Each year, the Missouri State University Alumni Association honors a group of distinguished alumni and former university faculty and staff at an awards ceremony.      

The event celebrates their professional accomplishments, civic achievements, volunteer impact and more, which bring recognition to the university. Their leadership roles and impact on their communities are among the hallmarks of these alumni and friends from around the globe.    

The 2026 Bears of Distinction Dinner and Awards Banquet will take place at 6 p.m., April 25 in the Christopher S. Bond Learning Center, located at the William H. Darr Agricultural Center in Springfield.     

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $40 per person or $320 for a table of eight. Attendees can RSVP online or by calling 417-836-5654.     

The 2026 Bears of Distinction award recipients    

Excellence in Public Affairs: Ken McClure ’72 
McClure retired in 2025 after serving as mayor of Springfield for eight years, a tenure that included navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and securing the purchase of Hammons Field to keep the Springfield Cardinals in town. As chief of staff for former Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, he championed legislation renaming Southwest Missouri State. He also served as Missouri State’s vice president for administrative and information services from 2008-15.

Award of Appreciation: Art Hains
Hains spent 45 years as Missouri State’s play-by-play voice, calling more than 3,000 athletic events and earning the title “Voice of the Bears.” He also served as studio host for the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network for 16 years. In 2022, he battled West Nile virus and spent eight months in rehabilitation before returning to the booth for the 2023 football season. He retired in 2025. 

Volunteer Group of the Year: College of Business Executive Advisory Council
The council has shaped Missouri State’s College of Business since its formal establishment in 2005. The 28-member council — comprising business leaders, employers and alumni across six states — helps align curriculum with workforce needs, creates internship and job opportunities for students, and funds named spaces throughout Glass Hall. The council also made lead gifts to establish the Student Managed Investment Fund, giving finance students real-world portfolio management experience.  

Bears of Excellence: Dr. Adrienne Battle ’03
Battle has led Metro Nashville Public Schools since 2019, becoming the first Black woman, first woman and first district graduate to serve as superintendent. Under her leadership, the district earned Tennessee’s highest performance rating four consecutive years, from 2022-25. 

Bears of Excellence: Barbara Ducey Bowden ’83
Bowden is area managing director of Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando, overseeing five Signature Collection properties. She also serves as board chair for Visit Orlando. In 2025, she was named Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association Hotelier of the Year. 

Bears of Excellence: Julie Cromer ’93
Cromer serves as executive deputy athletic director and chief operations officer at Louisiana State University. Previously director of athletics at Ohio University, she was named the 2024 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Athletics Director of the Year and has held leadership roles at the NCAA and multiple universities. 

Bears of Excellence: Gina Keltner ’89
Keltner has spent more than 25 years at the Grand Ole Opry, where she books roughly 2,000 artist slots per year as associate producer of talent. In 2025, she was inducted into the Source Hall of Fame, recognizing accomplished women in Nashville’s music industry. 

Bears of Excellence: Dr. Maureen McCarthy ’81
McCarthy is in her ninth year as dean of the College of Sciences and Humanities at Ball State University, leading 300 faculty and 4,000 students. A first-generation college student, she and her partner are now endowing a scholarship to help St. Louis students attend Missouri State. 

Bears of Excellence: Voin Todorovic ’97, ’00
Todorovic is chief financial officer of Build-A-Bear Workshop in St. Louis, where he has overseen five consecutive years of record revenue and profitability. Originally from Montenegro, he came to Springfield as a high school exchange student before enrolling at Missouri State. 

Nominate a recipient for 2027    

The Alumni Association invites nominations of worthy MSU graduates or former faculty and staff members to be Bears of Distinction. Submit a nomination online.