Southeast Spotlights on Alumni: Spotlights on Alumni, Southeast Missouri State University


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Spotlights on Alumni

Basketball Alumnus Wins off the Court
Terrick Willoughby credits Southeast for his success in every aspect. A native of Biloxi, Miss., and former Redhawks basketball player, Terrick says Southeast taught him a lot about time management and how to prioritize. “With the balance between basketball and academics, it created that motivated work ethic that is needed in order to yield successful results,” he says.

	Alumnus Serving as a U.S. Marshal in the Virgin Islands Brian Biermann of Washington, Mo., shows everyone that hard work, perseverance, and a Southeast education can go a long way in changing your life.

	Southeast Graduate Joins U.S. Marshals When Southeast student Heather West of Jackson, Mo., graduated in May of 2007, she realized her new life had just begun. West, who was a criminal justice major, attended and graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in October of 2007 and is now a Deputy U.S. Marshal in St. Louis.

	A Confirmed Leader Lt. General James T. Conway, a 1969 Southeast graduate, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2006, to become the 34th commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Conway was nominated for the post by President George W. Bush, received promotion to the rank of general and he received his fourth star.

	Pam Owens Pam Owens credits the Harry L. Crisp Bootheel Education Center (CBEC) on the Southeast Missouri State-Malden campus with making a big difference in her life.

	Tim Weddle Tim Weddle, alumnus of Southeast Missouri State University, didn’t exactly audition for a chair in a highly-esteemed orchestra. But he saw an opportunity and chose not to ignore it. As a result, he’s been accepted as an associate member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra and has been invited to audition for a substitute position in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Laura Haug
“I never really know what to expect when I get up in the morning, which is kind of fun for me,” says Southeast alumna Laura Haug. “I never know where the day will take me or who I will get to meet.” Originally from Bonne Terre, Mo., she is currently living in Burbank, Calif., and working in Hollywood as the executive assistant to the vice president of a post production facility.

	Edwin Blanton Edwin Blanton is living in San Antonio, Texas overseeing Ready, Willing…Enable! a nonprofit organization he co-founded with fellow former Peace Corps Volunteer Jennifer Catron. Their goal is to place individuals interested in short-term volunteer assignments overseas in a nine-day program focused on assisting persons with disabilities in the developing world.

	J.D. Tanner and Emily Ressler Southeast alumni J.D. Tanner and Emily Ressler of Denver, Colo., came full circle in their careers as Traveling Trainers for ‘Leave No Trace’ when they came back to Southeast to work with Dr. Tom Holman’s Outdoor Recreation class on the importance of outdoor ethics.

	Melissa Janzow Southeast alumna Melissa Janzow loves to meet a challenge. Last November, she competed in the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 Triathlon, where she and 1,800 other athletes raced for 70.3 miles to the finish line.

	Southeast Grad is "Part of the Solution" for Pontiac Pontiac Performance, a national magazine sent to Pontiac owners, has featured a story about Washington Mo. native and Southeast graduate Dane Huxel. The article, "Part of the Solution," focuses mainly on Dane’s active involvement at Southeast.

	Andrew Canter Transferring from college into the “real world” can be an interesting challenge. Searching for the right job with the right fit can be a long process, but Andrew Canter found success quickly as the new business teacher at Farmington High School.

	Julie Suedmeyer For many high school students, choosing a college can be a difficult decision. But for Southeast alumni Julie Suedmeyer, the decision to attend Southeast was an obvious one. As a Cape Girardeau native, Julie was very familiar with the area, and also with the university. It didn’t take long for Julie to realize Southeast was where she wanted to spend her college years.

	Lindsey Baker Southeast graduate Lindsey Baker drew her career inspiration from an unlikely place – her family’s quilting heritage.

	Emily Wilson Recent Southeast theatre graduate Emily Wilson is packing her bags for New York City and a professional internship with the city’s world-renowned Juilliard School of the arts.

	Paul Leoni Just two days after returning home from advanced individual training for the Army National Guard, Southeast alumnus Paul Leoni got a call asking him to help the 1140th Engineering Battalion with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans. Since then, he has had many experiences he won’t soon forget.

