Class Notes – Summer 2025
1950s
James L. Williamson, BA ’57, of Waco, established the James L. and Glenda Williamson Endowed Scholarship for Educational Leadership.
Tom Goforth, BS ’59, and Royce Goforth, of Crawford, TX, established the Tom and Royce Goforth Endowed Scholarship Fund in Geosciences.
James Tipps, BBA ’59, and Barbara Tipps, of Houston, established the James and Barbara Tipps Endowed Presidential Excellence Fund.
1960s
Barbara York McClellan, BME ’61, received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in the arts in Longview, TX. She has been active in music, theater and writing, including authoring three cookbooks and writing a culinary column for more than 54 years for the Longview News-Journal. She taught elementary and middle school music and choir for more than 40 years.
The Dr. Robert E. Leftwich Endowed Scholarship in Music was established by the estate of Robert E. Leftwich, BSN ’63.
Charles Francis Guittard, BA ’64, and Nancy Davis Labastida, of Austin, established the Guittard Book Award for Historical Scholarship Endowment.
Warner Croft, BBA ’67, MBA ’73, of Austin, established the Warner Croft Endowed Fund in Business and the Warner Croft Endowed Fellowship in Business.
Andy T. Pittman, BS ’68, authored two chapters on transportational law and intentional torts in Safe at First, 2nd ed. The publication is in honor of Herb Appenzeller, who was an early leader of the Sport and Recreation Law Association. Pittman was the first winner of the Herb Appenzeller Award.
1970s
Lucy McBride, BA ’70, and Ralph “Skip” McBride, BA ’68, MA ’70, JD ’74, of Houston, established the Christian Initiatives Endowed Fund for Baylor Law School.
Skip Curry, BBA ’70, and Vivian Curry, BSHE ’69, of Steamboat Springs, CO, established the Skip and Vivian Curry Endowed Scholarship for Truett Seminary.
J. P. Davis, JD ’70, and Elinor Sturgis Davis, BBA ’64, of Waco, established the J. P. and Elinor Sturgis Davis Endowed Scholarship in Law.
John Anderson, BS ’71, and Rachel Anderson, BA ’70, of Woodway, TX, established the John and Rachel Anderson Endowed Excellence Fund for the Robbins Institute.
Bill Ford, BBA ’71, and Susan Ford, of Charlotte, NC, established the Bill and Susan Ford Endowed Scholarship in Interior Design.
Tedde Reid, BA ’71, and Jim Reid, MBA ’71, of Hailey, ID, established the Philip and Helen Nathans Scholarship in honor of Tedde’s parents, Philip and Helen Nathans.
Nancy Apple Phillips, BS ’72, and Gregory Phillips, of San Diego, established the Phillips Family Endowed Scholarship for First Generation Students.
Michael McCaffery, BS ’74, and Beverly Wendland, of Clayton, MO, created the Beverly R. Wendland and J. Michael McCaffery Endowed Fund in Biology.
Molli Ellison, BSEd ’75, and Gary Elliston, ABC ’13, established the Molli and Gary D. Elliston Endowed Scholarship at Truett Seminary.
Kathleen Keys, BSN ’75, and Dennis Keys, BBA ’72, of Dallas, established the Kathleen Keenan Keys and Dennis Keys Endowed Scholarship for First Generation College Students in Nursing and the Dennis and Kathleen Keys Endowed Scholarship for First Generation College Students.
Godfrey Sullivan Jr., BBA ’75, of Woodside, CA, established the Sullivan Family Scholarship Program.
Leslie Gates Brinkley, BSEd ’76, currently serves as the state regent for the Colorado State Society Daughters of the America Revolution. For her second state regent project, she has involved all 49 chapters in the State of Colorado to provide Freedom Sacks, filled with 10 books on the Revolutionary War, to Colorado elementary schools, local libraries or home school co-op learning centers. Over 250 sacks were distributed in January. Brinkley is a retired teacher and librarian and lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with her husband Roger Brinkley, BBA ’80.
