Alumni Panelists
2023 Alumnae Panel
Cass Edwards
MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources alumna
Cassaundra (Cass) Edwards works in Supplier Quality for Tillamook County Creamery Association, a dairy cooperative located in the Pacific Northwest. Cass graduated from Michigan State University in 1994 with a B.S. in Food Engineering and later in 2008 received her M.S. in Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. She has over twenty-five years of experience working in the food industry in various roles such as Research and Development, Manufacturing, Quality and Food Safety. Her passion for supporting students and developing the next generation of technical leaders is evidenced from her role on the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Industry Advisory Board for more than twenty years. Also, she recently joined the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Board supporting student development and departmental goals critical to student success. She is a subject matter expert with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy where she contributes her experience and knowledge in Supply Chain Food Safety workshops. Cass is originally from Detroit, Michigan and currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband (Jay), teenage son (Miles), and Welsh terrier (Coltrane). She enjoys gardening and exploring the food and wine scene in Portland.
Dr. Stephanie LaHaye, PhD
MSU Natural Science alumna
Dr. LaHaye is currently a Principal Scientist at Tempus Labs, where she leads a team of scientists who utilize real world big data, including diverse clinical and molecular datasets, to integrate, analyze, and extract insights to facilitate and drive new research opportunities. She has had a passion for human genetics and genomics since her undergraduate years at Michigan State University, where she double majored in Human Biology and Genomics & Molecular Genetics. She obtained her PhD in Molecular Genetics from The Ohio State University, in the laboratory of Dr. Vidu Garg. She went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Institute for Genomic Medicine, where she received mentorship from Drs. Richard Wilson and Peter White. After her training, she took a full time position as a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist at the Institute for Genomic Medicine. In January 2022, she moved back to Michigan and took a full time (fully remote) position at Tempus Labs, a biotech startup company based in Chicago. In her time outside of work, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family, including her 3 year old son Rowan and husband Scott, and her two Boston Terriers, Sadie and Karl.
Dr. Lauren C. Liddell, PhD
MSU Lyman Briggs College alumna
Dr. Liddell is Mission Scientist for Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications (LEIA) at NASA Ames Research Center. Prior to this, Lauren supported BioSentinel, NASA's latest biological CubeSat, and first interplanetary space bioscience mission. BioSentinel successfully launched on Artemis I, the first test flight of NASA's Space Launch System rocket --- the same rocket that will send U.S. Astronauts back to the Moon, Mars, & beyond. BioSentinel is gathering important data on how the deep-space radiation environment affects DNA repair, metabolism, and growth of a living organism (budding yeast). Scientific insights gained from BioSentinel & LEIA will help prepare for future human exploration into deep-space, especially human habitation on the Moon.
Before joining NASA Ames, Lauren received a PhD in DNA Repair & Molecular Genetics from City of Hope Beckman Research Institute (2014, Duarte, CA), under the mentorship of Dr. Adam Bailis. Her graduate work focused on investigating the homologous recombination mechanism for DNA repair in budding yeast. She then joined Dr. John Pringle’s laboratory at Stanford University (2014 - 2017) for her postdoctoral studies, where she helped develop genetic tools in a new model organism, the sea anemone, to better understand the effects of global warming on coral bleaching.
Beyond research, Lauren is passionate about skydiving (420 jumps, 12 wingsuit), training students (in the sky & at the bench) and her 100 lbs friendly giant, Slider.
Elaine F. Sarabia
MSU Lyman Briggs College alumna
Elaine Sarabia works at Bayer as a Director of Clinical Operations. Her responsibilities include strategic planning, oversight and management of clinical trials within North American Clinical Operations. Elaineleads communication with key functions globally within Development, Commercial and Marketing to ensure transparency for on-going clinical development milestones. She's managed clinical trials in Women's Health, Oncology and now focuses on Cardiovascular/Thrombosis. Elaine graduated from Lyman Briggs in 1996 with a degree in Zoology and a tract of focus in Neurobiology. After graduating from LBS, she spent many years living and working Chicago. In 2021, she and her husband moved to Seattle where they're enjoying their adventures in the Pacific Northwest.
Cindy Westerhof
MSU College of Engineering alumna
Cindy Westerhof is a 36 year veteran of Consumers Energy. She joined the company’s energy management department in Kalamazoo, calling on large commercial and industrial customers after graduating from Michigan State University with a BS in civil engineering. Later she became the local economic development coordinator and department superintendent, while completing her MBA from Western Michigan University.
