Virtual Alumni Events

Mid-Atlantic Alumni Chapter Presents: Bulldog Break with Calaneet Balas (’97)
DATE: August 2, 2023

Calaneet Balas became president and CEO of The ALS Association in December 2017. She joined the organization in June 2016 as chief of strategy, overseeing the integration of the Association’s three areas of mission focus: research, care services and advocacy. In addition to her leadership of the Association and its ambitious vision to create a world without ALS, she serves as the chairwoman of the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations. Ms. Balas also currently serves as the president of the Truman Foundation Board of Directors.

Before joining the fight against ALS, Ms. Balas was the CEO of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. In this role, she successfully collaborated with a partner organization to create the largest global organization dedicated to ovarian cancer research, advocacy and patients. Her extensive experience also includes roles at the Arthritis Foundation, where she was chief strategy officer of the Mid-Atlantic Region and President and CEO of the Foundation’s Metro DC Chapter.

Ms. Balas holds a Master of Business Administration from Herriot-Watt University, a Master of Science in human movement science education from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor of Science in exercise science from Truman State University.
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Kansas City Alumni Chapter Presents: Bulldog Break with Kathy Nelson
DATE: August 2, 2023
The August Bulldog break featured Kathy Nelson, CEO and President of the Kansas City Sports Commission and President of KC. Kathy, who attended Truman in the late 1980’s, is a nationally recognized leader in the sports and tourism industries. She has earned numerous accolades, including Telly, Emmy and cable television awards for her work in broadcast journalism, specifically sports production. Kathy has also received the following honors:

• In 2020, she was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and named one of the 50 Most Influential People in Kansas City Sports History.
• In 2022, Kathy was selected as one of the inaugural Lieutenant Governor’s Women of Achievement for the state of Missouri.
• Earlier in 2023, she was recognized as the Missouri honoree for USA Today’s “Woman of the Year” list.

In addition to a busy spring, which included the Big 12 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship and an NCAA Men’s Midwest Regional, Kathy and her teams at the Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC recently completed work on the largest event in Kansas City history: the 2023 NFL Draft. During this event, attendees got to learn more about Kathy’s impressive career, including her role in bringing the FIFA World Cup to Kansas City.
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Alumni & Friends Book Club Discussion with author Joe Baumann (’07)
DATE: July 25, 2023
The Truman State University Alumni & Friends Virtual Book Club hosted two live discussions via Zoom with author Joe Baumann (’07). Joe discussed his young adult novel I Know You’re Out There Somewhere. Professor Emeritus Joe Benevento moderated both discussions.
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St. Louis Alumni Chapter Presents: Bulldog Break with Sam Murphey (’06)
DATE: March 8, 2023
The Alumni Board of Directors, in partnership with the St. Louis Alumni Chapter hosted this Bulldog Break featuring Sam Murphey (’06) who shared his exciting journey from student at Truman State University to Chief Strategy Officer at Greater St. Louis, Inc. Greater St. Louis, Inc. is a network of civic-minded St. Louis leaders who are driving inclusive economic growth with a unified voice for the business community and being one metro area anchored by a vibrant urban core. A couple of the innovative projects Greater St. Louis, Inc. is currently involved with are the Tower Grove Connector and the Brickline Greenway. Both projects aim to connect various areas of St. Louis together using safe, comfortable pathways. 
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Hometown History: A Virtual Tour of Truman and Kirksville Historic Places and Spaces
DATE: March 22, 2022

