Meet the 2021-2022 Alumni Council Members

Greetings from the 2021-2022 Alumni Council! For those of you who do not know what we do, we serve all Westminster alumni by facilitating the discussion of issues and concerns raised by you. The Alumni Council sponsors events and activities while maintaining a working relationship with Westminster’s Board of Trustees. The Council also nominates alumni to the Board. We also nominate and select fellow alumni from a collection of annual nominations for Alumni Achievement Awards, the Jack Marshall Award, and Young Alumni Achievement Awards.

Take a moment to get to know a little bit about each of us below:

Alumni Council Executive Committee


Marissa (Tyler) Denehy, MBA, ’08 ΚΑΘ
President
Pronouns: She/Her
Greek Affiliation: Kappa Alpha Theta
Education Beyond Westminster: MBA, University of Missouri-St. Louis; DE&I Certification, Cornell University
Occupation/Employer: Vice President, Manager Development & Engagement, Wells Fargo Advisors
Location: St. Louis, MO
Follow Me On: LinkedIn
Personal Details: I am married to Sam (Class of 2010) and have two greyhounds, Sloane and Matilda. I love camping with my little teardrop camper, road trips, composting, organizing things, and traveling all over the world.

 

Kathryn Ayers Wickenhauser, ’11 ΚΑΘ
Vice President
Pronouns: She/Her
Greek Affiliation/Campus Involvement: Kappa Alpha Theta, Blue Blazers, Student Ambassadors, Student Foundation, Psi Chi, Biology in Belize
Education Beyond Westminster: MBA from Webster University; Professional certification in Healthcare Private Compliance
Occupation/Employer: Director of Communications at DirectTrust (a national health IT non-profit)
Location: St. Louis, MO
Follow Me On: Twitter @KAWickenhauser
Personal Details: I am married to Keith (Class of 2010), and we have a young daughter. We enjoy spending time with our dog, Winston, and our cat, Audrey; hanging out with fellow friends from Westminster; volunteering; trying new restaurants; and traveling.

 


Caroline Ayers , ’14 ΚΑΘ
Alumni Awards Chair
Pronouns: She/Her
Greek Affiliation: Kappa Alpha Theta
Education Beyond Westminster: Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Lindenwood University
Occupation/Employer: Fourth Grade Teacher, Parkway School District
Location: St. Louis, MO
Personal Details: I love spending time with my niece, Elise, going to Cardinals games, and hanging out with friends.

 


Grace Clifton, ’14 ΚΚΓ
Alumni Weekend Co-Chair
Pronouns: She/Her
Greek Affiliation/Campus Involvement: Kappa Kappa Gamma, Student Ambassadors, Blue Blazers Investment Club, Student Foundation, SGA, Skulls of Seven
Education Beyond Westminster: Master of Science in Journalism – University of Kansas
Occupation/Employer: Management at Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Location: Kansas City, MO
Follow Me On: LinkedIn
Personal Details: I’m a podcast enthusiast, frequent quoter of New Girl, and into house plants.

 


Lewis McKenzie, ’02 ΔΤΔ
Alumni Weekend Co-Chair
Pronouns: He/Him
Greek Affiliation: Delta Tau Delta
Education Beyond Westminster: BA in Secondary Education- Emphasis Math at UMKC and MA in Secondary Administration at Park University
Occupation/Employer: North Kansas City School District
Location: Kansas City, MO
Personal Details: I am deeply invested in equitable education for all individuals from Pre-K through post-secondary education.

 


Nick O’Neil, ’13
Media and Communications Chair
Pronouns: He/Him
Education Beyond Westminster: Graduate Certificate in Organizational Change, Trulaske Executive MBA, PCI SSC ISA
Occupation/Employer: Columbia Insurance Group
Location: Columbia, MO
Follow Me On: LinkedIn, Twitter
Personal Details: My wife and I live in Columbia, MO, where we enjoy a clean apartment free of kids and pets. We enjoy trips to local wineries, distilleries, and spending time with friends. I have been working in IT for 13 years and organizational cybersecurity for five years. I believe in the importance of building organizational trust through effective communication and positive organizational change. I’m a self-described purveyor of processes, habitual technologist, and voracious reader.

 


Da’Shaun Scott, ’16
Membership Chair
Pronouns: He/Him
Campus Involvement: Student Ambassadors, SGA Exec, Campus Activities Board Chair, Student Foundation President
Education Beyond Westminster: Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs – Indiana University-Bloomington; Education Law Certificate
Occupation/Employer: Assistant Director for Student Engagement, Washington University
Location: St. Louis, MO
Personal Details: I enjoy traveling, running, learning new things, and hanging out with family and friends.

 


Roberta Burns, ’17 ΚΚΓ
Senior Class Liaison
Pronouns: She/Her
Greek Affiliation/Campus Involvement: Kappa Kappa Gamma, Skulls of Seven, SGA
Occupation/Employer: Marketing Manager at ArtFields
Location: Florence, SC
Follow Me On: LinkedIn and Instagram @robertallewellyn
Personal Details: I was a Young Trustee from 2017 to 2019. I live with my fiancé, Mike, in Florence, SC, with our dog, Bootsy. Together, we enjoy backpacking, gardening, and going on any kind of adventure.

