Where Business Meets Mission

by Justin Walker

Saying “yes” to God led Matt McMahan and his family somewhere they never expected.

What began as a search for a meaningful way to serve together eventually became Serve Hope International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing the Gospel and strengthening communities across Central America. Years ago, McMahan and his wife traveled to Honduras after hearing about an opportunity to serve internationally. The experience changed the trajectory of their lives.

“God told us we were going to be serving in Honduras for the rest of our lives to make disciples,” McMahan said.

Today, Serve Hope supports communities through initiatives focused on clean water, entrepreneurship, housing and discipleship, all designed to create long-term impact while building meaningful relationships. That mission eventually connected with Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business through a magazine and a conversation at a basketball game.

“My brother-in-law brought up the magazine and said, ‘You need to get Serve Hope connected with Baylor,’” McMahan said. “Within a couple hours, I was on the phone talking about Serve Hope and what we could do in partnership.”

The partnership quickly grew into something deeply meaningful for both organizations. Through Baylor Business: On Mission, students now travel to Guatemala to work alongside local entrepreneurs participating in Serve Hope’s Emprende program, an initiative designed to equip aspiring business owners with training, mentorship and seed funding opportunities.

For Baylor students like Michaela Ziman, BBA ’26, and Olivia Smith, the experience became far more than a traditional mission trip.

“We worked with entrepreneurs each day, helping to build a relationship, understand what their business is, their goals and things they might be struggling with,” said Ziman, who is pursuing a master’s degree in Economics after earning her BBA from Baylor. “Then we try and help in any way we can.”

The work varies depending on the entrepreneur. Some student teams assist with marketing strategies, financial tracking or operational systems. Others help create websites, job applications or social media plans. But the trip’s greatest impact often happens beyond spreadsheets and presentations.

One of the most meaningful moments for Smith came through a relationship she built with a salon owner in Guatemala. After returning for a second year and continuing to mentor the entrepreneur through Serve Hope’s global mentorship program, Smith saw firsthand how encouragement could change someone’s confidence.

“We realized she didn’t really believe she was good enough to raise her prices,” said Smith, a senior Marketing major at the Business School. “She just really needed to be told, ‘You are doing a really good job. You deserve to do well in your business.’”

The experience transformed Smith as much as it supported the entrepreneur.

“I think the most impactful part of the trip was the relationships,” she said. “Not just helping businesses grow, but encouraging people and walking alongside them.”

That long-term investment is one reason the partnership between Baylor and Serve Hope stands apart. Students are not simply visiting for a few days and leaving. Many continue mentoring entrepreneurs for months after returning home, while Serve Hope’s team remains embedded in the community year-round.

“It’s really cool to see how they’re supporting Guatemala all throughout the year,” Smith said. “We get to be part of something that’s already happening.”

For Ziman, returning to Guatemala for a second trip revealed just how significant that impact can become over time. The entrepreneur she worked with during her first visit had initially been skeptical of receiving advice from college students. Yet when she returned a year later, his business had grown dramatically.

“He seemed younger, more energized,” Ziman said. “Pretty much everything we recommended, he implemented. And the things he didn’t, he found better ways to do.”

Seeing that growth reinforced something Ziman had begun learning at Baylor: business can be used as a tool to serve others and create lasting change.

“It changed my perspective on how business can be used in missions,” she said. “Business actually can be used to really help people.”

McMahan believes that is exactly what makes the partnership so impactful. Baylor students are applying what they learn in the classroom to real-world challenges while growing personally and spiritually in the process.

“I’ve seen exponential growth in businesses that Baylor students have partnered with,” McMahan said. “But I’ve also seen the impact on the students themselves.”

For many participants, the trip reshapes how they think about vocation, leadership and faith. Instead of separating work from purpose, students begin to see business as an avenue for service and discipleship.

“We don’t need to separate our faith and our work,” Smith said. “Business can still have such a powerful impact on people.”

That shared belief continues to strengthen the relationship between Baylor and Serve Hope – one built not only on education and entrepreneurship, but on a shared commitment to serving others with excellence, humility and intentionality.

And for McMahan, it all traces back to a simple decision to say yes.

“When God’s in the middle of things,” he said, “that’s where I want to be.”

