dow Corning in Japan, or accepting a new position on the day he was interviewed for this profile, Reeves has consistently and repeatedly moved forward into unchartered territory throughout his life and career.
Reeves began his journey in 1982, taking advantage of an opportunity offered by Providence and Mitsubishi Motors to become a foreign exchange student in Kyoto, Japan, where his love for the Asian country took hold. That love directed much of his professional and personal life from that day forward.
His choice to attend Indiana University was based almost entirely on its East Asian studies program, which provided him yet another opportunity to travel as a foreign exchange student, this time to Nagoyo for an entire year.
Upon completion of his bachelor’s degrees in marketing and organizational management and in East Asian culture studies, Reeves took a position with Midland, Mich.-based Dow Corning Corp. as a U.S. sales associate. Almost immediately, he was offered the chance to take a step into the newly developed role in direct sales in Japan.
His time in Japan, a two-year assignment that stretched to five-and-a-half years, was a time of great change. He arrived a single man working in electronics sales. He left a married
father working in the marketing of beauty and household care, with a stop in between in internal processes.
Reeves met his wife, Mamiko, through a mutual friend from IU. As it happened, she was from Nagoyo and had attended the same college as he when he was a foreign exchange student there, though they never met at the time. She had also been an exchange student and was as fluent in English as he was in Japanese. Friendship led to dating then to marriage.
When Reeves had the opportunity to return to the United States, Mamiko left her job at Sony, and the young family, including son Ken, moved to Michigan. With extended family still in Japan, the Reeves family – including son Joh (pronounced Joe) – returns there about every 18 months. And now Mamiko, as dean of international programs at Northwoods University in Midland, has picked up the travel load for the family, traveling around four months out of the year and visiting 14 to 16 countries in that time.
Same Company, Multiple RolesReeves has remained with Dow Corning throughout his career, but his varied roles within the silicone products manufacturing company have changed often, with new challenges and responsibilities in each. He worked in marketing until 1998 before transitioning to the customer service side of the business, where he worked as customer service manager and global customer feedback and orders manager. In 2002, he was able to combine his experience in working with customers and his interest in the emerging world of e-commerce to take over as e-business strategist.
In 2004, Reeves and his family moved back to Japan for an intended three- to five-year stint as marketing manager, once again in electronics. The assignment changed just a year later, however, and the family moved back to the States.
Although it was a huge undertaking to uproot his entire family twice in one year to move across the world and then back again, Reeves said he wouldn’t trade that year because his sons were able to spend their first and fourth grade years, respectively, in school in Japan and learning more about their mother’s side of the family.
Reeves returned to Michigan to bring his experiences in the digital realm to bear on other aspects of Dow Corning’s businesses with a role in marketing functional excellence. He found that his career shifts over his first 15 years with Dow Corning put him in an ideal position to bridge the company’s diverse
international holdings and industries. That ability led in 2008 to his taking a
leadership role in the Dow Corning Business & Technology Incubator, working in business building as well as marketing over a five-year period. It was there he most put to use his ability to connect his knowledge of sales, marketing and customer relations with his understanding of the various tenets of Dow Corning’s business (technology, electronics, beauty and household care) as well as with his experiences both domestically and internationally.
“The puzzle is trying to figure out how to make it work across these elements,” Reeves said.
And he continues to try to solve that puzzle. Most recently, after a year working as the enterprise program manager for global business services, he has shifted roles yet again and now serves as customer experience design senior specialist. In his varied roles, he has continued to focus on developing a better customer experience, and now in his newest role, he is focusing on this work across the company and around the world, both online
and offline, across different industries, regardless of language and culture.
“I have a very unconventional career path,” Reeves admits. And one that’s managed to keep challenging him, allowing him to chase his interests and advance his career.
Chip Reeves ’84 and his family live in Midland, Mich. They enjoy summers sailing on Lake Michigan and visiting family stateside and in Japan.
High School Exchange Program Opens DoorsBridging Cultures By: Jeff Taylor ’94
Chip Reeves with sons Ken and Joe visiting Kyoto, Japan, in 2007
The Vision | ProVidence Junior-senior high school 1212
Boys Basketball: Advanced to sectional semi-finals. First season for Andrew Grantz ’07 with a young team. Key wins include victories over rivals 2A Clarksville and 3A Charlestown.
