Kirkwood awards top alumni

Transamerica was recently given Kirkwood Community College's President's Award for long-term support and partnerships. The company has worked closely with the college for nearly three decades, providing help with buildings and endowed scholarships as well as ongoing corporate and workforce training. Transamerica Senior Vice President Lon Olejniczak accepted the award for his employer, remembering his own “alumni” status as a former Kirkwood employee.

Kim W. Johnson, vice president of Kirkwood's Continuing Education and Training Services, was recently conferred Kirkwood Community College's first ever Trustee's Award. Johnson began working at the college in the late 1970s and earned a two-year degree over the next few years. She later earned degrees from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, culminating in her 2010 doctorate in higher education.

Kirkwood Community College recognized alums Michael J Gould, Birgit Klohs and Al Schmidt recently for exemplary career and community contributions.

Gould earned two Kirkwood degrees in the 1970s and 1980s, and first pursued law enforcement as a career and served in the Linn County Sheriff's Department. A workplace accident forced him to re-consider other career options, and he earned another associate's degree in health science. He and his wife, Janice eventually started two health care related businesses. By the time the couple sold one of those firms in 2005, it employed more than 200 people in 22 states. Both firms are still active in the industry today.

Klohs, CEO of The Right Place, Inc. in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is renowned as a business leader and community volunteer, earning a multitude of honors and awards. After moving to Iowa from her native Germany in the early 1970s, Klohs continued to build her career skills with a Kirkwood secretarial degree. Soon after she moved to Michigan, pursued jobs in the private sector and earned two more degrees from Western Michigan University.

Schmidt, president and owner of Metro Studios, launched his then-small business soon after his two-year studies were completed. Metro Studios now provides a host of media and marketing services to clients around Iowa and in a second office in Arizona. His co-owners and staff include several fellow Kirkwood graduates.