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1951

Gene Balloun, b’51, l’54, in June received the 2025 Phil Lewis Medal of Distinction from the Kansas Bar Association, the organization’s highest honor. A retired partner at the law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City, Gene practiced law for more than 60 years and has completed more than 1,300 pro bono adoptions of foster children. He and his wife, Sheila, founded the Kansas Foster and Adoptive Children Scholarship Fund, which has raised more than $1 million for college scholarships for those who have been in foster care.

1964

Joan Wohlgemuth Musbach, c’64, in June was honored by the National Council for History Education with the 2025 Paul A. Gagnon Prize, which recognizes exceptional scholarship and promotion of history education. Joan taught U.S. history in Missouri’s Ladue School District for 38 years and continues to teach history classes through St. Louis Oasis, a lifelong learning program for older adults. She lives in Kirkwood, Missouri.

1965

Gregs Thomopulos, e’65, chairman emeritus of Stanley Consultants, in May was elected a distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He worked at Stanley Consultants for 51 years, eventually leading the company as president, CEO and chairman of the board. Gregs is a KU Endowment trustee. He and his wife, Mettie, live in Iowa City, Iowa.

1967

Robert Thompson, e’67, is retired from a 40-year career in computer science. He and his wife, Susan, live in Spring Hill and have two adult children and five grandchildren. Their grandson, Quintin, is a sophomore in the School of Engineering and a fifth-generation Jayhawk.

1968

Robert Campbell, j’68, teaches ethics in the school of management at the University of California San Diego and is the founding head coach of UCSD’s speech and debate team, which this year won its fifth consecutive Southern California regional championship. He lives in Encinitas.

1969

Jane Waggoner Deschner, c’69, is a mixed-media artist based in Billings, Montana, whose work has been shown in art museums and galleries across the U.S. Her latest immersive installation, “Remember me: A collective narrative in found words and photographs,” was recently displayed at the Museum of Art Fort Collins in Colorado and featured in the online photography journal Lenscratch.

Jerome Kootman, b’69, retired recently from his 56-year career as a CPA. He was managing partner at the firm Israel, Kootman & Co. in Metuchen, New Jersey. He splits his time between Long Beach Island in New Jersey and St. Maarten in the Caribbean.

1970

Kenneth Gaines, d’70, l’76, in April was honored by the School of Law with its 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award. He is professor emeritus of law at the University of South Carolina, where he taught for 45 years.

1972

Nancy Cleveland Asay, f’72, is an Overland Park-based interior designer who specializes in space planning and aging in place. She is finance director for the Missouri West/Kansas chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.

1974

John Bowman, c’74, l’80, is in his 10th year teaching international energy arbitration at Georgetown University. He is retired from the law firm King & Spalding and serves as an arbitrator, expert and teacher.

1975

Mike McClintick, p’75, has practiced family medicine in Eureka for 45 years. He and his wife, Linda, have four children: Amy McClintick Soetaert, c’99; Scott, c’01; Chad, c’03; and Matthew, c’10.

Richard Yoxall, b’75, retired recently from practicing law. He and his wife, Andrea Groves Yoxall, j’76, live in Lawrence.

1976

Dennis Ellsworth, j’76, in September was inducted into the Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame and also received the Sunshine Hero Award for his advocacy for open government meetings and records. He was executive editor of the St. Joseph News-Press for more than 18 years and previously worked at newspapers in Kansas, Florida and Texas. Dennis and his wife, Deborah Moore Ellsworth, c’75, are retired in Grain Valley, Missouri.

Paula Martin, c’76, l’81, in April received the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Law. She is retired as a district court judge for Kansas’ 7th Judicial District, in Douglas County, where she served for 25 years.

1977

Annette Stanton, c’77, in June was honored by the Society for Health Psychology, part of the American Psychological Association, with its Nathan W. Perry Jr. Award for Career Service to Health Psychology. She is a distinguished professor at UCLA, where she chaired the psychology department from 2019 to 2024. One of her daughters, Sarah Green Hadley, b’98, is a Jayhawk.

1979

Barney McCoy, j’79, directed and produced the PBS documentary “Running Towards the Fire: A War Correspondent’s Story,” which highlights the experiences of journalist Robert Reuben, who parachuted into Normandy, France, with U.S. troops on D-Day, and other WWII correspondents. Barney is a professor in the college of journalism and mass communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Laverne Smith, c’79, a former KU football player and track-and-field athlete, in August was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. As a running back at KU, he set school records for career rushing yards, touchdowns and 100-yard games. Laverne won Big 8 titles in the 100-meter dash and 440-yard relay in 1976, and his 100-meter time of 10.07 seconds remains a KU record.

Clifford Wiley, c’79, l’83, in August was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. A KU track-and-field athlete, Cliff was a 13-time NCAA All-American and a member of KU’s 1977 national championship team in the 4×400 relay. He was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team and won the 400-meter event at the 1981 Athletics World Cup and 1983 Pan American Games.

1982

Greg Baker, c’82, b’83, is executive vice president and chief lending officer at Branson Bank in Branson, Missouri.

