UMSL Magazine - Fall 2022

Vibrant shades of dry paint cloak the air on the front lawn of Provincial House during the annual Paint-A-Palooza event, hosted by the Pierre Laclede Honors College Student Association. The powder paint party is a favorite tradition during Weeks of Welcome, capping off the first week of classes for new and returning students at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

EdD candidate Christina Rios-Kelley photographed the steeple of the Collégiale Saint-Martin church in Colmar, France, while traveling abroad during the three-week Strasbourg Study Tour offered through UMSL Global and the Department of Language and Cultural Studies. The program returned this year – alongside several other study abroad programs – after a stall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chancellor Kristin Sobolik Associate Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications Justin Roberts

Director of Public Relations and Content/Writer Steve Walentik

Editor-in-Chief/ Writer

Heather Riske Writers Joe Cavato Burk Krohe Mabel Suen Wendy Todd Timothy Wombles Director of Creative Services Traci Moore

Art Director/Designer Wendy Allison Designers Marty Baragiola Erin Hart Photographer August Jennewein Printer Walsworth Publishing Company

The University of Missouri–St. Louis publishes

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This is

Keshia Elder

Dean of UMSL College of Optometry

Elder, who previously served as an associate clinical professor at UMSL from 2011 to 2016, recently became the first Black female dean of optometry in the country.

FACULTY Q&A

How has your background prepared you for this role?

Starting out as an officer and optometrist in the Medical Service Corps with the U.S. Navy was a great way to start my career – it really set the tone for how I interact with people today. Working in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of South Carolina solidified my appreciation for the field of optometry and showed me how well ODs and MDs could work together so that we can provide the best health care for patients. Working at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry gave me the experience in research that I needed to understand how to form collaborative relationships to do translational research. I also served as part of UMSL’s faculty from 2011 to 2016, and I really have a heart for the faculty, staff and students here. I think everything I’ve done has worked together to prepare me for this moment.

Why did you want to return to UMSL?

UMSL is a great educational institution. The College of Optometry trains top-notch optometrists. The students are really good students; they are nice people, and they are invested in the field of optometry. The staff is outstanding. They are experts at what they do, they are dedicated to the College of Optometry and they are devoted to advancing the optometric profession. Then, you look at UMSL and all the things that the university itself does to help improve the community around it. I just can’t understand why anyone would not want to go back to UMSL. This is a really great place.

What is your vision for the College of Optometry?

I would like for the UMSL College of Optometry to serve as the leader for optometric education, have a diverse portfolio of scholarly activity and cultivate a culture of service. I would like to continue to build on the foundation established by Dean Larry Davis. But what I really want is to have a school that mirrors the population that we serve. That’s critical because everybody wants to go into an environment where they feel like they belong. Students are more likely to come to the school and to be comfortable and to be successful if they see themselves there. The same goes for faculty and for staff – we all want to be in a place where we feel like we belong and we fit in. If you have faculty, staff and students that mirror the environment around you, that’s also going to continue to attract all types of patients. We all know that with diversity, there’s strength. We learn more in a more diverse environment. We are more productive in a more diverse environment. We know patients are more satisfied when they’re in a diverse environment. That type of environment is going to be helpful for everyone.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I’m the most proud when I see students, residents or even colleagues who have gone out into the world and are doing great things in the optometric profession, and I know that I was able to help them along their journey. My successes are helping other people win.

UMSL SOCIAL PEERS promotes an inclusive campus community

A new UMSL program is inspiring friendships among students who may not typically encounter each other on campus.

UMSL WELCOMES 20 STUDENTS FROM THE BAHAMAS through new partnership

A new partnership between UMSL and the Ministry of Education in The Bahamas has brought 20 first-year students from the Caribbean country to St. Louis this academic year. The students are part of the Public School Scholars Programme, which promotes college readiness, equity and access in the public school system, or received the National Tuition Assistance Scholarship, which assists students who are currently pursuing professional, technical, graduate or postgraduate studies. To participate in either program, students must display a genuine interest in a career of national priority as well as leadership and character traits and also demonstrate involvement in extracurricular activities and contributions to their school community.

the inaugural UMSL Social Peers program, which pairs full-time undergraduate students from across campus with students in the Succeed Program, which provides post-secondary education to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through the yearlong program housed in the College of Education, students are matched based on common interests with a goal of fostering a more inclusive community.

“It’s really a program to promote inclusivity and a more cohesive campus community,” says co-director Lindsay Athamanah, assistant professor of special education, “and to help students without disabilities to really learn, work and socialize with people with disabilities because a lot of times we don’t give people that experience.”

Throughout the school year, each pair meets once a week for at least 30 minutes in-person, on or off campus, or via Zoom, in addition to monthly group events. This year, the program is expanding with more athletic events and a volunteer project in the hopes of attracting more participants.

“One of the things that the University of Missouri–St. Louis offers is being a tier 1 public research institution,” says Reggie Hill, UMSL’s vice chancellor for strategic enrollment. “The Ministry of Education in The Bahamas has what they consider high-need academic areas, and the majors that we offer here are neatly aligned with the national interests and the economic interests of The Bahamas. I knew UMSL’s brand, degree offerings and its location – being in St. Louis, Missouri, a diverse community not only culturally but economically – would attract Bahamian students.”

Business student HANNAH BRAZEL HELPS A FAMILY IN NEED through Be The Match

Hannah Brazel was inspired to sign up as a donor for Be The Match – which coordinates bone marrow donations and transplants for patients with life-threatening blood diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma – after her cousin was diagnosed with leukemia in 2017. Although she and the rest of her family weren’t matches for her cousin, he did find a life-saving donor in Germany through the program. But earlier this year, after being on the registry for four years, Brazel, a senior marketing major at UMSL, was deemed a match for another donation. She flew to Washington, D.C., to donate peripheral stem cells to a patient with leukemia this spring. In addition to serving as Marketing Club secretary and working at the UMSL Recreation and Wellness Center, Brazel has become an advocate for the program, spreading awareness about the difference it can make for patients with blood diseases.

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“It’s definitely a rewarding experience,” she says. “I joined the registry for my cousin, and I couldn’t donate for him. So, it’s great that I could donate for someone. I got the opportunity to do what my cousin’s donor did for him, and I saw how it gave my family so much hope. I’m glad I could give someone else’s family so much hope.”

Department of Art and Design to launch NEW INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WITH CHECKMARK

A brand-new internship program through the Department of Art and Design will give students real-world exposure to the creative industry.

The department is partnering with Checkmark, the in-house creative resource and agency of Nestlé Purina PetCare, to launch a new internship program this spring. Interns will contribute to Checkmark’s creative teams, which work on a variety of Purina verticals including dog food, cat food, treats and litter. Starting with the spring 2023 semester, the program will be open to UMSL juniors and seniors in the graphic design program, and each student will receive a $5,000 scholarship for interning.

Teresa Sausville, executive creative director at Checkmark, has been impressed by UMSL graduates working at Checkmark and knew the university’s graphic design program was well-regarded. Through the partnership, she hopes interns hone their craft and get a better sense of the industry.

“These interns will be doing real work, working alongside our teams in client meetings,” Sausville says. “We work on pretty much all facets of marketing, promotion and advertising. We have social, digital advertising, traditional advertising, packaging, promotional and new product innovation. They will, in one way or another, get to be exposed to a pretty good range.”

STEFANI WEEDENSMITH STEERS ST. LOUIS ANCHOR ACTION NETWORK

Stefani Weeden-Smith, who works as part of UMSL’s Office of Research and Economic and Community Development, is guiding the development of the St. Louis Anchor Action Network as its inaugural director. Led by UMSL and Edward Jones, the alliance of local stakeholders has a shared commitment to advancing racial equity and removing barriers to economic opportunity, aiming to increase hiring and procurement opportunities for people and businesses in 22 ZIP codes across St. Louis that have faced decades of disinvestment.

Over the course of her first year leading the Anchor Action Network, Weeden-Smith has facilitated discussions between representatives of the community so they can learn from each other’s experiences. She also organized an executive learning experience in the historic Ville neighborhood so that members could better understand the needs of the people living in the community. The event featured a walking tour of some of the historic buildings located near Sumner High School and a panel discussion with a few community leaders.

LISA CAPONE NAMED VICE CHANCELLOR

FOR ADVANCEMENT

Lisa Capone aims to promote and nurture a culture of philanthropy across campus at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Capone is serving as UMSL’s chief fundraising officer, overseeing all aspects of the Advancement office, including development and alumni engagement. She brings almost 20 years of experience in higher education to UMSL and hopes that continuing to connect with and engage alumni and driving private philanthropic donations can provide more opportunities for the university to fulfill its mission of transforming lives. “It’s pretty thrilling to be at UMSL,” Capone says. “UMSL represents some things that are very close to me personally, including higher education really being relevant to the community and the constituents it serves. We are not an ivory tower institution; we are really focused on how we can impact St. Louis as a whole.”

George Paz never lost sight of his alma mater and the role it played in helping him succeed. As the grandson of Mexican immigrants, Paz grew up with modest financial resources and worked his way through school at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. He graduated in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting and would go on to lead a Fortune 100 company as CEO and chairman of Express Scripts. As he noted in a speech at the inaugural UMSL Accelerate Entrepreneur of the Year Awards on Oct. 20, where he was honored with a lifetime achievement award, he aimed to “challenge the way health care is delivered in this country.” Paz died Oct. 23. He was 67.

Remembering George

Paz

corporate headquarters on to North Campus in 2007.

After graduating, Paz kept close ties with UMSL, serving as president of the Chancellor’s Council for three years. He was instrumental in establishing many fruitful relationships between Express Scripts and his alma mater, including internships, academic programs, consumer behavior research, diversity initiatives and community betterment projects. Express Scripts has served as the primary benefactor of UMSL Bridge Program’s Saturday Academy, and Paz was leading the company when it moved its

In 2020, Paz and his wife, Melissa, made a philanthropic gift of $4 million to the university to support scholarships. UMSL honored them with the E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Medal for Philanthropy during the annual Founders Celebration in 2021.

“Having a job without a degree did not offer a lot of opportunity,” Paz said of his decision to return to UMSL after quitting for three years. “I came back to UMSL – smartest thing I ever did in my life. UMSL provided me that educational base and the ability to turn my life around and make a significant difference in the St. Louis region and in this country.”