Wrestling: Senior Matt Hayes qualified for the state finals in the 182-pound weight class. Also placed third at semi-state, won his first regional title and won his third sectional title in a row. Also at sectional, sophomore Evan Rogers placed fourth in the 106-pound weight class and advanced to regional. Matt also was named to the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Senior Academic All-State First Team; junior Josh Rinzel was selected to the Junior Academic All-State First Team. Josh also was SIWC conference champ at heavyweight.
Girls Basketball: Won first sectional and regional in program
history with a record breaking 22 wins in a season. Senior Michaela Hoke was named to the Hoosier Basketball Coaches Association District 5 All-State, and senior Sara Gryboski received Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association Academic All-State Honorable Mention. Sophomore Claire Rauck named to ICGSA second team All State and Indiana Basketball Coaches Association/Subway Small School Underclassman All-State; freshman Hannah Wolford received IBCA/Subway
Underclassman All-State Honorable Mention.
Boys Swimming: At sectional sophomore Keith Bremmer placed 14th overall in the 100-yard breaststroke, and sophomore Nick Berry took sixth place in diving. Also
advancing to the sectional finals were the 200-yard medley relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay teams made up of Bremmer, junior Nathan Marriott, sophomore Grayson Edwards
and freshman Nick Katchur. Nick Katchur also qualified as an
alternate in the finals in the 500-yard freestyle.
Girls Swimming: The relay team of freshman McEwan Robinson and sophomores Elizabeth Scharre, Courtney Heselschwerdt and Katrina Cooper advanced to the sectional finals in the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay.
Dance: Placed fourth in the Indiana High School Dance Team Association South Regionals and fourth in the Class A Varsity Pom Division at state finals.
Cheer: Placed fourth in the intermediate varsity division in the Jamfest Cheer Super Nationals in Indianapolis.
SPORTSH I G H L I G H T S
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ProVidence Junior-senior high school | The Vision 13
For the past two years, Providence has been quietly raising money as part of a capital campaign effort that seeks
to fund many components of the school’s Master Plan and increase the school’s endowment. Thanks to outstanding support from generous donors, substantial upgrades to campus athletic facilities have been made and nearly $400,000 in contributions has been added to the school’s endowment.
If you were a spectator at a team contest at Murphy Stadium or the Larkin Center in the fall, you’re aware of the remarkable transformations that were completed over the summer – new bleachers in both the Larkin Center and Koetter gyms, a resurfaced court sporting the refreshed Providence Pioneer athletic logo in the Larkin Center, and the
new turf field surface that accommodates boys’ and girls’ soccer as well as Providence and Deanery school football in Murphy Staduim. Bill (Hon. ’14) and Juanita Beach’s continued philanthropy to Providence made the Larkin Center improvements possible, and the combination of several unrestricted gifts and generous in-kind contributions moved the field replacement forward.
Another project that gained momentum thanks to a coalition of motivated donors is the addition of six tennis courts to the Providence campus. Preliminary site preparation for the new courts began in the fall with the finishing touches scheduled for completion during the spring. Our front lawn and practice field also received a make-over with recycled dirt from the turf field installation.
A major change to the look of our campus includes the demolition of the former convent building. The building had been utilized as classroom space, particularly for the junior high, since the 1980s. Regulating the temperature of the building became more difficult over time as the heating system, which is original to the building, began to fail. At this year’s inspection, it was found the heating unit needed replacing. The costs to modernize the heating system and original windows as well as add central air and make a few other major repairs proved more costly than erecting a new building. With input from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, inspectors closed the convent building last fall, and the New Albany Deanery Youth Ministry and Aquinas Center offices vacated the building.
To pay for the cost of the demolition, Providence has received a $37,500 grant from the James P. Scott Capital Improvement Endowment Fund maintained by the Catholic Community Foundation – Archdiocese of Indianapolis. This grant will cover the demolition costs and the paving of the area for parking once the building is removed.
