Alumni Achievement and Sent Forth Award Recipients

Alumni Achievement Award | Sent Forth Award

2023 Alumni Achievement Award

Dr. Betty Malen ’68

Dr. Betty Malen ’68 was professor of education policy and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park, until she passed away from cancer in February. She began her career as a speech/English teacher and debate/forensics coach at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Mich. After three years as a nationally recognized teacher, she moved into central administration and was a member of a committee planning for an alternative high school. She earned a master’s degree from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. She was assistant principal for Fargo (N.D.) North High School and, while in Fargo, worked to carry out educational programs on drug and alcohol abuse. She held professorial positions at the University of Utah and the University of Washington and, when she transitioned to higher education, worked closely with school communities in Salt Lake City, Bellevue, Wash., and Prince George’s County, Ma., to foster improvements in public schools. She received UMD’s Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award and many other honors and grants. She had numerous scholarly works — books, book chapters, presentations — and many leadership roles on committees and associations.

Dr. Stephen Wonderlich ’78

Dr. Stephen Wonderlich ’78 is vice president for research and co-director of the Center for Biobehavioral Research at Sanford. He is also a Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine & Health Sciences. He has published widely in clinical and scientific journals. He currently is on the editorial board for several professional journals, is a past president of the Academy of Eating Disorders, and was a member of the Eating Disorder Workgroup for DSM-5. He serves, or has served, on the board of directors for several eating disorder organizations, including the Eating Disorder Research Society and the National Eating Disorder Association. He also serves as the director of the Treatment Collaborative for Traumatized Youth, an organization dedicated to enhancing treatment for abused and neglected children. He earned his doctorate from the University of Missouri and did postdoctoral fellowship training at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He served in professorial positions at UND for more than 34 years and, during that time, was engaged at the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute in Fargo, N.D., where he conducted much of his research.

Randall Boushek ’79

Randall “Randy” Boushek ’79, retired senior vice president and chief financial officer for Thrivent Financial, joined Lutheran Brotherhood, which merged with AAL to become Thrivent Financial, as an associate actuary in 1981 and held various positions during his 40-year career with the organization. A Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and member of the American Academy of Actuaries, he also earned a certificate from the Minnesota Management Academy. In 2010, he was named CFO of the Year in the Twin Cities by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of Concordia Plan Services (LCMS) in St. Louis, and the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis Downtown Council. He was also a member and chair of Concordia’s Board of Regents and chair of the search committee that brought President Craft to the college. He also gave Concordia’s Commencement Address in 2012. He is generous with his time and resources, was actively involved with church sports, and coached youth soccer teams for 12 years. In 1995, he was the recipient of the annual Anoka Community Service Award for work with youth.

The Rev. Gary Henderson ’79

The Rev. Gary Henderson ’79 has been chief relationship officer – Global Partnerships for United Methodist Communications since 2017. He is the primary protocol officer for the strategic development and maintenance of communication ministry for the United Methodist Church around the world. He has traveled to six of the seven continents and visited more than 100 countries to preach, teach, and lead. He was previously executive director of Global Health Initiative, a senior salesman and account supervisor for Union Oil of California, and pastor or senior pastor at several churches in Ohio. He is currently a member of Concordia’s Board of Regents. He is Head of Delegation to the United Methodist General Conference for 2024 and five-time delegate to the General Conference, the highest legislative body of the denomination that meets every four years. He received a Courageous Leadership Award, an Ecumenical Award, and several others. He has been a member of numerous committees and a plenary speaker and workshop leader at conferences and churches. He earned a Master of Divinity from Interdenominational Theological Center at Gammon Seminary, Atlanta, and a Summer Institute for Religious Studies certificate from Oxford University.

2023 Sent Forth Award

Kindra Hall ’03 

Kindra (McGrane) Hall '03 is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and internationally recognized keynote speaker on storytelling in business. Hall is trusted by global brands to deliver presentations and trainings that inspire teams and individuals to better communicate the value of their company, their products, and their individuality through strategic storytelling. Forbes called "Stories That Stick," her debut book, "the most valuable business book you'll read." Her second book, "Choose Your Story, Change Your Life," was heralded as one of the top 10 books on happiness. She is the former chief storytelling officer of SUCCESS magazine, 2014 Storytelling World Award recipient, former board member of the National Storytelling Network, and served as guest faculty at Harvard Medical School. Hall received her master's degree in communications and media studies at New Mexico State University, conducting original research that examined the role of storytelling in organizational socialization. During her time at Concordia, Hall was an awarded member of the forensics team, served as Family Weekend chair, and was crowned Homecoming queen her senior year. Today, she lives in New York City with her husband and two children. 

Noah Addy ’05

Noah Addy ’05 is principal group engineering manager of AI Operations and Experiences for Microsoft in Redmond, Wash., running a team working on artificial intelligence and how to leverage it to drive efficiency and cost-savings for businesses across the globe. He also invests in real estate in Seattle where he encourages his tenants to study hard and provides them with resources to transition into better-paying jobs. He has mentored more than 100 people, some with no college degrees, who have landed high-paying jobs as software engineers, product managers, and more. Addy moved to the U.S. from Accra, Ghana, in 2001, and it was the biggest culture shock of his life. He was new to American culture, the educational system, and computers, but made sacrifices, invested time in learning to design software, and worked harder than he could have imagined. He feels the many twists and turns in his life have given him a unique perspective. Addy earned a Master of Science degree from North Dakota State University where he was also a graduate teaching assistant. His determination led to a role where he helped design the consumer shopping experience for Amazon.com and was one of the designers who helped deliver the first prototype for Amazon Prime, among several other positions he has held.