2024 Distinguished Awardees

Joeli Walrath, B.S. 2019, was honored with the 2024 Young Alumni of Distinction award. Walrath was an active student while at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, participating on the Husker Equestrian team from 2016-19, the Horse Judging team from 2016-17, was a member of the University of Nebraska Rodeo Association from 2016-19, and was a member of the Pre-Vet club from 2016-17. From 2018-19, Walrath served as the executive board promotions officer for the rodeo association, promoting the program to the public and assisting in recruiting efforts through the creation of promotional materials and educating individuals on the performance of the team and club. She earned the crown of Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2020 and served in the role from June 2019 through December 2021, traveling throughout the state of Nebraska and the country to educate the public about the state of Nebraska and its agriculture, and to promote the professional sport of rodeo. Unable to travel during the pandemic, Walrath used her experience and skills to pivot her promotional responsibilities by using social media, creating a podcast, hosting online coloring contests for children, and even visiting local nursing homes on horseback to interact with residents outside of their windows to spread some joy during hard times. She later concluded her role as Miss Rodeo Nebraska by finishing as third runner-up in the Miss Rodeo America pageant during the National Finals Rodeo. She later became the Communications Director at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, in 2023. In her current role, Walrath communicates with producers and educates the public about agriculture by serving as a representative of the center, and having her work published both locally and nationally. She continues to serve the community as a board member for both the Miss Nebraska Rodeo Association and Sherman County Prevention Coalition.

Bryan Buss DVM, MPH, DACVPM CDC, B.S. 1985, was honored with the 2024 Undergraduate of Distinction award. Following his graduation from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 1989. He spent the next 15 years working in Nebraska as a mixed animal veterinary practitioner before returning to college to earn a Master’s in Public Health in 2005 from the University of Iowa. As a CDC Career Epidemiology Field Officer and Veterinary Epidemiologist with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services since 2008, Dr. Buss began serving as de facto Nebraska Deputy State Epidemiologist, State Public Health Veterinarian, and as a subject matter expert in epidemiology with the State Homeland Security team in 2013. He served as the Senior Epidemiology Lead and Branch Director during Nebraska’s responses to both Ebola virus disease and Avian Influenza. He also assisted in separate investigations of high rates of MRSA among high school sports participants in Nebraska, and a group of illnesses among 24 people that used swimming pools. His efforts in these investigations helped lead to a sustained reduction in MRSA cases among Nebraska high school athletes and the demonstrated benefits of improving pool operator training. All 900 Nebraska public pools now require operator training and certification. Since 2011, Dr. Buss has managed Nebraska’s Rabies Control Program. His training of staff in 19 local health departments throughout Nebraska allowed the investigations of more than 700 potential rabies exposures per year, leading to a documented annual medical cost savings of more than $500,000 by avoiding unneeded rabies post-exposure prophylaxis. He was the recipient of a formal letter of commendation from agency management for his exceptional senior leadership. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Buss had logged 3,612 response hours in the CDC’s time-tracker by the end of 2021, including 116 straight days in early 2020 where he averaged 9.5 hours/day, including weekends and holidays, as part of the response. He served as the State’s liaison working alongside federally deployed colleagues managing quarantine activities of repatriated Americans from both Wuhan and the Diamond Princess cruise ship. He went on to serve in four senior leadership roles in Nebraska’s response efforts, first as the overall lead for the state’s early response, next as leader of the Laboratory and Community Testing Work Stream, as Nebraska’s Vaccine Planning Epidemiology lead, and finally as the lead on efforts to develop processes for reinfection and vaccine breakthrough infections to enhance case investigations. Dr. Buss has authored 15 peer-reviewed publications and 14 CDC Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report publications, including Nebraska’s Rabies Investigation Guidelines, the Information Sharing and Epidemiology and Surveillance Sections of Nebraska’s Ebola and Zika Response Plans, and critical populations sections of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plan. He also holds an appointment as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, volunteers to teach epidemiology and public health, and serves as a student mentor, career counselor, and capstone project preceptor.

Collette Schultz Kaster, M.S., 1991, was honored with the 2024 Graduate of Distinction award. Following her graduation from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she started her career with Pig Improvement Company (PIC) as part of a team working to improve swine genetics to improve animal health and productivity, while also meeting export quality demands. She moved on to the Premium Standard Farms company to help establish a state-of-the-art, fully integrated pork company that would become a standard of quality and animal welfare in the industry. Following its acquisition by Smithfield, Collette served as the Vice President of Quality Technical Services from 2007-11 and later as Senior Vice President of Quality Technical Services and Livestock Procurement from 2011-16. She was responsible for all hog procurement at eight large-scale pork processing facilities with a total annual purchase value of $2.5 billion as well as the entire Quality Assurance and Technical Service teams. She went on to be named the Executive Director of the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO), an internationally recognized nonprofit organization that certifies animal welfare audits and auditors for all species, in 2016. Under her leadership, PAACO has implemented additional training modules, has served as a primary trainer in meat, poultry, swine, and beef cattle feedlot training, and coordinates outreach to all sectors of the livestock and meat industries. In 2019, Collette was named CEO of the American Meat Science Association (AMSA). Under her leadership, AMSA has expanded its membership to both international markets and suppliers to the meat industry. She oversees the annual Reciprocal Meat Conference and creates programs that develop students and youth for careers in the meat and agricultural industries. She continues to lead both organizations to this day. Collette serves as a mentor to students and young professionals, serving on the board of directors for Women’s Meat Industry Network (WMIN), and is active in Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS). She also continues to advocate for the role and purpose of meat, with her involvement in the inaugural Societal Role of Meat and Livestock Summit held in Dublin, Ireland in 2022, and in its next event in October 2024 in Denver, Colorado.