2000s
Amber Slayton, JD ’00, city attorney in North Port, FL, earned high marks from her supervisors on the City Commission. She was featured in a North Port Sun article Sept. 20, 2019.
Bridget Fagbeyiro Chapital, BSEd ’01, founded Hypothesis Haven, a STEM enrichment program for elementary school children that explores how the power of science drives medical breakthroughs. The program offers school enrichment, STEM workshops and summer camps in Houston and the surrounding areas. Chapital has worked in the medical research industry for nearly two decades. Contact at info@hypothesishaven.com.
David Anderson, BM ’02, MM ’04, was featured in an Oct. 24, 2019, Q&A in Gazette Extra, based in Janesville, WI. The feature explored Anderson’s role as music director for the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra and his musical influences, including Baylor conductor-in-residence Stephen Heyde. He was recently awarded the prestigious 2019-20 American Prize in Conducting Award in the community orchestra division and in 2016 earned the Walworth County Arts Council’s Friend of the Arts Award.
Karmen Doucette, MM ’02, is principal bassoonist for the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, based in Kelowna, B.C. She was featured in the Oct. 29, 2019, edition of the Kelowna Daily Courier. Doucette holds an undergraduate degree in bassoon from the University of Calgary and an artist diploma from Toronto’s Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has studied with some of North America’s leading bassoonists.
William E. Hammel, JD ’02, joined Dallas-based Fox Rothschild LLP law firm as a partner, focusing on labor and employment matters.
Randa Barton, BA ’03, joined Polsinelli’s Dallas office as an associate attorney. She practices in the real estate finance section and works with lenders, businesses and individuals in the commercial real estate field. She earned her law degree from SMU and previously practiced law in El Paso and Abilene, TX. Contact at randa.barton@polsinelli.com.
Ben Cantrell, BA ’03, is vice president, treasurer and controller of EFG Companies, which was behind the award-winning Hyundai Assurance program. He brings 20-plus years of experience in retail automotive finance, accounting and operations. Previously, he was chief financial officer for Seniority Inc., and for Senior Quality Lifestyles Corporation.
Kate Josephine McGill Johnson, BA ’03, of Virginia Beach, VA, and her company, Heritage Business Services, celebrated two years in business. Her company provides virtual bookkeeping and business consulting to small businesses. Contact at kate@heritagebusinessservices.com.
Christian Otteson, MBA/JD ’03, was featured in the Aug. 23, 2019, edition of the Denver Business Journal. In a Q&A session, Otteson lays out how he came to be involved in notable bank acquisitions in Texas and Colorado, and he covers other topics. Otteson, a respected banking lawyer, is a partner of Denver-based Shapiro Bieging Barber Otteson LLP.
Joseph Fuller, MM ’04, released his live concert album Christmas In The City for the 2019 holidays. This is the fourth album and second Christmas collection for the established pianist who has more than 22 million streams on Pandora Radio. The album was recorded at Houston’s Steinway Selection Center and is available at JosephFuller.com, Amazon.com and all digital platforms. Fuller resides in the Houston area.
Dr. Chris Johnson, BA ’04, MDiv ’09, DMin ’16, pastor of First Baptist Church in San Antonio, was featured in the Sept. 17, 2019, edition of Baptist Standard. Johnson discussed his background and his thoughts on church and ministry. He talks about his faith, why he felt called into ministry and his life as a minister.
Kyle Armstrong, BA ’05, president of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in McKinney, TX, was named 2019 Young Healthcare Executive of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council. He joined the McKinney team from Baptist Memorial Health Care in Memphis, TN, one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the Mid-South.
Jason Burden, MDiv ’05, DMin ’11, pastor of First Baptist Church in Nederland, TX, was nominated for a second term as first vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. His church served as the base of operations for Texas Baptist Men disaster relief teams who have responded after Tropical Storm Imelda.
Attorney Tom Nowak, JD ’05, was appointed as judge of the 366th Judicial District Court in Collin County, TX. He has extensive experience as both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. Nowak is the criminal supervising attorney at Henley & Henley P.C. He previously served as a prosecutor in the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. Nowak is also a U.S. Air Force Reserve JAG officer.
Dr. Clay Elswick, BA ’06, completed his residency in neurological surgery from Detroit’s Wayne State University in June 2018. He completed a fellowship in complex and reconstructive spine surgery from the University of Michigan Neurosurgery Department in June 2019. He has started Brain and Spine Specialists of North Texas and is working in Arlington, TX.
