5 among honorees at Lakeland Homecoming
51ÂŇÂ× will honor five individuals and induct the newest members into the Emeritus Club as part of this fall’s Homecoming festivities on October 17-18.
A brunch reception and program will start at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, October 18. Cost is $20/person and registration is required via the Lakeland Homecoming webpage, which will be available the week of June 30. Members of the 1975 class are complimentary and class members should contact Sydney Pingitore, director of alumni and community relations, at 920-565-1023 ext. 2159 or alumni@lakeland.edu to reserve their spot.
Membership into the esteemed Emeritus Club is limited to alumni with a Mission House or Lakeland College graduation date of at least half-a-century ago. Each year, the newest members of this respected club are inducted during Homecoming and recognized for their longstanding relationship with their alma mater. All Emeritus Club members and members of the class of 1975 are welcome this year.
Lakeland will also present five individual awards:
Throughout the years, Lawrence Balleine has maintained a strong relationship with Lakeland in a variety of ways. He has served on several committees, including the Church Relations Committee, Ulrich Center Board of Advocates and the Sesquicentennial Planning Committee. He has also participated in the Clergy-in-Residence Program.
In 2016, he helped organize a reunion of Mission House/Lakeland clergy alums and organized a reunion of Monroe-area alumni. He has brought several confirmation classes to Lakeland for retreats and other youth groups to campus for various camps.
In 2015, Balleine took over as publisher/editor of the ECHO, an e-mail newsletter distributed to a group of Mission House/Lakeland graduates. He is the author of “A Place That's Always Home: Reflections on Mission House/Lakeland,” one of seven books he has written.
During his time as a student at Lakeland, Balleine was involved in a variety of activities which earned him the Clarence Koehler Campus Senior Award and the Kregel Academic Athlete Award.
He has a Master of Divinity Degree from the Divinity School of Vanderbilt University and was ordained to the Christian ministry in June 1975. He served as pastor with Rapid River, Mich., Congregational Church (1975-81); Zion United Church of Christ (Decatur, Ind., 1981-88), St. Mark United Church of Christ (Terre Haute, Ind.) and Zwingli United Church of Christ (Monticello, Wis., 1996-2014).
He also participated in the Wisconsin Congregational Association, the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the UCC and the Wisconsin Conference of the UCC, serving on various associations and conference committees. He continues to do part-time interim work with the UCC and Lutheran (ELCA) congregations in south central Wisconsin.
Balleine and his wife, Pansy, have two children, including 2000 graduate Erin Balleine, who was the 2011 recipient of the alumni award for Community Service.
Dr. Debra Gander has built a distinguished career at the intersection of clinical practice, academic leadership and professional service in the field of oral and maxillofacial radiology. Her career reflects a deep commitment to advancing education, clinical excellence and organizational leadership within dental radiology.
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Lakeland, Gander pursued dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she received a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in 1984. A growing interest in diagnostic imaging led to advanced training at UT Health San Antonio, culminating in both a Certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and a Master of Science degree in 1992.
Gander has held academic appointments at several leading dental institutions including the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry and the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, where she was honored with the Chancellor's Teaching Recognition Award in 2001.
Beyond academia, Gander has played an active leadership role in the advancement of her specialty. She was elected director of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in 2006, then served as secretary-treasurer and president of the Board. She has contributed significantly to dental education standards as a member of the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Education Review Committee from 2013-16 and as a CODA site visitor.
Her dedication to the profession continued through service with the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, where she held the roles of president-elect, president and immediate past president.
Concurrently with her leadership roles, Gander maintained a private radiology consulting practice from 2006-18, further enriching her clinical expertise.
A first-generation college graduate, the late Ron Haas was a fixture in the Chase Science Center serving Lakeland as professor of mathematics and computer science for 35 years. He retired in the spring of 2015, and died on April 29, 2025, at age 78.
