Robert Van Der Velde (OH ‘79), will return to the Sun Belt on July 1 to become Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida campus of Palm Beach State College.

Eric Greitens (MO ’95), CEO of the Mission Continues, is one of three St. Louis finalists for Major League Baseball (MLB) and People Magazine’s “All-Stars Among Us” contest. To vote for Eric, visit peopleallstars.com and click on “St. Louis Cardinals.”

Jonathan Sclarsic (MA ’02) was named Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General in the Division of Open Government, which is responsible for educating the public and enforcing laws related to government transparency in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Jeff McLean (WI ’03) has been deployed for the last 5 months in the Arabian Sea on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, flying F/A-18F Super Hornets in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He says his return home in two months will be a glorious occasion, but he’s very proud of his contribution to the war: “Flying from the aircraft carrier has been every bit of adventure and excitement that I'd hoped for, and it has been an inspiration leading and working with the sailors onboard. It was great to see everyone again at the National Conference last summer, and I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone this fall!”

Joe Wells (IN ’03) is commander of a 150-man stryker infantry company (Charger Company, 2-3 IN Battalion), which was deployed to Muqdadiyah, Iraq but will soon return to Washington State.  Wells says that local governance, security, economics, and infrastructure have improved markedly during the company’s deployment, and he remains optimistic about Iraq's future prospects.

Maya Babu (MN ’04) graduated in May with an MD with honors from Harvard Medical School and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she received the Dean's Award.  Maya will start a neurosurgical residency at the Mayo Clinic in June. 

Mark Gaber (WI '04) graduated from Stanford Law School in June 2010.  He will spend a year as an associate at Jenner & Block, in Washington, DC, after which he will be a law clerk for Judge Judith Rogers on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Sara Ryan (PA '04) married Joe Weissfeld on March 27, 2010 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.  Fellow Truman Scholars Sarah Sattelmeyer (GA ’04), a bridesmaid, and Melissa Boteach (MD '04) were present.

James Madden (MA ’05) graduated from MIT with a Masters in City Planning and began working for the Campaign to Protect the Affordable Housing Law, which is the vote “no” campaign on a ballot question that would repeal an important housing law in Massachusetts.

Ryan Quarles (KY ’05) won his primary on May 18th with 60% of the vote for the Kentucky House of Representatives.  His district lies in central Kentucky, in the "Bluegrass" region of the state, which includes the thoroughbred industry, Toyota's largest manufacturing plant in the U.S., and includes a vibrant agricultural community.  Ryan will be taking on a seven-term incumbent.  His website is www.RyanQuarles.com and he would appreciate any help.

Lauren Finzer (CA ’08) was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. Beginning in August, she will spend nine months in India studying how supermarkets are affecting fruit and vegetable consumption.

Cara Valente-Compton (NM ‘10) started a new blog about the trials and tribulations of life as a 42 year old college student, mother of five, and Truman Scholar at LOBO MOM: http://undergradmom.blogspot.com.