HSB Advisors Recognized by University
HSB Undergraduate advisors were awarded two of the three annual Academic Advising Excellence Awards for 2020: Grant DeYong and Chad Shearn.

A New Duty Station: New Director Aims to Enhance Value, Quality of Robbins MBA Healthcare Program
Forest Kim, PhD, FACHE, a U.S. Army veteran with 22 years of active service, became director of the MBA Healthcare Program at the Robbins Institute for Health Policy and Leadership in July 2019.

Mother’s Day: Baylor Expert Shares 5 Tips for Adult Daughters Making the Holiday Work This Year
A Baylor University expert in mother-daughter relationships discusses the emotional labor and significant time daughters often put into making Mother’s Day feel special.

Four New Residency Sites Partner With Robbins Institute
Various residency organizations across the United States offered several MBA Healthcare candidates advanced learning opportunities in diverse settings across the healthcare spectrum.

Eligible Students Can Earn an MBA Healthcare in One Year Through New Pre-Clinical Track
A new MBA Healthcare specialization will help aspiring clinicians develop management competencies and a deep understanding of the healthcare business.

Recognizing a Servant’s Heart: Cummins Garners Director’s Chair Honor
Katie Cummins has received the Director’s Chair Award for the 2019 graduating class of the Robbins MBA Healthcare Program and is the third recipient of the annual award.

Marketing Professor Andrea L. Dixon Honored as Cornelia Marschall Smith Professor of the Year
Andrea L. Dixon, PhD, associate professor of Marketing and executive director of the Center for Professional Selling in the Hankamer School of Business, has been named Baylor University’s 2020 Cornelia Marschall Smith Professor of the Year.

Baylor Executive MBA Program Offers New Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Innovation and Management
Baylor University’s Executive MBA Program is now offering a new Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Innovation and Management.

Baylor Business Team Places Second in BAHM Case Competition at Harvard
A team from Baylor’s Robbins MBA Healthcare Program won second place in the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM) Annual Competition at Harvard University on Feb. 9, 2019.

Business Schools Collaborate Across Borders
Professor April Rowsey of Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business joined Jana Seijts of the Ivey Business School in London, Ontario, to offer a hands-on experience to business students designed to highlight the nuances and challenges of working within cross-cultural, remote and virtual teams to accomplish a common business outcome.

Alumni News

1970’s

Nancy Shemwell, BBA ’78, was named chief operating officer for Trilogy Networks. Shemwell will continue to serve as COO of the Internet of Things Community.

The late Mark Hurd, BBA ’79, along with his wife, Paula, were recognized with the Baylor University Founders Medal on the 175th anniversary of its founding in January 2020.

1980’s

Gregory Moore, BBA ’81, continued as FlexiVan’s chief commercial officer after merging with American Intermodal Management.

Ray Smith, BBA ’81, mayor of Prosper Texas, was elected president of the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Executive Board.

Sheryl Troiani, BBA ’82, was promoted to chief administrative officer at Granite Properties. She will continue to oversee the Dallas-headquartered company’s accounting, treasury and risk management activities.

Michael “Scott” Rohrman, BBA ’83, MSEd ’85, was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the School Land Board. Rohrman, who is the owner, founder and president of 42 Real Estate LLC in Dallas, will serve on the board until Aug. 29, 2021.

Elizabeth Davis, PhD, BBA ’84, was selected to the Greenville Business Magazine Hall of Fame. Davis serves as the president of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.

Monty Blight, BBA ’86, was named vice president of sales for Immedion LLC, a provider of cloud, data center and managed IT services.

Todd Dorton, BBA ’86, was reappointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Family Practice Residency Advisory Committee, which reviews applications for approval and funding of family practice residency training programs for the Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Doyle Simons, BBA ’86, was appointed to the Board of Directors of Iron Mountain Inc., a storage and information management company. Simons had served as CEO and president of Weyerhaeuser Co., a timber company, until his retirement in 2018.

Andy Spencer, BBA ’87, was featured along with his daughter, Deanna, BSFCS ’19, for their pivotal role in creating Bruiser and Marigold, the two mascots that represent Baylor University.

Chris Caddell, BBA ’88, was named CEO of Heritage Bank in Burlington, Kentucky. Caddell also serves as chairman of the board.

