Alumni News

Recent Alumni Notes

Items were received or collected prior to April 1, 2012. Alumni news items may be submitted by e-mail to patti@ku.edu or by clicking here and filling out the form. We rely on our alumni for the accuracy of information submitted.

1960s

Robert H. Wagstaff, L'66, was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in law by the University of Oxford, England. The title of his thesis is "The Spectre of Lord Atkin in the Aftermath of 9/11: The Rule of Law and Terror Detentions in the United States and the United Kingdom."

David J. Phillips, L'69, has retired after 35 years with the office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas, the last 10 years of which he was the head of the office.

1970s

Joseph F. Speelman, L'74, a partner at Blank Rome LLP, Houston, moderated an American Bar Association plenary CLE session, “Where to Draw the Line: When Can the Government Hire Private Lawyers to Prosecute Actions?” at the Environmental, Mass Torts and Products Liability Litigation Committees' Joint CLE Seminar held in January 2012 in Hollywood, Fla.

Roger Walter, L'75, of the Law Offices of Morris, Laing, Evans, Brock & Kennedy, Chtd., Topeka, was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012 in the field of securities/capital markets law.

Robert Schmisseur, L'77, retired from his position as district court judge for the 30th Judicial District in Pratt in January 2012 and is now Pratt County Counselor.

Martha Hodgesmith, L'78, received the 2012 Chief Justice Kay McFarland Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women Attorneys Association of Topeka. The award recognizes an individual who has achieved professional excellence in her field and has influenced other women to pursue legal careers, opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, or advanced opportunities for women within a practice area or segment of the profession. She has also been recognized for outstanding service to the Kansas Supreme Court and the citizens of Kansas through her membership on the Blue Ribbon Commission for the study of the Kansas judicial system.

1980s

Jim Eggleston, L'80, founding partner of Eggleston Flowers & King, a 10-lawyer firm based in Weatherford, Texas, is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in commercial real estate law and farm and ranch real estate law, the coordinator of the RBLS Real Estate specialization exam, and a speaker on real estate, oil and gas, and asset protection topics.

Judge Robert E. Nugent III, L'80, chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas, was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy in March 2012 in Washington, D.C. Nugent was one of 36 nominees honored for his professional excellence and exceptional contributions to the fields of bankruptcy and insolvency. He is also secretary of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.

Chris McNeil, Ph.D., L'81, Columbus, Ohio, has written a primer on preparing for administrative agency hearings, "Administrative Agency Litigation," published by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and Lexis/Nexis.

Michael Seck, L'82, was named by Best Lawyers as Overland Park's "Lawyer of the Year" in employment law-management for 2012. He was also listed in Best Lawyers in the categories of civil rights, litigation-labor and employment, litigation-municipal, personal injury litigation-defendants. Seck is also listed as a Kansas "Super Lawyer" in the category of employment and labor. He co-authored the 2011-12 supplement to his text, "Determining Economic Loss in Injury and Death Cases," published by West Publications. He is a partner in the Overland Park office of Fisher Patterson Sayler & Smith LLP.

Sam H. Sheldon, L'83, Ottawa, Kan., has been appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback to the Kansas State Tax Court of Appeals. Sheldon is owner and president of Haley Title Company and Bowers & Sheldon Law Firm. The Court of Tax Appeals aims to resolve disputes between taxpayers and taxing authorities promptly and impartially, and to help maintain public confidence in the state and local tax system. Appointments require Senate confirmation.

Janet Murguia, L'85, president and CEO, National Council of La Raza, has been appointed a commissioner on the Bipartisan Policy Center's Housing Commission. Over the next year, the commission will craft a package of realistic and actionable policy recommendations that will address the future housing needs of an increasingly diverse American society. The final recommendations will be released in 2013.

Joseph P. Richardson, L'85, has joined Gammage & Burnham in Phoenix. Richardson's practice focuses on corporate finance and securities, mergers and acquisitions, banking, business and corporate governance issues.

Jan Fink Call, L'87, is corporate secretary and general counsel to the LECG group of companies in Wayne, Pa.

Michael Russell, L'88, has been appointed to the 29th District Court in Wyandotte County, Kan., by Gov. Sam Brownback. Russell's appointment fills a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas Boeding.

