Spring 2019: One Big Happy Family Business

Crossroads at Eden

By Becca Broaddus

Job hunting in 2009 was not ideal. In the midst of the Great Recession and fresh out of college, Sarah Duwe could not find a job.

“The job market in ‘09 was not pretty,” Duwe, a human resources major, said. “I had a lot of friends that went on to grad school, but I was running out of time, money and resources. I wanted to get out in the working world, but nobody was hiring.”

During the spring semester of her senior year, she called her mom to share her worries. Her mom reminded her there was a job for her at the family business, Schumann’s Inc., a ladies apparel store back home in Eden, Texas.

The youngest of three Baylor-graduate daughters, Sarah grew up at Schumann’s and knew her path would lead there eventually. Her mom, Paula, brought her to work almost every day, from the time she was still in a bassinet in the front window (earning the moniker “window baby” from customers) to hanging out after-school as a teen. It was home.

“I knew I’d eventually join the family business, but I never dreamed it’d be this fast,” she said. “Mom said, ‘Come here and stay as long as you need to. Do interviews while you work.’”

So, she did. Sarah graduated on Saturday, moved back home on Sunday and started at Schumann’s on Monday. Meanwhile, the job hunt continued, until one day, she found a crumpled piece of paper in some décor she inherited from her MeMe, her maternal grandmother and the founder of the store. It was a bible verse, Luke 11:9: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

“I’m a woman of faith, and I believe God’s timing is never wrong,” Duwe said. “That is a sign from MeMe. I decided to quit fighting this and quit looking for something else. That was her way of speaking to me. I thought, ‘This is what I’m supposed to be doing.’”

Duwe became the third generation of Schumann women to help run the business. In August 1967, in a time when the bank refused to issue a loan without her husband as the co-signer, MeMe, also known as Helen Schumann, started the business in Eden. She ran the store until her retirement in 1984, when her daughter (Sarah’s mother, Paula) quit her job as a home economics teacher to take over the business.

In 1999, under Paula’s leadership, Schumann’s opened a second location in Marble Falls, and in 2016, a third in San Angelo. The San Angelo store is Sarah’s baby—from initial concept to renovations to the day-to-day management of the store. Although she still has her roots in Eden, Sarah runs the San Angelo location.

“The San Angelo store kind of solidified all we’ve worked for,” Sarah said. “Three generations. Three stores. I feel like we are complete.”

Schumann’s has come a long way in its 50 years and it continues to evolve—from one location to three, from Helen’s handwritten inventory books to the Facebook page Sarah manages where customers from South Korea to Kentucky can (and do) buy directly from the site. To top it off, in 2016, as they prepared for their 50th year in business, Schumann’s got a little more to celebrate. They were nominated for and won the State of Texas Small Business Award from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

“My plan now is let’s do another 50 years! I want to follow my grandmother and mother’s traditions.”

Baylor Business Review, Spring 2019

Every Good & Perfect Gift

By Becca Broaddus

In November, Baylor announced the launch of Give Light, a $1.1 billion fundraising campaign designed to undergird the institution’s bold academic strategic plan, Illuminate. Focused on providing the financial framework needed to execute the goals and priorities of Illuminate, Give Light will focus on building support through a mix of endowed funds, capital projects and expendable funds that offer support across all areas of the University.

“We have set ambitious goals for the Hankamer School of Business (HSB) as part of the Give Light campaign,” Hankamer School of Business Dean Terry S. Maness said. “Campaigns such as these are critically important to innovative and imaginative approaches to teaching and research within our School. These initiatives push us to dream big, to stretch our minds beyond what we can do and look at what we should do. There are exciting ideas, plans and programs on the horizon, with many more to come. We hope our business alumni and the Baylor Family will be as excited as we are about this future we are envisioning for the Business School.”

With a goal of $125 million, HSB will seek to make significant investments that will further bolster HSB’s foundation of producing relevant, transformational academic programs while allowing for additional innovative programs to emerge—bringing Baylor Business continued opportunities to shape policy makers, problem solvers and ethical leaders. Highlighted within HSB’s overall goal are a number of academic initiatives that do just that.