Christine Dillon Bradley, n’82, is retired from the Children’s Hospital Association in Lenexa, where she was director of learning and performance for the association’s Pediatric Learning Solutions program for 24 years.

1983

Frank Tsuru, e’83, in May received the 2025 Distinguished Engineering Service Award from the School of Engineering. He is co-founder and CEO of Momentum Midstream, an oil and gas infrastructure company. He and his wife, Stephanie Skelton Tsuru, h’83, live in Houston.

1984

Doug Duncan, c’84, in May was appointed senior vice president and chief information officer at NI Holdings.

Kelly McKinney, e’84, is vice president of emergency management and enterprise resilience at NYU Langone Health in New York City and an adjunct instructor in the school of professional studies at NYU.

1985

Tammy Dodson, j’85, g’91, is an attorney in private practice in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

John Rau, b’85, in April was promoted to chief operating officer at World Kinect Corp., a global energy management company, where he has worked since 2011.

Andrea Mitchell Walsh, b’85, c’85, in July was inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame. She is president and CEO of HealthPartners, a Minnesota-based health care system where she has worked for more than three decades. Andrea and her husband, Tim, c’88, have three adult children. Their sons, Mitch, c’12, and Tom, b’14, are Jayhawks.

1986

Jennifer Stone Allen, n’86, is the rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lawrence.

Andy Mergenmeier, e’86, in May was named director of pavement and safety engineering at WDM USA, a road surveying and consulting company.

1987

Mark Dwyer, h’87, g’97, in July was named CEO of Cincinnati Rehabilitation Hospital in Blue Ash, Ohio.

Michelle Tyrene Johnson, j’87, in September was awarded the 2025 Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence, which honors a journalist whose work has made a significant impact on Black life in the U.S. Michelle is senior producer at Louisville Public Media and hosts its “Race Unwrapped” podcast.

Mike Lauer, e’87, is the Association for Manufacturing Technology’s global services director for the Southeast Asia region. He is based in Bangkok.

Mark Perkins, c’87, g’89, in August became CEO of Great Rivers Greenway, a public agency that maintains a network of outdoor spaces in the St. Louis region.

1988

Joe Brashier, DMA’88, in August was named conductor of the Brevard Community Band in Brevard, North Carolina. He is retired as director of bands at Valdosta State University in Georgia, where he worked for 21 years. He and his wife, Susan, a former oboe professor at KU, live in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Jeff Foster, c’88, is general manager of brand and community partnerships for the Missouri State High School Activities Association.

Michael Reynolds, m’88, retired in June after 30 years practicing ophthalmology in Emporia, where he was a partner at Reynolds and Anliker Eye Physicians and Surgeons.

1989

Karoline Knock Felts, c’89, is associate vice chancellor for advancement services for The University of Texas System, which comprises 13 academic and health institutions.

Scott Kreamer, l’89, in May was elected president of Lawyers for Civil Justice, an advocacy organization focused on improving the procedural fairness and efficiency of the U.S. civil litigation system. Scott is a trial attorney and managing member at Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice in the law firm’s Kansas City office. He and his wife, Susan, live in Leawood and have three adult children.

Janée Bryan Mauney, b’89, is a senior sales executive at Wolters Kluwer for the company’s environment, health and safety software, Enablon. She and her husband, Brian, live in the Des Moines, Iowa, area and have a son, Hugo, who is a senior in the School of Engineering, and a daughter, Estelle.

1990

Marshall Clark, c’90, is an investigator with the Texas Department of Insurance.

Mark Garrett, b’90, in May was named chief people officer at Garney, a water and wastewater infrastructure firm based in Kansas City.

Anne Austin Pearce, f’90, is a painter and mixed-media artist whose work is in numerous art museums across the U.S., including the Spencer Museum of Art. Her latest solo exhibition, “Returned to Universe,” debuted at the Walter Maciel Gallery in Los Angeles in May.

Leslie Schaaf Treas, g’90, PhD’06, received the 2025 Alumni Achievement Award from the Penn State college of nursing. After working as a nurse practitioner and clinical researcher, Leslie co-founded ATI Nursing Education, which provides learning and assessment tools for nursing students. She has co-authored multiple nursing textbooks.

1991

Audra Langford Alexander, j’91, is senior vice president of global marketing for the apparel company Jockey.

Mark Brady, m’91, is chief medical officer at AdventHealth’s Lenexa City Center hospital in Lenexa, which opened in July. He has been an anesthesiologist with AdventHealth since 1998.

Nancy Knapp Buese, b’91, is chief financial officer at CRH, a global building materials company.

Lori Mitchell, d’91, is a middle school counselor in the Geary County school district.

Jennifer Remsberg, j’91, is a development coordinator for Wichita Collegiate School.

Lawrence Tsen, m’91, received the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. He is professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and director of the Human Research Office at Mass General Brigham.

1992

John Fritch, g’92, PhD’94, is provost and vice president for academic affairs at Washburn University in Topeka.

Melissa Alberts Lackey, j’92, in April was named to the St. Louis Titan 100 Hall of Fame, which recognizes the city’s top business leaders. In July she was named enterprise president at Dix & Eaton, a strategic communications and marketing firm. She sold her marketing agency, Standing Partnership, to Dix & Eaton in 2023.

