Steve Bernstein
Ben Bluml
Melissa Robinson
Angie Salmon
Tracy Stevens, M.D.
Michele Wimes
Jean-Paul Chaurand
Peggy Dunn
Brett Ferguson, D.D.S.
James Jordan
Michele Kilo, M.D.
Joe Seabrooks, Ph.D.
“I chose UMKC because I'd been away from Kansas City (pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona); I wanted to reconnect to the community, and UMKC is one of the best ways to connect to the city. It's a gem in the heart of the metro that is such an important part of the city's economy and culture. I've built lifelong relationships through UMKC, and it has helped form the person I am today.”
Bernstein’s passion for Kansas City is evident in his generous service to numerous area organizations, including:
Bernstein currently serves as a UMKC Trustees Board Member, after serving in various capacities for the university:
“I chose UMKC because I'd been away from Kansas City (pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona); I wanted to reconnect to the community, and UMKC is one of the best ways to connect to the city. It's a gem in the heart of the metro that is such an important part of the city's economy and culture. I've built lifelong relationships through UMKC, and it has helped form the person I am today.”
“My time at UMKC was a challenging educational experience that created a coordinated sense of determination and confidence. I was very excited about graduating and getting into practice so that I could use my professional knowledge to take care of patients. I am so grateful for the opportunities that have unfolded along the way for me to contribute to my profession and improving health care delivery.”
Although his job is in Washington, D.C., Bluml’s heart is in Kansas City — and he shows it by making a regular commute to the east coast for work. “I’m not exactly bi–coastal,” he says, but he doesn’t mind racking up frequent flyer miles if it means staying in the city he considers home.
Bluml believes that lifelong learning is one of the most critical components in achieving sustained professional success; he is a member of the UMKC School of Pharmacy Dean’s Advisory Council and as adjunct faculty teaches Medical and Medication Error Evaluation and Management at the school.
“My time at UMKC was a challenging educational experience that created a coordinated sense of determination and confidence. I was very excited about graduating and getting into practice so that I could use my professional knowledge to take care of patients. I am so grateful for the opportunities that have unfolded along the way for me to contribute to my profession and improving health care delivery.”
“UMKC added a dimension of resilience and confidence in my ability to tackle any work challenge or obstacle. The challenging curriculum prepared me for excellence in my career. As a result, I have become the youngest president the Black Health Care Coalition has ever had.”
Robinson is deeply dedicated to the health of Kansas City, devoting her time and expertise to several health–related organizations, including:
Robinson has shown her dedication to UMKC by serving on the university's Women's Center Advisory Board and Nursing Council for Diversity.
“UMKC added a dimension of resilience and confidence in my ability to tackle any work challenge or obstacle. The challenging curriculum prepared me for excellence in my career. As a result, I have become the youngest president the Black Health Care Coalition has ever had.”
“If not for UMKC Career Services and a Bloch School internship, I would not have been exposed to the wealth of amazing companies in Kansas City. Plus, I met not only my husband, but many lifelong friends during my time as an undergrad. UMKC didn’t just provide a great education for me — it put me on a personal and professional path that has affected the rest of my life. It’s been a great ride!”
Salmon has put her passion for athletics to work as a volunteer for Special Olympics Track and Field and for the Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City sports clinics. In addition, she has served on the Advisory Councils for Kansas City Guns N Hoses and Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment Fund (SAFE).
Maintaining her ties to athletics and to UMKC, Salmon has served as volunteer assistant coach for the UMKC volleyball team and as a Bloch School Alumni Association Board Member.
“If not for UMKC Career Services and a Bloch School internship, I would not have been exposed to the wealth of amazing companies in Kansas City. Plus, I met not only my husband, but many lifelong friends during my time as an undergrad. UMKC didn’t just provide a great education for me — it put me on a personal and professional path that has affected the rest of my life. It’s been a great ride!”
