Alumni to Receive Awards at Homecoming

The Central Methodist University Alumni Board of Directors and Office of Alumni and Advancement invite the public to register for the 2025 Alumni Awards Brunch, as part of this year’s Homecoming activities, on October 19.

Beginning at 11:45 a.m. in the Inman Student Center, the event will celebrate seven graduates as recipients of the Distinguished and Young Alumni Awards. A Service Award will also be given posthumously to 1970 graduate Jeff Hogenmiller.

Hogenmiller, who passed away last September at the age of 76, was known for giving back to Central in profound ways that left a lasting impact. After graduating, he went on to a long career in business, working for multiple Fortune 100 companies as an executive and leader in human resources. Before retiring in 2002, Hogenmiller served as divisional vice president of human resources for Abbott Laboratories in Libertyville, Ill. All the while, he continued to serve Central as a fundraising volunteer and member of the President’s Council and board of trustees. He is survived by his wife, Linda, and sons, Marcus and Nathan.

This year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients include Mavin Manring ’85, Beverly Davis Garner ’88, Bill Chott ’91, and Kristofferson Culmer ’06. Young Alumni Award winners this fall include Chris Ebright ’11, Dr. Shayna Burchett ’13, and Geofrey Bilabaye ’15.

Distinguished Alumni Award

Marvin Manring ’85 taught band and choir for 37 years. He currently serves as a historian for the Missouri Music Educators Association and as an adjudicator and rules interpreter for the Missouri State High School Activities Association. In Stockton, he is a 32-year member of the Lions Club and serves on governing boards for the Cedar County Memorial Hospital and the Stockton Community Foundation. He and wife, Mary Anne (Watters '86), have two children, Liz and Lucas ('12), and two grandchildren.

Beverly Davis Garner ’88 is an award-winning attorney who serves as associate general counsel at Bunge North America, where she has managed claims and litigation matters for 24 years. In addition to her work, she also serves her community as a board member for the Association of Corporate Counsel and formerly as a board member for Ronald McDonald House. Garner resides in St. Louis with her husband, Mark.

Bill Chott ’91 is an actor and comedian with more than 30 credits to his name in television and films, including a role in the 2005 comedy The Ringer, which led him to working with the Special Olympics and other charitable organizations. Chott has earned numerous awards for his work in the community, including the inaugural Missouri Legends Award. He also works as in improv coach and founded The Improv Trick in 2004. Chott will appear on the Disney Channel this month in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, reprising his longtime role as Mr. Laritate.

Kristofferson Culmer ’06 is an assistant teaching professor for the University of Missouri’s Department of Engineering and Information Technology. Born and raised in the Bahamas, Culmer also serves as the director of the Autonomous Systems Lab, leading experiential learning focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Among his advocacy and service commitments, Culmer is currently a member of the Missouri DESE Computer Science Advisory Council and the National Association of Graduate Professional Students.

Young Alumni Award

Chris Ebright ’11 is the general manager at N.H. Scheppers Distributing company and the head baseball coach at Blair Oaks High School. Ebright is also active in the Jefferson City community as well as around the state, serving on the boards for the Missouri Beer Wholesalers Association and the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as a member of the Westside Business Association, United Way Fund Allocation Committee, and the JC Knights of Columbus.

Dr. Shayna Burchett ’13 is a professor of chemistry at Central Methodist University, where she teaches courses ranging from organic chemistry to thermodynamics and physical chemistry. Burchett is an active member of the Missouri Academy of Science, for which she has served as chemistry chair, vice president, president, and currently senior division co-director. She lives in Fayette with her husband, Matt, and four children, two of whom currently attend CMU.

Geofrey Bilabaye ’15, originally of Tanzania, is an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ingham County, Michigan. A graduate of the Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, he was also recently commissioned as a first lieutenant and a judge advocate in the United States Army. Bilabaye was an SGA president and Selecman Award winner in his time at Central.