Emily McKinzie Joins Westminster Staff as Director of Alumni Engagement

Westminster College is excited to announce that Emily McKinzie joined the College staff this week on Jan. 22 as Director of Alumni Engagement.

Emily comes to Westminster from Triumph Foods in St. Joseph, MO, where she served as a recruitment and retention manager in human resources.

A resident for the last 19 years of Overland Park, KS, Emily originally hails from Kahoka, MO. She recently relocated to the central Missouri area to be closer to her parents, siblings and nieces.

Emily earned an M.S. in business management from Baker University in Baldwin, KS, and a B.S. in psychology with a minor in health education from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

Please join Westminster in welcoming Emily to the College, and be sure to reach out to her with your alumni news. Also, make plans to greet Emily during Alumni Weekend 2020, April 17 through April 19! You can reach her at [email protected] or (573) 592-6050.

Can you tell us a little bit about your goals as the Director of Alumni Engagement? 

As Director of Alumni Engagement, I have many goals I’d like to achieve. However, the most important goal is to build and maintain meaningful relationships with alumni, faculty, staff, current students and community members.

What has been your initial impression of Westminster?

Its tradition of excellence, history and prestige are impressive. There is a wonderful of sense of community here. It is a warm and inviting campus, and the students are outstanding. The faculty and staff are amazing, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity.

Speed round: What is your favorite food, what do you binge-watch on TV and what are your hobbies?

Favorite food: steak and lobster. All-time favorite TV show: The Sopranos. And I love to thrift shop and flip furniture. I started the process a few years ago of finding old pieces of furniture and making them new again!

What is something about yourself that nobody else knows?

I was a freshman in college before I was ever in school without at least one parent in the same building. My parents are retired educators (Dad is a retired high school basketball coach). I literally went to work with my parents every day.

Sarah Rummel Backer

Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.