School-based Alumni Award winners
Each year, one graduate from every school and college at UMKC is honored with that academic unit’s alumni achievement award.
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
PEGGY J. DUNN
B.A. ’72
Peggy Dunn, mayor of Leawood, Kan., since 1997, has a passion for the community that has resulted in countless awards, including the JCRB/AJC Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award. Dunn co-chaired the 80th anniversary celebration for UMKC.
SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
COLE HAYNES
Ph.D. ’03
Cole Haynes, a scientist and professor at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, is known for his work on understanding how stress responsive signaling pathways function to boost the body’s ability to fight back against major diseases like cancer.
Bloch School of Management
CATHERINE A. LEWIS
B.S. ’85
Catherine Lewis (now retired) had more than 20 years of experience as the global head of tax for KPMG’s Energy and Natural Resources practice. She has served UMKC as president of the UMKC Bloch Advisory Council and as a board member for the Bloch Accounting Advisory Council.
School of computing and engineering
TRENT AND KIMBERLY ROBINETT
B.S.C.E. ’95, B.S.E.E. ’95
The Robinetts shared a dream to provide quality engineering to local Kansas City area communities. They formed TREKK Design Group, which provides myriad engineering services, including helping to ensure the 150-year-old downtown Kansas City sewer system will be able to support the future streetcar route.
Conservatory of Music and Dance
JAN KRAYBILL
D.M.A. ’00
Jan Kraybill performs extensively as a pianist and organist across several continents and with many local ensembles, including the Kansas City Symphony. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts named Kraybill as conservator for the Julia Irene Kauffman Casavant Organ.
School of dentistry
CONNIE LEE DRISKO
D.D.S. ’80
After 16 years as a dental hygienist, Connie Drisko became an associate professor at the UMKC School of Dentistry and led the department in teaching awards, research grants and community service. She is former dean of the College of Dental Medicine at Georgia Health Sciences University.
School of Dentistry — Dental Hygiene
DORINDA D. BALL
B.S.D.H. ’03
The challenge of access to care in the oral health field has shaped the career of Dorinda Ball, currently a U.S. Public Health Service commissioned officer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons Central Office. She has received multiple awards during her career with USPHS.
School of Education
RODNEY E. WATSON
Ed.Sp. ’00, Ph.D. ’07
A commitment to urban education and dedication to diversity and social justice describe the influential career of Rodney Watson, current chief of human resources for the Houston Independent School District. Watson’s office provides leadership and oversight for nearly 30,000 individuals.
School of Law
JIM BARTIMUS
B.A. ’71, J.D. ’77
Jim Bartimus is a partner at Bartimus, Frickleton, Robertson and Goza, PC. He and his wife created a charitable foundation that has helped fund UMKC’s Law Advocacy Center. Bartimus has received numerous awards, including “Best of the Bar“ and Top 50 Kansas City Super Lawyer.
School of Medicine
MICHELE KILO
M.D. ’84
Michele Kilo, an associate professor of pediatrics at the UMKC School of Medicine, directs the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Sciences at Children’s Mercy Hospital. She also was appointed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to the Missouri Autism Commission.
SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH STUDIES
KATHLEEN ELAINE DUNBAR HAYCRAFT
D.N.P. ’11
Kathleen Haycraft empowers nurses and patients as the Missouri state representative for American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and chairman of the Missouri Council of Advanced Practice Nurses. She has been essential in moving state legislation to expand access to care.
School of Dentistry
WILLIAM E. OSBORN (1934-2014)
B.S.P. ’56
Willie Osborn owned and operated Osborn Drugs in Miami, Okla., and was known for supporting young pharmacists. He earned several community service awards, and led the Class of 1956 to purchase the naming rights to the UMKC Drug Information Center’s student lounge in the Health Sciences Building.