Concordia and the Oswald Hoffmann School of Christian Outreach are living out their mission of sharing God’s word through the Master of Arts in Christian Outreach program in its first overseas context. (more…)

Popularity: 74% [?]

Story written by Tim Sailor ‘09
For Christus Chorus members, memories and lessons learned on our 16-day trip to Ghana will last a lifetime. (more…)

Popularity: 73% [?]

Not many college baseball programs get the opportunity to take the field against a professional team. But a Minnesota contest, Minnesota Twins vs. Golden Bears, has been an annual tradition since 2003 and takes place during the Twins February spring training in Fort Meyers, Fla. (more…)

Popularity: 88% [?]

For Concordia head baseball coach Mark “Lunch” McKenzie, lessons learned watching from the Minnesota Twins visitors’ clubhouse helped him survive some of life’s toughest curveballs. (more…)

Popularity: 86% [?]

Lutheran educators from across the country gathered in Minneapolis at the Lutheran Education Association Convocation. The April event drew over 3,400 people including many Concordia alumni. LEA, a professional organization that exists to link, equip and affirm Lutheran educators, hosts the convocation every three years. (more…)

Popularity: 79% [?]

The Academy class of ’56 and Junior College class of ’58 reunited on campus in May. Attendees wore golden robes and led the class of 2008 into their commencement on Friday, May 9. For more photos from the three-day event, visit ave.csp.edu (more…)

Popularity: 77% [?]

Medtronic, Inc. is not only in the medical technology business, the global company is in the business of developing leaders. Master of Arts in Organizational Management graduates Becky Carlson (’93)(’03) and Sengdara (Vannavong) Grue (M.A. ’08) are shining examples. Carlson has worked her way to the top and Grue is well on her way.

Carlson began at Medtronic as an administrative assistant after she lost her secretarial job in the mining industry during the early 80s mining slump. It wasn’t long before Carlson realized her move up the corporate ladder was inhibited by one missing rung—her bachelor’s degree—so she obtained her degree in Organizational Management from Concordia. Seven years and many promotions later, Carlson returned to Concordia for her MAOM.

Her academic credentials and a strong work ethic led to her current position as vice president for customer and patient operations. She appreciates the interest former supervisors and those in human resources have taken in her development. “I’ve always felt that Medtronic lets me be me,” Carlson said. “The people I’ve worked with recognize that everyone has unique qualities and they build on those.”

Grue’s path to the top looks to be similar. Grue completed her undergraduate degree and got her foot in the door at Medtronic in information technology. With a continued passion for learning, she earned her MAOM degree from Concordia.

In May, Grue moved to Memphis, Tenn. to begin Medtronic’s prestigious leadership development program. Annually, the program accepts a limited number of participants nationwide and includes two, one-year assignments shadowing Medtronic senior leaders and two special projects. “They’re making a big investment in me,” Grue said, enthusiastic about the program’s outcome.

Both Carlson and Grue attribute their career satisfaction with their alignment to Medtronic’s mission.

“I have a commitment to the Medtronic mission, which is to alleviate pain, restore health and extend the lives of patients who can benefit from medical device therapies,” Grue said. For Carlson, there is commonality in her Christian upbringing and Medtronic’s values. “A lot of people at Medtronic are successful because they want to help people,” Carlson said. Whether it’s changing the life of a medical device recipient or assisting a colleague’s move into a role that meets his or her passion, helping people is at the heart of Medtronic’s mission.

Popularity: 70% [?]

No matter what you do in life, one thing is inevitable—you’ll face challenges. For Nick Papachristou ’00, Associated Bank executive vice president and chief marketing officer, challenges are inherent in opportunity.

Obtaining his college degree certainly presented challenges. After spending a few years in college in his home state of New York, Papachristou was drawn to the Twin Cities by a few friends, the cost of living, and quality of life. His desire for career growth drew him to the cohort-delivered degree-completion program at Concordia. “I would not have been able to further my career without my degree,” he said.

What really stands out in Papachristou’s mind about his Concordia experience is the empathy, understanding and support he received from faculty, specifically Dr. Richard Brynteson. “His personal commitment to the concept of the program and the group, and his ability to facilitate learning that was appropriate for working adults seeking to achieve something specific was just outstanding,” Papachristou said. “He was a good support and a good guide going through that.”

