Comings, goings, appointments, retirements, honors, accolades and other notable alumni news. Former students are designated by fs. Honorary alumni are noted as hn. Wichita State University Alumni Association (WSUAA) members are identified by an asterisk (*). Membership dues support alumni communication efforts, as well as other programs and services that support higher education at Wichita State.
Steven L. Mayes ’63, S ART/P, ’63 ART ED, ’65 M S ART/PR, an artist and retired Arkansas State University art professor, has had an exhibition of his digital artwork shown at Cambridge University’s Clare College in England. He lives in Amarillo, Texas.
Barbara C. (Bunting) McCalla ’67, MUS ED, ’71 M MUS I, is a retired educator who began her career as an elementary music teacher at public schools in Wichita, Sedgwick and Augusta, Kan. She then taught third grade and later was a Title I reading teacher. She was recognized as Augusta Elementary Teacher of the Year twice, and in 2009 was named as a Kansas Master Teacher. She lives in Augusta.*
Scott W. Stucky ’70, HIST, chief judge of the U.S. Armed Forces Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., was the keynote speaker for a Memorial Day service at the Lone Star Cemetery in Pretty Prairie, Kan. Stucky, who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1973, grew up on his family’s farm near Pretty Prairie. He lives in Potomac, Md.
Ross E. Hearn ’71, M MUS I, taught vocal music for 40 years and retired after teaching 32 years at Derby (Kan.) High School in 2003. In 2007, he formed the Derby Community Choir and served as director until this past spring; he directed his last concert in April. Hearn, a Derby resident, also directed the Air Capital Chorus, the Reno County Choral Society and the College Hill United Methodist Church choir.
Randy J. Simon ’71, ACCT, has been named president and CEO of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, the company he co-founded more than 15 years ago with his brother William “Bill” A. Simon fs ’77, who died in 2016; his father Frederick “Freddy” I. Simon ’49, ECON; and business partner Scott Redler, a university friend. A CPA, Simon and another business partner formed Maverick Development Co. in 1974. Maverick launched a Pizza Hut franchise that grew to 42 locations in Texas and New Mexico. Among the company’s other franchise interests was Panera. This July, the Flynn Restaurant Group closed on the purchase of Maverick’s 34 Panera locations, for which Simon served as president and chairman of the board. “I will now be able to focus singularly on the future of Freddy’s,” says Simon, who resides in Wichita.
Robert L. Westgate ’71, SEC ED-HIST, is a retired secondary history teacher and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, who was profiled in the Jewell County Record newspaper’s article “Local veteran recalls service as a United States Marine.” He lives in Jewell, Kan.
Dennis D. Ball ’72, MUS ED, ’80 M MUS ED, has retired after 42 years of teaching music, the last 15 of which he served as the band director in Minneapolis, Kan. He also taught at public schools in South Haven and Dighton, both in Kansas. He lives in Minneapolis.
Ross A. Hollander ’73, SP, founding member and chair of the employment law and civil litigation division at Joseph, Hollander & Craft LLC, has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2018 in three legal sectors: Employment Law, Management; Labor Law, Management; and Litigation, Labor and Employment. A former president of the WSUAA who served from 2007-08, he lives in Wichita.*
Laura C. (Hodges) Stooksbury ’74, M MUS I, former adjunct voice teacher at Young Harris College, directs the Mountain Community Chorus. She lives in Hayesville, N.C.
Susan J. Galloway ’75, M S ART/C, was one of four retired McHenry County College, Crystal Lake, Ill., art faculty members invited to exhibit their work in a group show that ran through Oct. 2, as part of MCC’s 50th anniversary celebration. Galloway, who earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind., and a second master’s degree in visual arts at Vermont College, Montpelier, Vt., worked for 33 years at MCC, teaching ceramics. Since retirement, she has become a limited-production functional potter. She lives in Woodstock, Ill.
Sidney L. Sondergard ’76, ENG L/LIT, ’81 ENG, has retired as Piskor Professor of English at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. In addition to English courses, the author (Sharpening Her Pen, 2002), translator (Strange Tales from Liaozhai, six volumes, 2008-13) and scholar taught screenwriting and film studies. He resides in Madrid, N.Y.
Larry D. Dashiell ’79, M EAS, retired senior director for public schools in Portland, Ore., was the commencement speaker at Sterling College this past May. He has 40 years of experience in public schools in both teaching and administrative roles, most recently as regional administrator for the Wilson and Cleveland Cluster Schools in Portland. He began his career as a speech and alternative education teacher at Munger Alternative Junior High School in Wichita. Although he retired in 2016, he still works in a substitute role for principals and senior education directors during emergency situations. He lives in Portland.
