Current Alumni Council Members

Rebecca Ditsch ’93

Alumni Council President

A native of Portland, Oregon, Rebecca graduated from Carleton in 1993 as a religion major with a concentration in South Asian Studies. She received her J.D. from Columbia University Law School and practiced corporate law for a number of years in New York City. She relocated to Minneapolis in 2011 and puts her legal experience to use in her role as Global Director of Product Management at Thomson Reuters.

Rebecca previously served as a Board Member of Franconia Sculpture Park in Shafer, MN, and chaired the Minnesota chapter of Thomson Reuters’ Black Employee Network. She currently serves on the Leadership Committee of Thomson Reuters’ Women @TR MSP chapter.

Always a proud alum, Rebecca’s re-engagement with Carleton began when she joined her 25^th reunion planning committee. She found that experience so rewarding that she has been an active volunteer for the college ever since, as an Alumni Annual Fund class rep, member of the Alumni Council, and helping to plan her 30^th reunion.

Her volunteer journey started because she wanted to help create a fun and memorable reunion for her classmates, and she continues volunteering because she wants to help ensure Carleton is the best place it can be for today and tomorrow’s students.

Paul Blomgren ’92

‘C‎’‎ Club Board Representative‎
Minneapolis, MN

Paul was an economics major at Carleton with a concentration in educational studies. He ran both indoor and outdoor track all four years and played two years of football. In track, he was an MIAC conference champion and an All-American. The highlight of his track career centered on the relay teams, which still hold multiple school records. Paul was inducted into the ‘C’ Club Hall of Fame in 2017.

After graduating from Carleton, Paul began a career in finance and coached track at Macalester College. Recently, Paul retired after 30 years in the financial field, where he focused on the fixed-income markets.

Paul lives in Minneapolis with his wife Lynne and their daughter, while their son attends Purdue. He spends time helping coach his daughter’s high school track team and trains in karate at National Karate. Paul is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys fishing, golf, camping, and spending time in Hackensack, MN.

Bethany Bobo ’20

Multicultural Alumni Network (MCAN) Board Representative
Austin, TX

I came to Carleton from Olive Branch, Mississippi, and am a member of the historic class of 2020!  At Carleton, I majored in English, minored in Music Performance, and worked for 3 years in the OIIL office as a house manager in Freedom House (a.k.a. Black Haus) and as an Office Assistant. I loved being a member of the Carleton Voice Program and Exit69.

I have been on MCAN since I was a student representative my senior year, having been the young alum representative after graduation, and now being just an alum! After 2 years in nonprofit communications in Minneapolis, I moved to Texas and started a graphic design and digital marketing consulting business. I’m passionate about providing Black, queer, and women-owned businesses and nonprofits with holistic design and communications in a way that centers autonomy, community, and collaboration, and I’m grateful to get to do that every day. In my free time, I enjoy finding new recipes, restaurants, parks, and podcasts to indulge in.

Jonas Cartano ’01

At-Large Member
New York, NY

I graduated from Carleton in 2001 with a major in Music and a concentration in Educational Studies. I also received an EdM in Arts in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Building on a long career in nonprofit management with an emphasis in arts and culture organizations, my current work is primarily in nonprofit management consulting, working with various organizations and coaching individual organization leaders as a Leadership/Executive Coach.

I’ve been an active volunteer for Carleton since graduation, serving as an Alumni Admissions Representative, a member of all of my reunion planning committees, a class agent, a coordinating host for Summer Send-Offs in Washington, DC and New York City, a member of the Alumni Annual Fund Board, and a member of Alumni Admissions Representatives Board. I’m always happy to volunteer my time to ensure that Carleton continues to improve and remains an outstanding place for alumni and current students.

Ross Chavez ’01

Alumni Admissions Board Representative
Woodbury, MN

Since graduating in 2001, I’ve worked in various healthcare roles as a paramedic, firefighter, and leader. I’m passionate about delivering exceptional clinical care and leveraging data and technology to improve access and outcomes. Throughout my career, I’ve collaborated with fellow Carls, applying the lessons and values instilled in me during my time at Carleton. I’m grateful for the impact Carleton has had on my life, which is why I’ve volunteered as an Alumni Admissions Representative since graduation. It’s been incredibly fulfilling to share how Carleton has shaped me personally and professionally, inspiring prospective students to experience the unique education and community that only Carleton can offer.

