Meet the Staff
Association staff are available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to
assist you with any questions you might have regarding your membership. Click on the links below to see photos and bios of each staff member.
Association President
Administration
Adams Alumni Center
Alumni Programs
Communications
Finance
Records
Special Events
| Association President | [Back to Top] | ||
|
|||
| Kevin, c'88, a Norman, Okla., native, has spent his entire career working in the alumni and development profession at four different universities (the University of Oklahoma, the University of Georgia,
Western State College, and KU--twice!). Kevin joined the Association from the KU Endowment Association where he served as its Senior Vice President for Development and Secretary to the Board of Trustees. His wife, Jill,
c'88, is a native of Omaha, and they have two sons who are sports fanatics. |
|||
| Administration Department | [Back to Top] | ||
|
|
||
| When not counting beans or squeezing blood from turnips, he enjoys spending time with his wife, the incomparable Lisa, and daughter, Camille, a continual whirlwind of motion, questions, scissors and glue. | Marcia has been an indispensable part of the Association's team for more than eight years, working as an office assistant, mailroom attendant and inventory control specialist. Marcia and her husband,
Steve, have two daughters |
||
|
|||
| Kerri joined the Association in 1994. She works with members of the senior staff and administers the ever-popular Jayhawk license plate program. Kerri is married with two children, Allyson and Mason. Her main hobby outside of work is reading. | |||
| Adams Alumni Center | [Back to Top] | ||
|
|
||
| Tim Brandt, b'74, helps keep the Adams Alumni Center running smoothly. He comes to the Association by way of Wichita with wife, Debra. When he's not welcoming the more than 25,000 alumni that visit the center each year, he is continuing to add to his watch collection or toiling in his yard. | Bryan has been with the Association since 1986. You may usually find Bryan poking around in his herb garden or turning brats on the Weber. | ||
| Alumni Programs | [Back to Top] | ||
|
|
||
| Jennifer Alderdice, g’99, is the Association’s director of student programs. Jennifer has worked at the Alumni Association since 1996. She advises the Student Alumni Association, plans events for students, and coordinates the student membership program known as Tradition Keepers. She is also an advisor to a number of student organizations at KU including the Homecoming Steering Committee, Lambda Sigma Sophomore Honor Society, Chi Omega, and the Volleyball Club. | Sarah Blaney manages one of the Association's oldest traditions, the Kansas Honors Program. When she's not juggling the millions of tiny details that go into each event, you'll find this U-Conn grad spoiling newly acquired Anzac, an Australian Sheppard and the self-described "love of her life." | ||
 Michael W. Davis Senior Vice President for Alumni Programs |
|
||
| Michael Davis received his B.S. in Education from the University of Kansas in 1984, and his M.S. in Higher Education from KU in 1991. Mike and his wife Karyn, a Lawrence native and 1986 graduate of KU's School of Business, have been married for 21 years. They have four children- Kyle, 15; Megan, 12; Katie, 9; and Hannah, 6. Mike, a Colorado native, is an avid mountain biker, skier, runner, and plays ice hockey. He also enjoys spending time with his family and reading. | Danny Lewis joined the Association after graduating from KU in 2004 with a degree in Sports Management. A certified "sports junky," Danny grew up playing football with his twin brother. As a Jayhawk, he played for KU and competed in the 2003 Tangerine Bowl. His favorite activity usually includes water, boating and floating. He currently has no pets, though his brother and a couple of friends are close enough! | ||
 Jill Simpson Miller Director of Kansas City Programs |
 David Ochoa Member Relations Coordinator |
||
| Jill Simpson Miller, d'01, conducts alumni events locally, regionally, and nationally to strengthen the relationships between alumni and the university. In Jill's spare time you might find her on the golf course, walking her boxer Ali, or reading a good book. |
David Ochoa is the Coordinator for Member Relations for the KU Alumni Association. A native of Houston Texas, David earned his B.S in Journalism 2006 and will complete his M.S in Education in December. David was a member of the KU Football team; a two-time captain, three-year starter and All Big XII Offensive Lineman. He enjoys reading, working on cars, listening and playing music, and spending time with family and friends. |
||
 Heath Peterson Director of Kansas Programs |
Jamie Winkelman Assistant Director for Alumni Programs |
||
| Heath Peterson, d'04, conducts alumni events across the state of Kansas focusing on chapter activities that serve the needs of KU, the Kansas Honors Program, and keeping alumni and friends of the University connected to KU. In his spare time, you can find Heath at the fitness center pumping iron, spending time with his wife, Carrie, their son Beau, and their ferocious Toy Poodle, Bruiser, or trying not to embarrass himself on the golf course. |
Jamie Winkelman, b'05, recently graduated with a degree in business administration and joined the Association as coordinator for alumni programs, including chapters and Flying Jayhawks. Jamie, a Wichita native, joined two sisters among their family's third generation of Jayhawks when she transferred here from Baylor University in 2003. Her interests include sports, decorating her new house and spending time with family. | ||
| Communications Department | [Back to Top] | ||
