Location: Kansas
Trish Houts Reeves
It has been a while. I hope my J-School classmates are thriving. After MU, I followed a career in creative writing that ultimately led to receiving fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Yaddo, Keck, and the Kansas Arts Commission. My first book, Returning the Question, won the Cleveland State University Poetry Center Prize. … Continued
Tom Brandt
A love of storytelling has taken Tom Brandt, BJ ’09, to some interesting places throughout his career. From Capitol Hill to traveling the country on political campaigns to the corporate sector, Brandt’s passion for solving problems through strategic messaging has made him effective even during the most high-intensity situations. Now a spokesperson for Hewlett Packard … Continued
Karl Yehle
What do you do? I do some advertising/marketing consulting work. Previously, I was in higher education as an adjunct professor and director of community relations. I also was president of Smith & Yehle Advertising for 30 years. How did you get your job? A Missouri alum got me a job in the public relations department … Continued
Chuck Woodling
What do you do? I’m retired after spending more than 46 years as a newspaperman, mostly as a sports writer. I was sports editor of the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World for 37 years. How did you get your job? I landed my first job by answering an ad in the Kansas City Star for a general … Continued
Jim Overbay
What do you do? Retired as news manager for Meredith Broadcasting. Previously, news director at KCTV, Kansas City, communications manager at the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City, and the assistant news director at KMBC-TV, Kansas City. How did you get your job? Perseverance. Contacts. Luck. What is the best professional lesson you learned … Continued
Craig Ligibel
What was your first job? My first job was working for a small public relations firm in Columbia, Mo. We published an agricultural magazine. I had never set foot on a farm before, but then spent two years driving a sports car all over the country interviewing farmers about our client’s product. We produced black-and-white … Continued
Jan Sokoloff Harness
Best professional lesson learned at the J-School? “Never assume anything.” That line was repeated, over and over again on the cover of a handout we received the first week of school. I’ve found it to be a valuable lesson professionally and personally. What is your favorite J-School memory? After my first Broadcasting 101 assignment, Dave … Continued
Terry Bauman
What do you do? I retired as a stockbroker in 2002. Prior to earning an MBA, I worked in corporate communications and marketing communications for a life insurance company for 11 years. How did you get your job? I got my job by networking through a professional organization of business communications professionals. What made you … Continued