page 7 | University of Missouri
Two sons got married in 2022. "Love keeping
in touch with AXO sisters!" Email:
lkh929@earthlink.net
Ruth Evans Swanson '74 has been married
for 40 years and has two daughters. She lives
in Rockford, Ill. She and her husband love to
travel and are looking forward to a trip to South
America during winter 2023. Email:
ruth@swanson82.com
Laura Hill Connors '75 retired in January
2022 and has been traveling quite a bit,
including visiting Susan Knowles-Berry '75 in
Vancouver, Wash. She resides in Coral Springs,
Fla. Email: librarian16@aol.com
Joan Zimmermann Ces '78 retired after 30
years in advertising media planning and lives
in Aliso Viejo, Calif. She helps with her family
business. Email: pjmces@cox.net
Mimi Spener Holder '80 retired from
teaching in 2016 after 33 years. She is VP
of communications for Sigma Sigma, the St.
Louis AXO alumnae chapter. She also is an
ambassador for pickleball for the St. Louis
Metro area, helping individuals find places
to play and to grow the sport. She continues
to serve on the Parkway Alumni Association
Board. Email: mholder61@gmail.com
Tracy Clizer Taylor '80 lives in Maysville,
Mo. Her daughter, Rachel Taylor Alkire '10,
lives in Memphis, Tenn., with her husband,
Zachary. Her son, Mason (Ag Rho), married
Kelsey Oakley '18 on July 10, 2021, and they
live in Birmingham, Ala. Email: ttaylormu@
gmail.com
Mary Margaret Manson Hillenbrand '82
has been married for over 20 years and lives in
Indianapolis, Ind. She and her husband have
two students in college at IU. Mary Margaret
enjoyed many years in the fashion and cosmetic
industries, but shares that she loved many
more years as a wife, stay-at-home mom
and stylist for Etcetera clothing. Email:
mmhillenbrand@gmail.com
Michelle Hummel Atkins '83 lives in
Roanoke, Va., and stays busy hiking in the Blue
Ridge Mountains. Email: sateachr@gmail.com
Abby Courtney '84 lives in Boonville, Mo., and
her daughter, Lily Terrell '21, is an Alpha Chi at
Mizzou! Email: abbycourtney1@gmail.com
Jeannie Cochrane Hampton '84 retired from
Northrop Grumman. She volunteers at the
Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in
Colorado Springs, Colo. Email: jhamp828@aol.
com
Laura Craska Cooper '85 lives in Prineville,
Ore., with her husband, children, two dogs, four
chickens, two cockatiels and four parakeets.
She still practices real estate and land-use law.
Laura serves on the governing board of the local
housing authority and local community college.
Email: lcooper@brixlaw.com
Lucinda Perry Jones '85 earned a Doctor of
Education in organizational leadership from
UMass Global. She lives in Saint Louis, Mo.,
and founded a consulting company in 2021.
Accelerate Change works with mission-driven
organizations to build capacity for leadership,
strategy and change management. Email:
luciperry@yahoo.com
Krystin Nichols Cooper '87 has been back
in Columbia, Mo., and working at University
Hospital for 10 years. She and her partner,
Andrew, have four boys between them—one
Navy, one Coast Guard, one in dental school
and one a senior at Battle High in Columbia.
Email: krystin9846@gmail.com
Karen Bonin Hsu '87 moved from San Diego
to her historic dream home in Boonville, Mo.
She shares it's a beautiful place for an overnight
excursion. Email: karen@mybenefitscoachintl.com
Karen Brodrick Hattan '89 is an interior
designer in Nashville, Tenn. "Y'all come see
me!" Email: kbhattan@edge.net
Cynthia Harriman Scheer '89 served as the
agenda chairman for the Aicardi Syndrome
National Conference 2022. She has served on
the committee for the past three conferences.
Her daughter, Claire, has Aicardi syndrome.
Ellie Scheer '17, her oldest, graduated
from Mizzou in December 2021. Email:
cjoscheer9904@gmail.com
Nancy Gruetze Yaeger '92 is excited to
announce that her store, Fleet Feet Columbia,
has moved to a larger location, 10 W.