1990’s

Kara D. Grimes, BBA ’90, was hired as a business litigator by Sumner Schick. Formerly a partner at one of the largest business firms in Texas, Grimes has 14 years of litigation experience in financial services, real estate, trusts, contracts and other business matters.

Michael Johnson, BBA ’90, an Olympic gold medalist, discussed the Michael Johnson Performance Center in McKinney, a center designed for youth athletes ages 9 to 18 and professional athletes in all sports in a Black History Month feature with KXAS in Dallas.

Travis Armayor, BBA ’92, was promoted from senior vice president to chief financial officer of Hunt Oil Company.

Kent Borowick, MBA ’93, MA ’96, PhD ’97, has been named vice president of Asset Optimization for Altus Equity Group Inc. in Rohnert Park, California.

Bill Strait, BBA ’93, now serves as the Americas Assurance deputy vice president at EY.

Dan Curtis, BBA ’95, was featured in D Magazine for his role at BNSF Logistics, a multimodal operation that moves things by rail, truck, ocean or air and has expanded to 865 workers and 200 agents with more than $1 billion in annual revenue under Curtis’ helm.

Ashley Buchanan, BBA ’96, was named president and chief executive officer designate as well as appointed to the Board of Directors of The Michaels Companies Inc. Buchanan most recently served as chief merchandising and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. eCommerce.

Christy Means Vasiliou, BBA ’96, was named regional vice president of asset management for Duke Realty in Dallas.

Carey Adams, MBA ’97, was named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Hanover College.

Ilka Gregory, BBA ’98, joined as head of client relationships at Truvvo Partners, a wealth management firm providing strategic advice and planning, investment management and direct investments.

Denton McLane, BBA ’99, was recognized by President Donald J. Trump for McLane Global’s “Meals to You” program that has helped feed rural school children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2000’s

Chris Heckler, BBA ’02, and Matt Clark, BBA ’15, founded Valify, a fast-growing Frisco healthcare technology company in 2014. Valify was acquired by HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest hospital operator, in January 2020.

Angela Love Ragan, BBA ’03, was named a JRBT shareholder in July 2020. Ragan has spent the past 15 years with JRBT. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas Society of CPAs.

Brian Reinhardt, BBA ’03, MBA ’09, was announced by Extraco Banks as president of the Central Texas Southern Region.

David Grubbs, BBA ’07, and Charlie Gasmire, BBA ’12, MBA ’13, launched the Boss Club Foundation’s summer entrepreneurship program as a way to assist children as young as 7 who have an interest in turning a profit and learning life lessons.

Jonathan R. Sparling, BBA ’07, joined First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Port Angeles as senior director of commercial lending.

Ali Greenwood, BBA ’08, joined Cushman & Wakefield in Dallas as executive director of its Global Data Center Advisory Group.

2010’s

Brian Lagesse, BBA ’10, joined the North Carolina Eminent Domain Law Firm, which represents property owners impacted by eminent domain cases.

D. Christopher Sloan, MBA ’11, MHA ’11, joined Capital Medical Center in Olympia, Washington, as chief operating officer. He previously was with Madigan Army Medical Center, Andrew Rader Health Clinic and Evans Army Community Hospital.

Tyler Whiteside, BBA/MAcc ’12, was added by BKD CPAs & Advisors as a senior manager with BKD’s audit and assurance team serving energy, manufacturing and distribution and other businesses in the commercial sector.

Nico Nguyen, MBA ’18, landed a policy implementation role with multinational healthcare system CHRISTUS Health, allowing her to go from recommending health care policies to taking charge of their impact on the ground.

Heather Nickelson, BBA ’18, was recognized by the American Institute of CPAs as one of the 133 winners of the 2019 Elijah Watt Sells Award, which recognizes successful CPA exam performances.

Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival Launches With the Goals to Empower the Creative Spirit and Celebrate All
Professor of Marketing Tyrha Lindsey-Warren was interviewed about the Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival she founded in Digital Journal.

Out of Office: Is Remote Work Stressing You Out?
Sara Perry, professor of Management, discussed her research on remote work in Remotely One.

This Is the Worst Thing You Can Focus on When Managing a Team
A study by Matthew Quade, professor of Management, which found that supervisors focused on profits could be hurting employee productivity and respect, potentially resulting in damage to the bottom line, was referenced in an article in The Ladders.

