Each year, Alumni Achievement Awards are presented to Augustana University alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their fields of endeavor, communities and/or churches. The Horizon Award recognizes young alumni who have graduated within the last 15 years and quickly demonstrated outstanding vocational achievement and provided faithful service to their community and/or church. Recipients of both awards must exemplify one of the shared core values of the university: Christian, liberal arts, excellence, community or service.
✨ Daniel P. Digre ’78 is CEO of MISCO Speaker Company and Warkwyn Labs in St. Paul, Minnesota. Under his leadership, MISCO has grown from a small shop into a global leader — serving industries ranging from aerospace and medical technology to gaming and mass transit. Among its most notable projects, MISCO partnered with NASA to design and build loudspeakers for the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis program.
A proud Augustana Choir alumnus and music major, Digre began his career teaching choral music at New Ulm (Minnesota) High School. His passion for choral music has remained steadfast. He has applied his organizational and business skills to help create and support ensembles in the Twin Cities, including Singers in Accord, now in its 17th season. He also serves as treasurer of the Border Crossing Choral Ensemble and is completing his second term on the F. Melius Christiansen Endowment Fund Board. He and his wife of more than 30 years, Luz Paz, are the parents of Cali Berit.
✨ David W. Johnson ’74 has dedicated his career to community banking and service in South Dakota. Appointed CEO of Farmers State Bank in Estelline in 1976, he guided the institution through decades of growth, including its 1999 transition to Reliabank. From 1992 to 2018, Reliabank expanded to 10 locations across eastern South Dakota. Johnson also served as president of the Independent Community Bankers of South Dakota, director of the national ICBA and USAID volunteer in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
He and his family received the Prairie Family Business Heritage Award in 2020, and he and his wife, Jan, were named Philanthropists of the Year in 2022. Married since 1979, the Johnsons have two sons, Reid and Ethan, and eight grandchildren.
✨ Jan (Hovey) Johnson ’75 has combined a career in education with leadership in business and the arts. She taught English at Estelline and Watertown (South Dakota) high schools and later served as an adjunct professor at Mount Marty University in Watertown. Since 1992, she has been a member of Reliabank’s board of directors and became board chair in August when her husband, Dave, retired.
Beyond education and banking, Johnson served on the South Dakota Hall of Fame board, where she championed state history and is currently on the executive board of Friends of South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB). A supporter of the Center for Western Studies, she has sponsored two publications on South Dakota history and culture. With Dave, she received the 2022 South Dakota Philanthropist of the Year award. They are the parents of Reid and Ethan and have eight grandchildren.
✨ John F. Hansen ‘68 has devoted his professional and volunteer life to strengthening the Bellevue, Nebraska, and Offutt Air Force Base communities. A successful realtor, he founded Century 21/Hansen Real Estate and later served as president of the Nebraska Realtors Association.
Hansen served 28 years on the Bellevue Board of Education, including 17 as president, where he helped found the Military Impacted Schools Association to advocate nationally for military families and ensure smoother educational transitions for children. In 1992, he helped establish the Offutt Advisory Council, serving as president for more than 30 years, building partnerships between military leaders and civilian communities. He also co-founded the Bellevue Community Foundation, which continues to provide vital support to local organizations and families.
Hansen’s civic contributions include service on the Bellevue City Council, Nebraska Real Estate Commission and numerous nonprofit boards. He and his wife, Janet ’67, are parents of Christopher, Nicholas ’04 and Katherine.
✨ Scott N. Peters ’77 has been a devoted legal advocate. After earning a law degree at the University of South Dakota (USD), he clerked for U.S. District Judge John B. Jones — developing expertise in disability law and becoming a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities. For more than 30 years, he chaired the Minnehaha County Board of Mental Illness, adjudicating nearly 12,000 cases and leading reforms to improve due process, expand access to treatment and establish mobile crisis teams. In 1993, Peters co-argued a U.S. Supreme Court case that marked the first interpretation of the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause.
In retirement, Peters continued his commitment to servant leadership as board chair and volunteer development worker at Sioux Falls Lutheran School — guiding its successful relocation and enrollment growth. He and his wife, Dr. Patricia Peters ’76, are the parents of Katherine, Kristen and Sarah — all Lutheran educators — and have eight grandchildren.
Horizon Award
✨ Mason Voehl ’14 is an environmental advocate dedicated to protecting fragile ecosystems and empowering communities. As executive director of the Amargosa Conservancy, he led efforts to safeguard the Amargosa River Watershed in the Mojave Desert — one of North America’s most significant biodiversity hotspots. Now serving as the Conservancy’s campaigns director, he focuses on advocacy and grassroots organizing to defend the river and landscape.
A philosophy major and Civitas Honors Program graduate, Voehl earned a master’s degree in environmental philosophy from the University of Montana (UM). He previously taught field courses in ecology, conservation and environmental ethics with the Wild Rockies Field Institute and organized grassroots water protection campaigns in South Dakota with Dakota Rural Action. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Politico and The Washington Post. He is married to Sarah (Larimer) ’15.
These outstanding alumni will be honored during Viking Days at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, as part of a program at Midco Arena.