Nifong Blvd. Ste 113, Columbia. Nancy
lives in Rocheport, Mo. Email: nancy@
fleetfeetcolumbiamo.com
Katy Gondring Ferry '98 was married
September 12, 2020, to Mark and welcomed a
baby boy on December 13, 2020. They make
their home in Overland Park, Kan. Email:
kgondring@gmail.com
Jamie Jenkins Davis '02 welcomed baby boy
No. 3 to her family on July 24, 2021. She lives
in Peoria, Ill. Email: jamiel.jenkins@gmail.com
Renee Biernbaum '03 is chronically ill and
on disability and home health. She has had 12
surgeries, multiple procedures and infusions, but
there are no cures. She lives in Chesterfield, Mo.,
and loves healthy vaccinated visitors when she is
up to it. She appreciates encouraging words and
helpful connections and would love to reconnect
with those sisters with whom she is no longer in
touch. Email: renee@biembaum.com
Kelly Stein '05 was promoted to director at
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. She and her
boyfriend traveled Europe for a month in May
2022 and he proposed in Paris! They are in the
process of planning a small wedding in Hawaii
in April or May 2023. Kelly resides in Ballwin,
Mo. Email: kels586@hotmail.com
Alisha Novinger Ehrich '06 works as a RN at
her local health department in Laclede, Mo. She
has two sons and had a baby girl in July 2020.
Email: alishaehrich88@hotmail.com
Kathleen Heermann Jekel '06 lives in Kansas
City, Mo., and spends her time raising two very
busy boys. They enjoyed a summer full of t-ball
games, karate, lake trips and spending time with
family. Email: kathleen.jekel@gmail.com
Juana Summers Markland '07 is a co-host
of NPR's All Things Considered, NPR's
flagship evening news magazine, and the daily
news podcast, Consider This. Carried by 825
public radio stations nationwide, All Things
Considered is the most listened to afternoon
drive-time news radio program in the country.
She and four others rotate through host duties
across both shows. She lives in Baltimore, Md.
Email: juana.summers@gmail.com
Merry Lucas Schmitt '07 is president of the
Junior League of Minneapolis for 2022-24.
She lives in Plymouth, Minn. Email: schmitt.
merry@gmail.com
Carrie Dent Gonzalez '07 married Eric in
2020 and celebrated with friends, family and
Alpha Chi sisters in August 2021. Carrie
and Eric live in Albuquerque, N.M., where
she volunteers as a ritual specialist and ritual
advisor with the AXO chapter at the University
of New Mexico. Email: carriej.dent@gmail.com
Emily Miller Johnson '08 lives in Saint
Charles, Mo., and is the manager of the Dallas
Heart Center at the SSM Health Cardinal
Glennon Children's Hospital. She has 2-year-
old twins, Micah and Nash, and a golden
retriever. Email: emily.miller617@yahoo.com
Riley Danielle Cilley-Taylor '09 lives in
Scottsdale, Ariz., and is married. She has sons
who are 4 and 2 and she's expecting a third boy
in November. Email: rileycilley@gmail.com
Alison Schenkelberg '09, of Kansas City, Mo.,
married Dan Portnoy on October 22, 2022, and
honeymooned for 10 days in Ireland! Email:
aeschenkelberg@gmail.com
Katherine Birkenbeuel '12 volunteers with
the AXO chapter at Loyola University Chicago
as the philanthropy advisor. She completed her
social impact MBA at Loyola in May 2022.
Email: katbirkenbeuel@gmail.com
Taylor Decker '12 was admitted to the
University of Kentucky Doctorate of Social
Work program. She lives in Ballwin, Mo.
Email: taylorodecker@gmail.com
Meredith Caldwell '13 is a pediatric nurse
at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at
Vanderbilt University Medical Center in
Nashville, Tenn. Email: meredithpaige2@
gmail.com
Krista Biggar '16 graduated in May 2020
with degrees in journalism and Spanish. She's
pursuing a master's degree of fine arts in
cinematography and film/video production at
Lindenwood University. Email:
krista.bigger@gmail.com
Emily Wind '16 worked for Alpha Chi Omega
headquarters for two years and was part of the
team to establish the Gamma Sigma Chapter
at the University of Rhode Island. She moved
back to St. Louis to work at Washington
University and lives in Chesterfield. Email:
emilyawind@gmail.com
Amy Snow Lowe '17 lives in Auburn, Ala.,
where her husband is in vet school. She works
as a paralegal and teaches dance for ages 17-18.
Email: amynlowe12@gmail.com
Natalie Kay '18, of Glen Ellyn, Ill., is starting
law school at Washington University in St.
Louis. Email: nataliekay0807@gmail.com
