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Davenport Society holds its annual dinner and induction ceremony in conjunction with MU's 112th Homecoming
This year marked the second time J. Andrew Miller has supported the college through service as Davenport Society chair – the first time was in 2018.
The Herbert J. Davenport Society dinner and induction ceremony for the Trulaske College of Business was held in conjunction with the university’s 112th Homecoming on October 20 at the Country Club of Missouri. The special focus of this year’s dinner was celebrating the society’s membership and honoring the impact of philanthropy on Trulaske students.
Formed to encourage private participation in the support and development of the college, the society hosted the ceremony to recognize those who joined over the past year. Society members contribute to the college’s success and sustain the vision for excellence of Herbert J. Davenport, the college’s first dean.
Speakers included J. Andrew Miller, BS BA '78, 2023 chair of the Davenport Society, and Nez Redi, a senior business student, and owner/creator of VSNFirst, an online clothing brand.
This year, the society welcomed the following new members:
- Brian Hansen, BS BA '89, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Tandem Diabetes Care, San Diego, California, and Kara Hansen, owner of Kara’s Kitchenware, Bend, Oregon
- Brandon Laughridge, BS BA '09, president of North Terrace Property Management, Kansas City, Missouri, and Katie Laughridge, BS BA '09, president of Nell Hill’s, Kansas City, Missouri
- Nanci L. Mentzer, BS BA '81, retired, Chesterfield, Missouri
- Richard Schuster, BS BA '79, retired, RS RS Properties LLC, St. Charles, Missouri, and Renee Schuster, BS Ed '78, MA '79, retired, Maryville University, St. Louis, Missouri
- Meredith Aslin Imber, BS BA '02, managing director of The Carlyle Group, New York, New York, and Gregory James Imber, chief engagement officer of Healthcare Consultancy Group, Omnicom, New York, New York
- Dean Balaji Rajagopalan and Sukanya Rangarajan, director of strategic billing for Southern Company Gas, Aurora, Illinois
During the ceremony, student hosts greeted guests and introduced new members. They included Dylan Kay; Jack Kish; Zephaniah France; Lucas Hayes; Rami Merayyan; Linsey Nicholas; Grant Novinger; Mariah Oke-Thomas; Jayme Opdahl; Fletcher Orr; Nez Redi; and Emma Wilkins.
This year's guests were dazzled by a custom fireworks show that highlighted both the college and the university's Homecoming festivities, provided by John Bechtold, BA '94.