Jack W. Jones Jr., BBA ’76, JD ’79, of Temple, TX, established The Honorable Jack W. Jones Jr. Endowed Fund in Law for Double Bears.
Debbie Turner McLeod, BSN ’78, and Don McLeod, BA ’76, of Arlington, TX, established the Debbie Turner McLeod and Don McLeod Endowed Scholarship in Nursing.
Sally Moore, BA ’78, authored her debut historical fiction novel, Fever Season (J&J Ranch Productions, December 2024). The book is available on Amazon.
1980s
Sheri Hammer Dixon, BBA ’80, established the Hammer Family Endowed Scholarship in Business in honor of her parents, Travis and Shirley Hammer.
Bart Roberson, BBA ’80, and Debbie Roberson, MA ’85, of Dallas, established the Bart and Debbie Roberson Endowed Scholarship in Business.
Stephen Eakin, BBA ’81, and Pamela Eakin, ABC ’23, of San Marcos, TX, established the Dr. Michaela Ritter Endowed Scholarship in Communications Sciences and Disorders in honor of Michaela Ritter and the important work she has done to enhance language and literacy for individuals with learning differences and disorders.
Roland Garcia, BBA ’81, was appointed a port commissioner of the Port of Houston Authority in February. The Port of Houston is the nation’s largest and busiest port by waterborne tonnage. He was selected by the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston as a 2024 Global Leader of Influence honoree. The award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions and shown exceptional leadership in Houston’s international community. Garcia was also recognized in Best Lawyers and as a Texas Super Lawyer. Inclusion is determined through comprehensive peer-review survey and research. Garcia is a shareholder in the Houston office of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
E. Eileen Hulme, BSEd ’82, of Indianapolis, established the Hulme Pioneering Spirit Scholarship for Innovators in Higher Education.
Herbert J. Laing, BSN ’82, of Windcrest, TX, established the Major Herbert J. Laing, U.S. Army Nurse, Endowed Scholarship in Nursing.
Michael D. Morgan, BBA ’82, is president of the Homewood, AL, Chamber of Commerce for 2025. He is also the chief of staff in the president’s office at Samford University.
Michael Farnell, BM ’84, was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church by the Rt. Rev. Kathryn M. Ryan, Bishop Suffragan of Texas. He currently serves St. Peter’s in Brenham, TX, as curate.
Ann Hartney Matteson, BBA ’84, a licensed real estate broker in Virginia Beach since 1999, joined REIN MLS as a part-time agent trainer on the MLS Product Support Team. She also leads a Trinity Church VB community group with her husband Keith and is active in women’s ministry.
Laurie Sedwick, BSEd ’84, and Jay Sedwick of Kennedale, TX, established the Linda L. Sedwick Endowed Missions Fund in Nursing, in memory of Jay’s mother, Linda Sedwick.
Fletcher Brown, BA ’85, JC ’91, was named partner of the Phelps Austin office.
Brown’s solid reputation and close relationships in Austin will benefit existing and new healthcare clients in the region. Brown is the latest of several recruits to the firm’s healthcare and Texas teams in the past year. He supports the firm’s regional healthcare team, which ranks among the country’s largest healthcare practices and includes trusted lawyers across the South.
Rachel Cywinski, BBA ’85, authored her article, “Our Homes–and Bodies–Weren’t Built to Survive this Heat,” on the online journal, Deceleration, at deceleration.news on Oct. 1, 2024.
Mark Newton, BA ’85, retired after 42 years in church ministry, 35 of which he served as a senior pastor. He and his wife, Aurelia Northcutt Newton, BS ’90, served Texas churches in Marlin, Chilton, McGregor, San Antonio, San Marcos and Lufkin. Newton also served two years as director of church engagement at Baylor. He and Aurelia will continue to live in Lufkin, TX.
Debra Wilson Roberson, BA ’85, of Dallas, established the Wynn and Betty Stanton Endowed Scholarship in Education, in honor of her parents, Wynn and Betty Stanton.
Xylina Gregg, BA ’87, and Josef Prchal, of Holladay, UT, established the Xylina T. Gregg and Josef T. Prchal Endowed Scholarship for Arts and Sciences and the Xylina T. Gregg and Josef T. Prchal Endowed Chair in Biology.
