In honor of homecoming and the theme “Once a Mule, Always a Mule,” the Muleskinner staff reached out to alumni to see where they are now and what they are up to.
Samantha Duane – B.A. in English, creative writing minor, 2011
Samantha Duane is an English teacher at Warrensburg High School in Warrensburg, Missouri, where she teaches junior-level English courses along with sophomore honors course and various electives to upperclassmen. She also sponsors the Creative Writing Club.
She was in The Honors College at UCM and worked as The Honors College’s student assistant and editor of the newsletter, “Honorably Speaking.”
Duane returned to UCM to advance her degree and graduated in 2015 with a master’s degree in teaching.
She is married to UCM alumnus T.J. Duane who graduated in 2011 and teaches AP English courses at Knob Noster High School in Knob Noster, Missouri.
Rachel Finnell – B.S.B.A. in economics, political science minor, 2015

Rachel Finnell is a graduate teaching assistant in the political science department at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.
Finnell is working toward her doctorate degree at KU. As a Ph.D. student, her primary research area is authoritarian regimes during the post-Cold War era, the institutions within those regimes and the competitiveness in the elections within those regimes. She also researches the South China Sea. She said she plans on completing her Ph.D. in May 2020 and then plans to teach at a university.
At UCM, Finnell was in The Honors College, the Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society and the Kelta Epsilon Iota Honors Society.
Tanvi Gawde – Occupational safety and health, 2013
Tanvi Gawde is a consulting analyst at Cerner in Kansas City, Missouri.
As a consulting analyst, Gawde deals with quality reporting for health care programs.
While at UCM, she was involved with the International Center. She was an alumni ambassador, an international student ambassador and a community advisor at Bradshaw Hall.
Gawde, who is from India, said as an international student she was appreciative of the welcoming nature of the UCM campus community and said it made a difference for her in her career.
“UCM made me feel like I was at home because I was new to the country at the time,” she said. “UCM was very encouraging and all the professors, faculty and staff just made us feel like we belonged. They were very supportive of my career and my overall growth.
“I can’t thank UCM enough. I couldn’t imagine going to school anywhere else.”
Kimberly Hester – B.S. in Speech Communication, 2009

Kimberly Hester is a teacher at Normandy High School in St. Louis.
Hester said her goal is to continue her education and become a school administrator.
As a student at UCM, Hester was the president of Delta Sigma Theta, vice president of NPHC and a McNair Scholar. She was also a senator in the Student Government Association and worked in athletic promotions.
She said she remembers running for homecoming and her involvement in Africana Studies.
“Dr. Gillis challenged me to never give up and it’s those values that I hold true today. As a result of her strong beliefs, I work hard to teach students to persevere despite obstacles and to turn their oppositions into opportunities,” Hester said.
Mary Hoelscher – B.S. in biology, minor in chemistry, 1989
Mary Hoelscher is a senior advisor for planning and evaluation in the Office of Science for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hoelscher is a program manager for the CDC. Her office is responsible for promoting standards and recommended practices for scientific quality, relevance, credibility and transparency within the agency and throughout the public health community. Prior to this, she spent 15 years with the Influenza Division where she designed pandemic influenza vaccines and then developed a reagent distribution program that supported 120 countries to support global respiratory disease surveillance and research. She started in the Hematologic Disease Branch at the CDC where she identified genetic sequences in specific populations that could possibly predispose people to specific bleeding disorders. She has over 30 publications in peer reviewed journals and one patent.
In addition to her career, she is active in the community for environmental and political issues and is an active biker, runner and triathlete.
Hoelscher is married and has two kids. She said her daughter is pursuing an acting career as a preteen and her son is a tennis player and she spends her free time supporting them and their activities.
She said she was the first person in her family to attend and graduate from college. Her three younger brothers also attended CMSU and all three graduated. In 1991, Mike Hoelscher died shortly after graduating from CMSU in a car accident. In his honor, her parents set up a college scholarship at Warrenton High School that ran for 10 years and supported high school graduates headed to CMSU.
Hoelscher said she remembers the support she received from the professors she had while at the university.
“The professors in the biology department were excellent and very supportive in seeing the students succeed,” she said. “Dr. Hess was one of the professors who helped define my career path.”
Heather Lynch Hoflander – Secondary English education/journalism, 1993

