MU Chancellor Search Committee Bios

Leo E. Morton has served as Chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City since December 15, 2008. Morton's management career spans 40 years in a wide range of engineering and manufacturing positions with Aquila, AT&T Microelectronics, General Motors, and more. He currently serves on the advisory board of Prep-KC, a major regional youth educational development organization. Morton has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee University, and a master's degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Elizabeth G. Loboa is the first female dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia and a professor of bioengineering. She previously served as an associate chair and professor of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) and North Carolina State University (NCSU). Loboa earned a doctorate from Stanford University, a Master of Science in engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Davis. 

Vairam Arunachalam serves as director of the School of Accountancy.  He is a member of the American Accounting Association, Institute of Management Accountants, and Association for Certified Fraud Examiners. He is a 2001 Boeing Faculty Fellow and served as MU's campus liaison for the SAP University Alliance from 1998 to 2005. Arunachalam received his doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1991. He earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s from Loyola College.

Ted Ayres brings his Tiger pride and passion to his role as president of the Mizzou Alumni Association. In 1976, he became counsel for the University of Missouri-Columbia.  In 1986, he became General Counsel to the Kansas Board of Regents. This position expanded when he was also named director of Governmental Relations in 1992. Ayres earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Central Missouri.

Jeri Doty serves as the chief planning officer of MU Health Care. For 10 years, she served as the president of Missouri Care HMO, a Limited Liability Corporation organized under The Curators of the University of Missouri. Doty’s education includes a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa.

Sean Earl is a junior pursuing a degree in electrical engineering and currently serves as the president of the Missouri Students Association and the Student Body at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Earl has spent his time advocating for the student experience on local, state and federal levels and has dedicated his time to enriching the lives of young leaders by serving as the leadership director for Missouri DECA in the department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Michael Hendricks is a third year doctorate student at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the department of Political Science, researching different aspects of Chinese investments in Latin America. Hendricks served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua for 27 months, teaching English in three different Nicaraguan high schools. He was also elected as MU’s Graduate Professional Council’s director of state affairs. Hendricks received his master’s from MU and his Bachelor of Arts in international relations from the University of Delaware.

Chrissy Kintner has been with the University of Missouri-Columbia for 10 years. She is the current chair for the MU Staff Advisory Council and has been a member for the last five years. Currently, Kintner is responsible for running and maintaining 25Live, which is software used to schedule rooms for the schedule of classes and non-class events in the centrally scheduled classrooms. Kintner earned her Master of Education in educational leadership & policy analysis with an emphasis in higher education in 2012. She received her Bachelor of Science in accounting and financial services from Columbia College-Missouri in 2009.

Kevin McDonald was named interim vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity and equity  at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2016. He also currently serves as chief diversity officer of the University of Missouri System. In his previous role of vice president and associate provost for diversity and inclusion at Rochester Institute of Technology, McDonald provided collaborative leadership to the institutional pluralistic efforts. McDonald received his doctorate in higher education leadership from the University of Rochester, and holds a Juris Doctor from Ohio State University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Andrews University.

Joi L. Moore is an associate professor in the School of Information Science & Learning Technologies and a core faculty member in the Informatics Institute at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Moore’s current research agenda is the application of design and evaluation principles for technology environments that support learning and/or effectively improving performance. She earned her doctorate in instructional technology from the University of Georgia with a cognate area of management information systems.  Moore received her Master of Science in management and Bachelor of Science in computer science from North Carolina State University.

In Pelema Morrice’s role as vice provost for enrollment management, Morrice leads a division that includes undergraduate admissions, international admissions, financial aid and more. Prior to his current role, Morrice served as an associate vice chancellor in the academic and student affairs division at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Morrice received his doctorate in higher education from the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan. Morrice received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from San Jose State University.

