Class Notes

Compiled by Carolyn Preul

Class Notes recognizes personal and professional updates. Search archived notes online by name or class year at my.ccis.edu/alumniclassnotes

1950s

Nancy Whitson Kandel ’56 lives in Hampton Bays, New York. She married after graduating from Christian College and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University, a Master of Arts in Education from Webster University and a Master of Arts in Metaphysics from Holmes Institute. She attended Christian in honor of her grandmother, Dolly, who graduated from the college in the 1880s.

1960s

Dr. Lynn McClary Hawkins ’61 is an English professor at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Florida. She has recently published “Go, Girl, Go!” and two short stories in “Beach Reads” by the Daytona Writers Guild. She also serves as an editor for Taylor and Seale Publishing.

Photographer Notley Hawkins ’87 brings feelings to life. Objects have stories to tell. An abandoned road remember its travelers. With socializing kept at a distance and people spending more time alone, Hawkins was captivated by the underlying emotions that have collectively risen to the surface.

1990s

Wendy Mertz Slifka ’90 is team lead for the new EasyConnect Appliance Program at the Knoxville Utilities Board. She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Paul Hopkins ’91 has been named associate director of Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia, Missouri. He has served in VA for 29 years. Hopkins retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in April 2007.

Col. Timothy P. Williams ’93 has retired after a 26-year career with the United States Air Force. Most recently he served as chief of Combat Operations, 601st Air Operations Center at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. Col. Williams received his commission in 1993, and since earning his wings in 1997, he has logged over 1,900 flying hours.

Dan Davis ’98 is vice president of Security Operations and Threat Intel at Nuspire, a global cybersecurity operation. In this role, he leads the company’s best practices in Managed Security Services.

Sonja Kocan ’98, a family nurse practitioner, joined the St. Joseph’s Health Cardiovascular Institute in Watertown and Gouverneur in New York. She earned a master’s degree in nursing from SUNY Upstate Medical University’s College of Nursing in Syracuse.

Dr. Marie Peoples ’98 has been named city manager of Webster Groves, Missouri. She holds a Ph.D. in public health epidemiology from Walden University.

2000s

Elizabeth Blake ’00, CPA, has been promoted to chief financial officer of Agents National Title Insurance Company in Columbia, Missouri. Blake is a member of Sunrise Southwest Rotary and board treasurer for Heart of Missouri CASA.

Nikki McGruder ’00, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at MU Health Care in Columbia, Missouri, has joined the CCAA Advisory Board.

Jay Sparks ’00 is the entrepreneurship program coordinator for Regional Economic Development Inc. through the City of Columbia (Missouri).

Stephanie Johnson ’01 is executive director of the Jefferson City Special Learning Center. With more than 27 years of non-profit experience, Johnson is an elected member of the Jefferson City School District Board of Education.

Crystal Aholt ’02 has been named executive of High Reliability for Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia, Missouri. She began her career at the VA as a surgical ICU nurse in 1996.

Eric Clay ’02 became vice president of security at Memorial Hermann Health Systems in August 2020. Prior to his move to Texas, Clay served as chief security officer for CoxHealth in Springfield, Missouri, and was named a 2020 Healthcare Security Director of the Year by Campus Safety and one of Security magazine’s Most Influential People in Security for 2020.

Brian Weimer ’02 has been named Chief of Police for the University of Missouri Police Department. He joined the department as an officer in 1992 and most recently served as interim chief and major of operations.

Cindy Fotti Potter ’05 has been promoted to senior deputy director of Athletics at Columbia College after serving in an associate director role since 2011. Potter is in her 19th year with the college, first as a student-athlete (softball) before moving into an administrator role in 2007.

David Ramirez ’06 & ’19 was promoted to a civil engineering technician for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Pictured, Ramirez shares his Cougar Pride from the new Fort Bliss Hospital in El Paso, Texas, where he served as an administrative officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the $1.6 billion project.

Mike Campbell ’08 is a personal injury lawyer. He joined his private practice with Thomas Law Offices in 2020 and heads the firm’s Columbia, Missouri, office. He also cofounded Gavl Video and LawyerMinds, two businesses geared toward lawyers’ marketing and networking needs. He and his wife, Caitlin Jenkins Campbell ’10, live in nearby Centralia.

