Class Notes

Whatever you’ve been up to, we want to hear about it. To submit your class note, visit umkcalumni.com or email us at perspectives@umkc.edu.

You may also submit class notes by mail to:

Perspectives
UMKC
300B Administrative Center
5115 Oak St.
Kansas City, MO 64112

Please include your daytime phone number, home address, email address, degree and graduation year. We reserve the right to edit submitted text as space allows.

1970s

Former Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Kay Barnes (M.A. ’71, M.P.A. ’78) was named senior director for university engagement at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. Barnes will represent the University as an ambassador in its government relations and business development initiatives.

Judy Jacobs (MBA ’77, Ph.D. ’86) was featured in “Lest We Forget,” a Holocaust memorial exhibit at the World War I Museum and Memorial. The exhibit, created by German-Italian photographer and filmmaker Luigi Toscano, features 70 portraits of Holocaust survivors. 

1980s 

Ann Frigon (L.L.M. ’83) joined Farm Bureau Financial Services as a wealth management advisor. Frigon brings more than $100 million in assets under management to the business. Previously, she served as a wealth advisor at Carson Wealth Management in central Kansas. 

Peter Stobie (B.B.A. ’88, MBA ’90) was named chief financial officer and vice president for business and finance at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. Previously, he served as director of strategic initiatives at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

Siabhan May-Washington (B.A. ’88, M.A. ’91) was named president of St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, Missouri. Previously, she served as assistant principal of faculty development at Pembroke Hill Upper School in Kansas City, Missouri.

“Working in education is important to me because lives are transformed for the better when people are educated.  It’s such a joy to work in education and see the growth that can happen for students when they learn.””

Mark McHenry (M.P.A. ’89) was appointed to the four-member Missouri Conservation Commission by Gov. Mike Parson. Previously, he spent 15 years at the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department. He is also a business

consultant for Ochsner Hare & Hare, the Olsson Studio, a landscape architecture firm.

“As a kid growing up in Iowa I spent all my time outdoors. I learned to appreciate what Nature and the outdoors had to offer and knew I always wanted it to be a big part of my life.”

Mike Perry (B.B.A. ’89) was named president and CEO at Hallmark, becoming only the second person outside the Hall family to hold the top job.

1990s

A new animated children’s special from Rajiv Chilakalapudi (M.S. ’97) premiered on Netflix in October 2019. “Mighty Little Bheme: Diwali” is a spinoff of the series of the same name and follows young Bheem as he travels through his hometown in India, bringing mischief and adventure. 

Karen Garber-Miller (Ph.D. ’95) was named dean of Park University’s College of Education and Health Professions in Parkville, Missouri. Previously, she served as dean of the School of Education at Avila University. 

Aimee Gromowsky (J.D. ’99) was appointed to the Kansas City Election Board by Gov. Mike Parson. Gromowsky is a criminal defense attorney at The Gromowsky Law Firm in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Monica Jeffries Hazangeles
(M.M. ‘91) was named president and CEO of Strathmore, Maryland’s preeminent performing arts center, becoming only the second person to lead the institution in its history. 

Tammy Queen (MBA ’94) was named director of finance for the City of Kansas City, Missouri. Queen has worked for the city for 24 years, serving as city treasurer before becoming deputy director of finance. 

Lisa G. Walker (M.A. ’95, E.D.S.P. ’00) was named executive director of federal programs with Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. Previously, she served as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction and an elementary school principal for the Grandview C-4 (Missouri) School District. 

2000s 

Charlie Corcoran (M.F.A. ’01) was named a 2019 Henry Hewes Design Award honoree for his scene design in The O’Casey Trilogy at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York. 

Tiffany Hamilton (B.L.A. ’03, M.A. ’09) was named the first-ever chief diversity officer at Pace University in New York City. Prior to joining the team at Pace, she served in various enrollment, multicultural affairs and student success roles at UMKC.

“As a first generation college student, in addition to supportive faculty there were several offices that supported my academic success and, moreover, my personal and cultural growth. Once the investment was made in me, I knew I wanted to impart the same experiences
for others.”
 

Patrick Du Laney (M.F.A. ’09) joined the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway. In addition to his acting roles, Du Laney has taught several theatre and dance classes at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. 

Dennis Ehrich Jr. (EMBA ’03) was named chief technology officer at GlynnDevins in Kansas City, Missouri. Previously, he served as CTO and chief product officer at Service Management Group. 

2010s 

Daniel Beeman (B.A. ’14) is playing the role of Cornelius Hackl in the first national tour of Broadway’s Hello Dolly! Beeman’s former stage credits include the national tour of Something Rotten! and many performances at the Kansas City Rep and Starlight Theatre. 

Katie Bruns (B.A. ’12, M.A. ’16) was named Kansas City Charter School Teacher of the Year by the Missouri Charter Public School Association. Bruns currently teaches at Brookside Charter School in Kansas City, Missouri, as a second and third grade instructional coach.

New research by Ally Kateusz (Ph.D. ’17) suggests women had a greater role in the early Catholic Church than previously thought. Kateusz, a research associate at the Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research, presented her findings to the International Society of Biblical Literature at a conference in Rome.

Christina Butera (D.M.A. ’18) composed the music used as a soundtrack for the sculpture park at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The music, “Suite for the Passersby,” was included in a smart-phone app to be used while guests browsed the exhibit.

Gavin Brivik (B.M. ’16) won Most Original Composition by a Young International Composer at the World Soundtrack Awards.

Former UMKC distance runner Quinlan Moll (B.B.A. ’17) qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials. Moll finished the qualifying race in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds. The qualifying mark for the Trials was 2 hours and 19 minutes. He will now compete in February 2020 for one of three men’s spots on the U.S. team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He also attends the UMKC School of Law and works full-time at a Kansas City law firm.

 “Crossing the finish line was a pretty amazing feeling, I was tired from the race but also pumped up from adrenaline and excitement. It was a special moment, so I tried to just soak it in.” 

Ubadah Sabbagh (B.S. ’15), a graduate student at Virginia Tech studying translational biology, medicine and health, earned a $390,000 National Institutes of Health award to map unexplored regions of the brain.  

Jared Stricklin (M.S. ’14) was recognized among the 2019 Forbes Best-In-State Next-Gen Wealth Advisors. Stricklin is the senior vice president–wealth management at Mistler Dunn Stricklin Wealth Management in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Mimi Vo (M.D. ’03) was named one of the Most Influential Business Women of 2019 by the St. Louis Business Journal. Vo is an internist and CEO of the Vo Medical Clinic in St. Louis.