CSM honors eight with Alumnae Achievement Award
College of Saint Mary (CSM) recently honored eight alumnae with its 2019 Alumnae Achievement Award. The Alumnae Achievement Award recognizes individuals who actively live out the values of College of Saint Mary.
This year’s recipients are: Cathy Kruse Blackman '74, Stacey Rhodes-Butler '93, Sarah Hickey Dillon '09, Starlette Dossou '04, Lorra Taitague O’Banion '94, Judy Seeman '99, Paula Sue Blecha Stefen '84, and Kayleen Snyder Wallace '79. Annie Jankowski Gutierrez '08 was inducted into the CSM Athletic Hall of Fame.
Cathy Kruse Blackman '74
Blackman earned her bachelor’s degree in health information management in 1974. She currently works as a realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Ambassador Real Estate in Omaha. Receiving several accolades for her contributions to the company and excellent work ethic, Blackman was named “Realtor of the Year” in 2013 and was voted “Outstanding Realtor” by her colleagues.
Blackman has embodied College of Saint Mary’s spirit of service and leadership in all aspects of her professional career. She has served as President of the Omaha Board of Realtors, President of the Women’s Council of Realtors (Omaha Chapter), and Director of the Nebraska Board of Realtors.
Upon receiving the award, Blackman explained that CSM not only gave her an outstanding education but also the opportunity to become who she is today. She described how CSM helped foster her confidence and a tremendous sense of self and freedom in a safe and secure environment.
Anastasia "Stacey" Rhodes-Butler '93
After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in marketing, Rhodes-Butler embarked on a 30-year career as a strategic sales and marketing executive and consultant within the telecommunications and wireless technology industries. She worked for telecommunications giants, including AT&T, Sony-Ericsson and Huawei, and then transitioned into emerging Silicon Valley-based wireless technology companies. Rhodes-Butler’s knowledge and experience have benefitted wireless service providers on a global scale, and she has been recognized with many merit and excellency awards.
In addition to her many professional achievements, Rhodes-Butler has remained committed to CSM’s emphasis on service. She has served on a variety of domestic and international committees, including on the board of the California Telephone Association. She is also active in several non-profit and charitable organizations in the Kansas City area.
Upon receiving the award, Rhodes-Butler reflected that her greatest achievements are found not in her career and professional accolades but in her volunteer efforts and the two daughters that she and her husband raised.
Sarah Hickey Dillon '09
“This award is truly an honor,” said Dillon. “There were so many amazing classmates I had through the years at CSM and that I have been selected is amazing. I have always been proud to tell everyone that I am a graduate of this wonderful [school].”
Dillon graduated with her Bachelor of Science in nursing and worked at the Lexington Regional Health Center in Lexington, Neb., before returning to CSM to pursue her master’s degree. After receiving her Master of Science in nursing in 2015, Dillon became a clinical instructor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing in Kearney. During her time at CSM, Dillon was recognized with the Spirit of Saint Mary award in 2009 and the Master’s of Science in Nursing Outstanding Student award in 2015.
Dillon remains committed to CSM’s value of service in her professional life and community. She is the vice president of the Sigma Gamma Pi at Large, Kearney Division, and is a member of the Nebraska Nurses Association. In addition, she volunteers at her church.
“My educational experience [at CSM] prepared me for everything I would encounter as a nurse,” said Dillon. “I remember many of the lessons I learned each day from clinicals. I also try to take what I learned from my professors and apply it to my own teaching philosophy.”
Upon receiving the award, Dillon said the service and involvement opportunities she had at CSM taught her many life lessons, and she is grateful for the many chances she had to volunteer, including a spring break service trip to help those impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
Starlette Dossou '04
“I am tremendously honored to be a recipient of this CSM Alumnae Achievement Award,” said Dossou. “This award has opened my eyes and made me realize that there is so much more that I want to do in order to give back to both my American and African communities.”
Dossou graduated from CSM with a degree in biology. In 2011, she earned her doctorate in biomedical sciences. However, she soon realized that she missed patient care, so she returned to school and received her Master of Science in physician assistant studies in 2013. Dossou’s work has been recognized with various accolades. This year, she also received the College of Saint Mary Program Appreciation Award for serving as an adjunct faculty, advocate and mentor.
Dossou embodies CSM’s commitment to service and promoting the arts. She is a lead performing artist for the African Culture Connection. In 2014, she was honored by then-First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Programming Award.
