Drury University Board of Trustees elects five new members

SPRINGFIELD, MO., May 11, 2022 – Drury University’s Board of Trustees elected five new board members who began their terms on May 1, 2022. Today, May 11, they attended new trustee orientation ahead of the biannual board meeting.

“The new members bring a diverse and valuable breadth of experience and knowledge to the board,” said Drury President Dr. Tim Cloyd. “We are thankful to each of them for their continued support of Drury. Through their time and generosity, they will help to ensure a bright future for all Drury students.”

Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees include the authority to:

• Appoint the president of the university
• Determine the course of study and instruction to be pursued in the university or any of its departments
• Ordain the necessary bylaws and regulations for the government and direction of all officers, instructors, students and servants of the university and for the general management of all its affairs

Each trustee serves for a term of four years and may be re-elected for subsequent terms. A short biography of each new member is provided below in alphabetical order:

• James “Isaac” Cody ’02 holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and a minor in Global Studies. Cody was also a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He now lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, and serves as senior vice president and treasurer for Walmart Inc. Cody started at Walmart as a summer intern before entering his senior year at Drury. Following graduation, he joined Walmart as a staff auditor and worked his way up through the company.

 

• Jason Jenkins ’91 holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Economics and a minor in Accounting. Jenkins was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. He lives in Cape Coral, Florida, and since 2000 has served as the co-founder and president of Alpha Surety & Insurance Brokerage LLC. From 2000-07, Jenkins served as co-founder and president of PromoRegistration.com. In 2007, the site sold to the Houston Casualty Co., a publicly traded company. Between 1998-2000, Jenkins worked as regional surety manager for Capitol Indemnity Corp.

 

• Jeana McFerron-Berron ’88 holds a Bachelor of Arts and earned her juris doctorate from Vanderbilt University in 1991. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and Drury Debate Union. McFerron-Berron lives in Saint Charles and serves as principal senior counsel for The Boeing Co. She worked as an attorney for Gallop Johnson & Neuman between 2002-2004 and Lewis, Rice & Fingersh from 1991-2002.

 

• Jennifer Mahaffey M.Ed. ’94 graduated from the University of Missouri in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Banking and went on to earn her Master’s in Education from Drury. She currently lives in Rogersville and serves as board secretary of radio broadcasting and real estate company, Mahaffey Enterprises Inc. She is active in her church and volunteers with several organizations. She is an active member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority and sustaining member of the Junior League of Springfield.

 

• Carrie (Wooten) McLiney has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Kansas. She currently lives in Overland Park, Kansas and serves as a board member and executive producer for Just Like You Films Inc. Just Like You Films, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that develops films to capture “real life stories that teach children and adults how all of us are more alike than we are different.” McLiney also has experience in fundraising and philanthropy.

In addition to the new members, five current members will conclude their time on the board on May 13. Those members include Sarah Marie Lewis, eight years of service; Thomas Craig McAlear, 22 years of service; Thomas R. Warren, 14 years of service; Emily Roberts Pitts, four years of service; and Ron Stabb seven years of service. They have served a collective 55 years on the Drury University Board of Trustees.

The next university Board of Trustee’s meeting will take place on May 12-13, 2022.

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Media Contact: Jasmine Bailey, Director of University Communications and Media Relations – (417) 873-7390 or JBailey012@drury.edu.