Cindy moved into a new corporate department called corporate performance analysis and worked on cost saving projects for senior management before joining the human resources department and becoming the company’s staffing director in 1990. She has held a variety of roles in human resources ranging from Director of Human Resources at CMS Enterprises to Executive Director of Human Resources for CMS Energy. Most recently, prior to retirement, Cindy was the Director of People Services & Talent Acquisition.
Cindy is the current chair of the MSU College of Engineering Alumni Board, a member of the Society of Women Engineers, served on the Corporate Advisory Board for Institutional Diversity at Michigan Technological University, has served on the Advisory Board of the CoRe Engineering Experience at Michigan State University and on the external advisory board at the University of Michigan’s Center for Engineering Diversity Outreach.
Philanthropy Panel
Angie Bodnar
MSU College of Engineering alumna
Angie Bodnar graduated from MSU in 1983 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering. She is first generation American and first generation to achieve a college degree in her family. Following graduation, she briefly worked in a manufacturing facility for Owens-Corning Fiberglas, before embarking on a 34 year career in engineering and manufacturing assignments at 3M Company. From project engineer, she progressed through a variety of assignments including Six Sigma Black Belt, Plant Manager and global Manufacturing Manager in a number of 3M divisions and locations. Angie retired in 2019 and lives in Eagan, MN. She is the Vice President of the Twin Cities Spartans and has a daughter who is also an MSU graduate, residing in Novi, MI. In addition to cheering on Spartan sports, her interests include traveling, hiking and gardening.
Dr. Kenzie Cameron, PhD, MPH, FACH
MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences alumna
Dr. Kenzie A. Cameron, PhD, MPH, FACH is a Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (NUFSM), where she holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Medical Education, Preventive Medicine, and Medical Social Sciences. She is a communication-trained health services researcher (MA 1996, PhD 1998, Department of Communication, Michigan State University) who has extensive experience in theory-based message design, persuasion research, qualitative methods, and innovative studies of multimedia interventions promoting behavior change. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Communication in Healthcare and received the NUFSM 2016 Mentor of the Year Award, as well as the Michigan State University College of Communication Arts & Sciences Alumni Board Outstanding Alumni Award in 2020. Dr. Cameron serves as the Director of Mentoring Programs for the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute, through which she established the NUCATS Mentor Training Certificate Program in 2021. She serves as a Coach and Evaluator for the NUFSM Department of Medicine Peer Coaching Program and led the development of the Northwestern University Provost’s Small Group Faculty Mentoring Program, launched in 2020, for which she received the 2022 Northwestern University Provost Award for Exemplary Faculty Service. Passionate about mentoring, and grateful for the mentoring she has received throughout her career, Kenzie and her husband, Steve Dickerson, established the Franklin J. and Linda J. Boster Endowment for Graduate Education in Communication in 2022 to honor and acknowledge the mentoring, support, honesty, high standards and friendship that the Bosters have provided to countless MSU students
Dr. Meredith Herman, DO
MSU College of Natural Science and MSU Honors College alumna
Dr. Meredith Herman, DO is a MSU alumna from the Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics program ('17) and the Honors College. During her early undergraduate years, Herman relied heavily upon financial aid and Pell grants to support her education. She received her first MSU scholarship from philanthropist and pathologist, Dr. James Billman. His mentorship and friendship to Herman instilled in her the desire to give back and pursue medicine. During college, she was a proud member of the Spartan marching band and performed in the Rose Bowl and Cotton bowl. She juggled numerous jobs at the MSU clinical center, resident assistant, and research assistant all while maintaining high marks. Upon graduation she received the Stevens Award from BLD for her exceptional academic achievement.
Herman became the first physician in her family when she graduated from MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. She currently is a pathology resident at the University of Michigan. While she lives and works in wolverine territory, she will always bleed green. She enjoys spending time with her husband (an MSU College of Law alum), cheering on the Spartan Marching Band, connecting with students in the BLD program, and painting. She has two endowed scholarships with Dr. Billman: The Herman-Billman MSU Spartan Marching Band endowed scholarship, and the Herman-Billman MSU BLD endowed scholarship. She continues to learn about giving back through medicine and education alongside Dr. Billman and hopes to continue his legacy.
Valerie Wright, LEED AP
MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources alumna
Valerie Wright, LEED AP, is a 1989 Michigan State University graduate with a B.A. in Interior Design from the School of Planning, Design, and Construction, within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She is a Principal at Diekema Hamann Architecture in Kalamazoo, MI where the focus is on healthcare, education, and biopharma projects. Valerie has served on multiple boards over her career such as AAUW (American Association of University Women), the Kalamazoo Public Library Board of Trustees, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Board and the MSU Interior Design Advisory Board. Her time at MSU shaped who she is today as well as her philanthropic heart.
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