POLICY MAKERS

HSB prepares its students to be leaders capable of shaping the national conversation surrounding issues of business, policy and ethics. In order to further strengthen this position, the Business School must invest in areas like the John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise and the Robbins Institute for Health Policy & Leadership. The Baugh Center, which focuses on issues at the intersection of entrepreneurship and public policy, is part of the Business School’s nationally renowned Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise program. The Robbins Institute provides an interdisciplinary foundation for HSB’s healthcare-related priorities. Through a range of initiatives, the Baugh Center and the Robbins Institute aim to become nationally recognized for their involvement in shaping the discussion surrounding public policy within their respective areas. Strategic growth and investment will allow the Baugh Center and the Robbins Institute to strengthen their positions as destinations for those who want not only to understand entrepreneurship and healthcare but who want to make a difference as policy makers and innovative leaders.

HOW WILL YOUR SUPPORT CREATE POLICY MAKERS?

• Fund faculty and staff positions, providing resources for research and expanding the Baugh Center and Robbins Institute’s reach within their respective fields, further enhancing the national perspective on the School’s scholarly output and quality, industry-leading executives
• Provide continued support to host case competitions that allow HSB students to engage in simulations that hone skills and extend peer networks
• Generate resources to strengthen and grow the PhDs in Health Services Research and Entrepreneurship—providing greater opportunities for research and teaching, including the acquisition of critically important data sources from which to produce impactful research
• Bring to campus healthcare leaders from across the nation and globe who understand the complexities of global healthcare and the need for thoughtful policy makers

PROBLEM SOLVERS

Baylor and HSB are adapting to ensure our students learn the skills necessary to meet the needs of an ever-changing business world. Data is at the center of most decisions in today’s business environment. While data analytics have been a part of the Baylor Business curriculum for years, the growing complexity of data collection, security and interpretation require a renewed energy and expanded scope in business analytics and cybersecurity. HSB faculty and staff are working to help students become creative problem solvers and skilled decision makers. The Business School is also seeking funding to enhance programming and research surrounding cyber security issues and business analytics. HSB is eager to impact these growing areas of national conversation and concern.

HOW WILL YOUR GIFTS PROVIDE WAYS FOR HSB GRADUATES TO BE EFFECTIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS?

• Endow chairs and professorships enabling the Business School to recruit and retain faculty members who are national leaders capable of bringing innovative teaching related to business analytics to the classroom and who produce impactful research
• Generate new experiential learning opportunities that are multidisciplinary

ETHICAL LEADERS

The Business School is nationally known for producing alumni who excel as capable, critically thinking professionals as well as leaders with a deep commitment to ethical practices. To further enhance the resources of our faculty and staff in teaching and researching the role of ethics and leadership in the marketplace, HSB is seeking funding to advance research and the national discussions surrounding ethical leadership. Central to this enterprise are the development of an Institute for Principled Leadership that will lead new academic programming, increase faculty positions and new opportunities for research in the field.

HOW WILL YOU HELP HSB CONTINUE PRODUCING ETHICAL LEADERS?

• Endow chairs and professorships to grow programs and to address critically important issues through research
• Endow an Executive in Residence position, to provide a long-term source that will bring seasoned executives to the Baylor campus as a resource to both students and faculty
• Generate seed funds for programs to enhance leadership development across HSB programs

$125 million—Goal for Hankamer School of Business

• $25 million endowed scholarship support
• $25 million endowed departmental and program funds
• $75 million creating/enhancing programmatic infrastructure

$1.1 billion Campaign Overview

• $500 million Endowed Fund Support
  • Faculty Chairs and Professorships
  • Endowed Scholarships
  • Endowed Funds for Growth Opportunities
• $300 million Expendable Fund Support
  • Immediate Needs
  • Bear Foundation
  • Global Learning Experiences
• $300 million Capital Projects
  • Capital projects add needed capacity for academic growth

For more information and the latest updates about the campaign, visit baylor.edu/givelight.

Baylor Business Review, Spring 2019

A Healthy Beginning

By Becca Broaddus

Some kids go to summer camp. Gil Diaz sterilized dental equipment during the summer as a kid.

“My dad’s been trying to get me to work for him since I was little,” Diaz joked.

