Alumni News
1940s
The Honorable Judge William Fain Rutherford, BBA ’49, JD ’51, passed away on Feb. 1, 2022, in Norfolk, Virginia. Rutherford served the City of Norfolk for eight years as the commonwealth’s attorney and then as a judge in the Norfolk Circuit Court before retiring in 2000.
1980s
Roland Garcia, BBA ’81, was named one of the best lawyers in America in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the area of government relations practice. He was also named as a Texas Super Lawyer in business litigation.
Kathy “Kat” Schwaig, BBA ’84, was nominated and approved to serve as Kennesaw State University’s sixth president. Schwaig entered the role on Mar. 16, 2022, after serving eight months as the university’s interim president.
Gene Wolf, BBA ’88, joined the Family Endeavors Foundation Board of Directors. Wolf is a managing partner at Kemp Smith Law, with an emphasis on tax, probate and trust, estate and business planning.
Mark P. Yablon, BBA ’88, began working as a litigation attorney at Guerra Days Law Group PLLC. Based in Houston, Yablon’s statewide practice focuses on entrepreneurs dealing with civil litigation, real estate, business and family law, bankruptcy and probate.
1990s
John Rainey, BBA ’93, MBA ’95, was named the chief financial officer at Walmart Inc., effective June 6. Rainey had served as CFO of PayPal for the previous seven years.
Christopher Trowbridge, BBA ’95, JD ’98, served as chair of the board of directors for Thanks-Giving Square during the 2021–2022 term. Trowbridge is the managing partner at Bell Nunnally and is recognized on the “Texas Hall of Fame Verdicts” list.
Shelia Darby, BBA ’99, was announced as senior valuation expert at Lion Business Brokers. In this role, Darby will provide third-party financial analytics and valuation assistance.
Darren Durrett, BBA ’99, was hired by Dallas Capital Bank to serve as the executive vice president of Commercial Banking. Durrett most recently served as the Dallas market president for Truist.
2000s
Corbin E. Goerlich, BBA ’00, was recognized for his work on the first genetically engineered pig-to-human cardiac xenotransplantation. Goerlich is a general surgery resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a postdoctoral fellow in the Cardiac Xenotransplantation lab of Muhammad Mohiuddin and Bartley Griffith at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Joe Lavis, BBA ’00, was promoted to partner at Whitley Penn. Lavis joined the firm in 2011 and has experience advising clients on tax and advisory matters, focusing on partnerships, corporations and high-net-worth individuals.
Thasunda Brown Duckett, MBA ’01, was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve on the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Duckett was also appointed to the Brex Board of Directors as of Jan. 1, 2022.
Thomas O. Anderson, Jr., BBA ’02, joined the Cherry Petersen Landry Albert LLP firm as senior counsel. Anderson has extensive experience focusing exclusively on commercial real estate transactions.
Mike Sander, BBA ’03, was named DFW Division president for History Maker Homes in March 2022. In this role, Sander will lead operations in land, sales and construction in the Dallas/Fort Worth market.
Kevin Lee, EMBA ’05, was hired as CEO for BR Restaurant Holdings, LP, which owns and operates Burning Rice restaurants. Lee entered the role in March 2022.
2010s
Joseph Korbel, BBA ’12, joined Davis, Cedillo & Mendoza as an associate. He will work in the Insurance/Tort Defense, Commercial Litigation and Business/Transactional areas of the practice.
Ben Byrum, BBA ’14, recently joined National Oilwell Varco as a buyer. Byrum is also a writer for the men’s devotional magazine, Stand Firm, published by Lifeway Christian Resources.
Ken Strutz, MBA ’14, joined the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute’s executive leadership team as chief information officer. He will be responsible for all information and technology operations and for driving digital innovation throughout the company.
Ashley Williams, MBA ’18, was recognized with a John Deere DEI Award for her contributions in elevating the diversity, equity and inclusion of John Deere suppliers. Williams has served as the supplier diversity manager with the organization since November 2020.
2020s
Maria Morales Menendez, MBA ’20, was named to Modern Healthcare‘s “Top 25 Emerging Leaders” list. Morales Menendez serves as the chief operating officer for Delray Medical Center in Delray Beach, Florida.
Baylor Business Review, Fall 2022