Washburn University School of Law Alumni Awards

The Distinguished Service Award is bestowed on graduates of the School of Law who have particularly distinguished themselves and brought recognition to the school through their service to Washburn University School of Law, the legal profession, their community, or public service. 

Mark V. Heitz, ba ’74, jd ’77, h ’01, is a longtime leader in the financial services industry and a dedicated advocate for Washburn University and the Washburn School of Law.

Heitz is a partner at Creative One, a leading independent marketing organization and diversified financial services firm specializing in annuity, life insurance and wealth management solutions, as well as a partner in Market Synergy Group, a financial services firm specializing in designing innovative annuity products for insurance carriers and providing a distribution partnership for marketing these products. He is also a partner in Dakota Shy Wine Co. and DS Property, LLC, a leading California winery based in Napa Valley, California. He retired from Aviva USA Corporation in 2012 after more than 25 years with the Company, serving as President and CEO of several Aviva Companies. His career spans more than 50 years in the financial services industry, from law clerk for the Kansas Insurance Commissioner to President of a multibillion-dollar Company.

A proud dual Bod, Heitz has served on the Washburn University Board of Regents and the Washburn Law School Alumni Association Board of Governors, including as President. He currently serves as a trustee of the Washburn University Alumni Association and Foundation Board and is a lifetime member of both alumni associations.

Heitz’s community service includes leadership with the Kansas Insurance Education Foundation, National Association of Life Insurance Companies, The American Council of Life Insurance, United Way of Greater Topeka, YMCA, Midland Hospice, Topeka Symphony and Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Lisa, ba ’85, live in Topeka.

How has Washburn Law contributed to your life and career: Heitz says Washburn has been a positive influence on his entire adult life, from meeting and marrying his wife at Washburn over 55 years ago, to the birth of his daughter during finals week of his first semester at Washburn Law, to providing him with an excellent education for being a successful businessman and lawyer and to providing him with lifetime friendships and a keen awareness of community service.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed on graduates whose careers have been highly distinguished, and whose achievements and contributions are widely recognized as significant and outstanding in their field of endeavor, whether it be in the practice of law, the judiciary, business, public service, education, or otherwise.

Marge Petty, jd ’90, has built a distinguished career in public service, government and health care, marked by a commitment to collaboration and improving the lives of others. In 1985, she was elected to the Topeka City Council, serving as deputy mayor in 1986. During her time on the council, she earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and her Juris Doctor from Washburn University School of Law in 1990.

In 1988, Petty was elected as a Democrat to represent Senate District 18 in the Kansas Senate, where she served 12 years. She held leadership roles including ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Ways and Means Committee. Her legislative work focused on issues including education, health and human services, foster care and government accountability.

After leaving the Senate, Petty served with the Kansas Corporation Commission before joining the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after being appointed by President Barack Obama as regional director overseeing six states and 68 federally recognized Tribes on health and human services initiatives.

In 2021, Petty joined the Parkland Health & Hospital System Board of Managers in Dallas after being appointed by the lead of the Dallas County Commission. She served as chair for four years. She also has maintained a strong connection to Washburn Law, serving six years on its Board of Governors, regularly co-hosting alumni events in Dallas and holding lifetime membership in the Washburn Law Alumni Association.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed on graduates whose careers have been highly distinguished, and whose achievements and contributions are widely recognized as significant and outstanding in their field of endeavor, whether it be in the practice of law, the judiciary, business, public service, education, or otherwise.

Meredith Williams, jd ’75, built a distinguished career in public service and retirement security, becoming a nationally recognized advocate for public pension systems despite never practicing law.

While attending Washburn University School of Law, Williams joined the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit. He spent 18 years with the division and became the state’s third appointed legislative post auditor. During his tenure, he co-authored a textbook and monograph on public-sector performance auditing and served as national president of the Association of Government Accountants.

In 1991, Williams became executive director of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, taking over during a period of significant turmoil. Williams guided KPERS through the crisis, helping restore the system and establish a foundation for its continued growth.

At the turn of the century, Williams moved to Colorado where he served as the CEO of the Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association, overseeing retirement benefits for public servants. During his tenure, the organization became a leader in the evolving corporate governance and securities litigation arenas. He also chaired the Council of Institutional Investors, served on a Securities and Exchange Commission advisory committee and was president and later executive director of the National Council on Teacher Retirement.

