Homecoming Celebration Honors Alumni
A proud Truman homecoming tradition is the recognition of alumni and friends who have made their mark on campus and in the world.
The Homecoming Celebration will be at 5 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Student Union Building. The Dogs of Distinction awards are presented as a part of the Truman Alumni Association Homecoming Celebration.
This year’s Alumnus of the Year is Ryan Brennan (’95). Brennan is a managing director at Advantage Capital, where he leads the firm’s efforts to foster access to capital and economic development in underserved communities. Advantage Capital has invested more than $4.2 billion in small businesses throughout the country, financed the development of nearly 15,000 units of affordable housing and provided tax credit equity for 2.81GW of renewable energy projects. Brennan is a member of the executive committee and compensation committee and is a leader on the firm’s fundraising team and growth team.
Truman Patterson (’09) is the Young Alumnus of the Year. Patterson is a retired head equity research analyst with nearly two decades of experience covering the housing industry and its related equities. He is a chartered financial analyst and accomplished head analyst leading the housing equity research teams at various respected Wall Street firms, including Wolfe Research, Evercore ISI and Wells Fargo. He has led or been a member of top-ranked institutional investor housing teams, perennially earning number one to runner up rankings from 2014 through 2024.
This year’s Distinguished Service Award goes to David (’83) and Ellen (’98) Clithero and Priyal Patel (’01,’02). The Clithero’s are parents of two sons, Shawn and Scott Piland, and proud grandparents of seven grandchildren. Ellen retired from Truman after more than 25 years of service in the business and purchasing offices, advancement and academic advising. David also served in the Advancement Office and governmental relations at Truman for approximately 15 years. They are both proud members of the Truman Alumni Association and the Mid-Missouri Chapter. David also serves on the Truman Foundation Board.
Patel is a seasoned finance executive with more than 15 years of experience at Monsanto and Bayer, where she has had various leadership roles since joining in 2008. Her career includes key positions such as finance business partner for the crop science division, director of investor relations and most recently, vice president of treasury for Bayer’s North America operations. Before joining Bayer, she gained valuable experience as an accountant and external reporting manager in the telecommunications industry.
This year’s Homecoming Parade Grand Marshals is The Honorable Mary Rhodes Russell (’80). Judge Russell is the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court of Missouri since the statehood. Appointed to the Court in 2004, she is currently the longest-serving member and has served two terms as Chief Justice. Before her tenure on the Supreme Court, JudgeRussell was in private practice in Hannibal and was on the Court of Appeals, Eastern District. She enjoys being a mentor to numerous young people and passionate advocate for civics education, regularly speaking to students and community groups to help demystify the courts.
Zac Burden (’03,’09) is this year’s Denise L. Smith Volunteer of the Year. For more than 20 years, Burden worked professionally in Residence Life at Truman, including 15 years as the Missouri Hall Director. There he guided the Missouri Hall community through its 2006-2007 renovation and helped establish important values and traditions in the building. In August 2025 he began work as the director of citizenship and conduct where he now helps students and student organizations find their place at Truman and uphold shared community values on campus and in Kirksville. He also proudly serves as the Mayor of Kirksville.
More information on this year’s Dogs of Distinction can be found here.
