Converse University Announces 2025-2026 Board of Trustees
Converse University is pleased to welcome three new members and one returning member to its esteemed Board of Trustees:
- Angelia Kerhulas Stanland ’86;
- Elisabeth Kinney McNiel ’89;
- Ann Mullins Johnson ’99;
- Dr. Jayne Stewart Reuben ’85.
Angelia (Angie) Kerhulas Stanland ’86 is the co-founder and CEO of PeopleFirst, LLC, a human capital organization founded in 2022. PeopleFirst partners with clients to help them “win the people game” through strategic talent alignment, recruitment and all things human capital management.
Stanland retired in 2019 from Cerner Corporation, a leading healthcare IT corporation in the U.S. (acquired by Oracle Health in 2022), where she served as vice president of talent acquisition and associate services. Stanland was responsible for global talent acquisition, associate services and corporate travel. Her responsibilities included building programs and teams to support the full life cycle of an associate and with significant contributions to the robust associate- centric culture of the Organization.
Perhaps the most significant contribution was her responsibility for Cerner’s global recruiting efforts, beginning in 2007. Stanland was instrumental in overseeing the marketing and functional recruiting strategies for Cerner candidates. Under Stanland’s leadership, Cerner experienced 34 percent growth in its associate base, with over 25,000 individuals hired.
Before her time at Cerner, Stanland held roles in Executive Travel and Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. She currently serves on several boards in the Kansas City region and enjoys spending time with her husband, Cy, and their two dachshunds. They split their time between Scottsdale, AZ; Kansas City, MO; and Hendersonville, NC.
Elisabeth Kinney McNiel ’89 of Bennettsville, SC, graduated from Converse with a BA in Business Administration – Organizational Management. During her time as a student at Converse, she served as secretary of her junior class, chairperson of the Student Development Committee, co-chairperson of the Granddaughter’s Club, and an active member of the Student Admissions Board and Centennial Celebration Planning Committee. She has been an engaged Converse alumna by serving as President of the Alumni Association and member of the Board of Visitors as well as sharing responsibilities as Class Representative, Converse Fund Chair, and Reunion Chair for the Class of 1989.
McNiel enjoyed exploring creative solutions while owning and managing her family gift shop and hometown weekly newspaper for a number of years. Afterwards, she was the City of Bennettsville’s director of tourism, parks, and recreation and program manager for Main Street Bennettsville. She continues to serve her community and state in a variety of volunteer and board capacities in areas of community development, education, healthcare, historic preservation, and philanthropy. Currently, she is an elder at First Presbyterian Church where she chairs the Financial Stewardship Committee, chair of the Northeastern Technical College Foundation, treasurer of the Marlboro Historical and Cultural Alliance, scholarship chair for The National Society of The Colonial Dames in the State of South Carolina, trustee of the McLeod Health Foundation, and chair of the Kinney Family Fund.
She and her husband, Danny, live in her quaint hometown where they are proprietors and property managers of several downtown historic buildings. They enjoy spending time with their three successful young adult children, Lee, Margaret Jane, and Light; and two energetic, preschool-age grandchildren, Leland and Rosie Cate.
Ann Mullins Johnson ’99 of Spartanburg, SC, graduated from Converse in 1999. She had a thriving career as a pharmaceutical sales representative for Shire U.S. Outside of work, she is past president of Episcopal Church Women (ECW) at Episcopal Church of the Advent and was a member of Converse’s Alumni Recruitment and Retention Effort (CARRE) committee. Currently, Johnson serves on the Parents’ Community Board at Spartanburg Day School. She is married to Stewart Johnson Jr. and has three daughters.
Dr. Jayne Stewart Reuben ’85 has returned to the Board as an ex officio trustee, currently serving as president of the Board of Visitors. Dr. Reuben is an Instructional Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Texas A&M University (TAMU) School of Dentistry and the TAMU School of Medicine.
Dr. Reuben earned her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a specialization in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan in the department of Pathology. Dr. Reuben provides leadership and faculty development in curriculum design, delivery and assessment to enhance student learning and success.
She has served as the Chair and Program Representative of the ASPET Division for Pharmacology Education (DPE). She is a 2021 fellow of DPE Academy for Pharmacology Educators and a 2022 ASPET Fellow. Her research uses quantitative and qualitative approaches to develop and evaluate learning activities that promote the integration of biomedical and clinical science to improve student metacognition, performance and self-efficacy.
Converse University and the Board of Trustees would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to those members departing from the Board: Karla Jones ’85 (one-year sabbatical), Sandra Morelli ’78, and Allen Smith.
Their impact has greatly contributed to a lasting legacy of distinguished service to Converse. The campus community is very grateful for their passion, support, and guidance throughout their terms.