Outstanding Alumni - 2006
Dr. Debra Kellerman
Bemidji State University Graduate 1972 & 1975
Dr. Debra Kellerman received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education in 1972, and a Masters degree in the same program in 1975, both from BSU. In 1981, she earned her Ph.D. in Business Education, Economics and Special Education from the University of Iowa. Debra began her teaching career at the high school level, where she taught for five years prior to receiving her Ph.D. She then taught at Bowling Green University from 1981-1983, before receiving a position at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) where she continues to teach Marketing and Business Law. At SCSU, she has held several collegiate administrative appointments, including Director of Economic Education Center, Chair of the Business Education and Office Administration Department, and Director of Business Communications. Deb has participated in numerous professional organizations, including the Minnesota Business Educators, Inc., (MBEI), where she has been a member since 1970, and has held leadership positions at both the regional and state level. Throughout her career, Debra has received many honors recognizing her professional contributions, including the Outstanding Faculty Award from SCSU in 1991, the Distinguished Service Award from MBEI, the Outstanding Post Secondary Business Educator award from both MBEI and NCBEA, and the Educator of the Year award from BSU in 2000. Debra and her husband also own a resort on Lake of the Woods, and since its purchase in 1995, she has commuted from St. Cloud on the weekends to help her family run the operation. Debra serves on the Lake of the Woods Tourism Board and has been the chair since 2004. She has also been a member of the Northwest Angle and Islands Chamber of Commerce since 1995, and has served as president of that organization since 2000. She served as the United Way Campaign Coordinator for two years at SCSU, orchestrating the campus? most successful campaign in its history, in the number of contributors and amount of money raised. Debra was a board member of the BSU Alumni Association from 1990-2002, many of those years on the executive committee. Debra was part of a visionary group that refocused the Alumni Association Board, helping to lead a strategic planning session that established a new vision and mission, and positioning the Board to serve the University and its students with greater impact. Debra and her husband, Tony Wandersee, have two children, Hannah and Cole, and currently make their permanent home on Oak Island in the Northwest Angle & Islands, Minnesota.