Eric F. Melgren ’79, SP, has served as a judge for the U.S. District Court in Kansas since being confirmed as George W. Bush’s appointee in 2008. At Wichita State, he was active in student government, including serving as student body president. After earning his juris doctorate from Washburn University, he practiced law, focusing on tax and business matters, with the Wichita firm of Foulston & Siefkin for 15 years, 10 as a partner. In 2002, President Bush appointed him U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas. A past president of the WSU Alumni Association (1997-98), he resides in Wichita.*
Johann “Hannes” A. Zacharias ’79, GEN ST, county manager of Johnson County in Kansas, has been recognized as the 2017 Outstanding Public Administrator by the Kansas chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. He joined the Johnson County organization as assistant county manager in 2001, became deputy county manager in 2005 and has served as county manager since 2009. His career in public management spans nearly 40 years and features posts as assistant to the city manager of Lawrence, Kan., as city administrator of Boonville, Mo., and as city manager of Hays, Kan. Zacharias resides in Lenexa, Kan.
Richard C. Kern ’80, M MUS P, is executive director of the South Dakota Education Association, headquartered in Pierre. He manages a staff of 15 who work in SDEA offices in Pierre, Rapid City and Sioux Falls. A longtime educator, Kern taught music at public schools in the Kuskokwim school district in Alaska for 19 years. He has also served as director for the Winnebagoland Uniserv Council in Wisconsin, and as assistant executive director of NEA-Alaska.
Patti L. (Bloodworth) Moser ’80, NURS, a registered nurse and an oncology certified nurse, is vice president of medical oncology at CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock, Ark. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in nursing from WSU, she also holds a master’s degree in public health from the California College for Health Sciences. She lives in Little Rock.
Peggy (Roper) Cook ’81, ART-P, an award-winning artist who works primarily in pastel and oils, has had artworks featured in an exhibition at the Hazel Modella Gallery in Stillwater, Okla. Cook, who says as an artist she is captivated by color and finding “color solutions,” resides in Stillwater.
Shirley A. Jacobson ’81, GEN ST, is faculty secretary and senior administrative assistant at the Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kan., where she resides.*
Elizabeth C. “Tammy” Snow ’81, PE, ’88 M PE, a deputy chief of the Wichita Fire Department, is serving as interim chief. She began working for the WFD in 1988 and has served as a firefighter, lieutenant, captain and battalion chief before being appointed a division chief in 2011. She lives in Wichita.
D. Shawn Sullivan ’81, ACCT, senior vice president of tax services at the CPA and advisory firm Allen, Gibbs & Houlik LC in Wichita, has been named to AGH’s board of directors. Sullivan becomes the sixth member of the board, including chief executive Paul Allen ’70, BUS ADM, which guides the firm’s strategic direction and major initiatives. Along with Don Glenn ’75, ACCT, executive vice president of tax services, Sullivan leads AGH’s tax group. A member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, he serves on the board of the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants and chairs the KSCPA Committee on Taxation. He lives in Haysville, Kan.
David M. Franson ’82, M COMM, is a communications executive with more than 35 years of experience in corporate management and consulting roles. His career has featured serving as vice president of meetings and membership at the National Business Aviation Association in Washington, D.C., as vice president of public affairs at AlliedSignal Aerospace in Los Angeles, as vice president of public relations at Cessna Aircraft in Wichita, and as director of U.S. public affairs at Bombardier Aerospace. He is now the principal at Franson Consulting Group, a public relations and marketing communications firm based in Wichita, where he resides. He also serves as president of the Wichita Aero Club, a national aerospace networking organization.
Scott C. Phillips ’83, RT, ’88 M H SCI, who resides in Bartlesville, Okla., is vice president and area chief resource officer for The Resource Group, a healthcare resource and supply management organization. Phillips is responsible for managing supply-chain activities for the St. John Health System in Tulsa, Okla., and the Via Christi Health System in Wichita.
Michael “Mike” D. Babich ’84, MKT, is a partner and managing director at CrossFirst Bank in Wichita, where he leads the bank’s commercial and industrial lending team. CrossFirst is a $2.2 billion organization with locations in Wichita, Kansas City, Dallas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. He lives in Wichita.
Denise (Dotson) Low-Weso ’84, M ENG CR, who served as Kansas Poet Laureate from 2007-09, is author of more than 30 books of poetry and prose, including her memoir The Turtle’s Beating Heart: One Family’s Story of Lenape Survival and Jackalope. She teaches at Baker University’s School of Professional and Graduate Studies in Baldwin City, Kan. The winner of three Kansas Notable Book Awards, she also serves as board president of Associated Writers and Writing Programs and is a contributing editor of The Writer’s Chronicle. She lives in Lawrence, Kan.
Douglas W. Jones ’85, MKT, ’87 M BUS ADM, is city auditor for the city of Kansas City, Mo., a position he has held since 2013. He joined the city auditor’s office in 1994, and has served as auditor, senior auditor, internal auditor and audit manager. From 1988 to 1994, he was auditor/senior auditor at America West Airlines. Currently serving as the executive chair and local government representative on the Mid-America Intergovernmental Audit Forum Executive Committee, which serves Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, Jones lives in Kansas City, Mo.*
James T. Akagi ’86, AJ, who has some 35 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as assistant special agent in the Oklahoma City District Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration and beginning his career as a police officer in Lawrence, Kan., is police chief in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Akagi, who joined the Oak Ridge Police Department in 2011, resides in Oak Ridge.