UMSL launching new master’s degree program in fintech

HONORS & AWARDS

UMSL climbed 27 more spots in the latest U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings. The university now ranks No. 212 among national research universities on the 2023 list out of more than 1,800 colleges and universities nationwide. UMSL also improved 11 places to rank No. 107 on the list of top public universities and was again ranked on the U.S. News list of “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” ranking first in the state and No. 75 nationally

From cryptocurrency to mobile payment devices to artificial intelligence, technological changes have been reshaping the world of finance, and a new master’s program at UMSL is designed to prepare students to excel in this evolving world. This coming spring semester, UMSL’s College of Business Administration will launch a Master of Science in Financial Technology program that will give students technical training and skills that are in demand throughout the financial industry. The College of Business Administration has already offered several elective courses in fintech, and graduate students can receive a graduate certificate in the subject. But with the new program, it’s believed that UMSL will join fewer than 15 universities nationwide offering a master’s degree with a focus in fintech. All courses in the 30-hour program will be offered fully online to provide maximum flexibility to working professionals.

Washington Monthly once again named UMSL – which has a voter registration rate above 85 percent – on its list of “Best Colleges for Student Voting ” The list was part of the magazine’s annual College Guide and Rankings.

For the eighth straight year, UMSL was named in the top 100 of Military Times’ “Best for Vets: Colleges” list.

For the sixth time, INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine named UMSL a recipient of the prestigious 2022 Higher Education Excellence in

Diversity Award, which recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

In July, UMSL Accelerate and the DEI Accelerator program won a Fire Award from the St. Louis Business Journal in the Fire Starters/Community Builders category. The awards recognize local companies and organizations making strides in the innovation economy.

Dan Lauer, the founding executive director of UMSL Accelerate, was among 14 honorees of the St. Louis Business Journal’s 18th annual Champions for Diversity and Inclusion Awards in September The awards recognize those taking action to create more socioeconomic equity in St. Louis.

Assistant Professor Tessa Garcia-Collart won The PhD Project's Ilana Shanks Emerging Scholar Award, which honors a junior academic who has significantly contributed to research that advances the study of marketing as it relates to societal issues and assists in the improvement of individual and societal wellbeing. Garcia-Collart’s research examines the impact of digital marketing and social media on consumer wellbeing.

Chancellor Kristin Sobolik was among 14 honorees at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ annual Salute to Women in Leadership Gala in September. Sobolik was lauded for leading the development and implementation of UMSL’s five-year strategic plan focused on building inclusive prosperity.

UMSL Assistant Professor Abderrahmen Mtibaa is part of a team of researchers working to solve networking and security challenges that hinder public safety and disaster response.

Last spring, the UMSL Succeed Program, which helps students with intellectual and developmental disabilities develop independent living and job skills, was honored with a “What’s Right with the Region” Award from FOCUS St. Louis. The program was one of four honorees in the Enhancing Regional Prosperity category, which recognizes organizations or programs dedicated to the growth of the region and building a stronger workforce and economy for the benefit of all.

JOEL SYLVEN

had gone looking for a cup of water to clear his throat one August morning inside the Mark Twain Athletic Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. A familiar face spotted the lanky, blonde 6-foot-2 golfer near the lobby a couple days before the start of the fall semester.

“Is that the na-tion-al cham-pion?” the young woman said in an exaggerated voice. Sylven smiled sheepishly and continued, cup in hand, on his way.

He’d had about three months to get used to that kind of recognition around campus or when practicing at nearby Glen Echo Country Club or Norwood Hills Country Club, but he still wasn’t quite comfortable with it.

Sylven had been laser-focused that day last May at TPC Michigan when, playing through steady rain and unseasonably cool temperatures, he rallied from two shots down and leaped over five other competitors in the final round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship to force a playoff.

He’d waited nearly three hours after he finished to see if he’d get that showdown against Keegan Bronnenburg, the University of Indianapolis senior and defending NCAA Division II champion who, at the time, was just beginning his back nine with a two-shot lead. During his wait, it never occurred to Sylven to think about what the long-term implications of winning would be.

Instead, his attention was trained on making sure he was ready to capitalize on the opportunity. With his adrenaline pumping on the tee box at the 408-yard par-4 first hole, Sylven blasted a drive farther than he’d hit the ball there all week, leaving himself a wedge into the green. He dropped that approach about 15 feet from the hole and, with a clear advantage over Bronnenburg, rolled in the birdie putt to lock up the championship.

“It was just kind of surreal, as those kinds of moments are when you’re there,” says Coach Troy Halterman, recalling the scene.

Sylven just remembers feeling relief as the ball fell in the cup, cementing his legacy as the second national champion in school history, alongside the title-winning 1973 men’s soccer team.

“You’ve built up so much tension the whole day, really since you woke up,” Sylven says. “You don’t get put in those situations too often. I’m very happy that I reacted so well.”

“Is that the na-tion-al cham-pion?” the young woman said in an exaggerated voice.

Being part of a team was a big reason Sylven – a former soccer player in his youth – opted to come to the United States to play college golf.

His win capped off a banner year for the UMSL Department of Athletics. It also fulfilled the potential Sylven displayed early in his career, when he won two tournaments and finished second in three others to earn recognition as the 2019 Division II Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman of the Year.

But his career had hardly progressed in a straight line since he arrived at UMSL from Falkenberg, Sweden, following a path first blazed by compatriots Markus Lindberg and Emma Thorngren, who enjoyed their own standout golf careers as Tritons.

Sylven still managed three top-five finishes during an abbreviated sophomore season, cut short by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he picked up another victory the following fall. But his game seemed to come apart in the spring of his junior year.

“He was really struggling at the end of his junior year,” Halterman says. “I’ve never seen a kid more lost on a golf course. He had no idea where it was going and was playing afraid.”

Sylven finished tied for 43rd, failing to shoot better than 79 in any round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, and he followed it up by placing dead last out of 86 golfers in the NCAA Division II Midwest/Central Regional. “I didn’t know how to keep the ball in play when I got up on the block,” he says. “I was struggling really hard, just trying to do something with my swing. Then, after a while, I realized that I just needed to go back to what I did my freshman year.”

After a summer grinding away to get things right, he opened the 2021-22 season with a victory at the Arch Cup, carding two rounds in the 60s and winning by five shots over his closest competitors. But Sylven says he still didn’t feel comfortable on the course.

That finally started to change as he practiced during the winter break in the schedule.

“I started seeing shots that I used to hit come back to me,” Sylven says.

The Tritons got a boost of confidence when they won against a strong field at the Las Vegas Desert Classic, and Sylven had an individual breakthrough a few weeks later playing in the Findlay Spring Invitational at the University Club of Kentucky. He shot three rounds under par on the Big Blue Course and won the tournament by two strokes.

Two and half weeks later at the GLVC Championship in Indianapolis, Sylven shot 6 under par, including a 67 in the second round, to claim medalist honors by one stroke, and he went on to help the Tritons win the team championship – UMSL’s third overall and first since 2016.

That set the stage for his historic postseason, including a tie for 11th in the regional tournament before his championship win in Dearborn, Michigan. He also helped the Tritons advance to match play with a fifth-place team finish.

Being part of a team was a big reason Sylven –a former soccer player in his youth – opted to come to the United States to play college golf. He also wasn’t sure he was quite ready to turn professional after a standout junior career in Sweden that saw him rank eighth in his age group.

After winning seven individual titles, including the NCAA Division II Championship, over the past four years, Sylven’s game has developed enough – and he’s worked through enough adversity – to give himself a chance to stick in the professional ranks.

But with the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility to athletes whose careers were interrupted by COVID-19, he’s first spending one more season trying to add to his legacy at UMSL while also finishing his degree in sport management.

“I want to be a little bit more consistent this year,” Sylven says. “I feel like if I can stay consistent throughout the year, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to do even better.”

SYLVEN’S WIN WAS JUST ONE OF A STRING OF SUCCESSES FOR THE UMSL DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS DURING THE 2021-22 SEASON.

The VOLLEYBALL team reached the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament final and secured its first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament.

The MEN’S BASKETBALL team captured the GLVC championship and played its way to the Sweet 16.

The WOMEN’S BASKETBALL team also made the NCAA Tournament with the best record in program history.

Both the MEN’S and WOMEN’S GOLF teams advanced to the NCAA Championships.

The MEN’S and WOMEN’S SWIMMING teams sent 10 swimmers to the NCAA Championships, with Zara Konstapel claiming All-American honors.

Photo by Patrick Clark

UMSL INVESTS IN GROWING GEOSPATIAL FIELD

By Burk Krohe

Marlie Mollett admits she wasn’t too familiar with the geospatial field when she began working on a research project to develop a high-resolution gravity map.

“I didn’t even know that there were gravity anomalies,” she says with a laugh. “I thought, ‘Isn’t gravity 9.8 meters per second squared? What do you mean it’s different in different places?’”

Through a collaborative research initiative, Mollett has had the opportunity to contribute to the project and become acquainted with the intricacies of the industry, first as a University of Missouri–St. Louis physics student and now as a geodetic earth scientist at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Over the course of two years, she’s learned to code, prepare global-scale model data sets and run machine learning models.

It’s a career path that’s likely to become more common in the near future thanks to a new collaboration. NGA’s new $1.75 billion west campus in north St. Louis is the heart of a growing geospatial ecosystem, and UMSL has been at the forefront of an effort to meet the needs of the agency and industry. That research project – a partnership between NGA and UMSL’s Department of Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy and Statistics – is just one piece of a broader investment by UMSL in the sector, which is poised to become a major economic engine in the St. Louis region.

In 2020, the university launched the UMSL Geospatial Collaborative to promote geospatial technological innovation, research and community engagement. The new center also facilitates connections between the university and the agency as well as other companies operating in the geospatial sector. Since then, UMSL has only strengthened its commitment to the burgeoning field.

Last fall, the university and NGA signed an Educational Partnership Agreement, while the University of Missouri System and the agency signed a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement. The Office of Geomatics at NGA also wrote several joint projects into the CRADA, including the gravity map Mollett worked on.