He was heavily involved in development of the college’s mathematics and computer science programs. He also led coordination of the annual Michael J. Devaney high school and middle school math meets, continuing the legacy started by his good friend, the late Mike Devaney.
Students appreciated his creative May Term courses, such as Science Fiction for the Fun of It. A child of the 1960s, Haas was always willing to share his deep understanding and explorations of 1960s Vietnam era history.
He lived with his family for several years on Prof Row, the neighborhood of faculty houses adjacent to campus, and formed a strong bond with the families of other colleagues.
In retirement, he spent time on his passions, including his family, music, fishing and downhill skiing.
A U.S. Army veteran, Haas came to Lakeland from Oklahoma State University where he taught and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics. His bachelor’s degree was from Knox College in Galesburg, Ill.
Robert T. Melzer, a well-respected attorney in his hometown of Sheboygan, served on the Lakeland Board of Trustees for 50 years, including nearly 20 years as board chair.
His leadership helped Lakeland grow in stature to an institution recognized regionally and nationally for its commitment to excellence in education.
He served on boards that have provided guidance for eight of Lakeland’s 18 presidents and been closely involved in several presidential search processes. He served on boards which approved two significant portions of Lakeland’s offerings – the state’s first adult learning program in 1978 and Lakeland’s campus in Tokyo, Japan, in 1991.
He provided leadership in each of the institution’s major campaigns in its modern history and served on boards which oversaw the construction of the Bradley Building, the Harold G. Laun Center, the Verhulst Center, construction and expansion of the Wehr Center, construction of seven of Lakeland’s 10 residence halls and other significant renovation projects.
He retired as a trustee in the fall of 2021 and was named Trustee Emeritus.
A member of the Rohde Dales law firm since 1974 and a partner of the firm in 1977, Melzer has more than five decades experience in counseling family business owner. He is the senior family business advisor and has served as an officer, director, trustee and mentor for family business ranging in size from relatively modest businesses to businesses of national and/or international scope.
In addition to his work for Lakeland, Melzer has been active with several other nonprofit and charitable organizations. He served as president of the Sheboygan Economic Club and the Elkhart Lake Improvement Association and is a director of several private charitable foundations.
Donna Wendlandt is a well-known leader in Sheboygan County who has dedicated more than 50 years to the Sheboygan County YMCA, serving as CEO from 1990 until her transition to development director in 2024.
Under her leadership, the YMCA expanded its community outreach, youth development programming and wellness initiatives, cementing its role as a cornerstone institution in Sheboygan County.
In addition to her work at the YMCA, Wendlandt is an adjunct professor at Lakeland, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in nonprofit management. She has also contributed her expertise as a member of Lakeland’s student-run business board and has mentored students pursuing careers in nonprofit and community-based work.
She is widely recognized for her collaborative leadership style and deep commitment to service. In 2022, she was a featured speaker at UW-Green Bay’s “Lakeshore Leaders” event, where she spoke on the evolution of leadership in nonprofit organizations.
Wendlandt is the recipient of several awards including the 2014 Professional Woman of the Year from the Women in Management Organization, 2017 Athena Leadership Award from the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce, 2020 Sheboygan Rotary Club Citizen of the Year Award and the 2025 Upper Midwest Alliance of YMCAs Dan Newhouse Leadership Award.
In addition to her role at the YMCA, Wendlandt has an extensive record of community service. Her current work includes chair of the Partners for Community Development Board of Directors, past president and board member of the Sheboygan Rotary Club and board member for the Sheboygan Broughton Marsh and the Sheboygan Area School Foundation.
She was previously involved with boards for Maywood Environmental Park, St. Clement Parish, Sheboygan Northside Parish, Sheboygan Rotary Club Foundation, Sheboygan Rotary Making Spirits Bright, Sheboygan Senior Community, Children Service Society, Sheboygan Area School District Referendum Committee, Lifestream Women’s Advisory Council, Healthy Sheboygan County 2010-CoChair of Drug/Alcohol Committee and the Girl Scouts of Manitou Council.
