1980s
Nelda Luce Blair, BA ’80, was elected to the board of directors for Spirit of Texas Bancshares Inc., the holding company for Spirit of Texas Bank, in Conroe, TX. Blair is a fifth-generation Texan, a triple board-certified attorney, owner of The Blair Law Firm and is involved in numerous high-profile state and community boards, foundations and committees, including serving on the current Board of Regents at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Larry P. Heard, BBA ’80, was featured in a Thrive Global Q&A series (June 30) about how leaders can create a great work culture. Heard, a member of the Baylor Board of Regents, is CEO of the Transwestern family of companies, which comprises diversified real estate operating, investment management and development organizations.
Brad Prizer, BBA ’80, of Frisco, TX, was appointed vice president of marketing and communications for e3 Partners/I Am Second, a faith-based ministry that establishes thousands of new churches each year globally and produces high-impact videos focusing on real-life restoration testimonies. Prizer is responsible for developing marketing strategies to effectively communicate the message and mission of the ministry.
Brett Flagg, BBA ’81, JD ’83, of Frisco, TX, was appointed to the Texas Mutual Insurance Company board of directors by Gov. Greg Abbott, effective July 1. Flagg is an attorney and owner of Flagg Law Group and a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Dr. David C. Fleeger, BS ’81, was installed as the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA) 154th president during the organization’s annual conference in Dallas. TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 51,000 physician and medical student members. Fleeger is a colon and rectal surgeon and managing partner of his seven-member group practice. He has been in private practice in Austin since 1991.
Michael S. Ito, PsyD ’81, is director of clinical services at Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents in New Kent, VA. This is a specialty hospital for young people with chronic illnesses and corresponding behavioral and psychiatric components. After serving more than seven years as director of behavioral health for Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services, Ito returns to Virginia with his wife Rev. Dr. Cindy Kisseli-Ito. Contact at michaelito.va@gmail.com.
Donna Miller, BA ’81, is founder and CEO of Oklahoma City-based Purse Power, a technology and marketing company that provides an online national directory, free phone apps and a Google Chrome extension that — in searches for restaurants, hotels and more — flags businesses that are either run by females, are at least 50 percent women-owned or have 20 percent or more women on their boards.
Robert C. “Bob” Roberts, MPA ’81, joined Legacy Capital, an Arkansas-based wealth management firm, as chief operating officer. He previously was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Baptist Health in Little Rock, AR.
Glenn Daniels, BBA ’82, was named director of business development for Naturipe Farms in Salinas, CA. Daniels will oversee the expansion of the company’s Value-Added Fresh product lines. Daniels previously spent 18 years at Earthbound Farm, where his most recent role was as vice president of customer development (East).
Martyn and Susan Schroeder Harsley, BBA ’82, moved to 10928 Wrenwood Manor, Houston, TX 77043.
Dr. Clifton D. Petty, BA ’82, MBA ’84, was appointed interim dean of the Breech School of Business at Drury University in Springfield, MO. He is a professor of management and has been at Drury since 1993.
Mark Rasor, BBA ’82, was named interim president of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, where he has been vice president for fiscal affairs since 2012.
Douglas Silliman, BA ’82, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Iraq (2016-2019) and U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait (2014-2016), was recently appointed president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, DC. It is “an independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to providing expert research and analysis of the social, economic and political dimensions of the Gulf Arab states and how they impact domestic and foreign policy.” Ambassador Silliman graduated Baylor summa cum laude in political science. He also earned a Master of Arts in international relations at George Washington University in 1985.
Jim Bryson, BBA ’83, was appointed deputy commissioner of parks and conservation at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Bryson is founder and president of 20/20 Research Inc., a market research consulting, project management and technology firm based in Nashville, TN. He also served four years as a senator in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Upon discovering early childhood education was nearly nonexistent throughout Fiji, Ann Conner Cooper, BSEd ’83, a retired kindergarten teacher, and husband David founded Fiji Kinde Project in 2008. The nonprofit develops and implements early childhood education throughout the Fijian islands. Today, the Coopers have established 136 kindergartens. She also works with the Fijian Ministry of Education to train and certify local Fijian teachers. Overall, 275 teachers have been trained and more than 10,000 Fijian children have been educated. Contact at ann@fijikindeproject.com.