As part of the educational agreement, UMSL faculty and staff are working with NGA professionals to develop a variety of academic courses to provide students with the skills necessary for careers in geodesy, geophysics and

geospatial intelligence. Furthermore, UMSL is the only university in the region working with the agency to develop foundational geodesy coursework.

“We have a responsibility as a public research university to support the region that we’re in and the economics of the region that we’re in,” says Jim Craig, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “We need to focus on the needs here, and I think this is a perfect example of how we do that.”

The college is currently working to establish a certificate program in geographic information systems and sciences and a GIS emphasis area in the data science and analysis bachelor’s program. The university will also work to train K-12 educators in innovative teaching techniques to inspire future generations to pursue STEM careers.

To support these goals, UMSL sought and was awarded $1 million in funding from the MoExcels Workforce Initiative to establish the Geospatial Advanced Technology Lab on campus. The university will provide matching funds, as well.

Craig and Provost and Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Steven Berberich view the lab as the future hub for an evolving sector, which could lead to a competitive advantage in adjacent industries such as national security and transportation and logistics.

“I think we’re going to play a key role in workforce development in the pipeline,” Berberich says. “The work that we’re doing – all the way from grade schools up to the degrees we offer – and the ability to have an EPA, means we have the ability to develop the educational programming that NGA needs.”

This focus is already benefitting UMSL alumni and students such as Mollett and Emily Sigmund, a junior majoring in physics. Both are working on the high-resolution gravity map research project, which started as an informal partnership between UMSL and NGA but is now part of the CRADA.

Dawn King, an UMSL physics PhD alumna and geodetic earth scientist with NGA, spearheaded the initiative after Professor Sonya Bahar approached her about mentoring students. King’s work at NGA is essential to vital modern technologies such as remote sensing, GIS and GPS.

“A big part of what we do is maintain the infrastructure to make geospatial technology such as GPS even possible,” King explains. “A large part of the agency work is geoscience. Knowing the Earth and its processes is not only important for maintaining GPS, but also helps us understand and prepare for the effects of climate change.”

She notes that the agency’s gravitational model precisely represents the gravity field at the planet’s surface, which is used to calculate mean sea level. That, in turn, is utilized for accurate GPS readings and all forms of navigation. However, there are regions of the globe where obtaining precise gravity measurements is difficult due to harsh terrain or geopolitical complications. When there are gaps in the data, the agency uses estimations based on the Earth’s crustal density or terrain.

“Our goal is to replace the current estimation method and develop AI to predict gravity at these locations,” King says.

Mollett and Sigmund are a small part of a larger team of scientists at NGA, but they’ve been able to meaningfully contribute to the work. As part of the mapping team, Sigmund has cleaned data and learned to code. She’s also trained the artificial intelligence tool by having it make predictions for areas where the agency already has accurate data.

“I actually got to make heat maps that show gravity,” she says. “In different areas there are larger gravitational anomalies than in others. So, basically, blue would be a lower gravitational anomaly and then red would be a higher anomaly. That was definitely my favorite part. That was really fun for me, seeing it all come together at the end.”

Since becoming a full-time member of the NGA team this year, Mollett has worked to develop a new convolution neural network – an artificial neural network commonly used to analyze visual imagery –feature extractor for the AI tool. Currently, the process relies on a CNN database culled from Google, but she is testing the results of extracting different features from the agency’s physical datasets in order to train the model to better reflect the characteristics of the project.

“If you learn anything in physics, it’s how to problem-solve,” Mollett says. “That is guaranteed, and I think that’s the number-one asset for a project like this.”

This is Sigmund’s second year working on the project, and she’s incredibly proud of the impact she’s made with NGA thus far.

“One thing that gravity anomalies affect is the water map – showing how much water is going to be going to a certain place,” she says. “That’s really important, especially when we’re looking at rising sea levels. It’ll probably save people’s lives. I do really think about the environment a lot, and I am proud that our work will probably be able to be used in the future for it.”

Craig says the university is striving to ensure more students in the region have similar opportunities. This summer, UMSL built more than a dozen interdisciplinary geospatial courses, as well as modules in existing courses, to add to the array

Right: Part of the work with NGA has involved making heat maps that represent Earth’s gravity field. Center: Dawn King (second from left) works with alumna Marlie Mollett and students Emily Sigmund and Jacob Wilson as part of UMSL’s collaboration with the NGA.

of electives for the future certificate program. The new classes encompass several areas of study, including business, education, sociology and social work. Berberich adds that, eventually, the university is aiming to bring an NGA professional to campus to serve as a professor of practice.

At the K-12 level, a proposal from the College of Education would create an intellectual center to connect area K-12 educators to geospatial research and technology, preparing them to integrate that knowledge into STEM lessons.

The Geospatial Advanced Technology Lab will be central to these efforts. The project is still taking shape, but UMSL officials envision a space with state-of-the-art computers with exceptional processing power and an extended virtual reality hub. The latter will not only facilitate cutting-edge research, but also partnerships with regional and national businesses.

“We think that’s a space where researchers, faculty and students from this campus can go and learn and try new ideas – produce new knowledge right there,” Craig says. Geospatial technology and research have undeniably shaped the modern world, and with these recent investments, UMSL will have a hand in shaping the future of the St. Louis region and beyond. Mollett, for one, has certainly felt the gravity of her work at NGA.

“It’s one thing to do research that you’re interested in, but it’s another to know that you genuinely impact people,” she says. “Everybody uses this. It’s cool to know that you actually have an effect on people and the way the world works.”

"It’s one thing to do research that you’re interested in, but it’s another to know that you genuinely impact people.”

– Marlie Mollett

By Heather Riske

Ina sun-dappled corner room inside a printmaking studio in St. Louis’ Old North neighborhood, a historic Vandercook SP15 Test Press sits flanked by cabinets bearing trays and trays of vintage cast metal type pieces. Letters and ornaments in dozens of different typefaces and fonts make their homes in the compartmentalized wooden cases within, from Baskerville and Garamond to Italian Old Style.

This pristine collection of historic typesetting equipment once belonged to Kay Michael Kramer, a fine printer whose framed portrait sits in the studio amid other letterpress equipment including composing sticks and locked-up formes. But thanks to a collaboration between Central Print, a local nonprofit arts organization, and the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, it’s now accessible to anyone interested in learning about and preserving the art of letterpress.

A distinguished book artist who worked for C.V. Mosby Publishing Company in St. Louis by day, Kramer established The Printery as a private press in the 1970s. From his studio in the basement of his Kirkwood, Missouri, home, he reproduced historic works ranging from the love letters of Eugene Field to Benjamin Franklin’s printing studies.

“He was a great historian of America, and he intended to take that to his press,” says John Neal Hoover, a close friend and the executive director of the St. Louis Mercantile Library. “That’s what these fine printers do –they take something and they make a work of art out of the language and out of the text and out of the type. They explore typography, ornament and color.”

Hoover, a rare book librarian, and Kramer would frequently work together on projects, with Kramer utilizing illustrations or text from the Mercantile’s vast, historic collection for the books, greeting cards and other items he produced using The Printery. Today, many of his works – a Christmas card featuring “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” for instance – are available in the Mercantile Library’s collection for students to study.

1 2

Top, from left:

1. A framed photo of Kay Michael Kramer on a galley cabinet in the lab; 2. A book by Printery resident Leah Mackin; 3. St. Louis Mercantile Library Executive Director John Neal Hoover and Central Print Executive Director Marie Oberkirsch; 4. The Printery shop card printed by Kramer; 5. Ink knives on a mixing stone.

Bottom: Kramer’s Vandercook SP15 printing press.

When Kramer’s health later took a turn for the worse – he ultimately passed away in 2021 – he and his wife, Ginny, considered ways to keep the legacy of The Printery alive. It was an obvious decision for them to locate the press in the Mercantile Library, but Hoover had a better idea. “Kay’s equipment is so large, and you’d need a true lab with heavy floors for that kind of printing equipment from older times,” he says. “And I thought it would be better to actually collaborate with Central Print to let the Mercantile acquire the equipment and then put it in a place, on extended loan, where there are programs, steady availability and an actual setting for a lab where people can enjoy the press, use it, learn about Kay and learn about The Printery.”

And that’s just what Central Print is doing with this historic equipment.

Since 2019, Central Print, which was founded in 2014 to promote letterpress and book arts, has operated The Printery Book Arts Lab inside its north St. Louis facility. Visitors can make use of the pristine equipment and extensive type collection during various programs, and Central Print also offers a residency program that provides access to the printmaking studio for two weeks.

Executive Director Marie Oberkirsch says they were excited to be able to utilize the equipment, particularly because it includes such a comprehensive collection of type and ornaments.

“It’s very unique, especially to the region,” she says. “The thing that’s really special about the collection is for anyone to have enough type to be able to print a book, it has to be a tremendous volume and comprehensive. They might need an italic for a footnote, as you can imagine, which means that you have to have both the typeface and the italic in multiple sizes. It’s really a large quantity of pristine typesetting equipment, and we are thrilled to have access and provide access.”

Scott Gericke, an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Art and Design at UMSL and a Central Print board member, frequently makes use of access to Central Print’s facilities. Each spring, he brings his Type 2 students to the studio to learn about fine book printing processes and incorporate some of those techniques and tools into their own work. He and his colleagues,

professor Jennifer McKnight and assistant teaching professor Elizabeth Buchta, continue to find ways to use the equipment to engage students and each other. Gericke, who utilized Central Print’s equipment for a recent St. Louis Magazine cover package, says using the letterpress lends a quality and texture to the type that just can’t be replicated on a computer.

IFor one of the projects in his curriculum, students print different letters, numbers, punctuation marks and symbols on a letterpress and then digitize them on a computer. Eventually, he’d like students to master the letterpress enough to handset a paragraph of text for a book page or a poem. Gericke says incorporating the art of letterpress, whether through the resources at Central Print or the department’s own on-site press, sets the UMSL Art and Design program apart.

“Most students grew up with technology when they were super young, so they have no clue about how things were printed before the computer came along,” he says. “And I think they appreciate it. The work they’ve done is really cool and really different. It sets our students’ portfolios apart when they are using equipment that isn’t technologically advanced in the way it produces things like a laser printer. It’s a nice tool for them to have in their toolbelts.”

