As Darcy Wells looks back on her 30-plus-year career in higher education, the majority of which took place at the University of Missouri, there’s one experience she does her best to overlook – a year at the University of Kansas. “It’s a little bit of an unmentionable experience that I definitely get a lot of grief for,” Wells joked. “Honestly,…
Office of Advancement ⋅ Page 1
A Humble Giver
Doug Allen's gifts have opened the door for unique collaborations
Sarah Lovell officially joined the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) in August 2019, as the H.E. Garrett Endowed Chair Professor and director of the Center for Agroforestry. Two months later, Lovell, who became just the second individual to hold the endowed chair position after Shibu Jose served eight years in the role, welcomed guests…
Digging up a New Hobby
Stefanie Gray becomes a Master Gardener
Little did Stefanie Gray’s neighbors know that when they let her borrow their tiller, she would soon be on her way to becoming a master gardener. When she’s not cultivating relationships with donors as the senior manager for donor relations in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Office of Advancement, Stefanie’s busy cultivating her backyard. With an undergraduate…
‘An Important Family Feel’
CAFNR Office of Advancement strengthens its team with two staff additions
The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Office of Advancement strengthened its team with two staff additions, who joined the office at the beginning of the year. Stefanie Gray and Amber Strong Helwig officially began their respective roles in January. Gray is the senior manager of donor relations. Strong Helwig joins the team as an executive assistant. Both come…
Returning Home
Kaleigh Summers named CAFNR Alumni Relations and Lead Annual Giving Officer
The first concert Kaleigh Summers ever attended was a Martina McBride show at the American Royal in Kansas City. As she waited for McBride to take the stage, she couldn’t stop watching the stage crew as they prepared for the show. It was something Summers felt would be fun to do. “Right away I told my mom that’s what I…
Recognizing Commitment to CAFNR
The annual Monticello Society Brunch shows gratitude to college's major benefactors
April 28 marked CAFNR’s 18th annual Monticello Society Brunch. Held in the Champagne Ballroom on South Providence in Columbia, it was a wonderful time for folks to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. The Monticello Society was established in 2001 and was so named to honor the commitment of Thomas Jefferson to higher education and his belief in…