The annual UMKC Alumni Awards celebration on June 15, 2018, honored distinguished alumni while supporting the next generation of Roos.
University-wide Awards
KAY BARNES (M.A. ‘71, M.P.A. ‘78)
Alumna of the Year
First (and only) female mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, and senior director for university engagement at Park University
Hobbies: Golf, reading, needlepoint and cheering on the Chiefs!
“It is clear that the legacy that UMKC created for us continues. It is now up to us to do everything we can to enable UMKC to be
recognized as a great university — not just in the region, but across the country and beyond.”
CARLA CONWAY WILSON (B.S. ‘88)
Spotlight Award
Senior director for student support services and student development at UMKC; former UMKC athletic director
Phrase used most often: To whom much is given, much is required.
“For those who have been working at UMKC as long as I have, we have a really strong bond, sense of pride and loyalty to UMKC.”
HANNAH LOFTHUS (B.A. ‘07)
The Bill French Alumni Service Award
Founder and chief executive of cer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman School
Favorite book: “The Old Man and the Sea“ by Ernest Hemingway
“The world deserves and needs each one of us to dedicate ourselves to solving problems we’re passionate about so we can leave the world better than how we found it.“
FREDRICK N. MANASSEH (PHARM.D. ‘07, EMBA ‘12)
Defying the Odds Award
Senior pharmacy executive for AbsoluteCARE, principal and managing consultant at Rx Prowess
Favorite UMKC memory: Traveling to China for 10 weeks during an EMBA course to study disparities between Eastern and Western medicine
“The only thing that is constant in the world is change. To supplement hard work and networking, education serves as an essential tool to attain future goals and aspirations.”
THE EISLER-FERGUSON FAMILY
Legacy Award
Within the Eisler-Ferguson family, there are more than a dozen Roos spanning three generations:
William (Bill) O’Neill Eisler (B.A. ’58, J.D. ’60)
Richard Eisler (B.A. ’65)
Patrick William Eisler (B.A. ’93, M.P.A. ’98)
Sean O. Eisler (B.S.M.E. ’93)
Heather R. Beaird-Eisler (B.B.A. ’90)
Haley Lynn Eisler (B.B.A. ’90)
H. Elwin Ferguson (B.S. Pharm. ’50)
Marvin J. Ferguson (J.D. ’62)
Sandra Lynn Ferguson (B.B.A. ’62, J.D. ’64)
Mark Marvin Ferguson (B.A. ’87, J.D. ’90)
Margaret Ann Costanzo (J.D. ’94)
Carolyn M. Woodburn (B.S.P. ’88)
Robert “Bob” Paul Richards, Jr. (B.B.A. ’74)
George Mark Dunlap (Attended ’82-86)
For a complete list of the 2018 Alumni Awards, visit the UMKC Alumni website.