Future campus improvements include a long-overdue kitchen/cafeteria overhaul; new stadium bleachers, a combined stadium entrance/field-house that will include new restrooms, concession stand, locker rooms and press box in Murphy Stadium; and a new chapel. Additional funds will be sought to accomplish these projects. If history is any indication, it’s certain that the Providence community will respond generously to the request for this help in the future.
Capital Improvement Projects Spruce up CampusPreparing for the Future By: Tony Perito
Vice President of Advancement
1970Glenn Hancock retired in December 2014 after serving 11 years as judge of Superior Court II in Floyd County. Glenn will still be filling in as a senior judge when needed throughout Southern Indiana. He earned his law degree from the University of Louisville in May 1982 and practiced law until being appointed judge in 2003.
Danny Spitznagel recently was presented with the 2015 Industry Pioneer Award from the Mobile Air Conditioning Society. Danny is owner of Ft. Walton (Fla.) Radiator, Auto Air & Repair and
was recently appointed to the Mobile Air Conditioning Society board of directors. He lives in Shalimar, Fla., and was featured in the Feb. 27, 2015, issue of the Northwest Florida Daily News.
1975Patty (Day) Naville is now an instructional assistant in the nursing department at Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz.
1983Susan Braitling Bunch received her board certification in nursing professional development. She is the clinical training specialist and chairperson for the Caregiver Advisory Board at Maxim Healthcare Services.
Sheri (Bursby) Payne accepted a new
position as office manager at John G. Brinkworth Inc. in New Albany, Ind.
1987Jeffrey M. ‘JD’ Dotson is one of three alumni who are on the staff of Extol Magazine, a new magazine ‘celebrating Southern Indiana.’ He is a columnist and also is the owner of Regalo, which has two locations in Louisville and one in New Albany. Emily Grantz ’99 is a healthcare writer for the magazine and also is a patient care coordinator for five local family physicians. Jason Applegate ex-’95 is the director of sales and advertising for the magazine and also is a minority partner in Southern Indiana Paint Supply.
1988Gary Grigg is now the senior vice
president and financial advisor at Morgan Stanley.
1989Matt Dattilo and Stephen Schauer were a part of the team who developed, wrote and produced the historical documentary TV series How We Got Here. This 12-episode series aired in January 2015 on Discovery’s American Heroes channel. Matt was the writer for most of the episodes, and Stephen was the series producer. Matt also had a successful history podcast for years.
1982Mindy (Buerger) Dablow was named interim principal of Clarksville Elementary School. Previously, Mindy was the TAP master teacher for the school.
Class Notes
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14 The Vision | ProVidence Junior-senior high school
1990Chad Book is now logistics sales manager at Interstate Imaging.
1991Mike Rizzo is a self-taught chef who is the personal chef for Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White. Mike was featured on the “Truffle Shufflin’” episode of the new series Late Nite Chef Fight on FYI Channel, which aired on Jan. 3, 2015.
1995Sam Lee and his wife, Jamie, both pharmacists, founded Louisville-based Six Sigma Laboratories, which developed NormaLyte, a product that helps those suffering from dehydration related to exercise, illness, hangovers or other conditions. Sam works for Bridgewater, N.J.-based Sanofi-Aventis U.S., LLC.
1997Ann Marie Wheatley and Shane Bryan Fitzgerald ’99 were married in December 2014 in Clarksville.
Shane works for Kentucky One Health, and Ann works in the Children’s Department at the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library and also teaches preschool at Lafayette Academy in Floyds Knobs. The couple resides in New Albany.
1998Patrick Fleming is now the president of the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce and owns an Edward Jones Investments office in Charlestown. He and wife Marianne (Bott) welcomed their first child, son Everett Ian Fleming, in August 2014.
Rob Reich is now a vehicle maintenance craftsman with the U.S. Air Force.
1999Sarah M. (Rose) Sears married Will Sears in May 2014. Sarah graduated from the University of Louisville’s School of Medicine and is an OB/GYN. She works at the IU Medical Complex in Indianapolis, where her husband is an internal medicine and pediatrics doctor.
2000Sally Hughes was recently promoted to business development at HWC Engineering and lives in Clarksville.
Marie (Ruiz) Fulkerson is a certified professional makeup artist and was featured in an article in the ‘Stylemaker’ section of The Courier-Journal in the Feb. 1, 2015, edition. Marie received her certification from Bosso Professional Makeup Institute in Beverly Hills, Cailf.
