Dredd, Hall, Roderique family to receive MSSU outstanding alumni, family awards

(From Southern News Service)

The Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at Missouri Southern State University has announced the recipients of the Outstanding Alum, Distinguished Alum and Outstanding Family Awards.

Emily (Petty) Dredd, a 2000 graduate of Missouri Southern, will receive the Outstanding Alum Award. Internationally-known artist, Matt Hall, a 1986 graduate of Missouri Southern, is the recipient of the Distinguished Alum Award.

The 2017 Outstanding Family will go to the Will and Cheryl Roderique family of Webb City. The Roderiques both hold degrees from Missouri Southern and are the parents of three children, two currently enrolled at MSSU.

The recipients will be honored during the annual All Alumni Awards Dinner at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, in the North End Zone Facility.

“These awards are selected by the awards committee of the Alumni Board of Directors based upon nominations throughout the year,” said Lee Elliff Pound, alumni director. “We couldn’t be more pleased to have these outstanding representatives of MSSU added to the already amazing list of recipients.”

The pre-dinner social will begin at 6 p.m., with the dinner and program starting at 7 p.m. Cost is $15 per person. RSVPs are requested by Monday, Oct. 3, by calling 417-659-5466.

Emily (Petty) Dredd
Outstanding Alum

As a global operations executive, entrepreneur, and women and girls advocate, Dredd has worked at the highest levels of government, event production and athletic competition. Her multifaceted experiences and her quick ability to provide ease and trust to any situation, have made her a sought-after advisor across industries.

Most recently, Dredd oversaw the coordination of domestic and international events and official visits for President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. In this role, she worked closely with government officials, law enforcement and media to carry out historic events in nearly all 50 states and 23 countries.  She led the administration’s first official visits to India, England, Kenya, Cypress, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Peru. She also participated in a series of international delegation visits focused on women and girls and their evolving roles as community leaders and stewards of culture change.

She also served as a senior advisor to Eric Holder, the 82nd Attorney General of the United States. She was part of the executive team at the National Women’s Business Council, whose bipartisan mission is to advise the President, Congress and the Small Business Administration on women entrepreneurs and their enterprises.

Dredd is also an accomplished professional athlete, and has competed internationally in cycling and triathlon, proudly wearing the TEAM USA jersey at the world championships in 2007.

Today, she teaches holistic health and trains athletes via her wellness consulting business. Having grown up on her family’s three-generation farm in Durham, N.C., she started her first business at age 6, growing and selling fresh flowers and pumpkins.

From a very young age, she was inspired by hard-working women who were pillars of their communities, and that inspiration has only grown through her travels and interactions. She continues to mentor many of the women she met abroad and hopes to help build a new generation of female entrepreneurs. 

Dredd graduated summa cum laude from Missouri Southern and studied abroad at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla in Puebla, Mexico.  She currently resides in San Francisco. 

Matt Hall
Distinguished Alum

Matt Hall Studios is the primary publisher of the historical artwork of artist Matt Hall. Established in the Texas hill country just outside of Austin, where he lives with his wife and three sons, the studio is a partnership between artist Hall and military historian James Fenelon. The studio’s mission is to bring moments of history alive by accurately depicting the stories and sacrifices of military veterans.

A traditionally trained artist, with a fine art degree from Missouri Southern, he has been painting since childhood, taking inspiration from such artistic greats as NC Wyeth, Norman Rockwell and Frederic Remington.

It was after a successful stint illustrating greeting cards and working in children’s television production that Hall’s career took a unique turn when he was hired as an Art Director at DreamWorks Studios. There he had the opportunity to work directly with Steven Spielberg on many projects including battle of Iwo Jima concept art for the movie “Flags of Our Fathers.” He also worked as an art director for DreamWorks’ “Medal of Honor” video game series, which provided him the occasion to work with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society by creating a series of paintings depicting recipients of our nation’s top award for bravery.

Today, Hall is an internationally known artist, and his lithographs are sought by collectors from around the world, including Prince Charles and President George W. Bush, both of whom have original work by Hall in their collections. His paintings include the Tuskegee Airmen, the “Band of Brothers” and the Marines in the Pacific theater. Since leaving DreamWorks, his work has been featured in video games, on book covers and in magazines.

Having started his commercial career in military and aviation art by creating commissioned artwork for other publishers, he is proud to have launched his own studio to showcase his work and make his projects directly available to the public. While he continues to do work for video games and movies, the studio provides him an opportunity to inspire interest in history by bringing pivotal moments alive through accurate and engaging artwork.

Hall’s list of clients includes Disney, the American Legion, Lucas Arts and many U.S. military organizations, including the 101st Airborne Division, the 4th Infantry Division and the Joint Special Operations Command.

Roderique Family
Outstanding Family Award

Will Roderique obtained a BSBA in Accounting from Missouri Southern in 1991. His wife, Cheryl (Chapman) Roderique, holds a BSBA in Marketing/Management from MSSU.

The Roderiques are well-known in the Four-State Area business community. Will co-founded Baker Davis Roderique, CPAs, in 1996. Cheryl’s career in banking has spanned more than 25 years. She currently is Senior Vice President and Mortgage Loan Manager for Arvest Bank in Joplin.

Will is a 25 year member of the Webb City R-7 Board of Education and currently is Board president. He is a member of the Webb City R-7 Foundation Board; Webb City Cars as a MUSCLE door greeter for Mark Twain Elementary school third-graders; current treasurer and past president of the MSSU Alumni Association Board of Directors; member of the MSSU Plaster School of Business Advisory Board; volunteer for Webb City Youth Football; and coach for many of his children’s football, baseball and basketball teams over the years.

Cheryl is a member of the Mercy Carthage Board of Directors; past president of the Webb City Chamber of Commerce; Webb City Cares Advisory Board member; and a Joplin OGAR volunteer.  Will and Cheryl have co-chaired the Annual Turkey Dinner, a community event that serves approximately 2,200 diners each November at Sacred Heart Church, for several years.

They are the parents of three children: Scott (a teacher and coach in Webb City); Jay, a senior Economics major at MSSU and Abby, a sophomore undeclared major at Missouri Southern.