	Jeannine Cinco Southeast Missouri State University alumna Jeannine Cinco began life after college half-way across the world. Jeannine, a native of St. Charles, Mo., graduated in December 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in German and recreation. After graduation, she became the athletic director for the U.S. Naval Base in Juffair, Bahrain.

	Amanda Starman Staying fit and active are two words Southeast alumna Amanda Starman uses in her daily vocabulary. After graduating in May 2004 with a major in recreation and a minor in health promotion, Amanda moved to St. Louis to be the fitness specialist for the Lodge Des Peres.

	Sara Westrich Life after college for Southeast alumna Sara Westrich has not been a typical desk job. After graduating in December 2003, Sara took a job with KPMG, LLP, an accounting firm in St. Louis. Sara is always on the go at KPMG.

	Lindsay Albright Lindsay Albright graduated from Southeast in summer 2005 with a major in public relations (PR) and minors in both marketing and business communication. She completed her degree this summer with an internship at a four-diamond resort, Amelia Island Plantation, an island off the northeast coast of Florida.

Kim Jenne
Working on marketing and advertising campaigns for Anheuser-Busch, Sprint PCS, Miller Brewing Co., the St. Louis Blues and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, Kim Jenne has quickly found success as an account supervisor for Schupp Co. in St. Louis. Joining the firm shortly after her graduation from Southeast in 1998, she now acts as a liaison between her company and her clients.

	Alissa Murphy Southeast alumna, Alissa Murphy, says her dream job is to one day work in marketing and promotions for the St. Louis Cardinals. Alissa is well on her way to realizing this dream with her new job as the event coordinator for the Oakley-Lindsay Civic Center in Quincy, Ill.

	Brent Lewis Baseball fans anxiously file into Philip B. Elfstrom Stadium to cheer on the Kane County Cougars to another victory. Fans line up at the concession stands amidst the smell of freshly cooked hot dogs and nachos. Cheers come from the stadium as the Cougars take the field for their warm up. For Southeast alumnus Brent Lewis, these are the sights and sounds of a typical work day.

	Jeff Kohlberg There couldn’t be a more qualified person to work in Admissions than Southeast graduate student Jeff Kohlberg. Jeff, a St. Louis native, is a graduate assistant in the Office of Admissions. Before starting the Master of Business Administration program, Jeff attended Southeast as an undergraduate student.

	Paul Dobbins The next time you are shopping at Westfield Shoppingtown in Cape Girardeau, Mo., you stand a good chance of running into Southeast alumnus Paul Dobbins. Paul is a Cape Girardeau native and graduated from Southeast in May of 2003 with a degree in management information systems and marketing.

	Heather Meyer Southeast alumnus Heather Meyer began her studies with no particular career in mind. After changing her major several times, she developed a strong interest in communication disorders. Heather now enjoys a successful career as an audiologist. She works at a hospital on the east coast…of New Zealand.

	Abbie Crites-Leoni If you read the local papers or watch the evening news, you most likely know Abbie Crites-Leoni has made significant strides in dismantling drug trafficking in Southeast Missouri. As the Assistant U. S. Attorney, this former Wheatland, Wyo., resident represents the United States in drug trafficking cases in the Eastern District of Missouri.

	Alex Fees The late nights working at The Capaha Arrow to get breaking news out to Southeast students prepared Alex Fees for his career in broadcast journalism. Originally from Union, Mo., Alex has spent the past six years as a free-lance television reporter and producer. Alex is a regular contributor at KSDK, Newschannel 5, the NBC affiliate station in St. Louis.

	Barry Cooper Barry Cooper has a big heart, and Southeast Missouri State holds a special place in it. An alumnus of Southeast, Barry earned a bachelor of science in business administration degree with a major in accounting.

	Dena Shelton First grade teacher and Southeast alumna Dena Shelton recently collaborated with Dr. Julie Ray, Southeast assistant professor of early childhood education, to publish an article in Young Children. The journal is published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and focuses on developments in childhood research, theory and practice.

Ron Unterreiner
Southeast graduate and Design & Construction Services, Inc. President Ron Unterriener takes great pride in solving his clients’ problems—making them feel comfortable and secure during the construction process. He must eliminate hassles for his current customers while generating new clients for his firm. Customer service is vital to his company and is the cornerstone of Unterreiner’s business philosophy.

