Location: United States
Eric Metcalf
What do you do? I write health-related features for WebMD and a variety of custom publications; write scripts for an online “medical minute” video series; author and contribute to health books (my most recent book, which I co-authored, is The New Prescription: How to Get the Best Health Care in a Broken System, which was … Continued
Toni Messina
What do you do? I have served as the public communications director for the City of Columbia (Mo.) since May 2006. I retired from Missouri state government after almost 30 years in all three branches. Prior to state government service, I worked for a non-profit council of governments and an insurance company. How did you … Continued
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