Sushmeeta “Jolly” Nanda, e’92, is founder and CEO of Altheia, a health care analytics and enablement platform. She and her husband, Michael Otto, live in Orono, Minnesota, and have a son, Jayden.

Rochelle Olson, g’92, is an opinion columnist at The Minnesota Star Tribune. She has worked at the newspaper for 25 years.

Shanon Ehmke Reedy, c’92, in June was named dean of communication studies and social sciences at Shoreline Community College in Shoreline, Washington.

Dan Wiley, l’92, in August was elected national commander of the American Legion. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Dan is a retired district court judge for Kansas’ 1st Judicial District, which serves Atchison and Leavenworth counties.

1993

Maurice Duggins, m’93, is chief medical officer at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph in Wichita and a clinical associate professor in the KU School of Medicine-Wichita.

Brenda Diehl Gasperich, e’93, is a senior project manager at the civil engineering firm Quiddity.

Chad Gunther, b’93, is founder and managing partner at Cottonwood Capital Group in Kansas City.

Joe McClain, c’93, is president of Mack McClain & Associates, a sales agency that serves the plumbing and mechanical industries and has offices in five states.

James Walker, c’93, m’01, is chair and program director of the anesthesiology department in the KU School of Medicine-Wichita. He is also medical director of the neurocritical care unit and stroke center at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita.

Ashley Wilson, e’93, g’97, PhD’01, is an adjunct faculty member at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis.

1994

Laura Miles Hibberts, p’94, is a pharmacist at the LMH Health System outpatient pharmacy in Lawrence.

David Manica, a’94, owner and president of Kansas City-based Manica Architecture, is the architect for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s new arena. Construction of the arena is scheduled to begin next year.

Sarah Bangert Randolph, c’94, is principal designer at Minnesota-based Randolph Interior Design. She founded the firm in 2008.

Mark White, g’94, PhD’99, retired in June as executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe.

1995

Dana Ault-Riché, PhD’95, is an executive in the biotechnology industry. He has founded six biotech companies and served as CEO for each, most recently Pranas Neuro.

Christi Barb, c’95, is a speech coach and owns Adastra Speech, through which she helps those who’ve learned English as a second language improve their spoken communication skills.

Kyle Beran, PhD’95, is professor and chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. He is in his sixth and final year as the chief reader for the Advanced Placement Chemistry program, overseeing the scoring of more than 150,000 AP Chemistry exams submitted annually by U.S. and international high school students.

Kent Qandil, c’95, g’97, is a business development officer at Navy Federal Credit Union. He lives in Vienna, Virginia.

1996

Ron Bailey, c’96, is president of Precision Science, which manufactures pharmaceuticals for the animal health industry. He lives in Phoenix.

Stuart Benkert, g’96, PhD’98, is dean of the college of fine arts and communication at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Lorianne Fought, g’96, an agricultural research scientist, is director of business services at Victory Crop Consultants.

Monique Garcia, c’96, in July was named one of the Wichita Business Journal’s 2025 Women in Business honorees. She owns Garcia Group, which works with state and federal agencies to expand access to health care in underserved communities. Monique serves on KU Alumni’s board of directors.

Jason Leiker, c’96, l’01, g’03, in April joined Fox Rothschild as a partner in the litigation department in the law firm’s Kansas City office. He and his wife, Amiee Ford, PharmD’00, live in Prairie Village.

Mitchell McKinney, PhD’96, in July joined the University of Toledo as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

Colleen McCain Nelson, j’96, in July was named executive editor of The Dallas Morning News. She previously worked at the newspaper from 2000 to 2012 and was part of the team that won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. She is a member of the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame and KU Women’s Hall of Fame.

1997

Dani Hersma Beaver, b’97, is a residential realtor at Parkway Real Estate in Prairie Village.

Kristin Moore Bechard, b’97, g’00, in July was named chief financial officer and treasurer at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City. She and her husband, Chad, live in Overland Park and have three daughters: Emily, b’24; Molly, a sophomore in the School of Business; and Annie.

Deborah Ferrington, PhD’97, is chief scientific officer at Doheny Eye Institute, a nonprofit ophthalmic research organization based in Pasadena, California.

Blake Hodges, j’97, is a senior sales director at InMarket, a platform for brand marketing and analytics.

Drew Hoster, c’97, is consul general of the United States in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Paul Lansdowne, m’97, is an OB-GYN and medical director for physician service excellence at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center in Mansfield, Texas. He and his wife, Cora Erickson Lansdowne, g’97, live in Midlothian, Texas, and have two adult children, Carson and Kellyn.

Ryan Livermore, c’97, in July joined Kansas Joint & Spine Specialists in Wichita as an orthopedic surgeon on the sports medicine team.

William Vinyard, c’97, m’02, is a cosmetic plastic surgeon and founder of the Vinyard Institute of Plastic Surgery in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He is known on social media as the “Singing Plastic Surgeon,” and his TikTok videos of singing to patients to comfort them before surgery have amassed more than 12 million views.