Diaz’s father owns a dental office in Puerto Rico, and after graduating with his degree in Management in May, he plans to move back to the U.S. territory to work for his dad full-time.

“I want to see where I can take my dad’s business,” Diaz said. “That’s my challenge right now—coming up with ways to bring more patients in, improve the entire system and just make sure everyone is as effective as possible.”

Diaz has been in the continental U.S. since he was 13, from Texas to Arizona and now back to Texas to attend Baylor. He started working for his dad remotely during his sophomore year at Baylor—first with payment reconciliations and then with more and more duties, especially after Hurricane Maria struck the island in 2017.

“A lot of the businesses around there were struggling, and a lot of the dentists around my dad’s office went out of business,” he said. “You never want something like that to happen, but at the same time, that’s an opportunity.”

Diaz sees a lot of opportunity to grow his dad’s business, but he’s only planning to work there for a year or so, before going to graduate school.

“I’m not planning to end up there,” he said. “I love Puerto Rico. It’s home. My family and friends are there, but I can grow a lot more here.”

After working in his father’s business, he plans to return to Texas for a graduate healthcare MBA program. After all, healthcare is the family business, not dentistry. In addition to his dad’s office, Diaz’s mom is a pharmacist turned healthcare businesswoman, his stepfather is an executive pharmacy benefits salesperson, his aunt and uncle own medical practices in the San Antonio area and his cousin just started on a healthcare consulting career path. In fact, Diaz’s first internship was with Bandera Family Healthcare, his aunt and uncle’s business in San Antonio.

“I was always very interested in my aunt and uncle’s business—from day one,” he said. “I was lucky enough to witness how they grew it from one office. They let me float around and learn the different parts of the business—I shadowed the receptionist, accounting and the operations manager. It solidified my choice of major, but I knew I wanted to be in business. It’s been ingrained in my mind since high school that I want to go into business. I knew that’s what my job was going to be.”

Business, it is, but he’s still not sure how that will manifest into a career, or if he’ll stay in healthcare administration.

“I don’t think I have enough experience to know what I want to do yet, or what I’m passionate about,” he said. “Management is a versatile major, because if in 10 years I decide I want to shift industries, I can use that degree.”

Baylor Business Review, Spring 2019

Baylor Moves Up to No. 6 Among Top 25 Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies

Baylor University offers one of the nation’s top entrepreneurship programs for students who aspire to launch their own businesses, according to the latest rankings released by The Princeton Review and featured in Entrepreneur magazine. Baylor’s Entrepreneurship program in the Hankamer School of Business moved up to No. 6 in this year’s rankings of the top 25 Best Undergraduate Programs for Entrepreneurs.

McBride Center Hosts Conference on International Business and Economics

The Baylor University McBride Center for International Studies hosted the Texas Conference on International Business and Economics and a policy forum on “Trade Integration in the Americas” in November at the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation.

Baylor’s MBA Healthcare Program Joins CAHME Mentorship Circle

Baylor University’s Robbins MBA Healthcare program has been selected to join the inaugural group of programs in the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education Mentorship Circle.

Baylor Business Hosts 2018 Dale P. Jones Business Ethics Forum

Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business hosted the 2018 Dale P. Jones Business Ethics Forum last fall. The theme was “The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.”

Baylor University’s Executive MBA Program Finds New Home in Dallas

Students in Baylor University’s Executive MBA program in Dallas moved into their new location in January.

Accounting Professor Laurie Burney Recognized by Lean Enterprise Institute

The Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) has awarded Associate Professor of Accounting Laurie Burney with the Excellence in Lean Accounting Professor Award.

Entrepreneurship Professor Matthew Wood Awarded AME Best Paper

Matthew Wood, chair and associate professor of the Department of Entrepreneurship & Corporate Innovation, received the 2018 Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division “Best Conceptual Paper Award.”

Entrepreneurship Professor Peter Klein Awarded SEJ Best Paper Prize

Peter Klein, W. W. Caruth Chair and Professor of Entrepreneurship, has been awarded the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal Best Paper Prize by the Strategic Management Society. This award recognizes papers that were published five or more years prior, and are selected by the editors of the journal based on quantitative measures, such as number of citations, and subjective measurements of the paper’s influence in the industry.