Paul Underwood, BBA ’87, and Jill Underwood, BSEd ’87, of Waco, established the Paul and Jill Underwood Pickleball Endowed Fund.
Shelley Goodman, BBA ’89, and Daniel Goodman, PhD, of Dallas, established the Shelley and Dan Goodman Family Endowed Fund.
Jeff Miller, BA ’89, and Kim Miller, of Crawford, TX, established the Miller Family Endowed Scholarship in Political Science.
1990s
Daren L. Adkins, BA ’90, was elected circuit judge for Division 2 for the 43rd Judicial Circuit in Missouri after serving as associate circuit judge for the past 26 years.
Chris Derden, BA ’90, partner at Adams and Reese, has been appointed as the national law firm’s construction practice group leader. Derden is located in the firm’s Houston office and has a national litigation practice focusing on the defense of mass tort, environmental, toxic torts, products liability and construction law matters.
Mike Lovelace, BBA ’90, joined Tenenbaum Jewelers, a rapidly growing, three-location chain of fine jewelry stores in Texas, as its chief financial officer.
Melissa (Purdy) Mines, BA ’90, and David Mines, BA ’90, are relocating to Munich, Germany, from Austin. Melissa will lead campaign marketing in EMEA for NVIDIA.
Debbie Callihan-Dingle, BA ’91, EdD ’03, was awarded the Florence Steiner Award for Outstanding Leadership in K-12 World Language Education by ACTFL and the Language Connection at Foundation during ACTFL’s national convention in Philadelphia. The award is bestowed on an individual who demonstrates exemplary service to the world language profession at the local, state and national levels.
Charles Cochran, BBA ’91, MBA ’92, and Stacey Cochran, BSHE ’88, of Dallas, established the Cochran Family Endowed Fund for Asia-Pacific Business Studies.
Michael McElwain, BBA ’91, and Amy Brooks McElwain, of Alexandria, VA, established the Martha H. Patten Endowed Scholarship for the Honors College, in honor of Amy’s mother, Martha “Marty” Patten. The McElwains' daughter, Samantha Martha, is a member of the Baylor Class of 2028.
Robert R. Collins III, BA ’92, JD ’95, was elected to serve a three-year term on Bracewell LLP’s management committee. Resident in the firm’s Dallas office, Collins is a partner in the public finance practice, with a focus on tax-exempt financings.
Jeffery D. Price, BBA ’92, was named to the Forbes “America’s Top Wealth Management Teams High Net Worth” list for the third consecutive year and to the Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors” list for the 13th year. Price and his wife, Cara Price, ABC ’17, reside in Flower Mound, TX.
James Langabeer, MBA ’92, won a silver medal in the money and business category from BookFest Awards for his book on behavioral finance, The Quest for Wealth: 6 Steps for Making Mindful Money Choices (Taylor & Francis, 2022).
Brad Hart, BA ’93, was elected to serve a six-year term as justice of the 14th Court of Appeals, Place 8. The court serves 10 Texas counties that include Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Waller and Washington. Hart joins the court after serving 21 years as a prosecutor in the Harris and Fort Bend County District Attorney Offices and six years as judge of the 230th District Court in Harris County.
Daniel Rogers, BBA ’93, authored two books: Discovering Jesus is a devotional look through the book of Mark. Christ My Good Shepherd takes a journey through Psalm 23 and its beautiful portrayal of the gospel. Rogers and his wife, Jane Harrison Rogers, BBA ’93, currently live in Illinois. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Brian McKay, BA ’94, was sworn in as a United States magistrate judge for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas. Prior to beginning his judicial service, he was a federal prosecutor for 13 years.
Mike Craig, BBA ’95, and Julie Craig, of Cypress, TX, established the Michael and Julie Craig Family Endowed Excellence Fund for Baylor Athletics and the Michael and Julie Craig Family Endowed Excellence Fund in Business. The Craigs’ children, Emily, Amanda and Drew, are members of the Baylor Classes of 2026, 2028 and 2030, respectively.