Suzanne M. (Mertens) Campbell ’86, MED TECH, is dean of the Allied Health Division at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kan. She is the first medical laboratory technologist to lead Allied Health, and as such also serves as director of SCCC’s medical laboratory technology program. She lives in Forgan, Okla.
Michael W. Cox ’86, M MUS P, is professor of saxophone and jazz studies at the Capital University Conservatory of Music in Columbus, Ohio, where he also plays tenor and alto sax, flute, and clarinet with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and is a saxophonist with the Columbus Symphony. Cox earned a doctorate in saxophone performance and jazz pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, and has had the opportunity to play on singular or special occasions such groups as the Count Basie Orchestra, Don Henley and many others. In 1999, he released the highly acclaimed album “Abstractions, Dedications and Red Dirt.”
Larry L. Hobbs ’86, M EAS, has retired after 35 years as a teacher and administrator at public schools in Kansas’ Halstead-Bentley district. He began his career in education in 1981 as a sixth grade teacher in Halstead, where he also coached high school basketball and track and middle school football. He later became assistant principal at Halstead Grade School and then Bentley Grade School. He retired this past spring as principal of Bentley Primary School. He resides in Bel Aire, Kan.
Andrew A. Totman ’86, M S ART/PR, is a noted printmaker working out of the Heavy Pressure Studio who also serves as manager of higher education at Technical And Further Education for New South Wales (TAFE NSW) in Australia. He lives in Wagga Wagga.
Shelly R. (Johnson) Cannady ’87, ACCT, is executive director at the Society of Decorative Painters in Wichita, where she lives.
Robert L. Hinshaw ’87, AJ, is serving as interim police chief at Wichita State. His 33-year career in law enforcement includes four years as Sedgwick County Sheriff. Hinshaw is leading the 47-person university police department during a search for a permanent chief. He lives in Wichita.
Gary P. Musselman ’87, M EAS, has announced plans to retire in July 2018 from his position as executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, a post he has held since the 1996-97 school year. A resident of Silver Lake, Kan., he has 43 years of experience as a Kansas educator, including teaching and coaching stints in Independence, Andover, Beloit and Halstead.
Dorsey J. Burgess ’88, MUS ED, ’96 M MUS CH, ’01 M EAS, is superintendent, as well as principal for pre-K through 5th grade, at public schools in South Haven, Kan. Burgess, whose academic degrees include a master’s degree in choral music, traveled with the international group Up with People in the early 1980s.
Javier Herrero-Velarde ’88, BUS ADM, marketing director at the Mahou-San Miguel Group, is founder of the company Cervecera Independiente, a business unit created to accelerate innovation and develop local, premium and craft beer for Mahou San Miguel, the Spanish brewing company founded in Madrid, Spain in 1890, that is today the leading brand in the Spanish beer market. Herrero-Velarde resides in Madrid.
K. Michelle (Jenney) Jordan ’88, ENG L/LIT, is general counsel for the Cook County (Ill.) commissioner. In addition, she is the judicial reform issues specialist on the Issues Board of the League of Women Voters of Illinois and the secretary treasurer of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. An award-winning author on the legal rights of children, she is a frequent speaker on statewide education funding reform.
Allan D. Olbert ’88, PHD CDS, worked as an audiologist for 18 years before earning a master’s degree in counseling psychology and counselor education from the University of Colorado at Denver. He now is a career counseling faculty member at Aims Community College in Greeley, Colo.
Linda K. (Gould) Ralston ’88, M CSP, is retired from her career in education, which included teaching English at Augusta, Kan., public schools until 1989 and serving as counselor at the Andover (Kan.) Middle School until 2005. In May 2017, she and her husband Harold Clee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The Ralstons live in Augusta.
M. Kristine Savage ’88, AJ, an attorney at Joseph, Hollander & Craft LLC, has been recognized by Best Lawyers in American 2018 in two legal sectors: Criminal Defense, General Practice and Criminal Defense, White Collar. She has experience in complex federal and state criminal cases, including appeals. Her primary practice focuses on family law, and the Kansas Supreme Court has certified her as a mediator in domestic cases. She lives in Osage City, Kan.
Stephen N. Cole ’89, MGT, ’99 M CJ, who has 36 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as patrol officer, detective lieutenant, SWAT Team commander, captain and deputy chief in the Wichita Police Department, is chief of police in Black Hawk, Colo., where he has served since 2005. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, he lives in Black Hawk.*
Marshal Q. Hull ’89, ACCT, is partner in charge of the Wichita office of Regier Carr & Monroe LLP, a regional CPA firm with specialties in the tax, audit, litigation, valuation, peer review and consulting practice areas. Hull lives in Augusta, Kan.
Tammy S. Mayfield ’89, ACCT, is controller and vice president of administration at the Vess Oil Corp. in Wichita. She lives in Wichita.*
Ulrick Persson ’89, PT, is a college lecturer at University College Dublin and a physiotherapist for Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) Women’s Rugby in Ireland.