Heather Lynch Hoflander is a communications specialist at West Central Electric Cooperative in Higginsville, Missouri. She is the local coordinator and presenter for the CHOICES Program and is a member of multiple committees with the Higginsville Chamber of Commerce. She is involved with Central Christian Church in Higginsville as a committee member and as a Sunday school teacher. She is also a board member and the director of the Miss Higginsville Country Fair Pageant.
While at CMSU, Hoflander worked with the Muleskinner as the sports editor, features editor and as a staff photographer. She was the historian for the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society and was involved in the David L. Eshelman Chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society in journalism and mass communication.
She served as a Mule Pursuer Ambassador for the Mules football team and was a session presenter and announcer for the annual CMSU High School Journalism Day.
Hoflander takes time to watch her daughter compete in gymnastics and volleyball and maintains photography as a hobby.
Shauntel Lyons – B.S. history, M.A. teaching
Shauntel Lyons is a small-business owner and said she’s owned her own business for almost seven years.

“My memories of my time at UCM are nothing but positive,” Lyons said. “I was a Mulekicker there and my high school sweetheart, now husband, played football there while he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
“I loved UCM for how safe I felt, how closely connected the campus and community were and for how much the teachers and staff cared for the success of their students. I never felt alone. Going to college can sometimes be a scary and overwhelming new chapter in life for a young adult, but I experienced great things and have nothing but wonderful and positive memories from my days at UCM. I’m so grateful for all of the life skills I learned while I was there along with my degrees.”
Andrew Mather – B.S. in photography, 2012, M.A. in mass communication, 2015
Andrew Mather is a photographer for the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Missouri.
Mather also works as a freelance photographer specializing in NFL and college sports photography, concert photography and photojournalism. He runs the KCConcerts.net website, which covers concerts in the Kansas City area.
As a student, Mather was in the UCM Photo Society.
“UCM was like a second home to me,” he said. “Always great to see friends every day, professors that would pass on their knowledge to you. Loved late nights at the Rec Center playing dodgeball, maybe a little more intensely than we should have.”
Michael Pantleo
Michael Pantleo is the director of The Career & Technology Center for the Fort Osage School District.
Pantleo is in his 27^th year as a Career & Technology educator, five as a teacher and 22 as an administrator. He’s also an adjunct instructor at UCM in the School of Professional Education and Leadership.
In fall 2019, Pantleo will enter the UCM to Murray State University doctoral bridge program.
Pantleo received his B.S., M.S. and Ed.S degrees from UCM/CMSU. As a student, he was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity and participated in intramural sports through the fraternity.
Matthew Pedersen – B.F.A. in theatre technology, 2011
Matthew Pedersen is a professor of costume design at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and works as the visiting guest artist in costume design at the Stephens College Conservatory.
After graduating from UCM, Pedersen received his MFA in costume design from Florida State University. He’s worked for several companies including The Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Steppenwolf Theatre, ESPN and Netflix.
Pedersen has also worked on Broadway as an assistant designer for major productions such as “Aladdin,” “The Book of Mormon,” and “Natasha Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.”
As a student at UCM, Pedersen was involved in theatre, the University Concert Choir and Theta Alpha Phi.
Adrian Singletary – B.S. in education, 2009
Adrian Singletary is the assistant principal and athletic director in the Park Hill School District in Kansas City, Missouri

In addition to his career in the Park Hill School District, Singletary said he is married and is raising his two children. He is active in his church and the community. He said he is currently working toward a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies.
While a student at UCM, he was a member of the Mules football team.
“Warrensburg holds a special place in my heart,” he said. “It was where I learned many valuable life lessons and met more lifelong friends. I was able to achieve the goals I set out to accomplish and set me on a trajectory for success in my career. I appreciate the opportunity that was afforded to me and the memories I will have for a lifetime.”
Stormy Taylor – B.S. sociology, 1998; M.S. in sociology, 2000
Stormy Taylor is the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County in Warrensburg, Missouri, a role she has maintained since July 2000.

