3 to be Honored at Nov. 2 Minnesota State Mankato Distinguished Alumni Achievement Event
Mankato, Minn. – The 2019 Minnesota State University, Mankato distinguished alumni honorees include a 2001 graduate who was named Minnesota’s 2019 Teacher of the Year, a 2011 graduate who is a vice president with Ecumen, a non-profit senior housing and service company, and a current Minnesota State Mankato faculty member, who is also a chartered financial analyst.
The University’s Alumni Association will present its Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, Harold J. Fitterer Service Award and Young Alumni Award at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 on campus in Centennial Student Union, Rooms 253/4/5.
The Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award is presented to graduates who have achieved high rank or honor in their professions, had widespread effect on their communities and are recognized for their achievements over the course of their careers. This year’s recipient is Jessica Davis, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Davis, a 2001 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in human biology and minor in chemistry, later earned a mathematics teaching license and master’s in teaching from Hamline University. She is currently a mathematics teacher and an advisor to the Black Pride Organization and mathematics team at South St. Paul Secondary School. In May 2019, she was named as Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year by the state’s 86,000-member statewide educators union. The prior year, she was named teacher of the year by South Saint Paul’s local union. Davis possesses an educational philosophy deeply rooted in student advocacy. She believes the student voice is an essential cornerstone often missing in the revolution of our educational system. When she was nominated for Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year award, she was described as an educator who is modeling for students that equity needs to be deliberate and intentional.
The Harold J. Fitterer Service Award is presented to graduates who have given distinguished service to Minnesota State Mankato through work preserving and promoting university programs. This year’s recipient is Stephen E. Wilcox, Mankato, Minnesota.
Wilcox, a 1982 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business finance, is a professor of finance at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he has been employed since 1991. After earning his bachelor’s degree, Wilcox earned an MBA in finance and accounting from Indiana University in 1983, and he earned his doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1992. He also became a chartered financial analyst (CFA) in 1992. Wilcox has also been employed as a consultant for the CFA Institute, spending most of his time publishing curriculum materials for the CFA exams. His research focus is equity market valuation and he has been published in the Financial Analysts Journal and the Journal of Investing. Wilcox and his wife, Kathie, are blessed with five children and nine grandchildren. They are members of the Legacy and Purple Gold Societies at the University. Stephen is a member of the Blue Line Club board of directors, and he and Kathie are avid fans of Maverick hockey.
The Distinguished Young Alumni Award honors graduates 35 years old or younger who reached personal or professional achievements early in their careers, positively impacted their communities, and show promise for continued success. This year’s recipient is Brett Anderson, Eagan, Minnesota.
Anderson graduated from Minnesota State Mankato in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. He later earned a master’s degree in nursing from Metropolitan State University. He is a registered nurse, a certified public health nurse and board-certified nurse executive. Anderson is currently vice president of health and clinical services with Ecumen. In that role, Anderson leads Ecumen-wide health care services, with responsibility for ensuring quality of care, clinical outcomes, customer satisfaction, cost of care efficiency and regulatory compliance. Anderson began his career at Ecumen in 2014 as the clinical director at Ecumen Centennial House in Apple Valley (after serving as an Ecumen graduate student intern). In 2016, he was promoted to the role of regional nurse consultant, supporting new business development and national management contracts. Before joining Ecumen, Anderson served as an adjunct instructor at Minnesota State Mankato and as an instructor at Saint Paul College. He also previously owned and operated CareLogix Nursing Solutions and provided clinical and operational consulting and support to area health care organizations. Governor Mark Dayton appointed Anderson to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Minnesota State System from 2011-2013.
More information on the awards is available at http://www.mnsu.edu/alumni/awards/ or by calling (507) 389-1515.
Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 14,297 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 30 colleges and seven universities.