Ervin “Bill” Layer, BA ’95, MS ’97, is celebrating two years at the Law Offices of Alexander E. Borell.
Paul Bedsole, MHA ’97, was appointed as the Defense Health Agency (DHA) inspector general on January 1. Bedsole is the principal advisor to the DHA director, deputy director and chief of staff on all matters related to the DHA Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) efforts to detect and deter fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement and efforts to promote the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the DHA. Bedsole previously served as the DHA deputy inspector general.
Laura Cadena, BA ’97, MDiv ’01, was promoted Oct. 1, 2024, to serve as chief of staff for Council Member Omar Narvaez, City of Dallas, District 6. District 6 includes Cypress Waters, Bachman Lake, Design District and West Dallas. Cadena has worked for Narvaez for seven years and is excited to serve the residents of Dallas in this new role.
Hugh Payne, BBA ’97, and Jennifer Payne, BSEd ’97, of Katy, TX, established the Payne Family Endowed Scholarship in Education.
Kristen Koepf Ray, BBA ’97, MBA ’97, and her husband, Kevin Ray, went to Antarctica in November 2024. This completes visits to all seven continents! Kristen is the controller at Texas Baptists.
Peter Singer, BSEd ’97, was appointed as chief compliance officer for crypto at Alpaca Markets.
Jason Williams, BA ’97, of Birmingham, AL, was named chief strategy officer for Cigna Healthcare.
Don Kersting, BBA ’98, has started his own consulting firm, Kersting Creative Learning Solutions, specializing in the development of custom learning solutions for employee development or customer education.
Elizabeth “Liz” McWilliams, BSFSC ’98, MA ’05, and Michael McWilliams, BBA ’99, of Midland, TX, established the Elizabeth and Michael McWilliams Endowed Scholarship in honor of their children, Emily and Andrew, both current Baylor students.
Nick Begich III, BBA ’99, was elected to serve in the 119th Congress for the Alaska at large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He will serve in the seat once held by his late grandfather, Nick Begich Sr., in 1970.
Veronica Foley, BA ’99, chief legal and compliance officer at Precision Drilling, and a 2019 DirectWomen Board Institute alumna, was elected to serve a three-year term on the DirectWomen board of directors. As an experienced executive and a strategic business partner who effectively anticipates challenges and thoughtfully influences change and evolution, Foley has advised C-level and board executives worldwide. During transformational periods across a variety of industries, Foley has brought a blend of board leadership skills that encompass governance, compliance, ESG, shareholder activism, M&A, strategic planning and risk oversight.
Michael D. Johnson, BA ’99, of Parker, TX, established the Barbara Walker Endowed Scholarship in Social Work, in honor of Baylor trailblazer, Barbara Walker, BA ’67.
Leo Percer, PhD ’99, was promoted to professor of biblical studies at Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Theology, where he has taught New Testament, hermeneutics and biblical theology classes for more than 20 years.
2000s
Carrie Cappel, BA ’00, MA ’02, JD ’07, was recently promoted by Forestar Group, a national single family land development firm with corporate offices in Arlington, TX, to region vice president for North Texas, overseeing the company’s Dallas-Fort Worth area operations. She has served the past four and a half years as vice president and region counsel for the Texas and North regions.
Alpha (Cooper) Coburn, BA ’00, completed her Master of Science in Healthcare Administration. She has been employed with Ascension Providence in Waco for the past four years.
Amber Slayton, JD ’00, was named chief operating officer by the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. She will assist the CEO providing oversight for general organizational direction and planning, sensitive timeline compliance, major projects and city and community issues related to the Arboretum. Slayton has spent more than two decades practicing local government law, most notably leading an in-house legal department as city attorney for North Point, FL.
Allison Venuto, BSEd ’00, and John Venuto, of Dallas, established the Allison and John Venuto Endowment for Student Financial Wellness.
John Guidi, BS ’01, and Kristina Guidi, BA ’00, of McLean, VA, established the John and Kristina Guidi Honors College Endowed Scholarship.