And that’s exactly what Hoover had hoped for, not just in acquiring The Printery but for furthering the overall mission of the Mercantile Library, too. “To see the collections, including The Printery, preserved, come alive and used for the good of the students and the faculty here is exactly why we wanted this affiliation with UMSL,” he says. “When I see students having access to a private press like Kay’s, thanks to the help of the Mercantile, that makes me feel as if the Mercantile continues to thrive into another century, and I’m very happy about that.”

For information on classes and workshops at Central Print, visit centralprint.org.

“It’s really a large quantity of pristine typesetting equipment, and we are thrilled to have access and provide access.”

– Marie Oberkirsch

By Steve Walentik

Ken Cella wouldn’t change anything about the education he received at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Cella is the principal overseeing branch development at financial services firm Edward Jones and the new president of UMSL’s Chancellor’s Council. He reflects fondly on friends he made at UMSL, relationships he built with faculty members and the lessons they taught him during his time at the university before graduating with his degree in marketing in 1993.

He admits, however, that the students of today have far greater opportunities.

“When I was a student, there really weren’t many amenities to speak of for the students,” Cella says. “The student center was something far different. We had the library, but it just wasn’t seen as a place to hang out. You had to find places off campus to do that.”

Construction of the Millennium Student Center was completed seven years after Cella graduated. It would be another 15 years after that for the Recreation and Wellness Center to open its doors.

Now, almost 30 years since Cella completed his degree, UMSL is embarking on another period of transformational change that will further enhance the student experience with the creation of a more centralized academic core north of Natural Bridge Road and a health sciences campus to the south. Federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and private donations are supporting more than $100 million in initial campus enhancements, including improvements to University Libraries, construction of the Richter Family Welcome and Alumni Center and the renovation of classroom and laboratory spaces to better serve the needs of students now and into the future.

“We’re building a more cohesive academic experience while connecting campus assets and creating a collaborative environment for learning, research and innovation,” Chancellor Kristin Sobolik says. “And the subsequent demolition of vacant buildings and clearing of land on the South Campus will open 35 acres for transformative development.”

Naturally, UMSL students, faculty and staff stand to benefit from that thriving new development, as they’ll be able to gather in restaurants and take advantage of other amenities without leaving campus. But the development will enhance not only UMSL but the surrounding community in north St. Louis County, too. The proposed district will include housing, health services, a grocery store, office space and child care.

“I can’t think of a more exciting and different time for UMSL than now,” Cella says. “Sometimes I just think, ‘Wow, how cool would it be to be back there as a student today?”

Here, get a sense of how the project was brought to fruition – and what’s in store.

Campus leaders begin meeting to create the framework for a Campus Master Plan to guide the evolution of the UMSL campus into the future.

Work begins with a period of investigation and analysis, looking at data and interviewing key stakeholders to determine current and future needs. Chancellor Sobolik and her team begin working with state and local elected officials to secure foundational support for the project.

WINTER-SPRING 2022

Matt Prsha didn’t know the role he would inherit when he came to UMSL as the director of planning design and construction in September 2021 after more than a decade directing project management at global commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. He hadn’t been prepped on the Campus Master Plan when he was interviewing for the position and had no idea that he’d be overseeing its implementation after being elevated to the role of executive director of facilities management earlier this year.

“I didn’t expect it, but I’m excited about it,” he says. “I think it’s a huge opportunity, even for me, to transform the lives of students, faculty and staff. I’m grateful to help lead during this transformational time.”

The facilities team Prsha now leads has stayed busy over the past year working with architects and designers to come up with more detailed plans in alignment with the needs of faculty, staff, students and community members. They’ve also worked to identify and hire contractors to carry out the work.

Throughout the process, they’ve sought to hire a diverse group of architects and contractors in alignment with the goals of the St. Louis Anchor Action Network, which seeks to advance racial equity and remove barriers to economic opportunity and create a more inclusive region. To date, three of the project architects have offices inside the St. Louis Anchor Action Network’s focused geography of 22 ZIP codes in north St. Louis City and north St. Louis County that have faced decades of disinvestment. Another is minority-owned, and a third is woman-owned.

Campus Master Plan is finalized and approved by the University of Missouri Board of Curators.

Campus leaders refine ideas for the plan, seeking consulting help from architecture and design firm Lamar Johnson Collaborative to develop the overarching plan.

In July, dozens of elected officials and community members celebrated an unprecedented investment from the State of Missouri in north St. Louis County provided by the American Rescue Plan Act, which brought $2.7 billion in state fiscal recovery funds to Missouri. UMSL was awarded $40 million toward the campus enhancements appropriated in the state budget. Chancellor Kristin Sobolik thanked Gov. Mike Parson and the Missouri Legislature for their support, expressing gratitude in particular to the St. Louis delegation led by 14th District Senator Brian Williams, who joined Sobolik for an announcement and press conference at the UMSL Patient Care Center.

The university is required to match the state’s investment and is continuing to work to gain additional funding appropriations to go toward the more than $100 million in renovations.

But UMSL’s leadership realizes it will require more than public investment to accomplish everything in the plan, which is why new Vice Chancellor for Advancement Lisa Capone and her team will be working with alumni and friends of the university to gain the private contributions and investments necessary to make the vision a reality.

“This is a great opportunity for UMSL alumni and friends to be a part of this historic campus transformation that will impact thousands of students, faculty and staff into the future by elevating the campus experience, academic success and relevancy to the community we serve,” Capone says.

Necessary capital maintenance and repair begins leading up to major campus renovations.

UMSL secures major funding for the project from the State of Missouri.

Buildings across campus are modernized and expanded in preparation for moves by the College of Education and Departments of Music and Art and Design to the North Campus.

The second floor of the UMSL Patient Care Center will be renovated in order to provide the College of Optometry with new teaching labs, offices and lounge spaces to serve students and faculty.

“It gives them an ability to develop and create the kinds of labs that are cutting-edge and puts them in close proximity to the experiences they get in the clinical setting,” says Steven Berberich, UMSL’s provost and interim vice chancellor for academic affairs.

“It also makes it easier for the clinicians who are teaching those labs and providing eye care in the center to collaborate with students.”

The College of Optometry will be moving out of its existing home in Marillac Hall, and some of its classrooms and offices will shift to renovated space inside the Provincial House, which also houses the Pierre Laclede Honors College. The iconic building is more than 100 years old and is due to get needed updates and upgrades as part of the Campus Master Plan.

The Social Sciences and Business Building will be undergoing a similar modernization as well as an expansion that will take the place of a deconstructed tower in the Quad. The additional space will help accommodate a move from Marillac Hall’s other tenant, the College of Education, into new office and classroom spaces. It will bring students closer to the library and MSC as well as their peers in other academic disciplines. “It’s an opportunity to redevelop the educational learning experiences that they’ll have,” Berberich says.

The Departments of Music and Art and Design will also be crossing Natural Bridge Road and Florissant Road, respectively, to share a newly renovated Arts Administration Building, leaving behind the existing Music and Fine Arts Buildings. In the case of music students, the move will also bring them closer to practice and performance spaces in the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Previously announced plans for the Richter Family Welcome and Alumni Center and UMSL Accelerate spaces will be realized, and University Libraries will be getting a new entrance that will provide access directly from the Quad. The renovations will also feature a new computer lab and study spaces, a gallery that will help better showcase art and artifacts from the St. Louis Mercantile Library’s extensive collection and a café complete with outdoor patio seating adjacent to the Quad.

By demolishing Marillac Hall, the Music Building, the Education Administration Building, the Sassin Building and the South Campus Classroom Building, the university is freeing up 35 acres of land to create a North County Business and Workforce District.

Details are still being developed, but UMSL intends to lease university land to build mixed-use commercial and residential spaces, including apartments, condominiums, restaurants, health services, a grocery store and office space. Health care and grocery facilities are currently lacking in the surrounding community.

Land is cleared for construction of the North County Business and Workforce District.

“We’d like to see improved quality of life and amenities for north St. Louis County,” says Chris Spilling, UMSL’s vice chancellor for research and economic and community development. “We’d like to see an increase in St. Louis County’s capacity for high-paying, indemand jobs. We want to enhance workforce and training development opportunities in St. Louis County, and we want to build local and state tax revenues because that puts money back into the community.”

UMSL too has been mindful to solicit community input throughout the planning and will continue to do so until the district is completed.

“Underpinning all of this is deep commitment that this development –both in the process of getting it built, and who it serves at the end of the day – supports the local community, and supports economic opportunity for Black and Brown residents and business owners,” says Karl Guenther, UMSL’s assistant vice chancellor for economic and community development. “That’s going to be a core value that we put front and center.”

By Burk Krohe

After a pandemic hiatus, study abroad programming returns to UMSL

This summer, Jeannette Memmer stood in the shadow of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame in Strasbourg, France, taking in the Gothic architecture and the sculptures virtually leaping out of the sandstone façade.

More than 30 years ago, her mother stood on the same soil and even sang inside the thousand-year-old cathedral as a college student. For the University of Missouri–St. Louis junior, touching a living piece of medieval history – and family history – was a dream come true.

“My mom studied abroad, and it was a really influential part of her college career,” Memmer says. “She loved it.”

Memmer traveled to France as part of the threeweek Strasbourg Study Tour offered through UMSL Global and the Department of Language and Cultural Studies. Over the years, UMSL’s nearly 70 study abroad programs have enriched the lives of countless students like Memmer, providing transformative experiences across the globe. Not only do students get to experience another culture; they also cultivate a sense of independence and self-confidence.

“It’s a personal growth that happens in a very short amount of time,” says Violaine White, associate teaching professor of French and co-director of the Strasbourg program. “It’s making this first step outside of your personal and national boundaries and your comfort zone, realizing that you can actually do it. In terms of growth, I think it’s an amazing experience.”

That is, until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. Many study abroad programs were canceled, and UMSL students taking part in long-term exchanges were brought back to the U.S. With little warning, an impactful element of the UMSL experience was forced into a holding pattern.

Annie Hyde, who has worked with UMSL Global since 2019 and was recently named manager of the Study Abroad office, saw the impact on study abroad programs and knew she wanted to help reestablish them as soon as safely possible.

