Donnell, McConkey receive Distinguished Alumni Awards

A native of Hot Springs, South Dakota, Donnell graduated from Chadron State in 1976 with Bachelor of Science degrees in Education, Speech and Theatre, Vocal and Instrumental Music. During her time at CSC, Donnell got her first summer stock theatre experience at the Post Playhouse at Fort Robinson and performed as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit.

Following graduation Donnell taught vocal music in Chadron Public Schools and directed school musical theatre performances. She has also taught creative dramatics and acting at the Performing Arts Center in Davenport, Iowa, and theatre training classes at Stage Door Manor in Loch Sheldrake, New York.

Donnell’s extensive acting experience includes community theatre, summer stock, children’s theatre, cabaret and touring with the first national tour of Steven Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George.

Among the roles she has played are Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly, Mama Rose in Gypsy, and Eunice in Streetcar Named Desire. She has trained with Anthony Hopkins at the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, Uta Hagen at HB Studios in New York, and Robert Neff Williams of the Julliard School in New York.

As a director, Donnell has worked at theatres in New York City, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Louisiana, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington.  

Donnell has performed and directed at the Black Hills Playhouse in South Dakota for 17 seasons and is currently president of the Black Hills Playhouse Alumni Association.

Now residing in Takilma, Oregon, with her husband, Menno Kraai, Donnell is a private music, theatre, and speech coach. She and her husband collaborate on theatre projects and are working on a stage adaptation of Leaning Into the Wind, an anthology of stories from women of the high plains. Donnell’s sister and her cousin are CSC graduates and her mother, Beulah, who wrote one of the stories in the anthology, studied at Chadron State.

Donnell said she cherishes her memories of Chadron State College and is looking forward to once again being in Memorial Hall. 

“I have lived many places, and the foundation I received from Chadron State College has kept me well-grounded and humble wherever I roam,” she said. “I am grateful for the seven years I spent in Chadron crafting my foundation in the theatre.”

McConkey, an Alliance native and Alliance High School graduate, participated in the Rural Health Opportunity Program (RHOP) at Chadron State. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology degree and went to earn his medical degree from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2003 and complete a Residency in Emergency Medicine at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, in 2006.

McConkey joined the Nebraska Army National Guard as a Medical Service Corps officer in 2000 and served as the Chief of Aviation Medicine for the Nebraska Guard from 2007-09. His military medical experience includes more than 340 hours as flight surgeon in both fixed and rotor wing aircraft. Deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007, he was awarded the Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal for his service there.

McConkey transferred to the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 2011 and earned the rank of Colonel in 2019. He completed the USAF Aerospace Medicine Course in 2011 and served for a time as Chief of Medical Staff at the 916th Aerospace Medicine Squadron.

Currently serving as Commander of the 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, McConkey is in charge of a 100+ bed mobile patient staging system with a $1.5 million budget and oversees 122 medical professionals.

In addition to working clinically as an emergency physician for more than 20 years, McConkey owned and operated a free-standing emergency room business in Texas for two years and has been an Emergency Medicine professor and adjunct faculty member at Duke University in North Carolina. He has also worked and trained abroad, including three years in Australia and New Zealand, where he consulted on international health policy and development.

McConkey is the author of a recently released book, Be the Weight Behind the Spear, that emphasizes his leadership ethos and focus on youth leadership initiatives. Earlier this year he announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress from the 13th District of North Carolina.

McConkey and his wife, Elsa, live in Apex, North Carolina, with their 12-year-old son, Luca, and 11-year-old twins Alexandria and Gabriel.