August 2007

Alumni Now

Outstanding Alumni

Marilyn (Carl) Brodie ’64, Wendy (Young) (Wegner) Storandt ’76, and Chad Hrdina ’01 have been chosen to receive Outstand­ing Alumni Awards during the Alumni Weekend celebration in October.

Brodie was chosen to receive the Spirit of Francis Award, which honors a layperson who embodies and exemplifies Franciscan values in their personal, professional, and spiritual life.

After graduating with a degree in music education, Brodie taught music for many years in elementary and junior high schools throughout Iowa. She also volunteered extensively, whether it was by directing local church choirs or teaching religious education to junior and senior high school students.

She received a master’s degree in pastoral studies from St. Ambrose University in 1994 and worked as a Faith Formation Coordinator for a Catholic school for a few years, before becoming a full-time volunteer.

According to a classmate who nominated her, “Marilyn is a faith-filled, dynamic, active, talented, and humble individual who always looks for more ways to help individuals and groups. Her work and volunteer experience over the more than 40 years since she graduated from Viterbo shows her dedication to the Catholic Church, to Catholic education, to the Franciscan way, and to her community.”

Storandt has been selected to receive an award for service to the university for her continuous commitment to helping students.

Storandt graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and began to teach at Viterbo in 1978. During her years at Viterbo, she has served on numerous committees, including promotion and tenure, faculty concerns, planning, and many others. She has served as the president of the faculty assembly since 2003. In 1998, Storandt was chosen to receive Viterbo’s Teacher of the Year award for her excellence in teaching and supporting nursing students. She is known for her compassion and unwavering support of her students, past and present.

Hrdina was chosen to receive the Outstanding Young Alumni award, which honors a graduate of the last decade who has exhibited outstanding accomplishments since their graduation.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry, Hrdina went on to obtain a master’s degree in science from Georgetown University in 2003. He was then selected as a White House Top 50 “Must-Hire,” which resulted in his appointment as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services. Since then, he has worked with the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness to develop plans for preparedness and management of terrorist incidents, create new systems and operations for management of threats, and coordinate with other agencies to enhance healthcare in the national response plan.

“My appointment to this office is a humbling experience as I am a colleague to a deputy surgeon general of the army, the military’s premier biological, chemical, and radiological weapons experts, the man responsible for eradicating small pox, and numerous others of great authority and eminence in their fields,” wrote Hrdina in a previous issue of Strides.

The awards will be presented during a banquet Saturday, Oct. 6 during Alumni Weekend. For more information or to register, look for the registration form inside the front cover of this magazine, or visit www.viterbo.edu/alumni.aspx?id=25752.