Tim Miller, BSCS ’02, was promoted to senior vice president of innovation at GMR, a leader and innovator in the field of facility inspections and lighting surveys nationwide.
Lauren Brown, BSEd ’03, and Scott Kennedy, of Fort Worth, were married June 22, 2024.
Kevin Goodnight, BBA ’04, authored his second book Dadvotional: A Devotional for Devoted Dads - Power. This is the first of three books in this series based on 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.” The heart behind this devotional is to empower dads to lean on Christ in every facet of their lives and be transformed, leading to multi-
generational impact. The book is available on Amazon.
John Hill, BA ’04, and Grace Hill, of Alexandria, VA, established the John and Grace Hill Endowed Fund for the Office of Engaged Learning.
Anna Shaw, MA ’04, wrote and coproduced with her husband, Troy, a documentary that premiered in Waco in November 2024, Z: The Story of David Zychek. The documentary highlights the talent of Zychek and the impact he had on the Central Texas area.
Ray Lopez, BA ’05, authored his debut book, Lock Up: Professional Wrestling in Our World (Mascot Books, December 2024), which explores the world of professional wrestling and its place in our culture. Lopez practices law in San Antonio, at the Law Office of Ray Lopez.
Katherine Gonzalez, BS ’07, and Andres Gonzalez, of Boise, ID, established the Healing Light Medical Humanities Endowed Scholarship.
Amanda Thomas, BA ’07, authored her debut novel, Finding Polaris. The romance novel is the first in the Starlight Series and is now available on Amazon.
Craig Crenshaw, MBA ’08, and Christina Crenshaw, PhD ’13, of Woodway, TX, established the Craig and Christina Crenshaw Endowed Fund in Business.
Erin Osborne Greneaux, BA ’08, had her most recent book, The Tree’s Armor, recognized as a finalist for the Selah Book Awards in the children’s chapter book category. The awards highlight the most prestigious Christian books. The Tree’s Armor is the third book in the Gold Feather Gardeners series, which makes big Bible concepts clear, creative and captivating for kids through engaging storytelling and applicable truths.
Brittany Marrs, BA ’08, and Travis Marrs, of Magnolia, TX, established the Marrs Family Sports Ministry Endowment.
Grant Thornhill, BA ’09, JD ’12, was promoted to partner at Wilson Elser in Dallas. He is a member of the firm’s transportation practice, representing corporations in litigation involving transportation, premises, construction and commercial disputes.
2010s
Sarah (Casey) Berry, BA ’10, an assistant professor of English at the University of Dallas, had her book published, Staging the Lyric: Modern and Contemporary Experiments with Verse Drama (Bloomsbury, 2024).
Lindsay Smith Privette, BA ’11, was promoted to associate professor of history and earned tenure at Anderson University.
Cameron Byrd, BA ’12, and Kimberly Byrd, BSFCS ’12, of Houston, established the Byrd Family Endowed Scholarship for the Honors College, a Hord Challenge Scholarship.
Jacqueline Hale, BA ’13, was promoted to partner with McCall Parkhurst & Horton, a Texas-based public finance law firm. Based in Austin, Hale serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel and underwriters’ counsel for cities, counties, school districts, navigation districts, special districts and governmental entities in Central Texas. She is a member of the State Bars of Texas and Oklahoma, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the American Bar Association and Texas Women in Public Finance.
Savanah N. Landerholm, MJ ’14, PhD ’18, authored a book with Fortress Press: Beyond Equality: Women Leaders in Higher Education.
Sarah Crockett Hayes, BA ’15, married Michael Patrick Hayes Aug. 17, 2024, at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. They reside in Norfolk, VA, where Mike is a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and Sarah a Navy JAG. Mike proposed Thanksgiving 2023 at the Baylor Bear Habitat. They look forward to returning to campus ASAP!
Lawren Edwards, BBA ’16, and Dominic Edwards, BBA ’15, of Washington, D.C., established the Lawren and Dominic Edwards Endowed Scholarship in Nursing in memory of Dominic’s grandmother, Helen Faye Davis.
