The Michiana Forty under 40 initiative honors 40 remarkable young leaders who are making a significant difference in the local community. Five Notre Dame staff members have been named to the 2024 class, which recognizes its diverse members for their contributions and professional achievements that enhance the Michiana area through positive change and community development. The staff members selected include Bethany Cohen, Cat Edmonds, Delayna Myers, Ryan Retartha and Allison Slabaugh.

Cohen, a board-certified family physician at University Health Services (UHS), treats Notre Dame students and said she feels privileged to educate them about their health with the exceptional resources UHS provides. Her dedication extends beyond her work at ND: She is actively involved in her church’s praise team and children’s ministries, a commitment made possible by Notre Dame’s emphasis on work-life balance, she said.

Cohen joined UHS in October 2022 after having worked in Mishawaka and Granger since 2011. She has been passionate about being a positive influence on her patients’ lives. When asked how she hopes to continue making an impact, she responded, “I hope that when my patients come to see me they feel heard, empowered to seek education about their health, and learn to advocate for themselves.”

Cohen said she was surprised and honored to learn of being named to the 2024 Michiana Forty under 40 class, seeing it as recognition of her calling to practice medicine and serve her community. She strives to make a positive impact in all her relationships, both in her medical practice and in her service work.

Edmonds, a South Bend native, is the program director for local donor strategy at Notre Dame. She is also the co-founder of Connect 574, an organization that promotes friendships and connection in the South-Bend Elkhart region.

Edmonds acknowledged that this Michiana Forty under 40 recognition would not have happened without the support and encouragement of many whose efforts brought her here and played a crucial role in her receiving this award. Her advice to others aspiring to achieve similar success revolves around curiosity. Learning from others and understanding how to get to where they are are key steps to success, she said.

“Curiosity is such a critical characteristic for success because if you are curious you are willing to learn, willing to understand what you do not know, but also you are going to grow from those opportunities,” she said.

Edmonds is impacting the region through collaboration and connection. She believes creating a community where everyone can live, work and play at their best is the key to success as individuals and as a whole.

Since joining the South Bend community as the head coach and program director of the Notre Dame cheerleading team eight years ago, Myers has made an impression. She has grown professionally, deepening her confidence to create change, build programs, connect well with others and work collaboratively. For Myers, a big part of the Notre Dame experience is engaging with students. She said that having the privilege to watch each student develop as athletes and people, all while finding their way in the Notre Dame community, is extremely fulfilling.

Being named to the Michiana Forty under 40’s 2024 class made Myers grateful to know that others see the impact she is leaving on the community. Her recommendation to anyone aspiring to grow professionally is “being comfortable with being uncomfortable, because you never feel like you deserve to be in a room that is going to help you grow.” Putting yourself out there can be difficult, she said, but it is also rewarding — therefore “always picking the correct path even if it is the hard path” is what is going to set you apart.

Retartha, a 2007 Notre Dame alumnus, is the senior director of strategy and planning and the adviser to the dean of the Mendoza College of Business. He has been on staff at Notre Dame for more than nine years. He appreciates the variety of tasks in his role, he said, from organizing the dean’s leadership team to directing organizational planning and business strategy efforts across the college.

“I was surprised, because I never really saw myself as a candidate until very recently,” Retartha said about being one of 40 honorees. Two key characteristics have brought him a long way: reputation and integrity. A quote from his father that resonates with him to this day is, “You earn trust in nickels, but you spend it in dollars.” His father also advised that nothing is going to put you ahead or drag you down more than how you hold yourself accountable for your actions and decisions. Retartha has exhibited these two qualities by showing up to work as his most authentic self, and he remains proud, he said, that his values and habits genuinely cross over between work and home.

When asked how others can achieve similar success, he mentioned putting the work and mission of Notre Dame ahead of yourself and your ambitions. Notre Dame is full of servant leaders, Retartha said, and he believes anyone in the ND community can achieve similar achievements by being “hungry but humble.”

Slabaugh recently assumed the role of senior director of strategic initiatives for the College of Science, marking a new chapter in her 14-year tenure with Notre Dame. Her influence is evident through the transformative programs she has helped bring to life, such as the Galvin Science and Engineering Scholars Program and the Patient Advocacy Initiative. Guided by her own mantra, “Let your passions and your heart drive your career and you will find fulfillment and joy,” Slabaugh has been profoundly moved by witnessing how these programs have impacted the lives of those they serve, whether by lifting up students entering Notre Dame underprepared in science and seeing them thrive in their academic endeavors, or by providing hope for families facing a devastating rare disease diagnosis.

Feeling deeply honored by her recent recognition, Slabaugh is also proud to be regarded alongside the other recipients whom she admires for their impactful contributions, she said. Looking forward, Slabaugh said, she is excited to use her skills and efforts to continue making a difference in the lives of others through her contributions to research and academics within the College of Science.

Originally published by Taylor Little for NDWorks at ndworks.nd.edu on July 12, 2024.