Lindsay (Vaught) Fouts is an accounting manager at American
Commercial Lines in Jeffersonville.
Catie Wheatley is now the senior manager of community giving at Metro United Way in Louisville.
2001Brittany (Coffey) Ross and her husband, Michael ’94, welcomed their second child, Molly Elizabeth Ross, in December 2014.
Molly weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.
Megan (Thompson) Coughlan and her husband, Doug, welcomed a daughter, Rebecca Elizabeth Coughlan, in December 2013. She weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces and was 21 inches long.
2002Whitney (Miller-Brengle) Adkins married Ryan Adkins on Sept. 20, 2014, in Louisville. Members of the wedding party included Whitney’s sisters, Morgan (Miller-Brengle) Harper ’06, Taylor Miller-Brengle ’08 and Shelby Miller-Brengle ’09 and alumni Tony Harper, Katy Goodman, Chad Naville, Courtney (Redemann) McCoy, Erika (Etheridge) Hargis, Will Hargis and Chad Barras. Whitney is the daughter of retired English teacher Nancy Miller and recently was promoted to junior copywriter at J & L Marketing Inc. in Louisville.
Brad and Diana (Stumler) Denman welcomed daughter Reese in December 2014. She joins big brother, Mason, 2. Reece and Mason are the grandchildren of Ron and Rhonda (Osborne ’75) Denman and Michael and Darlene (Sprigler ’73) Stumler.
J.W. Nickell and wife Chelsy welcomed their son, Hays J. Nickell, in March 2014. He joins big sister Hadly, 3.
2003Adam Naville is now the regional president of business sales for Floyd and Harrison counties at Your Community Bank.
Nick Vissing is now senior CPA at Rodefer Moss & Co., PLLC.
2005Christian Anderson is now an
independent insurance agent at Callistus Smith Agency in Floyds Knobs, which is owned by Glenn Smith ’76 and family.
Katie (Andres) Dillman married Scott Dillman on March 22, 2014. Members of the wedding party included Leah (Cissell) Kelly and Alicia (Dougherty) Logsdon. The couple lives in Trafalgar, Ind.
Amanda (Hochadel) Edwards married Andy Edwards ’99 on Oct. 4, 2014, in Clarksville. Members of the wedding party included Amanda (Loi) Stemler, Zach Wilton ’99, and Adam DeSpain ’99.
Noelle (Hadler) Felz and husband Ben welcomed son Harrison Dean Felz in October 2014.
Jordan Golembeski is now the creative communications specialist/designer with Capital Metro in Austin, Texas.
Jimmy Guilfoyle is the new Clarksville Town Court Judge and also is a staff attorney for the federal bankruptcy court in New Albany. He earned his law degree from the University of Louisville in 2013.
Jessica (Batliner) and Blake Neumann welcomed twin boys in February 2015. Beckett weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces and was 20 inches long, and Camden weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches.
Michael Skaggs defended a dissertation proposal in the University of Notre Dame Department of History in December. He is working on his Ph.D. dissertation, which will examine Catholic-Jewish relations and religious approaches to racial problems in 20th-century Cincinnati. He and his wife, Caroline (Wadsworth) Skaggs, welcomed their second child, George, in February 2015.
2006Leslie (Drury) Chapman has earned her master’s degree in social work from IUPUI and a Medication Assisted Treatment state certification while working as a therapist/treatment counselor at the Southern Indiana Treatment Center.
Michelle (Landis) Huber married Derek Huber on Dec. 12, 2014. Members of the wedding party included Megan Landis-Block ’00, Christie Denman, Kari Johnson, Kristina (Koetter) Misamore, Kelli Case ’08, and AJ Huber.
2007Theresa Pickerrell is now a front desk receptionist at Smith-Manus Surety Bonds.
2008Carly Book is now the associate director of regional initiatives at KIPP Indianapolis.
Alexas Gregory accepted a new position as sales manager at Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Louisville, Ky. She also is a freelance writer for The Vision.
