UW-Oshkosh Alumni Class Notes: Oct. 2025

'70 Robert McDevitt, of Green Valley, Arizona, a former Marion resident, has played an instrumental role in raising funds, writing books, and doing historical research for the Marion Area Historical Society. McDevitt retired from teaching history in Marion in 2001.

'73 Barry Smanz, of Juneau, retired from coaching high school cross country after 51 years. Smanz taught math at Dodgeland High School from 1974 until 2009 and continued as varsity coach through the 2024 season.

'77 Michael Kurtz, of West Bend, celebrated 50 years of marriage with his wife, Linda. Both are retired after careers in the health care field, Mike as a CPA and administrator, and Linda as an accredited medical records coder.

'82 Sharon Rohland, of Marshfield, retired in 2023 after over 41 years as a neonatal nurse.

'92 Christopher Micklos, of Fitchburg, an author and filmmaker, brings his love of horror to the page in Tick Town, a novel in the style of pulpy horror flicks of the '70s and '80s. Micklos held a book-signing at Caramel Crisp Corner in Oshkosh in September.

'94 Jolene (Brandl) Schneider, of Oshkosh, is an attorney and shareholder at Remley Law, S.C. Schneider recently assumed the role of chair-elect for the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin, a section comprised of approximately 1,100 attorneys, judges, and court commissioners throughout the state.

'97 Thomas Swigert, of Hartford, plays the trumpet with FBI and the Untouchable Horns in the Fox Cities. Swigert formerly played with The Part Time Models in the Milwaukee area.

'98 Stephanie (Ecker) Adamietz, of Chilton, is a middle and high school business teacher in the Valders Area School District. Adamietz previously taught in the Stockbridge School District.

'00 Ben Cooke, of Los Angeles, California, co-produced the feature-length sci-fi thriller SITE in which a small-town family man comes across an abandoned military site and has a mind-altering time distortion.

'00 Markus Watts (MPA), of Brown Deer, is the executive director of the Racine Kenosha Vocational Ministry, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals facing barriers by providing holistic, strength-based support to unemployed, underemployed, and formerly incarcerated individuals. Watts was appointed by Governor Evers to the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) as a business representative.

'01 Becky (Jones) Mueller, of Oshkosh, is an elementary school art teacher in the Winneconne Community School District.

'01 Danni Tindall-Bastian, '11 (MS), of Oshkosh, is a kindergarten through fifth grade academic interventionalist in the Winneconne Community School District.

'02 Jennifer Busse, of Kaukauna, is a math coach and interventionalist at Park Community Charter School in the Kaukauna Area School District.

'03 Matthew Szymanski (MBA), of Pulaski, is the executive vice president of Green Bay Packaging where he will lead paper mills, woodlands and corrugated packaging divisions.

'07 Ryan Bowers, of Kaukauna, is a ninth through twelfth grade physical education teacher and varsity basketball coach at Kaukauna High School.

'07 Matthew Koski, of Ripon, is an antiques and collectibles dealer who has worked in the secondary market for 20 years.

'08, '10 Laura Pahlas, of Ripon, is a fourth-generation painter and art educator who co-owns Heartwork Studios in Ripon. Pahlas is showing her oil painting installation in the Kalscheur Family Foundation Community Gallery in Mount Horeb through November 4.

'08 Aaron Hayon (MBA), of Manitowoc, is the director of technology and security for Eck Industries. Hayon is married to '17 Kiley Hayon (MBA).

'08 Jason Jaenke, of Conrath, is a woods, metals, and construction teacher in the School District of Ladysmith.

'11 Lindsay (Pribek) Ohlfs, '22 (MS), of Sheboygan Falls, is the principal at Horrace Mann Middle School in the Sheboygan Area School District.

'12 Melinda (Wulf) Hull, of New London, was sidelined from taking her nursing board exams after her UWO graduation due to a failing heart. After a heart transplant and 12 years of recovery, Hull passed her nursing boards in February. She is now a registered nurse at ThedaCare in Neenah.

'16 Nate Hinze (MS), of Cedar Grove, was inducted into the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District Hall of Fame. Hinze, principal of Kohler Elementary School, is a four-time Paralympian in wheelchair basketball, earning three gold medals and multiple world championship medals. Hinze led the UW-Whitewater wheelchair basketball team to three national titles and was named Player of the Year in 2011.

'16 Tricia Isreal, of Neenah, is the assistant principal at Lincoln High School in the Manitowoc Public School District. Isreal was previously an English teacher in the Appleton Area School District.

'18 Jennifer Gauthier (MPA), of Shawano, was appointed as a member of the Wisconsin Public Broadcasting Service Board of Directors. Gauthier is the director of the College of Menominee Nation's Sustainable Development Institute.

'18 Kelly Skifstad (MS), of Oshkosh, is the director of special education for the Oshkosh Area School District. Skifstad has been an educator for over twelve years.

'19 Michael Hettig, of Woodstock, Georgia, is an attorney with Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP in Atlanta.

'21 Maggie Grewal, of Green Lake, is a choir teacher at Horicon Middle and High Schools.

'21 Amber Hammond, of Menasha, is the director of the Oshkosh Kids Foundation. Hammond received the 2024 Women's Inspire Award and the 2025 Future 15-Fox Cities Chamber Award.

'23 Mason Becker (MPA), of Fort Atkinson, is the economic development director for the City of Whitewater. Becker was formerly the Watertown city manager of economic development and strategic initiatives and the executive director of the Watertown Redevelopment Authority.

'23 Mason Domask, of Waupun, is a special education teacher in the Mayville School District.

'23 Allison Kurth, of Gilman, is the seventh through eleventh grade English language arts teacher and assistant volleyball coach at Cornell Middle and High Schools.

'24 Kelly Hueckman, of Appleton, joined the Neenah News team as an advertising account executive for the Neenah and Fox Crossing areas.