2012 Washburn Alumni Fellows

School of Law

Bradley E. Haddock, jd '80, Wichita, Kan., founder and chairman, Haddock Law Office LLC

Honors and accomplishments: Executive editor of Washburn’s Law Journal; graduated cum laude from Washburn; former executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Koch Chemical Technology Group LLC, where he was lead counsel for several businesses, including refining, chemicals and asphalt businesses; member, board of directors of the American Arbitration Association since 2005; member, American Bar Association, Christian Legal Society, Kansas Bar Association, Licensing Executives Society and Wichita Bar Association; Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, Phillips University.

Professional and community service: Lifelong member of the Boy Scouts and is an Eagle Scout; served as Quivira Council president and received the Silver Buffalo Award for his volunteer service; member of the Boy Scout of America’s national executive board and has served on a number of committees for the organization; member, Leadership 2000, sponsored by the Wichita Area Chamber of Commerce; actively involved at East Evangelical Free Church.

Washburn memory: “I thoroughly enjoyed the practical approach and real-life stories from Professor (William) Treadway as he taught. His own experience as in-house counsel at Santa Fe was an encouragement to me to become in-house counsel.”

School of Applied Studies

Ron W. Marshall, bs ’73, Holton, Kan., consultant, Kansas Hospital Education and Research Foundation

Honors and accomplishments: Former CEO of Holton Community Hospital; diplomate in laboratory management, American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP); laboratory accredited inspector by ASCP; alumnus, Disney Institute for Quality in Healthcare; alumnus, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System Leadership Academy.

Professional and community service: Vice chairman, Kansas Hospital Association northeast region; vice chairman, Health Innovations Network of Kansas; committee chairman, United Way of St. Francis; member, Holton Rotary Club; member, Holton Main Street Economic Resource Committee; Sunflower soccer coach.

Other: Married to Washburn alumnae Alice (Campbell) Marshall, m ed ’85, and father of alumni Chris Marshall, ba ’09, Topeka, and daughter Lori Marshall, bsn ’11, Olathe, Kan.

Washburn memory: “One of the toughest professors I had was Dr. Kopper in microbiology. I had two courses from him. He was a German professor, very articulate and demanding. I remember my first day of clinical rotation, Dr. Kopper walks in. He was a consultant. We’d go through patient results and we’d be tested to see if we could recognize what was growing on the plates. He would come in every day and review the microbiology work we were doing. I learned a lot from him.”

College of Arts and Sciences

Glenn E. Nierman, b music ’72, Wright City, Mo., Steinhart professor of music education, associate director, University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music

Honors and accomplishments: Steinhart Distinguished Endowed Professor of Music Education; Distinguished Service Award, Nebraska Music Educators Association (NMEA); NMEA Hall of Fame; member, National Anthem Project ad hoc committee that received the Summit Award from the American Society of Association Executives; Distinguished Service Award, Nebraska Coalition for Music Education.

Professional and community service: Member, executive board, International Society for Music Education (ISME); former chairman, ISME assessment forum steering committee; member, proceedings of the XXIX World Congress of the Society of Music Education; president-elect, National Association for Music Education (NAFME); former president, NAFME north central division; member, NAFME national executive board; member, executive board, Nebraska Music Educators Association (NMEA).

Washburn memory: “The faculty and my student colleagues at Washburn have been and continue to be a great source of friendship and networking help in my professional career. The music department had excellent instructors who gave me the pre-professional foundation necessary to be a successful teacher in the public schools and later be successful in graduate school. I continue to remain in contact with many of these wonderful individuals.”

School of Business

Eric R. Slusser, bba ’83, Topeka, chief financial officer, executive vice president, treasurer, Gentiva Health Services Inc.

Honors and accomplishments: Certified public accountant; Beta Gamma Sigma recognition; worked in a start-up business (Sprint PCS) that remains the company to most rapidly reach $1 billion and $10 billion in revenue; was hired to clean up activities responsible for previous WorldCom bankruptcy as senior vice president at MCI; has been an executive and administrator for more than 20 years at several billion-dollar companies; currently the No. 2 executive at Gentiva Health Services Inc., the nation’s largest provider of home health and hospice services; worked for more than a decade in the audit division at the Arthur Andersen accounting firm.

