2010s

Brooke Houser, BS ’10, started in August 2019 as an optometrist at Mercy Clinic Ophthalmology in Fort Smith, AR. Houser received a Doctor of Optometry from the Rosenberg School of Optometry in San Antonio and completed an optometry residency at Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, AR.

Susan Kincannon, EdD ’10, was named Waco ISD superintendent. She previously served as Belton [TX] ISD superintendent since 2011. Kincannon has been a public educator for 30 years, including time as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and deputy superintendent.

Hayley Marshall, BS ’10, and Michael Grover, BA ’05, were married April 13, 2019, in Fort Worth, where they reside. Hayley is an OB-GYN physician at Texas Health Harris and John Peter Smith Hospitals, and Mike practices estate and probate law. Multiple Baylor graduates were in attendance at the ceremony, including maid of honor Carrie Aitken, BSEd ’10, and best man Jacob Hale, BA ’05.

Brittany N. Stephenson, BA ’10, joined the board of directors of the Playhouse Theatre Group Inc. in West Hartford, CT. She is the executive assistant to the town manager and mayor of West Hartford. Stephenson is president of the Young Professional Advisory Board for the Playhouse on Park and serves on its Marketing and Scottsboro Boys Education & Outreach committees.

Lindsey Bibby, BBA ’11, and Ryan Bailes, BA ’09, were married Sept. 7, 2019, at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, MO. They live in Tyler, TX, where Lindsey works for Southside Bancshares Inc. and Ryan is a partner at the digital creative agency Bailes + Zindler.

Lincoln Chen, BS ’11, joined the Houston office of Chamberlain Hrdlicka as an associate in the commercial litigation practice. Lincoln is a commercial litigator and corporate counsel representing world-class logistics companies, health care conglomerates, financial lenders and other business interests.

Dr. Blake Cross, BBA ’11, is a family practice physician at CHRISTUS Clinic in Sulphur Springs, TX. He attended medical school in Fort Worth, earned his master’s degree at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth and performed his residency in Lubbock, TX. Cross has been married to his wife for seven years; they have a 2-year-old and another baby on the way.

Thomas Foster, BBA ’11, was hired as controller at the Central Texas Food Bank in Austin, the largest hunger-relief charity in Central Texas.

John Kappel, BS ’11, joined the Dallas office of the boutique family law firm Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson LLP. He focuses on divorce, child custody and property division matters, as well as probate and estate planning.

Dr. Tanner Mathias, BSEd ’11, joined Rutland [VT] Regional Medical Center as a hospital medicine specialist. Mathias earned his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and completed his residency at St. Anthony’s North Health Campus in Westminster, CO.

Dr. Stevie Britch, BA ’12, received a Doctor of Philosophy from Washington State University. She is a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, conducting cutting-edge clinical pharmacology and substance abuse research.

D. Scott Crawford, BA ’12, is an associate in law firm HunterMaclean’s Admiralty and Maritime Practice Group in Savannah, GA. Scott previously served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Eldon E. Fallon in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans. Crawford received his Juris Doctor and Maritime Law Certificate from Tulane University Law School. 

Nina Cates, BA ’13, and Andrew Henningsen, BBA ’12, were married Sept. 12, 2019, in Bend, OR. The couple lives in Seattle.

Dr. Grant McChesney, BS ’13 and Elizabeth Jones were married Jan. 19, 2019, in Austin. Grant is a 2017 graduate of Baylor College of Medicine and is completing his residency in orthopedic surgery. Elizabeth works for Thompson + Hanson. The couple reside in Houston.

Dr. Sammy Raad, BS ’13, entered his first year of residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita Family Medicine Residency Program at Wesley Medical Center.

Katelyn Thomas, MSN ’13, a nurse practitioner and previously an intensive care nurse, joined HealthCare Express in Longview, TX, as a nurse practitioner.

Clarissa Burton, BA ’14, published Just Too Young: A Teen’s Guide for the Journey through High School and Beyond. She has a passion for helping first-generation college students, as she was. A master’s level social worker, Burton has worked for a charter school providing transition to children from low income communities. Learn more at clarissachristine.com. 

The Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas elected Tony Miranda, MDiv ’15, DMin ’18, campus pastor of Corpus Christi’s Stark College and Seminary, as its president in June 2019. He directs the school’s graduate program and is a lecturer in Christian Scriptures. Miranda also serves as a teaching pastor at Primera Iglesia Bautista de Robstown. He is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is writing his first book on the parables of Christ.

The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Solutions paid special tribute to U.S. Army Maj. Terry Mercier, MBA/MHA ’15, and his family for Operation Fan Mail during a Packers-Lions game. Mercer has served in the Army for 19 years. He has been deployed several times in combat operations, including two tours in Iraq, as well as a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. He serves at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu as the chief of access management and works closely with the Veterans Affairs Hospital to ensure veterans receive the medical care they need. He also spends time working with the Oahu Warrior Transition Battalion for Wounded Warriors.

Jacob Ray, BA ’15, and Taylor Brock, BS ’15, were married in McKinney, TX, and live in Durham, NC. Jacob works in research administration at North Carolina State University and is pursuing his MBA. Taylor works for Duke University Press.

Shelby Tidwell Solberg, BA ’15, of Alva, OK, is director of marketing and public relations at BancCentral National Association in Alva, OK. She leads and manages all communications efforts for the commercial bank and its several branches.

