Speaker Bios

Dr. Cynthia Irmer, Keynote.   After many years working in the public and private sectors as lawyer, teacher, advocate, student, peacebuilder and conflict resolver, Dr. Irmer retired from fulltime work and moved with her husband from the Washington, D.C. area to Southern California. She has a passion for acknowledging under-represented voices and for comprehending social complexity. She volunteers with San Diego Braver Angels Alliance and the CommonSense American (CSA) initiative where she serves as California State Ambassador.

She has taught Conflict Resolution programs at California’s Donovan Correctional Facility as well as graduate-level programs at USD’s Kroc School for Peace Studies and the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.  She has worked for the US, UN, and UK to build community strengths and resilience to overcome oppression or conflict in Bangkok, Cairo and Istanbul, and developed and implemented peacebuilding and negotiation skills building programs for governments and communities in North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, North and Central America and Europe.

Previously, she was a trial lawyer for 20 years with the US Department of Justice, private law firms and multinational corporations.   She studied at Oxford University, George Mason’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and Creighton University School of Law.

Katherine Kerbs Best is a 2012 graduate of Cottey College, where she received the First Lei. She continued her education at William Jewell College, obtaining a BA summa cum laude in English and Applied Critical Thought & Inquiry, before earning her JD from the University of Missouri in 2017. After passing the bar, Katherine began work for the Missouri House of Representatives as a Drafting Attorney. Katherine drafts all legislation for the House in the areas of elections, ethics, tourism, state government, utilities, and public assistance benefits. Katherine and her husband live in rural mid-Missouri with their two young sons.

Morgan Brown is a Change Management Analyst at Deloitte Consulting, supporting a civil government client. She specializes in coaching, leadership development, change management, workforce transformation, and well-being. With a deep passion for empowering others, Morgan is committed to helping individuals, teams, and organizations navigate change with confidence, foster resilience, and create meaningful transformation. Morgan holds a B.A. in both Organizational Leadership Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Cottey College and an M.S. in Organizational Change Management from The New School in New York City. As a Certified Professional Coach, she integrates her expertise in leadership and personal growth to inspire positive, lasting impact. Her work is guided by a holistic approach, blending strategy with human-centered transformation to cultivate thriving, purpose-driven environments.

Dominica Chavez, M.A.Ed.H.D, Driven by a passion for education, policy, and leadership, Dominica Chavez is committed to shaping meaningful change—fueled by a love for coffee and fitness along the way.  She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration Management from Cottey College and a Master’s in Education and Human Development from The George Washington University, where she received the Leonard Nadler Leadership Award.

As the Advocacy Manager at NewMexicoKidsCAN, Dominica works to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education, regardless of their zip code. Previously, she led and delivered executive-level leadership training programs for students in Career and Technical Student Organizations nationwide as Leadership Coaching Services Manager at TEAMTRI.

Outside of work, Dominica enjoys long walks, exploring philosophy, discovering new coffee, and coaching CrossFit.

Jordan (Smith) Everett is a member of Cottey class 2004 and received her bachelor’s of science in Environmental Science from Iowa State University in 2007.  She has worked in quality assurance and food safety management for both the food industry and in food packaging, and for the last six years has pivoted into the business sector.  She is currently employed by Huhtamaki, a global food packaging company based in Espoo, Finland, and works as a Packaging Product Portfolio Manager.  She lives outside of Kansas City with her husband David and their 7-year old daughter, Maggie (future Cottey class of ’39).

Malikah Fard-Allah is a dedicated educator with a strong commitment to student success and educational equity. Since beginning her career in 2018 through Teach for America, they have remained deeply involved in the field of education. She spent her first four years as a middle school teacher before transitioning into the education non-profit sector, where she continued to support students and educators. Currently, Malikah serves as a 7th-grade classroom teacher, bringing both experience and passion to her work. In addition to teaching, she is a certified DeBruce Agilities Coach, helping individuals identify and leverage their strengths for career success. They are also on the board of The Collective, a community-driven organization dedicated to educational leadership and advocacy.

Marisa Guerrero (she/her) is a 2017 Cottey graduate and a Kansas City-based event coordinator with experience in auto industry, finance, and nonprofit event planning. She has worked with organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, and the Kansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, honing her skills in gala/conference planning, networking, and community engagement. This diverse background led her to establish Hermosa Events, LLC, a wedding management firm for the everyday bride.  Outside of event planning, Marisa enjoys traveling, quality time with friends, and doting on her 11-year-old dachshund, Maxy.