Professional and community service: Former board member, St. Louis Alzheimer’s Association; active in his children’s school activities and in coaching their athletic teams; involved in numerous volunteer organizations in Atlanta and elsewhere over the years.

Washburn memory: “My best memories are the interactions with the business school teachers and the sense of accomplishment when I graduated. Washburn’s education provided the foundation for my career. I would not have been successful without the great education I received from the faculty at the Washburn School of Business. They provided me with the tools to enter the business world.”

College of Arts and Sciences

Robert E. Stephens, bs ’74, Topeka, professor and chairman of anatomy, associate dean of biomedical sciences, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

Honors and accomplishments: Advocate for Academic Excellence, Psi Sigma Alpha; Teacher Recognition Award for Excellence in Neurologic Education, American Academy of Neurology and the A.B. Baker Section; Students’ Choice Award in Neuroscience; Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education; Distinguished Professor Award.

Professional and community service: Supervisor, clinical anatomy pre-graduate fellowship program, KCUMB; member, KCUMB appeals board; member, KCUMB  quality enhancement council; chairman, KCUMB promotion and graduation committee; vice chairman, KCUMB institutional review board; member, board of visitors, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth; member, board of trustees, Platte County (Mo.) Health Department; has authored dozens of research articles for numerous publications; served as a speaker and presenter at numerous symposiums and events. 

Washburn memory: "Although I have many wonderful memories and some quiet amusing stories about my time at Washburn, I always tell people how open and accommodating the biology faculty were to students. Dr. O'Connor was my mentor in morphology and an outstanding role model for teaching. Whenever I'm planning a lecture or presentation, I always try to emulate his clear and precise teaching style. After 32 years of teaching in medical school, I still consider his teaching as the gold standard. The faculty were always available to help the students. Early one evening before an exam, some of the students could not get into the lab to study comparative vertebrate anatomy, somehow we contacted Dr. Boyer and he returned to the university to unlock the lab for us. A simple action that set an example for helping students achieve excellence.

College of Arts and Sciences

Carla D. Walker, ba ’99, Oklahoma City, Okla., director of publications, Oklahoma Humanities Council

Honors and accomplishments: Editor of Oklahoma Humanities magazine, the Council’s award winning publication, which she designed and launched in 2008; state historic preservation officer’s citation of merit, Oklahoma Historical Society; Distinguished Editorial Award for preservation of state and local history, Oklahoma Heritage; best public relations publication, Society of Professional Journalists; graduated summa cum laude; was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Tau Delta.

Professional and community service: Worked with Federation of State Humanities Councils to develop national marketing brochure and conduct survey of public relations needs of state councils; moderator and panelist at Federation conferences; member, International Association of Business Communicators; member, board of directors and telephone volunteer, HeartLine 2-1-1 Crisis Hotline; chairwoman, organ fundraising committee and music committee, Mayflower Congressional Church.

Washburn memory: “My favorite Washburn memory would have to be the graduation ceremony. I completed my degree as a 30-something, non-traditional student, so my sons were in the audience. The sense of accomplishment was extraordinary. … My professors challenged me, encouraged me and gave me opportunities for independent study so that I got the most I possibly could from my education. … My years at Washburn are golden days I’ll cherish forever.”

School of Nursing

Carol L. Wheeler, bsn ’83, Topeka, vice president, professional and regional services officer, Stormont-Vail HealthCare

Honors and accomplishments: Fellow, American College of HealthCare Executives; has worked at Stormont-Vail for 43 years; has been an administrator or director at Stormont-Vail for more than 30 years; certification in critical care nursing.

Professional and community service: Former president, Kansas Forum for Women Healthcare Executives; member, Kansas Association for Healthcare Executives; member and past president, Kansas Association of Young Healthcare Executives; member, American Association of Critical Care Nurses; board member, American Red Cross; board member, past president, YWCA; board member, Kansas Family Partnerships; board member, campaign chairwoman, United Way; past president, Kansas Heart Association.

Washburn memory: “I attended one year at (Washburn) and two years at (Stormont-Vail School of Nursing) to achieve my diploma in nursing in 1970. I started back (at Washburn) part-time as I raised my children and worked full-time. … Washburn was very committed to the non-traditional student and made it possible for me to get the classes I needed to complete my degree and still work full-time while also meeting my obligations to family. I would not be where I am today without the opportunity to attend college in Topeka.”