1990s

Molly, Wood, L'91, a prominent elder law attorney, was recognized by Douglas County Senior Services in April at its 6th Annual Jazz It Up event. Wood has been a partner at the Lawrence firm of Stevens & Brand LLP since 2002. She previously worked at Kansas Legal Services, where she became managing attorney and directed its elder law project, providing free or low-cost legal assistance to seniors in Douglas, Jefferson and Shawnee counties. In 1995, Wood helped establish the Elder Law Clinic at KU Law, where she served on the faculty as an adjunct professor for the clinic's first 10 years. For the past 20 years, Wood has written "Legalese," a monthly column in Douglas County Senior Services' monthly newsletter, "60 and Better," addressing legal issues and concerns of older citizens. Wood serves as a volunteer on the boards of directors for Douglas County Visiting Nurses, Rehabilitation & Hospice Care and Kansas Advocates for Better Care (formerly Kansans for Improvement of Nursing Homes).

Kimberly K. Hays (Souter), L'93, received the 2011 Outstanding Family Law Attorney Award presented by the Family Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association. Hays served as chair of the Family Law Section for the Oklahoma Bar Association in 2010-11 and chair of the Family Law Section of the Tulsa County Bar Association from 2010 to present. In addition, Hays was elected to the Oklahoma Bar Association Board of Governors, District 6 (Tulsa), and will serve a three-year term from 2012-14. She is also serving a two-year term as a director-at-large on the Tulsa County Bar Association Board of Directors. Hays practices family law in Tulsa.

Harry Herington, L'93, chairman of the board and CEO of the Olathe-based company NIC Inc., the premier provider of official eGovernment services, ranked No. 20 on the Forbes magazine list of the "100 Best Small Companies in America." This is the third consecutive year the company has made the list. It is the only company headquartered in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, as well as the state of Kansas, to make the list.

Deborah Wilkerson, L'93, is president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. She served in a variety of roles at the Foundation, including general counsel and COO, before assuming the role of president and CEO in 2012. Prior to joining the Foundation, Wilkerson was an attorney with the law firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, where she focused on estate planning and charitable planned giving.

Roger Grandgenett II, L'94, was recently named in The Best Lawyers in America 2012 Guide. Grandgenett is a shareholder in the Las Vegas office of Littler Mendelson, the nation's largest employment and labor firm.

Kim Jones, L'94, has joined the Kansas City, Mo., law firm of Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris LLC as a member of its employment and business litigation practice. Jones previously practiced with Hush Blackwell LLP.

Michelle A. Russell, L'94, has been appointed executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of YRC Worldwide in Overland Park, effective February 2012. Russell recently served as senior vice president and general counsel at Spirit AeroSystems Inc. YRC Worldwide Inc. is a Fortune 500 Company headquartered in Overland Park and is a leading provider of transportation and global logistics services.

John Wilcox, L'94, has been elected managing director of the Kansas City, Mo., law firm of Dysart Taylor Cotter McMonigle & Montemore PC. In this capacity, Wilcox will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm and will continue his full-time practice in the areas of trucking and transportation, personal injury, employment and criminal litigation.

C. Edward Young, L'94, accepted the American Council of Engineering Companies National Award for the most innovative engineering program or report in April in Washington, D.C. The award was presented to KDOT and Burns & McDonnell for the Kansas Airspace Awareness Tool. Young originated the ideal for tool and oversaw its execution. The awareness tool won the Kansas ACEC award for innovation. It was the second year in a row KDOT Aviation won the award. Young is the director of KDOT Aviation.

Andrew Halaby, L'96, was featured in the February 2012 edition of Student Lawyer magazine, dubbed the "Hot Practice Issue." The publication selected Halaby to represent the field of intellectual property law, which he practices as a partner at the Phoenix office of Snell & Wilmer.

Janet Mittenfelner, L'96, has joined the Office of General Counsel at Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Mo., as litigation counsel.

Beccy Yocham, L'96, deputy city attorney and interim community development director for Lenexa, has been appointed to serve as director of the Community Development Department by the city of Lenexa. She has been serving as interim director since October 2011. The department facilitates both public and private development in the community through planning, public projects, community standards, licensing, high-quality building practices, engineering and inspection services for public infrastructure and facilities, and customer service.

