Lindenwood Magazine - Spring / Summer 2019

ODELL LARKIN (’94) HAS A PASSION FOR MANY THINGS, like sewing, reading, designing jewelry, serving in the community, and being with family. But one passion in particular has stayed with her over the years: weddings. Today, weddings are her career. “I’ve had a passion for weddings since I was a little girl,” Larkin said. “But loving weddings and making events exquisite can be difficult. Your wedding or event is important and is a reflection of you, so I feel a person needs to be certified to know how to make every detail perfect.” Larkin graduated from Lindenwood with a Bachelor of Arts in business with an emphasis in marketing. In 1996, she began her career in the corporate world, working for many years as a senior software contract negotiator and administrator for IBM. While she excelled at her job, Larkin’s creative side had gone dormant. In 2012, Larkin decided to take a leap into entrepreneurship and pursue her lifelong passion, leaving IBM and getting certified as a wedding and event planner. Larkin opened her wedding and event planning company, Starry Night Events, LLC, in October 2013. She maintains her studio in St. Peters, Mo., where she meets with clients to plan weddings and other events. She has built her client base over the past five years and is recognized in the industry throughout the St. Louis area. One of Larkin’s prime objectives is to make sure the bride and groom, along with the entire wedding party and family, have a stress-free wedding day. Her main goal is to make all weddings as perfect as possible. Larkin is a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants, ABC, with which she attends monthly meetings and checks out venues, caterers, and vendors in the St. Louis area. An accomplished seamstress and past national chairman of the board for the American Sewing Guild, Larkin has incorporated those skills into her wedding business, providing alterations to wedding gowns and dresses for the other members of the wedding party. In addition to a busy professional life, Larkin maintains involvement in Lindenwood University and the local community. She is currently the president of the Lindenwood Alumni St. Charles Chapter. She also volunteers as an usher at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts and is an active member of the new Plaster School of Business affinity group. Larkin is a fourth-generation St. Charles, Mo., native with two grown children in the St. Charles/St. Louis area. n J SPRING/SUMMER 2019 | 1 Larkin Turns Passion for Weddings into Career Lindenwood University REAL SUCCESS UNIVERSITY RELATIONS .............................. Lisa O’Brien Enger Vice President Kate O’Neal Assistant Vice President Chris Duggan Director of Communications Craig Carmichael Director of Marketing Matt Adams Director of Development Alexandra Bardon Web Content Administrator Mark Bohr Director of Development Amber Bush Graphic Designer John Creer Consultant Jaygan Eastman Administrative Assistant Jennifer Ferguson Director, Campus Communications and Marketing, Belleville Kassandra Linzmeier Associate Development Director Matthew Mathews Digital Marketing Manager Lennon Mueller Graphic Designer Candace Roberts Art Director Bryan Stone Director of Development Jason Waack Webmaster Cassandra Western Database and Stewardship Coordinator OTHER CONTRIBUTORS .............................. Don Adams, Jr. Ryan Koberstein Charlie Mager Mike Morgan Phil Vida is published twice a year by the Office of University Relations at Lindenwood University. An archive of past issues is available at www.lindenwood.edu. Lindenwood is mailed free of charge to Lindenwood alumni and friends. Story ideas are welcome and should be forwarded to University Relations, Lindenwood Magazine, 209 S. Kingshighway, St. Charles, MO 63301 or cduggan@lindenwood.edu. CHANGE OF ADDRESS notifications should be sent to the Office of University Relations at the mailing address above or cwestern@lindenwood.edu . Real Experience. Real Success. Enhancing lives through quality education and professional preparatory experiences. LINDENWOOD NAMES NEW PRESIDENT Lindenwood University has named John R. Porter its 23rd president. Porter has worked for 33 years for IBM, including the last 15 in senior management, and has also served as a board member in higher education and as an adjunct instructor and visiting professor. Porter, who will begin his tenure as president on July 1, 2019, is currently vice president of services for a premier IBM Business Partner–Gulf Business Machines in Dubai. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Evangel University, from which he holds a bachelor’s degree, and also has experience as a university fundraiser. He has an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and is working toward a Doctor of Education degree from Johns Hopkins University with an anticipated graduation date of May 2020. Top Gun Ventures, led by managing partner Don Tuttle, was retained to manage the presidential search. Tuttle said, “As the lead search consultant, I am extremely pleased that we were able to identify and recruit a game-changer such as John Porter. The firm received a large, global, and diverse group of candidates for consideration.” “We sought input prior to and during the process from the faculty, staff, students, and administration regarding the qualities necessary for the next president of Lindenwood,” said J. Michael Conoyer, M.D., chairman of the Board of Trustees. “It all came down to leadership and John’s track record as a proven leader. He will serve Lindenwood well.” During his professional career, Porter has worked in numerous locations in the United States, as well as in South Africa, in addition to his current post in Dubai. Porter and his wife, Beverly, will reside in the Lindenwood House on campus. They have three adult children, all of whom live in the Kansas City area. “I have always aspired to lead a university because of my admiration for higher education,” Porter said. “I have prepared myself for this throughout my career and look forward to leading this great institution.”