The Central Methodist University Alumni Board of Directors celebrated several of the University’s best and brightest at the 2024 Alumni Awards Brunch as part of this year’s Homecoming festivities on October 6. The annual event saw seven graduates recognized as winners of the Distinguished and Young Alumni Awards.
This year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients include John Nordmeyer ’75, Rev. Gregory Chandler ’76, Barb Heikoff ’82, Matt Fulson ’92, Anne Farmer ’92, and Brian Ash ’00. The Young Alumni Award winner celebrated this fall is Tyler Winn ’13.
Distinguished Alumni Award
John Nordmeyer ’75 has spent the past 43 years in Africa, helping meet the needs of the people. He and his wife, Lorraine, started the non-profit Local Initiatives for Education, a relief and development organization. One of their projects is a girls’ running program with the goal of keeping girls in school. A founding member of the Central cross country team, he lettered in both track and cross country while studying biology and psychology. John and Lorraine have four children and reside in Africa.
Rev. Gregory Chandler ’76 is a Christian pastor and non-profit founder with decades of experience in leading and inspiring his community. He founded the World Outreach Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as Champion Girl Productions and Whole Again International, all faith-based organizations working to improve lives. A former member of the CMU board of trustees, Chandler has won numerous awards for his service to the city of Cincinnati.
Barb Heikoff ’82 is a transactional real estate attorney, serving residential and commercial clients in the Denver metro area and throughout Colorado. She also serves as chairwoman of Colorado W.O.L.F. (Women Owned Law Firms), a not-for-profit organization which provides members with opportunities for advancement, collaboration, education, and networking. To address the needs of Colorado’s solo and small law firm community, Heikoff has developed a continuing legal education series, The Practical Lawyer, which focuses on business management and development in the context of owning and running a law firm.
Matt Fulson ’92 is a business owner and member of the Kansas City area community whose company, Fulson Housing Group, has been developing affordable housing for low-income citizens for 20 years. The company currently manages 36 properties in 22 different communities across four states. Fulson also serves as the chair of the Missouri Workforce Housing Association and director-at-large for the Kansas Housing Association. He and his wife, Mia, have three adult daughters, one of whom, Mallory, is also a Central alumna.
Anne Farmer ’92 is an educator at Fort Osage High School with nearly three decades of experience in the classroom. She was named the Kansas Region 4 Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2005, among numerous other honors and awards. Farmer is also the founder of Baby Grace, an organization dedicated to offering support to families with young children. The organization serves communities throughout Missouri, in partnership with 20 United Methodist churches across the state. Farmer also earned a doctorate in educational leadership in 2015.
Brian Ash ’00 is the head baseball coach and alternative school coordinator at Southern Boone High School, where he has led the team to one of his four career state championships. A 2019 inductee into the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, he is the only baseball coach in state history to win state championships at three different schools. Ash was also named the National High School Coach of the Year in 2017 by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Young Alumni Award
Tyler Winn ’13 is an attorney with Anheuser-Busch who serves as the global head of litigation, intellectual property, and data privacy. He oversees the company’s litigation portfolio and leads legal teams in the U.S., Belgium, and Brazil, supporting operations in more than 50 other countries. He lives in St. Charles with his wife, Lyndsie; daughters, Londyn and Lakelynn; and dogs, Lambeau and Packer.
Chris Ebright ’11 was also selected as a Young Alumni Award winner but will be honored at next year’s Alumni Awards Brunch.