From Barracks to Baylor

By Rachel Carlson

Felipe Musquiz
Full-Time MBA
Joseph Musquiz
Online MBA
Temple, Texas

For most of Joseph Musquiz’s life, leadership wasn’t something his father talked about. It was something he watched.

Growing up in an Army family meant frequent moves, long deployments and learning to adapt wherever life led. Through more than 20 years of military service, Felipe Musquiz modeled discipline, resilience and a commitment to serving others. Long before they became Baylor MBA students, those lessons were shaping Joseph’s own path.

“When my dad joined the Army, we moved around a lot,” Joseph said. “I remember living in Kentucky, then Fort Hood and a few other places before we ended up in Corpus Christi during my teenage years.”

Felipe is quick to point out that those years were possible because of his wife, who provided stability while he served.

“I would say Joseph’s upbringing is the result of my wife,” Felipe said. “She was phenomenal. The fact that Joseph is so successful and doing great is due to her efforts.”

Eventually, Joseph chose to follow his father’s example by joining the Army himself. Like many service members, both father and son earned undergraduate degrees while serving, balancing military responsibilities with coursework.

When Felipe retired from the Army, he wasn’t ready to stop growing. He wanted to build on decades of leadership experience and prepare for a new chapter through an MBA. After exploring programs across Texas, Baylor stood apart.

“After the interview, I knew Baylor was where I wanted to go,” Felipe said.

Watching his father begin again inspired Joseph to do the same.

Already balancing a full-time career, a young family and life after military service, Joseph enrolled in Baylor’s Online MBA while Felipe joined the Full-Time MBA program. Though their classroom experiences look different, both have found a community that reflects the camaraderie they valued in the Army and an education that is preparing them for what’s next.

For Joseph, Baylor has reshaped the way he leads in the workplace.

“Organizational behavior was huge for me,” he said. “It helped me transition my military leadership style into a civilian workplace and apply those concepts directly in managing my branch. Professor Chris Kubacak really changed how I think about leadership.”

For Felipe, the experience has reinforced that learning doesn’t end with retirement.

“The Full-Time MBA experience has been very positive,” he said. “I’ve reignited my passion for learning.”

Felipe also credits lessons from Professor Steve Green’s class that have stayed with him, especially the idea that incentives matter. It has reshaped how he thinks about leadership, decision-making and how organizations drive behavior.

As they have pursued their degrees together, each has gained an even deeper appreciation for the other.

“I admire that after 20 years in the Army, my dad didn’t slow down,” Joseph said. “He immediately looked for ways to keep growing and better himself, even after a long, successful career. Seeing that pushes me to keep going too.”

Felipe sees the same commitment reflected in his son.

“What I admire most about Joseph is how he’s handling the Online MBA while working full time and supporting his family,” Felipe said. “He has a young daughter, and balancing all of that is not easy. It’s very impressive, and I’m very proud of him.”

Their Baylor experience has strengthened more than their résumés. It has reinforced a lesson both men have carried from military service into the next season of life: leadership isn’t defined by a title or a career. It’s measured by the example you leave for those who follow.

For Felipe, that example is already visible in his son. And for Joseph, it’s one he hopes to pass on to the next generation.

More Than a Moment

By Sydney Freeman

Payton Washington
Marketing
Round Rock, Texas

Payton Washington has spent much of her life in the air.

Long before she became a two-time National Player of the Year and helped Baylor win three national championships in Acrobatics and Tumbling, she was a young gymnast attending Baylor camps every summer, dreaming of one day competing in green and gold.

“It was already written in my destiny,” she said.

Her athletic journey began for an unexpected reason. After doctors removed part of her lung as an infant, they encouraged her to stay active to strengthen her lungs. A local cheer gym became the answer. What started as mommy-and-me classes grew into an 18-year passion that eventually brought her to Baylor.

Then, just before beginning college, everything changed.

In April 2023, Washington was an innocent bystander when a misunderstanding in a grocery store parking lot escalated into gunfire. She suffered multiple gunshot wounds and severe internal injuries, forcing her to confront a future she had never imagined.

“It made me grow up really fast,” she said. “I realized my sport could end a lot quicker than I thought it was going to.”