Zach Payne is now head varsity baseball coach at Lanesville High School. He also is co-owner of Double Switch Lineups, specializing in carbon copy and large dugout lineup cards and in-game charts and scouting charts for baseball and softball teams. He also is a part-time sports clerk for The Courier-Journal.
Josh and Natalie (McDonough) Smith were married on Sept. 26, 2014, in Jeffersonville. Alumni in the wedding party included Nicole Freiberger (maid of honor), Kayla Ostrader, Jacob Eve (best man), John Henry Graff and Zach Payne. Natalie is working at Floyd Memorial Hospital as a registered nurse, and Josh is working at Hilliard Lyons as a mutual fund operations associate. The couple resides in Memphis, Ind.
2009 Amy Popp is now a community service representative at Autumn Woods Health Campus.
Matthew Sidebottom is now a stereo depth artist at Legend3D in Toronto, Canada. 2010Ashley Bennett got engaged to Jordan Rookstool on Jan. 31, 2015, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Sarah Frey graduated from the University Of Louisville School of Nursing in December 2014. She is working as a nurse in the Neonatal ICU at Kosair Children’s Hospital.
Chelsey King passed the CPA exam in December 2014 and is working as a budget analyst at LG&E and KU.
Courtney Murphy has accepted a new position with Armstrong World Industries as an inside sales specialist and LEED green associate.
Linden Spalding is a resident director at Marian University while earning her master’s degree in higher education and student affairs at IUPUI. She has a bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology.
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Year .......................................... ContributionClass of 1955 ...............................................$2,665Class of 1956* .................................................7,801Class of 1957* ...............................................12,444Class of 1958* ...............................................23,021Class of 1959* ...............................................10,155Class of 1960* ...............................................21,455Class of 1961* ...............................................13,525Class of 1962* .................................................8,999Class of 1963* ...............................................5,470Class of 1964 .................................................2,415Class of 1965* .................................................8,550Class of 1966* .................................................5,050Class of 1967* .................................................5,050Class of 1969* ...............................................13,088Class of 1970 .................................................1,990Class of 1971 ....................................................370Class of 1972 .................................................3,600Class of 1974 ...................................................1,208Class of 1977* ...............................................6,000Class of 1978 .................................................1,685Class of 1979* ...............................................11,526Class of 1980* .................................................5,000Class of 1981* .................................................6,250Class of 1982* ...............................................26,908Class of 1983* .................................................5,325Class of 1984 ...................................................2,110Class of 1986 .................................................1,050Class of 1988 ...................................................2,650Class of 1989 ....................................................400Class of 1991 .................................................2,000Class of 1992 .................................................2,900Class of 1993 ....................................................289Class of 1994* .................................................5,737Class of 1995* .................................................5,704Class of 2003* ...............................................5,000Class of 2005* .................................................6,000Class of 2008* ...............................................5,165Class of 2011* .................................................5,000Class of 2012* .................................................5,000Class of 2013 ...................................................... 65Class of 2014 ...................................................3,172Class of 2015 ...................................................2,500Class of 2017 ...................................................... 50
Total .................................................$264,342*Denotes permanent endowment, with minimum $5,000 balance.
Don’t see your class listed? No asterisk by your class total? For a limited time, an anonymous donor will match the first $500 in a class endowment or will donate $500 for class endowments with a $4,500 balance to make the fund a permanent endowment. Call the Advancement Office at (812) 945-3350 or email [email protected] for more information.
