Alumni Career Chats

Alex Askew launched his nonprofit career through AmeriCorps service, gaining valuable experience that laid the foundation for his commitment to community-centered development. With over a decade of expertise in fundraising, he came to Wallin Education Partners after successfully leading development efforts at The Bakken Museum, Genesys Works, and College Possible.

A dedicated community advocate, Alex has served on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Unity Church Unitarian, and the InterCorps Council of Minnesota. He currently chairs the board of RECLAIM, a mental health care organization supporting queer and trans youth. As a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), Alex is committed to advancing ethical standards and best practices in the field.

I attended St Olaf because I had dreamed of becoming a MD for most of my life. While studying for the MCAT post St Olaf graduation, I took a job that led to 10 + years of building water parks/community centers/parks and recreation facilities. I then went to nursing school nights/weekends, worked as an emergency department RN and started on the leadership/executive path in healthcare. I’ve had multiple roles as an executive, opened a hospital, closed a 137-year-old hospital and overseen system wide administrative changes. I continue to enjoy my career and lean into new opportunities as they present themselves. I’m in my 30th year as a volunteer ski patroller and serve on the BOD for the National Ski Patrol. I am a wife, mother and grandma who loves to travel with our family of 15.

Sarah Branton ’00 is in her 25th year of teaching and her 20th at Cherry Creek High School in Denver, Colorado, where she directs multiple choirs and teaches Advanced Placement Music Theory. Under her direction, choirs have performed at numerous state and regional conventions, at Carnegie Hall, and on tours throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and Iceland. Branton currently serves as the assistant director and section leader with Kantorei, a Denver-based adult choir dedicated to performing choral music at the highest level of musical excellence. She also chairs the Colorado All-State Choir and has previously worked on the board of Colorado ACDA. Branton regularly serves as a guest conductor and clinician for honor choirs and festivals, and she is on faculty at the summer Sitka Fine Arts Camp in Sitka, Alaska. In addition to her work as a vocalist, conductor, and educator, Branton is an accomplished orchestral and jazz bassist.

Professor, writer, public servant.

I’ve been in various state government positions since graduating: From my humble beginnings in a contact center, to a major communications and writing position, to my more recent leadership and managerial positions. The State of Minnesota is one of the state’s largest employers, and there’s a variety of opportunities and career paths in public service!

Since leaving academia for the Data Science and Analytics world I have found that being open minded and wiling to learn and take some calculated risk has been key to unpredictable nature of navigating any early career. In my current role I combine both technical expertise and clear, effective, communication to ensure AI is adopted in appropriate, effective, and responsible ways.

Alison Feigh ’00 is the director of the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, a Zero Abuse Project program that works to prevent crimes against children while connecting families of the missing and exploited to important resources. In her more than 20 years of missing children advocacy, she works with students, parents, youth workers, faith leaders, law enforcement, and the media to help prevent childhood abuse and abductions. Feigh’s work also includes writing curriculum for youth-serving organizations, training professionals about the online challenges kids face, and advocating for families of the missing. She is the author of two children’s books and co-author of a textbook titled Sex Crimes and Offenders: Exploring Questions of Character and Culture. She was recently awarded the 2024 Visionary Voice Award from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

My first career was in social work, including work with mental health, substance, abuse, health, and homelessness.

My second career is in Music. I have a private teaching studio in Northfield. I am a registered Suzuki Teacher with additional pedagogy experience outside of Suzuki.

Katie Henly is a project manager at Hennepin County’s Department of Community Corrections & Rehabilitation, where she leads strategy, planning, and evaluation initiatives. She holds a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota and brings cross-sector experience from international education, nonprofits, and higher ed. A Fulbright Scholar, Katie has lived and worked abroad and in New York City, and she’s passionate about building effective public systems that serve communities with integrity and impact.

