Friday, June 5, 2026

The March Student Success Team meeting was held on Tuesday, March 10th, from 10:30am–12:00pm in the Richey Ballroom (#376), IMU.

As part of our annual March tradition, we were excited to welcome five former student leader alumni back to campus for a candid, forward-looking conversation about what it truly took for students to thrive at Iowa—and beyond.

This year’s alumni panel explored how key student success priorities—well-being, experiential learning, relationship-rich education, and career development—showed up in their Iowa experiences and shaped their post-graduation paths. Panelists reflected on the moments, relationships, and opportunities that mattered most, as well as gaps and lessons that could inform how we support today’s and tomorrow’s students.

As we began shaping the 2027–2032 UI Strategic Plan, this conversation offered a valuable opportunity to ground our work in alumni perspective and lived experience—connecting where we had been with where we wanted to go.

Our alumni guests who joined us:

Lindsay (Schutte) Crittendon (Orinda, CA) Chief Revenue Officer, Tailorbird (venture-backed AI company)

  • BS 2005; Journalism and Political Science
  • UISG President, Gamma Phi Beta Sorority President, and James Gang/10,000 Hours Show Volunteer

Connor Gronski (Los Angeles, CA) Commercial Banker, J.P. Morgan (specialization in healthcare, higher education, and non-profit banking)

  • BBA 2019; Finance Major, Spanish Minor, International Business Certificate
  • UISG Speaker of the Senate, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity Vice President, and Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity Member

Lyndsay Harshman, MD (Iowa City, IA) UI Health Care – Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Dialysis, and Transplantation; Medical Director, Pediatric Kidney Transplant; Associate Program Director, Resident Research Pediatric Residency Program

  • BS 2006; MD 2011; MS 2018
  • ECGPS (GPSG) President and Carver College of Medicine Student Government President

Peter McElligott (Washington, DC) General Counsel, Stagwell Inc. (global marketing and communications)

  • BA 2007; History and Political Science
  • UISG President and University Lecture Committee Member

Kotheid Nicoue (Washington, DC) Director, Rippleworks (social ventures and entrepreneur support)

  • BA 2012; International Studies and French
  • UISG Executive Officer and Diversity Liaison, Walk It Out Multicultural Fashion Show Co-President, African Student Association President, and Resident Assistant

We were grateful to all who joined us on Tuesday, March 10, 10:30am–12:00pm in the IMU Richey Ballroom.