Anthony Taylor, BBA ’15, was promoted to associate by Pinecrest Capital Partners, a Dallas investment banking firm that offers exclusive advisory services to middle market companies. Prior to joining the firm, Taylor worked at MJC Partners in Los Angeles.

McKinley Freeman, BBA ’16, and Max Brown, BBA ’16, JD ’19, were married May 4, 2019, in Dallas. They celebrated with their Baylor families and friends, and then they spent 10 weeks traveling in Southeast Asia and Africa for their honeymoon. They reside in Houston.

Lt. Justin W. Hoblet, DPT ’16, is a Navy Medical Service Corps (MSC) officer, stationed at Naval Hospital Bremerton [WA] as a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy. He made the transition from flying carrier-based SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters for a decade. 

Austin Jolesch, BBA/MAcc ’16, is an analyst with Pinecrest Capital Partners, an investment banking firm in Dallas that offers exclusive advisory services to middle market companies. Prior to joining Pinecrest, Jolesch worked in the audit practice at KPMG in Dallas.

Rosemond Lorona, MA ’16, PhD ’19, joined Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego as a psychology professor. Her expertise is in emotion, prejudice and stigma, and how people perceive mental disorders, particularly within religious contexts.

David Ocasio, BBA ’16, was promoted to marketing and communications director of Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, SC. He had been the organization’s digital marketing coordinator since 2017. Ocasio has previous experience developing marketing campaigns and activities in the finance industry. Contact as docasio@spartanarts.org. 

Daniel Pelligrin, BA ’16, JD ’19, of Texarkana, TX, was sworn in Oct. 28, 2019, as a member of the Texas Bar. He began his career at the Houston offices of Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom LLP.

Elayne Allen, BA ’17, attended the canonization of St. John Henry Newman in Rome after being introduced to Newman’s writings during a class on 18th and 19th century literature in Baylor’s Great Texts program.

Keba Batie, MBA ’17, of Grand Prairie, TX, was promoted to executive director in the middle market commercial bank for J.P. Morgan. Batie is celebrating 20 years in the finance industry with the last 15 at J.P. Morgan.

Parker Johnson-Graham, BA ’17, and Braxton Ray, BA ’16, were married Oct. 19, 2019, in Driftwood, TX, by Rev. Joshua Carney, MDiv ’07. The couple reside in Waco with their cat Jazz. Parker is a videographer and Braxton works in the Office of the Registrar at Baylor. Both Braxton and Parker are adopting the surname Johnson-Ray.

LeAnne Kerr, BA ’17, and Cole Rowley, BA ’17, were married March 22, 2019, in Austin. They were married by Highland Baptist Church college pastor Drew Humphrey, BA ’13, and were joined by several Baylor alumni in their wedding party. Tommy Kerr, BBA ’80, walked LeAnne down the aisle. The celebration included That Good Ole Baylor Line and a Dr Pepper Hour. They live in San Antonio, where Cole is a medical student at the Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, and LeAnne works in marketing for Communities In Schools. Contact at leanncarrollkerr@gmail.com.

Aaron Brown, MFA ’18, is directing the WaterTower Theatre’s final production of the 2019-2020 season with a production of the 1960s musical Golden Boy about Joe Wellington, a young black man trying to rise from the Harlem ghetto as a prizefighter. The play runs Aug. 20-30, 2020, at the Addison [TX] Theatre Center.

Luke Chipman, BS ’18, of Paris, TX, was inducted into Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences Class of 2023.

Teddy DeLong, BBA ’18, and his family were featured in the Exton, PA, publication The Mercury for opening a new business, K9 Resorts of Malvern, a 13,000-square-foot luxury pet hotel in East Whiteland, PA.

Former Baylor Soccer student-athlete Julie James Doyle, BBA ’18, was named to the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team, which traveled to England for the 2019 Nordic Tournament (Aug. 28-Sept. 2). Doyle finished her Baylor career in 2018 as the program’s first first-team All-American. She was drafted in the second round by Sky Blue FC of the National Women’s Soccer League.

Sabrina Fountain, MA ’18, and Baylor English professor Dr. Greg Garrett, co-edited The Courage to See  (Westminster John Knox Press), a daily collection of 365 literary passages from 200-plus authors paired with scripture and prayer. The book aims to spotlight literature as a powerful way for us to understand ourselves, the world and God.  

Baylor political science alumni and professors attend the wedding of Dr. Marjorie L. Jeffrey, PhD ’18, to Mr. Alexander Habighorst. The couple were married July 27, 2019, in Spartanburg, SC. From left to right: Matt Brinzo, BA ’15; Bryan Beaty, BA ’16; Dr. David Clinton, chair of political science; Olivia Beaty: MA ’14; Dr. David Capper, PhD ’13; Dr. Marjorie Jeffrey; Dr. David Nichols, professor of political science; Dr. Mary Nichols, professor emerita; Dr. Debbie O’Malley, PhD ’17; Dr. Kevin Burns: PhD, ’17; Dr. Christine Basil: PhD ’17; Dr. Josh King, PhD ’16; and Dr. Elizabeth Amato, PhD ’11.

Itzayana Aguirre, MBA ’19, wrote an essay for Baptist Standard about how her parents, church and the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas became extremely important in her journey of higher education. Aguirre is digital fundraising coordinator at Cook Children’s Health Foundation and church administrator of Iglesia Bautista Victoria en Cristo in Fort Worth.