Virginia (Ginny) Murray, L'97, was appointed associate general counsel for the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department in August 2011. This appointment follows 14 years working as an assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri.

Patrick Smith, L'97, has accepted a position as corporate counsel for Westar Energy in Topeka. He is in charge of federal reliability compliance with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as well as legal duties involving Westar's membership in the Southwest Power Pool electric transmission grid system. He previously worked as litigation counsel with the Kansas Corporation Commission doing primarily electric utility regulation and federal regulatory work with the FERC on behalf of the state of Kansas.

Brent N. Coverdale, L'98, who practices at the firm of Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris LCC in Kansas City, was recently named a "Client Service All Star" in the BTI Client Service All-Star Team for Law Firms 2012. The BTI Consulting Group's Client Service All Star award is based on unprompted feedback from more than 240 general counsel at large and Fortune 1000 organizations. This exclusive award conveys Coverdale's commitment to client service excellence.

Christopher Getty, L'98, formerly a deputy county attorney in the Riley County Attorney's Office, was hired as the Salina Municipal Court prosecutor in January 2012.

Mike Mohlman, L'98, is a partner at the Overland Park law firm of Smith Coonrod Mohlman LLC. He was recognized in the 2011 Super Lawyers for his work as a plaintiff's attorney.

Hale Sheppard, L'98, an attorney in the Atlanta office of Chamberlain Hrdlicka, has been named to the Georgia Super Lawyers list as a top attorney in Georgia for 2012. No more than 5 percent of lawyers statewide are selected by Super Lawyers annually.

Cathleen Carothers, L'99, continues her work as a consular officer in the Foreign Service. In June, she will complete her fifth tour, a three-year tour at the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai as the Immigrant Visa Unit Chief. Later in the summer, she will begin a three-year tour at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo as a regional consular officer, where she will travel throughout North Africa and the Middle East.

Brian D. Goodman, L'99, senior practice leader, Resources Global Professionals – Human Options, is one of 48 business leaders in Orange County, Calif., named as On Purpose Honorees and profiled in the 2012 "On Purpose" book. The honorees are some of Orange County's most accomplished leaders and community service advocates. The book also showcases the many charitable organizations and educational programs supported in the Orange County community, with the aim of educating and inspiring greater involvement and supporting the next generation of philanthropic leaders. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to provide scholarships to Orange County high school seniors to encourage their future leadership and philanthropy.

Rachel Smith, L'99, a partner in the Overland Park law firm of Smith Coonrod Mohlman LLC, was recognized in the 2011 Super Lawyers as a Rising Star.

2000s

Sean Fleming, L'00, a shareholder in the Dallas office of Godwin Ronquillo PC, was selected for the list of 2012 Texas Rising Stars. Fleming was honored for his work representing clients in business litigation matters. Texas Rising Stars selections are based on peer nominations and limited to those lawyers who are 40 years old or younger or who have been practicing law for fewer than 10 years. Overall, only 2.5 percent of eligible Texas attorneys receive the Rising Stars honor.

Nathan B. Webb, L'00, has been elected a new partner at Emerson Thomson Bennett in Akron, Ohio. Webb is a registered patent attorney who focuses his practice in the area of intellectual property litigation.

Brennan P. Fagan, L'01, has been named to the Missouri and Kansas "Rising Stars" list as one of the top up-and-coming attorneys in Kansas for 2011. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state receive this honor. Fagan practices with Fagan Emert & Davis LLC in Lawrence.

Melissa Hoag Sherman and Chris Sherman, both L'01, welcomed their third daughter, Lily Kate, in February 2011. Melissa practices with Lathrop & Gage LLP and Chris with Payne & Jones, Chtd. Both firms are in Overland Park.

Rich Federico, L'02, will graduate with an LL.M. (concentration in criminal trial practice and national security law) from Georgetown University Law Center in May 2012. Following graduation, Rich, spouse, Ann Premer, L'02, and daughter, Emilia, will move to Jacksonville, Fla., where Rich will be the senior defense counsel for the Navy's Southeast Region.

