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Susanna Hickman Bartee is the co-author with her father of the political novel Average Joe: The Story of an Unlikely Candidate (Tate, 2010).
Tania Cordobés (M.M.T. ’96) released her third CD, a Latin fusion of original contemporary Spanish and English songs.
Melissa Stephens Gaha owns a PR firm in Australia and is currently working with the United Nations on small country development. She is married and has two children: Caleb, 9, and Tessa, 7.
Eddie Hale is a partner with Chad Costas ’93, ’99, John McFarland ’96 and Brett Dougall ’98 in the three-year-old Black Lab Creative, a Dallas-based full service, award-winning marketing and advertising agency, which helps its clients build brand awareness and drive business through strategically based, unique creative solutions.
Gary H. Jacobs is an international business manager for Bell Helicopter, specializing in business in Asia. He and his wife, Ann, live in Lewisville, TX, with their two dachshunds.
Frank A. McGrew IV joined investment bank Morgan Keegan as head of industrial investment banking on a global basis. He will remain in Nashville with his wife and two daughters, ages 5 and 7.
Jeffrey E. Shokler received a 2010 Norman Bassett Award for Outstanding Achievement in Student Services from the Student Personnel Association at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is associate director of the College of Letters and Sciences Honors Program.
Leah Stech married Greg Eknoyan in 1993. They live in Houston with their children, Sarah, 9, and Will, 7. She volunteers at her children’s elementary school and St. Martin’s Episcopal Church.
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Kimberly Grigsby was music supervisor for the production It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman at the Wyly Theatre in Dallas June 18-July 25, 2010.
Chris Hury had a lead role in the play Cymbeline at last summer’s Shakespeare Dallas.
Ted Richards has a new book, Soccer and Philosophy: Beautiful Thoughts on the Beautiful Game (Open Court Publishing), a collection of 31 essays by an international group of authors about the game they love. He teaches in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Tennessee.
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E. F. (Mano) DeAyala is a new partner in the Houston-based law firm Buck Keenan LLP, focusing on business and commercial litigation and arbitration.
Lawrence Grimm has a practice, Premier Sports Chiropractic, in Dallas.
Jeffrey D. (Jeff) Smith has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of the Lancaster, PA-based High Industries Inc. effective April 1, 2010. He will provide leadership and direction to High Steel Structures Inc., High Concrete Group LLC and High Steel Service Center LLC.
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Hilaree Casada (J.D. ’00) joined Dallas-based Cowles & Thompson as a senior attorney in the appellate practice group. She has been recognized as a Texas Rising Star in Texas Monthly magazine each year since 2005 and was recently named in D magazine as one of the Best Women Lawyers in Dallas for 2010.
Chad Costas (M.B.A. ’99) is a founding partner of Black Lab Creative, a marketing and advertising agency awarded a bronze ADDY by the Dallas Ad League for the design and development of the 2009-10 Baylor Health Care System Foundation Annual Fund campaign. Other partners are Eddie Hale ’90, John McFarland ’96 and Brett Dougall ’98.
Bryan Daley lives in Lexington, KY, with his wife, Shari Beth, and daughter Sophie, 1. He is in private practice as a personal injury attorney with Bryan Begley Daley PLLC and serves at Quest Community Church in his free time.
Randy Flores is an attorney in Corpus Christi, TX. He has two children: Mia, 5, and Zachary, 6.
Michael A. Greenberg earned a Ph.D. in political science from The University of Texas at Dallas in May 2010. He is project management director at RealPage and lives in Dallas with his wife, Katie, and daughter Isabelle.
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Tiffany Dessert married Edward (Skip) Austin Guthrie III in Houston March 13, 2010. After honeymooning in Spain and Italy, they returned to Houston, where she is a senior project manager at Plains All American Pipeline LP.
Dr. Ronald D. (Ron) Henderson is in his fourth year as senior pastor at Custer Road United Methodist Church in Plano, TX. The city’s mayor proclaimed June 27, 2010, Dr. Ronald D. Henderson Day in recognition of the positive impact the church has had on the community under Dr. Henderson’s vision and guidance.
Jerry Ward and his wife, Sandra Beltran, are owners of the Ikal 1150 winery in Argentina. The first vintage of the Ikal 1150 Malbec 2007 took a silver medal last April in the prestigious Dallas Morning News wine competition from among 3,000 entries, and their Ikal 1150 Torrontes 2008 won bronze. Last spring they showcased their wine at California restaurants, wine bars and upscale venues, scheduling wine dinners and tastings from Los Angeles to San Diego. The couple and their daughter live in Houston.
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Julie Fort has been recognized among the Top 50 Women in Business by McKinney Living Magazine, and she was listed in D magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas in Land Use and Environment. She is a partner at Strasburger & Price LLP.
Gavin Harris and his wife, Lisa, of Atlanta announce the birth of Graham Michael Jan. 14, 2010; their daughter is Claire.
Joel M. Price is choral director at Westwood Junior High School and the 2005 Secondary Teacher of the Year for the Richardson (TX) Independent School District. He will conduct the 2011 Mississippi Junior High All-State Choir.
