2000s
Vickie L. Driver, BA ’00, JD ’03, joined the Dallas office of Crowe & Dunlevy as a partner. She practices in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency, distressed asset transactions and Native American economic development.
Dr. Aakash H. Gajjar, BA ’00, of Houston is founder and CEO of PriSMA Proctology Surgical Medicine & Associates. He is a colon and rectal surgeon in the Greater Houston area, specializing in the medical and surgical treatment of conditions that affect the lower digestive tract. Previously, Gajjar significantly contributed to the University of Texas Medical Branch being rated High Performing in Colon Cancer Surgery by U.S. News & World Report 2016-2017 as the solo board-certified colon and rectal surgeon. He has been honored with other awards, as well. Contact at prismasurgical.com.
April Goff, MBA ’00, joined Perkins Coie as a partner in the firm’s tax, benefits and compensation practice. She joins the firm in Dallas after serving as senior counsel at J.C. Penney Company Inc., where she oversaw all employee and executive compensation matters, as well as cybersecurity and data privacy issues. In late June, Goff was the recipient of the Top 10 30-Somethings award by the Association of Corporate Counsel, a global legal association representing more than 45,000 in-house counsel employed by over 10,000 organizations in 85 countries.
Ret. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Donna Wallace, MHA ’00, was elected commander of the American Legion post in Waldoboro, ME. She is the first female commander of her hometown post, which she joined with her father in the mid-1970s.
Trey Worley, BBA ’00, was elected president of the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association, which advocates for more than 300 companies. He serves as senior vice president of Comerica Bank’s warehouse lending division, with a focus on $2.5 billion in warehouse facilities and 50 customers in the western U.S. and the Gulf Coast.
Madeleine Harrison, BA ’01, and her son Keegan of Plano, TX, completed the TriWaco sprint course July 14. Keegan, 11, received a heart transplant when he was seven days old. Madeleine has been running triathlons, marathons and road races for 20 years.
Robert W. “Bobby” Hoxworth, MBA ’01, president and CEO of First National Bank Texas in Killeen, TX, was elected chairman of the Texas Bankers Association (TBA) for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. His term runs through May 31, 2020. Hoxworth served as TBA vice chairman last year, and he is a member of the TBA Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
Lisa Linton, BSEd ’01, is head administrator at Waco’s Premier High School, which provides help for at-risk students and others who thrive in a nontraditional direct-teaching environment. KXXV News 25 featured Linton in May as she shared how she uses her experiences as a teenager to help guide today’s students with their journeys.
Artie Renee Pobjecky, JD ’01, was honored with the Girls Inc. of Winter Haven, FL, Julie Pope Award for her contributions to the community. Through her law firm, Pobjecky & Pobjecky Global Immigration Law, Pobjecky serves as an advocate for many immigrants and helps them achieve the American dream of becoming U.S. citizens.
Jon Rolph, BA ’01, president and chief executive officer of Thrive Restaurant Group, was appointed by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to serve on the Kansas higher education board that coordinates 32 universities, community colleges and technical schools. Rolph owns and operates 41 Applebee’s, 18 Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican restaurants and two HomeGrown restaurants scattered across 10 states in the Midwest and Virginia. He was student body president at Baylor and returned to Topeka in 2002 to work in the family business.
Kacy Dowd Tillman, BA ’01, MA ’04, authored Stripped and Script: Loyalist Women Writers of the American Revolution (UMass Press, 2019). The diaries, journals, and letters that Tillman uncovers reveal the real threats posed to women’s bodies, friendships, property and families during a time of war. Tillman is associate professor of English at the University of Tampa.
Lindsay Childs, BBA ’02, was promoted to director of client services for Blackmon Mooring & BMS CAT, a disaster restoration company based in Haltom City, TX. She joined the company in 2004 and has held positions in sales, marketing and management.
