New Employees Join CMU Team Katrina Hopkins - Business Office Central Methodist University’s newest Business Office employee is Katrina Hopkins, a Slater native and mother of three. She began her tenure as the new collection specialist at the end of July. After graduating from Slater High School, Hopkins traveled the world with her husband. His Air Force job took them to various countries across the globe, including to England for more than three years, which she called “the best place I’ve lived.” Upon returning to Missouri, Hopkins has worked as a driver and production worker in the area, but now she is enthusiastic to serve the CMU community. “I am excited to do something different,” she said. “I’m excited to see all the students and just looking forward to seeing what the future holds here.” Leisha Nakagawa - Admissions The newest admissions representative for Central Methodist University’s Enrollment Management team is Leisha Nakagawa, a native of Hawaii. Nakagawa first moved to the middle of the country in 2015, when she attended Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kan., on a softball scholarship. After playing two years for the Broncbusters, she transferred to Missouri Valley College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in nonprofit agency management with concentrations on human services and recreation administration. Prior to joining the CMU staff, Nakagawa worked as a developmental assistant for elderly individuals with mental disabilities. While her day-to-day responsibilities in her new job will be quite different from that work, she is excited for the opportunity to continue to “make a positive impact” on people’s lives.
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Janice Perkins - Financial Services The newest member of the Financial Services staff at Central Methodist University comes in with plenty of experience in the higher education realm. Janice Perkins began her new job as the documentation coordinator on July 6, following 20 years of employment at the University of Missouri. After receiving her degree in consumer affairs from the university, Perkins was employed by MU from 1999 until this year, serving in roles such as business support specialist, executive assistant, and advancement associate. In her new role, Perkins will be responsible for the collection of documents necessary for securing students’ financial aid. She says she is excited to be “helping families” as their children enter college at CMU. A mother of three adult children whose youngest is also preparing to go to college, Perkins lives with her husband in southern Howard County. They enjoy going on walks outside with their dogs, she said. Savannah Schaefer - Admissions After a two-year stint living out of state, Central Methodist University alumna Savannah Schaefer, ’16, has come home to Howard County and her alma mater. As the new events coordinator in the Admissions Office, she begins her second run of employment with CMU. “I’m very excited to be back on campus,” Schaefer said. “I missed it while I was gone.” Schaefer worked as a leasing consultant at an apartment community in Tampa, Fla., for the last two years, but began her newest job at Central on July 9. She previously served as a resident hall director in Holt Hall from 2016 to 2018. In her new role, Schaefer will be responsible
for coordinating prospective student tours and other events in the Admissions Office, as well as overseeing the student ambassadors when they return to campus. Rhonda Senor - Business Office In her role as the billing specialist, Rhonda Senor will be responsible for coordinating billing processes for programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). She will assist students and parents with billing questions, provide transcript verification, and process third-party paperwork and invoicing, among other primary duties and tasks. Prior to joining the CMU team, Senor was in management and customer service with Missouri Cotton Exchange in Columbia. She ran the front end for the screen printing and embroidery business for 17 years and spent almost 30 years total in the industry. Now that she is a member of the Central staff, however, she says she is excited about being close to home and in a different environment. “It is very much family-oriented, and that’s something I’ve not really had before,” she said of the campus environment. “It’s a nice feeling to be here.” As a wife and mother who describes her family as her “driving force,” it’s no surprise that the Central family has already made her feel at home in her new job. Senor has four children, Emmalen (11), Alden (17), Kellen (19), and Maclaren (22), who graduated from Central last year with a degree in middle school social science education. Dr. Patrick Dill - Choral Director Perhaps no new faculty member coming in to Central Methodist University has bigger shoes to fill than Dr. Patrick Dill, the new director of choral activities and assistant