As a study abroad alumna, Hyde is a firm believer in the academic and career skills students develop through the program. For months, she worked with UMSL Global and program leaders to ensure as many students as possible would regain access to these opportunities once restrictions began to lift. Earlier this year, a full slate of overseas programming returned, stretching from Spain to South Africa and South Korea to Costa Rica, and UMSL students were eager to see the world after months of online classes, quarantines and social distancing.

Students Maria Osuna, Jeannette Memmer and Jamison Straulin took advantage of reinstated study abroad programs.

“As we got into the current semester, the application cycles and advising with students, we saw there was a strong interest in international study opportunities and going abroad,” Hyde says.

Programming mostly returned to normal, starting with a two-week winter intersession program in Costa Rica led by Associate Teaching Professor of Spanish Amy D’Agrosa. White and her colleague Teaching Professor of French Sandra Trapani led the summer trip to Strasbourg, France, while Hyde joined the Pierre Laclede Honors College’s summer program in Germany.

Memmer, a history and French double major, had never been out of the country previously. Her hopes of doing so were initially dashed in high school when a study abroad trip to France was canceled, so she jumped at the chance to join the Strasbourg program.

The three-week sojourn included numerous historical and cultural activities such as language classes, a cooking class, a tour of the Alsace Wine Route and a visit to the European Parliament. As a history major, Memmer’s favorite part of the program was visiting Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg, a medieval castle in the

Vosges Mountains, and finding history around every corner.

“It w as definitely surreal, walking to get a coffee and seeing something like Notre-Dame [de Strasbourg] just in the middle of the street, this beautiful symbol of French and German heritage,” she says.

Maria Osuna, a senior double majoring in French and Japanese, joined the Costa Rica program during the winter intersession at the behest of D’Agrosa. Taking classes at the Costa Rican Language Academy, touring San José and visiting the Pachira Lodge in the tropical rainforest only made her want to travel more.

Osuna went on to study at Chonnam National University in Gwangju, South Korea, for the spring semester, where she quickly forged friendships with several other international students. On weekends, the group regularly traveled to other parts of the country such as Busan, Jeju Island and Seoul.

One early morning trek in particular led to an indelible memory.

“In Yeosu, we traveled up 40 flights of stairs to get to a Buddhist temple,” she says. “Yeosu is

"

In Yeosu, we traveled up 40 flights of stairs to get to a Buddhist temple. Yeosu is second from Japan to see the sunrise, so we were able to see the sun rise completely over the ocean. It was very beautiful. That really stuck with me."

— Maria Osuna

I gained a lot of confidence, kind of out of necessity, because I was in a foreign country with nobody that I really knew. I had to gain the confidence to make friends, talk to people, try new things."

second from Japan to see the sunrise, so we were able to see the sun rise completely over the ocean. It was very beautiful. That really stuck with me.”

Jamison Straulin, a junior in the Pierre Laclede Honors College studying education, took a class on World War II and the Cold War taught by Associate Teaching Professor Christoph Schiessl, which convinced him to join Schiessl’s two-week study abroad program in Germany this summer.

The program focuses on the history and memory of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust and takes students to historic sites in Berlin, Dresden, Munich and Nuremburg. In Munich, Straulin visited the Dachau Concentration Camp – the first built by the Nazi regime.

“It’s really an out-of-body experience to be standing in the middle of a concentration camp,” he says. “Even studying the Holocaust, learning about it, can’t come close to it, to really physically being there.”

Despite the somber subject matter of the trip, Straulin enjoyed the freedom to explore a foreign country. Memmer and Osuna did, as well.

They found it didn’t take long to adjust to their new surroundings. After a few days, Straulin

dined alone in the largest cities in Germany, Memmer developed a morning routine, stopping by the same café for coffee each day, and Osuna navigated public transit like a local.

“It’s always exciting to see how [the students] evolve in a short period of time,” D’Agrosa says. “It’s not just language and culture. There’s a maturity that happens because they’re experiencing a different world.”

Trapani also points to the confidence-building inherent in traveling – something Straulin experienced firsthand.

“I gained a lot of confidence, kind of out of necessity, because I was in a foreign country with nobody that I really knew,” he says. “I had to gain the confidence to make friends, talk to people, try new things.”

The three students are already looking toward their next destinations, with some considering stays longer than a few weeks.

“By the end of the program, I felt like I could live there,” Memmer says of France. “I could feasibly make a life there.”

— Jamison Straulin

"

By the end of the program, I felt like I could live [in France]. I could feasibly make a life there."

— Jeannette Memmer

"

By Wendy Todd

Getting out of bed every morning was a challenge for James Loehr. Depression, panic attacks and feelings of anger blanketed his existence and made it difficult for him to hold down a job and engage with people.

He’d returned home after serving in the Army for eight years, with the last one spent in Iraq. He’d been working in special operations for civilian affairs, where he helped rebuild the area’s infrastructure.

The Netflix film, “Sand Castle,” written by one of Loehr’s fellow unit members, Chris Roessner, depicts the team’s experience in Iraq. Loehr’s time in the military made it nearly impossible for him to return to normal life.

“It’s hard to be in the world and not sense danger from everywhere even though I knew I was in America,” Loehr says. “I didn’t live on base. I lived in the population. It was 12 of us and 40,000 Iraqis. I think if I lived on base, it would have been an easier transition. I felt that everyone around me could attack me at any time.”

Through therapy and hard personal work, he managed to put himself back together and improve his mental health. After the military, he took on a series of unfulfilling jobs until eventually becoming the executive director of a local church. As part of his duties, he provided counseling.

MSW student JAMES LOEHR

He realized he enjoyed helping people navigate personal crises and could relate from his own traumatic experiences, which led him to being diagnosed with PTSD.

After working at the church, Loehr became a peer support specialist with the Department of Veteran Affairs, where he counseled veterans who were also struggling to re-enter civilian life. He felt his lived experience prepared him well for the role, unlike the counselors he’d worked with previously who could not fully relate to his ordeal. He then moved to Phoenix and continued working with the Department of Veteran Affairs, this time assisting homeless veterans.

This work gave Loehr direction that grounded him, so he decided to pursue it professionally, a decision fortified by the support he received from his mentor and supervisor, Penny Miller, in the Phoenix VA. He’d earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri–Columbia and decided to pursue a master’s in social work, enrolling in the University of Missouri–St. Louis School of Social Work in the spring of 2021. It proved to be the right place for him.

“The way the curriculum is constructed, in my opinion, is phenomenal,” Loehr says. “They are not only building the history of social work and the tools and practices, but the faculty comes from a background of social work.

Hearing from professors with real life experience is outstanding.”

With arduous and dedicated work, Loehr’s life has turned a bright corner. He has new purpose as a husband and new dad, and is poised to help other veterans climb out of the dark. He’s grateful for the shift and wants other veterans to have the same opportunity.

“Because of my background,” he says, “I can help combat veterans. I’m proof that we are able to achieve so much after we get out of uniform.”

uses his experience in the military to serve other veterans

YOLANDA ALOVOR

keeps the St. Louis Symphony in tune with equity, diversity and inclusion

By Wendy Todd

Yolanda Alovor believes in St. Louis and its ability to transform into a more inclusive and progressive region. It’s that belief – along with her own interest in bridging communities – that led her back to her hometown to become the newly appointed vice president for external affairs and equity, diversity and inclusion for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She is only the third person to hold this role in American orchestras.

“My interest in equity, diversity and inclusion lies in the importance of our society respecting cognitive diversity, distinctive perspectives and justice for all people,” Alovor says. “I want to help foster diverse and inclusive organizations that value the importance of aiding individuals to reach their full potential, which ultimately builds a strong workforce and culture.”

Though Alovor knows that changing behavior is sometimes challenging, that does not impede her efforts to help make the Symphony a more diverse and welcoming organization. EDI work is laborious but is also highly fulfilling. For Alovor personally, the support she received from the University of Missouri–St. Louis while pursuing her PhD in educational research has served her well in her approach to this work.

“Much of our research efforts were rooted in human connectivity,” Alovor says. “How do we find ways of connecting learners from a fundamental human standpoint? By that, I mean finding connection with that individual based on this essence of who we are as people. And that's the way I see diversity. I see it as this large umbrella of identities and differences, but human connectivity is at its core.”

Connecting people through art and music underpins the goal of the Symphony’s external affairs initiatives. Widening the doors of the

organization to invite diverse musicians and conductors and explore different interpretations of classical works while making the genre more accessible to the public is an institution-wide priority Alovor is excited to lead. The orchestra also has a variety of community partnerships and educational programs to help broaden the cultural palate and talent of youth.

Internally, Alovor is finalizing a 2022-23 EDI strategic action plan and developing training that includes shifting to shared language to accurately identify EDI issues. She will also conduct audits to pinpoint areas of strength and growth for the SLSO.

Alovor is aware of the challenges in the region and the history of classical music being reserved for an elite group, but she’s a woman of faith, and she believes change is possible.

“I think we as a society have started the ball rolling,” Alovor says. “We are having these conversations about how to articulate exactly what microaggressions, biases, predispositions and characterizations are. But now, there has to be action behind that. Creating a sense of belonging starts with embracing a growth mindset and valuing the diversity of thought. Our mission embraces this idea of belonging, and I am pleased to lead and work hand in hand with our leaders at the SLSO to further these efforts.”

MARK NAZETTA

shapes his leadership roles in UMSL’s inaugural Online MBA cohort

By Mabel Suen

Mark Nazetta was only nine months into the University of Missouri–St. Louis College of Business Administration’s Online MBA Program when he accepted a position as vice president of wholesale and institution at Carrier Enterprise. He now balances a busy schedule, splitting time between his company office in Lenexa, Kansas, traveling his region and his home office in St. Louis, but he’s found himself applying valuable concepts from the 100% online curriculum to his everyday business practices.

Tentatively set to graduate in December 2022, Nazetta can already credit his fast career acceleration to the skills he’s learned as part of the program’s inaugural cohort. The 18-month program has significantly

advanced his sales leadership skills across organizations that specialize in commercial and residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and components.

Nazetta, who graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2005 with a degree in management and human resources, cut his teeth at industrial supply distributor Fastenal, where he eventually worked his way up to Midwest regional sales manager.