Roger Ridpath ’89, ART GD, an award-winning professional photographer who specializes in travel, portrait and corporate photography, is partner and creative director at Ridpath Creative, an advertising group based in Kansas City, Mo., where he lives.
Indra Cahya Uno ’89, AERON E, serves as commissioner of PT Saratoga Investama Sedaya TBK, a leading private equity company in Indonesia. He also serves as commissioner of PT Cakrawala Andalas Televisi, an entertainment television channel in Indonesia. In addition, he is chairman of the Mien R. Uno Foundation, an organization for youth entrepreneurship education. He lives in Jakarta.
C. Alan Goodnight ’90, SP, who founded and is president of Quantum Market Research Inc., a web-based marketing company in Wichita, also serves as director of strategic investments at WSU Ventures at Wichita State. A member of the Class of 2003 Wichita Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 honorees, Goodnight was assistant marketing director at Riverside Hospital while still in college, director of marketing for eight Florida hospitals at age 25, then manager of a line of 35 products for Bausch & Lomb. He next worked as director of worldwide marketing for Cessna’s piston aircraft division before founding his own marketing company, which he later sold. He lives in Wichita.*
Linda S. (Austin) Lanterman ’91, ACCT, director of the Parks Division for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, has been elected president of the National Association of State Park Directors. Lanterman has worked for KDWPT for 25 years, starting with the department in human resources. She has been Parks Division director since 2010, overseeing a staff of 120, 26 Kansas state parks and an annual budget of $12 million. In 2015, the Kansas Recreation and Park Association named her a distinguished fellow. She lives in Pratt, Kan.
Sylvia K. Morgan ’91, AJ, has been selected to serve as the police chief in Urbana, Ill. She is a 24-year veteran of the Urbana Police Department with experience ranging from serving as interim police chief, to a member of the department’s street crimes unit, to a patrol officer. She resides in Mahomet, Ill.
R. Russell Gotschall ’92, BIOL SCI, ’95 M BIOL SCI, is senior director of biologics at Amicus Therapeutics Inc., a global biotechnology company with corporate headquarters in Cranbury, N.J. Gotschall lives in Doylestown, Pa.
Amanda S. Holzrichter ’92, FLD MJR, is an associate professor and chair of world languages and cultures at Gallaudet University, a federally chartered private university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing located in Washington, D.C.
Andrew “Andy” E. Koenigs ’92, M EAS, ’04 PHD EAS, who has some 20 years of experience as a public school administrator in Kansas, is assistant superintendent of human resources for public schools in Derby, Kan.
Shannon D. Uhrig ’92, SP R/TV, who has worked in local hospitality sales for more than 20 years, is senior sales manager at Homewood Suites by Hilton @ The Waterfront in Wichita, where he resides.
D. Keith Gurley ’93, M EAS, ’00 PHD EAS, has been tenured and promoted to associate professor of educational leadership in the department of human studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His scholarship includes serving on the editorial board of the American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences Journal. He lives in Birmingham.
V. Kaye Monk-Morgan ’93, FLD MJR, ’96 M PUB ADM, director of the TRIO Upward Bound Math Science Center at Wichita State, was installed as the board chair for the Council for Opportunity in Education. The installation took place on Sept. 15 at the 36th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. A former member of the WSUAA board of directors, she lives in Wichita.*
Elena Bermudez ’94, I BUS, is global operations, chief of staff at Newedge Group, a global multi-asset brokerage with corporate headquarters in Paris and offices in Madrid, Tokyo, New York City and London, United Kingdom, where Bermudez works.
Thane E. Chastain ’94, M COMM, who is the director of creative technology at the Kansas Leadership Center in Wichita, was guest speaker at graduation ceremonies for the 2016-2017 class of Leadership 2000 in Pratt, Kan. Chastain lives in Wichita.
Stephen W. Hawks ’94, H SCI, a doctor of osteopathic medicine who practices at the Sumner County Family Care Center in Wellington, Kan., has been recognized as the 2017 Kansas Academy of Family Physicians’ Volunteer of the Year in recognition of his incorporation of teaching medical students into his practice. He resides in Wellington.
Kimberly L. Hett ’94, EL ED, who resides in Andover, Kan., teaches fifth grade for Andover eCademy, a statewide online public school program serving grades K-12. After more than a decade in the classroom as an elementary school teacher, Hett and another teacher started Andover eCademy in 2010. Earlier this year, Hett was recognized as a 2017 Kansas Master Teacher by Emporia State University for typifying “the good qualities of earnest and conscientious teachers.”
Jenifer K. Pence ’94, SEC ED, is head of upper school at the Independent School in Wichita. She lives in Augusta, Kan.
Mary A. Carpenter ’95, ADV, ’01 EL ED, ’09 M EAS, is principal at Abilene Elementary School in Valley Center, Kan. She lives in Valley Center.
Kurt Eide ’95, AEROS E, a former research worker at NIAR, is principal engineer at DNL GL, an international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered near Oslo, Norway, and including laboratories and test facilities located in the Bergen area, Norway.
