Paul Yeager ’98, Ankeny, Iowa
Paul majored in communication arts and received the coveted “Maggie” award as an outstanding senior in the program. After graduation, he put his degree to use as a reporter at KIMT-TV in Mason City and later served as weekend anchor in Davenport and assignment editor in Des Moines.

In 2007, he moved to Iowa Public Television where he is a producer with Market to Market, a nationally syndicated weekly journal of rural America. In 2010, he won an Emmy (Upper Midwest Region) for work on The Iowa Journal. Paul also is the play-by-play caller for DMWebcasting.com, the home of West Des Moines Valley and West Des Moines Dowling Catholic football.

For five years, Paul has served on the Iowa Broadcast News Association Board, including a stint as president. He also serves on the National Archives of Iowa Broadcasting and the Wartburg Communication Arts National Advisory boards.

At Holy Trinity Lutheran in Ankeny, Paul sings in the choir, has served on two call committees, and reads Scripture during services. Paul’s commitment to service extends to other organizations, including Lutheran Social Services of Iowa, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, the Safer Foundation, and the Iowa High School Speech Association.

Paul’s award nomination describes him as a “constant promoter of Wartburg.” He and his wife, Amy Freeseman Yeager ’98, have two boys, Noah and Levi.

Aaron ’01 and Crystal Heins ’03 Buzza, Waterloo, Iowa
For more than a decade, Aaron and Crystal have dedicated time in their professional and personal lives to bettering their community.

Aaron was a driving force behind the relocation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum to Waterloo from Newton. Aaron’s continued success earned him the respect of the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board and, in 2007, a promotion from director of sports development to executive director. The promotion came just two days before Aaron began intensive treatment for multiple myeloma, an incurable but treatable cancer of the plasma cells.

Crystal, director of strategic partnerships for Waterloo Community Schools, has served on the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Salvation Army Advisory Board, Wartburg College Communication Arts National Advisory Board, Allen Hospital Community Advisory Board, and Waterloo Cultural and Arts Commission, as well as many others. She also was a 2008 YWCA Women of Persimmon Volunteer of the Year and 2009 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier 20 Under 40 recipient.

The couple also serves through St. Edward Church. They have two daughters, Avery and Abigail.

Stephanie Fisk Mendez ’04, Malaga, Spain
In 2007, Stephanie visited 11 countries in 11 months as part of The World Race, a missionary journey to “serve the least of these.” While in Bangkok, Thailand, Stephanie’s eyes and heart were opened to the issue of human trafficking. They have yet to close.

Since that first trip, Stephanie has dedicated her life to eliminating human trafficking. In late 2009 and early 2010, Stephanie spent six months in Mijas Pueblo, Spain, completing the G42 Leadership Academy, where she fully realized her desire to help women who had been sold into prostitution. In 2010, Stephanie joined Men Against the Trafficking of Others, an international organization that uses the empowerment of boys and men to stop the threat of sex trafficking. As the European director, she designs and implements the MATTOO message in Spain and Romania. Stephanie is committed to creating opportunities, like alternative employment and transitional housing, which will allow women to leave the harsh realities of human trafficking.

Stephanie also has continued her work with the G42 Leadership Academy, where she helps train young missionaries specifically interested in combatting human trafficking. She also is director of the G42 English School, a program that teaches more than 100 children ages 3 to 12. Stephanie’s award nomination describes her as a “bold woman of faith.”

Stephanie recently married Martin Mendez. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, writing, running, and exploring other cultures.

Sarah Albertson-Corkery ’98, Cedar Falls, Iowa
Sarah majored in communication arts at Wartburg and received the coveted “Maggie” award in 1998 as an outstanding senior in communication arts. After graduating, she joined ME&V, a Cedar Falls public relations firm, and was named director of its healthcare marketing division in 2004. That same year, she was recognized among the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier’s Twenty Under Forty award winners.

In 2009, she was one of four individuals to receive the Iowa Jaycees’ Outstanding Young Iowan award. She is a member of the Iowa Society for Healthcare Marketing/Public Relations (ISHMPR) and the American Hospital Association’s Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development. She has spoken to hospital marketing groups in Iowa and Kansas.

Sarah volunteers for the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women, United Way Women in Philanthropy, and Allen Foundation. She serves on the board of directors for Beau’s Beautiful Blessings, a nonprofit organization that helps children with intellectual disabilities, epilepsy, and brain abnormalities. She is also a member of TASH, an organization promoting equity, opportunity, and inclusion for people with disabilities.

In her free time, Sarah writes SoMadIStartedABlog.com, which has been published on HuffingtonPost.com. In it, she chronicles her journey as a breast cancer “previvor” and the parent of a child with special needs. She and her husband, Chris, have two children, Lucy and Jude.

Dr. Jamie Bakkum-Gamez ’98, Byron, Minn.
Jamie graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine in 2002. She was one of four national and international medical school graduates selected for a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education. She was one of two national and international candidates selected for a Mayo fellowship in gynecological oncology.

She joined the Mayo College of Medicine as an assistant professor of obstetrics-gynecology in 2009. She earned master’s faculty privileges in obstetrics-gynecology in the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education in 2011 and since 2009 has served as a consultant in the Mayo Clinic’s Division of Gynecologic Surgery.

Jamie is a two-time recipient of the Ann Harris Research Award from the Mayo Clinic Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She received the 2012 Career Development Award from the Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Research Center. She is a primary investigator for investigator-initiated clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health and an institutional primary investigator for the Gynecology Oncology Group at Mayo Clinic. She makes frequent presentations at national and international conferences, and her peer-reviewed articles have been widely published in professional journals. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of numerous professional organizations.

Jamie’s award nomination describes her as a caring physician who prides herself on taking the best possible care of her patients and treating them with dignity and respect — even taking the time to lead a family in prayer prior to surgery at their request. In her free time, she is an avid runner and enjoys gardening.

Ryan Hess ’00, Belle Chasse, La.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Ryan Hess turned his fledging Pro Tree Services company into a major player in the cleanup of Louisiana. In the process, he embarked on a career path that led to his current position as chief executive officer of Alliance Consulting Group, LLC.

Within days of beginning hurricane clean-up work in his hometown, Ryan’s effective management resulted in several contracts to lead the massive effort. He brought in his father, Gary, to help shore up operations. When the chaos of the initial emergency began to settle in 2007, Ryan began putting a bigger picture into action, developing Integrated Pro Services, LLC, a full-service company that branched out into several facets of construction. His brother, John, returned from a tour of duty with the Marine Corps to join the business.

Ryan’s next step was to establish Alliance Consulting Group, LLC, parent to the smaller, independently operated entities, each driving its own bottom line. The Alliance Consulting Group executive committee governs the subsidiaries, and the Alliance team provides critical business services, including human resources, accounting, and business development. Under Ryan’s leadership, the company has grown from a mom-and-pop business into a multimillion-dollar, vertically integrated construction company.

Wartburg wrestling coach Jim Miller describes Ryan as the only married student-athlete he ever coached. The NCAA All-American wrestler returned to Louisiana and coached wrestling from 2000 to 2005 at New Orleans area high schools.

Since Katrina, Hess’s companies have been involved with cleanup of the Gulf oil spill as well as the more recent Hurricane Isaac. Ryan often hires Wartburg graduates to work for his companies, and he actively recruits prospective students. Coach Miller describes it as no coincidence that five student-athletes on the current Wartburg wrestling team are from New Orleans.