Williams retired in 2017 and remains connected to Washburn Law, including through the Denver-area alumni community. He is a lifetime member of the Washburn Law Alumni Association.

What are your favorite memories of Washburn Law:

I particularly enjoyed my classmates, the faculty and their wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences, and my time in the Law Clinic. Rare was the day that I didn’t reach back to my Washburn Law days for guidance in my decision-making.

The Washburn Law Legacy Family Award honors the families who carried the Washburn Law tradition across generations. This award is bestowed on a family in which two or more members of the family – generational or through marriage – are law school graduates, and who as a group have distinguished themselves through service to Washburn Law School, the legal profession, their communities, or public service.

The Fleming family represents a distinguished Washburn Law legacy, with four family members earning law degrees from the School of Law and building careers marked by service to the legal profession, their communities and the state of Kansas. Their collective accomplishments reflect the tradition of leadership and public service celebrated by the Washburn Law Legacy Family Award.

Hon. Robert Fleming, jd ’68

Hon. Robert Fleming is a retired Labette County District Court judge who devoted nearly five decades to the legal profession. He practiced law for 28 years before serving 21 years on the bench. Throughout his career, he demonstrated a strong commitment to the administration of justice and to the legal profession. He is a member of the Kansas Judicial Council and serves on the executive committee of the Kansas District Judges Association.

Kyle Fleming, jd ’00

Kyle Fleming combines his legal background with an accounting degree and extensive experience in private practice and higher education. He has served as general counsel for Pittsburg State University, a law partner at Wilbert and Towner, P.A., general counsel for CDL Electric, and general counsel and controller for Pitsco Inc. and LEGO Education North America. Fleming litigates in both federal and state courts in Kansas and has represented companies facing litigation outside the state as local counsel. His experience also includes work on an international joint venture involving international pricing, partner negotiations, contract negotiations, and international and domestic compliance. He maintains a busy practice in Pittsburg, Kansas, focusing on family law, adoption, estate planning, probate and criminal law.

Hon. Lori Bolton Fleming, jd ’01

Hon. Lori Bolton Fleming entered the legal profession after working as an elementary music and English teacher at Fort Scott High School and Leavenworth Public Schools. While at Washburn Law, she served as editor-in-chief of the Washburn Law Journal. She later served as an assistant county attorney in Crawford County before specializing in legal research and writing at Spigarelli Law Firm. She subsequently practiced with Wilbert and Towner, handling criminal, civil, juvenile, business, adoption and probate matters. Appointed to the district court in 2012, she was named chief judge of the 11th Judicial District by the Kansas Supreme Court in 2021. She has served on numerous Kansas Supreme Court committees, including the Rural Justice Initiative, Pretrial Justice Task Force, Kansas Digital Evidence Advisory Group, COVID Jury Trial Advisory Group and Cybersecurity Committee. In July 2025, she was appointed to the Kansas Court of Appeals.

Hon. Michael Fleming, jd ’01

Hon. Mike Fleming has devoted his career to representing individuals in injury, employment, and commercial matters, while also giving back to the legal profession and the State of Kansas.

Among the highlights of his career, he served as lead counsel in a landmark mass arbitration on behalf of more than 550 current and former employees of DST Systems who participated in the company’s profit-sharing plan. After the case was required to proceed through individual arbitrations rather than as a class action, Mike and his team undertook the extraordinary task of pursuing hundreds of claims individually. Ultimately, 342 claims were tried to the arbitration panel resulting in approximately $36 million in confirmed arbitration awards and a remarkable recovery for the employees he represented.

Mike has also distinguished himself through his service to the legal profession. He is a past president of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association and has served on the Kansas Bar Association Board of Governors and the Johnson County Bar Association Board of Directors. He currently serves on the Johnson County Bar Association Foundation Board.

His commitment to service extends beyond the practice of law. In 2020, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly appointed Mike to the Kansas Court of Appeals Nominating Commission, and in 2023, she appointed him to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.

The Honorary Life Membership Award honors someone who has provided exemplary service to his or her profession, community, and Washburn University School of Law. 

Jack Brier, bba ’70, has devoted his career to public service, business and strengthening the institutions and communities he calls home. He is president and CEO of US Alliance Life and Security Company and served as Kansas secretary of state from 1978 to 1987. He previously served as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State and as national vice president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Brier has held leadership roles with numerous organizations, including as a board member of Columbian National Title Insurance Co., Columbian National Bank, AmVestors Investment Groups Inc. and AmVestors Financial Corp. He is a past president of Concerned Citizens of Topeka, the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library Foundation and the Topeka Community Foundation Board.