Karla D. Hostetler ’95, NURS, ’04 M NURS, an advanced practice registered nurse in oncology and family medicine, works at Mid Kansas Family Practice, Hesston, Kan., where she began seeing patients in June. She lives in Hesston.
Rachelle K. (McCollom) Meinecke ’95, ANTHRO, ’98 M ANTHRO, is director of Wichita State’s Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology. She resides in Augusta, Kan.
Tomoya “Tom” Okumura ’95, MKT, is program manager of Talent Management, JP Ops HR Learning & Leadership at Amazon Japan in Tokyo. Previously, he was a group manager at Alue Co., Ltd., a provider of corporate training and HR consulting, Tokyo.
Nikki L. (Smith) Hansson ’96, COMM, is a member at large on the board of directors at HopeNet Inc., where she shares oversight of HopeNet activities, fundraising and community awareness. This former WSUAA staff member lives in Wichita.
Jeremy D. Hubbard ’96, JOURN, whose career in broadcast journalism began at KWCH in Wichita, co-anchors FOX31 Denver News at 5 and 9 p.m. His credits include serving as a Chicago-based correspondent for ABC News and then as a New York-based anchor and correspondent. He was co-anchor of ABC’s national early-morning newscasts World News Now and America This Morning and reported for Good Morning America, World News with Diane Sawyer and Nightline. A 10-time Emmy award winner, he lives in Denver.
Mark A. Marion ’96, GEN ST, has opened the Law Office of Mark A. Marion LLC in Lucas, Kan. His legal experience includes serving as deputy county attorney in Cowley, Kan., assistant municipal prosecutor for the city of Wichita, and assistant public defender and regional public defender for the western region of Kansas.
Waleed Tamimi ’96, IE, ’98 M IE, has been appointed chief administration officer at Aluminium Bahrain BSC (Alba), a Bahrain-based international aluminium smelter. He joined Alba in 2011 and in 2016 was appointed as acting director of administration with duties overseeing human resources, training, operational excellence, information technology, public relations and employee healthcare.
Kamalan “Kam” Unninayar ’96, M ADM, is CFO at Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that develops novel antibiotics to treat life-threatening multidrug-resistant infections. Unninayar joined Tetraphase, which is headquartered in Watertown, Mass., with more than 20 years of experience in financial leadership in the life sciences and consumer goods industries, most recently at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she led financial operations, corporate financial planning and analysis, and finance for business strategy, including finance for the customer channels group, the chemical analysis division, and businesses with revenues that ranged from $200 million to $4 billion.
Dustin C. Commer ’97, ART GD, is senior designer at Sullivan Higdon & Sink in Wichita, where he lives.
Christopher M. Joseph ’97, POL SCI, a criminal defense attorney at Joseph, Hollander & Craft LLC, was recognized in Best Lawyers in America 2018 in the Criminal Defense, General Practice sector. His practice is concentrated in the areas of fraud, drug crimes, sex crimes, and related civil matters, including property and asset forfeiture. He lives in Lawrence, Kan.
Lane M. Massey ’98, M PUB ADM, is assistant city manager in Emporia, Kan. Previously, he served as city manager in Larned, Kan.
Hanna M. Simon ’97, AJ, ’99 M PUB ADM, a resident of Wichita, is director of human resources at Wichita-based Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics.
Aurora P. Wold-Krogmann ’98, ANTHRO, ’01 M SPAN, an assistant professor of Spanish at Temple College in Temple, Texas, has been awarded tenure. She resides in Taylor, Texas.
Heather A. Bohaty ’99, M EAS, formerly assistant superintendent of human resources for Derby, Kan., public schools, has begun her new role as superintendent. She lives in Derby.
Tara L. (Welborn) Crain ’99, MGT, ’02 M BUS ADM, is director of information technology at Wichita-based Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics. She lives in Wichita.
Darrell R. Jobson ’99, M BIOL SC, is an aquatic biologist at Jobson Environmental Consulting Inc. in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada.
Scott A. Friesen ’00, M EAS, ’16 PHD ED, is superintendent of public schools in Inman, Kan., where he lives.
Nathan “Nate” D. Robertson fs ’00, former Shocker baseball standout pitcher who played professionally with the Detroit Tigers, is a co-owner of the Wichita Wingnuts, an independent baseball team for which he serves as chief financial officer. Robertson, who majored in sports administration while at Wichita State, lives in Maize, Kan.
Brian S. Walgamott ’00, BIO, is director of tax services at Thomas Howell Ferguson PA CPAs, a professional accounting, assurance and tax services firm headquartered in Tallahassee, Fla. Walgamott joined THF in 2008 and has nine years of public accounting experience working in the areas of tax compliance, planning and consulting. A CPA, he earned a master’s degree in accounting at Florida State University. He lives in Tallahassee.