NHL Brings New Look to Stadium Series With Air Force Academy Weekend
Kirk Wakefield, professor of Marketing and the executive director of the Center for Sports Strategy and Sales, was interviewed about the NHL and its search for new outdoor venues in Front Office Sports.

Companies Might Send Millions of Employees to Work From Home. Is That Such a Bad Thing?
2018 research from Management professors who found that the success of working from home depended on employees’ emotional makeup was cited in an Adweek article about working from home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Evidence From the Internet: How the Pandemic Sparks Sports Fans on Twitter
Kirk Wakefield, professor of Marketing and the executive director of the Center for Sports Strategy and Sales, discusses social media data that sheds light on how much sports fans miss the emotional outlet, socialization and competition of sports in a self-penned Forbes column.

Is Your Smartphone Hurting Your Relationship?
Research by Jim Roberts, professor of Marketing, discussing the harmful impact of ‘phubbing’ on relationships was reviewed in an article in The Good Men Project.

10 Ways Brand Partnerships Can Promote Sustainability in the Post-COVID Sports Industry
Kirk Wakefield, professor of Marketing and the executive director of the Center for Sports Strategy and Sales, authored a piece in Forbes about 10 ways brands can partner with sports teams to make changes for good.

Surveilling Employees Who Work From Home Could Do More Harm Than Good
Research from Dawn Carlson, professor of Management, and John Carlson, professor of Information Systems, found that employees of companies who monitor software usage report greater tension and less job satisfaction was cited in an article in Fast Company.

Losing Your Own Business is Worse Than Losing a Salaried Job
Research by Boris Nikolaev, professor of Entrepreneurship, was cited in a Brookings Up Front article in which he found that losing one’s business is more psychologically damaging than losing a salaried job.

Mr. Hall Goes to Washington (and Beyond)

Andrew Hall’s Opportunity-Lit Path has Baylor Origins

By Justin Walker

There is an old saying that opportunities do not just happen, you make them. But Andrew Hall believes it takes more than a single person to capitalize on an opportunity. It also takes a blessing.

Hall was born and raised in San Antonio, attending a small private school. His brother, Nathan, attended and graduated from Baylor in 2014. When it came time to pick a college, there was not much of a debate.

“Just seeing his experience and how much he enjoyed Baylor made my choice pretty easy,” Hall said. “Baylor was actually the only school I applied to!”

When he arrived in Waco in the fall of 2017, Hall decided to study business and pre-med. However, as an opportunity arose in the spring of his freshman year, he would soon move his focus to business.

Andrew Hall, BBA ’21
Business Fellows/Finance
San Antonio, TexasHall found out about the Baylor in Washington program, which sends Baylor students to the nation’s capital for internships and coursework. The professional experience gained through the program excited him, but the added value of being close to his brother—who had started working in D.C. for Family Research Council—made this opportunity too good to pass up. After doing some research on potential internships, Hall submitted his application in the fall of his sophomore year and was selected for the program in the spring of 2019.

Students are responsible for securing their own internships, Hall said, but Baylor provided plenty of resources to help.

“Baylor in Washington does a really good job of giving you suggestions and connecting you with Baylor grads who are at various departments in D.C.,” he said. “Because it is during the semester, there is less competition, so you are more likely to land a really good opportunity.”

Hall was set to start with at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but that opportunity was put on hold due to a government shutdown. A Baylor graduate working in the Office of Congressman Jim Hagedorn (MN) was able to bring Hall in as an intern, where he would research legislation, draft letters on policies and provide information to constituents.

One month into his time in Washington, the shutdown ended and Hall was able to begin interning with the SEC. His role there varied from the creation of an internal reference guide to coordinating with several agencies, including market intelligence, records management and project management groups.

“It was an incredible opportunity to gain professional experience, to be in a new city and be with the people who run it,” Hall said. “Outside of Texas, D.C. has the largest Baylor network. Having so many Baylor connections and so many people who want to help you made this program an awesome experience for me.”

The opportunities didn’t stop at the end of the Baylor in Washington program. The semester before he left for D.C., Hall was approached by his advisor about a summer honor’s program in New York City. Hall’s original internship plan in Houston had fallen through, so he jumped at the possibility to get further out of his comfort zone.