The months that followed tested Washington physically, mentally and emotionally. Even after doctors cleared her to compete again, she wasn’t sure how her body would respond.

“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be,” she said. “I knew I was going to be fine.”

Washington wasn’t alone through the journey. Her family, especially her mother and aunt, were there through surgeries and recovery. Baylor coaches and teammates stayed in constant contact, reminding her she was already part of the program she had dreamed about for years.

“She’s literally the strongest person I’ve ever met,” Washington said of her mother. “Watching her navigate challenge after challenge has given me a clear example of resilience, one I will carry into everything I do.”

Returning to competition gave Washington a new perspective. The championships and awards are meaningful, but they no longer define why she competes.

“It’s amazing, and it’s such a blessing,” she said. “I no longer take any moment for granted.”

That gratitude shapes her everyday approach to life.

“You get to do it, you don’t have to do it,” she said. “I get to go to practice. I get to compete. I get to be part of Baylor.”

That mindset has helped make Washington not only one of the nation’s most accomplished acrobatics athletes, but also an example for the teammates who compete alongside her. Her greatest accomplishment isn’t simply returning to competition – it’s refusing to let one tragic moment define the rest of her story.

Away from athletics, Washington is preparing for her future as a Marketing major in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business. She hopes to pursue a career in medical or pharmaceutical sales, combining her love for building relationships with an appreciation for the healthcare professionals who helped her recover.

She also hopes to one day establish a nonprofit that supports survivors of gun violence and their families.

“I just want to help people,” she said. “A lot of people go through what I did on a much worse scale.”

Washington knows many people first recognize her because of what happened in 2023.

“Sometimes they forget about the athlete, they forget about the business student,” she said. “All they see is a victim and a survivor.”

But Washington hopes people will see something different.

“I don’t want that to be the label that’s put on me forever,” she said. “Payton Washington is driven. She’s an athlete, a student and a hard worker.”

For Washington, that’s the story still being written.

The Power of Two

By Rachel Carlson

Amanda Armstrong, MBA ’22
Divisional Leader of Marketing
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers
Sean Armstrong, MBA ’24
Senior Vice President, Operations of Higher Education
American Dining Creations
Argyle, Texas

By Rachel Carlson

Leadership is often measured by personal achievement. For Sean and Amanda Armstrong, it has been measured by the opportunities they’ve created for one another.

That philosophy shaped one of the biggest decisions they would make together.

Long before they enrolled in Baylor’s Executive MBA program, now known as the MBA in Dallas for Executives and Professionals, Sean and Amanda Armstrong met by chance in the Atlanta airport.

At the time, both were early in their careers and working for Aramark. Amanda grew up in Boston and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she double majored in Marketing and Management while also playing soccer. Sean, originally from the Philadelphia area, studied sports marketing at Saint Joseph’s University and interned with the Philadelphia Flyers before ultimately finding his way into the hospitality industry.

Their first meeting happened while traveling for a team conference.

“We were colleagues at the time and just kind of hit it off,” Sean said. “We were both from the Northeast, both marketers and had the same extroverted nature. We started joking about the Boston–Philadelphia rivalry, and it just felt natural right off the bat.”

After meeting in Atlanta, the two stayed in touch and began dating. They later married and eventually relocated to Texas as their careers continued to grow.

Amanda was the first to consider pursuing an MBA. At the time she was serving as senior director of Marketing for Compass Group. Like many professionals during the early days of COVID, she suddenly found herself traveling less and thinking more about what the next step in her career might look like.

Having just moved to Texas, the Armstrongs were still building their community. As she looked for ways to grow professionally and connect with others, Amanda began researching MBA programs and quickly fell in love with Baylor’s Executive MBA in Dallas.

“I looked around at several programs, but Baylor really stood out,” she said. “The way the curriculum was structured – meeting once a month and having those immersive experiences in Waco, Washington, D.C. and internationally – made it feel manageable with my professional life.”

Just three days after attending orientation at Baylor, Amanda received the news that she was pregnant with their first child.

“It was definitely an adventure the whole time,” she said.

Throughout the program, Sean watched Amanda balance coursework, work responsibilities and new motherhood. After seeing her experience firsthand, Sean decided to enroll in the program as well.

“We thought it would be smart for one of us to focus on the program while the other focused on home life,” Sean said. “That way one person could really go all in on the experience.”

