Hawks to Watch: Kris Kennedy, associate creative director

kris kennedy

Why Kris is a Hawk to Watch:Kris Kennedy has made a name for himself within creative circles with big ideas, ambitious media stunts and an unapologetic weirdness that’s become his signature style — The moon as a Corona beer lime wedge. Mini donkeys and Heinz ketchup bottles. A chicken nugget TV…

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Hawks to Watch: Brent Lind, web developer

Brent Lind B.F.A. Theatre Design (2003)

Why Brent's a Hawk to Watch:You’ve heard of Childish Gambino, My Morning Jacket, and Foster the People — now meet the Jayhawk who’s been backstage at nearly every show, making them sound flawless around the world for the last 15 years. Brent Lind graduated from the University of Kansas in 2003…

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Hawks to Watch: Vanessa Delnavaz, collection manager

Vanessa Delnavaz

Why Vanessa's a Hawk to Watch: Behind every life, there’s a story. The same could also be said of every species — and indeed, every specimen. And the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has a lot of stories to tell. Millions of them, in fact. There, Vanessa Delnavaz and her team are…

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Hawks to Watch: Richard W. James, ceramicist + sculptor

Illustration of Richard W. James

Why Richard's a Hawk to Watch:Some professionals prefer not to mix their work and personal lives. For Richard W. James, the two are inextricably linked. Through his ceramic creations, the visual artist has made a career building a world that’s at once of his own making and also a reflection of the…

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Hawks to Watch: Heba Mostafa, molecular virologist

Heba Mostafa molecular virologist Ph.D. microbiology (2014)

Why Heba's a Hawk to Watch:When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, KU community members across the globe joined forces (There was a link here, but the page no longer exists) to curb the disease’s spread and provide relief to communities in need, showing the world what’s possible when…

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Hawks to Watch: Rhianna Jordan, professional dancer

Rhianna Jordan dances in the grass in front of a concrete wall with the text 'Professional Dancer B.F.A. Dance (2018)'

Why Rhianna's a Hawk to Watch:A dance studio is many things at once — a space for experimentation, collaboration, and artistic expression. But for Rhianna Jordan, it’s more than that. It serves as a site not only for practice runs and carefully choreographed performance — but also for profound…

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Hawks to Watch: Kelly Houghteling, Deputy Town Administrator

Kelly Houghteling Deputy Town Adminsitrator B.G.S. Sociology & Leadership Studies (2011) M.P.A. Public Administration (2013)

Why Kelly's a Hawk to Watch:Kelly Houghteling is always up for an adventure. When she's off the clock, you can expect to find her outdoors hiking, biking, and fly-fishing in the Rocky Mountains, which she calls home. She even made the trek up to the 19,341-foot summit of Africa's highest mountain,…

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Strength in numbers: KU community joins forces to limit coronavirus' spread

Tulips on campus with the text 'Strength in numbers, KU community joins forces to limit coronavirus' spread'

Everywhere you look, Jayhawks are coming together and rising to today’s challenges. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is felt across the U.S. and the world, students, alumni, faculty, and staff from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are bringing their expertise to the frontlines…

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Kylie Hewitt uncovers stories from the past in the National WWII Museum’s collections

Kylie Hewitt MA Museum Studies, 2017

Objects from the past can speak volumes about the world we live in today. From love letters sent across continents and long-forgotten diary entries to flight logs, maps, and military records, every historic document has a story to tell.As a digital archives technician at the National WWII Museum in…

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Hawks to Watch: Brett Striker, Entrepreneur

Brett Striker Entrepreneur BA Psychology (2008)

Why Brett's a Hawk to Watch:Fair warning: You might want to grab a snack before reading about our November Hawk to Watch, Brett Striker, CEO and founder of the Minneapolis-based popcorn company Maddy & Maize. At Maddy & Maize, Brett and his team are feeling the holiday rush in full force,…

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