1998

Jeffrey Burns, m’98, g’09, Edward H. Hashinger Professor of Medicine at KU, in July was named University Distinguished Professor of Neurology. He is co-director of the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and director of the KU Memory Care Clinic.

Tully McCoy, c’98, g’07, is president and CEO of Great Plains Trust Co. in Overland Park. He and his wife, Nicole Schnellbacher McCoy, j’01, live in Prairie Village and have two children, Tully and Rory.

Cori Copilevitz Passer, m’98, is an allergist and immunologist at Allergy & Asthma Care P.A. in Overland Park.

Tisha Ritter, d’98, is a treasury management sales officer at Hills Bank in its Marion, Iowa, office.

David Skarosi, b’98, a U.S. Navy captain, in May assumed command of the USS Gerald R. Ford.

1999

Jason Booker, d’99, in May received the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Education & Human Sciences. He is deputy athletics director for external affairs for Kansas Athletics, where he has worked since 2021.

Danny Cohn, j’99, is president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.
William “Butch” Graham, g’99, a lieutenant general in the U.S. Army, is chief of engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Libby Sigg Hineman, c’99, m’03, practices family medicine and obstetrics at Scott County Hospital in Scott City.

Heath Miller, c’99, is a group account director at the advertising agency Gravity Global.

2000

Diana Krizman Bailey, c’00, is dean of students at Deerfield Elementary School in Lawrence.

Dedra Seibel Curteman, c’00, in August joined the employment law firm Jackson Lewis as of counsel in its Washington, D.C., region office. She previously worked for the U.S. Department of Justice for 15 years, most recently as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

Denise Hamalainen, e’00, is director of IT procurement and budget at Acuity Insurance.

Ravi Hirekatur, m’00, practices family medicine in the University of Wisconsin health system and is a clinical assistant professor in the university’s school of medicine and public health.

John Rockhold, c’00, is vice president of market engagement at Spotlight Analyst Relations.

Ryan Welch, j’00, in April was named president and CEO of Butterfly Pavilion, a nonprofit invertebrate zoo and research center in Westminster, Colorado.

2001

Jeff Geheb, e’01, g’07, in April was promoted to CEO of VML Enterprise Solutions, a new division of VML. He has worked at the global creative agency for more than 20 years.

Heather Wilhelm Morrison, c’01, m’05, is an OB-GYN with Stormont Vail Health in Topeka.

Janet Pontious, b’01, is an accounting specialist at KU.

David Sanger, m’01, is a physician at Ellinwood Hospital & Clinic in Ellinwood.

Kristine Williams, PhD’01, a nurse gerontologist and professor in the School of Nursing, in July was inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. Her research focuses on improving nursing care for older adults, particularly in the area of nurse-patient communication.

2002

Joshua Arce, s’02, l’05, is president and CEO of Partnership With Native Americans, a nonprofit that provides services and aid to Native communities in nine states. He is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

Marla Booher, c’02, is CEO of Medical Provider Resources in Wichita.

Scott Owings, m’02, in June was named dean of the School of Medicine’s Salina campus, where he is also associate professor of family medicine. He is medical director for the acute inpatient rehabilitation unit at Salina Regional Health Center and serves as Saline County deputy coroner.

Christopher White, g’02, PhD’05, is professor of history at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.

2003

Purab Adabala, g’03, in July was named transportation director for the city of Glendale, Arizona. He has worked for the city since 2007.

Eve McGee, g’03, is founder and CEO of McGee KC Consulting in Kansas City, which specializes in grant writing and grant management for social service nonprofits.

Max Rieper, l’03, is director and counsel in the technology and privacy policy division at MultiState Associates, a government relations firm.

Ryan Schulze, c’03, PhD’09, is chief scientific officer at the biotechnology company Cytotheryx.

Jamie Jones Walsworth, l’03, in June was sworn in as president of the Arkansas Bar Association. She is a partner at the law firm Friday, Eldredge & Clark in Little Rock, where she focuses her practice on complex civil litigation and catastrophic accident cases.

2004

Amanda Wolfe Bertholf, j’04, is director of communications at the American Physiological Society and editor-in-chief of The Physiologist Magazine. She and her husband, Matthew, j’02, live in Kansas City.

Amanda Colgan, m’04, is a pain management physician at LMH Health Pain Specialists in Lawrence.

Melissa Nairn Cox, a’04, is executive vice president and chief operating officer at Ebersoldt + Associates, an architecture firm that specializes in multifamily housing. She and her husband, Nick, a’04, live in St. Louis and have two daughters.

Randy Dorsten, g’04, is vice president of human resources for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority.

Jason Fraser, c’04, is city administrator for Centerville, Iowa, where he lives with his wife, Alison, and their daughter, Abilia.

Mario Gonzalez, f’04, g’06, is a senior user-experience designer at Microsoft.

Sulolit “Raj” Mukherjee, l’04, is CEO of Bodin Advisory, a regulatory consulting practice that advises in the areas of blockchain and cryptocurrency regulations. He is based in Washington, D.C.

Sean Murray, c’04, is senior director of financial systems, marketing and e-commerce at Midwest Tungsten Service, a metal supply company based in Willowbrook, Illinois.