“Traditional medical programs typically involve long, boring hours of reading, but UMKC’s program offers early clinical exposure and a real emphasis on personal skills along with classroom learning. You can know the book backwards and forwards, but you can’t be a good doctor if you can’t relate to a patient.”
Stevens is former president of the American Heart Association’s Greater Kansas City Division. She is currently the Medical Director of the Saint Luke’s Muriel I. Kauffman Women’s Heart Center, recognized as the first women’s heart center of its kind in the United States. Dr. Stevens helped facilitate the visit of former First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush, to Kansas City to promote the efforts of the Heart Truth Campaign.
Stevens completed the four-year medical program and her residency in internal medicine at UMKC’s Medical School. She is now a Professor of Internal Medicine at the UMKC School of Medicine. “I love the exposure to students, residents, and fellows,” she says, and adds that both studying and teaching at UMKC offer a great base for establishing a career in Kansas City.
“Traditional medical programs typically involve long, boring hours of reading, but UMKC’s program offers early clinical exposure and a real emphasis on personal skills along with classroom learning. You can know the book backwards and forwards, but you can’t be a good doctor if you can’t relate to a patient.”
“When I decided to major in Spanish at UMKC, it was not a popular thing to do. But I’m so glad I followed my heart. Becoming multilingual has opened doors for me and taken me places I never would have dreamed I’d go, and Dr. Rafael Espejo–Saavedra, the former Chair of the Spanish Language Department at UMKC, has remained my personal mentor.”
Wimes has a strong belief in service and has helped make Kansas City stronger by volunteering her time and expertise in various civic endeavors. In addition to serving on the boards of local alternative, charter, and private schools, she has served as founding president and board member of The Dove Center, a domestic violence prevention education center for Kansas City’s teen girls and as an interpreter for Hispanic participants attending health and career fairs hosted by local battered women’s shelters. She has also chaired several local events to raise money to fight cancer.
“No matter where I have lived or traveled or how long I’ve been gone, the threads of my professional networks have consistently led me back to UMKC,” says Wimes, who continues her engagement with the university through many avenues of service, including:
“When I decided to major in Spanish at UMKC, it was not a popular thing to do. But I’m so glad I followed my heart. Becoming multilingual has opened doors for me and taken me places I never would have dreamed I’d go, and Dr. Rafael Espejo–Saavedra, the former Chair of the Spanish Language Department at UMKC, has remained my personal mentor.”
“UMKC has truly embraced our culture, and we should applaud the university for these accomplishments. Members of the Hispanic community should support the university at every opportunity.”
Appointed by Kansas City Mayor Sly James, Chaurand is the president of the Kansas City Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners. Before joining Guadalupe Centers, Chaurand served as the senior vice president for community investment at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.
As a proud member of the Hispanic community, Chaurand shows his commitment to UMKC by serving on the UMKC Hispanic Advisory Board and the Bloch School Executive Education Advisory Board. He was the featured speaker at UMKC’s Agapito Mendoza Scholarship Breakfast in March 2013.
“UMKC has truly embraced our culture, and we should applaud the university for these accomplishments. Members of the Hispanic community should support the university at every opportunity.”
“Choosing UMKC was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only did I receive a great education from caring professors who provided lots of personal attention, but I also developed into a lover of life–long learning. In addition, many of the friends that I made there are still friends, even to this day. I would highly recommend UMKC to anyone desiring an enriching college experience.”
Dunn supports Kansas City by lending her expertise to a variety of Kansas City metro organizations:
Dunn is a co-chair of this year’s UMKC 80th Anniversary celebration and a senior fellow at the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management’s Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership. Along with her husband, Terry, she served as co-chair of the successful 2004 UMKC fundraising campaign.
“Choosing UMKC was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only did I receive a great education from caring professors who provided lots of personal attention, but I also developed into a lover of life–long learning. In addition, many of the friends that I made there are still friends, even to this day. I would highly recommend UMKC to anyone desiring an enriching college experience.”