Kristin Trahan Winford was a finalist in the M&A Advisor’s Top 40 Under 40 awards. She is a managing director at Mesirow Financial Consulting and will graduate in December with an M.B.A. from Arizona State University. She lives in Scottsdale with her husband, Craig, and their sons, Jackson, 8, and Dylan, 6.
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Shannon Dill Fischer and her husband, Cristian, celebrated their first wedding anniversary Aug. 15, 2010, and are expecting a son in December.
Suzy Rossol Matheson accepted the Exceptional Service Award from the American Dance Therapy Association at the 45th annual conference in New York Sept. 24, 2010, for contributions to the profession of dance/movement therapy and to the association.
John McFarland is one of four SMU alumni-partners in Dallas-based Black Lab Creative, a full service, award-winning marketing and advertising agency celebrating three years in business. Other partners are Eddie Hale ’90, Chad Costas ’93, ’99 and Brett Dougall ’98.
Mike McInnis announces the birth of his third son, Nathan John, March 6, 2010. In May Mike closed his medical practice to become director of production at Doctors in Training, a medical education company based in Fort Worth.
Nefeterius Akeli McPherson (J.D. ’08) is senior media affairs liaison/spokeswoman for U.S. Ambassador Ron Kirk in Washington, DC
Julie Meyers Pron is owner/editor of Just-Precious.com, founded in October 2009. She is a freelance writer, former elementary school teacher, professional journalist and marketing and PR representative. She lives in the West Chester area of Pennsylvania with her husband and three children.
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Emily Hughes Armour and her husband, John Armour ’96, welcomed their first child, Rowan Elizabeth, April 22, 2010.
Wendy Arthurs was elected precinct committeewoman in Gallatin County, MT, on the primary ballot.
Josh Gregory coached the men’s golf team at Augusta State to the NCAA golf championship title, beating Oklahoma State.
Jennifer Greene Kinser and Scot Kinser ’98 announce the birth of their second child, Megan Elaine, Nov. 28, 2009.
Cooper Smith Koch and his partner, Todd Koch, adopted a son, Mason, and a daughter, Claire, both 1. Cooper is principal of the Dallas PR firm Cooper Smith Agency.
Eve Hallock Rullo has two sons: Grayson, born June 29, 2009, and Luke.
Christine Bittel Skiles announces the birth of Campbell Elizabeth March 15, 2010. Her sons are Michael Raymond and Matthew Kevyn.
Kelley Beirne Stephens and her husband, Harry Earl (Steve) Stephens Jr. ’92, welcomed daughter Quincy Kathleen March 23, 2010.
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Erin Devins married Todd Pruetz in 2001. They live in San Antonio with their son, 7, and twin daughters, 4.
Brett Dougall is a partner in Black Lab Creative, a Dallas marketing and advertising agency built by four SMU alumni. Other partners are Eddie Hale ’90, Chad Costas ’93, ’99 and John McFarland ’96.
Benjamin Lavine is co-owner of Stone Acorn Builders LP in Houston, focusing on new construction in-fill projects in Bellaire, West University and urban Houston. In August 2009 Stone Acorn Builders was selected by Southern Living Magazine to be a part of the exclusive Southern Living Custom Builder Program.
David Ovard, a business litigation attorney at Strasburger & Price LLP, is a 2010 Texas Rising Star in the April issue of Texas Monthly magazine.
Gabe Reed hosted Lady Gaga and Motley Crüe’s Vince Neil at the KISS concert in Holmdel, NJ. He will promote South American tours for the Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb in December 2010 and Motley Crüe in 2011.
Rhonda Nicole (Buni) Tankerson released her debut EP Nuda Veritas in early 2010.
Jennifer Clark Tobin (J.D. ’01) received the 2009-10 Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award at the annual Law Day luncheon sponsored by the Dallas Bar Association.
John Willding joined Strasburger & Price LLP as a partner in the corporate and securities practice group. He was previously with the firm Haynes and Boone LLP.
Nancy Williams is assistant district attorney in Johnson County, TX. Nichole L. Wright is president of Bon Vivant Events LLC. After 10 years in New York City, she returned to Austin a year ago, where she planned the Fashion in Flight runway fashion show and charity benefit for Austin Pets Alive held Aug. 19, 2010.
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Brian Corrigan opened a solo criminal law practice in Rockwall and Dallas last May after 10 years as a prosecutor. He and his wife, Sarah, live in Heath, TX, with their daughters, Campbell and Bailey.
Niels G. Jensen and his wife, Katherine Bilowus Jensen ’00, announce the birth of their son, Erik Christian, June 15, 2010. They live in Nassau, The Bahamas, where Niels is director of The Clipper Group, an international shipping consortium. He recently celebrated 11 years with Clipper and has been named to the group’s board of directors.
Robert Kehr married Christine Frye May 1, 2010, in Fresno, CA. He is director of product management at Gemini Mobile Technologies.
Jadd Masso has been named a 2010 Texas Rising Star by Texas Monthly magazine. He is a business litigation attorney at Strasburger & Price LLP in Dallas.
Aimee Williams Moore is a litigation attorney at Sayles Werbner named to The Best Women Lawyers in Dallas 2010. Previously she was recognized in D magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas and in Texas Monthly’s Texas Rising Stars.