1980s
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Nelda Luce Blair, BA ’80, of The Woodlands, TX, to the Public Safety Commission for a term through Jan. 1, 2026. The commission oversees the Texas Department of Public Safety. Blair is a triple board-certified attorney and CEO of The Blair Law Firm P.C. A fifth-generation Texan, she is a gubernatorial appointee and secretary of the Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents, former gubernatorial appointee and former chair of the University of Houston System Board of Regents, and former gubernatorial appointee to Texas Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.
Nearly 40 years after graduating from Baylor, Lacy Schneider O’Connor, BBA ’80, walked at Baylor Commencement in December 2019 alongside John Crichton, BS ’19, a family friend who she considers her nephew. They were featured in the Nov. 14, 2019, issue of The Baylor Lariat.
At the Balfour National Sales Meeting, Balfour’s Houston/European office was recognized as the 2019 Office of the Year, the highest award given to sales reps in our organization. Lisa Lowry Schwartz, BA ’80, is the office’s co-owner. The office is Balfour’s largest yearbook office, serving almost 700 schools. Contact at 13303 Pebblebrook Dr., Houston, TX 77079 or lisaleeschwartz@comcast.net.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reappointed Stephen Thornhill, BS ’80, MS ’82, of Denison, TX, to the Red River Authority of Texas Board of Directors for terms set to expire Aug. 11, 2025. The Red River Authority provides for the control, conservation and development of the watershed and water of the Red River and its Texas tributaries. Thornhill is a financial advisor with the Schweizer-Thornhill Wealth Management Group and is president of Thornhill Oil & Gas Inc.
Mark and Jerry Clements, JD ’81, of Spicewood, TX, created the Jerry and Mark Clements Endowed Fund in Women’s Basketball. Jerry serves on the Baylor University Board of Regents and is its current chair.
Steven P. Napier, BBA ’81, MTax ’83, of New York City established the Steven P. Napier Endowed Faculty Scholar Fund in the Hankamer School of Business. This fund supports summer research activity for faculty with a focus on the field of business valuation.
Nancy K. “Purifoy” Phillips, MPA ’81, of Dallas was awarded the Outstanding Small Business Owner award at the Altrusa International’s Outstanding Women of Today luncheon Nov. 1, 2019. Phillips started her CPA firm in 1985; today, her son James Zalaznik works alongside her. The firm is a boutique full-service tax firm. Contact at NancyKPhillipsCPA@DallasTXCPA.com.
David Seibert, BBA ’81, of Waco was appointed vice president of missions and ministries at The Lukens Company (TLC), which provides marketing and fundraising services to nonprofits, cultural organizations, faith-based missions and political causes.
Emily and David Lill, BA ’82, JD ’88, of Austin created the Lill Family Endowed Scholarship Fund. This fund supports students residing in the Honors Residential College. They have three children: Landon, Avery, BA ’16, and Isaac, BS ’18.
The Terry S. and Michael D. Morgan Endowed Scholarship Fund in Social Work was created by Michael, BBA ’82, and Terry Morgan, ABC ’97, of Birmingham, AL. This scholarship supports students pursuing a degree in social work.
Dr. Sherry B. Perkins, BSN ’82, was appointed president of Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC), in Annapolis, MD. With more than 30 years in the healthcare industry, she has held leadership roles in major Maryland and Delaware health systems, including serving as president and CEO of University of Maryland Capital Region Health. As president of AAMC, Perkins returns to the medical center where she served as chief operating officer and chief nursing officer from 2006 until 2016.
Myra and Randy Pullin, BBA ’82, of Houston created the Pullin Family Marina Endowed Fund to provide for future maintenance, renovations, and improvements associated with the Pullin Family Marina. The marina is a place of recreation, education and leisure for students, faculty and staff on the banks of the Brazos River.
Granite Properties promoted CPA Sheryl Troiani, BBA ’82, to chief administrative officer, where she will continue to oversee the Dallas-headquartered company’s accounting, treasury and risk management activities.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Michael “Scott” Rohrman, BBA ’83, MSEd ’85, to the School Land Board for terms set to expire Aug. 29, 2021. Rohrman is the owner, founder and president of 42 Real Estate LLC in Dallas. He is an executive board member of Boy Scouts of America Circle Ten Council and the Real Estate Council of Dallas. Additionally, he is a board member of the Downtown Dallas Inc., Public Improvement District, Carry the Load — Remembering Memorial Day, and Deep Ellum Foundation.
Alice Sanders, BM ’83, is organist at First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport, TN. Additionally, Sanders plans to teach piano to students of all ages in Bristol, TN, and Kingsport. She completed her Master of Music in piano at the University of Oklahoma. After serving 26 years at United Presbyterian Church in Shawnee, OK, Sanders moved to the Kingsport area when her husband Dr. Glenn Sanders, BA ’82, MA ’83, accepted an appointment at King University as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
William “Bill” Sproull, BA ’83, of Richardson, TX, was appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the Governor’s Broadband Development Council. Sproull is president and CEO of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce and chair of the board of the Alliance for Higher Education.
