1990s
Clayton Bailey, BA ’90, of Dallas litigation boutique Bailey Brauer was included in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He was recognized for commercial litigation and appellate law. Bailey is nationally known for his trial and appellate practice in complex tort and other commercial cases in federal and state courts. He represents clients in corporate litigation as well as in putative class actions and mass-action lawsuits. The profession’s oldest U.S. peer-review guide, The Best Lawyers in America was first published in 1983 and is also among the profession’s most respected guides. Selection is based on confidential evaluations by attorneys in the same practice area and from the same geographic region.
Kurt, BBA ’90, and Kristi Plumer of Frisco, TX, established the Kurt and Kristi Plumer Endowed Scholarship Fund in Business and the Plumer Family Endowed Scholarship Fund. They have two daughters: Elizabeth, ’21, and Sophia. These scholarships support students with financial need.
Michelle Holman Nietert, BS ’92, is clinical director with Community Counseling Associates (communitycounselingassociates.com), located in Allen, TX, and provides telehealth services throughout Texas. She celebrated the release of her first book, Loved and Cherished (Zonderkidz), a devotional for tween girls, in September. The book was co-authored by Proverbs 31 speaker and writer Lynn Cowell. Nietert and Cowell host Raising Brave Beauties, a podcast featuring mother-daughter interviews of Christian leaders and their daughters. Nietert is a former school crisis counselor and owner of a large counseling center in the Dallas area. Visit lovedandcherished.me for information about her speaking schedule, mother-daughter conferences, and parenting presentations for churches and private schools. Contact at michelle@allencounselingassociates.com.
James Robert Parker, BS ’92, of Amarillo, TX, established The James Robert Parker Endowed Chair in Health Science and Leadership in conjunction with the Baylor Academic Challenge. This chair position provides support for the Honors College and promotes teaching and research in Health Science and Leadership.
Dr. Beck A. Taylor, BBA ’92, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his inauguration as the 18th president of Whitworth University in Spokane, WA. Taylor and his wife Julie Dearing Taylor, BSEd ’92, MSEd ’04, who also works for Whitworth in the president’s office, are the third longest-serving presidential couple in Whitworth history. The university is in the last few years of a successful 10-year strategic plan and fundraising campaign, and Whitworth’s board of trustees extended Taylor’s contract through 2025.
Ken David Murphy, BA ’92, accepted the position of senior director of church engagement for Dallas-based Buckner International, a Christ-centered ministry dedicated to the transformation and restoration of the most vulnerable from the beginning to the ending of life. Murphy previously served as executive pastor and in senior leadership roles with churches in Mississippi, Georgia, New Mexico and Texas. He and his wife Kim Grafton Murphy, BBA ’93, live in McKinney, TX, and have two college-aged children: Miles and Millie.
The Nitsche Family Endowed Scholarship Fund in Business was established by Robert Nitsche, BBA ’93, of Giddings, TX. Nitsche has two children: Ashley, ‘21, and Nick.
Charles S. “Chuck” Pope, BA ’94, serves on the COVID-19 task force as deputy director for acquisition and assistance. He is a global leader of acquisitions and agreements, a commissioned foreign service officer, a warranted senior contracting/agreement officer and a development professional with experience on four continents working for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Peace Corps and as an implementing partner (contractor/recipient). Pope invites all Bears to connect with him on LinkedIn by searching for Charles (Chuck) Pope.
C. Michael, BBA ’94, and Amy Clark Walton, BBA ’96, of Houston established the Charles Michael and Amy Clark Walton Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, which supports business students with financial need.
Staley Heatly, BA ’96, has served as the 46th Judicial District Court District Attorney since 2006. Heatly authored Family Violence, a book published by The Texas District and County Attorneys Association. The book tells prosecutors, officers, victim assistants and others in the criminal justice system everything they need to know about how to handle the prosecution of intimate-partner violence cases from investigation through trial. Family Violence covers a wide range of topics, including initial crime scene investigation, strangulation, victim safety, protective orders, victim relations, charging decisions, the role of implicit bias, jury selection, trial, expert witnesses and how to create a community-coordinated response. It also includes checklists, forms and sample pleadings, and a narrative that leads readers through every step of the process with common-sense tips.
Jason A. Hill, BA ’96, was appointed chief administrative judge for the Interior Board of Land Appeals in April.
Phuc Luu, MDiv ’97, authored Jesus of the East: Reclaiming the Gospel for the Wounded, a book published by Herald Press. The forward is by Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries and author of Barking to the Choir and Tattoos on the Heart.