Wartburg College recognized three outstanding alumni for service to their communities with an Alumni Citation.
The award honors graduates from more than 15 years ago who are living the four pillars of the Wartburg College mission: leadership, service, faith, and learning.
This year’s recipients are:
The Rev. Erika Breddin, a 1994 graduate, enrolled at Wartburg Theological Seminary, but she was forced to leave after being outed as transgender. After nudging from her congregation, she stepped into leadership and was ordained in the United Church of Christ. She returned to the seminary and earned her master’s degree in 2021. She then accepted calls at St. Ansgar Lutheran Church and Zion Lutheran Church, both in Waterloo, becoming the first openly transgender clergywoman to serve an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation in Iowa and one of only a handful in the entire country. Breddin continues to push back on prejudice, noting that gay and transgender clergy often wait far longer for calls than their colleagues.
Erich Heneke, a 2002 graduate, served as director of business integrity and continuity at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., preventing interruptions to the vital care provided there. Heneke began a consulting firm in 2014, allowing him to put his knowledge to work for small businesses across the globe. Since retiring early to pursue service, his commitments include the Wartburg College Department of Business National Advisory Board, the Rochester Civic Theater, United Way of Olmstead County, the Food Bank of Iowa, Make-a-Wish, and the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s food pantry, among others. He has completed mission trips with the American Red Cross, Team Rubicon, Samaritan’s Purse, Habitat for Humanity, and Global Impact Initiative to places like the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, and Tanzania.
Dr. Stacene Maroushek, a 1986 graduate, serves as a general pediatrician and pediatric infectious disease specialist for Hennepin Healthcare. In this role, she provides expert consultation and training about vaccinations to colleagues both within the organization and around the world. Maroushek has traveled numerous times to Jamaica, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Poland to train medical professionals in techniques to reduce infant and maternal mortality. These trips require continual education, both around new infectious diseases and around cultural differences that may act as barriers to care for her patients. Maroushek became a master gardener volunteer in 2022, putting in more than double the amount of hours necessary to maintain her credentials.
The honorees were presented with their awards at a luncheon during Homecoming & Family Weekend.
