College of Saint Mary honors six with Alumnae Achievement Award
College of Saint Mary (CSM) recently honored six alumnae with its CSM 2014 Alumnae Achievement Award. The Alumnae Achievement Award honors individuals who embody the values of College of Saint Mary in an exemplary way.
This year’s recipients are: Sally Curran Mobley of Ballwin, Missouri; Marcia Brzon Harmon of Falls City, Nebraska; Carol Becker Conway-Gerhardt of Oshkosh, Wisconsin; A. Elaine Kjeldgaard Christiansen of Pender, Nebraska; Vickie Wrobleski of Omaha, Nebraska; and Rita Sipes Pearsall of Phoenix, Arizona.
Sally Curran Mobley
With a passion for educating others, Sally Curran Mobley taught middle school language arts for 16 years after graduating from CSM in 1969. In 1972, she graduated with her master of science in education and curriculum eevelopment degree from Kearney State College. She later held positions at Macmillan Publishing Company and then was a reading consultant and coordinator of state proficiencies for the Indiana Department of Education.
She explained that as a nontraditional student, she had to work hard to complete her college education.
“College of Saint Mary afforded me the opportunity to do so," she said. "The university, through its leadership and instructors, helped me to refine my skills and give me the confidence I needed in order to succeed in various aspects of education.”
With a passion for philanthropy, Mobley is a member and current treasurer of the PEO Chapter 0 — State of Missouri, a philanthropic organization dedicated to the support of education for women. She finds great joy being a member of her church choir and sacristan, in addition to being an Oasis volunteer in an elementary school helping provide instruction and support to students in need.
“My experiences at College of Saint Mary led me to a lifelong love for learning and the ability to instill that enthusiasm in the students I taught and in the co-workers I came in contact with during my career in the field of education,” she said
Marcia Brzon Harmon
Marcia Brzon Harmon has committed her life to serving those who are sick. Since graduating from College of Saint Mary with an associate’s degree in nursing in 1989, she has been a devoted employee to the Community Medical Center in Falls City. Starting as a night shift nurse, Harmon is now a charge nurse and trauma nurse coordinator. She’s also an instructor of CPR and Cardiac Life Support. In 2007, she graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a bachelor of science in nursing degree.
“CSM taught me that learning doesn’t end with graduation and walking across the stage," Harmon said. "Learning is a life-long process and not only affects your mind, body and spirit, but is also affected by those. When you identify a goal for yourself, you have to reach for that goal as a whole, or you will not be successful, nor will your success leave you happy if you don’t really apply yourself.”
Active in her community, Harmon has held every position on the board of directors for the Falls City Area Jaycees. She is co-president of the High School Band Booster Club, involved in her church and is a past member of the Volunteer Ambulance Squad.
Harmon said her time at CSM influenced her life.
“My education at CSM provided me with the critical thinking that I needed to care for the patients placed in my charge," she said. "I developed the clinical knowledge I needed to start as a proficient nurse, and I have continued to build on those skills to improve not only my professional skills but my personal skills. It gave me the confidence to share my philosophies, while also being open to the thoughts and feelings if others. The learning didn’t stop with getting that diploma in my hand, either; that's when it really started!”
Carol Becker Conway-Gerhardt
Dr. Carol Becker Conway-Gerhardt spent her life educating others. After graduating from College of Saint Mary in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in English she moved to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and began teaching language arts. In 1979, she received a master’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). She became a department chair, taught as an adjunct faculty member at several universities, then became the director of curriculum and instruction for South Milwaukee School District.
In 1999, Dr. Conway-Gerhardt was selected as the superintendent for Weyauwega-Fremont School District and then later the agency administrator for the Cooperative Educational Service Agency. She earned a doctoral degree in urban education and administration at UWM in 2001.
Before retiring in 2011 after 47 years in education, she ended her legacy as the president of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education System where she served for three years.
While attending College of Saint Mary, Dr. Conway-Gerhardt served as vice president of the Sodality of Our Lady and the Sigma Tau Delta English Fraternity.
“What I was provided by CSM was the gift of confidence and the strategies to be a leader,” she said. And that she became. She has been an author, a leader and a servant to her community at a city, state and national level.
A. Elaine Kjeldgaard Christiansen
As a business owner, wife and mother, Elaine Kjeldgaard Christiansen’s life has been full of many blessings. After she graduated from College of Saint Mary in 1954, Christiansen got married and started a family. She had the pleasure of staying home with her six children. While raising her children, she also managed a restaurant that she and her husband owned for six years.
When asked about her experiences at College of Saint Mary Christiansen explains,
“I was lucky enough to be able to go to college at a time when not many women had that opportunity," Christian said about her experiences at College of Saint Mary. "I think CSM helped me to mature and realize there was a 'great big world' out there beyond my small hometown of Bancroft, Nebraska.”
One thing Christiansen treasures about her CSM education is the sense of self-worth she developed. She said her educational experience developed her leadership potential and even helped her get over her fear of public speaking.
As an active member of the community, Christiansen has been a member of the Gamma Iota Sorority, a community service organization for almost 60 years. In addition, she’s a member of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre. She is currently working to build a new event center in the City of Pender.
Vickie Wrobleski
Vickie Wrobleski received her bachelor’s degree in business leadership in 2004 and her master's degree in organizational leadership in 2007. She worked for the University of Nebraska Medical Center for 23 years in a number of positions, the last of which was supervisor in the Radiology Department before retiring. Currently, she’s a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) and is a Certified Administrative Professional of Office Management (CAMP-OM).
“My experience at CSM gave me the confidence to take that uncomfortable step from staying in the background to being more visible when necessary," Wrobleski said. "I know I can do anything I set my mind to!”
Outside of work, Wrobleski volunteers as treasurer of the Iowa-Nebraska Division of IAAP. She also volunteers for the Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HERTA) and for her church.
Wrobleski attributes her leadership abilities to her many classmates and professors here at CSM, especially while she attended CSM’s 60 Saturdays business leadership program.
“These individuals helped give me the confidence to speak up and to move out of my comfort zone into the role of a leader," she said. "These women and group of professors are the best!”
Rita Sipes Pearsall
As a nurse, coordinator and teacher in the health professions, Rita SipesPearsall has cared for and educated others her entire career. Pearsall graduated from College of Saint Mary in 1974 with an associate’s degree in nursing. She began her profession working as an orthopedic nurse. Pearsall left hospital care based nursing to become an assistant coordinator for patient rehabilitation. She taught both in-and-out patient diabetic education, along with pre-and-post op orthopedic surgery classes.
Pearsall said that College of Saint Mary influenced her life in many ways.
“Belonging to a close knit CSM community with a caring and generous attitude made me strive to continue carrying on those attitudes in both my personal and career related relationships,” she said.
Pearsall has taken the support and encouragement she received at CSM and given it back to her community. Having taught religious education for a number of years and volunteering at hospitals and for the American Diabetes Association and American Red Cross, Pearsall has set a wonderful example for those around her. She nurtures the entire aspect of life, learning from both positive and negative experiences, but always looking forward and trusting herself.
