Four Truman alumni were included on the St. Louis Business Journal “40 Under 40” list, released in February. They include: Daniel Chavez (’02), Matt Helbig (’03), Scott Sifton (’96) and Brandi Williams-Hibbler (’98). The entire list can be found at bizjournals.com/stlouis/topic/40-under-40.

Carolyn Mulford (’60), Columbia, Mo., received the Walter Williams Major Work Award from the Missouri Writers’ Guild in April for “Show Me the Murder,” the first book in her mystery series.

Paul Copenhaver (’73) was inducted into the Missouri Music Educators Association Hall of Fame during the 76th annual Missouri Music Educators Association Workshop/Conference in January. He taught bands at all levels in Moberly public schools from 1973-2006, and currently directs the sixth grade band and seventh/eighth grade band at Moberly’s St. Pius X School.

Mary (Rhodes) Russell (’80) received the Woman of the Year Award during the 2014 Women’s Justice Awards presented by Missouri Lawyers Weekly, April 24 in St. Louis. Russell currently serves as Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court.

Duane A. Hercules (’82) has been promoted to president of Safety National Casualty Corporation, a St. Louis-based insurance holding company. Hercules previously served as chief operating officer and has occupied a variety of administration positions during his 30-year tenure with the company.

Mike McClaskey (’85) was named executive vice president and chief human resources officer for DISH Network Corporation.

Shelley Tischkau (’86, ’89) was selected as Outstanding Teacher of the Year at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine by the SIU Academy for Scholarship in Education. The award is given annually to recognize SIU faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional skill and commitment to teaching. Tischkau is as associate professor of pharmacology.

Ellen (Hoelscher) McLain (’87) was a recipient off a 2014 MU Tribute to Women Award, sponsored by the University of Missouri Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women. The awards honor outstanding women faculty, staff and students who have contributed to the advancement of women at the University of Missouri.

Lori Nix (’93) received a 2014 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. Since 1925, the foundation has offered fellowships to artists, scholars and scientists in all fields on the basis of impressive achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment. Nix is an artist in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jay Johnson (’96) was selected by Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Mo., as the dean of the Eckelkamp College of Global Business and Professional Studies. He will oversee the university’s undergraduate and graduate business programs, including those in the evening and online division.

Jen (Ward) Minnis (’97, ’98) was named the 2013 Blue Springs Teacher of the Year. A history teacher, she is now eligible to compete for the Missouri Teacher of the Year Award this fall.

Bryan James (’99) was named senior estimator for Skanska USA, one of the largest construction and development networks in the country.

Adam Gebhardt (’00) was included on the 2014 “Rising Stars of KC Business.” He is the director of marketing for Tivol, a Kansas City-based jewelry retailer in business for more than 100 years.

Tim Hudson (’00) was selected as the chief executive officer of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity and Foundation. The organization currently has more than 4,000 members at 81 chapters and 11 colonies across the nation.

Nick Weite (’03) is the No. 1 ranked powerlifter in the U.S. in the 275-pound weight class. He was one of only two American males who qualified to compete in the 2013 World Games, which took place in Cali, Colombia. Weite is a police officer for the City of St. Louis.

Brandi (Brown) Bartel (’04) was included on the Springfield (Mo.) Business Leader “40 Under 40” list. She runs the Victim Center, which provides 24-hour, free crisis intervention to men, women and children.

Becky (O’Dea) Stilley (’04) and Sara (Jessen) Paalhar (’04) were members of the MRIGlobal team that recently concluded a five-year program known as the Individual Protection Ensemble Mannequin System (IPEMS), which produced a mannequin robot and high-containment chamber to test protective clothing under a range of conditions for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Jennifer (Drake) Fantroy (’05) was named the new assistant director of the Sue Shear Institute and director of the Leadership Academy.

Judith “Ellie” Glenn (’07) was as the recipient of the 2014 Amethyst Award, presented by the Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Glenn has worked in the legislative and executive branches of Missouri government.

Sally Hertz Gran (’07) was included in the May 2014 issue of National Geographic as one of the “Faces of Farming,” part of the magazine’s series on “Feeding the World,” which examines how to feed the world’s estimated population of nine billion people by 2050.

Tracy Mulderig (’10) was appointed as the student representative to Board of Curators at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Gov. Jay Nixon made the appointment on Feb. 18, and Mulderig was confirmed by the Senate on March 6. Mulderig is an industrial/organizational psychology doctoral student at the school. Her term on the board expires Jan. 1, 2016.