Arrow 2013 03-29-10

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SOUTHEAST ALUMNA AND PHILANTHROPIST HAS BEEN SERVING AS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS SINCE FEB. 20
Â10 ARROW • week of April 3 - 9, 2013
BOARD of Regents has new vice president
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ALUMNI DAY FEATURES FIVE ALUMNI
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Kendra Neely-Martin appointed as vice president of Board of Regents
ANDREA GILS
COPY EDITOR
Kendra Neely-Martin, a philanthropist and alumna of
Southeast Missouri State University, has served as vice presi-
dent of Southeast’s Board of Regents since Feb. 20.
She was appointed to the board in November 2011 by Mis-
souri Gov. Jay Nixon.The members of the board volunteer
their time to make sure the university is as healthy and vital as
possible, according to Neely-Martin.
It has the power and authority to change and enforce rules
and regulations pertaining student conduct and suspend or
expel students for disobedience to the rules. It can appoint
and dismiss all officers and teachers and make other decisions
pertaining to Southeast’s management.
The Board of Regents carries out an evaluation every two
years, where they assess needs and leadership roles.The vice
president position is a two-year commitment.
Neely-Martin said her responsibilities and commitment to
the university as a vice president remain the same as her for-
mer position as a board member. She said that as a regent, she
still has to make sure that Southeast is successful, that Dr. Ken-
nethW. Dobbins, president of the university, is successful and
that the school is functioning well. As a vice president, Neely-
Martin has to be available if board president Doyle Privett is
unavailable and also provide support to Dobbins as needed.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity,” Neely-Mar-
tin said.“I’m confident in my leadership and in the skills and
resources that I bring to fill in the regent’s role.”
Neely-Martin said her objective as vice president of the
Board of Regents is to move Southeast forward to stay ahead of
the curve in relation to the education in the state of Missouri.
“We want to continue to be the school of first choice. …We
want to make sure that the academic programs that we offer
are solid and that the students are successful,” Neely-Martin
said.
As a board member, Neely-Martin said she has had some
tremendous opportunities to make decisions about the
future of the university, including housing and expansions,
capital assessment, revitalization of the campus and adding
amenities.
Thinking ahead, Neely-Martin said she would be hono-
red to become the president of the Board of Regents but said it
will depend on the reappointment of Doyle. If that presidency
position becomes open, elections for that office and the vice
president position would take place.
“I would be honored to have the opportunity to submit my
name for the advancement as president. I think that it’s a tre-
mendous honor to have the opportunity to represent a school
like Southeast and to have your input valued by the univer-
sity,” Neely-Martin said.“That role is a very critical role in rela-
tion to the supporting of the president and ensuring that the
university is functioning at the highest level, so it would be a
tremendous honor but not a guaranteed honor.”
Neely-Martin said that the board members would have
conversations to decide on who would lead the board best,
given the need of the university.
There have been many changes since Neely-Martin obtai-
ned her bachelor of science in business administration at
Southeast in 1994, she said. She mentioned changes in space
and technology, the reputation of the Harrison College of
Business, which has grown, and the campus itself.
“It’s not the same Southeast when it comes to structure
when I attended, but the same beautiful experience is still
here,” Neely-Martin said.
She also said that she is proud of the student organizations
that build leadership skills and that she was happy to see they
were still intact, such as Student Government Association.
Neely-Martin has served on multiple committees cente-
red in diversity and educational experiences in Campus Life
and SGA, and in Delta SigmaTheta, a sorority she has been a
member of for 22 years.
She also referred to Southeast’s growth in terms of diversity
and international student population as“amazing.”
“Being an alum and being away from Southeast for seve-
ral years I just have an increased appreciation for higher edu-
cation,” Neely-Martin said.“Overall, when it comes to higher
education, the more stable you are, the higher the quality of
education the students receive, and more importantly, there is
an increased opportunity for graduates.”
Besides devoting time to Southeast’s Board of Regents,
Neely-Martin said she spends countless hours with members
of the St. Louis community.
”In order to make a difference we have to make sure we
reach as far and wide as we can as individuals to impact lives
and change the process, and especially for the underserved
and disenfranchised, that we create a voice,” Neely-Martin
said.
Neely-Martin is the chair of the educational development
for the St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta
SigmaTheta and works as a pharmaceutical sales specialist for
AstraZeneca. She oversees the Delta Academy, a national pro-
gram created to provide health and wellness training as well as
instill the values necessary to build a solid community, astra-
zeneca-us.com stated in a press release.
Neely-Martin’s contributions were recognized with the
Jefferson Award for Public Service, a national award that
recognizes community service, which she received in 2011.
Helping the disenfranchised, selling pharmaceuticals, ser-
ving in Delta SigmaTheta and serving on the Board of Regents
provide Neely-Martin a chance to work with people with
diverse backgrounds.
“To continue to become a more global environment as a
place to study is high on my list and I think Southeast should
keep this pace of growth and inclusion,” Neely-Martin said.
“I’mveryexcitedtohavethe
opportunity.I’mconfidentinmy
leadershipandintheskillsand
resourcesthatIbringtofillinthe
regent’srole.”
KendraNeely-Martin