 Steven Hill Associate Editor, Kansas Alumni magazine |
 Chris Lazzarino Associate Editor, Kansas Alumni magazine |
||
| Steven Hill graduated from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and holds a master's degree from Columbia University. He has written for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Chicago Tribune, Field & Stream and other publications. He enjoys cycling and hunting (not at the same time) and spending time with his wife, Mary, and their two young children. | Chris Lazzarino, j'86, grew up in Lawrence and studied journalism on Mount Oread. After walking down the Hill he kept on going, all the way to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he worked as a newspaper sportswriter until 1994. He returned to Lawrence and joined the Alumni Association as staff writer in 1995. | ||
 Staff Writer Katie Moyer |
|
||
| Jennifer Sanner, j'81, oversees print and online publications. She began her career at the Association in 1984 as staff writer and became editor of Kansas Alumni magazine the following year. Outside her KU life, she devotes time to arts organizations and juvenile court services that assist children in foster care. She and her husband, Robert, b'80, have three children; their eldest will be a KU freshman and third-generation Jayhawk in fall 2005. | |||
|
 Michael Wick Webmaster |
||
| Valerie Spicher, j'94, designs a variety of publications for the Association, including brochures, booklets, posters, invitations, banners and anything you would want to put a Jayhawk on. In her spare time, you can see her walking her two foo-foo dogs (Papillons) around town. | Michael Wick, l'82. Michael is married to Lisa with two children, Emmett and Travis. | ||
|
|
|||
| Susan Younger, f'91, designs Kansas Alumni magazine, the Association's marketing efforts, and supervises publications. When she can pull herself away from work, she spends time in her ceramics studio, obsesses over her garden, and nurtures an assortment of feathered and furry creatures, including a husband Jerry, e'86, g'92, and two sons. | |||
| Finance Department | [Back to Top] | ||
|
|
||
| When not counting beans or squeezing blood from turnips, he enjoys spending time with his wife, the incomparable Lisa, and daughter, Camille, a continual whirlwind of motion, questions, scissors and glue. | Originally from Erie, Kansas, Karen Whipple, c'92, has been an accountant at the Association for several years and before that spent 22 years employed
at KU. Her husband, Don, is an architect with the department of design & construction management at KU. In her spare time, she is an avid flower gardener and
photographer. |
||
| Records Department | [Back to Top] | ||
 Bill Green Senior Vice President for Information Services |
|
||
Julie Hedges joined the Association's staff in 2003. Away from work, she enjoys spending time with her "kids," a cat named
Parker and a bird named Cameron. She also likes going on walks and watching KU basketball. |
|||
|
|
||
| With a record 40 years on staff, Betty is revered as the employee with the most association experience. She devotes her time to membership records and updating files. Betty never sits still; just a few of her hobbies include crafts, crocheting, knitting, jam-making and taking care of her menagerie of much-loved pets! In her quieter moments she spends time going to the Franklin County Sale Barn with her husband Ronnie. | Linda McCaffrey, d'85, has worked for the Association's records department for more than nine years. In her spare time, she loves to exercise and travel. Her favorite destinations include Boston, Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod. | ||
|
|
||
| Helen Meseraull, d'66, taught junior high math for nine years before working in her husband's printing business. Helen and her husband Steve, have three grown children and one young grandson. In her spare time, she enjoys working in her vegetable garden and helping her husband with his new business, Steve's Place, a reception hall. | Kim commutes to Lawrence from Leavenworth county, where she keeps a variety of livestock. Any spare time she has is devoted to her flowerbeds and playing with her three children. | ||
 Stefanie Shackelford Vice President for Alumni and Membership Records |
 Colleen Winner Records Specialist and Finance Assistant |
||
| Stefanie has worked in the Association's records department since 1989. Her time away from work is spent taxiing her three sons around to numerous practices and games. When she isn't behind the wheel, she likes to go biking and jogging. | Colleen has worked for the association's records department since 1997, also lending her skills to the finance department. Colleen and her husband of 38 years have two children and one grandson. Any free time is spent with her grandson and with the family horses! | ||
| Special Events Department | [Back to Top] | ||
|
 Christine Lester Assistant Director for Special Events |
||
| Lora oversees the Association's awards programs, the annual Rock Chalk Ball, and other special events hosted by the Association throughout the year. She also works on the Association's merchandise program. Lora enjoys spending her free time with husband, Craig, j'91, and their three young children. The Stoppels' favorite vacation destination is among the pines of the Colorado Rockies. | Christine is one of two U-Conn grads at the Association. With degrees in psychology and criminal justice, she is adeptly suited for handling her hubby Sean, her baby son and two dogs (thankfully, not Huskies). At the Association, she has quickly adopted the Jayhawk mascot and used her analytical skills for good. She regularly deciphers the Rock Chalk Ball’s details and helps organize a myriad of other Association events. | ||
