BVU Graduate and Trustee Serves as 2023 Commencement Speaker

April 12, 2023

A Buena Vista University alumna celebrating the 30th anniversary of her graduation will serve as BVU’s Commencement speaker for the university’s undergraduate ceremony set to be held at 2 p.m. CST on Saturday, May 6, in Siebens Fieldhouse.

Amy (Waller) Friedrich, a 1993 BVU graduate, serves as President of Benefits & Protection at Principal Financial Group®. Friedrich is also a member of the BVU Board of Trustees. “We are absolutely thrilled to have Amy Friedrich back on campus to serve as our 2023 Commencement speaker,” says BVU President Brian Lenzmeier. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with Amy on the Board of Trustees and have quickly come to respect the ways in which she leads with diligence, thoughtfulness, creativity, and enthusiasm. She is such a key member of our leadership team, always seeking ways to best move BVU forward with our students and their growth at the heart of every action.”

“I was at first surprised and then delighted,” Friedrich says of her reaction to being tabbed as Commencement speaker. “I love this university and I’m proud to be part of its history and its future.”

Friedrich, a native of Van Meter, visited BVU at the behest of Life Trustee Dennis Young, a 1965 graduate. “Denny was relentless in his enthusiasm for BV,” she says. “His encouragement is why I visited the campus in Storm Lake. Once I did, I fell in love with the school.”

Friedrich studied communications and journalism while participating in several co-curricular activities as an undergraduate. She was elected Student Senate Vice President and worked as Co-Editor of The Tack, BVU’s student-led newspaper. “Concepts like leadership, influence, and conflict management went from textbook subjects to real life through these activities,” she recalls. “The lessons I learned then are ones I’ve kept with me for 30 years.”

Professors such as Dr. Bruce Ellingson, Dr. Andrea Frantz, and the late Dr. Laura Inglis, and the lessons they imparted, remain instrumental for Friedrich, who leads more than 3,000 Principal® employees responsible for underwriting and administering group employee benefits, life insurance, disability insurance, along with the distribution arm of the business. “The common thread for my professors was that they asked for more—more analysis, more insight, more defense of my opinions. They helped me understand it was more important to know why I believed what I believed than it was just to have an opinion.”

The Commencement ceremony on Saturday is one of two held on campus that day. Graduates in BVU’s graduate school program will observe their Commencement ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday in Siebens Fieldhouse. Dr. Kris Meyer, BVU Instructor of Professional School Counseling, will serve as keynote speaker for that celebration. BVU’s Baccalaureate ceremony begins at 9 a.m. Saturday in Siebens Fieldhouse and will be directed by Dr. Melanie Hauser, University Chaplain, and Associate Professor of Chemistry.

On Friday, May 5, the BVU Board of Trustees will join Lenzmeier and members of the community and BVU faculty, staff, and students at a groundbreaking to formally signal the start of construction for a new apartment-style residence hall on campus. Friedrich, who has played a role in the development of the residence hall vision, is honored to see the project come to fruition. The fact that it begins in conjunction with Commencement is a wonderful convergence of events.

“It’s an honor to support BVU,” says Friedrich, who resides in Central Iowa with her husband, Chris, and their two daughters, Alison, and Meghan. “Independent liberal arts universities are a critical underpinning to democracy, innovation, and economic growth. I’ve been happy to share my time, talents, and treasure to support BVU.”

Click here for more information about the 2023 Commencement ceremonies.