2000s
Air Force chaplain Capt. Brenner Campbell, BA ’00, MDiv ’11, is giving back to Central Texas and the veteran community in a major way, donating the land and furnishings for the Robert Carter Veterans Transition Home in Waco. The home will help veteran families struggling with the transition from military life to civilian life, providing all of the resources of the Veterans One Stop. Campbell served in Afghanistan and also established a non-profit aimed at helping children called the Children’s Mission Network, which established an orphan village in Zimbabwe.
Dr. Mary Ann Sloan Hedges, BA ’00, of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, was named assistant dean of student affairs, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. She is an assistant professor of medicine and has received numerous teaching awards. Hedges is also a consultant within the Division of Community Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine in Florida. Contact at BearandMash@gmail.com.
Brian Mancuso, BA ’00, is vice president of experience for the Indiana State Museum and Historic sites in Indianapolis. He spent 10 years as director of exhibits at The Health Museum in Houston.
Josh Van Manen, BBA ’00, rejoined Fifth Third Bank as a senior vice president and commercial relationship manager in the bank’s Grand Rapids, MI, office after a three-year hiatus as an entrepreneur and business owner.
Dr. Amy Bigbee Grosso, BBA ’01, MSEd/MDiv ’05, of Georgetown, TX, was elected board chair of the Central Texas Chapter of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which covers Austin, Temple, Killeen and Waco. Amy lost her mother to suicide when she was a sophomore at Baylor. For more information, visit afsp.org/centraltexas. Contact at amy_bigbee@yahoo.com.
Dr. Torie Johnson, BA ’01, of Pelham, AL, earned a doctorate in higher education management (EdD) from the University of Georgia in December 2017.
Ryan Patrick, BBA ’01, took his oath of office to become the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, which stretches from East Texas to Laredo. Patrick is a private attorney, former state district court judge and son of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Bethany Anderson, BA ’02, of McKinney, TX, released her debut collection of stories: Kiss My Fish: Tales of Chasing God Around the World. This collection of stories follows Anderson, who has lived and served as a missionary in five countries, around the globe as she encounters God in new and fresh ways. Contact at jbethanyanderson@gmail.com or jbethanyanderson.com.
Dr. Megan Carr, BA ’02, MS ’04, was hired by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management as the supervisor of the Alaska region’s resource evaluation office. She supervises a team of about 20 geologists and geophysicists. Carr also volunteers as the service unit manager of Alaska Girl Scouts, where she supports the development of 56 troops in South Anchorage and leads her own troop of eighth-grade girls.
Country musician Josh Grider, BA ’02, released the album Good People, a culmination of decades of experience recording and touring. The album strives to make a positive message in troubled times.
Marissa Sandoval Rodriguez, BA ’02, JD ’05, of McAllen, TX, was named partner at the law firm of Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton, LLP. Her practice focuses on advising clients from the U.S. and Mexico on domestic and international transactions. Contact at msandoval@ccn-law.com.
Timothy Martel Brown, MSW ’03, of Dallas was named president of the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the nonprofit association comprising the social work regulatory boards in the U.S. and Canada. He assumed the role after serving as president-elect in 2017. He serves two years as president and a final year as past president. Brown has served on the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners since 2004 and as chair since 2008. He was named 2017 Social Worker of the Year by the Texas Chapter of NASW.
Sheila Lambert, BSEd ’03, was named to the Seattle Public Schools’ Hall of Fame. As a member of Baylor’s women’s basketball team, Lambert was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, a two-time All-Big 12 first-team selection and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, given to the best college player under 5-foot, 8 inches. She played four seasons in the WNBA for the Charlotte Sting, Detroit Shock and Houston Comets, and she won a WNBA championship. Lambert (No. 31) is one of five Lady Bears to have their jerseys retired.
Greg Rahim, BBA ’03, was promoted to vice president of worldwide sales at AspenTech, with responsibility for the company’s global small/medium business. He leads overseas teams in Houston, Boston, London and Singapore. Rahim has 15 years of software sales experience. He has been a sponsor and advisory board member of Baylor’s professional selling program as well as being a coach and mentor in the Entrepreneurship Program’s New Venture Competition. He resides in Houston with his wife and two children.
Rev. Amy Wiles, BMEd ’03, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Waterloo, Iowa, was named as a “20 Under 40” honoree by The Courier newspaper. Wiles was named pastor of the church in 2012.
Jenny (Ebbeling) Toste, BA ’04, of Fresno, CA, has a new real estate reality show, Realty Rescue, that debuted in December on KMPH Fox 26 and Realty Rescue’s YouTube channel. Toste was a longtime TV anchor and now is a communications specialist for California State University, Fresno. Learn more at realtyrescuetv.com.