Accounting Professor Laurie Burney Receives IMA R. Lee Brummet Award

Laurie Burney, associate professor of Accounting & Business Law, received the R. Lee Brummet Distinguished Award for Educators from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). This is the highest award given by the IMA, and it recognizes professors who have exemplified a distinguished teaching career, a record of scholarship, service to the IMA and the promotion of management accounting as a profession.

Certificate Program in Energy Commerce Prepares Students for Careers in Energy Industry

Undergraduate students may obtain a Certificate in Energy Commerce, in addition to the BBA degree from the Hankamer School of Business. This program was developed to prepare students for careers in the energy industry.

Undergraduate Business Analytics Certificate Teaches Students Big Data Skills

Baylor Business undergraduate students now have the opportunity to receive a Certificate in Business Analytics, in addition to their BBA degree from the Hankamer School of Business. The program was added to teach students the techniques necessary to understand and interpret big data and business analytics.

Entrepreneurship Professor Receives Outstanding Faculty Award

Peter Klein is one of eleven Outstanding Faculty Award winners for the 2017-2018 academic year, and he is recognized for his accomplishments in the area of scholarship. Every year, Outstanding Faculty Awards honor professors in the areas of teaching, contributions to the academic community and scholarship. These awards are presented to faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, service to the University, involvement with students and community, and church service.

Baylor Business Review, Spring 2019

1960s

Joe L. Ward, BBA ’68, has been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Red River Authority Board of Directors for a term through 2023. The authority provides for the control, conservation and development of the watershed and water of the Red River and its Texas tributaries. Ward is a full-time rancher and has interests in an insurance consulting business, redevelopment projects in downtown Bonham, Texas, and investments in land and family-owned restaurants.

Jim Turner, BBA ’69, past Baylor Scott & White Holdings Board of Trustees chair, was honored in October as the Kerney Laday, Sr. Trustee of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council. The award honors trustees who’ve displayed “uncommon excellence” throughout their careers. Turner was on the Baylor Health Care System board for 15 years, leading up to the merger with Scott & White. He became the first chair-elect of the merged company and served as chair from 2015 through 2018.

1970s

Tommy Bowman, BBA ’71, a standout basketball student-athlete at Baylor and a member of the University’s Board of Regents from 2001-2010, has been selected for the 2019 class of the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame as Baylor’s representative. Bowman was the first black basketball recruit at Baylor in 1966 and one of the Southwest Conference’s first black players.

Gary Don Johnson, BBA ’77, MBA ’78, former football student-athlete, was among the Tyler Independent School District’s 2018 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. The Hall of Fame Class was recognized at a ceremony in September.

Nancy Shemwell, BBA ’78, has been appointed chief operations officer of IoT Community (Internet of Things Community), the world’s largest community of corporate executives, IoT professionals and practitioners. Shemwell has served in leadership positions for more than 30 years with global organizations, including Vericlave, DataSpan, Multi-Link, Jovial Test Equipment, Extreme Networks, Symmetricom and Nortel Networks.

1980s

Mark R. Williamson, BBA ’82, has been honored with a 2018 Elite Lawyer Award for the area of family law, which recognizes attorneys who display a high level of competence in their practice and receive acknowledgment from their peers, community, bar and committees. He is the founding partner of the Williamson Law Firm in Dallas, Texas.

Mike Singletary, BBA ’83, shared the four pillars upon which he discovered his purpose in life and challenged players to examine their own purpose during the Morristown West Quarterback Club kickoff dinner at First Baptist of Morristown, Tennessee. After earning All-American honors at Baylor, Singletary went on to a career at the professional level with the Chicago Bears.

John Driskill, MBA ’84, was elected president of the National Association of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR), a trade group of legal representatives assisting disabled individuals.

Laura Swearingen, BBA ’84, a real estate executive with The Laura Swearingen Team, RE/MAX Associates of Arlington, has joined Noticed, an invitation-only service for distinguished professionals. Swearingen has been chosen as a distinguished real estate professional based on peer reviews and ratings, dozens of recognitions and accomplishments achieved throughout her career.