Bradley C. Friesen, L'02, was recognized as one of "North Carolina's Rising Stars for 2012." The 2012 Super Lawyer listings appeared in North Carolina Super Lawyers magazine and the North Carolina edition of The New York Times. Friesen practices with Bell Davis & Pitt PA in Winston-Salem.

Jeffrey L. Heiman, L'02, has joined the Lawrence/Topeka law firm of Stevens & Brand LLP, where he will concentrate his practice in the areas of civil litigation, corporate law, employment law, estate planning, and personal injury law.

Jason C.M. "Jace" McClasky, L'02, is pleased to announce his marriage to Kristin Patton in May 2011 in Kansas City, Mo. McClasky is a partner in the law firm of Short, Borth & Thilges in Overland Park.

Jennifer Knapp Riggs, L'02, recently moved to Sprint in Overland Park, where she serves as litigation counsel in the company's legal department.

Molly Aspan, L'03, received the 2012 Oklahoma Bar Association's Outstanding Young Lawyer Award because of her professionalism, skills and commitment to the profession and her community. Aspan is a shareholder with the law firm of Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson PC in its Tulsa office. Her primary practice area is employment and labor defense litigation and counseling. Aspan is also admitted to practice in Kansas. Her nomination for the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award states that she has inspired and challenged others to be more effective leaders in the bar and in their communities.

Matthew Corbin, L'03, has been elected partner in the Overland Park office of Lathrop & Gage LLP, where he practices in the area of business litigation.

Tony Corporon, L'03, became assistant counsel in the real estate investments division in the Overland Park office of Metlife in December 2011. He advises clients in matters relating to agricultural lending.

Jeff Schwartz, L'03, has been inducted into his high school's hall of fame. Schwartz attended East High School in Pueblo, Colo., where he was an all-state choir selection and performed in a number of school plays. He also was a member of the Eagles' tennis team. He currently practices law in Fort Collins.

Terelle A. Mock, L'04, is a partner at Fisher, Patterson, Sayler & Smith, practicing in the firm's Topeka office. Mock's practice focuses on defense of government entities – including counties, cities and school districts – against claims involving employment law, civil rights and general torts.

Jonathan W. Davis, L'05, has been named a shareholder and director of the firm Wallace, Saunders, Austin, Brown & Enochs, Chtd., in Overland Park. He has been with the firm since 2005 and is a member of its litigation and business law practice groups. His practice focuses on litigation, general business, estate planning and professional negligence defense, including architecture, engineering, medical and real estate.

Kelli Lieurance, L'05, was recently elected to the partnership at Baird Holm LLP in Omaha, Neb.

Raymundo Eli Rojas, L'05, is president of the El Paso Immigrant Defense Bar. In 2010, he founded the El Paso Chicano(a) History & Preservation Project. In private practice, Rojas finds time to do community and low-income worker organizing. He serves on the alumni board of the National Latino(a) Law Student Association and teaches Chicano Legal History in the Chicano Studies Program at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he also serves as faculty adviser to the UTEP Chicano(a) Pre-Law Society. In 2011, Rojas founded the Border Jayhawks, the recognized KU alumni club in El Paso.

F. Simon Tolbert, L'05, is an associate in the Denver office of Burleson LLP. His practice focuses on oil and gas title work. Tolbert also advises clients in international oil and gas law, trade agreements, and trade policies, in developing markets in the western Pacific.

Beth Wegner, L'05, and Buck Wendel, Lenexa, were married in September 2011 in Lawrence. Wegner is the community outreach and crime prevention specialist with the Olathe Police Department.

Kara Bemboom, L'06, has been appointed assistant vice president in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's legal department and will serve as assistant ethics officer. Bemboom joined the bank's human resources department in 2002 and left in 2003 to attend law school. She returned to the bank is 2010 as a staff attorney. Bemboom also serves as assistant secretary to the bank's board of directors and secretary to the bank's management committee.

Maria Fogliasso, L'06, is the new director of social media in the Overland Park office of Intouch Solutions, a digital marketing agency exclusively dedicated to serving pharmaceutical brands. She was previously a social media manager at CenturyLink.

Kara Gerwin, L'06, welcomed her son, Benjamin William, in February 2011. She practices at Sprint in Overland Park.

