JoEllen Koerner ’82 M.S. tried to quench her untamed curiosity by driving 180 miles a day twice a week to earn a master’s degree in nursing from South Dakota State University. While she admits that curiosity is alive today, those trips created a connection to the College of Nursing.

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Neonatal nurse practitioner Shawn Dunlap, manages nursery, NICU at Mayo Health Clinic System-Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, Wisconsin

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Tearing knee cartilage in high school might have been a bump in Mike Salter’s basketball days, but it was a launching pad to a great career.

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Becky Hruby didn’t see this one coming. When her name was called at the August 2014 pinning ceremony as the outstanding graduate student in her doctor of nurse practitioner class, Hruby (pronounced Ruby) may have been the most surprised one in the audience. The announcement was not a surprise to associate professor Jo Voss.

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When presented with the issue of the state of South Dakota not having enough nurses to administer insulin to diabetic school-age children, Gloria Damgaard ’88 M.S. and Linda Young ’87/’96 M.S. went to work.

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A part-time job for two years helped reinforce why Kendra Lone Elk went into nursing.

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Susan Leddy earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1987 and added a master’s degree and became a nurse practitioner in 1993. She talks about her nursing journey.

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Now working as Sanford Health’s vice president, nursing and clinical services, Diana Berkland ’72/’94 M.S./’14 Ph.D. has pretty much seen it all in the field of nursing. She’s worked as a clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner and now is a health-care executive.

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Tom Stenvig ’91, an associate professor in the College of Nursing, was inducted as a fellow to the American Academy of Nursing Oct. 17, 2015, in Washington, D.C.

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