Indiana University South Bend honored six distinguished alumni at its second annual Alumni of the Year luncheon. The event recognized alumni from IU South Bends colleges and schools and the Franklin D. Schurz Library.
The alumni we are honoring have set a high bar of accomplishment, said IU South Bend Chancellor Terry L. Allison. They make us proud.
William Horton earned a Master of Social Work from IU South Bend in 2012 and is the Interim Director of the Fulton County Department of Child Services and the Assistant Director/Division Manager of the Indiana Department of Child Services for St. Joseph County. He received the Alumni of the Year Award from the School of Social Work.
Susan Jacobs earned a Bachelor of Arts with a History major at IU South Bend in 2010 and is the Assistant Director of the Alpena County Public Library in Michigan. After graduation she earned a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science at Wayne State University. She received the Alumni of the Year Award from the Schurz Library.
Shelly Lesher earned a Bachelor of Arts in Physics at IU South Bend in 1999 and is Director of the Conference Experience for Undergraduates Program for the Division of Nuclear Physics of the American Physical Society and Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse. Shelly earned a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the University of Kentucky. She also holds a visiting professor appointment at Notre Dame, where she spends a portion of each summer carrying out research at the Nuclear Science Laboratory. She received the Alumni of the Year Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Talandra Neff earned a Master of Science in Special Education at IU South Bend in 2007 and is the Director of Student Teaching and Clinical Practice at IU South Bend. She worked for six years at Monger Elementary School in the Elkhart Community Schools as a special education teacher and Site Coordinator for the 21st Century Learning Center. She received the Alumni of the Year Award from the School of Education.
Loretta Schmidt earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at IU South Bend in 1992 and is the Chief Nursing Officer at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center campuses in Mishawaka and Plymouth. She received the Alumni of the Year Award from the Vera Z. Dwyer College of Health Sciences.
Alan Steele earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at IU South Bend in 1983 and is the Regional Director of the North Central Indiana Small Business Development Center. Prior to becoming Regional Director in 2014 he served as an ISBDC Business Advisor, working with existing small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs through one on one advising in a variety of areas including feasibility assessment, business plan development, start-up, marketing strategy, funding, and strategic planning. He was named the ISBDC State Star for 2015. He received the Alumni of the Year Award from the Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics.