“When I started out at Fastenal, I worked under a manager who gave me all kinds of different experiences, from working in the warehouse to sales and management,” Nazetta says. “I learned early on that was where I wanted to go – leading people was something I was really passionate about.”

He had moved on to Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions in the White-Rodgers division when he decided to pursue his MBA and push his career development to the next level.

“The program really appealed to me because of the flexibility it gave me to work on my work-life balance. That was where UMSL really stood out,” Nazetta says. “They use a tremendous amount of technology that allows you to collaborate with fellow cohorts and work at your own pace.”

Today, in his role at Carrier Enterprise, Nazetta manages wholesale and institutional customer segments with an operations and sales focus for the business, driving sales processes and strategies amongst brick-and-mortar locations and applying those to customers in those segments. He provides leadership and strategic support to all personnel in his department, with an emphasis on employee development.

Nazetta has picked up plenty of real-life knowledge from the MBA program to apply to his current professional role. Topics have included everything from privacy law to supply chain strategies, enabling students to think differently about how to approach new challenges in today’s everchanging environment.

“I think it’s a really great compressed program,” Nazetta says. “For me, waiting for as long as I did to start my MBA has really benefited me. I was able to get experience in the field for years before taking the program and then apply what I’ve learned. Full transparency: It’s a lot of heavy lifting, but it’s worth it.”

Photo by Joseph Roberts/Emerson

MYRINA “RENAISSANCE” OTEY-MYTON

By Timothy Wombles

In a picture by photographer Myrina “Renaissance” Otey-Myton, a model, clothed in white and gold, sits self-assuredly on the ledge of a vivid red bathtub with matching wall tiles. Her gaze is arresting, emanating confidence and poise.

The photo, recreated from a 1940s image of Black Fashion Museum founder Lois K. Alexander Lane, is powerful and immediate but recalls history. It is part of a women-led visual project Otey-Myton started in 2018 as a business student at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. The annual project, Her Eminent Reign (H.E.R.), highlights women of color like Lane whose achievements may be less known.

Through her photography, Otey-Myton not only wants to highlight women who have come before, but address stereotypes in images of Black women on social media, which she finds generally hypersexualizing. “There is so much more to women of color,” Otey-Myton says. “I had to change this narrative.”

The H.E.R. project has blossomed since inception, with the latest series featured at the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. But success hasn’t been a straight line for Otey-Myton, who recalls her undergraduate experience at UMSL as not without struggle, including having to send her children to stay with their father so she could finish school. “It was the ultimate sacrifice for me,” Otey-Myton says.

While at UMSL fulfilling her longtime dream of getting her degree, Otey-Myton also started her photography company, TJS Photography by Renaissance TJS. She quickly found being a full-time student while also starting her entrepreneurial journey was a challenge.

“I was broke-on-broke, and the struggle was real,” she says.

However, she found life-changing support at the university.

“Because of what UMSL did for me,” Otey-Myton says, recounting the assistance of UMSL staff members who helped her find campus lodging when she needed it or food when times were lean, “I have so much pride in being a Triton.”

As a student at UMSL, Otey-Myton seized opportunities. She applied for scholarships widely, getting many, and served as president of the Black Business Student Association and treasurer of the Student Government Association. The skills and experiences she had along the way helped Otey-Myton mold her approach to business and art.

Otey-Myton likens her shoots to photo-therapy sessions, describing the high-touch service she provides, including not only hair, makeup and set design, but also intimate conversations and lasting memories.

“We have a team of Black women to lift you up, empower you, make you feel beautiful,” Otey-Myton says.

After delivering a lecture at TEDx St. Louis this October, Otey-Myton is hard at work preparing next year’s H.E.R. series, which will have a female warrior theme. Some of her photos will be on display inside St. Louis Lambert International Airport starting in 2023, and she is launching a tech company, MWANZO, that will leverage the power of blockchain by bridging NFTs with travel and tourism for the city of St. Louis.

It certainly hasn’t been easy, but Otey-Myton credits the people around her for her success. Her advice to struggling students is not to correlate their bank accounts with their worth.

“When you have people and resources,” she says, “you are never broke.”

tells the stories of unsung Black women through photography

1970s Stephen Wade, BA 1974, MA 1978, celebrated his 30-year anniversary as a correspondent with the Associated Press news agency. Currently based in Tokyo, he has previously been posted in Madrid, London, Beijing, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. After completing coverage of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and Beijing in 2022, he has been assigned to cover the World Cup in Doha, Qatar, from Nov. 21 through Dec. 18.

Donald Frischmann, BA 1975, was honored with the title of emeritus professor of Spanish by Texas Christian University following his 35-year career.

Jerry Nolen, BA 1977, MEd 1984, was named district governor nominee designate at Rotary International.

1980s Frank Cusumano, BA 1984, was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame as a broadcaster.

Ken Goins, BA 1986, was named one of the recipients of the 2022 Corporate Counsel Awards from the St. Louis chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the St. Louis Business Journal.

Ella Jones, BA 1986 and the mayor of Ferguson, Missouri, was recognized for contributions to The Salvation Army and community service at the 2022 “Doing the Most Good” awards. She was also honored by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis at the annual Salute to Women in Leadership Gala.

Deana Tucker Dothage, BSAJ 1989, was elected as first vice president of the National Association of Women Highway Safety Leaders in October 2021. Dothage is a health educator for ThinkFirst Missouri, a program of the University of Missouri School of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. She leads a statewide parent education traffic safety program, First Impact, a program of ThinkFirst Missouri.

1990s Jennifer Green, BA 1995, was promoted to team leader of content strategy at Edward Jones. Cardina Johnson, BA 1997, has joined the Mediator Panel of United States Arbitration & Mediation, the leading provider of mediation and arbitration services.

Linda Oitker, BA 1999, joined Sandberg Phoenix in May 2022 as a paralegal in the firm’s Health Law practice group.

What’s your UMSL story?

I was already enrolled at another university when my father lost his job, and the only university we could afford was UMSL, across the street from my home. My 18-year-old self thought my life was over. But I soon discovered the courses were fascinating and hard, the teachers young and enthusiastic and brilliant (and hard). At UMSL, I discovered a wide and true world in literature. Then, two and a half decades after graduation, after living in other states, teaching and writing for other universities, publishing many stories and my first book, I was offered a job at UMSL. UMSL’s MFA program was brand-new, and I was honored to direct it, help guide its beginnings. For 24 years, I taught fiction writing and literature classes and at times served as literary journal editor.

What inspires you to write?

People out of step, people in unexpected circumstances, people who have made their own troubles, people who are brave or foolhardy enough to continue. Art is in the crack between what we say and what we mean or want to say or try not to say, the crack between how we see ourselves and how others see us, how we wish to be seen. Our fears, hatreds, loves, yearnings are in that crack. At times it is more chasm than crack. I try to mine it. I eavesdrop, I watch, I often stare.

You graduated from UMSL more than 50 years ago but are still very connected. What has UMSL, its students, alumni and faculty meant to you?

I’ve been impressed by the students’ thirst for knowledge, the balancing of their classes, jobs, and home lives. Some schedule conferences between picking their children up and taking their elderly parents to doctors, all while writing reports for their day jobs. Some bring their newborns to class. Some live briefly in their cars. Conversely, some are professionals: judges, lawyers, teachers, CEOs. Some are traditional students, too, the young and bright. UMSL makes room for all, makes higher education democratic. Many of our graduates are well-published, and we writers celebrate and support one another, and I remain proud to be part of the English faculty, as stellar now as it was when I was a student.

How did you inspire your creative writing students to write? How did that evolve over the years?

For undergraduates, it was more like encouraging, reminding them stories were everywhere, and no one else could tell their specific stories. I urged them to rewrite, think, question and observe, take sentences apart, read widely, re-read books they loved. The MFA writers, already good enough for admittance, had given up much to improve, so the stakes were higher. Good short stories are delicate, as powerful as novels. The difference between success and failure could be as minor as a sentence in the wrong place, or as major as the story being not yet fully understood. I approached each story carefully, read them many times and hoped to give criticisms the writer could use. Workshops were exhilarating.

Distinguished Alumni Award Winners 2022

Through education, science, information technology and nonprofits, the Distinguished Alumni Award winners have left their mark on their respective industries while continuing to support UMSL with their time and talent. Their work transforms lives locally in St. Louis, nationally and globally as they drive for change to improve the world around them.

The honorees for 2022 are: Marcela Manjarrez, BS 1998 — Manjarrez, who served as executive vice president and chief communications officer for Centene Corporation, oversaw all strategic communications for Centene and also managed the Centene Charitable Foundation.

Steve Hamilton, BSBA 1977 — Hamilton worked as general counsel, COO, Chairman and CEO of CSI Leasing, helping lead the company to extraordinary growth and international expansion to Europe, Latin America and Asia. He also mentors UMSL students and alumni and has served on the College of Business Leadership Council.

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD: Candace Hall, BA 2010 — Hall is a rising star in academia and has already proven herself as a leader as an assistant professor and graduate program director at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. After her master’s work, she returned to UMSL and worked in the Welcome Center as an administrator, mentoring UMSL students and serving on the Student Affairs Professional Development Committee and Leadership Summit Committee.

Dawn King, MS 2012, PhD 2015 — King has made significant scientific contributions to the understanding of phase transitions in evolutionary systems and to the use of artificial intelligence for modeling the Earth’s gravitational field. She has mentored UMSL students and regularly speaks to the Physics Club and physics classes. In addition, she has served as a key liaison between UMSL and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Shawntelle Fisher, BS, BES 2016 — Fisher has become one of the top nonprofit leaders in the St. Louis region and the founder and CEO of SoulFisher Ministries. The organization strives to be a center of hope for women and families impacted by incarceration, providing workforce innovation and GED programs to help those currently and formerly incarcerated make the transition to daily life while reducing recidivism.

Richard “Dick” Jung, BA 1971 — A distinguished educator in both the public and private sectors, Jung is an educational reformer with a national reputation and has served as a congressional consultant. He served on the Chancellor’s Council and Pierre Laclede Honors College Leadership Council and has helped develop the UMSL in D.C. internship program.

2000s Gwendolyn Wilson-Diggs, MEd 1999, was honored by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis at the annual Salute to Women in Leadership Gala. WilsonDiggs is the vice president of Head Start and Early Head Start for the Urban League.

