Southwest Baptist
University News Release
Contact:
Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist
University’s summer commencement is scheduled for Friday, July 27, 2012, at 7:00
p.m., in Pike Auditorium located in the Mabee Chapel building (next to the bell
tower).
The
commencement address will be given by guest speaker Shane Schoeller. As the
Speaker Pro Tem of the Missouri House of Representatives, Schoeller represents
39,224 citizens of Springfield and nearby Fair Grove, Walnut Grove and Willard.
He is serving his third term in the 139th District.
Schoeller
graduated from Branson High School in Taney County in 1990. He earned the degree of Bachelor of Science
in political science from SBU in 1994.
After graduation, he entered public and private service, including a
leadership role in the Homebuilders Association of Greater Springfield that
preceded his election as a legislator in 2006.
As
a new graduate, Schoeller, an active Republican, worked as field representative
for Senator John Ashcroft and Senator Kit Bond, later becoming a legislative
assistant to Congressman Roy Blunt and later chief administrative aide to
Secretary of State Matt Blunt.
Prior
to his election to the House, Schoeller served as the Director of Government
Affairs for the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Springfield. He was
a leader in encouraging pro-jobs and pro-growth policies in home construction,
helping make homeownership an affordable opportunity for current and new
homebuyers.
In
the House, he has served on committees that reviewed budget appropriations,
utilities, taxation and revenue, and also disaster recovery “after the Joplin
tornado of 2011”. He was unanimously chosen by his peers as the House’s second
ranking official in 2011.
Prior
to his work with the HBA, Schoeller raised funds for Students in Free
Enterprise (SIFE), a global non-profit organization serving more than 1,500
campuses worldwide, to help teach young people the principles of free
enterprise.
Schoeller
and wife, Mendie, are the parents of Emma, Dorthy, and Johnny. The Schoeller
family makes their home in Willard, Missouri. Mendie is a practicing attorney
in estate planning and probate law. Shane is a member of the NRA and Missouri
Farm Bureau. Schoeller, Mendie and their
children attend Second Baptist Church of Springfield.
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Southwest
Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating
Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at
an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic
community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For
more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
SBU’s
Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a
day at (417) 399-7918.