Dr. Leah Reimer, BS ’83, attorney at Hartford, CT-based law firm Cantor Colburn LLP, was named Top 250 Women in IP for the fourth consecutive year by Managing Intellectual Property. Reimer provides Fortune 50 and other technology-based companies with solutions to complex legal and technical issues. She holds a PhD in organic chemistry from Stanford University and was a research chemist at Eli Lilly and DowElanco. She teaches Advanced Patent Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law and is a frequent speaker on emerging areas of patent law.
Joy Elder Cleveland, BS ’84, of Burlington, IA, authored her first novel, To Call My Own (eLectio Publishing). The story follows Karis, a broken woman, and her path to God’s healing and restoration. Learn more at joycleveland.com.
Dr. Jim Heath, BS ’84, is a director at Integrated Diagnostics, which leverages emerging technologies to develop diagnostic products to aid physicians and patients in managing cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Heath was a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, a research staff member at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Labs, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the founding director of the California NanoSystems Institute before moving to the California Institute of Technology in 2003, where he is Gilloon Professor and Professor of Chemistry.
Paige Johnson, BBA ’84, administrative officer in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, was promoted to assistant vice president with continuing responsibility for the administrative functions in research, including technology and library services.
Janice Davis, JD ’86, joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP in Dallas. A corporate attorney focused on mergers and acquisitions, she represents clients in the health care and technology spaces and handles a variety of transactions, including investments. Previously, Davis was with Bracewell for about 20 years.
Jeffery T. Nobles, JD ’86, joined Husch Blackwell’s Houston office and its technology manufacturing and transportation practice group.
Gary P. Wilson, DMA, MMEd ’86, was named the choral director of Tullahoma [TN] High School. Wilson is currently a professor at Lipscomb University, where he is director of choral and vocal studies.
C. Runcie Clements IV, BBA ’87, was promoted to chief legal officer and general counsel of Cumberland Trust, a Nashville, TN-based independent corporate trust company. He previously served as executive vice president and general counsel, heading up the legal and compliance department, and was the charitable giving counsel for the American Cancer Society.
Melanie Prather Studer, BSEd ’87, authored a book for parents of teens: College Bound: The Ultimate List of Conversations to Help Your Teen Through High School.
Dr. Don Baker, MA ’88, gave the keynote address at the first Arts and Humanities Research Capstone Symposium for the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (ASMSA). He formerly served as the ASMSA humanities instructor and is the current economic and commercial officer for the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Stephanie Stout, BA ’88, JD ’00, of Windsor, CO, writes, “I have branched out on a new adventure and now co-own NoCo Coffee Company, a small batch roaster in Northern Colorado. We are focused on providing the best coffee around and also helping to give back to the community through jobs and opportunities. Our slogan is ‘Love People, Love Coffee!’” Contact at info@nococoffeecompany.com.
Dr. Kim Hawkins, BSEd ’89, MSEd ’92, was named a 2019 Impact Academy Fellow by Deans for Impact. Hawkins, who serves as chair of Carson-Newman [TN] University’s education and counseling department, is one of 19 fellows from 12 states. He works with Deans for Impact to improve programs and enhance teacher readiness.
Kyle O’Neal, MBA ’89, of Arlington, TX, is a senior regional leader for airport affairs at Southwest Airlines and was recently presented his company’s President’s Award for outstanding achievement. O’Neal has worked at Southwest for 11 years after 17 years at American Airlines.
David L. Peavler, BBA ’89, was named director of the Fort Worth regional office of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Peavler previously served nearly 15 years in senior division of enforcement roles in the Fort Worth Regional Office, most recently as an associate director, where he headed the agency’s enforcement efforts in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas. He rejoins the SEC from HD Vest Inc., where he had served as general counsel since 2017.