Steven Harris, BA 2000, was named managing partner at RubinBrown LLP, one of the nation’s top 50 accounting and business consulting firms.

Kim Hudson, MA 2000, was honored by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis during its Black History Month celebration.

Beth Goetz, MEd 2001, was named vice chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee for 2022-23 and appeared in “Title IX: Then and Now,” a program from the National Archives Foundation.

Seth Hawkins, BSBA 2001, was named one of the recipients of the 2022 Corporate Counsel Awards from the St. Louis chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the St. Louis Business Journal.

Nicole Colbert-Botchway, MBA 2002, was inducted into Saint Louis University School of Law’s Order of the Fleur de Lis Hall of Fame.

Joshua Miller, BA 2002, a senior chemical lab technician at TDK in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was elected to a three-year term on the Eau Claire City Council.

UMSL alumni Cameron Roark, BS 2016, and Ellie Bianchi, BS 2015, co-chairs of the Alumni Engagement Committee, led the effort to create an opportunity to get new graduates involved with the Alumni Association early on. “Our big focus on the committee was trying to get engagement from new graduates,” Roark says, “and show them that the Alumni Association and the board is here for them, to help them as they progress in their careers.” More than 100 people attended the event, which featured hors d’oeuvres, prizes, dancing and networking.

Julia (Longinette) Mantia, BSAcc 2003, was promoted to senior accountant of corporate financial accounting at Boeing.

Ann Dirks-Linhorst, PhD 2003, retired from the faculty of the Department of Criminal Justice Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and earned emeritus status.

Josh Renaud, BA 2003, was named the 2022 Domestic John Aubuchon Award honoree by the National Press Club.

Jasmine Chen, MBA 2004, joined Sandberg Phoenix in 2022 and is a member of the Business practice group.

Kelly Griffon, MSW 2004, began a position as a social service unit supervisor at the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Liz Reinsch, BA 2004, began a position at Edward Jones as an enterprise learning and performance strategist.

Joshua Williams, BS 2004, began a position as future investment adviser at Frontline Financial Services, Inc.

Matt Heininger, BA 2005, began a position as account executive with Enterprise Fleet Management.

Jack Simons, MEd 2005, was tenured and promoted to the rank of associate professor of school counseling at Mercy College in New York.

Brian Salmo, BSBA 2006, began a position as managing director at Hermann Companies.

Tasha Burton, BA 2007, was promoted to clinical research coordinator II at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Darryl Diggs Jr., BSEd 2007, was named assistant director of equity for teaching and learning at Special School District of St. Louis County.

Aaron Golchert, BSBA 2007, began a position as a director of business development at Mana Supply Holdings.

Lana Kerker, BA 2007, began a position as a project manager at Spire.

Lisa Baker, BA 2008, MEd 2012, began a position as a success coach at Lindenwood University.

Kisha Lee, BSPPA 2008, was elected as the first Black president of the Ladue School District Board of Education.

Angela R. Lewis, BS 2008, was honored in The St. Louis American’s 2022 Salute to Young Leaders.

Miranda Ming, BSEd 2008, was named executive director of Momentum Academy.

T. Christopher Peoples, BSCiE 2008, was promoted to equity and economic impact director at Great Rivers Greenway.

James Currey, BA 2009, was named director of data strategy at Mastercard.

To celebrate commencement, the Alumni Association played host to its inaugural New Grad & Young Alumni Celebration in May

Stephanie Soleta, BSBA 2009, began a position as process and KPI manager at Dodge Mayflower Moving & Storage.

2010s Zaneta Ford, BA 2010, MEd 2012, began a position as a student support specialist I at UMSL.

Gary Hibbits, BSBA 2010, began a position as a consultant at Slalom.

Travis Short, BA 2010, was promoted to vice president of Citigold Wealth Management with Citi Bank.

Adam Albrecht, BSBA 2011, was promoted to business development manager at World Wide Technology.

Benjamin DeClue, BA 2011, was named to FOCUS St. Louis’ 2022-23 Leadership St. Louis class.

Adam Foster, BSBA 2011, was promoted to team leader at Edward Jones.

Mary Risler, BA 2011, was promoted to NDT technician level I, PT at Boeing.

Janelle Stowers, MEd 2011, owner and broker of Stowers Realty Group, was named director for the Missouri Association of Realtors in January and was named vice president of the Ferguson Neighborhood Improvement Board.

Will Werner, MA 2011, was hired as director of client services at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

David Dodd, BSBA 2012, began a position as operations manager at Veho.

Seth Hoskins, BSBA 2012, began a position as a finance and strategy business partner at Opendoor. Cirese Webster, MSN 2012, was featured for her role as a nurse practitioner in The St. Louis American.

Frances Davis, BS 2013, MSW 2022, began a position as a school social worker at Special School District of St. Louis County.

Ryan Jacobson, BSW 2013, began a position as vice president of organizational psychology at Cravety.

Nicole Lograsso, BBA 2013, MBA 2018, began a position as a supply base manager of training systems and program integration at Boeing. Bri Pumphrey, BA 2013, began a position as an associate psychotherapist at Inherent Wellness, PLLC.

Alumni help launch summer internship program in nation’s capital

Thanks to a collaboration between the Office of Alumni Engagement, the Pierre Laclede Honors College and the College of Arts and Sciences, a new summer internship program was born in Washington, D.C., this year. Several alumni, including Karen Gladbach, Charlie Hoffman, Dick Jung, Tom Morris and Matt Shank, helped make the inaugural program happen.

Morris, BSBA 1977, was certainly excited to help bring the internship program to fruition. After retiring recently, he joined UMSL’s Chancellor’s Council, through which he was introduced to the internship program in its infancy. Having lived in D.C. for 30 years, he was able to provide valuable insight and guidance in getting the program off the ground. Senior Jonathan Gutierrez was the first student to participate in the program.

“It seemed to me that I had a comparative advantage in helping out on this,” Morris says. “It’s a good opportunity to support UMSL. Karen Gladbach, BA 1980, just retired as well and wanted to get involved at UMSL, so the two of us really took the ball and ran with it as co-leaders. It was a good opportunity to give back and mentor somebody who’s starting off in their career.”

Through the program, students are provided with free housing and a $2,500 stipend. If you or your organization have an internship opportunity for an UMSL student, please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at alumni@umsl.edu or 314-516-5833.

Anna Russell, MEd 2013, began a position as director of school support at Achievement Network.

Dima Shabaneh, BA 2013, MSW 2020, began a position as a social worker in the Kirkwood School District.

Christian Shelton, MEd 2013, graduated from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Almira (Havic) Schult, BA 2014, was promoted to associate director of digital marketing at FleishmanHillard.

Vanessa (Pierce) Kae, MAcc 2014, began a position as a retirement plan supervisor of total rewards at Post Holdings.

Belma Cajic, BSBA 2014, was promoted to manager of UX research at First American Financial Corporation.

Sharonica Hardin-Bartley, PhD 2014, was named the 2022 Making a Difference honoree by the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis.

Matthew Holtz, BS 2014, was promoted to procurement agent 2 at Boeing.

Carmen Meeks Stayton, MEd 2014, began a position as a math instructional specialist at the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis.

Jonathan Plump, BSBA 2014, was honored in The St. Louis American’s 2022 Salute to Young Leaders.

Before the game at Busch Stadium, the group gathered at Cunningham Corner, and UMSL Alumni Association President John Hixson threw out the first pitch. As the St. Louis Cardinals faced off against the Cincinnati Reds, 900 alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends rooted the Cardinals to a victory and witnessed Albert Pujols’ 698th home run.

Antonio Quiles-Matias, BS 2014, began a position as assistant director of recruitment and outreach in the Office of Admissions at the University of Cincinnati.

Jenna Rikard, BSBA 2014, MBA 2016, began a position as workday care HCM business analyst at Washington University in St. Louis.

Jason Summers, BA 2014, MEd 2016, was hired as assistant director of ALANA services at Loyola University Maryland.

Emily Timmermann, MA 2014, and a writer and producer, was chosen for the RespectAbility 2022 Entertainment Lab in Los Angeles.

Zach Villmer, BSBA 2014, was promoted to senior global ISR at World Wide Technology.

Joanna Badolato, BSBA 2015, was promoted to talent acquisition specialist at the University of Michigan.

Corinne Davis, BSBA 2015, was promoted to creative specialist at idX Corporation.

Amber Holt, BA 2015, MPPA 2020, was promoted to counselor at MTC. Sean Marshall, BS 2015, began a position as application support engineering specialist at Square. Violetta Pelts, BSBA 2015, began a position as product lead at Charter Communications.

Kelsey Philpott, BBA 2015, was promoted to EFM supervisor at Enterprise Fleet Management.

John-Mark Scott, BSAcc 2015, MAcc 2017, was promoted to audit manager at Armanino, LLP.

Colin Tierney, BA 2015, started a position as senior lead product owner at Medidata Solutions.

Haris Ceranic, BSBA 2016, was promoted to business systems analyst at Edward Jones.

Emily Donaldson, BSBA 2016, began a new job as a surveillance compliance analyst at RFG Advisory.

Henry Kamkwalala, BSBA 2016, was promoted to financial analyst in MD25 Boeing Defense, Space & Security at Boeing.

Ashley Kilcullen, MEd 2016, was named assistant principal at Paradise Valley Unified School District.

, BSBA 2016, joined Brinkmann Constructors as a project accountant.

, BA 2016, was promoted to internship coordinator in the College of Business Administration at UMSL.

Cameron Roark, BS 2016, and an associate at Behr, McCarter, Potter, Neely & Hyde, PC, was published on the cover of the Missouri Bar Journal with his piece, “Arbitration or litigation: The battle continues.”

Gabrielle Thornton, BS 2016, was promoted to reagent production planner at bioMérieux.

Jenna Churnock, BSN 2017, DNP 2021, started a position as family nurse practitioner at SIHF Healthcare.

Dr. Hosea Covington, BS 2017, graduated from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and is starting his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Brad Maurice Edwards, BSBA 2017, was honored in The St. Louis American’s 2022 Salute to Young Leaders.

Alexandra King, MEd 2017, joined Centene Corporation as program manager.