Elisa C. Fox, BBA ’02, has joined Dallas-based Sumner Schick as part of the firm’s expansion into real estate and construction law. Fox has been recognized multiple times as a Top Attorney by Fort Worth Texas Magazine and by 360 West. In 2019, she was listed as a Super Lawyers Texas Rising Star for the fifth consecutive year.
Lauren Mitchell, BA ’02, joined Everest Insurance as a senior underwriter based in the company’s Houston office. Before joining Everest, Mitchell worked for more than 10 years at Aon Risk Solutions in their financial services group as a senior broker.
Dr. Leelee Thames, BS ’02, a board-certified anesthesiologist and former national chief medical officer for Steward Health Care Network, was named chief value officer for New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC.
Jimmy Walker, ’02, is among the 2019 induction class for the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. Walker helped Baylor win 11 tournament titles in his four years golfing for the Bears, including the 2001 Big 12 Conference title. In his PGA career, Walker has 45 top 10 finishes and six victories, including the 2016 PGA Championship. The Texas Golf Hall of Fame class will be honored Oct. 14 at an induction banquet in San Antonio.
Deacon Peter Julia, BSEd ’03, was ordained as a priest June 15 in Portland, OR. Before entering seminary, Julia was a rock-climbing instructor, coach, guide and bicycle mechanic and salesman. While enrolled at the North American College in Rome, he serviced the bicycles of his peers.
Carol McEntyre, MSW/MDiv ’03, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Columbia, MO, was nominated to become the next moderator-elect for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. She has received numerous honors that recognize her passion for congregational ministry and her commitment to Cooperative Baptist life, including CBF’s Young Baptist Award in 2015. She also is a graduate of the inaugural class of CBF Fellows (2012-2015).
Josh Black, BA ’04, was featured in a July 7 article in The New York Times — “The Texas Miracle Missed Most of Texas.” Black’s business in his hometown of Longview, TX, has the goals of helping the local economy and competing with bigger hubs for young professionals.
Wade Washmon, BBA ’04, was sworn in for his third term as a board member for Tyler [TX] ISD. He also serves as board president. Washmon is a landman and vice president of BW Energy Consultants.
Dr. Garvin Lee Chandler, BS ’05, MS ’07, began his practice at Harbin Clinic Family Medicine in Adairsville, GA. Chandler, who played football at Baylor, was inspired to become a doctor and go into cancer research because of his sister’s battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Chris Cragin-Day, MFA ’05, premiered her latest play, The Rare Biosphere, April 25 at Calvary St. George’s in New York City. The play tells the tale of Honduran American Sophie and the struggles her family faces as immigrants.
Phallan Davis, BA ’05, was promoted to interim executive director of the Bastrop [TX] Economic Development Corporation. Davis had served as BEDC’s marketing and communications manager since December. She has 13 years of experience in brand management, media relations and digital communications, and she has designed and executed communication strategies for Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and political officeholders.
Glen Oskin III, BA ’05, MSEd ’06, was hired by Miami’s The HEAT Group as vice president of corporate partnerships and activation. A 13-year veteran in the sports industry, Oskin previously held leadership positions with the NFL’s Houston Texans, and he was most recently the vice president and general manager of Texas A&M Ventures.
Katie Sarantakes Scallan, BBA ’95, was named chief marketing officer for the Houston Dynamo & Dash. She oversees the branding, marketing, advertising, communications and broadcast efforts for the Dynamo & Dash, as well as for events at BBVA Stadium. Scallan brings more than 20 years of experience in sports and entertainment marketing, including experience in Major League Soccer and in the Houston sports and business community. She spent the previous 16 years in a variety of roles with The Friedkin Group.
Christopher Scheibler, BA ’05, MPH, spent two years as flight surgeon for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, helping the F-16 pilots deal with health hazards such as G-forces, musculoskeletal injuries and even the plain old flu. Now he is completing the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program for physicians seeking board certification. While at Baylor, Scheibler volunteered at a family practice clinic in Waco and the Brooke Army Medical Center emergency department in San Antonio.
