Twelve Kansas State University alumni selected as 2023 Alumni Fellows

Posted March 23, 2023

Alumni Fellows

Twelve accomplished Kansas State University alumni have been selected as the 2023 Alumni Fellows and will address students and faculty in classes and receptions April 12-14 during the 2023 Alumni Fellows week.

Alumni Fellows return to discuss current business and industry trends and to meet with students and faculty. The program is sponsored by the K-State Alumni Association, the Office of the President and the Deans’ Council.

“The Fellows were chosen based on their high levels of professional accomplishment and distinguished service in their respective careers,” said Andrea Bryant Gladin, K-State Alumni Association assistant vice president of alumni programs and organizer of the Alumni Fellows program.

The 2023 Alumni Fellows are:

Hayden Wands, vice president of global procurement, commodities for Grupo Bimbo, Mexico City, Mexico, for the College of Agriculture. Wands earned two bachelor’s degrees, one in flour milling science management and the other in marketing in 1982.

Louis A. Meilink Jr., FAIA, FACHA, senior principal at Ballinger, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the College of Architecture, Planning and Design. Meilink earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1987.

Graham Garlinghouse, chief operating officer for Covac Global, Columbia, South Carolina, for the College of Arts and Sciences. Garlinghouse earned his master’s degree in political science from K-State in 2009.

Martin Spartz, senior director, gas analysis research and development for Thermo Fisher Scientific, East Windsor, Connecticut, for the College of Arts and Sciences. Spartz earned his doctorate in chemistry from K-State in 1990.

Jerry DeVault, retired partner at EY, Sedalia, Colorado, for the College of Business Administration. DeVault received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from K-State in 1985.

Marilyn M. Cuch, senior lecturer and director of the Undergraduate Secondary Education Program at Utah State University, Roosevelt, Utah, for the College of Education. Cuch earned two degrees in secondary education from K-State, a bachelor's degree in 1995, and a master's degree in 1997.

Kimberly Gerard, founder and CEO of 360 Electrical LLC, Logan, Utah, for the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. Gerard graduated from K-State with two bachelor’s degrees, the first in engineering technology in 1982 and the second in civil engineering in 1984.

Colonel (Ret) Jesse D. Galvan, director, protective force operations and training, Northern New Mexico Integrated Security, Los Alamos, New Mexico, for K-State’s Global Campus. Galvan earned two degrees from K-State, a Bachelor of Science in sociology with a minor in correctional administration in 1988 and a Master of Science in adult, occupational and continuing education in 2001.

Kamesh Reddy Sirigireddy, director at Merck Animal Health, Ames, Iowa, for the Graduate School. Kamesh received his master’s degree and Ph.D. both in diagnostic medicine/pathobiology from K-State in 2003 and 2008.

Marc Shaffer, Certified Financial Planner professional and CFO of Searcy Financial Services, Overland Park, Kansas, for the College of Health and Human Sciences. Shaffer earned his Bachelor of Science in personal financial planning in 2005.

Brian Youngers, president of Ad Astra Flight Group, Wichita, Kansas, for the College of Technology and Aviation. Youngers is a 2005 graduate with an associate’s degree from the Professional Pilot Program and a Bachelor of Science in airway science.

Jay Merriam D.V.M., M.S., equine veterinarian for The Equitarian Initiative, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, for the College of Veterinary Medicine. Merriam earned a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine in 1967 and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1969 from K-State.

For more information about the Alumni Fellows program, visit k-state.com/Fellows.