The North Central Missouri College Foundation announces the Distinguished Alumni Class for 2024, Mike Arnold, Anthony Herrington, Dr. Cassie Hunt Williams, and Louis Wilson. Honorees will be recognized during the Pirates Ball on March 29, 2025, at the Ketcham Community Center on the main campus of North Central Missouri College. This year’s four recipients came to Trenton attending North Central Missouri College (NCMC) formerly Trenton Junior College (TJC) from near and far. One is a local Trenton graduate, and the other three Richmond, MO, and Anchorage, AK. A reception to honor the distinguished alumni class of 2024 will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Jeanette Hoffman Robison Auditorium. The rest of the evening will include a plated meal by Great Western Dining at 6:00pm, a reverse raffle, program featuring our four distinguished alumni and entertainment provided by RIKER.  Individual event tickets are $50 per person. Tables of six can be purchased for $300 and include one reverse raffle ticket. Reverse raffle tickets will be available for purchase on the night of the event.

Mike Arnold

Mike Arnold graduated from Trenton High School in 1969 and went on to Trenton Junior College, now North Central Missouri College to begin his college career. Mike was a member of student government, editor of SAGA yearbook, member of Spanish club and TJC singers from 1969-70 while he attended TJC.

He transferred to William Jewell College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. While there, he spent one semester at the Austro-American Institute in Vienna, Austria, with an emphasis in the study of southeastern European history, culture, and politics. Upon graduation from William Jewell, Mike worked as the first staff guitarist for Worlds of Fun while attending UMKC School of Law. Upon admission to the Missouri bar, he returned to Trenton, where he practiced as an associate in the law firm of Holcomb, Spillman, and Roberts until entering solo practice of with offices in Gallatin and Trenton.

Mike served as Daviess County Prosecuting Attorney in the 1980s and 90s. He began teaching business law in the TJC/NCMC night division, starting in 1977. He served on the NCMC Foundation board in the 1980s.

Mike enjoys providing community service in the Trenton and Gallatin areas, where he is a member of the Trenton Kiwanis Club. He has served as a board member for 25 years for the Daviess County Board for the Developmentally Disabled, a board he helped organize. Mike and his wife, Linda, are the parents of two adult sons and reside in Gallatin. He continues to practice law and enjoys managing their family farm.

Anthony Herrington

Anthony Herrington is a 1985 graduate of Trenton Junior College, now North Central Missouri College. He actively participated in student activities and was team captain of the men’s basketball team.  Anthony transitioned to TJC from East High School in Anchorage, Alaska.

He is currently the Executive Director of Community Health Engagement for Providence Central Division. In this role, Anthony coordinates efforts to promote culturally competent, patient-centered care and addresses health inequities through community partnerships and innovative programs. His leadership fosters strong collaborative relationships among senior executives, Boards, clinical staff, consumers, community advocates, and external constituents, ultimately serving as a team builder and community connector.

Anthony is also a Co-Founder and the current Chair of the Geno Morgan Foundation (GMF), named in honor of the late Geno Morgan, a former stellar athlete, championship coach and NCMC alumnus. The foundation provides college scholarships to underserved youth, aiming to help them realize their full potential and “Go-Pro” in the game of life. To date, GMF has awarded over 65 scholarships, including two for NCMC students, with plans for four more in 2025 as it celebrates its 10-year anniversary.

Over his career, Anthony has received numerous awards including 2004 Setting the Standard Award from PepsiCo, Nike Supply Chain Dream Team Award in 2012, and the Howard “H” White Award from Nike in 2013. He and his wife, Robin, have been married for 25 years and are the parents of three children, Jazmyn, Tyrell, and Tafena, and two grandsons, Xayden and Theo Eugene (named after Eugene “Geno” Morgan)

Dr. Cassie Hunt Williams

Dr. Cassie Hunt Williams is a graduate of Richmond R-XVI, and a 2009 graduate of North Central Missouri College. She was inducted in the Richmond High School Hall of Fame Class of 2022. Dr. Williams earned an Associate’s in Teaching, while playing college basketball (NCMC). After graduating from NCMC, Cassie earned her B.S. in Communication Disorders and her MAE in Special Education from Truman State University, while continuing to play college basketball.

