This month’s Hero Award recipients are Hanna Lenz, a senior student support specialist in the College of Nursing; Holly Sheilley, executive director of athletics; and Jeffrey Wilkens, business manager with the Missouri Institute of Mental Health. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)
University of Missouri–St. Louis Interim Chancellor Chris Spilling and his cabinet continue to recognize the exemplary efforts of staff and faculty members from across campus by bestowing the UMSL Hero Award on up to three individuals each month.
This month’s honorees are Hanna Lenz, a senior student support specialist in the College of Nursing; Holly Sheilley, executive director of athletics; and Jeffrey Wilkens, business manager with the Missouri Institute of Mental Health.
Hanna Lenz
If you’ve liked a post from the College of Nursing on LinkedIn or attended one of the college’s annual pinning ceremonies, you’ve witnessed the fruits of Lenz’s labor.
Lenz, who has worked as the college’s senior student support specialist for about a year and a half, never envisioned a career in healthcare for herself. Her grandmother was a nurse, and she has several other family members working in healthcare, but she felt she could serve the community in a different way.
Lenz graduated from UMSL in May 2025 with an undergraduate degree in strategic communication and minors in political science and management. While a student, she served as a first-year experience peer mentor for six semesters, supporting more than 75 students. Doing so helped her build connections across campus, including with the College of Nursing, which she joined in a full-time position just one month after graduation.
In her role as senior student support specialist, Lenz primarily oversees the college’s communications on social media and e-newsletters. She created the college’s LinkedIn page and started posting more consistent, intentional content on Instagram and Facebook to get the word out about UMSL’s nursing programs. She also supports the dean’s newsletter, creating videos and other content with Interim Dean Alicia Hutchings, manages nursing email inquiries and communicates with the college community.
“Hanna is a highly engaged, creative, positive and reliable staff member of the Nursing Student Services Team, who consistently goes above and beyond in her role,” Associate Dean for Student Affairs Cara Doerr wrote in her nomination of Lenz for the Hero Award. “Hanna enthusiastically supports critical areas such as recruitment, communications, student engagement and operational organization. Her work has filled important service gaps, enhanced visibility of College of Nursing programs and positively impacted recruitment and retention of nursing students.”
Lenz also helps foster meaningful in-person connections with the College of Nursing community. She gives tours to prospective students and also helps produce two annual Lighting the Path ceremonies and three annual awards and pinning ceremonies to celebrate UMSL nursing students. While Lenz herself doesn’t have a nursing background, she finds it rewarding to support students who will go on to work as nurses and care for patients.
“I love supporting students in general, but especially supporting nursing students because I know that once they graduate, they’ll be going on and serving our community in our hospitals and beyond,” Lenz said. “Knowing that the students that I support have the potential to make such a meaningful impact in our society, to even go as far as saving people’s lives, is something that I’m extremely proud to be a part of.”
Outside of her work in the College of Nursing, Lenz serves as the UMSL staff advisor for UMSL’s chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha chapter – a women’s fraternity she enjoyed being part of as a student. She’s also pursuing a master’s degree in higher education and completing an internship with Associate Provost for Student Success Colette Dixon overseeing peer mentors in the First-Year Experience program. She’s excited to learn more about the world of higher education and to carve out her own path.
“I was able to experience UMSL firsthand as an undergraduate student, and it was just such a meaningful experience for me because I was able to find my people, get involved and discover opportunities I didn’t even know existed until starting here at UMSL,” she said. “Just being able to find a career path that I hadn’t really originally planned for – even though it was surprising, it all worked out in the end, and I’m extremely grateful for where I am.”
Hutchings said Lenz exemplifies what it means to be a true hero for the College, and that her work strengthens the College of Nursing’s reputation, supports student success and enhances the sense of community that defines its mission.
“Her dedication, professionalism and unwavering commitment to students, faculty and the broader campus community consistently go far beyond the expectations of her role,” Hutchings wrote in her nomination of Lenz for the Hero Award. “Hanna is often the first to step up and the last to step away. She supports students with compassion and clarity, ensuring they feel welcomed, informed and empowered. Whether she is guiding a student through a challenge or celebrating their achievements, Hanna brings a level of care that strengthens the entire student experience.”
Holly Sheilley
Sheilley grew up playing sports, but she didn’t have a single female coach until she was in college. While Sheilley was playing volleyball, basketball and softball at Asbury University, her coach, Rita Pritchett, went on to become the university’s athletic director, opening Sheilley’s eyes to a new world of possibility.
“I was fortunate to have a female coach, and then she went on to become the athletic director,” Sheilley remembered. “I can remember thinking, ‘Wow, I didn’t know women could do this.’ I had never really seen women in those roles before. I’ve always believed women can do anything, but there is a difference between believing something and actually seeing someone do it. Having that example in front of me helped me realize that those opportunities were possible for me, too.”
Sheilley made it her mission to learn everything she could from Pritchett. After coaching, she went on to spend over 30 years working in collegiate athletics, including her current role as the executive director of UMSL Athletics. In this role, which she has served in since 2024, Sheilley oversees the ins and outs of all 15 of the university’s athletics teams, from athletic training and strength and conditioning to schedules, budgets and student-athlete support.