Roger W. Smeltzer ’01, I BUS, principal and broker at Vision Commercial Real Estate in The Colony, Texas, has been recognized by the Fort Worth business press as a member of the 40 Under 40 2017 Class. Smeltzer started Vision Commercial in 2011 and hired his first employee the next year. Vision Commercial now employs 18 agents and staff and represents a portfolio of more than 180 properties throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He lives in Grapevine, Texas.
Junaid Akram ’02, M EL E, is a business risk management leader who serves as senior director of general insurance services at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association in Edmonton, Canada.
Brandi I. Herrman ’02, COMM, is a public relations and marketing instructor at Columbia College in Columbia, Mo., where she lives.
Kelechi “KC” K. Ohaebosim ’02, MIS, is serving his first term as a Democratic member for the 89th district in the Kansas House of Representatives. He lives in Wichita.
Adam T. Pankratz ’02, BUS ADM, a shareholder with the labor and employment law firm of Ogletree Deakins, represents corporations and management in employment-related and complex commercial matters from the firm’s Seattle, Wash., office. He joined Ogletree Deakins’ Kansas City office in 2013 and continues to maintain an office there. Prior to joining the firm, he was an associate at Dentons US LLP and Martin Pringle Oliver Wallace & Bauer LLP, where he practiced employment law and complex commercial litigation regionally and nationally. He lives in Seattle.
Michelle K. (Moe) Witte ’02, JOURN, a trial lawyer at Joseph, Hollander & Craft LLC, was recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2018 in the legal sector of Employment Law, Individuals. She concentrates on defending either employers or employees in discrimination cases based on age, gender, race, disability or religion. She resides in Wichita.
Melissa A. Bailey ’03, NURS, is a family nurse practitioner with Hillside Medical Group in Winfield, Kan. Previously, she was a surgical nurse at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. Active in Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, she lives in Douglass, Kan.
Gulrez Mumtaz ’03, EL E, is a project manager at Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co., a family-owned company based in Stuttgart, Germany, that operates worldwide and is known for its high-pressure cleaners, floor-care equipment and other cleaning technology.
Gurleen Randhawa ’03, COMP SCI, is chief technology officer at Navesink Mortgage Services, a financial technology company in Irvine, Calif. Preciously, he was director of software development at Wolters, Kluwer Tax & Accounting, also in Irvine, where he resides.*
Mark A. Whitener ’03, M EAS, ’14 PHD ED, is superintendent of public schools in Wellington, Kan. He lives in Oxford, Kan.
Linda S. Bayless ’04, NURS, an advanced registered nurse at the Robert J. Dole Veterans Administration Medical Center in Wichita, deployed to Puerto Rico to assist victims of Hurricane Maria as part of the VA’s Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System. She left for Puerto Rico on Oct. 4 and returned to Kansas Oct. 18. She lives in Cheney, Kan.
Heber G. Gonzalez ’04, I BUS, is head of mobile marketing at Blacklane GmbH, a startup company based in Berlin, Germany.
Rohan P. Perera ’04, M CHEM, ’04 PhD CHEM, is senior international cooperation officer at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, The Hague, Netherlands, where Perera has worked since 2014 to coordinate and provide technical assistance on chemical safety and security. Previously, he served as director of the Institute of Human Resource Advancement at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, (2012-2014) and as director of the National Authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, also in Colombo, (2011-2014). He taught chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Colombo for 10 years, from 2004 to 2014.
Tara D. Scarce ’04, PSYCH, is a counselor at public schools in Council Grove, Kan., including Prairie Heights Elementary School and Council Grove Junior High School. Previously, she was a counselor at schools in Junction City, Kan., and Salina, Kan. She resides in Council Grove.
Barbara K. Williams ’04, M CI, formerly a learning coach and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) coordinator and teacher at Lawrence (Kan.) High School, is assistant principal at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, also in Lawrence, where she lives. Prior to joining Lawrence High School’s faculty in 2012, she taught English and AVID in Olathe, Kan., and English in Wichita public schools.
Gabriel L. Adkins ’05, M COMM, is associate professor of communication at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Ark., where he lives.
Curtis R. Gibson ’05, ENTRE, is a real estate investment analyst at Clark Investment Group in Wichita, where he resides.
Nakimia L. Hicks ’05, CJ, who holds a master’s degree in education from Letourneau University in Longview, Texas, and a doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University in Florida, is principal at Dallas Independent School District. She lives in Dallas.
Mary Ann (Freund) Keener ’05, NURS, is chief nursing officer at Great Bend Regional Hospital in Great Bend, Kan., where she resides.
Holly A. (Thompson) Landon ’05, COMM, is senior director of operations at Fundamental Learning Center Inc. in Wichita. Landon, a former WSUAA staff member, lives in Wichita.
Tracy S. Cochran ’06, ACCT, is office administrator at 6 Meridian, where she oversees office technology, correspondence, accounting, scheduling and contact management systems. She lives in Wichita.
William “Bill” J. Goodwin ’06, M ED, teaches language arts at Neodesha High School in Neodesha, Kan., where he lives.
Keith B. Talbert ’06, MKT, is associate director of sales at the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau. A specialist in travel, tourism, marketing and sales, Talbert previously held positions with convention and visitors bureaus in Nashville, Tenn., and in Wichita.
