Our Time to Lead

“When you help us, you’re helping the people we’ll go on to serve.”

When BREA HEADLY ’29 from Chicago first visited Graceland, she felt something click: “I could actually see myself here. Everyone was so inviting. Students showed me around, people I’d never met said hi, and the professors talked to me like they genuinely cared. I realized I wanted a small school where I could really connect.

That sense of connection only deepened when she officially arrived on campus this fall. Brea, now a nursing major, a member of the Honors Program, a softball player, and an ambassador for Black Student Union (BSU), remembers her first day clearly. “My HP came in and immediately started helping me move in,” she laughed. “And I got to eat with people I’d met on earlier visits — it made everything feel familiar.”

And even though she had sworn off muddy games, that didn’t last long. “I ended up in the mud anyway,” she admitted. “It pushed me out of my comfort zone, but in the best way. That day helped me connect with people who are now part of my community.”

Brea has always known she wanted to work in the medical field, eventually choosing nursing because “I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I love helping people.” Graceland, she says, is the perfect environment for her to grow into that calling. “It’s a place where I can slow down, focus, and get my work done. My professors actually care about what they do. John Godfrey gets me out of my comfort zone all the time — and somehow that makes me want to learn even more.” Now she studies for hours in the Swarm with friends who have become her support system.

But getting here wasn’t simple. Scholarships were essential.

“I spent hours searching for scholarships,” she said. “My mom kept telling me, ‘Apply for five every day.’ I don’t want to say college wouldn’t have been possible without scholarships, but it would have been very hard. That support made a huge difference.”

She also knows that continued support shapes Graceland’s future. “[Alumni] helping Graceland directly impacts students like us,” Brea said. “It helps us build something new. Nurses are in high demand — and when you help us, you’re helping the people we’ll go on to serve.”

Students like Brea are exactly who Graceland hopes to empower — students who are eager to learn, ready to serve, and driven to lead. But enrolling and supporting mission-driven students in today’s competitive higher education landscape takes resources, vision, and collective effort.

That’s why the Our Time to Lead campaign matters. Without new investments, programs like nursing, physical therapy, and emerging graduate offerings cannot expand to meet growing demand. Without financial runway, strategic progress stalls. And without alumni leadership, students like Brea may never discover the place where they truly thrive.

This is her time to learn. This is Our Time to Lead.

“Now is not the time to be a bystander. Even small actions make a real impact.”

ALEX ’15 and JULIA AUSTIN ’20 CARR embody the many ways Graceland brings people together.

Alex grew up in Lamoni, with Graceland woven into everyday life. His father, the late Brad Carr ’91, was a beloved Director of Student Activities who mentored generations of students.

“Graceland was home,” Alex said. “When I started looking at colleges, nothing else felt right. I knew the people, I trusted the place, and I knew it would help me become who God wanted me to be.” Julia didn’t come from a Graceland family, but her campus tour changed everything. “It instantly felt like where I was supposed to be. Graceland let me play a sport, join fine arts and campus ministries, and pursue a rigorous academic path.” Both credit the fantastic staff and faculty who saw their potential early and helped launch their careers. Graceland also gave them their closest friends — and ultimately, each other. Today, the Carrs remain deeply committed to ensuring Graceland continues shaping lives with that same care and purpose.

Julia returns regularly to speak with science students, advise pre-dental majors, and help current undergrads find their path into professional programs. “Not everyone can give financially,” she said. “But everyone can give something — mentorship, connection, time.” Alex serves as Vice President of the Alumni Board, sits on the C.H. Sandage School of Business Advisory Board, brings guest speakers to campus, and is hiring a Graceland intern for his company. Together, the couple even helped establish a scholarship to support students in financially vulnerable situations.

“We’ve been blessed,” Alex said. “The least we can do is help others access the same opportunities we were given.” But they recognize the landscape of higher education has shifted since they were students. “When I was applying to college, the advice was simply ‘go where it feels right. Today, it’s more transactional, but students risk missing the growth opportunities that form the foundation of who they become. If we had chosen the cheapest option, we would’ve missed the opportunities that shaped us.”

“Universities don’t run on magic — they run on resources. Students today have different needs and if we believe others deserve the Graceland Experience we had, then we must step forward and support them.” Julia added, “Now is not the time to be a bystander. Even small actions — connecting with faculty, mentoring a student — make a real impact.”

Alex and Julia both speak with urgency, but also deep hope. Alex noted, “We live in a country that encourages philanthropy — the time for gifts is now. If we all assume someone else will step up, Graceland will suffer.” Julia nodded. “Graceland belongs to all of us. And it needs all of us right now.” When asked what they hope to see next, Alex did not hesitate. “I hope that people are energized by this call to action and that it sparks the growth Graceland needs to fully live out its mission.”

