Brandt Merritt

What do you do? I develop and edit content for both print and online publications for Southeastern University, as well as oversee all official social media accounts for the university. The content can vary from a degree program description, to a blurb for a promotional postcard, to a feature story on a faculty member. As … Continued

Paula Melvin

What do you do? I manage IT documents and archival systems as a technical writer and editor. How did you get your job? By having a damned good resume and excellent references. What is the best professional lesson you learned at the J-School? Always be teachable. What advice do you have for current students? Quitters … Continued

Peter Mayer

What do you do? Chairman of the board of Peter A. Mayer Advertising, Inc. in New Orleans, Louisiana. Actually semi-retired. How did you get your job? Survival. What is the best professional lesson you learned at the J-School? Show up when you have an assignment. What advice do you have for current students? Get as … Continued

Mark Maassen

What do you do in your role as assistant executive director of the Missouri Press Association? The Missouri Press Association is a trade association of Missouri newspapers. We have about 270 member newspapers and represent these newspapers’ interests in Jefferson City during the state legislative session. Our job is to lobby for Sunshine Law, Freedom … Continued

Conrad L. Lohoefer

What do you do? I worked on newspapers in Texas and Oregon until 1957 when I entered public relations. In 1961 I started in the cotton business as an independent merchandiser operating in Lubbock, Texas, and in Visalia, Calif. Today, I am retired and live in Plano, Texas, near my five children and eight grandchildren, … 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

Richard Liefer

Learning the Nuts and Bolts Fresh off a 140-acre family farm in Red Bud, Ill., Richard Liefer arrived at Mizzou on a wave of baby boomers in 1964. Freshman enrollment soared, and campus dorms were so full, he was crowded into a two-person room with two other roommates. Mizzou was bigger and busier than his … Continued

Robert Lewis

Give us a summary of your career. I was hired by the Topeka (Kan.) State Journal upon graduation in 1951 to replace a reporter who had been called by the U.S. Navy to the Korean War. After I was on the job, his orders were revoked. So, I then found employment as a reporter/photographer for … Continued

Andrea Beaumont Lewis

What do you do in your current job? I book guests for “Piers Morgan Tonight.” People tune in to hear our guests discuss the day’s biggest stories, so guest booking is a very important part of the show. What do you like best about your job? I love being a part of the big national … Continued

John Lesser

John Lesser, BJ ’50, has spent over 60 successful years in the advertising and promotions field, serving major corporate clients such as Sharp, Toshiba, Panasonic and Olympus Optical, just to name a few. Now focused on just one client with the consultative agency he founded in 1971, John Lesser and Associates, Lesser took time to … Continued