Thousand Oaks Alumni Excellence Award

Thousand Oaks Alumni Excellence Award Recipients

• 

  Dr. Jeffrey Dahms

  Graduate Studies

  Dr. Jeff Dahms is Director of Customer Experience Research and Insights with Physicians Mutual of Omaha, where he has worked since October. He received his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Peru State College in 2007.

  As Director, Dahms supervises and leads the planning, developing, organizing, and implementation of the customer experience strategy. Previously he was the Director of CX at First National Bank of Omaha from April 2019 until August 2023. Prior to that role, Dahms was the Vice President of Research and Development at Customer Service Profiles in Omaha for nearly five years.

  A native of Fargo, N.D., Dahms served Boys Town as its Director of Organizational Learning and Development from 2010-2014. He was responsible for identifying short- and long-term strategic objectives in Leadership Development and creating and implementing curriculum for supervisors across the organization.

  From 2009-2010 Dahms was Senior Talent and Organizational Development Consultant for Boys Town, identifying employee development needs, and creating HR compliance and professional development curriculum. He managed evaluation systems, teambuilding, and training programs for its 800 employees.

  Dahms was Operations and Training Manager for Oriental Trading Company from 2004-2009, designing, developing, and implementing warehouse training programs.

  Dahms earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed his PhD in Human Capital Management in 2020 at Bellevue University.

   

  The Honorable Randy Reeves

  School of Professional Studies

  A retired Veteran of the Navy and Air Force, The Honorable Randy Reeves continues to advise National Leaders on issues affecting America’s Veterans. He served as the Sixth U.S. Under Secretary of Veteran Affairs for Memorial Affairs from 2017 to 2021.

  He led the VA’s national cemeteries in providing dignified burial options for America’s Veterans and eligible family members and memorial programs to honor the service of Veterans. During his tenure he oversaw the largest expansion of the National Cemetery System since the Civil War and the National Cemetery Administration scored 97% on the American Customer Service Index, the highest of any public or private organization in history.

  Reeves was Executive Director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board from 2011-2017, during which time he served as President of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs. He oversaw a dramatic increase in services to Mississippi Veterans, while improving fiscal accountability and efficiency.

  Reeves was appointed Director of the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery in 2011 and then promoted to Deputy Director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board that same year. He is a combat Veteran of the United States Navy, serving from 1988 through 2008, as a Surface Warfare Officer during the Gulf War and in military operations in Kosovo, Haiti, and Lebanon.

  A native of Little Rock, Miss., Reeves was enlisted in the U.S. Air Force from 1980-1988.

  A Certified Public Manager, he is a graduate of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executive program. Reeves has a Master of Science degree from Touro University, a bachelor’s degree from Peru State and an associate degree from the Community College of the Air Force. He and his wife, Katy, live in Clearwater, Fla.

   

  Christopher Stangl

  School of Arts and Sciences

  Chris Stangl is Managing Director of the Washington D.C.-based Berkeley Research Group’s Cybersecurity and Investigations practice. Previously he served the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2003-2023 investigating cybercrime.

  A 1994 graduate of Peru State, he is a native of Pikesville, Md. He has a Master of Business Administration degree from Monmouth University, and another from Carnegie Mellon University.

  At the Berkeley Research Group, he helps clients tackle and overcome a wide range of data security, data protection, and privacy challenges. Stangl specializes in design and implementation of cybersecurity programs to safeguard critical assets, helping clients navigate legal and regulatory implications of security incidents.

  As a Special Agent for the FBI, he was a member of its Senior Executive Service. Most recently he spearheaded implementation of a cybersecurity program in the agency’s Science and Technology Branch.

  Stangl investigated a wide range of cases for the FBI, including computer intrusions by cybercriminals and nation-states, counterintelligence and insider threats, online child exploitation, extortion, and internet fraud, among others.

  Twice Stangl earned the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence in Outstanding Cyber Investigation. He was the 2015 recipient of the Director of National Intelligence’s National Intelligence Community Award for Intelligence Integration.

   

  Kim Vrtiska

  School of Education

  A career dedicated to educating youth and to community service are the hallmarks of Kim Vrtiska, who has both his bachelor’s degree (1990) and a Master of Science in Education degree (2000).

  The Table Rock native and current resident of Plattsmouth, Vrtiska completed a 30-year teaching career with the Falls City Public Schools in 2021. He had served Falls City as a middle school science teacher since 2002, along with coaching basketball and football there.

  From 1991 until 2002, Vrtiska served the Tecumseh Public Schools as both an elementary school teacher and athletic coach. Among his teaching accolades, Vrtiska received the Distinguished Service Award from the Falls City Public Schools in 2021, was Falls City Jaycees’ Teacher of the year in 2010 and earned an Educator’s Environmental Excellence Award from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 7.

  In 1995 Vrtiska was one of ten teachers nationwide selected to attend a weeklong seminar to assist in setting national teachers testing standards. He is or has been active in the Table Rock Historical Society, the Pawnee County Promotional Network, the Falls City Library Board, and the Tecumseh Volunteer Rescue Squad, among others. He served on the Tecumseh City Council from 1998-2002.

  His most notable achievement and source of pride in Vrtiska’s eyes includes the Living History Day that he started with the support of his father, former State Senator Floyd Vrtiska. Funded by the Table Rock Historical Society and other entities, the event was held around the community square and reached over 7,000 fourth and fifth graders during its 20 years.

  Vrtiska, current President of the Peru State College National Alumni Association, also has a Master of Education Degree from Doane University.

• Dr. Roland Barrett ('77) - School of Education

  Dr. Joseph (Seph) Fauver ('13) - School of Arts and Sciences

  Dena Beck ('08) - Graduate Programs

  Lonnie Bane ('80) - School of Professional Studies

• Jack Moles ('80) - School of Education
  
  Lori (Vrtiska) Seibel ('84) - School of Arts and Sciences
  
  The late Pat Haverty ('08) - Graduate Programs
  
  Alec Gorynski ('07) - School of Professional Studies

  

• 2020

• Lori Broady ('90, '03) - School of Education

  Paul Fell ('67) - School of Arts and Sciences

  Marilyn Schlake ('10) - Graduate Programs

  Jeff Greenwald ('71) - School of Professional Studies