At the ready
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Michelle (Tomal) Letcher ’95 assumed the duties of Commander of the Joint Munitions Command and Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command. Both are headquartered at the Rock Island Arsenal. Letcher oversees the provision of lethal military weapons and ammunition at the right place when needed and at the right cost. Her work supports all U.S. service members, as well as all of America’s allies. She began her 23-year military career in ISU’s ROTC, while on campus completing a degree in social work. She has since served in Germany, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Korea.
Best of Braille teachers
The Braille Institute of America chose Kateri Gullifor ’10 as its 2019 Teacher of the Year for excellence in braille instruction. A graduate of ISU’s Department of Special Education, she works in the Huntley Community School District with students across all grade levels who have a visual impairment. Gullifor’s path into teaching goes back to junior high, when she mentored a blind preschooler in a program called Little Angels. Now she excels at customizing educational plans for each student’s specific need, and relishes helping children achieve independence and equity in their education. “I feel purposeful,” she said. “I feel appreciated.”
Master of musical theatre
Daren A. C. Carollo ’99 is a College of Fine Arts acting alum who is now the co-executive director of 42nd Street Moon in San Francisco, California. The theatre is one of only four in the nation with a mission to present staged concert performances of classic Broadway musicals from the 1920s through the 1970s. Doing so requires tireless work in finding lost scores and scripts, with the reward being the theatre is one of the first to be known as a musical revival company. Carollo has been a leader in the Bay Area arts scene for more than a decade.
Called out for caring
Mennonite College of Nursing graduate Jessica Marshall ’17 works at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Although still early in her career as a registered nurse, Marshall has proven she has the competency and compassion required to bring a healing touch. She was chosen by the hospital as its 2019 Nurse of the Year. One patient who nominated Marshall wrote that she “truly holistically cares about patients as human beings,” standing up for them while pushing them forward with a combination of tough love and humor. Marshall was chosen for the honor from more than 2,000 nurses at the hospital.