Hall was accepted into the Meraki Honor’s Program in Finance at the King’s College, one of only five students selected to participate. A requirement within the program was for Hall to get an internship and yet again connections helped out.

“The program director reached out to me and mentioned Archegos Capital Management,” he said. “I had a phone interview with them and I felt like I was handed this great opportunity.”

Hall enjoyed Archegos. The family investment firm had a unique culture, he said. Many of the employees, including management, strived to incorporate their Christian faith into their work. Hall said it was an incredible experience for him to engage in such an environment.

While everything seemed to be working out for Hall, he admits his time in New York was not without struggles. His internship was remarkable but he felt like he did not belong at times. He almost developed an inferiority complex due to the fact that many of his fellow interns were from Ivy League schools.

“I somewhat felt like I did not really deserve it, but I quickly put that behind me,” Hall said. “I just had to tell myself that I was there, all I could do was work hard and do the best job I could. And that is what I did.”

Hall believes he has been very fortunate for the opportunities he had during college. He knows it was not just his hard work and dedication that made it all possible either.

“I could not have had any of those opportunities if it were not for Baylor and the people I have met through Baylor in Washington and the Hankamer School of Business,” he said. “That is the great thing about Baylor. If you are willing to put in the effort and do your part, there are so many people waiting to help.”

As for the future, Hall has considered seminary or possibly vocational ministry. He hopes to one day be able to incorporate his faith and his knowledge of finance to build a business on love, service and helping society, whatever that business may be. But he knows that whatever lies ahead, it is because of the opportunities he has been blessed with.

“I was really fortunate to have experienced all of this, but I know I did not earn it by myself,” he said. “This has been a blessing from God and from others. I am just fortunate to be able to capitalize on it.”

The Hankamer School of Business (HSB) is closing in on a major Give Light Campaign milestone as the fall semester begins. With 92 endowed scholarships created since the Give Light Campaign’s silent phase began in 2014, the generosity of alumni and friends is building a strong foundation of support for our students.

“It’s an incredible milestone,” HSB Dean Terry S. Maness, DBA, said. “Part of our charge put forth in Illuminate—Baylor’s strategic plan—is to foster a truly transformational educational experience at Baylor and this is only possible if we have the resources to recruit and retain a vibrant, diverse student body. Scholarships are critical to the long-term health and growth of HSB. This fall, we hope to reach a milestone of 100 scholarships established through the Give Light Campaign in the School.”

In the earliest days of the Give Light Campaign, Ann Martin and her father, Don Blockhus, chose to honor Ann’s mother, Wanda Blockhus, through a scholarship for HSB students. The Wanda Alexander Blockhus Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in 2015 to support Marketing majors within the School. The scholarship is already awarding funds to students, supporting the Baylor journeys of future business leaders.

“The Blockhus family commitment is a powerful example of how our Baylor families choose to honor one another through philanthropy,” Vice President for University Advancement Dave Rosselli said. “At the time this scholarship was established, the family described Wanda as a Christ-centered role model who believed it was better to give than to receive. They chose to honor her legacy through a scholarship fund that will continue to give to our business students for generations to come. It’s an incredible legacy.”

Wanda Blockhus graduated from Baylor in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in business, followed by a Master of Science in Marketing and Economics in 1954. She later earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, followed by a 42-year career in business higher education. While not a Baylor alum, Wanda’s husband, Don, became a proud Baylor Parent when his daughter, Ann Blockhus Martin, BBA ’84, chose Baylor. Wanda passed away in 2012.

Ann and her husband, Rick, live in Mountain View, California, where she serves as the national accounts manager for Wireless Communications at Golden State Communications, Inc. Ann and Rick have two children, Matthew and Sarah.

Rosselli said he hopes the Blockhus family’s story of generosity, of honoring the legacy of a loved one through scholarships will inspire other members of the Baylor Family to create their own legacies of support for HSB students.

There are now 355 endowed scholarships within the School, with a total value of $61,558,871. Funding requirements for these scholarships included a $50,000 gift funded through either a one-time gift or via a multi-year pledge commitment of up to five years. Donors may also create a scholarship by including Baylor in their estate through a planned gift.

If you would like to learn more about how you can make a difference through scholarships, please contact Managing Director of Development John Hillis at John_Hillis@baylor.edu or Senior Director of Development Trey Hagins at Trey_Hagins@baylor.edu.