National Alumni Board Directory
The individuals who serve on the Drake University National Alumni Board of Directors are serious about the Alumni Association's mission of providing its alumni with a channel for their "imaginative and meaningful participation in the life and future of the University."
Nominated by a committee of the Alumni Association Board, directors serve three-year terms and meet on campus three times per year, serving on on a variety of committees focused on programming, student recruitment, marketing, and fundraising for the University. Board meetings are open to all alumni.
Meet the Board
Martha Capps, JO'78
President
VP of Client Services
Hanley Wood Marketing
Eden Prairie, MN
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John V. Miller, BN'82
Chair
National Sales & Underwriting Manager
Piper Jaffrey
Lenexa, KS
Email Me
David Beall, BN'81
President
Bizability Group
Orange, CA
Rachel (Dykstra) Boon, ED'99, GR'02
Chief Academic Officer
Board of Regents
Des Moines, IA
Shawn Burke, LW’87
Senior Account Executive
Thomson Reuters
Des Moines, IA
Kelly Caldbeck, PH'01
Senior Resource Specialist
LivWell Seniors
Des Moines, IA
Hijinio Carreon, AS’99
Chief Medical Officer
MercyOne
Des Moines, IA
Timothy Coonan, AS'96, LW'02
Government Relations Special Counsel
Davis Brown Law Firm
Des Moines, IA
Kristopher Covi, AS'95
Shareholder
McGrath North
Omaha, NE
Drew Engebrecht, BN'02
Account Executive/Shareholder
Holmes Murphy
Waukee, IA
John Farmer, AS'92
VP of Litigation
Charter Communications
St. Louis, MO
Drew Gulley, AS'05
Business Partner
Piper Sandler
Minneapolis, MN
Brian Harms, AS'89
Owner
Bulldog Vending
Sun City, AZ
Sally (Liechty) Holmberg, ED'63, GR'69, GR'83, GR'94
Retired
Pleasant Hill, IA
Lauren Hong, AS'07
President
Out & About Communications
San Diego, CA
Ken-Matt Martin, JO'12
Artistic Director
Victory Gardens Theater
Chicago, IL
Chris McDonnell, JO'05
Principal
McDonnall Wealth Management
Orland Park, IL
Laurel Rundle, JO'91
Founder
Aha! Marketing
Chicago, IL
Jeff Seaman, BN'03
Senior VP
CBRE, INC.
Phoenix, AZ
Nikki (Coffman) Syverson, JO'03
Director
Capital Crossroads
Clive, IA
Jennifer Tran-Johnson, AS'06
Registrar
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Seejo Valacheril, BN’12
Client Account Executive
Morningstar
Chicago, IL
Jim Verlengia, GR'90, GR'95
Retired
Johnston, IA
Ex-Officio Members
If you need to contact someone specifically you can reach out to them via their contact infromation below.
Lori Blachford, GR'08
Professor
LGBTQ+ Chair
Alexis Davis, JO'12, GR'17
Strategic Communications Project Manager
United Way of Central Iowa
Black Alumni Chair
Tom Florian, BN’14, GR’16
Director, Membership and Growth
West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce
CIRAB Chair