ProVidence Junior-senior high school | The Vision
Julie Clemons ex-’04Tom Hamm ’60Kelly Harrod ex-’65Richard Heavrin ’61Evelyn (Smith) Heiligenberg ’67Michelle Kerton ’81Barbara (Pfeffer) Rainbolt ’60Jack Rainbolt ’65Thomas Walter ex-’60Steve Zoeller ex-’78
Former Providence teachers:
Sr. Edwardine McNulty, S.P. (1963-64 English, Reading Lab)
Sr. Lourdes Kline, S.P. (1952-53 Home Ec, English, and math)
In MemoriamSince the last publication of The Vision, the Advancement Office has received word of the following deaths:
If a loved one, friend, or classmate has passed away recently and Providence has not been notified, please contact us at [email protected]
In Memory of Linda Sperzel Agnew ’73
Gerald & Sandra Keller ’63 Huhn
In Memory of Helen AndresRon ’66 & Cynthia Lankert ’66
Andres
In Memory of Paul AndresRon ’66 & Cynthia Lankert ’66
Andres
In Memory of Steve AndresRon ’66 & Cynthia Lankert ’66
Andres
In Memory of Leona BecherDaniel ’64 & Jayne BecherPowell & Sandra Becher ’68 Felix
In Memory of Roman BecherDaniel ’64 & Jayne Becher
In Memory of Joseph Gronotte ’79
Barbara Dinsmore
In Memory of Daniel R. HallLarry & Ginny Schremser
In Memory of Shirley HolbrookSang & L. Hillary Ogden ’05 Lee
In Memory of Bettie JonesMike, Jody (Cooley ’81), MaryAnn
and Shawn Fitzpatrick
In Memory of Barbara Carroll Kochert ’58
Marita Witten
In Memory of Michael KoerberRebecca Kaiser Wenning ’86
In Memory of Sharon Marie LaBosco
David L. Osborne ’82
In Memory of Frances E. Lankert Ron ’66 & Cynthia Lankert ’66
Andres
In Memory of Albert J. Lorey, Jr.Michael & Regina Andres ’73 CoxBob & Martha FranzMary Rose Book ’60 Thompson &
Dawn Thompson
In Memory of Bernard S. McCabe, Jr.
Bob Gestein & Rosemary BarmoreDavid & Susan BischofMichael & Kathleen DickenEdward & Fay GooteeMary GoffMike “Mickey” McCabe & FamilyMike, Jennifer, Katie & Michaela
McCabeRoger & Deborah TevisGary & Cheryl ThompsonMike & Dots Wild
In Memory of Michael Naville ‘69Elise Tighe
In Memory of James Oeffinger ‘57
The GE Foundation
In Memory of Barbara Pfeffer Rainbolt ’60
Robert ’56 & Georgia Radcliff ’60 Leonard
In Memory of J. Robert SchmittRuth Uhl Kaiser ’59
In Memory of Robert J. StemleSteve Jarboe ’78
In Memory of Marilyn “Mickey” Stocksdale
Norman Lankert
In Memory of Brandon TevisDocument Services BranchBecky Meredith
In Memory of Thomas “Tommy” Walter (ex-’60)
Ruth Uhl Kaiser ’59
In Memory of John Terry Wilson, Sr.
Paul & Amy ChriscoEmployees and Board Members of
First Harrison BankFrederick A. ’81 & Kathryn Wilson
’81 ErnstbergerMichael & Jody Cooley ’81
FitzpatrickFriends at IU SoutheastJoseph H. ’80 & Pamela Lilly ’77
KraftSusan Ingram GibsonJoseph Gunselman, Jr.Beth Huff & FamilyRobert ’56 & Georgia Radcliff ’60
LeonardMary Mason-StatlerBetty Jo MurphyM.A. & Usha Venkataramanan
In Honor of Doug ‘95 & Shannon Kraft
Morgan Stanley Foundation
In Honor of Victor ’72 & Jeannie Schmidt ’72 Unruh
Chad ’97 & Lori UnruhTravis ’95 & Cammie UnruhMatthew ‘02 & Maria Unruh ‘02
Wheatley
Memorial and Honorary Gifts
Gifts received between Dec. 6, 2014, and March 13, 2015
news to share? Fill out the online form under Alumni News/Change Contact Info section at providencehigh.net or email your information to [email protected]. Include your current address and other pertinent information. Or jot down your info and send to Providence Office of Institutional Advancement, 707 Providence Way, Clarksville IN 47129.
Class Endowment TotalsAs of March 13, 2015
NON PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE
PAIDLOUISVILLE KYPERMIT #879
NOTE: Providence saves on postage by sending one Vision magazine per household, with the address determined by the mail house. If you would like to specify the name of the addressee or update an address, please contact the Advancement Office at the address, phone, or email above.
Our Lady of ProvidenceJunior-Senior High School
Office of Institutional Advancement707 Providence Way, Clarksville, IN 47129-1599Phone (812) 945-3350 / Fax (812) [email protected]
PRovidence
