Saint Mary’s University will welcome more than 200 alumni, family, and friends back to the Winona Campus June 27-29 for Reunion Weekend. Most notable of the various events held on campus for Reunion Weekend this year, the Class of 1975 will be celebrating its 50th reunion, and alumni from 1974 and older are invited to an alma mater banquet.
A highlight of Reunion Weekend every year includes the alumni awards, where Saint Mary’s honors alumni that have made outstanding achievements in their professional careers, who best exemplify the Lasallian charism Saint Mary’s was founded upon, and who have generously contributed time and talent to the goals and objectives of their alma mater.
This year’s awardees include: Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient Dr. Brian L. Desbiens B’67 of Omemee, Ontario, Canada; Lasallian Service Award recipient Dr. James Hake B’73 of Moses Lake, Wash.; Alumni Appreciation Award recipient Henry Jakobsze B’83 of Downers Grove, Ill. and Sherrills Ford, N.C.; and Outstanding Young Alumna Kristen (Hammermeister) Hosman B’10 of Pine, Colo.
Dr. Brian L. Desbiens B’67
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Dr. Brian L. Desbiens B’67 has dedicated his life to education and service to his community. He worked at St. Clair College from 1968-2004, starting as a faculty/counselor, senior administrator and eventually as a campus principal in Chatham, Ontario. He then went on to serve as president of Sir Sandford Fleming College from May 1988 to August 2004. Since retirement, he has established Desbiens Services which provides executive leadership coaching to senior leaders in higher education (nongovernmental organizations, colleges, and universities) and health care, and is an associate partner with Promeus, an executive search firm. He has worked at or taught for St. Clair College, Sir Sandford Fleming College, Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, Contact North|Contact Nord, and OISE-University of Toronto.
Dr. Desbiens served on several national and provincial organizations. He served nationally on the Prime Minister’s National Advisory Board on Science and Technology, on the National Advisory Council on Energy Efficiency, was a founding member of the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, and served on the Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation and the Loran Scholarship Foundation. In education, he served as a member and chair of the Canadian Network of College Presidents, as well as chaired the provincial Council of Presidents, the Ontario College Application Centre Management Board, and the Human Resource Development Task Force. Provincially, he was a member of the founding Board for the Optical Regional Advanced Network of Ontario (ORANO), the Secondary School Reform Committee of Ontario, the Central Ontario Smart Growth Panel, the Educational Quality and Accountability Board (which he chaired for seven years), and is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Ph.D. program in Leadership at the University of Toronto, in which he is an adjunct professor.
Dr. Desbiens has been a research associate with Contact North/Contact Nord for the past decade. He was a founding member of the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association research team conducting an annual national study of online and digital learning. He has received several awards throughout his career including the Order of Ontario. Locally he has tirelessly served his community through many organizations like the United Way and benefitting many causes including healthcare, economic development, flood relief, poverty reduction, at-risk families, and literacy.
He and his wife Ellen reside in Omemee, Ontario, Canada and enjoy their three children and five grandchildren.
Dr. James Hake B’73
Lasallian Service Award
Dr. James Hake B’73 grew up in Owatonna, Minn. before attending Saint Mary’s. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a divisional science major. He then attended the University of Minnesota Medical School followed by a family practice residency in Salinas, Calif.
He spent his medical career in Moses Lake, Wash., as a family doctor while raising his four sons with his wife Terry (Cullen) CST’74. He has been a member of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, participating as a Eucharist Minister and member of the new church building committee and the finance committee.
Jim and Terry began their association with Mission Doctors Association (founded by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles) in 2004 with a one month mission to Cameroon, Africa. A two- month mission in 2007 to Zimbabwe followed. Their positive experiences allowed them to commit to a three-year mission back to Cameroon in 2010.
St. Martin de Porres Hospital in the mountains of Cameroon was run by the Franciscan Sisters who welcomed Jim and Terry into their community. Jim, along with three Cameroonian doctors, staffed the 225 bed hospital and outpatient clinic with 50,000 annual visits. He managed the care for over 1,000 HIV patients and dealt with malaria patients daily. Jim and Terry last served in Cameroon in 2016 but civil war broke out shortly thereafter preventing further visits. They additionally served on the MDA Board for many years helping in recruiting and supporting other Catholic doctors serving overseas.
Henry Jakobsze B’83
Alumni Appreciation Award
As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), Henry Jakobsze B’83 of Downers Grove, Ill., and Sherills Ford, N.C., has used the same skills that have made him successful in his career to benefit his alma mater. He leads a wealth management team at PaineWebber that provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management for corporate executives and owners of privately held companies. His team manages over $2.5 billion of client assets. Prior to joining PaineWebber in 1996, he worked with FedEx Corporation for 11 years in national sales, real estate expansion, and regional operations planning. He previously worked with Drexel Burnham Lambert, where he specialized in stock options trading on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange.
At Saint Mary’s, Jakobszke served on the Alumni Association from 2021 to 2016 and as president from 2014-2016, during which time he volunteered with Lasallian Day of Service, the Reunion Weekend class planning committee, and the Bogey Bash. He also served on the investment subcommittee of the Board of Trustees, through which he worked closely with the CFO to help strengthen the financial security of the university. As an alumnus, Jacobze has not only given of his time and talent to the university, he has also generously shared his treasure, philanthropically supporting his alma mater for more than 13 years through the Saint Mary’s Fund and the First Generation Initiative, knowing that education for all is part of the Lasallian mission. Living a true life of service, Jakobszke serves the communities in which he and his wife reside and various other organizations without recognition or praise, reflective of the teachings of the De La Salle Christian Brothers.
Kristen (Hammermeister) Hosman B’10
Outstanding Young Alumna Award
Kristen Hosman B’10 is a five-time Microsoft MVP and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business from Saint Mary’s. While working full time, she pursued her degree through evening classes, which laid the foundation for a thriving career in accounting before transitioning into consulting. Her diverse accounting background provides a unique perspective, enabling her to deliver tailored solutions that meet the distinct needs of small businesses.
In 2018, Hosman founded Mount Evans Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping SMBs implement and support Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP solutions. As an active leader in the Microsoft Dynamics community, she shares her expertise through open forums, interviews, and conference presentations. She also serves on the advisory committee for Dynamics User Group (DUG), one of the largest gatherings for Microsoft Business Application users, where she helps shape content that drives community growth.
Her dedication has earned her numerous accolades, including four consecutive GPUG All-Star nominations, a Granite Award, a Dynamics 365 All Star Award nomination, and her most prestigious recognition as a Microsoft MVP for five consecutive years.
Hosman’s passion for continuous learning and community engagement reflects her commitment to helping businesses scale and succeed. She and her husband, Adam Hosman B’10 — who also graduated from Saint Mary’s with a bachelor’s in human resources — reside in Colorado with their two children, Ryker (14) and Odin (12).