A longtime advocate for Washburn University and the School of Law, Brier served on the Washburn Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a lifetime member of the association. He was a close friend of Jim Concannon and helped lead efforts to recognize Concannon’s legacy at Washburn Law, culminating in the endowment and naming of the James M. Concannon Dean and Professor of Law.

Brier is also known for mentoring young people and helping them understand Kansas politics and public service. His honors include Outstanding Young Kansan by the Kansas Jaycees.

The Honorary Life Membership Award honors someone who has provided exemplary service to his or her profession, community, and Washburn University School of Law.

Etta Walker, a native of Wallace County, has dedicated more than twenty years to serving rural communities and strengthening access to legal services across Kansas. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and her law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law, where she served as an articles editor for the Colorado Law Review.

After law school, Walker clerked for U.S. Circuit Judge Procter R. Hug, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and practiced law at a large firm in Reno, Nevada, before returning to western Kansas. She has maintained a private practice in Eastern Colorado since 2004, and in Western Kansas since her admission to Kansas in 2005. Her office is in Sharon Springs.

Walker is a founding member of the Kansas Rural Justice Initiative Committee, a member of the Judicial Council Civil Code Committee, a member of the KBA, and a past president of the Kansas Women Attorneys Association.

She has been a strong advocate for rebuilding and sustaining legal communities in rural Kansas, supporting networks for solo and small firm attorneys in rural areas, and has worked with Washburn University School of Law to strengthen the law school’s rural programs by hosting Dane G. Hansen Foundation interns and promoting the law school’s innovations aimed at making law school more affordable and available, such as the 3+3 program.

Her commitment to legal education was evident when she supervised three Washburn Law Hansen Externs. She provided them with firsthand experience practicing law in a rural community and participating in the life of the community through service projects.

Through her professional leadership, community service and support of Washburn Law’s programs, Walker has helped advance opportunities for both rural Kansans and the next generation of attorneys.

How has Washburn Law contributed to your life and career: I appreciate Washburn Law’s commitment to Kansas attorneys state-wide, and its faculty’s willingness to serve Kansas in many ways. It was an honor to serve on the Civil Practice Committee and the Kansas Appleseed Board with fellow Western Kansan Jim Concannon, and I have appreciated the work of other Washburn Law faculty members, including but not limited to former Dean Carla Pratt and current Dean Jeffrey Jackson, in their publications and presentations. Dean Jackson even traveled the 340 miles from Topeka to Sharon Springs to present a CLE on First Amendment topics to the 15th Judicial District Bench-Bar meeting. That’s commitment to rural Kansas. Thank you for the honor of being welcomed into the Washburn Law Alumni Association. 

The Graduate of the Last Decade Award honors recent Washburn Law graduates whose performance and commitment has set an example of professionalism and demonstrated leadership in the legal field, in their community, or to the School of Law. The recipient must have graduated within the past ten years.

The Hon. Candice Alcaraz, jd ’16, is a District Court Judge for the 29th Judicial District, Division 11, in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Elected in August 2022 and sworn into office Jan. 9, 2023, she made history as the First Black Female District Court Judge in Wyandotte County. She is one of the youngest people to attain the position.

Before joining the bench, Alcaraz served for approximately six years as an Assistant District Attorney in the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office, prosecuting juvenile offender crimes and adult felony cases, including homicides, narcotics and sex crimes. As a Judge, she handles civil matters involving credit, debt and evictions, as well as preliminary matters in criminal court.

Alcaraz serves on the Kansas Bar Association Board of Governors and the Washburn Law School Alumni Association Board of Governors. She is a member of the Wyandotte County Bar Association, Kansas Women’s Attorneys Association and the Kansas City, Kansas, Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. She also serves on the Friends of Yates Board of Directors.

A committed mentor and advocate for youth, Alcaraz regularly speaks at schools, career days, legal events and professional panels. Her service has earned numerous honors, including the 2021 Women of Wyandotte Award and the 2024 Kansas City Business Journal 20 to Know in the Legal Industry recognition.