Sarah Hutto ’01 is an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and women’s health at the University of Minnesota, where she is involved in clinical care, research, and teaching. Her clinical interests include high-risk obstetrics, minimally invasive gynecological surgery, preventive care, and full-spectrum reproductive and contraception care. She has been recognized for her excellent clinical care by her peers as a University of Minnesota Physicians Clinical Excellence Honoree from 2022–25, and she has been named a Top Doctor by Minnesota Monthly and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine multiple years. Hutto’s true passion is medical education, and she has also received a number of awards for her excellence in education and teaching. She currently serves as the director of the OB/GYN Residency Program, and before assuming this role she served as the OBGYN medical student clerkship director for six years. Hutto completed her residency in obstetrics, gynecology and women’s health at the University of Minnesota, where she served as chief administrative resident.

Megan Jekot, a St. Olaf College graduate in Political Science and Race and Ethnic Studies, has worked in policy, communications, and organizing across Minnesota. From managing campaigns to leading advocacy initiatives, she brings deep experience in public service and systems change. In 2025, she became the Legislative Aide to Saint Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker.

I have a 20+ year career in fundraising, with over 12 in planned giving. Helping people make significant for them gifts to organizations they love with their assets at the end of their lives is a beautiful and meaningful event. Philanthropy changes organizations and donors.

I work as a mental health counselor in a group private practice. I got my master’s degree in 2017 and have been practicing as a counselor for eight years. I’m a generalist, but I also specialize in grief and loss issues as well as in supporting healthcare workers. I also was the President of the Minnesota Counseling Association for two years and work part-time as an Adjunct Online Graduate Lecturer for McDaniel College.

Dr. Chase Liaboe specializes in glaucoma and cataract surgery at Minnesota Eye Consultants. He is originally from Dubuque, Iowa and first moved to Minnesota for college. He graduated magna cum laude from St. Olaf College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry. While at St. Olaf, he was an All-American and Academic All-American swimmer. He completed medical school at Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine – University of Iowa. After medical school, Dr. Liaboe completed a transitional internship with the Hennepin County Medical Center, followed by an ophthalmology residency at the University of Minnesota – Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences. He completed a glaucoma and anterior segment surgery fellowship at Minnesota Eye Consultants.

Throughout his training, he co-authored multiple scientific papers and presented at several national meetings. In addition, Dr. Liaboe has won several awards, including the Harry Friedman Research Award, which recognizes the resident who presents the outstanding research project of the year and the Harry Plotke Award, awarded annually to the resident with the most outstanding clinical skills, compassion, and concern for the patient. Dr. Liaboe also plays an active role in the Ophthalmology community, as a member of several associations, including as a board member of the Minnesota Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons.

In his free time, Dr. Liaboe enjoys taking advantage of the numerous outdoor activities that Minnesota is known for, including evening runs in the bitter January cold with his wife Morgan (2012), his children Jude and Marlo, and their 2 goldendoodles, Liam and Murphy.

Upon graduation I started out in the mortgage industry working on manly refinancing. As I gained corporate experience i found project management was a good fit for me and chose to change career paths. I have since worked my way through a few companies as I gained the experience needed to take on more complex project management roles.

I work as a Talent Acquisition Manager at BKV Group, a national architecture, engineering and interior design firm in Minneapolis. I began my career in retail management and transitioned into recruitment full-time in 2022.

Tyler Nielsen has built a successful career in software engineering without a computer-science degree. He’s found that “soft-skills” like organization, communication, and adaptability have been just as vital a “hard” or technical skills. Today, he leads teams a team at Ford creating software to operate one of North America’s newest and largest EV fast-charging networks (Ford Charge).

I started my career at 3M after completing a masters degree in science, technology & environmental studies of the University of Minnesota following my graduation at Saint Olaf in 2004 in biology and environmental studies. I began my career as a consultant on product stewardship issues and was hired full-time at 3M. Since that time I have had 10+ jobs in different functions at 3M and have enjoyed working on various supply chain, strategy and EHS projects. I am currently the manager of EHS systems and data for Solventum (a 3M spinoff)

Amanda Novak is the Executive Director of Twin Cities Housing Development Corporation, joining the organization in May 2025. Ms. Novak brings over 15 years of leadership experience in affordable housing, nonprofit strategy, and cross-sector partnerships. Prior to TCHDC, she held senior leadership roles at the YMCA of the North and CommonBond Communities, where she led strategic planning, program expansion, and initiatives focused on the preservation and development of affordable housing across Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

Ms. Novak holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College. She is a recognized leader in regional collaboration and has served on advisory councils and nonprofit boards focused on affordable housing, sustainability, and civic engagement.