Alumni Council Members


Brad Bergeson, ’92 ΔΤΔ
Greek Affiliation/Campus Involvement: Delta Tau Delta, Men’s Tennis Team
Education beyond Westminster: Kansas and Missouri Real Estate Licensed; Working CPM Designation (Certified Property Manager)
Occupation/Employer: Real Estate Manager – CBRE, Inc.
Follow Me On: LinkedIn
Location: Prairie Village, KS
Personal Details: I am married to Brenda and have two Schnoodles, Buddy and Libbie. I enjoy going to our lake house at Lake of the Ozarks, hiking, and visiting new places.

 


Adam Brake, ’16
Pronouns: He/Him
Campus Involvement: Alpha Mu Gamma (Spanish Honor Society) and Interfaith Advisor Board
Education Beyond Westminster: MBA, Grand Canyon University
Location: Douglas, AZ
Follow Me On: LinkedIn
Personal Details: I am the father of two boys (third boy is due in October 2021) and a proud husband of Stephanie. We have two dogs, love life on the U.S./Mexico border, and I work as an administrator of a skilled nursing facility. Through my job, I’m regularly able to work both in the United States and Mexico to improve and expand healthcare to those on either side of the border. I love to trail run and have completed several ultra-marathons in the mountains of Arizona.

 


Steve Kozel, ’75 ΔΤΔ
Pronouns:
He/Him
Greek Affiliation: Delta Tau Delta
Education Beyond Westminster: MS in Biochemistry from the University of California-Riverside, 1977; Pharm.D. from the University of Southern California, 1981; residency in Clinical Pharmacy and Hospital Pharmacy – University of California-San Francisco, 1981-1982; A.Ph. (Advanced Practice Pharmacist), 2018
Occupation/Employer: Retired from UCLA, Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center, Los Angeles, CA
Location: Oak Park, CA (Ventura County)
Personal Details: I am married to Joanne Agua. I enjoy traveling, especially to the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, hiking, biking, snow skiing, horseback riding, gardening, and woodworking. My passions are for evidence-based medicine, therapeutics, the environment, social contract, truth, rule of law, and doing the right thing.

 


Eric Martin, ’05 ΒΘΠ
Pronouns:
He/Him
Greek Affiliation/Campus Involvement: Beta Theta Pi, Football
Education Beyond Westminster: Executive MBA Certificate – Stanford Graduate School of Business
Occupation/Employer: General Manager, Advanced Technology Services
Location: Peoria, IL
Personal Details: I am married to Hayley and have two daughters (Emma and Ellie). I love dogs (Boxers) and currently have Penny Lane. We’ve lived all over the country and even spent two years in the UK. I love to travel, to cook, and most things British.

 


Bailey Mitchell, ’17 ΚΑΘ
Pronouns:
She/Her
Greek Affiliation/Campus Involvement: Kappa Alpha Theta, Women’s Basketball
Education Beyond Westminster: Master of Science in Business Analytics, College of William & Mary
Occupation/Employer: Senior Data and Analytics Consultant, CapTech Consulting
Location: Richmond, VA
Follow Me On: LinkedIn
Personal Details: I’m a former “Townie” who loves hiking, traveling, IPAs, and all things data. Ask me about the next marathon I’m running or the books I’m reading!

 


Larry K. “Kent” Noel II, ’88 ΔΤΔ
Pronouns:
He/Him
Greek Affiliation/Campus Involvement: Delta Tau Delta, Alpha Chi, SGA, Blue Jay Track Team, Student Ambassadors
Education Beyond Westminster: PhD in Educational Psychology and MEd and EdS in Counseling from the University of Missouri
Occupation/Employer: Co-owner of Career-Life Solutions and KKE Holdings in Lee’s Summit, MO
Location: Kansas City, MO
Personal Details: I am married to Karen Noel (CEO of Catholic Charities Kansas City/St. Joseph) and a proud dad to Elizabeth, age 13, who is strongly considering attending Westminster.

 


Michael Ornburn, DO, ’06 ΔΤΔ
Pronouns:
He/Him
Greek Affiliation/Campus Involvement: Delta Tau Delta, Student Foundation, SGA
Education Beyond Westminster: Master of Biomedical Sciences – Midwestern University 2008; Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine – Lincoln Memorial University 2012
Location: LinkedIn and Twitter @mdo_do
Personal Details: I am married to Alarie (Sims) Ornburn (WWU 2006), have two sons, Aidan (WC 2032) and Miles (WC 2036), and two dogs. I keep busy by serving as Cubmaster for my son’s Cub Scout pack, cycling, doing home-improvement projects, and homebrewing beer, which I recently began. I’m grateful for and humbled by the opportunity to give back to our alma mater.

 


Carrie Marie Peecher, DO, ’00 ΔΔΔ
Greek Affiliation:
Delta Delta Delta
Education Beyond Westminster: Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Occupation/Employer: Physician at Department of Veteran Affairs
Location: Camdenton, MO

Not pictured:

  • Matt Greaves, ’10 ΔΤΔ
  • Katherine Humphreys, ’09 ΚΚΓ
  • Steve Humphreys, ’83 ΔΤΔ
  • Tracy Myers, ’94 ΚΚΓ
  • Meredith (Gibbons) Shadwick, ’11 ΚΑΘ
  • Tim Steinbeck, ’82 ΦΔΘ
  • Blake Stonecipher, ’16 ΚΑ

 

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The Westminster College Alumni Council

The Alumni Council serves as the executive committee for the Westminster College Alumni Association and is charged with assisting the College in engaging its alumni.