What are your favorite memories of Washburn Law: My favorite memories include reading for class with my headphones on in the pit, studying for the Bar under the tutelage of Bo Turney, working in the law clinics with Prof. Francis, overly preparing for Prof. Bahadur’s class cold calling, protecting Prof. Concannon’s appellate and evidence texts like my upcoming law career depended on it, getting my only A in law school in Prof. Glashausser’s Remedies class, gifts and stiffs with Prof. Grant, surviving a 32 mega multiple choice question property exam 1L year, moot court with Dean Jackson where I found my voice and my purpose in law school. In total, the relationships forged and time well spent with friends I still respect and admire to this day.

The Graduate of the Last Decade Award honors recent Washburn Law graduates whose performance and commitment has set an example of professionalism and demonstrated leadership in the legal field, in their community, or to the School of Law. The recipient must have graduated within the past ten years.

Destiny Bounds, jd ’16, is a Kansas City-based business and intellectual property attorney, entrepreneur, author and small-business advocate. She is the founder and managing attorney of Bounds Law LLC, where she helps entrepreneurs and growing businesses protect their brands, build strong legal foundations and navigate the legal challenges that come with growth.

Before founding Bounds Law, Bounds practiced complex commercial litigation and business law at both a regional litigation firm and a large national law firm. Today, her work extends beyond traditional legal practice through business consulting, education and speaking, with a focus on making legal and business strategy more accessible to entrepreneurs and small-business owners. She is also an author, including two recently published children’s books in her Little Legal Eagle series, which introduces young readers to intellectual property and entrepreneurship through storytelling.

Bounds earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, master’s degree from Park University and Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Washburn University School of Law, where she was named to the Order of Barristers and was active in Law Journal, trial advocacy, the Women’s Legal Forum and Student Bar Association.

Her recent honors reflect both her commitment to service and her innovative approach to legal practice. This year, she was named Legal Innovator of the Year (USA) and received the Small Business Access & Education Excellence Award through the Influential Businesswoman Awards. In 2025, she received the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation President’s Award for her service to Military Matters and the Missouri Lawyers Media Women’s Justice Award for Innovation & Technology. Bounds Law also was recognized as a 2025 KC Legal Leader for Innovating Knowledge Management.

What are your favorite memories of Washburn Law: Some of my favorite Washburn Law memories are actually the little things that made law school feel like a community. I loved being able to bring my Havanese, Scottie, to school with me some days. He made his own dog friends around the law school and became a familiar face. He is now 16½ years old, which makes those memories especially meaningful to me.

Another favorite was traveling to Miami with Washburn’s ABA Trial Team to compete and advance in the competition. Trial advocacy was such an important part of my law school experience, and getting to represent Washburn alongside my teammates is something I still remember fondly.

And one of the most fitting ways to end my time at Washburn was dinner at Professor Duncan’s home with journal board. I remember enjoying his incredible collection of books and music and spending time together outside of the classroom. Looking back, those memories – the friendships, the experiences, the professors, and even bringing Scottie along for the ride – are what made Washburn Law feel like much more than just the place where I earned my degree.

The Graduate of the Last Decade Award honors recent Washburn Law graduates whose performance and commitment has set an example of professionalism and demonstrated leadership in the legal field, in their community, or to the School of Law. The recipient must have graduated within the past ten years.

Merideth Jan Hogan, ba ’13 jd ‘16, is an attorney based in northeastern Kansas. Following graduation from Washburn University and Washburn University School of Law, Merideth built her career around public service. Her work reflects a commitment to ensuring effective legal representation for those who cannot afford an attorney and for individuals who have complex histories of trauma and substance abuse. She firmly believes that all individuals, regardless of circumstances, should be treated with respect and empathy.

At Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Merideth provided civil legal services to survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence by helping them obtain, for example, immigration status, divorces, orders of protection, and asserting their rights as survivors in the criminal prosecution of their abusers. Now, Merideth is an adjunct professor at Washburn Law, teaching students about the civil and criminal litigation process related to human trafficking. She also currently serves as an appellate criminal defense attorney with the Kansas Appellate Defender Office, handling criminal appeals from across the state and assisting individuals convicted in the criminal justice system to assert their rights.

Merideth serves on the Washburn University School of Law Alumni Association Board of Governors and is involved with the Kansas Women Attorneys Association, Earl O’Connor Inn of Court, and Kansas Bar Association Diversity Committee. Through these organizations, Merideth has coordinated several events to address the lack of diversity in the Kansas bar, including a semi-annual event encouraging teenage girls of color to pursue a legal career and connecting them with legal practitioners.