Kimberly Williams, EdD ’05, was named dean of Northeastern State University’s campus in Muskogee, OK. Williams currently serves as dean of workforce education at Grayson College in Denison, TX.
Tony Samp, BA ’06, joined the DLA Piper firm’s government affairs practice as a policy advisor in Washington, DC. Samp has 12 years of experience working with Congress on defense and national security issues.
Edith G. Davis, EdD ’07, a professor of science education at Florida A&M University (FAMU), led an education workshop at FAMU in May. The workshop was about Micro-Spiral Methodology or MSM, which has been scientifically proven to help children learn and retain information at an accelerated rate. Davis developed MSM in 2004 while she was at Baylor.
Allison Dickson, JD ’07, who graduated from Baylor Law at the top of her class, was honored by the Girl Scouts of Central Texas as this year’s Rising Star during the 2019 Women of Distinction banquet.
Waco attorney and city councilman Dillon Meek, BBA ’07, JD ’10, was named Baylor’s Young Lawyer of the Year. Meek received the award from Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben at a recent Waco City Council meeting.
Preston Edwards, BBA ’08, MBA ’16, was an expert speaker at the 2019 iQmetrix Meetup, held Sept. 3-5 in Denver. The event is a place for the retail industry to lend its brightest minds to crafting a future for retail. Edwards is executive director and head of strategic partnerships at Chase Merchant Services.
T. Hunter Lewis, BA ’08, joined the Dallas-based family Law firm Duffee + Eitzen as a partner. Lewis was again named to the Best Lawyers in Dallas list by D Magazine and SuperLawyer by Thomson Reuters. Lewis presented at the second-annual Advanced Child Protection Law course in April. Contact at 4311 Oak Lawn Ave. Ste. 600, Dallas, TX 75219 or hunter@d-elaw.com.
Dr. Mark Montgomery, MSEd ’08, PhD ’14, assistant professor of elementary education at Stephen F. Austin State University, was honored with the Teaching Excellence Award for the James I. Perkins College of Education.
Sarah Newton Sarnocinski, MSEd ’08, is a real estate broker in North Carolina and South Carolina. Previously, she worked in college athletics and special events for the U.S. Army. Sarnocinski is the spouse of a military veteran. The couple have moved 11 times and lived in seven states due to his career in sales. Sarah decided to make a career of real estate and is excited to call Charlotte, NC, their forever home. Contact at sarah.sarnocinski@allentate.com.
Erin Wolfe Bell, MA ’09, was appointed director of exhibitions at Naples [FL] Botanical Garden to lead the garden’s exhibits, festivals and cultural activities. Bell joined the organization in 2014 and most recently served as director of development operations. She has also been named a 40-Under-40 honoree in Gulfshore Business magazine.
Kaley Eggers, BA ’09, MSW ’13, of Waco penned an On Parenting column May 17 for The Washington Post. She discusses the need for paid leave for foster parents.
Andrew Green, BA ’09, was elevated to associate with McKinney York Architects of Austin. Current projects include interior renovations at the National Museum of the Pacific in Fredericksburg, TX, the boyhood home of U.S. Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz; the new River Ranch County Park and Interpretive Center in Williamson County, TX; and the north courtyard of University of Texas at Austin’s Student Activity Center.
Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson, PhD ’09, was awarded the 2019 Hiett Prize by the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. The Hiett Prize honors young humanities scholars whose work shows extraordinary promise and has a significant public component related to contemporary culture. Wilson is an associate professor of English at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR. She holds degrees from Baylor, the University of Dallas and Pepperdine University. Wilson has taught at Baylor, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Charles University in the Czech Republic as a Fulbright Scholar. She has published three books and has other projects in process, including the notable commission to work toward publication of Flannery O’Connor’s novel Why Do the Heathen Rage?, unfinished at the time of her 1964 death.