7 new members join Alumni Association Board
ESU Media Relations
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Seven new and returning members were recently elected to the Alumni Association Board of Directors at Emporia State University, bringing a new perspective to the organization. ESU Alumni Association Board members are advocates of ESU and use their talents to plan special events and programs for alumni, recruit new students, promote fundraising, interact with Kansas legislators, and serve as voices for the thousands of former students they represent.
“The Alumni Association Board of Directors functions to provide leadership, support, feedback, and guidance in the establishment of alumni engagement opportunities,” said Peter L. Brodie, Alumni Relations Director. “The board allows the entire alumni population to maintain a connection with their alma mater, through both programs and philanthropy.”
Brodie said that the board is dedicated to strengthening relations and advance opportunities and support for the ESU Foundation and the university. “The new board members will bring an energetic approach to the leadership team,” Brodie said. “Each board member is responsible for working as part of a greater unit.”
With the exception of Deena Horst, who assumes her office immediately to fill an open position, the members below will take office at the alumni board’s June meeting.
• Jason Fanning (BSB 1995), Olathe, is now president-elect of the board and will be president for 2010-2011. Fanning is a manager of corporate audit services at Sprint. As a student, he was president of the Union Activities Council and vice-president of Sigma Tau Gamma.
• Jeff Bledsoe (BS 1980), Bowie, Md., returns to the Alumni Association board for a second term. Bledsoe is a senior manager in the Internal Revenue Service and former member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
• Jan Farwell (BSB 2004, BSB 2004, MBA 2006), Shawnee, has joined the Alumni Association board. Farwell is assistant director of offsite and distance education for Emporia State University, and president-elect of the Kansas City Area Alumni Chapter.
• Kim Grooms (BSB 2001), Lawrence, is now a member of the Alumni Association board. Grooms is an information technology specialist at Payless ShoeSource, Inc. and president-elect of the Douglas County Alumni Chapter with a history of campus organization involvement, including ESU Ambassadors.
• Marlo Jackson (BSB 2001), Topeka, has joined the Alumni Association board. Jackson is a distribution planner for Payless ShoeSource and once served as an ESU Ambassador and Associated Student Government senator.
• Lester Moore (BA 1966, MS 1967), Atchison, is a new board member. Moore served for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and now is the owner and clubmaker at Impact Golf. He is a founding member of Sonlife Community Church and a director and chapter president in the Professional Clubmakers Society.
• Sarah Phillips (BFA 2005), Lawrence, is a new board member. Phillips is the assistant director of annual giving at the Kansas University Endowment Association, serves ESU as a “Students Through Alumni Recruitment Teams” volunteer, and is involved with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
• Deena Horst (BSE 1966, MS 1973), Salina, has joined the Alumni Association board. Horst, an art teacher at Salina South Middle School, is also Kansas state legislator representing the 69th district and a former chapter president of both the Phi Delta Kappa and Delta Kappa Gamma honor societies.