Feldman, Mann to receive Distinguished Young Alumni Award during homecoming

Distinguished Young Alumni, Mitch Feldman

Mitch Feldman, a lifelong Nebraskan who grew up on a fourth-generation farm in Litchfield, is a 2018 recipient of the Chadron State College Distinguished Young Alumni Award.

Feldman, who majored in chemistry and biology and earned a minor in physics, graduated from Chadron State College in 2005. With a job offer in place before graduation, he moved to Blair, Nebraska, to work at the Cargill Lactic Acid Production Facility. In 2006, he took a job with a biosciences company developing DNA sequencing technology in Lincoln, Nebraska. That same year he received an offer to take a job closer to home and began working as the Laboratory Manager for a nearby ethanol plant in Ravenna, Nebraska.

After seven years of managing various portions of the ethanol facility, Feldman was named Plant Manager of the $150 million Kaapa ethanol facility in 2013. The company, owned by a cooperative of local farmers, purchases more than 100,000 bushels of corn each day and produces more than 100 million gallons of ethanol annually.

As Plant Manager, Feldman directs the operation of 50 employees who work to convert grain into environmentally-friendly biofuels. Feldman’s position requires extensive knowledge of chemistry and physics, and business expertise with accounting and budgeting.

Feldman is active in his community. He and his wife, Cassie, who majored in business administration and graduated from CSC in 2005, enjoy volunteering and public service. Both have been members of their church council, coach sport teams, and Feldman has served as school board president for several years. The couple have three children, Caydence, Knox, and Kenna.

Distinguished Young Alumni, Dr. Ethan Mann

Dr. Ethan Mann has returned to his hometown as a recipient of the 2018 Chadron State College Distinguished Young Alumni Award.

Mann was born in Chadron but moved with his family to Wayne, Nebraska, while he was in elementary school. However, he came back to Chadron as a college student and earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in 2005. Mann was an active presence on campus and played wide receiver for the football team.

Following graduation, he studied pathology and microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In 2010 he received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska and accepted a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. At Ohio State, Mann studied infectious disease mechanisms with renowned professor of microbial interface biology, Dr. Daniel Wozniak.

Following his three year fellowship, Mann began working in research and development at Sharklet Technologies, an innovative surface company that is focused on improving health through the use of engineered microtopography inspired by the skin of sharks, in Aurora, Colorado.

Since 2013, Mann, who earned a business certificate from the University of Colorado and is close to completing his Master of Business Administration specializing in international business strategy and finance, is the Vice President of Operations and Research and Development at Sharklet Technologies. Mann currently serves on review panels that evaluate research grants, and is on the Colorado Bioscience Association Board of Directors. He also belongs to the Knights of Columbus.

Mann and his wife, Tracy, who attended CSC, have four children, Taya, Rory, Nolan, and Lucy. The couple resides in Centennial, Colorado.