SEMO foundation board elects seven new members

The board of directors of Southeast Missouri University Foundation recently elected seven new members to serve three-year terms. They are Lewis Bock of the Woodlands, Texas; Joseph Domian, Gerald L. Jones, and Dr. Georganne Syler, all of Cape Girardeau; Donald LaFerla of Carthage, Mo.; and Steven Schneider and John Lichtenegger, both of Jackson, Mo.

James Limbaugh was reappointed to the board for a three-year term.

The new board members attended an orientation session in April.

Bock is retired after a 34-year career with Allstate Corp., where he last served as senior account agent. He is a 1963 graduate of Southeast, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, majoring in marketing. He received the University's Alumni Merit Award from the Donald L. Harrison College of Business in 2000.

Domian serves as an investment representative with Edward Jones in Cape Girardeau. He is a 1969 graduate of Truman State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in education, majoring in history. He earned a master of arts degree from Truman State in 1972, majoring in political science-secondary school administration.

Jones serves as president and chief executive officer and president of the board of directors of the Pyramid Group in Cape Girardeau. He is a 1964 graduate of the University of Memphis, where he was a pre-medicine/biology major. He later attended the University of Tennessee. Jones is a member of the Southeast Booster Club and is a past president and current board member of the Downtown Merchants Association. He is a senior warden with Christ Episcopal Church and has received a leadership award from the Missouri Municipal League. He has served as a member of the Caruthersville City Council and serves on the Commonwealth Yacht Club Board of Directors, as well as the Cape Girardeau Country Club Board of Governors.

LaFerla is retired from Leggett & Platt, Inc. in Carthage, where he last served as vice president of administrative services. He is a 1961 graduate of Southeast, where he earned a bachelor's degree, majoring in biology and geology. He later attended the University of Missouri-Rolla Graduate Engineering School, where he majored in engineering management. LaFerla is former president of the Chamber of Commerce and current president of the McCune Brooks Hospital. He serves on the boards of the McCune Brooks Hospital Foundation, Missouri Southern State college Foundation and the Legget & Platt Scholarship Foundation.

Lichtenegger is a partner in the law firm of Lichtenegger, Weiss & Fetterhoff in Jackson. He attended Southeast as an undergraduate and obtained his law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Lichtenegger was elected to two consecutive terms as president of the board of curators of the University of Missouri while he served on the board from 1985 to 1995. He has received the Citation of Merit award from the UMC Law School.

Schneider is vice president of investments with A.G. Edwards in Cape Girardeau. He is a 1978 graduate of Southeast, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration majoring in management.

Syler is an associate professor in the Department of Human Environmental Studies at Southeast. She is a 1971 graduate of the university, earning a bachelor's degree in home economics education. She earned a master's degree in secondary education and home economics from Southeast in 1979. She earned a doctoral degree in community health from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1996. Syler received an Alumni Merit Award from Southeast In 2001. She serves as the faculty athletic representative at Southeast and is a committed advocate for students. A nutrition and health expert, she serves on the KRCU Circle and the WSIU Advisory Board.

Limbaugh serves as president of First National Bank in Cape Girardeau. He is a 1976 graduate of Southeast, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, majoring in marketing. He earned a master's degree in education from Southeast in 1987. Limbaugh has served on the Southeast Missouri University Foundation Board and is a member of the Southeast Booster Club Executive Committee. He is a member of Centenary United Methodist Church, the Southeast Missouri Hospital Board of Trustees Executive Committee, the Greater Cape United Way Board of Directors, and the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.