This is their legacy of leadership. This is our collective moment of decision. This is Our Time to Lead.

“I didn’t graduate from Graceland — but I believe in this place completely.”

When JENNIFER MATNEY joined Graceland University as Chief Financial Officer, she brought with her two decades of experience in the banking industry, a sharp analytical mind, and something else — something quieter but deeply powerful: the perspective of a first-generation college graduate.

“I know what education can do for a family,” Jennifer said. “It changed the direction of my life. It opened doors that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. And I feel a responsibility to help make that possible for others.”

She will be the first to say she did not grow up steeped in Graceland traditions and even though she hails from Kansas City, she was unfamiliar with the Community of Christ faith. She didn’t attend Graceland, didn’t cheer in the Morden Center (she preferred her beloved Kansas City Chiefs), did not know what a “house” was, and had never heard of “painting the bell.” Yet, from her first months on campus, Jennifer began to see something she had not encountered anywhere else in higher education — or corporate finance.

“I’ve worked in places where numbers mattered more than people,” she said. “Graceland is the opposite. Here, numbers matter because people matter. Every decision, every investment, every hard conversation is ultimately about students and their futures.”

Jennifer now mentors two graduating seniors, walking with them through career discernment, financial planning, and the transition into life after college. “They’ve taught me as much as I hope I’ve taught them,” she reflected.

But Jennifer is also clear about the financial reality higher education is facing. “This is the toughest environment small universities have seen in generations,” she said. “Demographics are changing. Costs are rising. Competition is fierce. The margin for error is razor thin.” She paused, then added, “Graceland can thrive — but not without a community willing to step forward.”

Jennifer is not only leading the university’s financial strategy — she is also a donor herself.

“If I’m asking others to invest, I have to lead the way,” she said. “I believe in the mission of this institution and I have seen first-hand how the sponsoring church has stepped forward to partner with us and be our ally in this moment. I believe in our students. Without new support, all the cost containment and fiscal responsibility we have exercised the past few years will mean nothing to our momentum. It is all at risk without the runway we need for our investments to provide us a solid and sustainable return.”

For Jennifer, this time at Graceland is personal. “I didn’t graduate from Graceland,” she said. “But I believe in what Graceland makes possible. I believe in its future. And I want every student — first-generation or not — to have access to the kind of life-changing education that shaped mine.”

This is her commitment. This is our shared responsibility.
This is Our Time to Lead.

“I used to be the student in the dean’s office. Now I’m the one helping shape the future.”

When JOHN GODFREY ’06 walked back into the Dean of Students office this year, he had to laugh. “I spent a fair amount of time here as a student,” he joked. “I wasn’t a bad kid — I was just always in the middle of something. The House system brought out my enthusiasm…maybe too enthusiastically sometimes.”

But this fall, John returned under very different circumstances: as the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, responsible for shaping the campus experience for today’s students and the generations who will follow. John and his wife (Tammy) and kids (Sarah and Jackson), left their life in San Diego, California to move back to Lamoni — a decision he describes as both joyful and weighty.

“When you love a place the way I love Graceland, you feel a responsibility to it,” John said. “This university changed the trajectory of my life. When I got the call inviting me to help lead Student Life, I knew it was my turn to step up.”

John sees Graceland’s strengths through the eyes of someone forever shaped by them: community, mentorship, acceptance, leadership development, and the deep sense of belonging that defines the Graceland Experience.

But he also sees the risks. “The pressures facing higher education are real,” he said. “If we don’t respond boldly as a community — if alumni and friends don’t step forward — we risk losing the very things that make Graceland transformative. Students today need the same support and opportunities we all had. Without new and significant investment, that becomes harder every year.”

As he settles into his first year in the role, John spends his days meeting with students, attending House events, advising campus leaders, and ensuring that every corner of campus reflects the values that shaped him.

“I look at these students and see myself,” he said. “They’re full of potential, full of dreams, full of that same energy I had. And I want them to have every opportunity I did — and more.”

That’s why John is all-in on Our Time to Lead.

“This campaign isn’t about patching holes,” he said. “It’s about safeguarding the future. It’s about making sure Graceland is here — not just for the students sitting in classrooms and in the Swarm today eating burgers, but for the kids who are five years old right now and will someday come here to discover who they are.”

John believes deeply that alumni leadership will make the difference. “Graceland can thrive. I know that. I’ve lived it. But it will take all of us choosing to lead in this moment. This is our chance to ensure that the community that shaped us is here — strong, vibrant, and ready to transform lives — for the next hundred years.”

This is his calling. This is our moment.
This is Our Time to Lead.

Help Lead Graceland In This Moment

Leadership takes many forms, and each one matters. To get involved, contact Institutional Advancement here.