Members attending UMRA’s 2021 Annual Meeting will elect UMRA’s leadership for 2021–22. The slate of candidates appears below. 

Our bylaws provide for additional nominations to be made on the day of the meeting (with the nominees’ consent), and go on to state, “Election shall be by acclamation, except if there is more than one nominee for each position.” So, if you have a nomination for a position and the consent of the individual, please be prepared to submit that nomination during the Annual Meeting on May 25. We will use the Zoom polling feature to conduct the election.

The Nominating Committee presents the following candidates for approval.

President-elect

Ron Matross came to the Minnesota in 1968 as a graduate student in psychology. After receiving his PhD from the University, he became an institutional researcher specializing in student data. He led the development of the U’s first retention reporting system, its first comprehensive graduate survey, and the freshmen admissions tracking system used by the Office of Admissions. He was responsible for much of the University's enrollment management analysis, including enrollment modeling, applicant surveys, and program evaluations. He founded and directed the University Poll to survey the University community and taught a professional development course on survey research. Ron is currently a member of the UMRA Board and a member of the Program Committee, chairing the Workshop subcommittee. He is also a member of the Communications & Outreach Committee.

Treasurer

Gregory Hestness concluded his 40-year police career in 2015. After serving his first 28 years with the Minneapolis Police Department, he joined the U as assistant vice president for Public Safety and police chief. Greg is a U of M graduate, as are his wife, Barbara, and most of his family. He holds a BA in sociology with emphasis on criminology and deviance, and a master’s in management from St. Mary’s University. He enjoys being active in UMRA as a way to continue to be of service and as a lifelong learner. He and Barbara live in Minneapolis. 

Secretary

Gary Engstrand retired in 2016 as senior fellow in higher education in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). Including student years and staff appointments, he has been at the U since 1970. After working for the dean of CLA, Engstrand worked for 11 years in the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Planning (on sex discrimination in athletics) and 27 years as secretary to the faculty, moving to CEHD for the last two years. His swan song was the “Six Presidents” event in 2015, but he is more likely remembered for long committee minutes. He earned three degrees from the University. 

New board members

John Bantle (nominated to serve the remaining year of Ron Matross’s three-year term), is an Emeritus Professor of Medicine and former director of the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the University of Minnesota. He practiced clinical endocrinology and focused on diabetes research during his 45-year career at the University. He was Minnesota principal investigator for the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, was an investigator in several other multicenter clinical trials, and co-chaired the American Diabetes Association panels that developed nutrition recommendations in 2002 and 2006 for people with diabetes. As an UMRA member, Bantle (pictured with his favorite hiking partner, granddaughter Astrid) hopes to strengthen the Professional Development Grants for Retirees program and increase student mentorship within the program. 

Laura Coffin Koch (nominated for a three-year term) served as faculty at the University of Minnesota from 1987 to May 2020. She is a Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Mathematics. During her tenure she was associate dean for undergraduate education with responsibility for freshman seminars, orientation, first-year programs, the SMART Learning Commons, the Center for Academic Planning and Exploration, the President’s Emerging Scholars program, and campus-wide student services initiatives. She twice served as interim director of academic counseling and student services for Intercollegiate Athletics. She was chair of the Senate Committee on Educational Policy and the Faculty Academic Oversight Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. As director of international initiatives for the College of Education and Human Development, one of her many joys was leading study abroad students to Italy. 

Diane Young (nominated for a three-year term) retired in 2019 as development director for the Global Programs & Strategy Alliance. She began a 25-year fundraising career at the U as an associate development officer in the (then) College of Natural Resources before accepting a regional development officer position at the University of Minnesota Foundation. Visiting with donors for 25 years was an honor and a pleasure. Diane says crossing paths with colleagues from across the U at UMRA lunches has been engaging, and UMRA’s Zoom webinars are very informative. She looks forward to giving back to the U by serving on the UMRA Board. Diane lives in University Grove with her husband, Professor Nevin Young. They have one daughter.

KaiMay Yuen Terry (nominated for a second three-year term) is a Chinese American community activist and promoter of cross-cultural understanding. She was instrumental in the development of the Chinese Garden at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. She founded VideoMed, Inc., a producer and distributer of patient education video programs nationwide, and produces public health programs in Hmong and Somali for the U of M. KaiMay left Hong Kong at age 18. She received her BA at Oberlin College, her MSW at the University of Chicago, and her MPH at Johns Hopkins University. She and Joseph Terry, MD, retired from the ophthalmology and retina faculty at the University, have been married for 46 years. They gain much enjoyment from grandparenting and from giving back to society. 

Continuing Board members

Jan Morlock (automatically moves from president-elect to president) served as director of community relations for the Twin Cities Campus. She coordinated the U’s engagement with local and regional government and campus-area community initiatives. After retiring in 2017, she and her husband moved to Wisconsin where they are converting part of an old dairy farm to pollinator habitat. Jan says retirement is a reminder of how much she values connections with the good people in her life, and that being an UMRA member has made her life richer. Her goal as president is to do what she can to keep the Retirees Association growing, engaged and responsive to members, and is prepared to make the most of whatever surprises and opportunities are ahead.

Frank Cerra (automatically continues as an officer as immediate past president) joined the U of M in 1981 as a trauma critical care surgeon. He has more than 350 peer-reviewed publications in basic research in liver cell metabolism and transitional nutrition and metabolic support of the critically ill and injured, and in interprofessional education. He entered administration as department head in surgery, became dean of the Medical School, and then served 15 years as the senior vice president for health sciences and services. In 2011 he became a part-time senior advisor to the National Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice. He now serves on governing boards and does consulting work.

Other continuing board members include Vernon Cardwell, Will Craig, Bill Donohue, Cathy Lee Gierke, Cherie Hamilton, Eric Hockert, Jan McCulloch, Jerry Rinehart, Barbara Shiels, and Catherine Wambach.

UMRA is grateful for the tireless commitment and countless contributions to the Retirees Association made by retiring President Frank Cerra and the following board members who are completing their terms: Claudia Parliament, Chip Peterson, Donna Peterson, and Gloria Williams.

—Becky Anderson, editor