Stephen Kwaku Asare, MBA ’85, is among four accomplished scholars and practitioners selected by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) as its first Democracy and Development (D&D) Fellows. Asare will serve as a D&D Fellow in public law and justice. A KPMG professor in Accounting at Florida’s Fisher School of Accounting, Asare is known in Ghana as a public intellectual and scholar-activist whose contributions and activism, including as plaintiff in a number of precedent-setting cases before the Supreme Court of Ghana, are helping to push the frontiers of governance and the rule of law, particularly in the area of constitutional law and practice.

John Martin, BBA ’85, has been elected president of the Texas Land Title Association Board of Directors. Martin, who has worked in the title insurance industry since 1985, is the past president of the Independent Title Agents of Texas. He founded Lone Star Title Company of El Paso, Texas, in 1999 and Camino Real Abstract and Title in 2007.

Cheryl Small, BBA ’85, was promoted to chief financial officer at Trinity Hunt Partners, a growth-oriented middle market private equity firm. Small spent nearly two decades managing the financial and administrative duties of Trinity Hunt.

Andy Cullen, BBA ’86, has been promoted to district manager of the Oklahoma City office of Insperity Inc., a leading provider of human resources and business performance solutions. He will direct the company’s sales efforts in the Oklahoma region.

Todd Dorton, BBA ’86, has been appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to serve on the family practice residency advisory committee. The committee is responsible for funding recommendations for the Higher Education Coordinating Board and other support programs.

Doyle R. Simons, BBA ’86, retired from his position as president and chief executive officer (CEO) at Weyerhaeuser Co. Simons has been president and CEO of Weyerhaeuser for the past five years.

Col. Jimmie “Pat” Brooks, BBA ’87, retired as vice commander of the 908th Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. Brooks served in the Air Force and Air Force Reserves for 30 years, serving in Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom. In his civilian occupation, Col. Brooks is an international first officer with Delta Airlines.

Steve McKechnie, MBA ’88, and

Jill Montgomery McKechnie, BBA ’87, are in The Woodlands, Texas (when not traveling) and are now enjoying empty nesthood. Jill is the customer service manager for ZMC, and Steve is a central region director for RGP’s advisory services.

Donovan (Don) Russell, BBA ’88, been named vice president of sales for Santa Cruz Nutritionals, the innovator and leading manufacturer of Gummy Vitamins and Supplements. He will oversee sales and product development in the consumer-packaged goods industry serving retailers worldwide.

Don W. Allen, BBA ’89, has joined the Orlando, Florida, office as a partner in the business law firm of Kelley Kronenberg. Allen has nearly three decades of experience handling workers’ compensation issues in Florida courts. He is admitted to practice law in Florida, the Florida Supreme Court, the United States District Court Middle District of Florida and the United States Supreme Court.

Deeanne King, BBA ’89, current senior vice president of omnichannel operations and customer experience at Sprint, has been named Sprint’s chief human resources officer. King has been with Sprint for nearly 30 years and has extensive management experience across a variety of business units, including care, operations and more than 13 years in human resources.

Don R. Reeves, BBA ’89, joined Roberts & Roberts in Tyler, Texas, in June, where he will continue to represent injured victims. Prior to this, Reeves worked as a personal injury attorney at Bennett Law Office in Longview, Texas, for approximately 19 years.

1990s

Brett H. Graham, BBA ’90, has been reappointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the board of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Graham is owner and chief executive officer of Graham International and serves as a board member of the Texas Association of Business, and a member of the Texas Automobile Dealers Association and the Texas Tire Dealers Association.

George Kazanas, BBA ’90, superintendent of Midway Independent School District, has been named the 2018 Region 12 Superintendent of the Year and regional nominee for the Texas Superintendent of the Year. Kazanas has overseen collaborative research partnerships with Baylor and teaches and mentors future administrators through Baylor’s educational leadership doctoral program. He also serves as a superintendent mentor.

Kelli C. Styron, BBA ’90, has been appointed interim vice president of Tarleton State University’s division of student affairs. Now dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, she began her new duties in January. Styron began at Tarleton in 1995 and has worked closely with the division of student affairs. She has served the institutional advancement and enrollment management divisions, led the social work, sociology and criminal justice department, and chaired the university’s compliance committee for accreditation. She was named dean in 2011.