Robert Watts, BBA ’06, of San Marcos, TX, was honored by the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce during the annual “Shining Stars Under 40” luncheon in September 2019. He works at Austin Habitat for Humanity as director of regional operations, serving Blanco, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays and Travis counties. Watts also serves as president of the Austin Football Officials Association and has officiated high school football for 18 years. He and his wife Jessica Wells Watts, BBA ’05, have a son Robert Wesley, 4. Contact at robertallenwatts@gmail.com.
Allan Marshall, BA ’07, was named chief development officer for the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. He obtained a master’s degree in higher education from Dallas Baptist University.
Jonathan Reynolds, BA ’07, of Salado, TX, author of The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (Monsterstreet #1), was chosen as part of the exclusive list for school book fairs in fall 2019. Monsterstreet is a series of spooky standalone stories, similar to the Goosebumps series. Each book has short chapters and cliffhangers to keep young reluctant readers turning the pages.
Whitney Reynolds, BA ’07, of the Chicago-based The Whitney Reynolds Show, was nominated for the coveted Stevie Awards, which recognize outstanding women entrepreneurs, employees and the organizations they spearhead. Reynolds, talk show host and executive producer of the show broadcast on Amazon Prime Video and the PBS App, is a Stevie Awards finalist for Video of the Year in the Media. Now in its ninth season, The Whitney Reynolds Show centers around delicate topics to provide inspiration, hope, understanding and guidance. Learn more at whitneyreynolds.com.
U.S. Army Maj. Bradley Ritland, DPT ’07, is in a research position with the military performance division at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, MA. He previously was chief of amputee physical therapy services at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Before that, Ritland was assigned to a combat team, for which he was the brigade physical therapist, and was deployed to southern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom for 12 months.
Stephanie C. Gaston, JD ’08, joined the Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP law firm’s Houston office as a partner in the labor and employment practice group. Her clients include school districts, housing authorities, special districts and governmental entities. Prior to joining Bradley, Gaston was a member at Clark Hill Strasburger in San Antonio.
B. Rae Perryman, BA ’08, was named regional editor of Adams Publishing Group’s Upper Shore division. Perryman previously was editor to the Baltimore region’s Dundalk Eagle and The Avenue News, both in Baltimore County, and she was director of special projects for The Palladium-Times in Oswego, NY. She won the 2018 award for Excellence in Feature Writing from the New York News Publishers Association for investigative work.
Rev. James Ellis III, MTS ’09, joined Trinity Western University in Langley, BC, as university chaplain and director of student ministries. James and his wife Renata are relocating to Canada from Holland, MI, where he was chaplain of discipleship at Hope College.
Michael Evans, DMin ’09, was nominated for a second term as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He has led Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield, TX, for more than 25 years.
Derrek and Ashley Gohlke, BA ’09, of Cibilo, TX, own and operate Lavaca Loca Designs, an e-commerce shop on Etsy. They create custom gifts for individuals and businesses. The Gohlkes have been featured in Voyage Houston Magazine and blogs such as Side Hustle, Alamo City Mom, and What the What with Tina.
Dr. Jennifer R. Green, BS ’09, MPH ’11, is the director of the Cumberland [NC] County Board of Health and oversees more than 250 employees. She previously was health director for the Riley County Health Department in Manhattan, KS, since 2016. Green earned her doctorate in health promotion sciences and public health from the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health.
Mayra Jimenez, BBA ’09, was selected as one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year. In the past year, she was featured on CNN with Poppy Harlow, MSNBC, Good Morning America and in InStyle Magazine. She is vice president of legal services for RAICES, taking a stand to protect immigrant rights. Jimenez graduated Baylor with a dual degree in three years at age 20.
Justin Locklear, BFA ’09, is co-writer and composer for the Danielle Georgiou Dance Group’s premiere of The Bippy Bobby Boo Show, a co-production with Theatre Three that ran Oct. 25, 2019, through Nov. 2, 2019, at Theatre Too in Dallas. Locklear is an actor, director and playwright based in Dallas and is Artist-In-Residence at The Ochre House Theatre.
Huy Nguyen, BS ’09, MS ’12, PhD ’15, is an assistant professor of mathematics at Austin College in Sherman, TX. He previously was a visiting assistant professor at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.