“When I got out of coaching, I wanted to be someone who could help support the coaches and help them get to their ‘yeses,’” Sheilley said. “Even though I’m in a leadership role, I really believe my role is to support and serve my staff. I don’t go to practices with the coaches, but I can support my coaches in other ways, whether it’s budgetarily or trying to talk to them after a bad game or whatever it might be, so that they can actually help support our student-athletes.”
While short, Sheilley’s time with UMSL Athletics has been noteworthy, as the department enjoyed its best year in school history last year. During the 2025-26 academic year, UMSL celebrated 17 All-Americans, nine NCAA appearances, seven conference coaches of the year and the university’s first female national champion, swimmer Justice Beard, who won three individual titles at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships in March.
At the same time, the department also earned its highest GPA – 3.57 – and its highest community-service hours, demonstrating UMSL Athletics’ success across the board in competition, academics and service.
On the heels of such a remarkable year, Sheilley knows such success can’t be easily replicated each year. Rather, she aims to continue to raise the bar through consistent daily effort and developing a healthy culture throughout the department. To that end, she’s implemented her “Champions by Design” philosophy, which is organized around five pillars: student-athlete experience; relentless pursuit of excellence; community engagement; belonging and a culture of champions; and stewardship and accountability.
In developing the philosophy, Sheilley took time to talk with stakeholders to learn what they wanted UMSL Athletics to look like, and that work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Women’s Basketball Coach Emily Samuelson said Sheilley has made remarkable changes in her short time with UMSL Athletics.
“Holly always leads with student-athlete first approach and it has shown by the amazing success we have had in all our sports programs,” Samuelson wrote in her nomination of Sheilley for the Hero Award. “Holly has connected our athletic staff in a way that fosters collaboration, togetherness and a team-first attitude in all of our department. Holly has an upbeat and positive attitude that is contagious with all of our staff and our student-athletes. Our athletic facilities have gone through many positive changes, and I know all of her staff appreciate her so much.”
Jeffrey Wilkens
Wilkens has only worked for the Missouri Institute of Mental Health for a year and a half, but in that short time, his colleagues say he’s become an indispensable part of the institute.
Based at UMSL, MIMH seeks to improve and transform mental health outcomes for individuals impacted by, at risk for, or living with a mental illness, behavioral health condition, traumatic brain injury or HIV/AIDS. Since partnering with UMSL in 2010, the institute has played a crucial role in meeting large health challenges across the region, including its Addiction Science Team’s work fighting the opioid epidemic in Missouri.
It’s critical work with far-ranging impact – and Wilkens is proud to play a small role in it. As a business manager for MIMH, Wilkens deals with all aspects of the department, from getting vending machines set up in the office to hiring new employees. Since MIMH is heavily funded by grants, much of his day-to-day work falls on the financial side. He works closely with MIMH’s principal investigators to ensure their research is able to run smoothly, working through budgets, approvals and expense reports. Seeing their work ultimately come to life in the community is incredibly rewarding for Wilkens.
“It’s pretty extraordinary,” he said. “There’s a lot of work for me to do to make sure we are doing things correctly on the compliance and financial side of things, and then relay that information over to the PIs to help them continue to do the work that they do. Being a part of that, being able to contribute and help kind of push that along, is very rewarding.”
The institute’s mission is near and dear to Wilkens, whose background spans higher education, nonprofits and social services. A Metro East native, Wilkens joined AmeriCorps right after college and has worked for nonprofits that allowed him to “dig in” and try to help people however he could. He also spent time working as an admissions counselor for Ranken Technical College, which, upon moving to Alaska with his wife, a member of the Air Force, inspired him to go back to school himself to study information technology.
The Air Force continued to take Wilkens and his wife around the country, but when they found themselves back in St. Louis and an opportunity opened up at MIMH, he felt it was a full-circle moment. The business manager position leverages his background in higher education and his skillset in systems and budgeting to help him serve a mission in which he believes strongly.
“I think mental health is very important – it’s kind of what drove me to apply for the job,” Wilkens said. “It’s an important factor in people’s day-to-day lives and the work that we do. We do a lot of things at MIMH, from helping people through their own personal mental health situations to larger scale efforts where we’re working with the opioid crisis across the entire state.”
Rachel Taube, co-associate director of MIMH, said Wilkens’ dedication, initiative and positive spirit have made a lasting impact on the department’s work and the people it serves.
“Jeff consistently takes ownership of challenges and follows through with professionalism, reliability and a commitment to excellence,” Taube wrote in her nomination of Wilkens for the Hero Award. “No matter the situation, he approaches his work with a can-do attitude and a willingness to help others succeed. He is remarkably nimble, adapting quickly to changing priorities, learning new skills and stepping into unfamiliar situations without hesitation. What stands out most is Jeff’s positive and giving nature. He is the type of colleague who willingly lends a hand, shares his expertise, and supports others without seeking recognition. His collaborative approach strengthens our team and contributes to a culture of trust and engagement. When problems arise, Jeff focuses on solutions. When extra effort is needed, he steps forward.”