Sara Hurst Watson ’08 is a history teacher at Paris High School in Paris, Missouri.

Christian Lewis ’09 has been promoted to regional community president for Southwest Missouri at Simmons Bank and was awarded a 2020 Filbert Five Award by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for his contributions to Columbia College men’s basketball. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Ozark Regional YMCA.

2010s

Megan Sievers ’10 has been named executive director of Welcome Home, a non-profit transitional housing and support center for Veterans in Columbia, Missouri. She has a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing and served as the program’s development director since 2017.

Israel Gonzalez ’12 completed a certificate in conflict resolution from Washington University School of Law.

Elizabeth Cotten ’13 is a fourth grade teacher at Tipton Elementary in mid-Missouri. “What better way to instill hope, acceptance and strength of character into our society than by inspiring children?” she says.

Adrienne Hamlin ’14 & ’19 married Elias Black on Nov. 7, 2020, in Jefferson City, Missouri. She is a human resources business partner coordinator at Veteran United Home Loans.

Macie Peterson ’14 has been promoted to director of inclusion and engagement at Shelter Insurance Companies in Columbia, Missouri. In 2019, Peterson formed Single Mothers Affordable Residence Team, Inc. (SMART, Inc.) – a non-profit that assists single mothers who are pursing higher education to find affordable housing.

Lorrie Ellison ’16 has been promoted to associate head athletic trainer at Columbia College. She earned her undergraduate degree from CulverStockton College while competing on the women’s basketball team, then served as a graduate assistant for the Cougars while completing her master’s degree at CC.

Bryan Page ’16 was profiled in E-Squared Magazine, an international publication that blends art and science. The feature included select work he created as a student. Page is currently an adjunct professor for Columbia College teaching digital media, video art, 2D-design and jewelry.

Travis Doerhoff ’17 is assistant vice president and banking center manager at Providence Bank. An Army veteran, Doerhoff was awarded an Army Commendation Medal as well as an Army Achievement Medal, and is a lifetime member of the VFW Post 1003.

Kelly Golien ’17 has been promoted to human resources manager of Associated Wholesale Grocers. She lives in Waukegen, Illinois.

D’Andre Thompson ’18 has joined with Boone County Community Services Department as a program specialist emphasizing in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Thompson was an inaugural member and co-chair of the Columbia College Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He was instrumental in the introduction of the Juneteenth holiday for CC employees, beginning in 2021, and an advocate for college-wide DEI training and programming.

Ashlea Hearn ’19 adds published author to her credentials with the release of “Take It: Genesis Mortalis” in April 2021. The first in a four-part Young Adult action and crime series, the story follows billionaire twin sisters who start a secret vigilante organization to take down corrupt businessmen. An active member of the CC student body and member of the U.S. Army Reserves, Hearn earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies. She is a marketing coordinator at GLP Attorneys, P.S., Inc. in Seattle and hopes to someday turn her stories into feature films.

Rachel Parker ’19 married Evan Rist on Oct. 10, 2020, in Macon, Missouri. She is a purchasing specialist in Columbia College’s Office of Procurement & Business Operations.

Zachary McAdams ’20 has started a Ph.D. program in molecular pathogenesis and therapeutics at the University of Missouri, where he will research the gut microbiome. During his senior year, he served as president of the Student Government Association and was crowned homecoming royalty.

Alumni Spotlight

Competition showcases black-owned businesses

Lashunda Glasgow ’08 (left) and Mariah Proctor ’15 (right) are pictured with 1st place winner Anthony Johnson.

Photo: Cory Crosby, originally published in The Columbia Missourian

Columbia College alumni had a notable presence at the first-ever Virtual Black Business Expo and Pitch Exposition, which took place in December of 2020 in Columbia, Missouri. Of the nine competitors, CC graduates claimed two of the top three spots.

Second-place winner Lashunda Glasgow ’08 is the owner and director of A Galaxy of Stars, which provides affordable child care in her hometown of Columbia. Since opening in 2005, the program has grown from 10 to 76 children. She shared half of the $1,000 prize with her staff.

Mariah Proctor ’15 received $500 for taking third place with Proctor’s Provision. She opened the home health agency in September 2020 with a passion to care for the older members of the community. She would like expand her services with a mobile “pop-up shoppe” to bring clothing and hygiene items to those in need.