Recipient of the 2021-2022 Dartmouth Young Alumni Award
As a high school student in Minneapolis, Minnesota, you were a volleyball and track and field star, with plenty of colleges knocking at your door. Though you considered going with a D1 school, a recruiting trip to Dartmouth enchanted you. You note that campus in fall matched the vision of college you’d had since you were a little girl, and you were impressed by the College’s academics and alumni network. Of course, a late-night bonding trip to EBAs with your future teammates didn’t hurt, either.
Once you arrived in Hanover, you dove head-first into both athletics and academics. As an economics major, you balanced a rigorous course load with not one but two varsity sports. In addition to a successful volleyball career, you also walked onto the track and field team, where you set a school record for the triple jump. In fact, you were so devoted to sports that you picked up a job in Alumni Gym and lived in the East Wheelock housing cluster.
Despite that packed schedule, you made time to give back as a student. You regularly volunteered with Big Green Readers, the East Wheelock Service Committee, and the Student Athlete’s Advisory Committee. Your fondest memories revolve around building the tight-knit friendships that you continue to cherish.
After graduation, you returned to Minnesota to build your career. You started out as a financial analyst and also held roles in process management and operations leadership, including a stint at GE while it was led by Jeff Immelt ‘78. A Dartmouth Club connection, Mark Gross ‘82, helped shift your career in a new direction when he pointed you to a role at the grocery distributor Supervalu in 2016. These days, you’re the director of marketing for UNFI, the nation’s largest wholesale grocery distributor.
You’ve prioritized Dartmouth since graduation, connecting with the Dartmouth Club of the Midwest shortly after you left Hanover and quickly becoming a fervent champion for midwestern alumni. You’ve held numerous roles for the Club, including Vice President and President. However, you’ve said that your time as Event Chair stands out for the opportunity it provided to engage and connect with a significant number of fellow alumni. As an Alumni Councilor, you proudly advocated for the Minneapolis metro area. In all of your roles, you’ve focused on creating opportunities and connections for alumni in the middle-America states, building a profound sense of community in an area less densely populated with Dartmouth graduates.
As the Alumni Council’s Service Committee chair during the pandemic, you pivoted to find new ways for participants to give back to their communities virtually. You note that the shift toward virtual programming during COVID-19 opened up new avenues for connection with alumni ‘round the girdled earth that you will continue to pursue.
Today, you continue to make time for Dartmouth as you and your husband, Kevin Keto, take on the new adventure of parenting of your two-year-old, Derek, and baby Jett. You joke that, though you keep trying, you simply can’t escape the Dartmouth community, and we hope that always remains true for you and your family.
Nadine, we salute your exhaustive efforts on behalf of the College and your fellow alumni. In recognition, we are proud to present you with the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award.