Arouba Siddiqui, BA 2017, began a position as a technical recruiter

On Friday, Sept. 16, the UMSL Office of Alumni Engagement hosted its largest UMSL Night at the Ballpark yet.

Crystal Bailey, BSN 2018, was awarded the BAND-AID® Brand Black Healthcare Heroes in Nursing Scholarship from the National Black Nurses Association.

Ariel Brown, BSBA 2018, was promoted to data and BI analyst I in the Client Strategies Group at Edward Jones.

Nolan Ebbinghaus, BA 2018, began a position as regional agency manager at Centene Corporation.

Jordan Fletcher, BSBA 2018, began a position as demand generation marketing manager for SureCam.

Antonio Headrick, BA 2018, MEd 2021, began a position as a college and career specialist at Lift for Life Academy High School.

Jordan Hill, BA 2018, MSW 2021, began a position as behavioral health therapist with SSM Health.

Angelica Li, MA 2018, began a position as international patient liaison at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Christina Andrade Melly, MA 2018, was named the 2023 Missouri Teacher of the Year by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Anthony Melson, BLS 2018, began a position as senior manager of data science at Maritz.

Kim Nguyen, BBA 2018, MBA 2021, was promoted to supply base manager at Boeing in Long Beach.

Pablo Romero, BS 2018, began a position as senior fullstack software engineer at Nike.

Spenser Scopel, BES 2018, began a position as personal training director of Fit City Gym in St. Louis.

Ethan Short, BSEd 2018, began a position as coordinator of facility operations of Mason Recreation at George Mason University.

Amanda Vanderheyden, MEd 2018, was promoted to vice president at STLX.

John Boyd III, BSIS 2019, was promoted to assistant director of adult services at the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Justin Cather, BBA 2019, began a position as procurement agent II at Boeing.

Aminata Diallo, BA 2019, joined Crisis Connections as a crisis services clinician.

In Memoriam

1970s

Clarence John Moehl Jr., BA 1970, on Oct. 25, 2021

Nancy Keefe Reynolds, MEd 1970, on June 16

Dennis Saunders, MEd 1971, on July 5

Marlene Rosenkoetter, MEd 1972, on Dec. 31, 2019

Jill Lueking, MEd 1976, on Feb. 16

Richard Charles Rowe, MBA 1976, on Feb. 15

Ellen Gail Kruger Albano, BSEd 1977, on Feb. 13

Bruce Fletcher Gamble, BA 1984, on March 4, 2021

Maxine Schoor, MEd 1989, on June 5 1990s

Gail Kruse, MA 1992, on April 7 2000s

David Mark Barr, BS 2002, on Nov. 16, 2020

Daniel Ernest Beezley, BFA 2015, on May 25

The fall afternoon of fun included wagon rides, pumpkin picking, meeting farm animals, exploring corn mazes and much more at Thies Farm and Greenhouses off North Hanley Road in north St. Louis County. Thanks to all who joined us, and look out for more family-friendly activities in the future!

Jackie Guidici, BA 2019, MEd 2022, was promoted to therapist at Terrace House STL.

Ryan Paige, MEd 2019, started a position as specialist for diversity, equity and inclusion at Nestlé Purina PetCare in St. Louis.

Michelle Reynolds, BS 2019, began a position as communications specialist at Nestlé Purina PetCare.

Katie Scoopmire, BS 2019, began a position as pre-suit paralegal at Morgan & Morgan.

Chloe Simpson, BS 2019, began a position as counseling intern at Renew Counseling Center at Emporia State University.

Garrett Wadley, BLS 2019, began a position as demand planning manager at 8th Avenue Food & Provisions.

Scott Winfrey, BES 2019, began a position as workforce development specialist at Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc.

2020s Allison Belew, BSBA 2020, joined REMPREX, LLC as a recruiter.

Savannah Boehlein, BES 2020, began a position as a teacher with St. Louis Public Schools.

William Brewer, BS 2020, began a position as workforce development coordinator at Phalen Leadership Academies.

Chloe Channel, BS 2020, began a position as customer care representative III at Guardian Life Insurance.

Heidi Ehlert, BS 2020, began a position as social media listening specialist at Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity company.

Shyann Harmon, BSW 2020, began a position as a crisis counselor/ social worker in the Fort Zumwalt School District.

Jamie Kocinski, BA 2020, began a position as business support specialist II at UMSL.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, the UMSL Office of Alumni Engagement welcomed 150 UMSL alumni, family and friends to UMSL Day at Pumpkinland at Thies Farm

More than 400 participants, including 200 students and 60 volunteers, joined UMSL for the second annual

Alumni

Association 5K

UMSL

Run & Walk on Saturday, Oct. 15.

The day offered participants the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and the gorgeous UMSL campus while meeting up with old friends and making new ones. A portion of the event’s proceeds benefit the UMSL Veterans Center. Thanks to all of our sponsors, including title sponsor Midwest BankCentre, and a special thanks to UMSL Cross Country and Track Coach Steve Picucci who designed and marked the course. We can’t wait to do it again next year! Learn more, view photos and see results at umslalumni.org/Run22.

Shawne Manies, PhD 2020, began a position as assistant teaching professor at Maryville University.

David Richards, BS 2020, began a new job as a consultant at Daugherty Business Solutions.

Victoria Tappe, BSW 2020, MSW 2022, MBA 2022, began a position as PRN therapist at SSM Health.

Kyle Tiller, BS 2020, began a position in the Disney College Program at the Walt Disney Company.

Lynnelle Watts, BSAcc 2020, began a position as senior financial analyst at EssilorLuxottica.

Sydney Young, BA 2020, started as community engagement restorative justice fellow at the ACLU of Missouri.

Sama Alhalabi, BS 2021, began a position as an ophthalmic technician/ scribe at Galanis Cataract & Laser Eye Center.

Christopher Arellano, BSBA 2021, began a position as client account coordinator at Fisher Investments.

Andrea Cain, BS 2021, started a new job as a case manager at Epworth Children & Family Services.

Starrletta Covington, BA 2021, began a position as supervisor of sterile processing at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital.

Jacob Erickson-Rieger, BSBA 2021, began a position as accountant I at Centene Corporation.

Tori Foster, BASc 2021, began a position as sports editor at Yardbarker.

Desiree Griffin-Berry, BS 2021, began a position as associate researcher/data analyst at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Nichole Guysick, BSBA 2021, joined Alfred University as a graduate program and faculty secretary.

Gabrielle Hancher, BSN 2021, began a position as a registered nurse at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital.

William Hopkins, MAcc 2021, joined KPMG as an audit associate.

John Janschutz, BSBA 2021, was named national sales manager at SYNOVA Innovative Solutions.

Jessica Kerr-Vallecillo, BSN 2021, began a position as postpartum nurse with Methodist Healthcare.

Marissa Knapp, BA 2021, began a position as administrative support assistant at Thompson Coburn LLP.

Kawanna Leggett, EdD 2021, began a position as senior vice president for student affairs at Loyola Marymount University.

Vijaya Madhuri, MS 2021, began a position as quality assurance analyst at Charter Communications.

Jehad Megdad, BSEE 2021, began a position as a flight test instrumentation engineer at Boeing.

Jahanzeb Naseer, BSBA 2021, started a new job as a marketing consultant at CenterPointe.

Pascal Odijk, BS 2021, began a position as a software engineer at Raytheon Intelligence & Space.

Pundaree Pisutvong, BA 2021, was hired as a portfolio administration coordinator with Cushman & Wakefield.

Ajay Rana, BSBA 2021, began a position as assistant to a financial advisor at Renaissance Financial.

Fei (Krystal) Ren, BSBA 2021, began a position as a recruitment strategy analyst at NAS Recruitment Innovation.

Takhila Rice, BSAcc 2021, began a position as advisory intern at KPMG.

Tatiyahna Richardson, MSW 2021, began a position as family support therapist at Every Child’s Hope.

Daniel Ryerson, BA 2021, began a position as structural engineer at DOTec Corp.

Jamison Sims, BSIS 2021, started a job as a project engineer with Nidec Motor Corporation.

Ciera Thomas, BA 2021, began a new position as crisis intervention specialist at Provident Behavioral Health.

Madison Turnbeaugh, BSBA 2021, began a position as admissions coordinator with Logan University.

Dasia Williams, BSAcc 2021, began a position as an embark scholar at KPMG.

Andrew Ziggas, BS 2021, began a position as application analyst at Credit Control, LLC.

Tyler Ziggas, BS 2021, began a position as software engineer at Distribution Management.

Ebonee Allen, BSBA 2022, began a position as an operations specialist at Ansira.

Abigail Anderson, BSN 2022, began a position as a registered nurse with SSM Health.

Sydney Byrd, MEd 2022, began a position as a mental health counselor at A&A Inspirations LLC.

Cassandra Esswein, MSW 2022, was promoted to women’s program director at Saint Martha’s Hall.

Maya Harter, BSBA 2022, began a position as a graduate assistant at UMSL.

Yu Jin Hur, BS 2022, began a position as an associate at Reprise Digital in Los Angeles.

“My decision

University of Missouri–St. Louis

60 J.C. Penney Building 1 University Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63121-4400 2022162.112,055.11/22.wa/mb/eh-walsworth

go

graduate school was mostly around the teachers – they had excellent classes that really dug into understanding the world around me and pushing the critical thought process.”

– Kat Riddler

Louis,

After graduating with their bachelor’s degrees, Samuel Fredeking, BA 2013, MBA 2017, and Kat Riddler, BA 2014, MA 2016, MBA 2018, chose to continue their graduate education at UMSL for the same reason: the top-notch faculty. As they recognized the impact their professors had on their personal and professional lives over the years, they decided to pay it forward by joining the Alumni Association Board of Directors. And while both stay busy at their day jobs – Riddler works as a business project manager at Express Scripts while Fredeking is the human resources director at Behavioral Health Response –they hope their work will encourage more students to choose UMSL.

Choose the University of Missouri–St. Louis to advance your career. Meet with a graduate advisor today to learn more.

to

back to UMSL for

“I met some phenomenal faculty at UMSL who really molded me and gave me the tools to be the professional that I am today. The amazing faculty made it an easy decision to go to graduate school at UMSL.” – Samuel Fredeking