Kevin Stevenson, BBA ’83, MBA ’85, and his wife Michelle Bodine Stevenson, BSHE ’87, moved to Waco where Kevin joined Ascension Providence as director of strategic operations. He also hosts a healthcare podcast called I Don’t Care with Kevin Stevenson on MarketScale radio, found on Spotify and iTunes. Michelle is a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, based out of Houston. Contact at kwstevenson@yahoo.com.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis, BBA ’84, president of Furman University in Greenville, SC, was selected to the Greenville Business Magazine Hall of Fame. She is a member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges’ Council of Presidents, as well as the Council of Independent Colleges Board of Directors. In 2018, Davis received the William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education for implementing The Furman Advantage, a distinctive vision for higher education that has received national attention. Davis spent 22 years at Baylor, rising to the position of executive vice president and provost.
The Robert E. Ammons Endowed Scholarship Fund in Law was created by Robert Ammons, BA ’85, JD ’88, of Houston. This fund aids students attending Baylor Law School and supports the Human Flourishing, Leadership, and Ethics Academic Initiative of Illuminate.
Nancy Higginbotham James, BSEd ’85, authored Mourning to Morning, a 90-day devotional book after the death of a loved one. Contact at 17314 Red River Trail, Houston, TX 77095 or tnjames@att.net.
Sally White Livingston, BS ’85, of Charlotte, NC, authored Get Over It!: 4 Steps to Breaking Free from the Stuck Cycle. It was an Amazon No. 1 new release Nov 2, 2019. Learn more at sallylivingston.com.
Dr. Kelly Malone, BA ’85, published his fourth book, Community Churches: Making Disciples in Urban Areas (Urban Loft 2019). Malone is director of global education, professor of intercultural studies, and holds the Jack Stanton Chair of Evangelism at Southwest Baptist University. He lives in Bolivar, MO, with his wife Molly and three cats. His daughter Maggie, BA ’17, lives in Denton, TX, and his son Kevin, BA ’19, lives in Waco. Contact at kmalone@sbuniv.edu.
David Porter, BBA ’85, of Little Rock, AR, writes, “I had two dreams come true this year. In March, I performed Disney’s Newsies on stage at a local community theater with my 16-year-old son Will. He was the lead, Jack Kelly. I played the mayor of New York and several other small roles. In November, I had the thrill of officiating my first college basketball game. I’ve been a high school basketball referee for four years.” Contact at r.s.v.p@sbcglobal.net.
Monty Blight, BBA ’86, was named vice president of sales for Immedion LLC, a provider of cloud, data center and managed IT services headquartered in Greenville, SC. Blight has an extensive professional sales background with a focus on technical solutions. He has more than 14 years of executive management experience.
Greg Dennis, BSEd ’86, MSEd ’89, was one of 19 honorees inducted Feb. 24 into the Greater Chattanooga [TN] Sports Hall of Fame. An All-Southwest Conference shortstop and team MVP at Baylor, Dennis is baseball head coach at Chattanooga State Community College. He has more than 900 career wins, and his Tigers reached a No. 1 national ranking in 2007 and No. 2 in 2011, the season after a World Series appearance.
Doyle Simons, BBA ’86, was appointed to the board of directors of Iron Mountain Inc., a storage and information management company. Simons served as CEO and president of Weyerhaeuser Co., a timber company, until his retirement last year. Prior to this role, Simons served as chairman and CEO of Temple-Inland, a corrugated packaging and building products company, from December 2007 to February 2012. He is an independent director on the board of directors of Fiserv Inc., a global provider of financial services technology.
Chris Caddell, BBA ’88, chairman of the board at Heritage Bank in Burlington, KY, assumed CEO responsibilities in addition to his duties as chairman. Caddell joined Heritage Bank 23 years ago, beginning as a teller and moving through various internal roles prior to his installation as board chairman in 2016. In addition to founding and operating LifeLine Ministries of Northern Kentucky for 12 years, Caddell is a board member of the Kentucky 4H Foundation.
Cathy Latham, BSEd ’88, of Douglas, GA, was selected as the 2019-2020 Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year. She works as an AP economics teacher, an AP reader, and as a trustee on the Georgia Council on Social Studies.
Melissa Rogers, BA ’88, explores the role of religion in the public square and focuses on principles that define the relationship between government and religion in her book, Faith in American Public Life (Baylor UP, 2019). Rogers previously served as Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She is visiting professor and practitioner-in-residence at Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Holly and Larry C. Vasbinder, BBA ’89, MBA ’90, of Austin established the Larry Sr. and Algerine Vasbinder Endowed Scholarship Fund in Women’s Basketball in memory of Larry’s parents, Larry Sr. and Algerine Vasbinder, because of their faithful and deep love of Baylor University and Baylor Lady Bears Basketball.