Kim Nyoni serves as the senior director of advancement for the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, Principal Gifts & Honors College. He has more than a decade of experience in advancement at some of the nation’s top research universities and has been part of four major capital campaigns. At MU, he initially served as the senior director of advancement and interim chief development officer in the College of Engineering. Kim holds a Master of Arts in advertising and a bachelor’s in journalism, both from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Neil Olson was named dean of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. He also is on the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor Advisory Board and is a member of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association Executive Board. Olson’s research has focused on cardiopulmonary pathophysiology and animal models of human disease. He earned a doctorate of veterinary medicine and bachelor's degree in veterinary science from the University of Minnesota.

Jim O’Neill is president of Boeing Defense, Space & Security Development. O’Neill has held a variety of leadership positions throughout his career at Boeing and other companies. He began his career with McDonnell Douglas in 1982 as a structural engineer on the F/A-18 Hornet program. O’Neill holds an Master of Business Administration from the University of Washington, and earned two degrees in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Elizabeth Parks is a professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia and serves as the associate director at the Clinical Research Center at the Institute for Clinical Translational Science. She has completed projects with over $10.8 million in expenditures as a principal investigator, and collaborated on another $3.7 million. Parks received her doctorate in nutritional biochemistry from the University of California-Davis and a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology and education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Katherine Reed is the inaugural chair of the Chancellor’s Standing Committee on Ranked NTT Faculty. She is an associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism and teaches print and digital news at the Columbia Missourian. Reed received a master’s degree in English and creative writing from Hollins University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Sarah Reesman is the executive associate athletic director and senior woman administrator at the University of Missouri-Columbia department of Athletics. Since 1998, Reesman has spearheaded the department of Athletics strategic planning process through six iterations resulting in new goals and objectives to guide the department in coming years. Reesman received her Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota and bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

David Singh is internationally known for his work in condensed matter theory, with over 500 research publications in peer-reviewed journals. Singh is a member of the Publication Oversight Committee of the American Physical Society and was recently elected to the American Physical Society Division of Computational Physics Executive Committee. Singh is a graduate of the University of Ottawa, with a doctorate in physics.

Marshall Stewart was recently named vice chancellor of extension and engagement at the University of Missouri-Columbia.  Over the course of his 30-year career in agricultural education and extension services, Stewart has served in many roles as an educator and leader of education and extension efforts. Stewart holds three degrees from North Carolina State University: a Bachelor of Science in agricultural education, a Master of Science in agricultural sciences and a doctorate in agricultural and extension education.

Marty Townsend taught graduate and undergraduate courses in rhetoric and composition. She is a fellow of the Bryn Mawr Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration, former literacy consultant to the Ford Foundation and former director of the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Campus Writing Program. Her current research project involves literacy and high profile athletes in Division I football.  Townsend is the current president of the MU Retirees Association. She received her doctorate from Arizona State University after receiving her master’s and bachelor’s from the University of Utah.

Ben Trachtenberg joined the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law faculty in 2010 and teaches criminal procedure, evidence, professional responsibility and trial practice. Previously, he was a litigation associate at Covington & Burling LLP, assigned to white collar investigations and civil securities cases. After graduating from law school, Trachtenberg clerked at the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit with Judge Jose A. Cabranes. Trachtenberg received his Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, his Master of Arts in international studies from the University of Limerick in Ireland, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science, with distinction, from Yale University.

Prior to working in her family business, Robin Wenneker worked for Procter & Gamble in institutional sales in Denver, Colorado. She also worked for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia as the director of guest and food services and the venue director of the Headquarters Hotel. Wenneker also served as the president of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Foundation, and is a member of The Missouri 100. She received a Master of Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

E. Jill Pollock was appointed UM System interim vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer in September 2016. In this role, Pollock provides strategic direction for the human resources functions. She works closely with system and campus leadership to support our most critical resource; its people. She serves the committee as an ex-officio member.

Prior to joining the UM System, Pollock served as vice president and executive advisor at the University of Colorado (CU). Until her retirement August 31, 2016, she advised the university's Board of Regents, president and the four campus chancellors. She chaired in 2014 and 2015 the national advisory council for TIAA, a not-for-profit financial services company. Pollock has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy.