2000
Quinton Crenshaw has joined Carlson Restaurants Worldwide as director of communications, overseeing employee and executive communications and public relations for the U.S. division of T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants. Previously he was senior manager of global communications for Kimberly-Clark Corporation.
Tré Douglas received a Master of Science degree in health care administration from the University of Maryland, University College May 12, 2012. He completed an internship at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital with the Internal Audit Department.
Tammy Nguyen Lee was a recipient of the 2012 National Association of Asian American Professionals Leaders of Excellence Award. She was honored in 2010 with SMU’s Emerging Leader Award. She and husband George Lee, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, are founders of ATG Against The Grain Productions, a nonprofit organization that produces films, media, programs and events that promote awareness and unity of Asian- American culture, artistry and identity.
2001
Kenyon Adams is a vocalist, songwriter and actor in plays and the movie “Lucky Life.” He performs original music in New York City and recently released an EP. In 2011 he joined American Restless, a Brooklyn-based blues-rock band in which he sings, writes and plays harmonica. He works as arts ministries coordinator at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Hear Kenyon at www.reverbnation.com/kenyonadams.
Michael Arthur Harper (M.S. ’03, Ph.D. ’09) received the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award from the Secretary of the Navy, honoring his service from June 2009 to June 2012 as the Office of Naval Research Science Advisor for Commander, Naval Forces Central Command and Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet. His efforts supported Partnership-Strength Presence; Maritime Security Operations; the Struggle Against Violent Extremism; and Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. He was selected recently to serve as associate director for Irregular and Expeditionary Warfare with the Office of Naval Research.
2002
Jonathan Adamson has been named a partner in the Dallas office of Hall Capital Partners to lead the company’s presence in Texas. His experience managing private equity funds in the distribution, manufacturing, energy and real estate sectors will benefit Hall’s growth in Texas.
Misty Morley Broome (J.D. ’08) is a partner in the recently formed Dallas law firm Johnson Broome Cantu PC.
Jonathan Childers, an attorney with Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail Shank LLP in Dallas, was named to the 2012 Texas “Rising Stars” list published in the April 2012 Texas Monthly magazine.
Holly F. Smith owns Holly Smith Reps in Dallas, representing local commercial photographers and a video production company.
The Rev. Michael W. Waters (M.Div. ’06) and his wife, Yulise Reaves Waters (J.D. ’08) announce the birth of their third child, daughter Liberty Grace, Feb. 1, 2012. He is founding pastor of Joy Tabernacle A.M.E. Church in Dallas, and she is an assistant city attorney for the City of Dallas. Michael has been interviewed by the British Broadcasting Corporation and National Public Radio for recent writings. Last May he was awarded a $10,000 fellowship from the Beatitudes Society, one of only eight emerging faith leaders from across the United States to be so recognized. The yearlong fellowship will equip him with the resources and relationships to create new models for church and the pursuit of social justice. He is completing a Doctor of Ministry degree at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology.
2003
Dodee Frost Crockett was recognized on Barron’s magazine’s list of “America’s Top 100 Women Financial Advisors” published June 4, 2012. She lives in Dallas and has been at the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management office for 32 years.
Ashley Hamilton has returned from working abroad with Disney Cruise Lines and recently took a position with Anthony Travel Inc. as an event manager.
Eddie Healy began playing guitar at age 13. Now he is a classical guitarist, composer and performer in Dallas-Fort Worth and music instructor at several area colleges. “Direction” is his new album of guitar music he composed. Listen to the entire CD at http://www.reverbnation.com/eddiehealy.
Jerrika Hinton wrote, produced and directed a short film, “The Strangely Normal,” which is now on the festival circuit.
Bill LaRossa has become a partner with HelioPro LLC, a manufacturer of customized magnetic bracelets. His entrepreneurial endeavors include LaRossa Shoe Inc., a past recipient of the SBANE New England Innovation Award. He is a principal of W.L. Trading LLC, the exclusive distributor of the Primigi brand of children’s clothing and shoes from Italy, and a board member of the McDonough Foundation and the Catholic Charities Leadership Council. He lives in Hingham, MA, with his wife, Gina (’84), and daughter, Olivia.
James McClurdy is a Marine staff sergeant and member of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. He recently met with WWII veterans at their memorial in Washington, DC, and played “Taps” for their fallen comrades.
Eva Parks joined NBC 5 Investigates as an investigative producer in 2012. In their first year together, the investigative team has won two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, for Best News Series and Continuing Coverage, and nationaly, the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Award for Best Investigative Report.
John Rosenbaum announces the birth of Grayson and Weston, his second set of twins in two years.
2004
Jennifer Bronstein partnered with Allison Darby Gorjian and Betsy Dalton Roth to found a new theater company in Los Angeles: Little Candle Productions. Their mission is to bring large-scale theatrical events to the stage for a single, affordable performance. The first production was Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” at a 1,400-seat theater. Jennifer writes that Little Candle Productions is a fiscally sponsored arts organization, so all donations are 100 percent fully tax deductible (www.littlecandleproductions.com).
Virginia Kull is a theater actress in New York City. Performing in “Rapture, Blister, Burn” at Playwright Horizons, she was reviewed in the New York City Stage June 8, 2012, as stealing the show, definitely someone to watch out for on the New York City stage. The New York Times has described her as “lovely, convincing, and so good.”
Blake C. Norvell, a 2007 graduate of UCLA Law, was published in law journals at Yale, USC and Temple, one of the highest honors a practicing attorney or law professor can receive. The full text of each article is available on WestLaw and LexisNexis, databases used by attorneys and judges for legal research. He has lectured on the articles and has been invited to New York City to give four lectures to attorneys.