Jim F. Andrews, Jr., MBA ’92, has been hired by PPGMR Law as its newest counsel to the firm in El Dorado, Arkansas. Andrews spent 17 years in a legal career at Deltic Timber Corp., with the last seven of those years as its vice president, general counsel and secretary.

Scott Delaney, BBA ’92, has joined Unichem Pharmaceuticals as president and chief executive officer and a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Delaney has more than 24 years of experience in brand and generic pharmaceutical management.

Carri Clark, BBA ’93, has joined Stinnett & Associates, a professional advisory firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as an associate. Clark has three years of public accounting experience, where she planned, directed and reviewed audits for businesses, not-for-profits, cities, counties and school districts.

Christopher Todd, BBA ’95, MBA ’95, has been promoted to a new strategic role as dual chief financial officer/chief operating officer for the transportation management and logistics service company NT Logistics Inc. He will oversee all of the company’s divisions as well as the fulfillment of several ongoing strategic imperatives.

Corey Bailey, BBA ’96, has been named senior vice president, chief credit officer and divisional credit administration officer for the Texas Market of Comerica Incorporated. In his role, Bailey will support middle market Texas, energy and U.S. banking.

Mark Embry, BS (Marketing) ’96, is co-founder of MedSys Group, a healthcare IT advisory firm in Dallas, Texas. MedSys Group was recently named as a small business partner to the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs EMR Modernization project team with Cerner Corporation.

Peter L. Sefzik, MBA ’98, has been named executive vice president – business at Comerica Bank. In his new role, Sefzik will lead Comerica’s business segment, which provides companies with an array of credit and non-credit financial products and services.

Chip Gaines, BBA ’98, and wife

Joanna Gaines, BA ’01, have invited the Church Under the Bridge to relocate to Magnolia Market at the Silos before the church is displaced by upcoming road construction in Waco, Texas. Chip has known about the ministry since he was a college student at Baylor and reached out to the church’s pastor after learning how the congregation would be impacted by construction.

Nancy (Payne) McEachern, BBA ’98, business development director and producer at Insurors of Texas, recently received the registered employee benefit consultant designation from The National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU). NAHU views this designation as the highest form of recognition in the health insurance industry, demonstrating McEachern’s commitment to educational leadership within the insurance profession.

Shawn Courtney, MBA ’99, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of ERIKS North America, an industrial service provider. He previously served as regional product director of ERIKS North America and president of ERIKS Seals and Plastics.

2000s

Clint Harp, BBA ’00, who gained fame as a craftsman on “Fixer Upper” and starred in his own DIY Network show, “Wood Work,” has written a book, “Handcrafted: A Woodworker’s Story.” The book is an ode to dreaming, hard work and risk-taking. He and his wife Kelly Harp, BS ’02, own Harp Design Co.

Reagan Rorschach, MBA ’00, has joined Stonebriar Commercial Finance as managing director of originations in the central region of the United States while based in Plano, Texas.

David Sullivan, BBA ’00, was cast in the recurring role of “Chris” in the eight-episode HBO series, “Sharp Objects,” starring Amy Adams. At Baylor, Sullivan played football for the Bears for one year, while also starring in theater productions and participating in Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Sullivan caught his big break by landing his first starring role as Abe in “Primer,” an independent film that claimed the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. From 2016-2017, Sullivan starred alongside Will Arnett in the Netflix series, “Flaked.”

Michael Brown, BBA ’01, MTax ’01, was recognized by The Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) with a Chairman’s Special Recognition Award for his role as chairman of the TSCPA strategic planning committee. The honor is bestowed on TSCPA members who have performed an extraordinary service. Brown is a shareholder in the business valuation/litigation support and tax departments with JRBT, an accounting firm in Waco, Texas. In addition to being licensed as a certified public accountant, Brown is also accredited in business valuation and certified in financial forensics. He has served the TSCPA in many roles including appointed member of AICPA Council, TSCPA Executive Board, TSCPA Board of Directors, Trustee of the TSCPA Accounting Education Foundation, several TSCPA committees as well as past president and director of the Central Texas chapter.

