Susan Tideman, Director of Community Engagement for William Jewell stated, "The number of community supporters for this dinner continues to increase each year. The College enjoys the generous support of many local companies and businesses as well as alumni that recognize the importance of a nationally ranked liberal arts college. Achievement Day has become an excellent way for the Kansas City community to celebrate with our alumni."

Melanie Cline is serving as the Event Chairman and will provide leadership to a volunteer committee helping the College secure event underwriters and table sponsors. It is exciting to have vibrant community leaders taking active roles in the success of this annual College event.

GUEST SPEAKER

This year's guest speaker is Doris Kearns Goodwin, historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. The New York Times bestseller is centered on Lincoln’s mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation’s history. Goodwin won the Pulitzer Prize in history for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II, which was a bestseller in hardcover and trade paper. She is also the author of the bestsellers Wait Till Next Year, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, and Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. Goodwin lectures around the world, and is often called upon by the media to comment upon and analyze presidential issues. She lives in Concord, Mass., with her husband Richard Goodwin.

Melanie (Griffin) Cline '78 Event Chairman

Melanie Cline shares her creative talents and volunteers for causes throughout the metropolitan area, but she has been especially generous in service to her alma mater. As a member of the William Jewell College Sorority Complex Advisory Board, Melanie took special care to ensure that the complex created would provide a dynamic and inspirational living environment for our undergraduates. An active volunteer for many local organizations, Melanie most recently provided leadership to the ReDiscover Homes Tour, raising much-needed funds for their programs and services.