Larkin Evans Walsh, l’04, in September was sworn in as a justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. She was appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly in August and was previously senior counsel at the law firm Stueve Siegel Hanson in Kansas City.

2005

Andrés Bedregal, c’05, in June was named chief financial officer at Santacruz Silver Mining, which operates mineral properties in Latin America.

Tyler Farquharson, b’05, in June was promoted to president and CEO of Granite Ridge Resources, a Dallas-based investor in oil and gas exploration and production.

Erica Staples Fisher, c’05, is senior partnerships manager at Fort Hays State University in Hays.

Anthony Francisco, b’05, in May joined Lukrom, a Phoenix-based real estate investment and lending firm, as director of acquisitions and development.

Jarris Krapcha, j’05, g’13, in March was named the 2025 All-Colorado High School Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year by The Denver Post. He coaches at Eaglecrest High School in Centennial, where he is a health and physical education teacher, and in March led the Eaglecrest boys’ basketball team to the 6A state title. Jarris and his wife, Elisa Zahn Krapcha, c’05, j’05, g’11, live in Centennial.

Bryson Rexwinkle, b’05, c’05, is vice president of business development at Rapidan Energy Group.

Harold Stewart, c’05, g’07, in July was named Pasco, Washington, city manager.

Jeffrey Ward, c’05, is executive chef and owner of Sable Kitchen + Bar, a French-inspired restaurant that opened in May in East Lawrence.

Sara Zafar, c’05, l’08, in June opened the law firm Campbell Zafar in Wichita, which focuses on family law and alternative dispute resolution. She is president of the Kansas Women Attorneys Association and immediate past president of the Wichita Family Crisis Center board of directors. Sara and her husband, Josh Dutcher, b’13, live in Wichita and have three children.

2006

Philip Denton, f’06, was recently named director of the Vancouver Master Chorale in Vancouver, Washington. He is a choir and theatre teacher at Skyview High School, where he has taught for 19 years, and also teaches at Alki Middle School.

Tricia Prohaska Dillingham, s’06, is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at CareArc in Emporia.

Jeremy Graber, b’06, l’09, is a partner at Foulston Siefkin in the law firm’s Topeka office. He practices in estate planning and business and tax law. He and his wife, Malinda Slack Graber, j’07, live in Lawrence and have three children.

Amber Hall Hill, c’06, is lead child life specialist at Doctors Hospital of Augusta in Augusta, Georgia. She and her husband, David, have three children, Riley, Peyton and Isaiah.

Sun-Young Ju, g’06, DMA’12, is a pianist and member of the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera in Vietnam.

Derek Klaus, j’06, is senior vice president of public relations and communications at MMGY Global, a travel and tourism marketing agency. He and his wife, Destiny Deitch Klaus, n’04, live in Overland Park and have two children.

Jessica Arthur Varela, c’06, is head of the Lower School at Presbyterian School in Houston. She and her husband, Jason, have two children, Jack and Juliette.

Levi Young, m’06, is a plastic surgeon at Advanced Cosmetic Surgery in Leawood.

2007

Willem Anemaat, PhD’07, in May was honored by the School of Engineering with its 2025 Distinguished Engineering Service Award. He is president of DARcorporation, a Lawrence-based aeronautical engineering firm he co-founded with late KU professor Jan Roskam. Using methods from Roskam’s textbooks, Willem developed the Advanced Aircraft Analysis software, which is used widely in aircraft design.

Walter Bleser, g’07, in August joined the engineering and construction firm RailPros as vice president of strategic consulting.

David Charles, a’07, g’13, is a business development executive at Built Solutions, a building materials company. He lives in St. Louis.

Nida Guttridge Dillon, d’07, practices family medicine at Nextera Healthcare’s Overland Park clinic.

Leena Phadke Fry, l’07, is of counsel at Stinson in the law firm’s Kansas City office. She practices in the firm’s labor, employment and employee benefits division.

Kelly Hipp Haberer, c’07, in February joined Knight Wall Systems as western regional sales manager. She lives in Denver.

Amanda Stolzle Harter, c’07, d’07, DPT’11, in July was named one of the Wichita Business Journal’s 2025 Women in Business honorees. She and her husband, Gabe, DPT’12, own Harter Physical Therapy, which has clinics in Cheney, Clearwater and Goddard.

Amanda Leland, c’07, is assistant general manager for Stanford University’s men’s basketball program.

Monica Sierra-Mayberry, g’07, is director of community behavioral health at the Mattie Rhodes Center, a community development and mental health organization that serves Kansas City. She and her husband, Roger, have three children.

Gary Woodland, c’07, a former KU golfer and winner of the 2019 U.S. Open, in September was inducted into the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame and later that month served as a vice captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

2008

Evan Austin, e’08, g’11, PhD’15, is director of research, resilient systems in the information and data sciences division at Leidos Innovations Center. He and his fiancée, Christina, live in Arlington, Virginia.

Wendy Hartsock, g’08, PhD’10, is a medical science liaison associate director at Novartis, a pharmaceutical company.