Herb Crawford ’75

At-Large Member
Cleveland, OH

After graduating from Carleton, I spent six years in the banking and insurance industries before discovering my true professional calling. It was during a slow period as an insurance agent when, as an alum of A Better Chance (ABC), I volunteered to contact the newspaper publisher of the Minneapolis Tribune and the Minneapolis Star for a solicitation call. Although Donald Dwight declined to make a charitable contribution to the ABC program, he agreed to discuss the potential employment opportunities at his company with me later.

For the next thirty years, I worked as an advertising and marketing representative for four newspapers: the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com in St. Paul, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder in Minneapolis, and the Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com in Cleveland. My career in newspapers brought me immense satisfaction, not because of the many lucrative deals I was involved in, but because I knowingly contributed to how the daily newspaper positively impacted the lives of people in my communities.

I will always be grateful for my Carleton experience, where I formed lifelong friendships and discovered the works of Hermann Hesse, including “Demian” and “Narcissus and Goldmund.” Being the English major that I was, my brain and heart were branded with these words of feeling as expressed by Hesse: “…If I know nevertheless what love is, it is because of you…” “I wanted only to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?”

Jack Culotta ’19

Out After Carleton (OAC) Board
Representative
Minneapolis, MN

Jace graduated from Carleton in 2019 with a degree in Biology. They are currently pursuing a biosciences MS researching new technology to prevent aquatic invasive species invasion into the Great Lakes. When they are not working with fish, Jack likes to bike, canoe, and cross country ski. At Carleton, they played for the women’s rugby team, and worked to create inclusive spaces on campus as a Gender and Sexuality Center House Manager and Gender Discussion Group facilitator. Jack sees OAC as an important continuation of that work to connect and support current students and alumni.

Trixie Dao ’18

At-Large Member
Washington, DC

Eryn Deeming Kehe ’96

At-Large Member
Portland, OR

Ken Ehrman ’73

At-Large Member
Napa, CA

Graduating in 1973, I took a winding route to retirement in Napa, California. A Government and International Relations major at Carleton, I completed an M.Div. in New Testament from Boston University and eventually a D.Min. in Black Church Ministries. As an ordained United Methodist minister, I pastored churches in Ohio and Minnesota before ending my career as an Assistant Professor and Director of Field Education at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Illinois. My spouse, Sally Dyck, is a Bishop in The United Methodist Church. 

As a co-chair of the Program Committee for our 50th Reunion, I found that volunteering and giving time to Carleton is very fulfilling, thus I’m pleased to serve as an at-large member of the Alumni Council.

Maisa Frank ’05

At-Large Member
Annapolis, MD

Sandy Glick ’93

Alumni Annual Fund Board Representative
Vienna, VA

I’m co-founder of a Washington, DC consulting firm focused on the economics and environmental impact of mailing and shipping.

I first volunteered for Carleton as a member of 93’s 25th reunion gift committee. I then joined the Alumni Annual Fund (AAF) Board in 2021 and began as AAF chair in 2024.

I’m often amazed when I read about the professional accomplishments of fellow Carls, but I appreciate even more the consistent commitment of Carls to positively impacting their communities.

I volunteer to help broaden access to a great Carleton education and ensure that current and future students have an even better college experience than we alums had.

Sarah Hagerty ’13

At-Large Member
Boulder, CA

Jamie Jurkovich ’87 P21

At-Large Member
St. Paul, MN

Nathan Markowitz ’81

At-Large Member
Eugene, OR

Allison Penn ’25

Young Alumni Representative
Charlotte, NC

Betsy Sylvester ’06

At-Large Member
Minneapolis, MN

Gordon Walker ’97

Careers Alumni Board Representative

St. Louis, MO

Jo Young ’96

Out After Carleton (OAC) Board Representative
Minneapolis, MN

Jo graduated from Carleton with a degree in Women’s Studies in 1996 when it was still a ‘design your own’ major.  While at Carleton Jo did lots of work for the Carleton LGBTQ+ student organization. After college when looking for work, Jo took advantage of IT experience gained doing work study and began a career in IT. Jo has continued to work in IT for 20-plus years and is interested in things that make most people’s eyes roll back in their heads, along with juggling the roles of the sandwich generation with a parent in assisted living and two kids in school.  While not rich in money, power, or advanced degrees, Jo is rich in life, family, and friends. 

Zhuoli Zhang ’21

At-Large Member
Northfield, IL

Born in Beijing and raised between there and Chicago, Zhuoli graduated from Carleton with a degree in Mathematics. After graduation, he moved back to the Windy City, where he works as a network planning analyst at United Airlines. He loved the people he met at Northfield, as well as the many connections he made since graduation. Volunteering for Carleton is his way of giving back to the community.