David R. Lloyd, L'07, is practicing with Finch & Campbell LLP in Kansas City, Mo., where he does corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and securities work. Lloyd continues to teach Business Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and he and two other attorneys own and operate Method Clothing Boutique in Kansas City, Mo. Lloyd delivered the keynote address at the law school's 2012 Diversity in Law Banquet.

Elizabeth "Liz" Rogers Rebein, L'07, is an assistant prosecutor in the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office in Hackensack, N.J. Rebein practices in the appellate section.

John P. Smolen, L'07, is practicing with Nossaman LLP in Washington, D.C. He previously practiced with a firm in Baltimore, Md.

Tadd Blair, L'08, recently accepted a commission as a member of the JAG Corps with the U.S. Navy. His first tour will be in the Jacksonville, Fla., area.

Dennis L. Kuhnel, L'08, was recently selected as the Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands first director of the Hudson-Meng Educational & Research Center and has also been named as the volunteer coordinator. In addition to his duties with the U.S. Forests & Grasslands, Kuhnel teaches history and anthropology at Chadron State College.

Holly M. Perkins, L'08, is practicing with the Lawrence law firm of Stevens & Brand LLP.

Alicia Kirkpatrick, L'09, has accepted a position in the Kansas City, Mo., office of Polsinelli Shughart, practicing in the firm's tax department.

Daniel Moskowitz, L'09, has accepted a position with the Kansas City-based law firm of Graves Bartle Marcus Garrett LLC, and is practicing in its Dallas office in the area of white-collar criminal defense.

Tim Swanson, L'09, has accepted a position in the Kansas City, Mo., office of Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP, practicing in the firm's bankruptcy department.

Dana Watts, L'10, is practicing at Adduci Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP in Washington, D.C.

Andrea S. Gava, L'11, is a senior property tax appeal representative at Marks Nelson Vohland Campbell Radetic in Kansas City, Mo. She is engaged to be married in the fall of 2012.

Anna Gillispie, L'11, Lawrence, has accepted a position with TDB Communications as a Freedom of Information Act Processor for a division of Homeland Security.

Ryan McAteer, L'11, Redondo Beach, Calif., recently had an article published in the Loyola Chicago School of Law's "Informed Consent." The paper is titled, "Examining Contemporary Manufacturer-Physician Consultation Agreements: The Federal Fraud and Abuse Provisions and Fair Market Valuation in Lawful Service Agreements."

In Memoriam

Jennifer L. Arnett, L'05, Kansas City, Mo., January 30, 2012
James H. Bernard, L'48, Kansas City, Mo., February 8, 2012
M. Dean Burkhead, L'55, Lawrence, Kan., November 17, 2011
Richard D. Coffelt, L'59, Hays, Kan., January 25, 2012
James R. Crouch, L'57, Lahaina, Hawaii/Las Cruces, N.M., January 8, 2011
Larry O. Denny, L'67, Kansas City, Mo., March 7, 2012
Robert J. Hammer, L'68, Loveland, Colo., November 20, 2011
George Lowe, L'50, Paola, Kan., October 26, 2011
Richard Massieon, L'71, Seneca, Kan., March 25, 2012
M. Paul Mathews, L'48, Winfield, Kan., October 13, 2011
Lee McMaster, L'61, Wichita, Kan., January 2, 2012
James Ray Moore, L'67, Lawrence, Kan., December 16, 2011
John C. Morse, L'77, Liberty, Mo., April 29, 2011
Edward R. Moses III, L'48, Sun City West, Ariz., March 29, 2012
Warren C. Neal, L'49, Kansas City, Mo., March 7, 2012
Judge Robert H. Perry, L'73, Carson City, Nev., December 20, 2011
The Hon. Laurence R. Smith, L'37, Kansas City, Mo, January 18, 2012
Franklin P. Snyder, L'49, Shreveport, La., September 27, 2011
Andrew J. Somora, L'98, Kansas City, Mo., October 28, 2011
Benjamin A. Stead, L'74, Slater, Iowa, February 9, 2011
Omer G. Voss, L'39, Wilmette, Ill., February 16, 2012
Orlin L. Wagner, L'55, Wichita, Kan., January 22, 2012


The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.