Phia Salter, g’08, PhD’10, is associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Gorkem Sevinc, e’08, is co-founder and CEO of Qualytics, a data quality platform, and an adjunct assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University. He and his wife, Dotti, live in Annapolis, Maryland, with their dog, Tilly, and cat, Luna.

Sampson Yimer, d’08, was named to Sports Business Journal’s 2025 “Forty Under 40” list. He is executive vice president, global head of partnerships at Momentum Worldwide, a sports and experiential marketing agency based in New York City.

2009

Thayer Bray, f’09, is an artist and founder of Greenhouse Print Space in Kansas City, which offers equipment and workspace for printmakers as well as printmaking classes and workshops. He is director of exhibitions for the Kansas City Artists Coalition.

Ashley Ryan Davis, b’09, in April was named chief revenue officer at REVA, an air medical transportation provider. She and her husband, Taylor, d’09, g’11, live in Dallas and have three sons.

Andreas Graf, c’09, is a methane emissions policy officer for the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators. He lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Ryan McIntosh, c’09, in April joined the software development company TEQ Connect as vice president of sales.

Erin Monfort, f’09, is operations manager at Veridian Fire Protective Gear, which manufacturers gear for first responders around the world. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

Joe Schremmer, c’09, j’09, g’13, l’13, in July was promoted to professor of law at the University of Oklahoma. He is director of the university’s Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Law Center.

Lisa Becker Wells, PharmD’09, is vice president of pharmacy at the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas.

Lindsay Winder, c’09, recently returned to Kansas from Japan, where she worked in marketing for a hobby company for more than 10 years. She is now a marketing account manager at Turnkey Marketing in Overland Park.

2010

Kelly Underwood Blackburn, c’10, is chief finance and internal operations officer at CAST, which researches and develops educational frameworks for accessible learning. She and her husband, Logan, h’08, g’10, live in Lawrence and have two children.

Jessica Kejr, g’10, is a nutrition access specialist at the Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.

Tosin Morohunfola, c’10, is an actor, writer and director based in Los Angeles. He has had prominent roles in several feature films and TV shows and stars in director Tyler Perry’s new film “Finding Joy.” Tosin is a frequent collaborator with director and KU Professor Emeritus Kevin Willmott and starred in Willmott’s films “Destination Planet Negro” (2013) and “The 24th” (2020).

Stacy Rachow Rietzke, d’10, g’13, g’14, is principal of Osborne Elementary School. She and her husband, Jess, live in Osborne and have two sons, Grayson and Weston.

2011

Haley Armstrong, DMA’11, in spring was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. She is associate professor and director of bands at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City.

Michael Fee, j’11, lives in San Francisco, where he is a principal product marketing manager at Adobe in the software company’s generative AI division.

Shannon Kim Hackett, l’11, in June was named one of Hawaii Business Magazine’s eight Emerging Legal Stars of 2025. She is managing partner at Coates Frey & Hackett, a family law firm in Honolulu.

Amy Hite, DNP’11, is director and professor in the school of nursing at Pittsburg State University.

Laura Vinci O’Neill, j’11, is a partner at the marketing and public relations agency FINN Partners. She leads the company’s New York health earned-media division.

Mathew Shepard, c’11, is senior associate dean for student conduct and community standards at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He and his partner live in Boston.

Jonathan Shorman, j’11, is a journalist for the nonprofit news organization Stateline.

2012

Brett Alexander, e’12, is vice president of Industrial Refrigeration Sales in Boerne, Texas.

James Baker, c’12, g’15, is a development analyst at Fulson Housing Group, a Lee’s Summit, Missouri-based organization that develops affordable housing.

Andrew Cha, b’12, lives in Honolulu, where he is an IT specialist at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center.

Casey Cox Combs, c’12, AUD’17, is an audiologist and owns Sound On Audiology in Derby, her hometown. She opened the hearing clinic in July.

Nick Hanna, e’12, l’15, is senior intellectual property associate at the KU Center for Technology Commercialization, where he facilitates the patenting of inventions by KU researchers. Nick lives in Olathe with his wife, Alex, and their daughters, Elizabeth and Madeline.

Mandy Matney, j’12, is a South Carolina-based journalist and podcast host. The Hulu miniseries “Murdaugh: Death in the Family,” which premiered in October, is based on her reporting for the “Murdaugh Murders Podcast.” Actor Brittany Snow portrays Mandy in the series.

Sara Miller, j’12, is a live events and stage show producer based in Los Angeles. Her recent credits include the Backstreet Boys’ “Into the Millennium” residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas and the 2025 Golden Globes.

Susannah Kangas Rolf, g’12, is a mental health therapist with Lyra Health.

Jessica Sheahon, b’12, g’13, is a director at Apollo Global Management, an investment firm. She and her husband, Sam Summers, live in New York City.

Duane Zlatnik, c’12, in September was inducted into the Topeka-Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame. He was a three-time Kansas state wrestling champion at Rossville High School and an offensive lineman on the KU football team. He is assistant football and wrestling coach at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka.