The plan worked. While Amanda was studying, Sean took the lead on many of the day-to-day responsibilities at home.

“I can remember bath time with our son while Amanda was locked away working on group projects,” he said. “Those weeks could be challenging, but you knew she was in there working toward something important.”

When Sean began the program after Amanda graduated, the couple reversed roles. Amanda took on more of the responsibilities at home while Sean focused on coursework and class weekends. Throughout their time in the program, communication became the key to making everything work.

“It was really just constant communication,” Sean said. “Amanda would say, ‘I’ve got midterms coming up,’ or ‘I’ve got a big group project,’ and we’d adjust accordingly.”

Their family continued to grow during those years.

“We were a family of two that became a family of three during my MBA,” Amanda said. “Then we became a family of four during his.”

Balancing newborn schedules with coursework wasn’t always easy, but they leaned on each other along with their strong support system.

“We really had a village,” Amanda said. “Friends, family, people from our cohort – everyone stepped in to help.”

Both say the experience was shaped as much by their classmates as by the coursework itself. Prior to Baylor, most of their professional network had been rooted in the hospitality and food service industry. The MBA program introduced them to professionals from healthcare, finance, logistics and nonprofit organizations.

“That was one of the biggest things that surprised me,” Sean said. “You’re sitting in a classroom with people from completely different industries and hearing how they approach problems. It really changes the way you think.”

Amanda experienced something similar.

“It helped me find my voice a little bit more,” she said. “You realize everyone brings their own expertise to the table. I could lean on others for finance or supply chain knowledge, and they would lean on me for marketing.”

Today, Amanda serves as divisional leader of marketing for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, overseeing a team of field marketers across several states. She credits the program with strengthening her leadership style and encouraging greater self-awareness.

“The program really pushed me to look at myself as a leader,” she said. “Understanding situational leadership and how you tailor your approach for different people has been huge for me.”

She said the experience also reshaped the way she thinks about professional growth.

“Early in your career you say yes to everything because you think that’s how you move forward,” Amanda said. “The program helped me understand what I should say yes to and what I shouldn’t.”

Sean saw the impact in his own career as well. After graduating, he began exploring new opportunities and connected with Baylor’s Career Center.

“After I graduated, I was hungry for growth,” Sean said. “I wanted more responsibility and career advancement, and it felt like the right time for a change. I didn’t expect the level of support that I got. The Career Center helped refine my résumé and connect me with people across the Baylor network.”

Those connections ultimately led him to his current role as senior vice president of Operations of Higher Education with American Dining Creations, one of the nation’s largest privately-owned hospitality and culinary service providers specializing in customized dining, catering and vending solutions for colleges, universities and corporate offices. Sean earned this promotion after quickly establishing a track record of success in business development and client retention, generating meaningful growth within his first 18 months with the organization.

“Because of what I learned at Baylor, I don’t think I would have had the success I’ve had so far in my current role,” Sean said. “It really changed the way I think strategically.”

While the professional benefits have been significant, the Armstrongs say the relationships they built during the program may be the most meaningful outcome.

“The cohort experience is incredible,” Amanda said. “You’re together through all the stress, all the tests and projects. Those people really become like family.”

Sean remembers the way the program supported students and their families throughout the experience.

“When our daughter Charlotte was about to be born, I walked into class and there was a little baggie waiting for me with a handwritten note and a Baylor onesie welcoming her to the Baylor Bear family,” Sean said. “I remember thinking, ‘Who does that?’ That’s pretty incredible. Those are the kinds of moments I’ll take with me forever.”

Their advice to other professionals considering an MBA while balancing work and family is simple. “Just jump in,” Amanda said. “Take it one step at a time. It is absolutely doable.”

When One Door Opens

By Justin Walker

Miriam McCormick, BBA ’21
FP&A Analyst
5&2 Studios
Austin, Texas

Behind the scenes of a global television series, away from the lights and cameras, are the business operations that keep the series running and shared with the world. Budgets are built, forecasts are adjusted and decisions are made that shape what millions of viewers eventually see.

Miriam McCormick works in that space.

