Luther College Board of Regents elects Shannon Duval to be next chairperson

Luther College President Brad Chamberlain recently announced that the Luther College Board of Regents unanimously elected Shannon Duval, a 1995 Luther graduate, to serve as the board’s next chairperson. Chamberlain also announced that five Luther alumni, Ann Bentdahl, Michael Gerdin, Mark Jensen, Lee Valenta and Cassandra Warner, will join the Luther College Board of Regents in the fall.

First appointed a regent in 2018, Duval has served as vice chairperson since 2022. She is senior vice president and enterprise chief philanthropy officer for Advocate Health in Castle Rock, Colorado. As chairperson for the Luther College Board of Regents, she replaced J. Robert (Bob) Paulson, a 1978 Luther graduate. Paulson has been the board’s chair since 2022.

“While I am honored to be entrusted with the role of chairperson, most of all I am grateful for the work that Bob has done for his alma mater,” Duval said. “Bob’s years as a member of the Board of Regents were marked by steady leadership the past four years as our chairperson. His fellow regents think of him as our ‘oak tree of stability’ leading this board through transitions and challenges, and maximizing opportunities on behalf of the college.”

Dr. Mark Larson, a 1978 Luther graduate, was elected as vice chairperson. Since 1989, Larson has been a consultant in gastroenterology at Mayo Clinic, specializing in interventional endoscopy and malignant and pre-malignant gastrointestinal conditions and syndromes. Larson is a longtime member of the executive committee of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology within Mayo’s Department of Internal Medicine. He also serves as the medical director of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which is a collection of domestic and international organizations that work collaboratively with Mayo Clinic.

With the new chairpersons in place, the board recognized the service of two outgoing regents by approving Regent Emeriti status for Paulson and Connie Plaehn, a 1975 Luther graduate.

“Both Bob and Connie have been stalwarts of our board, and they will be missed as both colleagues and friends,” Duval said.

New members — Bentdahl, Gerdin, Jensen, Valenta and Warner — will attend their first Board of Regents meeting in October.

“I am excited to welcome our new regents to the board,” Duval said. “Collectively, their impressive professional experiences and unique perspectives will contribute to the valuable work the board does in support of Luther College.”

Bentdahl, a 1985 Luther graduate, is the former president and CEO of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF). Prior to MHIF, she had a long-standing banking career as part owner of Excel Bank Minnesota, where she served as senior vice president of the bank and president of the Excel Bank Minnesota Foundation. She formerly served on Luther’s Board of Regents for eight years (2013-2021). Her family’s philanthropic legacy is visible on campus through the Bentdahl Commons and the Bentdahl Memorial Pipe Organ in the Center for Faith and Life. She established the Bentdahl Award for Excellence in Nursing at Luther College, and her parents, Ray Bentdahl, a 1959 Luther graduate, and Shirley (Klingsheim) Bentdahl, a 1959 Luther graduate, established scholarships for students attending Luther College as well.

Gerdin, a 1992 Luther graduate, is the chairman, president and CEO of Heartland Express headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa. The Gerdin family has a transformative philanthropic relationship with Luther College, underscored by a historic $10 million lead gift in 2023 for the renovation of the Regents Center, now known as the Gerdin Fieldhouse for Athletics and Wellness.

Jensen, a 2007 Luther graduate, is the president of Viking State Bank and Trust in Decorah and Waukon State Bank of Waukon, Iowa. He served on the Decorah Area Fundraising Committee for the Gerdin Fieldhouse campaign. Jensen is a member of the WinnMed Board of Trustees and the Winneshiek County Development and Tourism board.

Valenta, a 1978 Luther graduate, serves as a managing director at Cloverfields Capital Group LP and lives in Sarasota, Florida. He has remained engaged with the college through alumni activities and events over the years, and co-founded the Kirk Harbaugh Accounting Scholarship at Luther College.

Warner, a 1985 Luther graduate, recently retired as executive vice president at Weis Builders in the Twin Cities. She served as co-chair for the Regents Center Fundraising Committee, the group that kicked off the fundraising efforts for the Gerdin Fieldhouse.