TRU-Biz Forum to Examine Career Opportunities in Business

 
Five distinguished alumni will return to Truman for the next installment of the Chuck and Sherri Woods TRU-Biz Forum at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 16 in Violette Hall 1000.
 
The alumni presenters will draw on their personal experiences to discuss opportunities in finance, accounting, supply chain, banking, sales/marketing and executive-level management. Students who are interested in business, but who may not know what area to pursue, are particularly encouraged to attend.
 
As a successful sales/business professional Rod Cooper (’88) retired at the age of 49 to manage his real estate holdings and help others achieve their dreams. He is now the owner of RKCC Real Estate Holdings. Prior to retiring in 2015, Cooper was managing director for a national accounting and business consulting firm. He was responsible for new client development, growing the firm’s public awareness, and sales consulting with companies on top-line growth and management-related issues. Cooper’s business roles have included president/owner, entrepreneur, managing director, vice president of sales, vice president of operations, director of sales and branch manager. He was named to the Top 100 People to Know in St. Louis Small Business Monthly in 2011 and was the 2008 Truman State University Business Alumnus of the Year.
 
Ed Dehner (’00) earned a bachelor’s in finance at Truman, followed by an MBA from St. Louis University. He began his career at First Bank as a credit analyst and became a vice president in corporate banking. In 2009, he joined CIBC Bank USA as a managing director of the Midwest Regional Commercial Banking group. Dehner serves on the board of directors for STL Partnership, an economic development agency serving St. Louis City and County. Additionally, he is an advisory board member for Eagle Private Capital (Funds III, IV and V), which is a private debt and equity fund making investments in lower middle market companies.  
 
Doug James (’86) earned a degree in criminal justice at Truman and furthered his education with an MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Following graduation, he was an associate purchasing manager for McDonnell Douglas Missile System Company. From there, he became a director of purchasing at Monsanto, where he had a series of leadership roles locally and globally through the transition to Bayer and for the remainder of his career. James retired as head of strategy and supply for large scale herbicides for Bayer.
 
Greg Meier (’89) graduated from Truman with degrees in accounting and finance. He began his career at Ernst & Young (now EY) as an audit senior/CPA and then embarked on a 15-year career at Correctional Medical Services (currently Corizon) as vice president of operations. After two years in senior leadership roles with Express Scripts, he joined Mercy (Roi), serving more than 10 years in vice president, CFO and general manager roles. Meier also has experience as a COO with HealthTrust Performance Group. Most recently, he established Peak Organization Performance, LLC, which helps organizations optimize their short- and long-term performance. He serves as CFO, COO, advisory board member and/or partner for multiple health care organizations in the St. Louis area.  
 
Barbara Witte (’83) earned a degree in accounting from Truman, followed by an MBA from Webster University and a CPA certificate from the state of Missouri. In a 40-year career she has occupied a number of roles ranging from accounting manager to CEO. Witte served as state CEO in the managed care industry for both WellCare (now Centene) and Coventry Health Care (now Aetna). Currently, she owns and operates a consulting business specializing in managed care operations and finance. Witte was honored as an Alumni Fellow in 2023.
 
After the speakers’ presentations, there will be time reserved for a question-and-answer sessions followed by 30-45 minutes allocated for networking with students. In addition to the forum, the speakers will meet with students in select classes, Oct. 17.
 
The TRU-Biz Forum is made possible by the Chuck and Sherri Woods Endowment for Business Excellence at Truman. The fund was established by alumni Charles H. “Chuck” and Sherri Woods as part of generous support of Truman.