Cassie earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Kansas. Prior to working on her doctorate, Dr. Williams was a special education teacher for students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders in various districts in Kansas and Missouri. In efforts to gain experience in a variety of settings, with diverse groups of students, and to better prepare her future pre-service teachers, Dr. Williams taught in rural, suburban, urban charter, and urban public schools.

She now resides in Bossier City, LA where she is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Louisiana State University Shreveport. Dr. Cassie Williams was named Dalton J. Wood Family Endowed Professor in Education at LSU – Shreveport. The Northwest Louisiana Young Professionals Initiative voted Dr. Williams as a member of the 40-Under Forty Class of 2022 as a nod to her various community service efforts as a family advocate for the NAACP and work as a professor at LSUS.

While attending NCMC, Cassie was a member of NCMC’s women’s basketball team and was named All American and the 13th highest scorer in the nation her sophomore year. Cassie had a standout women’s basketball career for the Lady Pirates. As a freshman, she garnered NJCAA player of the week honors, was a unanimous 1st Team All-Region performer and a 3rd Team All American. During that season, she broke the school record for most two-point field goals made in a game (14) and a single season (165). During her sophomore campaign, Cassie topped 1,000 points for her career ending with 1,094, the 3rd highest total in school history. She broke her own record for two-point field goals made in a season (220) and again was a unanimous 1st Team All-Region selection. She was inducted into NCMC’s Athletic Hall of Fame for her success as a basketball player in 2017.

Louis Wilson

Louis Wilson is a 1986 graduate of Trenton Junior College, now North Central Missouri College, with an Associate’s of Arts degree in 1986. Louis was born in New York City and later moved to Alaska where he graduated from East Anchorage High School. He was the captain of the 1983 Alaska State Boys Basketball Team and was selected as an All-State player. Louis continued his basketball career at TJC where he was captain, as well as student government president from 1985-1986. Louis continued his education at William Jewell College where he was a member of the 1988 basketball team and was later inducted into the William Jewell Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1992.

Louis is currently an assistant coach for the Loyola Marymount University men’s basketball team. Before LMU he was the men’s head basketball coach at the University of Texas-Tyler, an NCAA Division II school. He spent one year as the associate head coach at Grand Canyon University, a Division I school, before taking the UTT position. Louis also spent three seasons as an assistant at Utah State University, five years as head coach at Adams State and was also an associate head coach at California State University-Northridge for four years, with the 2009 team making an appearance in the NCAA Division I National Tournament. He was also an assistant coach at Idaho State and Southern Utah.

Louis, along with his friend Anthony Herrington, met Geno Morgan in 1984 as members of the TJC/NCMC basketball program. After Geno’s untimely death in 2015, Lewis and Anthony established the Geno Morgan Foundation, where he serves as the Development Coordinator for the board. The Geno Morgan Foundation provides scholarships to students from communities and institutions uniquely impacted by Geno. He was also the founder of the Alaska Basketball Development Program in 1992 and continued his involvement with that until 2020.

He and his wife Andrea were married in 2004 and have four children Jacques Wilson, Kaden Wampler, Keawe Wilson, and Kalea Wilson. They are also proud grandparents of one grandchild, Josette Wilson.

For Pirates Ball ticket information or reservations contact NCMC Foundation & Alumni Association at 660-357-6415 or at [email protected]. Reservations are requested by March 14th. 

The NCMC Foundation is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that engages donors and alumni, raises funds for scholarships and initiatives and priorities of North Central Missouri College. The Foundation Board is made up of TJC/NCMC alumni, business and community leaders and friends of the college, all who support the objectives of the Foundation and the mission and vision of NCMC. To learn more about the NCMC Foundation and to view the list of Distinguished Alumni visit www.ncmissouri.edu/alumni/distinguished-alumni/.