From left to right: Renata Lichty ’02 Prose & Paul ’00 Prose, Adeola Grillo Coker ’94, Erin ’95 & Nathan ’98 Swenson-Reinhold
Each year McPherson College recognizes the accomplishments of young alumni during the Honors Convocation at Homecoming. This year, five alumni — Adeola Grillo Coker ’94, Erin ’95 & Nathan ’98 Swenson-Reinhold, and Paul ’00 & Renata Lichty ’02 Prose — received Young Alumni Awards on October 20 in a ceremony at Brown Auditorium.
The purpose of the Young Alumni Award is to recognize the achievements and life-long potential for accomplishment of the college’s younger alumni. The award is given to alumni who are addressing and overcoming challenges in their professions, are involved in service to others or their church, and are actively supportive of McPherson College.
Adeola Grillo Coker, San Antonio, Texas, graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry and received a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998. She is a pharmaceutical scientist and educator with more than 20 years of experience in academic pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry. She currently serves as the director of the Master of Science in Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences program at the University of the Incarnate Word, Feik School of Pharmacy in San Antonio, where she has been a professor since 2009. Prior to that, she was a senior scientist at Human Genome Sciences, Inc., in Rockville, MD. She is an active volunteer, serving as a science fair judge for the Alamo Regional Academy of Sciences and a project mentor for the American Chemical Society, mentoring high school students in science. She serves on the volunteer engagement and management committee for Each One Teach One, a San Antonio non-profit organization that helps adults gain literacy. At McPherson College, she serves as a mentor for the Student Debt Project.
Erin & Nathan Swenson-Reinhold, Frisco, Texas. The Rev. Dr. Erin Swenson-Reinhold graduated from McPherson College in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Cultural Studies. She earned a Master of Social Work in 1997 from the University of Kansas and a Doctor of Ministry Degree in 2016 from the Portland Seminary at George Fox University in Oregon. She works as the pastor for group life at Preston Meadow Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas, and has 20 years of therapeutic experience. Throughout her career, she has served in variety of counseling and pastoral positions in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Florida, and Nebraska. She also offers private counseling and coaching through Journey Counseling & Coaching Services. Nathan, a 1998 graduate of McPherson College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, also has an extensive career in counseling and pastoring. He is currently a partner with GBS Fundraising, an organization that strengthens charitable causes, and is the owner of Summit Coaching and Behavioral Counseling. In 2005, he received a Master of Divinity and was ordained into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. He later earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Portland Seminary at George Fox University. He is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation and is a certified DISC behavioral consultant.
Paul & Renata Lichty Prose, McPherson, Kansas. Dr. Paul Prose is a 2000 graduate of McPherson College where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and played on the Bulldog football team for three years. He earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from the Ohio State University in 2009. In 2015, he purchased the McPherson Veterinary Clinic after practicing there for three years and in 2017 added the McPherson Pet Resort. In 2023, Dr. Prose added a satellite veterinary clinic in Newton, Kan. Dr. Renata Prose received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with minors in chemistry and Spanish from McPherson College in 2002 and played for the women’s soccer team for three years. She earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree in 2006 from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. She has practiced dentistry in McPherson since 2011 and in 2017 established Mid Kansas Dental. She volunteers locally with Step MC and with Kansas Mission of Mercy. Both regularly host student interns and serve as volunteers at Camp Colorado for the Church of the Brethren, and were youth group sponsors for the Columbus Mennonite Church. Renata served on the McPherson College Alumni Board from 2012-2016.