The opportunity for Papachristou to lead Associated Bank to gain market share in a saturated marketplace presents its challenges too. “It sounds simple but it’s a difficult task,” Papachristou said. Despite the competition, he knows opportunities are abundant. “I look at this company and I see huge unbridled potential,” Papachristou said. Papachristou’s path to Associated Bank has led him to Milwaukee but he’s made stops in Boston, New York and Philadelphia along the way. He admitted moving his wife and two sons, age 7 and 10, has been challenging. “My opportunities have always been good and everything has worked out, but moving is the hard part,” Papachristou said.

Despite all of the challenges Papachristou has faced, he points to a few things that have fueled his success. “It’s really about work ethic and the willingness to apply yourself and focus,” he said. “What I’ve achieved is also in large part due to my experience at Concordia.”

Popularity: 67% [?]

Entrepreneurship has been at the heart of every career move Rollie Reis-Mather ’06 has made since her early twenties. Reis-Mather has learned to thrive in a risky environment and now spends her time working as a business broker and volunteering to help others learn to thrive in the same environment.

At 22, Reis-Mather co-founded a glass blowing company, Goldenflow Studios, with her now husband, Dan Mather. Starting from Mather’s garage, they grew to a business that grossed $825,000 at its peak. Product quality, customer service and employee performance caused the common growing pains of start-up businesses, so they scaled back to a more manageable size. “It was challenging to learn the lessons of an entrepreneurship the hard way,” Reis-Mather said. Reis-Mather’s 17-year involvement in Goldenflow Studios taught her a thing or two about entrepreneurial challenges—­enough to entrust that venture solely to her husband, get her degree at Concordia, and move on to help others who share the same entrepreneurial spirit.

Reis-Mather started her B.A. degree at a large university only to find the program didn’t fit the lifestyle of a busy working professional. Concordia was a better fit for Ries-Mather. “The way Concordia put together the adult education program shows their commitment to helping people achieve their goals,” Reis-Mather said.

The values-based education Reis-Mather received at Concordia, translated to her full-time work at WomanVenture, a consulting company empowering women to find rewarding work. Her interest in entrepreneurship blossomed in her role as a consultant, helping clients build business plans. “That’s where I learned to love entrepreneurship,” Reis-Mather said. “I was able to connect with clients and teach them using my experiences.” She continues to work with WomanVenture on a voluntary basis while her full-time work has evolved into helping businesses in a different fashion.

Reis-Mather is now employed at the business brokerage firm, Calhoun Companies. The sale of big ticket items, like the $2 million software company she listed, keeps her job exhilarating. She said her position is still very entrepreneurial; seeking both business sellers and buyers and then connecting the two. Her ability to connect with people and draw from her own entrepreneurial experiences allows her to continue to thrive in the competitive business world.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Bruce Nustad’s (’93) future is as big and bright as the 1980 powder-blue Buick Century station wagon he purchased from a faculty member when he was a Concordia student. He ranks business professor Tom Hanson as one of his favorites, not just for selling him that reliable old “boat,” but for imparting many valuable lessons about practical management.

Nustad credits Concordia for giving him a foundation for understanding others, especially in the business world. Not unlike many Concordia students, Nustad said the culture and people in his small Minnesota hometown didn’t look much like Concordia. “Concordia is in a nice little melting pot area that showed me there are a lot of different people in the world,” said the Winona native. “My Christian education taught me how to put myself in someone else’s shoes and respect their perspective.”

For Nustad, that lesson translated directly to the business world. His ability to take an inside look at a business and come up with ways to advance its agenda is what landed him the corner office at TwinWest, the state’s fourth largest, 1,000 member chamber of commerce.

Nustad took the post as president in March and set aggressive goals to immerse himself in the western suburb marketplace. He has since discovered that regardless of whether someone is a business owner, school superintendent or government official, the desire for economic growth is evident. “The reason I wake up every day and go to work at the TwinWest is because the growth of business is vital to the growth of society,” Nustad said.

Even though that blue station wagon is no longer on the road, Nustad’s drive to succeed in the business world is as strong as ever. “I believe it’s my job and my place in this world to try to help drive the success of businesses,” he said.

Popularity: 12% [?]