Chris Cragin-Day, MFA ’05, of Weehawken, NJ, is on a national tour with her play Martin Luther on Trial, the latest in a series of productions by Fellowship of Performing Arts. A big part of the play’s focus is on Luther’s wife Katie von Bora. Cragin-Day is an assistant professor of theater at The King’s College in New York City.
The Texas State Securities Board, the government agency responsible for enforcing state securities laws, named Clinton Edgar, BBA ’05, as deputy securities commissioner. He has worked for the board since 2010, first as a staff attorney and later as director of the registration division.
Dr. Evelyn Lamb, BA ’05, started a podcast called My Favorite Theorem with mathematician Kevin Knudson. They talk with mathematicians about math and about their favorite food, beverage, and art pairing for mathematics. “Who would have known that mangoes go perfectly with the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus? Even if you think you’re not a ‘math person,’ we hope the enthusiasm and quirkiness our guests bring to the podcast will show that there’s no one kind of person who does math,” she writes. Lamb is doing postdoctoral work in the math department at the University of Utah. Learn more at kpknudson.com or her blog Roots of Unity.
Brianna Rassmussen, BS ’05, recently left California to accept an interior design position in Denver. Contact at 6805 West 5th Ave. #11-101, Arvada, CO 80002 or briannaras@gmail.com.
Amine Qourzal, BA ’05, MBA ’13, and Lisa Smith Qourzal, BA ’05, MSEd ’06, visited family in Spain over the Christmas holidays. Pictured are their daughters Abbie (7) and Ava (5).
Leiza Dolghih, JD ’06, was honored in D Magazine’s 2017 “Best Lawyers Under 40” list in labor and employment. She is an attorney with Lewis Brisbois.
Christopher L. Drymalla, JD ’06, of Austin is a partner for Bracewell LLP, a law and government relations firm primarily serving the energy, finance and technology industries. He counsels clients in the procurement of patents and the management of intellectual property assets.
Mariana Prado, BSN ’06, of El Paso, TX, was promoted to chief marketing officer of Vibra Healthcare, where she has served as a clinical liaison and in other supervisory and management roles, including director of business development.
Erick Sandlin, JD ’06, a self-taught artist and attorney from Houston, was interviewed by the Huffington Post about the evolution of his art career along with his efforts to support Hurricane Harvey relief by donating his hurricane-inspired spray painting. See his work at ericksandlin.com.
Paul Uttley, EdD ’06, was named the lone finalist for superintendent for the Paradise [TX] ISD. He previously taught at Everman [TX] ISD and was a teacher and principal at Burleson [TX] ISD and Stratford [TX] ISD. He’s been superintendent at Vega ISD, a Class 2A district near Amarillo, TX, since 2014.
Alyssa McNiel Plumb, BM ’07, has taught music in Katy (TX) ISD for nine years. She is a music teacher and choir director for SingRAE Choir, a student group that performed at the 2018 TMEA Clinic and Convention. She also teaches French horn lessons and plays with the Houston Sinfonietta. Plumb earned a master’s at University of Houston.
Chad Ramsey, MDiv ’07, is pastor at First Baptist Church of Smithville, TN. He previously served as pastor of Central Baptist Church in Alcoa, TN.
Rafael Rodriguez, BA ’07, JD ’12, joined Winstead PC as an attorney in the commercial litigation practice group. Rodriguez, a former Baylor football player, offices in Fort Worth. He has significant experience handling complex commercial, real estate and energy litigation matters.
Whitney Hake, BBA ’09, joined Transwestern’s Denver office as senior vice president of agency leasing. Previously, Hake spent seven years at Cushman & Wakefield, where she most recently served as director and negotiated more than 300 transactions totaling more than 2 million square feet. She has received several awards throughout her career, including being named a CoStar Power Broker four times. Hake earned a master’s degree in real estate and construction management from the University of Denver.
Robert B. Kent, BA ’09, of Dallas, North Texas Area Director for the Trust for Public Land, was elected as a member of the board of the Thanks-Giving Foundation, the non-profit group that owns and operates Thanks-Giving Square, a private garden and public space of reflection in Downtown Dallas.
Alisha Hash Macri, BA ’09, MA ’11, married Anthony Macri Jr. April 8, 2017, at the historic Casa Marina Hotel in Jacksonville Beach, FL. The Macris celebrated with friends and family, including maid of honor, Shannon Anderson, BA ’07.
Zachary A. Ressler, BA ’09, is forming Cook Nguyen & Ressler PLLC in Plano, TX, with his law school classmates. Ressler is the firm’s litigation specialist and is moving from Ellis & Ressler LLP of Paris, TX. Contact at zac@cnrlawfirm.com.