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The North Central Missouri College Foundation is proud to announce the Distinguished Alumni Class of 2025: Matt Dougan, Julie Hill Lehr, and Jacky Payne. All three honorees hail from Missouri, with two from Trenton and one from Urbana. They will be recognized during the Pirates Ball on Friday, March 28, 2026, at the Ketcham Community Center on the main campus of North Central Missouri College.

A reception honoring the Distinguished Alumni Class of 2025 will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Jeanette Hoffman Robison Auditorium, followed by a plated dinner by Great Western Dining at 6:00 p.m. The evening will also feature a reverse raffle, a program highlighting the three honorees, and live musical entertainment. Individual tickets are $50 per person, and tables of six may be purchased for $300, which includes one reverse raffle ticket. Additional reverse raffle tickets will be available for purchase the night of the event.

Matt Dougan grew up in Trenton, Missouri, and is a graduate of Trenton High School, Trenton Junior College, now North Central Missouri College, and Truman State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Matt spent 39 years with Hy-Vee, Inc., beginning as a meat clerk and advancing through numerous leadership roles, including Executive Vice President of Operations at Perishable Distributors of Iowa and later Vice President of Purchasing, Equipment Purchasing, and Food Manufacturing at Hy-Vee’s corporate office. His career highlights include leading major supply chain innovations, implementing award-winning food safety and temperature monitoring systems, and generating more than $3.5 million in cost savings through packaging and sourcing efficiencies. He received Hy-Vee’s Chairman’s Above and Beyond Award in 2018 and retired in May 2023.

Matt is deeply involved in his community, serving as treasurer for InnerVisions Health Clinic and St. Thomas Classical Academy, and has held leadership roles with Special Olympics Iowa and the Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce.

He lives in Ankeny, Iowa, with his wife, Brenda, and is the proud father of five children and grandfather of two, with another grandchild expected soon.

Julie Hill Lehr grew up in Trenton, Missouri, where she discovered her passion for journalism while attending Trenton High School. She was active in student media, serving as editor of the yearbook, president of the electronic journalism club, and a writer for the school newspaper.

She began her college career at Trenton Junior College (now North Central Missouri College), where she was a student leader, a member of Phi Theta Kappa, worked on the Ship’s Log student newspaper, and launched her broadcast career at KTTN Radio. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and a master’s degree in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Missouri–Columbia, gaining hands-on experience at KBIA Radio and KOMU Television.

Julie’s professional career includes roles as a reporter, producer, writer, and director. She worked for The Business Journal in Milwaukee, Kluge Communications, and GE Healthcare, where she helped produce award-winning educational television for medical professionals and patients. When NBC Universal acquired The Patient Channel, she became an executive producer and worked on programming, marketing, and national events.

Julie concluded her career as Marketing and Community Events Manager for Milwaukee PBS, where she served for 10 years before retiring in 2024.

In retirement, Julie has reconnected with her Trenton roots. She is contributing to the NCMC 100th Anniversary book and writes a monthly column, Trenton Tales from Julie Hill Lehr, for the Trenton Telegraph.

She is married to Scott Lehr and is the mother of three adult children and grandmother to two.

Jacky Payne has made a lasting impact on Missouri basketball for more than five decades, first as an elite player and later as one of the state’s most respected coaches.

A four-year starter at Skyline High School in Urbana, Payne scored 1,953 points in an era before the three-point line and helped lead the Tigers to a 106–19 record. He earned multiple All-State and All-Ozark Conference honors and later became the first person to win the Blue & Gold Tournament as both a player and a coach.

Payne continued his career at Trenton Junior College (now North Central Missouri College), where he was a co-captain and team leader, before completing his bachelor’s degree at Missouri Western State College and his master’s degree at Drury University.

His coaching career spanned more than 40 years at St. James, Marshfield, Lebanon, Stoutland, and Skyline. Payne recorded 655 career victories, led two teams to the Final Four, and won conference and district championships at multiple schools. His 1989 Marshfield team finished state runner-up with a 31–2 record.

Beyond the court, Payne served more than 20 years on the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association board, including as president, and spent over 25 years with the Show-Me State Games. He also helped establish the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

His many honors include induction into the TJC/NCMC Athletic Hall of Fame, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Payne and his wife, Elana, have five children, 15 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He retired from coaching following the 2022–23 season, closing an extraordinary chapter in Missouri high school basketball.