North Central Missouri College Foundation announces honorees for Distinguished Alumni Class of 2022

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North Central Missouri College Foundation announces the Distinguished Alumni Class for 2022, Dr. Jennifer (Collier) Blacksmith, Jackie (Persell) Soptic, and Barbara (Higdon) Spencer.  Honorees will be recognized during the Pirates Ball on March 25, 2023, at the Ketcham Community Center on the campus of North Central Missouri College.  The Pirates Ball is to honor distinguished alumni, Voyage Fund donors, and all NCMC family and friends.  The event is a fundraiser for the Voyage Fund, an annual giving campaign to raise unrestricted funds to help meet the unmet needs of the College.

Dr. Jennifer (Collier) Blacksmith

Dr. Jennifer Blacksmith
Dr. Jennifer Blacksmith

The North Central Missouri College Lady Pirates signed Jennifer Collier, a Novelty, Missouri native and then senior from Knox County High School, to play basketball in 2002. Highlights of Jennifer’s two-year athletic career at NCMC include winning the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Region 16 championship, and the NJCAA ranking her eighth in field goal percentage at 64.33.

When asked to share a favorite memory during her time at NCMC Jennifer said, “My best memories were with the basketball team, especially when we won the Division II Region 16 Championship game! Coach Mothersbaugh had a certain way of coaching that brought the best out in each of us.”  In addition to her athletic achievements, Jennifer excelled academically, earning an associate’s degree after which she transferred to the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. While attending UCM, Jennifer’s passion for working with children and families led her to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice, and a master’s degree in Psychology. She fulfilled her higher educational goals and earned a doctorate in School Psychology from the University of Missouri in 2014.

After returning to Missouri in 2017, Dr. Blacksmith has served as the Director of Behavioral Health with the Northeast Missouri Health Council. In addition to her leadership role as a director, she provides counseling services, psychological testing, and professional development to schools, and works closely with the University of Missouri through their Missouri Strong Kids ECHO outreach program as a mental health expert.

Dr. Blacksmith’s successful career in psychology could have taken her anywhere but she chose to return to her roots in northern Missouri. She and her husband Joe live in La Plata, Missouri with their daughter Harper, where she serves on the local school board and coaches her daughter’s basketball and softball teams.

Jackie (Persell) Soptic

Jackie Soptic
Jackie Soptic

Jackie (Persell) Soptic, a Piper High School Pirate from Kansas City, Kansas chose to stick with tradition, return to the place of her birth and remain a Pirate by attending Trenton Junior College now North Central Missouri College. Due to her father’s employment as a locomotive engineer, Jackie grew up in Kansas City KS.  Unlike most high school seniors, she had a unique perspective of both life in a large city and life in a small town. Therefore, after her graduation, she married her high school sweetheart, Warren Soptic, and returned to Trenton in 1977 to attend college, work, and raise a family.

Wanting to complete her education and start a professional career, Jackie returned to North Central Missouri College and completed her associate’s degree in 1989. Following graduation, she taught preschool for one year and began working part-time as a caseworker for the Workforce Development Program with the Green Hills Planning Commission. Her part-time job soon became a full-time position that eventually led to her becoming the director of the Workforce Development Program. Jackie remained with the Green Hills Planning Commission and within 13 years became the assistant director. Jackie’s commitment to public service and the need to volunteer never changed even as the demands of her professional career increased. She was elected and served three terms on the Trenton City Council. 

Currently, Jackie is a volunteer for Bright Futures, Church Women United Thrift shop, Grundy County Senior Center Meal Delivery, and the Red Cross. Always willing to be of service and with retirement on the horizon, she helped to prepare staff and board members for new leadership by serving as a transition director for the last two years of her employment. In 2022, after 33 years, she retired from the Green Hills Planning Commission.

Jackie and Warren Soptic have been married for 45 years; co-own A.S.A.P Locksmith, are the parents of Jeremy (Cindy) Soptic and Jenny (Lucas) Lewis and are proud grandparents to Cole Soptic and Jackson Lewis. With her roots still firmly planted in Trenton, and her never-changing commitment to the community, Jackie has thrown her hat into the upcoming mayoral race in Trenton.   

Barbara (Higdon) Spencer

Barb Spencer
Barb Spencer

After graduating from high school in Princeton, Missouri in 1970, Barbara (Higdon) Spencer started her college career at Trenton Junior College, now North Central Missouri College. She received an associate’s degree in 1972 and transferred to Northeast Missouri State University, now Truman State University. While at TSU, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in English Education, a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology, and certifications in Speech and Theatre in 1974. She returned to TSU to complete a master’s degree in English Education and a certification in Library Science in 1976.

After College, Barbara began her teaching career in Jameson, MO, and moved to the Trenton R-9 School District one year later where she remained for the rest of her career. One to never shy away from work, she taught a variety of classes including English I, II, and III, British Literature, Speech, Theatre, Composition, and Sociology. In addition, she performed several duties including serving as yearbook sponsor, cheerleader sponsor, color guard instructor, competitive speech instructor, theatrical presentation director, and curriculum committee chairperson for the English department. Barbara retired in 2004 after a 29-year teaching career.

Always willing and active, Barbara has worked and/or donated her time to countless number of community groups and organizations. She returned to her alma mater, teaching Composition and Speech on a part-time basis for over ten years in addition to tutoring and assisting NCMC students until she retired in 2017.

Barbara and her husband Steve married in 1971 and have one daughter, Trisha, and son-in-law Scott Sharp and two grandchildren, Owen and Carly. Together they own Precision Machine and Welding in Trenton and enjoy spending quality time with their daughter and family, atlatl throwing, archery shooting, hunting, and fishing.

For Pirates Ball ticket information or reservations contact NCMC Foundation Executive Director Alicia Endicott at 660-357-6403 or at [email protected].


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