SPRINGFIELD, Mo., April 29, 2026 – Community Foundation of the Ozarks President & CEO Winter Kinne ’05 and former NBA referee Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling ’03 will serve as the speakers for Drury University’s 2026 commencement ceremonies.
Kinne is slated to speak at the Drury GO and College of Graduate Studies commencement ceremony at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8. Holtkamp-Sterling will serve as the commencement speaker for Drury’s Day School graduation ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 9. Both ceremonies will be held in the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
Now its fourth President & CEO, Kinne joined Community Foundation of the Ozarks upon her graduation from Drury in 2005. She has held a variety of roles at the nonprofit organization, including vice president of development.
Her primary role as President & CEO is to carry out the organization’s mission to enhance the quality of life in the 63 counties it serves in central and southern Missouri. Founded in 1973, Community Foundation of the Ozarks helps individuals and organizations accomplish their goals by facilitating charitable giving, scholarships and through grantmaking.
A native of Mount Vernon, Kinne was selected as 12 People You Need to Know by the Springfield Business Journal in 2024 and received the Missouri Lt. Governor’s Women of Achievement Award. In 2012, she received the 40 Under 40 award from the Springfield Business Journal.
Holtkamp-Sterling, a member of the Drury Athletics Hall of Fame, was the third female referee in NBA history. In her nine seasons in the league, Holtkamp-Sterling officiated more than 350 games. Holtkamp-Sterling officiated six seasons in the NBA G League and four seasons in the WNBA. She worked the 2013 and 2014 NBA G League Finals and the 2014 WNBA Conference Finals.
Originally from Jefferson City, Holtkamp also officiated in numerous collegiate conferences, including the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East and Colonial Athletic, as well as in several prestigious international competitions with FIBA. As a student-athlete at Drury, Holtkamp-Sterling was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and was a member of Drury’s 2004 national runner-up squad. She is currently a Marriage and Family Therapist in the Atlanta, Ga., area.
For more information on Drury’s 2026 Commencement ceremonies, please visit drury.edu/commencement.
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Media Contact: Cris Belvin, Director of University Communications & Media Relations | (417) 873-7392 | gbelvin@drury.edu