As part of the financial planning and analysis team at 5&2 Studios – the production company behind “The Chosen” – she helps steward the resources behind a story that reaches audiences around the world. The independent studio develops and produces faith-based films, television series and other media designed to share stories that inspire audiences around the globe.

Her own story, however, began much closer to home. McCormick grew up in Waco, with a strong connection to Baylor University, where her father worked at the Hankamer School of Business.

Still, when it came time to choose a college, McCormick initially imagined herself leaving Waco for somewhere far off. Like many high school seniors, she wrestled with the presence and uncertainty of deciding what came next. Amid that tension, her mother offered a simple solution.

“Through all that stress, my mom said, ‘Well, I’m going to pray for a clear answer,’” she said. “That clear answer was Baylor.”

What initially felt like an unexpected answer soon became the first of several moments where McCormick sensed a path opening before her. The Business School provided the intellectual challenge she hoped for while offering opportunities that expanded her world.

“I got a rich, deep education, and I was also able to go geographically far from Waco and spread my wings with study abroad opportunities,” she said.

Those opportunities took her across Europe and the Middle East, including programs in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as a trip through the George W. Truett Theological Seminary to the Holy Land. Each experience broadened her perspective and deepened her curiosity about the intersection of faith, culture and business.

Academically, McCormick found her footing in the Baylor Business Fellows program, where she pursued a finance degree alongside a secondary major in mathematics. The program allowed her to explore disciplines beyond business while diving deeper into advanced coursework earlier than most students.

“The Business Fellows program is fantastic,” she said. “It allows exploration and a real depth of learning, as well as breadth. I got to take a ton of classes inside the Business School and accelerate to those upper-level classes earlier than a typical schedule would allow.”

The combination of exploration and rigor became one of the defining elements of her Baylor experience.

“When I think of my coursework at Baylor, I love that I can point to econometrics, consumer behavior and financial modeling,” she said. “But right there with those business classes are creative writing, calculus and Christian history courses.”

Faculty also played a meaningful role in McCormick’s development, investing time through teaching and mentoring. Antonio Macias, PhD, and Mike Steggemuller, PhD, stood out as professors who helped develop her professionally and personally.

“I had a lot of professors who invested in me and took the time to answer my questions, whether it was related to coursework or not,” she said.

When McCormick graduated in 2021, the world was still navigating the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The job market was uncertain, and the path forward didn’t unfold exactly as she once imagined. Instead of joining one of the large companies she had envisioned, she accepted a role with Brookshire Grocery Company in Tyler, Texas.

What initially seemed like a detour soon proved to be an invaluable starting point.

“I received a good baseline working with Excel, spreadsheets and learning the basics of how merchandise ends up in a grocery store,” she said.

McCormick later moved into the company’s financial planning and analysis team, where she developed a deeper understanding of how organizations operate and make strategic decisions.

“It gives you a broad view of the company and all the moving pieces while still trying to see the big picture,” she said.

Looking back, she can see how Baylor had quietly prepared her for those challenges.

“Within the Business School, you get a really good mix of theoretical learning and a foundation of technical skills,” she said. “Developing a problem-solving mindset has been very helpful, and the Baylor coursework helped prepare me for that. The theoretical basis helps you understand what you’re seeing, and the technical foundation is good to build from.”

Another opportunity soon emerged through a former colleague who had joined 5&2 Studios. Just as McCormick began considering a move to Austin, the studio was hiring for a role in financial planning and analysis.

Today, she works behind the scenes, helping steward the financial resources that support 5&2 Studios’ work.

“A lot of my work is done on spreadsheets or video calls, but working with ‘The Chosen,’ you hear stories about how the show has impacted people’s lives,” she said. “Christianity is a message for the world, but it’s also a message for the world made up of individuals. And when the show is able to touch one person’s heart, one person’s soul, one person’s mind, it’s a really good day.”

Looking back, McCormick sees a clear thread connecting each step along the way. What once felt like uncertain decisions now feel like moments of guidance.

“Each major decision-making juncture in my life –  what school to attend, what job to take or whether to make a career shift – there’s generally just been one door open for me,” she said. “But behind that door has been more than I could have asked for or ever imagined.”

