Mike Arbuckle, Senior Advisor to the Royals General Manager, and Joe Abrutz, Hospital Administrator at Cameron Regional Medical Center, will give the commencement addresses at North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Missouri, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Mike Arbuckle will speak at the 9:00 a.m. morning ceremony, and Joe Abrutz will speak at the 1:00 p.m. afternoon ceremony. Both ceremonies will occur at the Ketcham Community Center on the NCMC campus near downtown Trenton.
Mike Arbuckle is in his 17th season with the Royals as Senior Advisor to the General Manager. He previously served the Philadelphia Phillies as Assistant General Manager/Scouting and Player Development from October 2001 until he joined the Royals in November 2008. Prior to that, he served as the Phillies Director of Scouting, beginning in 1992.
Arbuckle was named the Major League Baseball Midwest Scout of the Year in 2015. He also received a Legends of Scouting Award from the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation in 2013. In his role with the Phillies, Arbuckle was responsible for overseeing the scouting staff, amateur draft, international scouting program, and professional scouting program. He also oversaw the player development staff and minor league instructional program, along with assisting the General Manager with Major League player personnel decisions such as trades and free agent acquisitions.
Arbuckle began his scouting career as a Part-Time Scout with the Phillies in 1977 before joining the Atlanta Braves in 1980 for a 12-year stint in which he served as an Area Scout, Regional Scouting Supervisor, and National Cross-Check Scout. He has scouted at all levels during his career.
A graduate of Trenton (Mo.) High School and North Central Missouri College, Arbuckle received a bachelor’s degree in education from Northwest Missouri State University and a master’s in secondary education from the University of South Alabama. He was a 1969 draft selection by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Arbuckle and his wife, Martha, reside in Liberty, MO. They have two daughters, Shelly and Kellie, four grandchildren: Bethni, Austin, Katey, and Emma, and five great-grandchildren: Addison, Aiden, Dawson, Myer, and Bennett.
Joe Abrutz has been the Hospital Administrator of Cameron Regional Medical Center since April 1, 1991. He has the pleasure of working alongside CRMC’s Board of Directors, physicians, mid-levels, employees, and volunteers to help CRMC become the leader of comprehensive rural health care services in Northwest Missouri. CRMC provides quality access to care that touches the lives of patients in over ten counties, including free transportation to patients who are unable to obtain transportation on their own. CRMC boasts 16 primary care clinics, 17 specialty clinics, an intensive care unit, inpatient acute rehab, a level III stroke center, and a sleep lab. This great team prides themselves on their emergency, med surge, surgical, radiology, laboratory, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy services. Cameron Regional Medical Center also provides life-saving care that includes Ob/GYN, renal dialysis, and outpatient psychiatric services, which are labeled as “desert” health care services.
Joe Abrutz is an active member in his community and has served as President of the Rotary Club, President of the Lions Club, and is currently serving on the Board of the Economic Development Committee of Cameron. He lives with Deborah, his wife of over 45 years, in Cameron, Missouri. Joe Abrutz is the proud father of Joe Abrutz III, who is a Naval Academy Graduate and Commander in the U.S. Navy, and Nicholas Abrutz, who graduated with a Masters of Business Administration at Rockhurst and is employed at Oracle in Austin, Texas.
Joe Abrutz holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, with a specialization in Rural Health Care Administration.
North Central Missouri College is honored to have both guests as our commencement speakers and appreciates their commitment to providing our graduates with professional and thoughtful advice for their future endeavors.