From NASA to local radio: Milaca Hall of Fame introduces two more inductees

Milaca High School (MHS) recently announced a group of nine alumni to be inducted into its Milaca Hall of Fame.

While the induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 12, the Union-Times plans to introduce each inductee to the community through a series of articles leading up to the ceremony.

Each article will contain two candidates, with the last article containing three, and they will inform the community about the candidates and why they were selected for the Milaca Hall of Fame through their accomplishments. The candidates will be introduced in alphabetical order by first name.

The fifth and sixth candidates to be featured are Kristen (Berland) Riley and Stephanie (Moe) Theisen.

Kristen (Berland) Riley

Riley graduated from MHS in 1982. She worked on the school newspaper in both her junior and senior years. She was co-editor in her senior year. Riley was a five-year letterman in two sports: swimming and golf (member of the state golf championship team in her senior year). Riley was also involved in pep band, jazz band, marching band, and was a band member of the first half-time field show developed for the homecoming football game.

Riley attended the University of Minnesota, graduating with a bachelors of science degree in aerospace engineering and mechanics in 1987, and earning Dean’s List honors multiple times. During her junior and senior years, she was treasurer of the student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. She continued her education at Texas A&M, receiving her masters in science in business administration along with a diploma from the United States Army Logistics Management College in quality and reliability engineering in 1988.

Riley’s professional history and accomplishments include time with the U.S. Air Force Civil Service as a product assurance engineer overseeing design and construction of multiple aircraft at the Douglas Aircraft Facility in Long Beach, Calif. She also worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in multiple program management positions supporting the Space Shuttle and Space Station Programs for instrumentation and advanced development. She worked as a chairperson of the NASA Metrology Working and co-authored multiple technical publications, and was a NASA representative to the U.S. Department of Energy concerning metrology and instrumentation.

Riley also worked at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi as an intellectual property manager focusing on technologies developed in support of rocket engine testing. Riley has also worked at the University of Florida as a director of an Environmental Systems Commercial Space Technology Center funded by NASA to develop life support technologies for long duration space flight, such as missions going to Mars.

Riley then shifted careers from space to biotechnology and worked as a project manager for the Powell Gene Therapy Center, where the technology focus is on the development of newer, safer agents for the delivery of therapeutic genes to patients with genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis. She also worked in the biotechnology field.

Riley calls this the new wave of medicine and is currently the director of manufacturing engineering at Ascend Advanced Therapies. She just finished overseeing design and construction of a new manufacturing facility in Florida and has held multiple technical positions at the following companies: Florida Biologix, Brammer Bio, Thermo-Fisher Scientific, Applied Genetic Technology Corporation and Beacon Therapeutics.

Riley has received the following professional awards: Astronauts Personal Achievement Award, the Kennedy Space Center Certificate of Appreciation, NASA Kennedy Space Center Management Association Exceptional Service Award, the NASA Certificate of Commendation — Volt Measurement Assurance Program, the NASA Group Achievement Award — Technology Transfer New Technology Reporting Team, and the University of Florida — Prudential Financial Davis Productivity Award.

Riley supports her community and volunteers for the Sante Fe High School Softball Boosters by developing several grant proposals requesting funding for equipment and field improvements at the softball complex, and she received a grant award from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. She also served as a member of the fundraising team for the Gainesville High School Band Boosters.

She instructed classes on rocketry, assisted the Boy Scouts in building small rockets for local launches, and provided support to organize and coordinate events, fundraisers and maintenance activities at the recreation complex, receiving two grant awards that resulted in improvements to the youth recreation facility for the City of Alachua, Fla.

Riley and her husband have lived in High Springs, Fla., for the past 20 years, where they raised their two children and welcomed their first grandchild. Riley is an avid walker/runner and participates in numerous 15K run events every year. Minnesota is often on her mind, as she travels back and forth multiple times each year to visit family and friends.

Stephanie (Moe) Theisen

Theisen is a 1999 Milaca graduate. While in high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society and received multiple academic letters. She also played volleyball and basketball and earned letters in both activities.

Theisen received her bachelors in marketing with a minor in mass communications from St. Cloud State University (SCSU) in 2004. She was named a SCSU notable alumni figure in September 2020. Theisen has been with Leighton Enterprises of St. Cloud for more than 20 years, all starting from her sales internship with Leighton Media in college. Leighton consists of 26 radio stations in Minnesota and North Dakota in seven different markets, as well as an events and digital division.

A college internship transitioned into a 10-year position as an account executive for Leighton. Her journey into management began in 2013 as a digital sales manager to a general sales manager at the St Cloud location of Leighton Media, formally known as Leighton Broadcasting. She received a promotion to vice president of sales in 2020 and to chief operating officer in 2024.

While at Leighton Media, Theisen has been recognized for the following accomplishments: 2014 Rising Through the Ranks scholarship recipient and program graduate, 2015 Mildred Carter Mentorship Mentee, 2020 Radio Wayne DOS/General Sales Manager finalist, and 2023 certified as an Authentic Confidence Coach under Rise Leadership.

Theisen shares her time and talents with the community and is involved with Alzheimer’s Association of Minnesota and North Dakota chapters, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church — Milaca, and I’m Not Done Yet: INDY Foundation. She is a coach and mentor in the Rise Leadership Program and with the Mentoring Inspiring Women’s Association. She has previously served as a volunteer and committee member for Central MN Habitat for Humanity, and as a volunteer for the Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity, Women Build Project. Theisen was a Marketing Advisory Board Committee Member for St. Cloud’s YMCA for nine years.

Theisen lives north of Milaca with her husband Jason and their two sons, Brock and Brayden.

Riley and Theisen will be inducted into the Milaca Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 12, alongside seven other inductees.

The induction ceremony will begin with a social hour at 10 a.m., followed by a brunch at 10:30 a.m., and the ceremony will begin at 11:15 a.m. Each inductee will speak about their accomplishments during the ceremony.

Information about the remaining five inductees will be included in the Union-Times in the coming weeks leading up to the induction ceremony.