Officers
Executive Board
President
Jake Wright
jwwright@mail.missouri.edu
Department of Philosophy
I’m a fourth year Ph.D. student in the philosophy department. I earned my M.A. in philosophy at Mizzou and my B.A. at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. After serving as department representative for the 2010-2011 academic year, I served as Secretary for the 2011-2012 academic year. Outside of the academy, I’m a huge baseball and soccer fan, and before I came to Mizzou, my wife and I lived in Barcelona, Spain for two years. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Vice President
Urme Ali
nazneen.ali@mail.missouri.edu
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Hello and thank you for electing me as your GPC Vice President for the 2013-2014 school year! Having served as GPC Programming and Publicity Coordinator in years past, I have developed an inherent commitment to serving the needs of Mizzou’s graduate and professional students and am honored to continue that service in a new capacity. Since I joined the board in 2011, GPC has accomplished some amazing things, extended its reach in partnership and service, and has established itself as an entity graduate and professional students have come to rely. My only wish for GPC for this next year is to continue this trend. If you are interested in serving your student body or just curious to know what your student government is up to, I encourage you to attend a general assembly meeting held at 6PM the first Tuesday evening of every month in Chamber Auditorium, 2nd floor, MU Student Center. If you have needs or ideas you would like to communicate to the board please feel free to contact any of us, as we are all proud to be of service to you. Once again, thank you for the honor to serve as your Vice President; I look forward to an exciting and productive year!
Treasurer
Hallie Thompson
hjtww3@mail.missouri.edu
Department of Plant Sciences
I received my B.S. in Biochemistry here at Mizzou, and then decided to continue as a Ph.D. student in the Division of Plant Sciences. I served on Student Fee Review Committee (SFRC) and Student Fee Capital Improvement Committee (SFCIC) in the 2012-13 academic year, as well as serving as one of two Plant Sciences representatives. I am also actively involved in the Interdisciplinary Plant Group here at MU, and serve as an organizer of Plant Talks, a seminar series for graduate students and post-docs. My overall goal for my interim as GPC treasurer is to increase involvement in GPC by students across diverse divisions. I am excited to serve as your treasurer for the 2013-14 academic year; feel free to contact me if you have any ideas or questions!
Secretary
Mike Burfield
michaelburfield@mail.missouri.edu
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
I am a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. My research focuses on the development of urban areas (primarily college campuses) and its effect on wildlife diversity. In 2004, I received my B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Cincinnati. I spent the next four years as an Environmental Scientist until I enrolled at Mizzou for an M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, which I completed in 2011 before starting my Ph.D. In addition, I work in the Sustainability Office analyzing Mizzou’s solid waste system and providing recommendations for increasing our recycling percentage, I have been a Teaching Assistant in Natural Resources and Biological Sciences, and I am a member of the Environmental Affairs and Sustainability Committee. My goal for this year is to continue to support GPC to the fullest of my duties and to explore solutions for creating and maintaining a regular GPC Newsletter.
Programming & Publicity
Mike Steska
mjsz68@mail.missouri.edu
Department of Anthropology
Hello! I am Mike Steska, GPC’s new Programming and Publicity Coordinator. I received my BA from Southeast Missouri State and am now a graduate student in MU’s Department of Anthropology. My experience in over 30 different countries has shaped and solidified my interest in various peoples and cultures. I look forward to using an interdisciplinary approach to bring our student body together to create a more valuable and enjoyable experience for all graduate and professional students at MU. I thank you, as I am proud to serve you through GPC. Please contact me if you ever have any questions, concerns or new ideas that you would like to discuss.
National Issues Coordinator
Jesse Kremenak
jwk262@mail.missouri.edu
Department of Physics and Astronomy
After earning my B.S. in Physics and Art from Ursinus College in 2008, I was awarded the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. As a Watson Fellow I spent a full year independently exploring Australia, China, Czech Republic, India, and Japan, while studying the cultural and environmental influences on automobile customization. After my solo travels, I returned to the U.S. and rejoined Westlake Pharmaceutical Services as a service engineer, repairing Sciex mass-spectrometers in labs around the country.
Giving my frequent flier miles a break, I joined MU’s Physics and Astronomy Department as a Ph.D. student in the fall of 2010. During my tenure as the National Issues Coordinator I strive to keep the graduate and professional students informed of higher education related political development. I am committed to advocate on your behalf at the national level.
State Issues Coordinator
Salama Gallimore
smg5y2@mail.missouri.edu
School of Law
My name is Salama Gallimore and I will be in my third year of law school during my tenure as State Legislative Issues Coordinator. I am originally from Columbia, Missouri, but left to attend Saint Louis University where I received Bachelor’s Degrees in both French Studies and Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Political Science. I have a lot of experience working with Missouri political organizations and policy initiatives and I intend to use my knowledge to stay abreast of state issues affecting graduate students. I am excited to join the executive board of GPC and I look forward to advocating on behalf of Mizzou graduate students in a state forum. Please feel free to contact me with questions or to voice your concerns about any relevant state issues!
Appointed Positions
Technology Coordinator
Patrick Spencer
patrick.spencer@mizzou.edu
Department of Mathematics
My name is Patrick Spencer and I am a PD.D. student in math here at MU. I got my undergraduate degree from Transylvania University, in Lexington Kentucky, and thereafter I came to Missouri for graduate studies. I love math, computer languages, webpages, and running.
I joined GPC as its technology coordinator so that I could contribute to the graduate community here at MU. My goals are simply to use today’s current technology to amplify and clarify the message of GPC. Feel free to send me comments/suggestions on how GPC can better use technology. I’m excited to be a part of the team.
Faculty Advisor
GPC Faculty Advisor
Robyn Ridgway
ridgwayr@missouri.edu
Director of Advising and Student Services
Graduate Studies Office
Trulaske College of Business
During the Academic Year 2008-2009, Alaine Arnott, President of GPC, came to me with the invitation to be considered for the Advisor position with GPC. Selfishly, I thought it would be a good channel for me to be involved more with the University Campus and build relationships outside my home in Cornell Hall. It has been much more for me than that. It has been an education in itself as I have observed the accomplishments of each General Assembly meeting. I am amazed at the powerful voice the GPC representatives have in making decisions on behalf of all graduate and professional students at the University of Missouri. It is thrilling to hear the very intelligent discussions as decisions are made. There have been several speakers from various departments on campus who have educated me on their offerings to graduate and professional students. So my involvement with GPC has been a bridge from Cornell Hall through the campus, not for me alone, but for the graduate students I connect with on a daily basis as Assistant Director of Advising and Student Services for the Crosby MBA Program.
Exiting executive board members
The Graduate Professional Council would like to honor the executive board members who are leaving us and thank them for their service to the University of Missouri.
President
Kristofferson Culmer
krcd58@mail.missouri.edu
Department of Computer Science
Committee chair for: Constitutional and Bylaws Review
Treasurer
Kristina Haug
kh852@mail.missouri.edu
Department of Agricultural Education
Committee chair for: Finance
Mike Martin
Secretary
Michael Martin
mjmgg7@mail.missouri.edu
Department of Agricultural Education
Committee chair for: Student Affairs
State Issues Coordinator
Mary Francis
mlfyb9@mail.missouri.edu
School of Public Health; Truman School of Public Affairs