Spring - University of Central Missouri
Spring - University of Central Missouri
Spring - University of Central Missouri
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Grads Share high School mentor, Career Success<br />
By Matt Bird-Meyer ’97<br />
When the conversation<br />
turned to mentors, the<br />
two Ameristar executives<br />
realized the same teacher,<br />
Mrs. E., had shaped their<br />
young academic lives.<br />
A JAckpot with A<br />
SmAll-town twiSt<br />
In the billion-dollar gambling industry, known for its glitz and high<br />
stakes, two <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Central</strong> <strong>Missouri</strong> graduates hit a jackpot,<br />
not at a poker table or slot machine but in their careers. In becoming<br />
successful executives with Ameristar Casinos, they discovered a common<br />
bond to a small-town high school teacher, who despite the odds, happens<br />
also to be a UCM grad and, incredibly enough, also found inspiration<br />
from another alumna who had taught her at the same school.<br />
This story begins with two <strong>Central</strong><br />
<strong>Missouri</strong> alumnae separated by hundreds<br />
<strong>of</strong> miles. Roxann Kinkade is director <strong>of</strong><br />
communications for Ameristar and works<br />
from the Kansas City casino. Cynthia<br />
Mercer was chief human resources<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficer and operated from Las Vegas. The<br />
high school teacher they both credit<br />
for influencing their success is Frances<br />
Engelbrecht, or “Mrs. E.” as her former<br />
students know her.<br />
“It’s like something that’s so personal to<br />
you, something you hold in your heart, but<br />
then you realize someone else has that,”<br />
says Kinkade, drawing laughter from all<br />
three women who reunited at the Kansas<br />
City casino.<br />
Kinkade graduated from UCM in 1981<br />
with a degree in public relations. She has<br />
worked at Ameristar for six years, moving<br />
up the corporate ladder from public<br />
relations manager at the Kansas City casino<br />
to managing all communications for the<br />
corporation. With eight properties in seven<br />
markets and annual revenues around<br />
$1.2 billion, Ameristar is a major player<br />
in the casino industry. Kinkade monitors<br />
its public image, including what other<br />
organizations are saying or writing about it,<br />
coordinating interviews with newspapers,<br />
television and other media, and finding the<br />
right people to speak for the company.<br />
(continued next page)<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Central</strong> <strong>Missouri</strong> | today 3
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