2020 Hilltopper Honors Awardees
 

The Hilltopper Honors Awards honor alumni who have excelled in their personal achievements, professional lives, or in service to society, and whose accomplishments have brought credit to the school.

The 2020 Hilltopper Honors Awards were presented on Friday, September 25th in a physically-distanced ceremony on campus. You can nominate future awardeesby visiting the alumni websiteor by contacting Jasen Wise, Director of Alumni Relations, at alumni@marshallschool.orgor 218.727.7266 x112.

 

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS
Professor Tadd Johnson, ESQ. '75

In 2019, Tadd was named the University of Minnesota’s first senior director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations. As senior director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations, Johnson is housed at the U of M Duluth, where he is director of the Tribal Sovereignty Institute and director of Graduate Studies in the American Indian Studies Department.

In addition to his academic work, Johnson is a resource to tribal governments and Native American people with more than three decades of leadership and service in the field of Federal-Indian law and policy. He served as a tribal attorney for more than 20 years, served as a tribal court judge and administrator, and is a frequent lecturer on American Indian history and Federal Indian Law. He spent five years with the U.S. House of Representatives, ultimately becoming staff director and counsel to the Subcommittee on Native American Affairs. In 1997, President Clinton appointed Johnson to chair the National Indian Gaming Commission. He is nationally recognized in the area of Native American Law and is an enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.

Johnson received a B.A. at the University of St. Thomas, a J.D. at the U of M Law School, and serves on the Boards of the Udall Foundation and the Native Governance Center.

 

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
CHRISTA KNUDSEN '92

Christa is the Director of International Programs at Marshall School. When she started in the Admissions office at Marshall in 2006, she envisioned a consistent global presence at Marshall. Fourteen years later, the school has an on-campus residence that welcomed 40 students from 10 countries this fall. Over the years, Hilltoppers have welcomed a host of international guests to campus: visiting faculty from India, student teachers from South Korea, and many student exchanges from countries like Colombia, Turkey, Russia, France, and beyond. In Christa’s words, “‘Global’ has become an accepted part of the school fabric. Building the trusted global network we have at Marshall took time, humility, perseverance, and at turns, courage. I can be happy with those things personally - but what matters most is that Marshall is now a global school, where students are even more deeply enriched by the presence of each other’s diverse experiences and perspectives.”

Christa graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has also earned her M.B.A. She enjoys time in nature, travel, watching documentaries, and swimming

 

DISTINGUISHED YOUNG ALUMNA
LINNEA BETZLER MIRSCH '97

Linnea Mirsch is Director of Public Health and Human Services for St. Louis County, MN, where she has the privilege of working in public policy, administration, strategy and leadership. The department of 700 employees are responsible for public health, economic services and supports, behavioral health, home and community-based services, and children and family services. She is most energized by strategic leadership as she works proactively to get at the underlying causes of the most pervasive challenges we face and improve the health and well-being of all people in St. Louis County.

Linnea earned B.A. degrees in Psychology and Spanish from Bethel College as well as her Master’s degree in Public Policy from Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She is a recipient of the Webster Muck Award from Bethel University’s Department of Psychology, a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar, and was one of Duluth News Tribune’s 20 Under 40 in 2010. Linnea keeps busy in her free time with her active family and is involved as a volunteer with Grace Lutheran Church and as a parent volunteer and PTA member for Lowell Elementary Nueva Vision Spanish Immersion.

 

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
JACK CONNOLLY '07

Jack is in his ninth year as a professional hockey player with Luleå Hockey in Luleå, Sweden. As a Hilltopper, he excelled with both the Boys Soccer and Boys Hockey teams, playing in three state championship hockey games and claiming Northland Boy’s Soccer Player of the Year 2006-2007.

Jack attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he majored in Communications and minored in Business Administration while playing four years of hockey with the Bulldogs, where some of his collegiate highlights include winning an NCAA Men’s Hockey National Championship in 2011 and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award in 2012. Other achievements include: Lowe’s Senior Class Award Winner 2012; Premier Player of College Hockey Award Winner 2012; USA Hockey College Player of the Year 2012; NCAA All-American 2nd Team 2009-2010; NCCA All-American 1st Team 2010-2011 & 2011-2012; WCHA Scoring Champion and Player of the Year 2012; All WCHA 1st Team 2010, 2011 & 2012; and All-Academic Team 2009-2012.