Lesli J. (Hanson) Wiese ’06, FIN, works at SMH Consultants, a civil engineering and land surveying company located in Manhattan, Kan. She lives in rural Linn, Kan.
Mark J. Baalmann ’07, CJ, who previously worked at the Rush County Sheriff’s Office in La Crosse, Kan., has purchased the Farmers Insurance agency in La Crosse, where he lives.
Laura M. (Schwarzenberger) Lehmer ’07, ACCT, ’10 M ACCT, has been promoted to partner with Regier Carr & Monroe LLP in Wichita. She lives in Goddard, Kan.
A. Mikael Pietilä ’07, M ECON, works in information technology and services as a senior consultant at Gartner in Stockholm, Sweden. Gartner is an American research and advisory company with offices worldwide. At Wichita State, he was a Woods Scholar in business.
Alicia T. Sanchez ’07, FLD MJR, director of the WSU Office of Diversity and Inclusion, is a member of the board of directors for the Wichita Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and has been elected board chair, serving a term from October 2017 to October 2019. She resides in Wichita.
Katherine “Katie” E. Calvillo ’08, GEN ST, ’11 MED TECH, is a medical technologist who works at rural medical centers in Harper County, Kan., and lives in Anthony, Kan.*
Ali E. Helvaci ’08, M EL E, is a senior researcher for the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, a national agency with the goal of developing “science, technology and innovation.” The agency is headquartered in Ankara, with offices at various locales, including Istanbul, where Helvaci is based. Before joining the council in 2013, he was a web and alternative channels specialist at Turk Telekom and a BSS engineer at Avea. At WSU, he served as president of the Turkish Student Association.
Danielle R. Lamb ’08, COMM, is corporate events director, Heart Ball at the American Heart Association in Wichita, where she lives.
Heath E. Misak ’08, M MCH E, ’11 PhD MCH E, along with Wichita State engineering faculty members Ramazan Asmatulu, Shang-You Yang and Paul Wooley, is co-inventor of a composite magnetic nanoparticle drug delivery system that has received U.S. Patent Number 9782342, filed Oct. 11, 2011, published online Oct. 10, 2017, and assigned to Wichita State University.
E.M. “Misty” Bernal ’09, HIST, is a librarian for the Saddleback Historical Society, based in Lake Forest, Calif. Bernal, whose historical studies have taken her to Antakya, Turkey, and Orleans, France, has been trained in archival techniques and digital monitoring.
Brenda (Brockman) Bivens ’09, PHD PT, a physical therapist at Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings, Neb., has been certified in dry needling, a procedure that helps alleviate muscle pain and tightness. She has also completed continuing education courses in aquatic therapy, sports rehabilitation, and balance and vestibular rehabilitation. She resides in Doniphan, Neb.
Karin “Katie” R. Carlson ’09, COMM, ’09 ENTRE, ’15 NURS, communications director at Derby, Kan., public schools, resides in Derby.
Jacinta “Jacie” R. Hoyt-Capra ’09, GEN ST, SOC, who played basketball while at Wichita State, has begun her first season as women’s head basketball coach at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Her coaching career includes serving as an assistant coach at both Nevada and Kansas State.
Jodie M. Liedke ’10, M CR WR, assistant professor of composition at Lakeland University in Wisconsin, is the 2017 winner of the annual Underkofler Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award. In addition to her teaching, Liedke chairs Lakeland’s fine arts and convocation committee and assists with the Great Lakes Writers Festival, among other duties. She lives in Oakfield, Wis.
Matthew “Matt” S. Meinecke ’10, ENG L/LIT, is a copywriter at Jajo in Wichita, where he is responsible for copy and concepts in the production of advertising. He lives in Wichita.
Justin R. Palmer ’10, BUS ADM, was ordained as a Catholic priest on June 3 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina, Kan., where he serves as an associate pastor.
Emily J. Williams ’10, M CI, a history teacher at Derby High School in Derby, Kan., also manages the high school’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. She lives in Wichita.
Dustin L. Kuhn ’11, SP MGT, who is a senior financial advisor at Merrill Lynch in Wichita, was named by Forbes Magazine to its list of America’s Top Next Generation Wealth Managers. He lives in Wichita.
Ruth A. Moritz ’11, M ENG CR, an artist and English instructor at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kan., served as artist-in-residence this past summer at the Red Barn Studio Museum in Lindsborg, Kan. She resides in Lincoln, Kan.
Amy E. Nichols ’11, COMM, is a reputation manager at Sullivan Higdon & Sink in Wichita, where she resides.
Trevor L. Phillippi ’11, M BUS ADM, is vice president and director of operations at 6 Meridian, where he oversees compliance and regulatory practices, human resources, technology and vendor services, fiscal planning, accounting and finance. He lives in Wichita.
Joshua M. Shorter ’11, ENTRE, is COO at Integrated Components, a Wichita-based manufacturing firm that machines a wide range of components for various industries. He lives in Wichita.
