At a Feb. 8 ceremony at the Missouri governor’s mansion, the University of Missouri and the Mizzou Alumni Association awarded the 2009 Henry S. Geyer Awards to state Rep. Gayle Kingery and Christine Koukola, assistant to the chancellor for university affairs at the University of Missouri.
The Mizzou Alumni Association’s Legislative Information Network annually presents the award to state-elected officials and citizens who have made a positive impact on higher education and MU. The award is named for former representative Henry S. Geyer of St. Louis, who wrote the Geyer Act of 1839, which established the university.
“As we review the recipients of the Geyer Award over the years, one characteristic stands out: courage,” MU Chancellor Brady Deaton said during the ceremony. “Chris Koukola and Gayle Kingery have displayed the courage of their convictions. They have carried the black-and-gold flag proudly because they love Mizzou and know that its future is linked to the future of our state and the well-being of all Missourians.”
Kingery, from Poplar Bluff, was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in November 2002 and has served on several education-focused committees. He has chaired the House Higher Education Committee for the past five years and frequently sponsors both wide-ranging higher education legislation and legislation specifically benefiting MU, including a bill to establish a large animal veterinary medicine loan program for MU students.
Koukola has led public relations efforts at MU for more than 24 years during the tenure of five chancellors. As chief public affairs officer, she oversees the MU News Bureau, Publications and Alumni Communications, University Events, Marketing Communications, Web Communications, and Visitor Relations. She directed communications for the successful $1 billion For All We Call Mizzou campaign. Over the years, Koukola has sustained her commitment to elevating the prestige of the university through creative promotion of its mission to the university’s various publics.
“The governor’s mansion offered the perfect setting to honor Rep. Gayle Kingery and Ms. Chris Koukola,” said Jim Gwinner, 2009 chair of the Mizzou Legislative Network Committee that chose the award recipients. “These two individuals embody the spirit of the University of Missouri and its commitment to providing a world class public higher education.”