Samantha Rude Earns PhD
- Feb. 05, 2026
Samantha Rude ’18, MS’20 recently completed her PhD in plant pathology at the University of Minnesota. Sam has relocated to Sacramento, CA, to become a research scientist at California Seed and Plant Labs, where she specializes in the development of new testing procedures for evaluating the health of seed and plant material.
More Alumni Notes
William Walter Beyer passed away in Midlothian, VA, on January 20. 2026. William studied history as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and his studies were focused on economic history, finance, and international economics. William served as a commissioned Fo...
Christine Scott Thomson MS’20 and Gregory Thomson are excited to reconnect with graduate school friends and learn about Iceland’s university and city planning connections.
Mark Ray ’06 has been named by the American Public Works Association as a Top 10 Public Works Leader of the Year for 2026. Mark currently serves as...
Garth was born in Boston, MA, on September 29, 1935, the son of Mary Morton Nisbet of Irvington, NY, and Arthur Gorham Rand of Portsmouth, NH. Gart...
Dr. Jim Sernoe BA’86, MA’89 has been promoted to full professor at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was also honored with his 30-year service pin this spring.
After twenty-six years of teaching at two law schools, Scott Pryor JD’80 was named professor emeritus of law in January 2026. Pryor entered the tea...
Laurie Iudin-Nelson PhD’97 (Slavic languages and literatures) is professor emerita of Russian studies at Luther College. Following retirement, she earned the MDiv degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary (Dubuque, Iowa) and was ordained as Minist...
Congrats to Chelsea Blair ’12 on celebrating her one-year wedding anniversary to Justin Blair ’14! The couple lives in Los Angeles, but they got married in Madison on a night full of incredible people, music, food, and laughter. They even jumped i...
Michelle McCready ’07 is serving as the deputy CEO of the national nonprofit Reach Out and Read. Over the past year alone, Reach Out and Read serve...
Kristin Paul ’02 has been appointed executive secretary and chief executive officer of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) and National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ), bringing more than two decades of experience and a lifelong connection to the ...
William Walter Beyer passed away in Midlothian, VA, on January 20. 2026. William studied history as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and his studies were focused on economic history, finance, and international economics. William served as a commissioned Fo...
Christine Scott Thomson MS’20 and Gregory Thomson are excited to reconnect with graduate school friends and learn about Iceland’s university and city planning connections.
Mark Ray ’06 has been named by the American Public Works Association as a Top 10 Public Works Leader of the Year for 2026. Mark currently serves as...
Garth was born in Boston, MA, on September 29, 1935, the son of Mary Morton Nisbet of Irvington, NY, and Arthur Gorham Rand of Portsmouth, NH. Gart...
Dr. Jim Sernoe BA’86, MA’89 has been promoted to full professor at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was also honored with his 30-year service pin this spring.
After twenty-six years of teaching at two law schools, Scott Pryor JD’80 was named professor emeritus of law in January 2026. Pryor entered the tea...
Laurie Iudin-Nelson PhD’97 (Slavic languages and literatures) is professor emerita of Russian studies at Luther College. Following retirement, she earned the MDiv degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary (Dubuque, Iowa) and was ordained as Minist...
Congrats to Chelsea Blair ’12 on celebrating her one-year wedding anniversary to Justin Blair ’14! The couple lives in Los Angeles, but they got married in Madison on a night full of incredible people, music, food, and laughter. They even jumped i...
Michelle McCready ’07 is serving as the deputy CEO of the national nonprofit Reach Out and Read. Over the past year alone, Reach Out and Read serve...
Kristin Paul ’02 has been appointed executive secretary and chief executive officer of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) and National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ), bringing more than two decades of experience and a lifelong connection to the ...
William Walter Beyer passed away in Midlothian, VA, on January 20. 2026. William studied history as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and his studies were focused on economic history, finance, and international economics. William served as a commissioned Fo...
Christine Scott Thomson MS’20 and Gregory Thomson are excited to reconnect with graduate school friends and learn about Iceland’s university and city planning connections.
Mark Ray ’06 has been named by the American Public Works Association as a Top 10 Public Works Leader of the Year for 2026. Mark currently serves as...
Garth was born in Boston, MA, on September 29, 1935, the son of Mary Morton Nisbet of Irvington, NY, and Arthur Gorham Rand of Portsmouth, NH. Gart...
Dr. Jim Sernoe BA’86, MA’89 has been promoted to full professor at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was also honored with his 30-year service pin this spring.
After twenty-six years of teaching at two law schools, Scott Pryor JD’80 was named professor emeritus of law in January 2026. Pryor entered the tea...
Laurie Iudin-Nelson PhD’97 (Slavic languages and literatures) is professor emerita of Russian studies at Luther College. Following retirement, she earned the MDiv degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary (Dubuque, Iowa) and was ordained as Minist...
Congrats to Chelsea Blair ’12 on celebrating her one-year wedding anniversary to Justin Blair ’14! The couple lives in Los Angeles, but they got married in Madison on a night full of incredible people, music, food, and laughter. They even jumped i...
Michelle McCready ’07 is serving as the deputy CEO of the national nonprofit Reach Out and Read. Over the past year alone, Reach Out and Read serve...
Kristin Paul ’02 has been appointed executive secretary and chief executive officer of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) and National All-Jersey Inc. (NAJ), bringing more than two decades of experience and a lifelong connection to the ...