Heather McCullough, BA ’16, married her best friend, Nicholas Williams, BA ’07. The couple met at Baylor in 2004 in one of Professor Linda Adams’ classes. They are very grateful, blessed and excited to go through life together.
2020s
Rayne Apodaca, BSFCS ’20, married Christopher Stoudt, BBA ’22, June 14, 2024.
Cheyenne Atchison, BBA ’20, and Andrew Lewis, BSEd ’20, were married in Kaufman, TX, July 14, 2024. Cheyenne works as a marketing consultant and Andrew is a second-year medical student. They currently reside in Dallas.
Elizabeth Misnick-Neal, BA ’21, MPH ’22, graduated in December 2024 with a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration from Oklahoma State University. After contracting for the Veterans Health Administration the last two years as a program analyst implementing a cultural change strategy, she is now contracted to the Indian Health Services working to implement a new electronic health record system. In her free time, Misnick-Neal is a mentor for a current student at Baylor’s public health alumni network mentorship program.
Friends & Family
Ken L. Betterton, ABC ’22, of Salem, OR, established the Karen Ro Betterton Hueberger Endowed Scholarship in honor of his sister, Karen Ro Betterton Hueberger.
Sherry Boyd Neu and Jon Timothy Neu, of Sanger, TX, established The Stormie Lynn Schott Endowed Graduate Student Award in loving memory of their daughter, Stormie Schott, BA ’99.
The Calandri family of Lancaster, CA, established the Calandri Family Endowed Scholarship. Their children, John and Grace, are members of the Baylor Classes of 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Dale Dvorak, of Woodway, TX, established the Dale and Jane Dvorak Family Endowed Excellence Fund in Baseball and Dale and Jane Dvorak Family Sports Ministry Endowment. The Dvorak children are Baylor alumni: Kari Dvorak Dilley, BBA ’04, and Benjamin Dvorak, BA ’12.
Janna Everroad, ABC ’22, and Matt Everroad, of Scottsdale, AZ, established the Everroad Family Endowed Fund in Christian Leadership & Ethics in Business. The Everroads have three children, Haley, BS ’20, Jack, BBA ’22, and Charles, who is a member of the Baylor Class of 2026.
Paul and Sally Houdayer Foundation of Seguin, TX, established the Sheila Leute Old Endowed Scholarship in Law in honor of Sheila Leute Old, JD ’89.
The Howard Trust, created to manage the estate of Sharon Howard, BA ’73, MSEd ’75, established the Rufus, Albina, and Sharon Howard Family Endowed Scholarship.
Harmon Kong, ABC ’19, and Lea Kong, ABC ’19, of Foothill Ranch, CA, established the Kong Family Endowed Presidential Fund for Student Care and Kong Family Endowed Fund for Faculty Development.
Jay and Pauline Lau, of Garden City, NY, established the Lau Family Endowed Scholarship Fund in Health Science Studies. Their children are Nathanael, who previously attended Baylor, Audrey, a member of the Baylor Class of 2026, and Benjamin, a member of the Baylor Class of 2029.
Tim and Stacey Leonhard of Dallas established the Leonhard Family Endowed Fund in Mental Health. Their daughter Abigail, BSN ’23, is currently in the Doctor of Nursing Practitioner program at Baylor's Louise Herrington School of Nursing.
Karla and Jack Nugent of Lafayette, CO, established the Nugent Family Endowed Scholarship Fund and Nugent Family Endowment for Christian Leadership and Ethics in Business. The Nugents’ son, Jackson, is a member of the Baylor Class of 2027.
Sanderford & Carroll, P.C. of Belton, TX, established the Paul Sanderford Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Law in memory of Paul Sanderford, BBA ’85, JD ’88, a founding partner of Sanderford & Carroll P.C. and former professor at Baylor Law School.
R. Michael and Rhea Siatkowski, of Nichols Hills, OK, established the Siatkowski Family Endowed Scholarship Fund. Their children are Elizabeth, a member of the Baylor Class of 2025, and Joshua, a member of the Baylor Class of 2027.