G E TTI N G START ED
by Melea Reicks Licht** ('00 public service & admin in agriculture, MS '05 agricultural education) mreicks@iastate.edu
W
hen I interviewed the Cyclone firefighters featured in our cover story, three common themes became clear. One, they were so incredibly humble. Each insisted their important efforts to safeguard communities from wildland fires were just their way of quietly making the world a better place. Two, they were each driven to serve others with science. They’re experts in their fields and stay current on developing practices and new discoveries, and they align procedures and policies accordingly. And three, teamwork is crucial to their success – not just on the front lines battling wildfires, but also while researching and developing new methods and policies to prevent them. Open communication and relationship-building are the cornerstones of their successful collaborations. Meet Bobby Tonkinson. He’s in the back row of this photo snapped during the press check for our last issue. That’s him in the red shirt. While not a firefighter, I believe the three themes identified above apply to him: humble, expertise, teamwork. Bobby has press checked every issue of VISIONS magazine for 25 years. Standing elbow to elbow with the editor, he scrutinizes each magazine spread for images that look “hot” or “flat.” He and his team at Mittera sharpen, chill, tweak, and amplify the photographs and rich design that enliven the stories we tell. Many hands, including Bobby’s, have touched the pages you now hold. VISIONS has always truly been a collaborative effort. The ISU Alumni Association, Iowa State University, and the ISU Foundation are now working together on a new collaboration with a goal to innovatively improve how we communicate with you, our members, and all other ISU alumni and friends. Read more in Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed President and CEO Jeff Johnson’s** (PhD ‘14 education) letter on page 28. Stay tuned, we’ll be sharing more about our collaboration with you here in VISIONS and in our e-mail newsletter ISU News Flash. Rest assured our discussions will keep you, our valued reader, in focus.
The VISIONS team posed for a photo after completing last issue’s press check. Front row, left to right: Jenny Witte** (‘02 management), designer; Melea Reicks Licht** ('00 public service & admin in agriculture, MS '05 agricultural education), editor; Kira Bliss, Talbot design intern; Kate Tindall** (‘15 journalism & political science), copy editor; Tim Smith, Mittera. Back row, left to right: Dan Pilcher, Mittera; William Corbin, Mittera; Erick Kuclo, Mittera; and Bobby Tonkinson, Mittera. Not pictured is Matt Van Winkle* (‘13 journalism & mass comm), photographer, who was behind the camera. 2
SPRING 2022 WWW.ISUALUM.ORG VISIONS