Susana Irigoyen is the Owner and Director of Dancin’ Feet in El Centro, California. She started dancing at the age of  four at Dancin’ Feet in ballet and later added tap, jazz, and modern. In high school, she participated in the SAVAPA (Southwest Academy of the Visual and Performing Arts) Dance program for three years where she expanded her dance portfolio by learning hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary. Susana graduated from Cottey in May of 2019 with a BA in Business Administration-Management and an AFA in Dance. Three months after graduating from college, she purchased Dancin’ Feet and began her new career. Dancin’ Feet offers classes to students ages two and a half to adult in ballet, tap, hip hop, acrobatics, jazz, and modern. The adult classes include tap, hip hop, belly dance, and The Ellové Technique®. In addition to teaching most of those dance styles, Susana also teaches Quinceañeras and first wedding dances. She shares her passion and excitement for dance with her 450 students! Some of her most notable performances and competitions include the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Disneyland, Disney World, and the American College Theatre Festival Region V in both Iowa and South Dakota.

Andrea Lewis currently work at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyoming as the curator.  She graduated from Cottey in 2003 with an AA in music. From there, she attended the University of Wyoming for a Humanities in Fine Arts Bachelor’s degree, before joining the Army band in 2007.  A medical discharge led her back to school for a second bachelor’s from the University of Wyoming in History with a minor in Museum Studies and a focus in Historic Preservation, finishing in 2011. She has worked for the National Park Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Department of Defense, National Archives and Records Administration, and now for a small non-profit.  She is currently working on a master’s degree in museum studies at the University of Oklahoma and will graduate in May!

Christina Litherland is originally from Northern New Mexico but has spent the last several years living in Billings, Montana. She was a student at Cottey College from 2014-2017, making her a part of the fifth cohort of students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Cottey College since they began offering them in 2011. She went on to complete her master’s degree at New Mexico Highlands University graduating in 2020 during the Covid Pandemic. She is no stranger to navigating a tough job market, working remotely, and finding creative ways to apply her classical education to jobs in all kinds of different industries. She has been a Contracts & Compliance Operations Specialist for an urban design firm on the East Coast, served as C Suite Level Executive Support to Native American organizations securing procurement opportunities for Tribes, and has done ongoing work as a freelance Grant Writer supporting numerous nonprofits in achieving their goals over the last decade. She currently works as an Employment Placement Specialist (EPS) for Alternatives, Inc., a corrections to community nonprofit.

Ellen Long graduated from Cottey College in 2017 with an Associates in Liberal Arts. She then transferred to Pittsburg State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Art in 2019. During the summer of 2019, Ellen was a Harrison Fellow at Monticello through the Historic Landscape Institute, where she learned about the continued growth of the historic gardens there. She next moved to Glasgow, Scotland, in the fall of 2019 where she attended the University of Glasgow, receiving a Master of Science in Museum Studies in Fall 2020.

In March 2023 Ellen accepted a year-long fellowship at Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. She was a costumed interpreter and historic gardener, presenting 1830s New England life and gardening to visitors. Ellen returned to Kansas where she is currently working as a gardener at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens since 2015.

Celestine Ooko is a forensic scientist at Quest Diagnostics in Lenexa, Kansas, where she specializes in analyzing drugs in patient samples using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) instruments. A native of Kenya, Celestine graduated from Cottey College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. She also serves as a Specialist in the U.S. Army Reserves, holding the role of Automated Logistical Specialist. Outside of her professional responsibilities, Celestine enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and is a passionate fan of the Kansas City Chiefs football team.

Abigail Pino (She/Her) is an enrolled member of Kawaika (Pueblo of Laguna), one of the 19 Pueblo sovereign nations in New Mexico located 45 miles west of Albuquerque. She joined Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health in January 2024 as the Family Spirit Program Administrative Coordinator and currently supports the operations across multiple community-centered projects including SPIRIT funded by LEGO, Family Spirit Training, and other interconnected projects in the Albuquerque, NM region.

This position involves the management of internal and external communication systems, organizing large-scale events/travel and preparation of materials for national and global distribution. Abigail’s professional career has centered on multimedia journalism and higher education teaching focusing primarily on Indigenous activism, storytelling, and community resilience. Her most recent work has been featured in the LANDBACK Magazine, Issue 2 published in 2023 by NDN Collective, and the Kukadze’eta Community Newspaper, Vol. 27 published in 2024. Abigail holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Cottey College and a Master of Arts in Communication from Eastern New Mexico University.

Whitli Thomas graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Cottey in 2019 before attending Southwest Baptist University for her Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT). She has interned at hospitals and clinics across the United States and now practices at a clinic in the Kansas City area. Since graduating with her DPT in 2023, she has obtained specialist certifications in post-stroke rehab and also enjoys treating a number of orthopedic conditions. When Whitli is not working, she enjoys traveling, remodeling projects, and spending time with her cat, Odi.

Brandi VanAntwerp is a 2001 Cottey alumna, and a 2005 Belmont University alumna, where she majored in Commercial Music with an emphasis in Music Business. Brandi is the President & CEO of United Way of the Ozarks. She has more than 16 years of experience in the nonprofit sector including fund development, operations, grant administration, public relations, and strategic planning.