“It has been an honor and pleasure to work with families throughout our community. Watching children grow and be empowered through your work is very rewarding,” Taylor said. “At Big Brothers Big Sisters, we work with youth through mentoring relationships to give them the skills to better themselves. I love when children I matched with a volunteer 15 years ago come to visit and tell me how they realize how impactful their Big Brother or Big Sister was in their life, especially now that they are an adult.”
On Jan. 1, 2019, she will become the recorder of deeds in Johnson County.
“I have a love for this community and am looking forward to serving our citizens at the courthouse as an elected official.”
As a student at UCM, she was part of the Sociology Club and the Sociology Honors Society. She was also involved in housing activities and participated in intramural athletics. As a graduate student, she was a graduate assistant in the sociology department.
After graduating with her master’s degree, Taylor was an adjunct for eight years in the sociology department. She said she loved that experience.
“Spending time with the faculty, many of which were instructors of my own, it was wonderful to work with students and connect the textbook to the outside social field,” she said.
Taylor lives in Warrensburg with her husband Cheyenne, who graduated from UCM in 1997, and their two children, Calahan, 16, and Maddie, 12. They also have a 3-year-old Boston terrier named Toby.
Gail White – Educational specialist, human services/industrial technology, 2000

Gail White lives in Camdenton, Missouri, and was the director of Lake Career & Technical Center until she retired. She is currently a UCM adjunct for career and technical education.
White served as the president and is an active member of the Missouri Association of Career & Technical Education. She serves as the vice president of Camdenton R-III Education Foundation and as the treasurer of the Camden County Retired Teachers Association.
She said she appreciated having the ability to take weekend classes so she could continue to work full time while she completed her degrees. She said she fondly remembers the faculty who she said were interested in helping her achieve her goals.
“As an adjunct faculty member, I’d like to publicly thank Dr. Bart Washer for his leadership in career and technical education,” she said. “He has always been supportive and innovative, and I appreciate his ability to look into the needs of CTE and make adjustments to accommodate the educational community.”
Jim Wilder – B.S. biology/Earth science, 1995
Jim Wilder is a Polar Bear Program leader for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Anchorage, Alaska.

Prior to his current position, Wilder said he has worked as a National Park Service helicopter firefighter in Alaska; as a grizzly, black and polar bear biologist in Alaska and as the forest biologist in Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming.
From 1999-2003, he conducted black and brown bear research and management for the U.S. National Park Service throughout Alaska.
He said he received his master’s degree from the University of Idaho after leading the first black and brown bear research ever conducted in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska.
Wilder began working with polar bears in 2003 and has been a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Polar Bear Specialist Group since 2013. He said he has worked in all five Arctic polar bear nations: Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia and the United States.
“I gratefully remember Dr. Terry C. Rodenberg and all his fine staff at the Office of International Affairs who were able to send this poor country boy on two study abroad opportunities to Tasmania and Denmark,” he said. “Without exaggeration, those experiences completely changed my life. I would not be where I am today nor had the great career I’ve had without Dr. Rodenberg taking such a personal interest in me and my desire to study abroad.”
Tim Wilder – B.S. in biology, chemistry minor, 1991
Tim Wilder is the chief of the West Branch Regulatory Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Nashville, Tennessee.

Wilder supervises the Regulatory Division, which oversees the permitting of structures and work in navigable waters and the filling in of all waters including wetlands, enforcing the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and the federal Clean Water Act.
Prior to working in his current capacity, Wilder was a research biologist with the USACE in the environmental lab of the Engineer Research and Development Center, which employs around 2,000 scientists and engineers. While there, his research was focused on the floodplain ecology of rivers in the Southeast United States.
He spent the first 16 years of his career with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation beginning in 1992. He started as an environmental specialist in TDEC’s Division of Water Pollution Control and then worked as a field office manager with WPC.
Wilder said he spends his time getting his two teenage sons through high school and watching their activities. One of his sons pitches for his high school baseball team and his other son plays soccer and is a student of Isshin-Ryu karate.
Wilder said he appreciated the approach university faculty took to his and other students’ education.
“I most remember how focused the faculty was on developing the knowledge of students, as opposed to pursuing a research/publication program, when I was there (1986-1991),” he said.  “I remember how free we felt. I really did get an excellent education at CMSU (UCM now, I guess). The fun, the friendships, some are lifelong.”