I am a documentary filmmaker whose work explores community, history, and cultural identity. After graduating from St. Olaf, I earned an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I continue to create films through grants and commissioned projects, including organizational legacy work and oral histories, and have taught at both community and college levels. Short films have been featured in museum installations, including Fort Snelling, the Latvian Museum in Maryland, and the Wende Museum of the Cold War in LA. The feature, Valiant: A Car, a Cause, and the Cold War, premiered at the Mpls–St. Paul Int’l Film Fest and has been used in Latvian classrooms with support from the U.S. Embassy.

My career has encompassed roles within investment banking (Piper Jaffray), private equity (Tonka Bay Equity Partners), and corporate M&A (General Mills and Vital Farms), where I have gained a deep insight into enterprise strategy with the ability to execute M&A transactions. I can advise students on various career paths across the investment finance landscape.

Saint Olaf helped prepare me to follow my Curiosity! I’ve had an ever-evolving career path—from completing a Masters Degree in TESOL (2003) and spending roughly 15 years teaching English and leading English teacher training projects in Southeast and South Asia, to later studying Graphic Design at MCAD (2011-2013) and following my passion for visual design. I now work as a Senior Graphic/Multimedia Designer in Communications at the U of M. If anyone is interested in either areas, I would love to talk to them.

I started my career in entry-level sales at an Internet of Things (IoT) software startup and have worked in a variety of technology businesses across sales, account management and product management roles, primarily at the intersection of hardware. 

Morgan has served as the leader of the Hennepin County Health Care for the Homeless program since June 2021. Before joining Hennepin County, she accumulated experience across various sectors of the healthcare industry. Her background includes assisting hospitals with the implementation of electronic medical record software for Epic, leading website redesign and digital strategy initiatives for a tech start-up in Iowa, and launching the Allina Health Cancer Institute and managing surgical and medical oncology clinics at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. She holds an MBA and MHA from the University of Iowa.

After graduating from St. Olaf, I went straight to law school at Harvard, and after graduating from HLS in 1998, I started my legal career. As of this fall, I have now spent essentially 28 years as an attorney, practicing in many different facets of the profession, from federal court law clerk, to big law firm associate, to federal prosecutor and trial lawyer, to in-house attorney and legal department leader. I love mentoring young people considering a career in the law and look forward to these

Since graduating St. Olaf College in 2015, I have worked in nonprofits, local government, and state government all focused on public policy and how best to improve people’s lives. I currently work for the Minnesota State House of Representatives within the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party as a Committee Administrator, basically a Chief of Staff for a legislative committee that is charged with writing and negotiating legislation, coordinating with members of both political parties, and engaging in strategic decision-making on some of the most complex public policy topics facing Minnesota.

My St. Olaf experience prepared me to be a world citizen leveraging people connections within business to support healthy and productive systems. I have 30+ years of global coffee supply chain and management experience. I leverage compliance with emerging standards combined with data analysis to bolster business resilience and prioritize mutual benefit considering diverse stakeholder needs and perspectives. I emphasize pragmatism in the evolving regulatory landscape while supporting innovations in sustainability. People and planet drive my aspirations; finding ways to resonate with and motivate teams at all levels to embrace change and champion sustainable practices is my passion.

After graduation from St. Olaf, I worked as a chemist in a laboratory working various instrumentation to test active drug ingredients. I then went back to school at UMN Pharmacy School and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a focus on working in non-traditional pharmacy. Currently, I am a Medical Affairs Pharmacist at a veterinary pharmaceutical company where I am a study director for our many blood-level bioequivalence clinical trials, oversee our pharmacovigilance department, and spend a lot of time communicating with the FDA both in person and virtually as a regulatory spokesperson. I’d love to talk about the many areas that you can work as a Pharmacist and the drug approval process.

Health career prep at St. Olaf turned to information technology and software engineering.