Kristina “Krissy” N. (Kill) Archambeau ’12, ANTHRO, ’16 M PUB ADM, a Rose Hill, Kan., resident, is an outreach coordinator in the WSU Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Christopher R. Lohf ’12, FIN, is credit manager at Koch Supply & Trading LP in Wichita, where he resides.
Aarthi Raju ’12, M EL E, who has held positions as senior technical account manager, technical account manager and cloud support engineer at Amazon Web Services in San Francisco, Calif., is now a partner solutions architect. She lives in Newark, Calif.
Amanda “Mandy” S. (Carleton) Longoria ’13, BIO SC, has joined Lentz Eye Care in Wichita as a doctor of optometry, after receiving a doctoral degree from the University of Missouri St. Louis College of Optometry in May 2017. She lives in Wichita.
Krisha R. McLaughlin ’13, H SCI, ’16 M PA, is a physician assistant who practices at Harper Hospital and Conway Springs Rural Health Clinic in Kansas. Previously, she served six years as a lieutenant with the Sedgwick County EMS and also has worked at Via Christi-St. Francis in ICU and at Wesley in the neuro unit. She lives in Mulvane, Kan.
Aliphine C. Tuliamuk-Bolton ’13, HSOP, a former Wichita State star distance runner named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Women’s Most Outstanding Athlete (Indoor) in 2012 and the league’s Women’s Most Valuable Athlete (Indoor) in 2013, is a professional runner who resides in Santa Fe, N.M.
Alex R. Bendickson ’14, M PA, is a physician assistant who practices at Same Day Clinic and Orthopedics/Sports Medicine at the Cambridge Medical Center in Cambridge, Minn.
Diana “Di” R. Heldman ’14, THEA, is a training administrative assistant at the Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers corporate office in Wichita. She has worked as an assistant stage manager at Wichita’s Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre and as assistant drama teacher at Wichita Collegiate School. She lives in Wichita.*
Gabrielle “Gabbi” S. (Webb) Kniep ’14, COMM, works in information technology and services as EMEA cloud marketing program manager at NetApp in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Her previous experience includes working as a marketing specialist for Seuss Consulting, Seuss Recruitment and Zocket.
Dontré M. McDonald ’14, HS MGT/CD, is administrator at Windsor Estates and McCall Manor, retirement and assisted living facilities in Salina, Kan.
Scott S. Sutherland ’14, ENTRE, is president at NPC Recyling and its Mallard Paint Division, a manufacturer of architectural coatings and latex paint based in Goddard, Kan. Sutherland lives in Wichita.
Jessica L. Drum ’15, M PSYCH, is a user experience researcher at Facebook, headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. She lives in San Francisco, Calif.*
Tanner D. George ’15, M SP MGT, is head coach of the men and women’s golf teams at Sterling College in Sterling, Kan. A 2014 graduate of Sterling, he was a four-year letter winner and standout golfer for the Warriors. He lives in Hutchinson, Kan.
Otavio Battaglia ’16, M SP ADM, has joined the women’s basketball coaching staff at Stetson University, DeLand, Fla., as an assistant coach. Battaglia previously was an assistant coach at New Mexico Highlands University, where he served as defensive coordinator and was responsible for player development, international recruiting, team travel, academic advising and community service activities. He also served as assistant men’s basketball coach for the Score Basketball Academy in Raleigh, N.C. and coached for eight seasons in upper level basketball development clubs in Spain before coming to the United States.
Ezekiel Kimutai Bii ’16, NURS, is a registered nurse at Medical City North Hills in North Richland Hills, Texas. He lives in Haslet, Texas.*
Chricket L. Short Niehues ’16, PHD PT, practices as a physical therapist at Goodland Regional Medical Center in Goodland, Kan. She resides in Sharon Springs, Kan.
Ben C. Roose ’16, M COMP SCI, is systems administrator in Wichita State’s computer engineering department and advisor to WuLUG, WSU’s Linux User Group student organization. He lives in Wichita.
Joseph W. Shepard ’16, GEN ST, is program associate for business initiatives at the Kansas Leadership Center in Wichita, where he lives.
Danielle R. (Stevenson) Swartz ’16, PHD PT, is a physical therapist at SERC Physical Therapy in Gardner, Kan.
Fred E. VanVleet ’16, SOC, a standout Shocker basketball point guard now playing professionally with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, ran the first Fred VanVleet Summer Camp and Fan Fest this past June in his hometown of Rockford, Ill.
Sachin Anil Varkey ’16, M IE, is an industrial engineer at Wear Technology, a rebuilding and manufacturing firm based in McPherson, Kan.
Adriana E. Somerville ’17, FLD MJR, is alumni relations and Golden Tigers coordinator at Cowley Community College in Arkansas City, Kan. She lives in Winfield, Kan.*
Brittany A. Waldman ’17, M SOC, is strategic communications coordinator at Fundamental Learning Center Inc., where she oversees front office management and acts as a support liaison for therapists, parents and students who are learning to navigate life with dyslexia. Waldman lives in Wichita.