In this event, panelists Dr. Cole Woodcox (Truman English professor emeritus), Debi Boughton (Kirksville Tourism Director) and Joshna Karki (student Alumni Board representative) take you on a tour of historic landmarks on campus and in Northeast Missouri. Whether your favorite haunt was the Oz, the Tap Room or Il Spazio, Kirksville is always “home” to Bulldogs far and wide. This walk down memory lane is your chance to reminisce about your own college experience and to learn more about the ‘Ville.
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Virtual Q&A with Akela Cooper (’03)
DATE: February 26, 2022
In honor of National TRIO Day, the Truman TRIO programs and the Office of Advancement hosted an in-person film screening of Malignant on campus followed by a virtual Q&A with film screenwriter and TRIO McNair alumna Akela Cooper (’03).
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Financing the Big Idea
DATE: October 21, 2021
Truman State University highlights its commitment to women entrepreneurs by participating in the eighth annual Women Entrepreneurship Week (WEW), a global movement to celebrate and inspire female founders. There are many ways for entrepreneurs to finance their BIG ideas. In this session, panelists shared various perspectives on their journeys. Facilitated by Mindy McCubbin (’97), owner and founder of Truman Wealth Advisors in Columbia, Missouri, the panelists include Kathleen Bruegenhemke (’86), Hannah Magee (’13) and McGrew (’10). Bruegenhemke is the chief risk and operations officer of Hawthorn Bank in addition to serving as senior vice president of Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. Magee is the owner of Weston Wine Company, a winery and tasting room in historic Weston, Mo.
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The BIG Idea
DATE: October 19, 2021
Hosted by President Thomas and facilitated by Janet Gooch, this event features panelists are Madelaine Anderson (’11), Laci Cook (’03) and Stephanie McGrew (’10). Anderson is the co-founder and creative director of Talus Films, a full-service video production company that partners with innovative brands to create emotionally compelling films to inspire their audiences. Cook is the founder of Sip Downtown, a spirits and small plates restaurant opened in 2021 in Kirksville. McGrew is the founder of Lone Star Physiques and owner of the local Kirksville Escape Room.
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Overcoming Challenges through Community
DATE: May 15, 2021
Even though Truman faced significant challenges in the past year, we have so much to celebrate! This special presentation celebrates the accomplishments of the past year. Featuring Truman alumni and KCTV5 Reporter, Nathan Vickers (’11), this video includes remarks from University President Sue Thomas, student and alumni perspectives, musical performances by Anthony Cooperwood (’93) and TruMen as well as a guest appearance from Spike.
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Bulldog B.I.T.E. – Final Competition
DATE: April 9, 2021
With the financial and professional support of alumni Doug (’94) and Diane (’95) Villhard, Truman State University hosts the annual Bulldog B.I.T.E  Elevator Pitch Competition during the spring semester. The competition allows Truman students to pitch a for-profit or not-for-profit concept by presenting a concept or idea for a product, service or project. Watch six finalists compete for cash prizes in the final round of the Bulldog B.I.T.E.
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Navigating Your Future with Gift Planning
DATE: February 24, 2021
In this one-hour webinar, Truman alumni with experience in the field of gift/estate planning help you navigate the subject of gift planning and discuss a variety of giving options which could help you support causes important to you while also ensuring the care of your family.
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Celebrating Women Entrepreneurs
DATE: September 24, 2020
Truman State University highlights its commitment to women entrepreneurs by participating in the seventh annual Women Entrepreneurship Week (WEW), a global movement to celebrate and inspire female founders. This webinar features a number of inspirational women about their entrepreneurial journeys. In addition to celebrating their journeys, our panelists fielded questions to discuss challenges and opportunities for women entrepreneurs, how Covid-19 has created both opportunities and challenges and much more.
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The Art of the Side Hustle in Pandemic Times
DATE: September 22, 2020
Proud Truman alumnus and Professor and Academic Director of Entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis, Doug Villhard (’94) presents an interactive session to teach you how to put your passion for entrepreneurship into practice while succeeding in your full-time role.
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BULLDOG BREAK: Meet the Dean of School of Arts and Letters
DATE: September 22, 2020
Meet Dr. Steve Parsons, the new Dean for Truman’s School of Arts and Letters and learn more about his past work experiences, what led him to Truman  and plans to work with constituents moving forward.
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BULLDOG BREAK: Meet the Dean of School of Business
DATE: August 25, 2020
Meet Dr. Rashmi Prasad, the new Dean for Truman’s School of Business and learn more about his past work experiences, what led him to Truman  and plans to work with constituents moving forward.
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BULLDOG BREAK: Career Focus
DATE: July 23, 2020
Hear from human resources professionals Phil Hall (’85), Senior Vice President for employee Relations at Wells Fargo; Bernee Long (’81), Director of  Organizational Learning at Talent Development at SHRM and Jenni Nuhn (’09), Assistant Director of Truman’s Career Center about the current landscape in the world of work. Learn more about the impact COVID-19 and social unrest are having on employment, building and managing meaningful career-focused networks and what to consider when seeking a career and much more. This session is moderated by Dave Lusk, Associate Vice President for Career Development at Truman.
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BULLDOG BREAK: Dr. Wendy Miner, Chair of Truman’s Education Department
DATE: June 15, 2020
Learn how Truman’s Master of Arts in Education program responded to support interns as they were forced to modify their educational delivery and hear how the interns navigated the choppy waters of delivering meaningful content through online instruction.
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