“My CSM education taught me how to utilize my voice as well as its power to help those in need and stand up for what is right,” said Dossou. “At CSM, I blossomed from a young, shy girl into a woman who knows how and when to exert her voice.”
Upon receiving the award, Dossou described how impactful her CSM education was in her life. Learning to advocate for others and that her opinion mattered, Dossou remains thankful to CSM for fostering an environment where students are encouraged to use their voice.
Lorra Taitague O'Banion '94
“I feel extremely honored and mostly humbled to receive this recognition,” said O’Banion. “I would like to congratulate the other recipients as well. It was wonderful to hear about their experiences and the successes they have achieved in their personal lives and careers.”
O’Banion used her bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies to go on to law school at the University of Nebraska College of Law. While she was in law school, she clerked for the Attorney General’s office. After receiving her law degree, she jumped into a career as an immigration attorney and then worked 12 years as an assistant attorney general representing the Worker’s Compensation Court. In 2018, O’Banion became the General Counsel for the Worker’s Compensation Court.
In addition to her professional career, O’Banion has lived out CSM’s values of service and spirituality through her volunteerism. She is on the Board of Editors for Perspectives, an online Worker’s Compensation publication, and is a member of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions and the Nebraska State Bar Association. She also is involved in her church as a sacristan and Eucharistic Minister of Holy Communion.
“The quality education I received at CSM helped to get me where I am in my career today by reinforcing hard work and accountability,” said O’Banion. “The support I received from my CSM professors encouraged me to further my education. Without their words of encouragement, I may never have taken a leap of faith.”
Upon receiving the award, O’Banion said College of Saint Mary provided her with strong female role models. Her professors were mothers, professionals, community leaders, teachers and confidantes who showed her that she could not only reach her potential but also achieve all that they had achieved and more.
Judy Seeman '99
Seeman received her bachelor’s degree in human services from College of Saint Mary. From there, she went on to attend graduate school at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and earned her Master of Arts in community counseling in 2002. Seeman works as a therapist and currently owns her own business.
In addition to living out the value of leadership that was cultivated at College of Saint Mary, Seeman also remains committed to service. She volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and the Catholic Charities Shelter and is a YMCA advocate.
Upon receiving the award, Seeman said that CSM gave her the self-confidence to strive for what she wants. Being a non-traditional student at CSM, Seeman described how CSM gave her a voice and the independence to make her own decisions as she received an education in mind, body and spirit.
Paula Sue Blecha Steffen '84
After earning her bachelor’s degree in accounting from CSM, Steffen worked at an accounting firm before marrying her husband, Ben, and working on the family farm in Humboldt. Steffen, her husband and her in-laws own Steffen Ag Inc., a diversified farming business. As the manager of the business operations, Steffen has helped the agricultural operation grow from 100 milk cows and 640 acres to 150 milk cows and 2,200 acres.
Through her volunteerism, Steffen has lived out CSM’s commitment to service. She currently serves as the vice-chair of the Richardson County Farm Service Agency County Committee. She is a current member and past president of the local PEO Chapter and is active in her church community, where she is involved in the choir and the kitchen crew.
Upon receiving the award, Steffen said her experience at CSM remains one of the best periods in her life. The academic diversity of the liberal arts assisted her in the transition to adulthood. She also described how the environment at CSM was truly similar to being in a family where everyone cares about each other, laughs together and helps each other.
Kayleen Snyder Wallace '79
Wallace received her bachelor’s degree in English and then went on to obtain her Master of Science in School Administration from Creighton University. Centering her career around Catholic education, Wallace has spent the last 20 years in school administration. In 1999, she received the Superior Scholastic Achievement Award, and in 2014, she was named Administrator of the Year by the Omaha Archdiocese. Wallace currently serves as principal of St. Joan of Arc Catholic School in Omaha.
Wallace has embodied CSM’s spirit of leadership in both her workplace and in her community. She is a member of the National Catholic Education Association and the National Association of Elementary School Principals and serves as a Gallup StrengthsFinder Coach. In addition, she served on the Strategic Planning Steering committee for Mary Our Queen Parish in Omaha and on the Catholic Schools Superintendent Advisory Cabinet.
Upon receiving the award, Wallace said she learned the importance of teamwork and collaboration from the professors at CSM and her time at the college. She reflected that even some of the routine aspects of college life, such as sharing meals and attending Mass, shaped her life in a positive way.