2005
Ashley Arendale (M.S.A. ’06) married Elvin Lewis Baum II on August 25, 2013, in Littleton, Colorado. The newlyweds reside in Denver and Colorado Springs, where Elvin serves at Fort Carson as a member of the United States Army. She is an investment accounting director at Archstone, a luxury apartment owner, developer and operator.
Emily Jordan Cox and her husband, Grant, welcomed their first son, George Steven, May 1, 2012. She is director of policy for Governor Mike Beebe of Arkansas.
Carl Dorvil (M.B.A. ’08) is president and CEO of Group Excellence, listed in Inc. Magazine as one of the country’s 500 fastest-growing private companies for 2011, the only tutoring or K-12 education-related company on the list. He founded Group Excellence in 2004 while an undergraduate at SMU. Now the Dallas-based company has divisions in San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Fort Worth. Using college students and young professionals as mentors and role models, Group Excellence provides tutoring programs to school districts and community organizations throughout Texas. Carl recently announced a branding campaign, including a new logo and website.
Emily Robards married Jay Minner last May 12 at Eden Gardens State Park in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. They live in Atlanta, where she is on SMU’s Atlanta Alumni Board and volunteers for the SMU Centennial Campaign.
Craig B. Smith is a community advocate and financial analyst for the City of Dallas, very involved with the Trinity River corridor project. The corridor is an area of urban open space and forest spanning 20 miles through the center of the city. He also works in business development with the country of Chile.
2006
Melissa G. Iyer has been named a shareholder of Burch & Cracchiolo in the Phoenix office. Since joining the firm in 2006, she played a key role in a landmark case before the Supreme Court of the United States.
Brent Loewen is founder and CEO of Cube Billing, a Cloud-based cost allocation and chargeback system.
Joshua L. (Josh) Peugh went to Seoul, Korea, after graduation to perform ballet and stayed on as a freelance modern dance artist, co-founding Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, an award-winning international group with performances in Korea, China and Japan. He also is associate choreographer and performer with the Bruce Wood Dance Project. Returning to Dallas in early 2012, he put together a “Slump-in-Korea” campaign that raised over $10,000 to pay airfare and accommodations for himself and his cast of six dancers to perform “Slump,” a wild, aggressive dance about courtship and the instinctual rituals of mating, at its international premiere in Seoul September 26-28.
Christopher J. (Joe) Theriot was recently elected by the Texas Bar Foundation to membership in the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation. He is an attorney at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC.
2007
Christopher Haug conquered the second of the Seven Summits – the highest mountain on each continent – last New Year’s Day by successfully scaling Argentina’s 22,841-foot-high Cerro Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside the Himalayas.
2008
Luca Cacioli has relocated to Cleveland as the new director of operations for CEIA USA, a worldwide leader in induction heating systems and metal detection for security, industrial and ground search applications. He is responsible for operations of the North America office.
Ken Morris announces his latest projects in creating art with a direct benefit to the community. His coloring book series, Paul and Friends, is available on Amazon. The earnings from volume two, Paul and Friends: Again, will be donated to The USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. Future releases of the coloring book series will benefit other organizations, hence the theme “coloring for the cause.”
Senthil Velayudham was elected vice president of finance and operations for high performance analog at Texas Instruments Inc., where he has worked since 1998.
2009
William J. (Bill) Chinn has started a new business, Amy Kate Miniature Gardens. He writes that such gardens can be created in terrariums, planter bowls, old wooden drawers or added into an existing potted plant. The good news is that there is no right or wrong in personalized mini gardening with its tiny little plants and dollhouse-sized accessories.
Thomas R. Hegi (right) has been elected a partner of the firm Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP. Hegi’s law practice includes corporate and partnership tax, executive/employee compensation, income tax, state and local taxation, aviation law and corporate transactions including hedge funds, partnerships and joint venture transactions, and private equity. A graduate of SMU’s Dedman School of Law, he joined the firm as an associate in 2006. Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP is a limited liability partnership with more than 139 resident attorneys in its offices in Fort Worth and Austin.
John C. Huddleston is a Navy seaman who recently completed eight weeks of U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, IL, which included classroom study, naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, shipboard and aircraft safety, physical fitness and the capstone event: battle stations, an exercise to give recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet.
Andrew Taylor Lipsett was named Team USA’s Player of the Game at the 2012 International Paralympic Committee Sledge Hockey World Championship competition in Hamar, Norway, in March, when he scored three goals and added an assist to help the U.S. National Sledge Hockey Team to a 5-1 victory over Korea in the gold-medal game. Excelling at his sport, he is an inspirational motivational speaker throughout the country. He works for Bank of America in Dallas and is studying for a master’s degree in finance and banking. He and his wife, Antonina Kathleen Mathews, live in Plano, TX.
Rachel C. Stuart will marry Joshua M. Duke ’10 in June. They will relocate to Tallahassee, FL, where she has accepted a Ph.D. offer with Florida State University’s English department. Rachel has been awarded FSU’s Elliott Butt Loyless Doctoral Fellowship. Josh will continue to pursue business ventures in web design and digital marketing.
2010
Dee Donasco was selected to be an apprentice artist at the prestigious Chautauqua Opera Festival in summer 2012, one of only eight chosen from 600 auditions by the opera institute. In July she received a rave review from a Young Artist concert in Chautauqua, NY.
2011
J. Stirling Barrett was a successful photographer at age 17 but wanted to continue to develop as an artist. He moved back to New Orleans after his SMU graduation, inspired by the landscape and vitality of the city and its people. This year he showed his art at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; he had one exhibition in June and will have another in December 2012 at Scott Edwards Gallery. With his photographic collage style, his photography captures the New Orleans state of mind and the pulse of the city. Above all, he wants to create art that everyone can appreciate and afford.