Lyon College Alumni Council elects new president, vice president

July 16, 2007

Lyon College’s Alumni Council, the governing board of the Association, has elected Aimee Dunnavant Martin ’01 as the new president, and Wayne Southwell ’95 as vice president. Rounding out the rest of the Council’s officers is Peggy Roettger, Lyon’s interim alumni director, who serves as the Executive Director.

Martin joined the Alumni Council in October 2003 and has served as chair of the Giving Committee and a member of the Letter Writing Committee. In 2005 she was elected to vice president.

Southwell joined the Council in July 2004 and has served as the chair of the Membership Committee and a member of the Bylaws Committee.

Martin said her new role is a wonderful opportunity to give back to an institution that has given her a strong education, a sense of self and lifelong friends.

"I’m excited about serving in my new role as President of the Alumni Council," Dunnavant Martin said. "Cricket has made enormous strides by increasing the awareness of the council not only among alumni, but within the entire college community. I plan to work with both Wayne as the incoming Vice President and Cricket as the Past President to continue to build awareness and inclusion of the alumni council." 

Outgoing Alumni Council President Sarah "Cricket" Oquist, a 1993 Lyon graduate, leaves some big shoes to fill.

Oquist joined the Alumni Council in October 2003 and served as vice president before taking over as president in 2005. Also in 2005, she became a member of Lyon’s Board of Trustees and has served on the Student Life Committee and the Institutional Advancement Committee.

After graduating from Lyon in 1993 with a degree in English, she went on to earn a law degree from Creighton University in 1999. After law school, she worked as an attorney for a national law firm in Minneapolis, before taking the position of Senior Corporate Counsel to U.S. Bancorp. In March of this year, she took a new position as Commissioner of Corporate Affairs for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Onamia, Minn., and serves as chief executive officer of a company with more than 3,000 employees.

Minnesota Lawyer, a weekly newspaper covering Minnesota’s courts and legal community, recently named Oquist as one of the state’s "Up and Coming Attorneys," an award given to attorneys with significant records of accomplishment during their first 10 years of practice.

Oquist said she’s well acquainted with both new officers and their unique abilities. She said Martin’s characteristic energy and dedication will make her a vital asset to the Council.

"Aimee has a lot of enthusiasm, commitment and talent," she said. "The Council will benefit from her passion for Lyon College and its alumni."

As for Southwell, Oquist said he has a deep well of leadership experience from which to draw.

"Wayne’s leadership ability was obvious even back in college," she said. "His experience, dedication and ability to identify a number of ways to resolve challenges combined with Aimee’s enthusiasm will form a powerful team."

Oquist said her time as president was more than a job for her. It was a chance to give something back to the College that means so much to her.

"It was a privilege to serve the past two years, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity," she said. As past president, she remains an officer for the council.