	Maggie Eisenhart Maggie Eisenhart was a Southeast cheerleader for four years, and even now, her enthusiasm for the University bubbles over when she recalls her experiences. A 1995 Southeast graduate, Maggie is currently a sales representative for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. She says her studies at Southeast prepared her well.

	Scott Huegerich St. Louis Post-Dispatch review of a documentary on the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis touted the film as “both an archival and technical wonder, ready for worldwide consumption . . . this film is one of the greatest gifts to St. Louis since the Gateway Arch.”

Erika Williams
When it comes to success, Southeast alumna Erika Williams means business. Erika graduated from Xavier University in New Orleans, La., with a degree in business administration in 2002. A native of St. Louis, she chose to attend Southeast to complete her MBA in general management. During her two-year enrollment, she worked as a graduate assistant for the Office of University Relations, completed several internships, traveled abroad extensively for work and pleasure and served a term as president of the MBA Association. Now, she is the assistant general manager of the Westfield Shoppingtown in Crestwood, Mo.

Clinton Rice
As a systems architect for SBC, Southeast graduate Clinton Rice leads requirements and design teams in modifying or creating new billing tools. Just imagine trying to match the wishes of marketing with technical feasibility of the system, and trying to maintain high customer service and stay within a budget while you do it. Negotiation, time-management and critical-thinking skills, therefore, are a necessary commodity for his daily duties.

Matt Palmer
Interning at GKN Aerospace in St. Louis during his last semester of college turned into a great job for industrial technology graduate Matt Palmer. Completing the 2+2 program at St. Louis Community College, Matt is a true success story of Southeast’s extended learning experience--an opportunity that allowed him to take all of his classes in St. Louis while earning a Southeast degree.

	Kristine Gruver Taking full advantage of internship opportunities on campus, Kristine Gruver is well prepared for her upcoming career in literary communication. She spent last year interning with University Press, where her tasks included copyediting manuscripts, designing flyers and working on book promotions.

	Kim Holshouser Link Managing the public relations, Web communications and corporate giving for Arch Coal, Kim Link never has a “typical day.” The Southeast graduate’s time can be spent corresponding with news reporters and investors, or she might be assisting the chief executive officer in developing an internal presentation for the company’s 3,600 employees. Each day is different.

	Jennifer Enke Spending time in both the Sports Information and Admissions offices on campus, Southeast alumna Jennifer Enke has leveraged the experiences to find a fulfilling public relations career. Serving as a special events and direct mail manager for Boys & Girls Town of Missouri, she still relies upon the skills learned during her collegiate days.

	Mary Alice Ryan Nationally known for her expertise and innovation in senior housing and services, Southeast alumna Mary Alice Ryan serves as the President/CEO of St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors. Her days are spent strategically positioning the company’s entities for the future, fund raising, coordinating public relations and building a successful team of people who love what they do.

	Andrew Hardesty As a Web developer and programmer for Maritz, Inc., Southeast graduate Andrew Hardesty relies heavily upon the education he received in and out of the classroom at Southeast. After all, it takes the right combination of technical and interpersonal skills to work on teams that design, implement and test high-performance Web applications for Fortune 500 corporations.

	Chris Schoessel (a.k.a. Chris Blair) In September 2003, Chris Schoessel quit his job as a financial planner, sold his house in St. Louis, packed his bags and officially moved to Nashville, Tenn. This Southeast graduate is well on the way to realizing his dream of becoming a successful country-music performer.

	Dr. Jerry Caulder A day at work for Dr. Jerry Caulder could include a board meeting in New Zealand, guest lecturing at a university or researching a new investment opportunity. Claiming “normal” days don’t exist in his life, the 1964 Southeast graduate has been presented a wealth of opportunities since he left Cape Girardeau.

	U.S. Navy Lt. Corey Pritchard On July 23, 2002, U.S. Navy Lt. Corey Pritchard landed his F/A-18E Super Hornet onto the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, marking the aircraft’s maiden voyage. His childhood love affair with flying has quickly evolved into a bright military career where he controls one of the world’s most advanced fighter planes.

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