Ryan K. Patrick, BBA ’01, was sworn in at an investiture ceremony at the federal courthouse in Houston, Texas, as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. Patrick is a former state district judge and criminal lawyer.

Karee Huggins, BBA ’02, MBA ’03, has been promoted to vice president of sales for Blackmon Mooring & BMS CAT, a leader in disaster recovery. Huggins, who has been with Blackmon Mooring since 2006, will oversee all aspects of the national account team and influence all touchpoints of the sales channel.

Angela Ragan, BBA ’03, a senior manager with JRBT Certified Public Accountants in Waco, Texas, was named Young CPA of the Year by the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA). The award honors an individual 39 years of age or younger “who has made significant contributions to the accounting profession and the community and is a member of at least one other professional organization.” Ragan is a senior manager with JRBT. Ragan joined JRBT in 2005 shortly after earning her BBA in Accounting from Baylor. She’s a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Central Texas Chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs and the Texas Society of CPAs, of which she is on the Board of Directors. Ragan is involved in the community, serving as a board member for Compassion Ministries, where she held the positions of president, vice president and treasurer, and she was also a business advisory board member for the AJ Moore Academy, a magnet school in Waco that prepares students for success in post-secondary education and in the workplace. She is also a recent graduate of the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce Leadership Waco program and serves as a board member for Caritas, holding the officer position of secretary.

Dana Broadway, BBA ’04, MAcc ’04, has been appointed partner and president of Pattillo, Brown & Hill’s employee benefit practice, Benefits LLC. Broadway provides third-party administration and recordkeeping for flexible benefit and retirement plans.

Ben Lamm, BBA ’04, Dallas entrepreneur and co-founder of Conversable, has sold the company to a publicly-traded online messaging company that helped pioneer alternatives to customers’ long waits on the phone with call centers. Lamm is the former chief executive officer and co-founder of Chaotic Moon Studios, an Austin creative technology studio that consulting company Accenture bought in 2015. He and Austin entrepreneur Andrew Busey are also co-founders of Team Chaos, which was acquired by San Francisco gaming developer Zynga in 2016.

Justin Brasell, BBA ’06, MBA ’07, has been appointed executive vice president of the Transwestern Healthcare advisory services team in Houston, Texas. In his role, Brasell will work to support business development efforts, direct local initiatives and implement new technologies to support tenant and landlords involved with healthcare real estate.

Taylor L. Mathews, BBA ’08, has been promoted to accounting specialist in the oil & gas department of Gollob Morgan Peddy in Tyler, Texas. He played a key role in assisting clients in the area of oil & gas tax and audit by advising them on economic and political trends that may affect the business climate.

Mayra Jimenez, BBA ’09, is children’s program director and managing attorney at the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). Jimenez oversees more than 50 employees in the largest faction of RAICES that provides legal services to unaccompanied children in court.

2010s

Patrick Cummings, MBA ’11, has been named executive director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF), a nonprofit organization established to create an active forum for the exchange and curation of ideas designed to improve the prospects of the thoroughbred industry and its stakeholders.

Taylor Jessee, BBA ’12, MAcc ’12, has joined Taylor Hoffman, a Richmond, Virginia-based registered investment advisor, as a family wealth manager. He will serve as a dedicated financial planning resource for the firm’s clientele.

Jackson Wren, BBA ’15, and brother

Eric Wren, BA ’14, started a croissant-style doughnut venture called Nightlight Donuts, which continues to gain popularity at the Waco, Texas, Downtown Farmers Market. The twins previously founded Dapper Bear Clothiers, which sold neckties, bow ties and socks in green and gold plaid.

Stephanie Madrid, MBA ’17, has been selected as chair of the Local Leadership Board of Directors for the American Lung Association in Texas–Houston, which leads lung disease prevention and lung health initiatives in the state. Madrid is division vice president for Kindred Hospitals of Houston and is the integrated market leader supporting collaboration and strategic partnership between Kindred and its local partners. She began her career as a speech-language pathologist at Kindred Hospital–Houston Medical Center.

Hey, HSB Alumni!

Would you like to be featured in the fall 2019 Baylor Business Review Alumni News section? Submit your news online at bbr.baylor.edu/submit-alumni-news.

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Baylor Business Review, Spring 2019