2013

Angel Goodrich, c’13, a former KU women’s basketball player, in May was inducted into the National American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame. Now a firefighter in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Angel holds the KU women’s basketball record for career assists and played three seasons in the WNBA. She is a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians.

Alex Hyler, e’13, is a program manager at Teleflex Medical in the company’s surgical device unit. She lives in Cincinnati.

Grady Millikan, g’13, is a business analyst at Under Armour.

Libby Queen, g’13, is director of ceremonies and special events at KU.

Julian Viso, c’13, is a supply chain manager at Mass. Electric Construction Co. in Grapevine, Texas.

Dallas Williams, c’13, directs digital marketing at DesignKC Magazine.

2014

Michael Albers, b’14, b’15, in July was promoted to chief financial officer at The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus in Topeka.

Meshal Alotaibi, e’14, g’17, is an architectural engineer at the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy in Kuwait.

Kaitlynn Nelson Christiansen, c’14, m’18, practices family medicine at Stormont Vail Health’s Manhattan Campus.

Laura Minton, g’14, PhD’21, in August was named director of university art galleries and collections at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Kate Shelton Shupert, j’14, is a senior media relations and communications specialist at Mercy, a St. Louis-based health care system. She and her husband, Chris, live in Jackson, Missouri.

Todd Tatum, g’14, is Edmonds, Washington, city administrator.

Amanda Lewis Thompson, b’14, g’19, is owner and president of Coldwell Banker American Home, a real estate company that serves northeast Kansas. She and her husband, Luke, c’03, who is team leader for a residential realtor team, live in Topeka and have two children.

2015

Montana Astorga, c’15, is a clinical site manager for the pharmaceutical and diagnostics company Roche.

Mindy Besaw, PhD’15, is director of the Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Paul Brothers, l’15, in May was elected partner at the Kansas City-based law firm Graves Garrett Greim.

Reid Leonard, b’15, is an associate on the private capital team at Virtus, an insurance brokerage and consulting firm. He lives in Dallas.

Jackie McCullough Jeschke, c’15, g’18, l’24, is a corporate mergers and acquisitions attorney at Polsinelli in the law firm’s Kansas City office.

Jonathan Wilson, AUD’15, a U.S. Navy lieutenant, is department head of audiology and hearing conservation program manager at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in California. In May he was honored by the Military Health System with its Allied Health Leadership Excellence Award.

Ali Zaidi, b’15, e’15, is an area sales manager for Honeywell Aerospace Technologies.

2016

Ernesto Diaz, c’16, m’21, an internal medicine physician, in September joined Newman Regional Health in Emporia.

Becca Levine Graham, c’16, is campaign manager and leads the fundraising team at the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City. She and her husband, Ryan, l’20, live in Olathe with their golden retriever, Beau.

Eric Oatts, g’16, lives in New York City, where he is administrative director of the music division at The Juilliard School.

TJ Semke, d’16, is the jackman for the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 pit crew, which services driver Chase Elliott’s vehicle in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Keeleigh Smith, c’16, lives in Wichita, where she operates her home bakery, Sugar Lab.

Kathleen Watson, l’16, in May was appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly as a district court judge for Kansas’ 18th Judicial District, in Sedgwick County.

Alex Winkler, c’16, m’21, practices family medicine at LMH Health Primary Care in Tonganoxie.

2017

Mason Brightbill, d’17, is sports director at Wichita’s Northwest YMCA.

Amy Brown, a’17, is a senior art director at Saatchi & Saatchi, an advertising and communications company.

Dyllan Landry, m’17, is a general surgeon at Newman Regional Health in Emporia.

Ali Lawson, e’17, is a project manager at JE Dunn Construction in Kansas City.

Abby Stuke, j’17, directs marketing and events for the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce.

2018

Caitlin McKaughan Coats, g’18, is an associate at HKS in the architecture firm’s Washington, D.C., office.

Jean-Jacques Corbier, c’18, a Kansas City-based filmmaker, received the 2024-’25 Teri Rogers Screenwriting Award from ArtsKC for his screenplay “High Value.”

Calleine Harms Dobnikar, l’18, is owner and principal attorney at Inspired Estate Planning in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Hannah Hoffman, d’18, is a music therapist and owns Remedies in Rhythm in Alanson, Michigan, which offers music therapy services and adaptive music lessons. She also directs the Northern Michigan Chorale.

Alex McLoon, j’18, is a reporter for KING 5 News in Seattle.

Stephen Muir, b’18, is a business intelligence developer at Concord, a technology consulting firm. He and his wife, Bayley, live in Overland Park.

Dillon Park, g’18, is an architect at Black & Veatch in Kansas City.

Brianna Woods, c’18, is a resident actor at the Dallas Theater Center and has performed in its productions of “A Christmas Carol” and “Waitress.”

2019

Hannah Bettis, j’19, is digital media manager at Westminster University in Salt Lake City.

Natalie Craig, c’19, j’19, in August was promoted to director of international regeneration at Walmart. She works at the company’s Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters.

Seth Emery, c’19, is a software engineer at Cboe Global Markets.

Hojin Park, g’19, PhD’22, is an assistant professor in the economics department at Sejong University in Seoul, South Korea.

