Six SEMO grads, one faculty to be honored

Every year the Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association honors individuals who have brought distinction to themselves and the university, and these merit awards are given during Homecoming weekend. The honors will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Copper Dome Society/Merit Recognition Dinner.

This year's merit awards will be going to Glenn Campbell, Maude Harris, Suzan Noel Knese, Shelton "Butch" Smith, Steve Taylor and Mark Wildhaber.

Glenn Campbell

Glenn Campbell is the co-founder of LIDS, a retail chain that sells hats; in fact, LIDS has sold nearly 300 million hats since its founding. He graduated from Southeast with a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a major in marketing.

Maude Harris

Maude Harris, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics, food and nutrition at Southeast in 1985 later received a Master of Arts and a doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She's been employed by the Scott County Extension office since 1996 as a nutrition and health-education specialist, serving with a number of service organizations and boards aimed at improving the quality of life for people in her community. According to a release by Southeast, Harris has received many awards from several organizations for her involvement.

Suzan Noel Knese

Suzan Noel Knese attained a bachelor's degree from Southeast in 1993. She is currently chief operating officer at Osborn + Barr Communications, where she oversees operations focusing on profitability, operational efficiencies, resource management, creative and media deliverables, according to a bio provided by the university. Knese serves on the board for the 4A's human resources and training and development committee, is a board member of both Memory Home Care Solutions and the St. Louis chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis; she volunteers with the Catholic Charities and St. Vincent de Paul Society and serves as a trustee for her parish.

Shelton "Butch" Smith

Shelton "Butch" Smith earned his Bachelor of Science in secondary education, English, in 1967, Master of Arts in education, secondary administration, in 1973 and specialist degree in educational administration in 1978. Smith, a lifelong educator, is the director of educational leadership programs at Missouri Baptist University. He is also a consultant to school districts, including helping conduct searches for superintendents and principals. He served previously as associate dean of students at Southeast, and is currently president-elect of the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation, as well as other roles. He is a Vietnam veteran, having served as a helicopter pilot and aide to a commanding officer.

Steve Taylor

Steve Taylor earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1981. He is a 1977 graduate of Cape Central High School in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Taylor is president and chief executive officer of First Missouri State Bank of Cape Girardeau County. He served for five years as the Cape Girardeau County market president for Bank of America, N.A., and for 15 years was employed in various positions with Bank One Texas, N.A., including as a credit analyst, consumer lender, commercial lender, branch manager, statewide mortgage production manager and eventually district manager with responsibility for 20 branches and 250 employees, according to the bio provided by the university.

Mark Wildhaber

Mark Wildhaber graduated magna cum laude from Southeast in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in zoology and mathematics with a minor in chemistry. In addition, he holds a master's degree in wildlife and fisheries science from Texas A&M University and a doctorate in zoology with a minor in biomathematics from North Carolina State University. He is a research ecologist and quantitative ecology section chief with the U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center in Columbia, Missouri. He has also held adjunct faculty positions at the University of Missouri-Columbia and several other universities. He is currently a Fellow of the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists and a member of the American Fisheries Society, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Animal Behavior Society and World Sturgeon Conservation Society.

Dr. Jeremy Barnes

Dr. Jeremy Barnes is a professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation at Southeast. He received his doctorate in health education from the University of Missouri-Columbia and began teaching at Southeast in 1996. According to information provided by the university, Barnes has been the director of the grant-funded Southeast Regional Prevention Center (RPC) since 2012. The mission of the RPC is to develop and promote community prevention initiatives concerning the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in six Southeast Missouri counties. Barnes is active in the community with the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, The Healthy Communities Coalition, Saint Francis Medical Center and SoutheastHEALTH. He serves on the board of directors and is past president of Project CHARLIE (Chemical Abuse Resolution Lies In Education). This is a substance misuse prevention program for elementary school students. He has taught a weekly Project CHARLIE class at Franklin Elementary School in Cape Girardeau since 2007.