The Business of Gathering

By Russell Rankin

Christina Black, BBA ’07
Owner
Black Family Hospitality, Terry Black’s Barbecue, Opal’s Oysters
Red Oak, Texas

At Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, Christina Black discovered the path to a meaningful career is not always a straight line. What began as a plan to pursue medicine eventually led her into accounting, entrepreneurship and, ultimately, the hospitality industry – where today she helps lead a growing family business built on connection, quality and purpose.

“I came to Baylor initially to be a pre-med student,” Black said. “But once I started taking business classes, I realized how much I enjoyed it.”

That realization led her to major in Accounting, a decision she now views as foundational to everything that followed. After graduation, Black spent more than a decade in public accounting, including working alongside her father. There, she gained firsthand insight into how businesses succeed – and sometimes fail – while helping entrepreneurs manage and grow their companies.

“That experience made entrepreneurship feel tangible,” she said. “I got to see what worked, what didn’t and what it really takes to sustain a business.”

Though her family had longstanding ties to barbecue in Lockhart, the barbeque capital of Texas, Black envisioned a more traditional career path. That changed when her brothers approached her about opening a restaurant in Austin.

“It wasn’t something I had always dreamed of,” she said. “But when the opportunity came, it felt exciting – and meaningful – to build something together as a family.”

The siblings launched Terry Black’s Barbecue, which has grown today to five Texas locations and one in Nashville. Terry Black’s is the largest purchaser of prime beef in the United States, proof the siblings are on to something.

Like many new ventures, the early days came with uncertainty. The family navigated real estate decisions, staffing challenges and the realities of entering a competitive restaurant market. But Black said those experiences strengthened both their resilience and their commitment to building something lasting.

“We faced challenges from the very beginning,” she said. “But we believed in what we were building, and we were willing to learn as we went.”

As Terry Black’s grew, so did the creative ideas. Today, Black and her family operate multiple hospitality concepts, including boutique hotels, event venues, a winery and several new restaurants. As the business has expanded, so have the demands of leadership. Managing multiple locations while maintaining consistency and culture across concepts has become one of Black’s greatest challenges – and one of her proudest accomplishments.

“Opening one restaurant is hard,” she said. “But growing to multiple locations – developing people, maintaining quality and staying true to your vision – that’s where it becomes both challenging and incredibly rewarding.”

One of the family’s newest concepts carries special significance. While Opal’s Oysters doesn’t wear the Black name outwardly like the barbecue joint, the restaurant, first established in Waco in 2024, is filled with pictures and family memories of Opal, Black’s grandmother. The fine dining establishment reflects memories of coastal family gatherings where meals were less about formality and more about spending time together.

Everything in Opal’s is thoughtfully curated to heighten the dining experience, from the selection of glassware to the tilework on the floor. Black said she wants diners to remember the phenomenal seafood and oysters, but also to enjoy a feast of the senses.

“Grandma Opal was the heart of our family,” Black said. “We wanted to create a place that felt like sitting together, enjoying a meal and time with the people you love.”

That sense of community has remained central to Black’s leadership style, something she traces back to her own Baylor experience.

“I had come to a summer church camp at Baylor; I think it was the summer after my junior year of high school,” she said. “I fell in love with the campus and knew I was coming to Baylor after that.

“But when I enrolled at Baylor, I didn’t know anyone,” she said. “I had to build my own community, my own friendships. Those relationships shaped who I became – not just professionally, but personally.”

Today, she strives to create that same sense of belonging within her restaurants. Whether managing teams or launching new concepts, Black emphasizes relationships, culture and making people feel valued.

Her approach also reflects a commitment to excellence – especially when it comes to the guest experience.

“People may not consciously notice every detail,” she said, “but they feel it. They remember it. From the design of the space to the way food is presented, it all contributes to the experience.”

Looking ahead, Black remains focused on thoughtful, sustainable growth. While new restaurants are planned across multiple markets, she said the family remains committed to expanding in ways that reflect their values.

“We want to grow, but we want to do it well,” she said. “It’s about building something that lasts; something that reflects who we are and what we believe in.”

For Black, success has become about more than business growth. It is about creating places where people gather, celebrate and build memories together – an idea rooted as much in hospitality as it is in the Baylor community that helped shape her.

In that sense, Black’s story is not just about restaurants. It’s about legacy, stewardship and community.

And like the best Baylor stories, it’s still being written.