“UMKC afforded me the opportunity to enter into academics; really, it’s shaped my whole life in that way, because I’ve dedicated my life to academics. What started with a UMKC summer program became a lifelong career for me.”
Born in Kansas City, Ferguson remains committed to his hometown through volunteer service to a number of Kansas City organizations, including the American Red Cross and Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey. In addition, he delivers presentations on dentistry and oral surgery careers to Southeast Health Magnet Schools.
Ferguson currently serves as the department chair and program director for the UMKC School of Medicine’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency program and as chair of the Rinehart Foundation, the endowment of UMKC School of Dentistry.
“UMKC afforded me the opportunity to enter into academics; really, it’s shaped my whole life in that way, because I’ve dedicated my life to academics. What started with a UMKC summer program became a lifelong career for me.”
“I grew both personally and professionally at UMKC, as a student, guest teacher, choreographer and alumni volunteer. Whether I was choreographer, staging a ballet, or steering a challenging situation back onto an artistic path, I found that I’m best at keeping art on track. UMKC gave me the opportunity to wear many hats for one goal.”
When ballet legend Todd Bolender put his first Kansas City dance company together in 1981, he brought some of his best from the North Carolina School of the Arts, and James Jordan was one of them. Jordan has performed numerous principal roles with the Kansas City Ballet and returned to Kansas City after several years of performing around the country to become Kansas City’s ballet master.
Jordan serves as president of the UMKC Conservatory’s Alumni Association board of directors. In addition, he has been a guest teacher and choreographer. He has been instrumental in getting UMKC dancers on stage with the Kansas City Ballet every year for over a decade in such productions as The Nutcracker, Firebird and Romeo and Juliet.
“I grew both personally and professionally at UMKC, as a student, guest teacher, choreographer and alumni volunteer. Whether I was choreographer, staging a ballet, or steering a challenging situation back onto an artistic path, I found that I’m best at keeping art on track. UMKC gave me the opportunity to wear many hats for one goal.”
“It is well known that I am eternally grateful for the opportunities afforded me in my education and resulting career at Children’s Mercy — all because of my attending the UMKC School of Medicine. I have sustained a deep loyalty to UMKC and the School of Medicine for the experience of a lifetime and for helping to keep me here in Kansas City, a town that I love dearly and enthusiastically call home!”
Kilo has served her city and region on the Missouri Autism Commission, as appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon, and on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Board.
In addition to positions as division director of developmental and behavioral sciences and associate professor of pediatrics at the UMKC School of Medicine, Kilo has served in volunteer positions for the School of Medicine Alumni Association, the School of Medicine’s Board of Visitors and the Medical School Advisory Council.
“It is well known that I am eternally grateful for the opportunities afforded me in my education and resulting career at Children’s Mercy — all because of my attending the UMKC School of Medicine. I have sustained a deep loyalty to UMKC and the School of Medicine for the experience of a lifetime and for helping to keep me here in Kansas City, a town that I love dearly and enthusiastically call home!”
“As a student, I found UMKC to be a safe space and place to think critically about the world we live in. As a professional, I learned at UMKC how to lead and to be accountable. I am forever grateful to the countless number of faculty, administrators, staff, and students, past and present, who have played a role in my growth and development as a professional and a person.”
After a stint as assistant vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Arkansas, Seabrooks returned to Kansas City in August 2007 and was named president of the Blue River campus of the Metropolitan Community College. He is now president of Metropolitan Community College–Penn Valley.
Seabrooks has served UMKC as assistant director for Alumni and Constituent Relations, director of Minority Student Affairs and executive director for the Diversity in Action Office, and as a faculty member. He remains an advisor for the UMKC Alumni Multicultural and Community Affairs committee.
“As a student, I found UMKC to be a safe space and place to think critically about the world we live in. As a professional, I learned at UMKC how to lead and to be accountable. I am forever grateful to the countless number of faculty, administrators, staff, and students, past and present, who have played a role in my growth and development as a professional and a person.”
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