Ethan Tidwell, c’19, is a technical specialist at Benesch in the engineering firm’s Kansas City office.

2020

Wesley Burdiek, m’20, is an assistant professor in the anesthesiology department at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Tyler Cantrell, c’20, lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he is an air monitoring manager at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau. He and his wife, Cassie, were married in August.

Mia Rubisoff Clark, c’20, is a clinical research associate at IQVIA, a research and technology company that serves the life sciences industry.

Brittany Foster, c’20, is a meteorologist at KMBC 9 News in Kansas City.

Bethany Green, c’20, c’20, lives in Aurora, Colorado, where she is an environmental compliance specialist for the city’s water department.

Allyson Bellner Haney, c’20, is a senior account manager at HMP Global, a marketing and event production company that serves the health care industry. She works in the company’s psychiatry and senior living divisions. Allyson and her husband, Will, live in East Lansing, Michigan.

Ron Houston, g’20, in May was named president and CEO of INROADS, a nonprofit that offers career development programs for high school and college students.

Jirick Hunter, d’20, is a business operations project manager at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, which serves patients in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Lexi Price, d’20, g’22, in May was promoted to director of operations for KU men’s basketball.

Cooper Rodgers, m’20, is an ophthalmologist with Grin Eye Care and practices throughout Greater Kansas City.

Stacy Scheetz, g’20, is a social worker at AmberMed Clinic in Hoxie and also provides behavioral health services at area schools.

2021

Mack Curry, l’21, is an associate attorney at Morrow Willnauer Church in the law firm’s Kansas City office and serves as judge pro tem in Baldwin City. He and his wife, Kayla Shear Curry, ’19, have three children, Easton, Liliana and Grace.

Paige Habiger, c’21, is senior international student adviser at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Alexis Ahlert Hansen, g’21, is a senior geologist at ConocoPhillips in Midland, Texas.

Carly Newcomb Keenan, j’21, is a morning anchor and reporter at KAKE News in Wichita.

Brandon Maier, b’21, is operations manager at Dynamic Logistix, a transportation technology company based in Overland Park.

Steven Wahlberg, a’21, is an assistant project manager at STV, an infrastructure planning and design firm headquartered in New York City. He lives in Yonkers, New York.

2022

Katie McLaughlin Acree, g’22, is a regional conservation coordinator for the Mule Deer Foundation. She lives in Utah.

Cori Brungardt, b’22, g’23, is associate manager of global marketing partnerships and media for the NBA. She lives in New York City.

Colby Dutton, l’22, is an associate attorney at Dorsett Johnson & Cisneros in the law firm’s Austin, Texas, office.

Gabriel Johnson, j’22, in June joined WCBD News 2 in Charleston, South Carolina, as a weekend anchor and reporter.

Nicole Mammoser, g’22, is a supply planner at the pharmaceutical company AbbVie.

Morgan Short, p’22, PharmD’24, is a pharmacy manager at Walgreens.

Lydia Solomon, a’22, is an interior designer at LPA, a multidisciplinary design firm. She lives in Santa Ana, California.

Leah Stein, c’22, l’25, is an associate attorney at Shook, Hardy & Bacon in the law firm’s Kansas City office.

Laiken Yerby, b’22, is an accounting specialist at Garmin in Olathe.

2023

Austin Drake, DNAP’23, is a nurse anesthetist at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington. He and his wife, Kelsey, have a 2-year-old son, Aiden.

Emma Gustafson, a’23, is a user-experience designer at the software company Adobe in San Francisco.

Senna Hargett, s’23, is a certified nursing assistant at Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care.

Aaron Harpt, e’23, is a software development engineer at Commerce Bank.

Grace Leu, PhD’23, is assistant professor of education at Washburn University in Topeka.

Carlie Sauntry Seifert, s’23, g’24, is a social work case manager for The University of Kansas Health System’s addiction clinic.

Dania Wahwasuck, c’23, in April was crowned 2025-’26 Miss Indian World at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and a graduate student at KU.

2024

Emily Almloff, a’24, g’24, g’24, is a health care architect at HFG Architecture in the firm’s Kansas City office.

Tyler Boutte, c’24, in August was named legislative director for Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes.

Isabelle Crater, a’24, is an industrial designer at Procter & Gamble in the company’s fabric care division.

Addison Crites, j’24, is public relations director for the city of Great Bend.

Ragib Rafi, PhD’24, is a senior design engineer at Qorvo, a semiconductor company that specializes in wireless and mobile communications.

Theresa Read, c’24, c’24, is a laboratory technician at the pharmaceutical company Merck.

2025

Anna Blumenthal, j’25, is a reporter at Triad Business Journal, which covers Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point, North Carolina.

Thomas Burns, b’25, is a risk and financial advisory analyst at Deloitte.

Jacelyn Ketter, j’25, is a public relations coordinator at Braintrust Agency in Las Vegas.

Anna Popp, c’25, teaches art at Great Bend High School. She has painted several community murals throughout Barton County, including in the Great Bend City Auditorium.

Madeline Watson, e’25, is a design engineer at Garmin in Olathe.


Photo by Andy White/KU Marketing

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