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Class Notes - Fall 2020

1950s

The Oklahoman published commentary about the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, highlighting Hub Reed’s (BA Physical Education ’58) speech as the “favorite part of the day.”

The Black Chronicle featured Sylvia Ruth Townsend Menser (BA Psychology ’58) as the Editor’s Pick Front Page profile for her teaching legacy.

1960s

Darlington Public School in El Reno honored Terry Davis (BA ’65) for her 42 years of teaching and serving as its first kindergarten teacher.

A column by OCU trustee Jane Jayroe Gamble (BM ’69, HDHL ’11) in The Oklahoman headlined “Sometimes Surrender is the Pathway” includes a story from her time as a student at OCU. Another column in the series was about Phil Busey Sr. (BA History/Political Science ’74, JD ’77).

1970s

An article by Terry Zinn (BA Speech Theatre ’71) about former voice professor Florence Birdwell appeared in Senior News & Living.

The Oklahoma City Community Foundation elected Pete White (JD ’73) to its board of trustees.

Steven M. Angel (JD ’76) received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tim Colbert

Tim Colbert (JD ’76), former district judge and Chickasaw tribal legislator, will be inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame.
 

1980s

Donald Jordan (BA Speech Theatre ’80) was interviewed for an American Theatre magazine story about how theater companies are handling the pandemic, and he mentioned his CityRep partnership work with OCU on a racism awareness project.

Sam Houston (JD ’85) is the new publisher of the Hood County News in Texas.

RealClearDefense posted a report by Charles Barham (MBA ’86), a retired U.S. Army colonel, about the Department of Defense Humanitarian Assistance Program.

The Oklahoman ran a tribute story about artist Thomas Batista Correa (BA Art/Mass Communications ’84, MLA ’88).

The Rev. Greg Tolle (BA Religion ’88), pastor of First United Methodist of Wagoner, Oklahoma, was interviewed for the story “Ministers Called in Different Ways to Serve” in the Muskogee Phoenix.

Jan Gaddis (JD ’88), a Duncan, Oklahoma, attorney, was appointed to serve on the state’s Forensic Review Board.

LaVonda Jones (MBA ’89) was promoted to executive vice president and president of the Ada, Oklahoma, market/CIO for Vision Bank.

1990s

Jill Campbell (MBA ’90) was elected to the Georgia Power board of directors.

Trustee and alumnus the Rev. Dr. David Wilson (BA Mass Communications ’90) was appointed as assistant to the bishop’s office for the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Rick Reimer (MBA ’91) retired as director of the Northeast Tech Claremore Campus after 33 years with the Oklahoma school.

Kristin Chenoweth (BM Musical Theatre ’91, MM ’93, HDHL ’13) was a guest on the Actors Fund and SiriusXM Broadway show “Stars in The House,” a series featuring stars of stage and screen singing and performing live from home on social media to promote support for those most vulnerable to the effects of coronavirus. Chenoweth also led a vocal warmup for “The Disney Family Singalong” special on ABC, and was a guest on the “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” show on Bravo, where she adorned her tiara from her Miss OCU victory. Chenoweth also donned her Miss OCU tiara during an appearance on the CBS show “The Talk.”

Destan Owens (BM Musical Theater ’91) was a featured guest on the YouTube live-stream fundraiser “Black Lives Matter: A Virtual Celebration of Black Theatre Artists.”

Chris Harrison (BA Mass Communications ’93; HDFA ’15) was a participant in a DePaul University online class project that was covered in a Chicago Tribune story. The Athletic website featured Harrison in a story headlined “Why ‘The Bachelor’ franchise and ex-football players are the perfect match.” He was also featured in the ABC show “Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special.”

The Rev. Linda Harker (BA Religion ’93) announced her retirement as senior pastor of McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church in Norman, Oklahoma.

Ronald Plesco (JD ’93) joined the DLA Piper firm’s intellectual property and technology practice as a partner in the Philadelphia office.

Chuck Skillings (BS Competency-Based Degree Program ’93) retired as CEO of SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Shawnee in Oklahoma.

Charles Wagner (MBA ’93), senior vice president and chief information officer for the Franciscan Alliance Inc. hospital system, was listed as a 2020 CTO of the Year by the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Terri Avinnaq Walker (MEd ’94) was named superintendent of the Northwest Arctic Borough School District in Alaska.

The Kansas City National Security Campus named a scholarship award in memory of Lt. Darwin DuPree (MPA Music ’94).

Michelle Dolan (MM Musical Theater ’95) was appointed director of development and stewardship for Kansas Wesleyan University.

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (JD ’95) was the keynote speaker at the Reagan Day Dinner in North Carolina in March.

William (Bill) L. Bullock, Jr. (MBA Finance ’96) was named executive vice president and chief financial officer for ConocoPhillips.

Louis Ross (MA Criminal Justice Administration ’96) was named chief of campus police for Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma.

Dave Tomasi (MBA ’97) was named chief commercial officer of Bayer Consumer Health’s North America region.

The Messenger-Inquirer in Kentucky published a feature about Jeff Berry (JD ’98), a Major League Baseball player agent.

Kerry Anne Schultz (BS History, BA Political Science ’98), a manager and attorney with Fountain, Schultz & Bridgford, PLLC, was appointed to Florida’s Judicial Nominating Commission for the First Circuit.

Kelli O'Hara (BM '98; HDHL '15) did a live-stream benefit performance on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.” O’Hara also participated in a live-stream concert celebrating Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday and was the first featured artist in the weekly virtual “The Seth Concert Series.”

Jennifer M. Grigsby (MBA ’99) was highlighted in the Greater Tulsa Reporter column headlined “Women are Playing Vital Roles in Energy.”

2000s

Col. Kevin L. Sellers (MBA ’00, JD ’05) retired from the United States Air Force with 29 years of honorable service.

Beau M. Patterson (JD ’01) joined the Phillips Murrah P.C. firm’s Dallas office as a counsel attorney.

The Greater OKC Chamber’s Velocity “Audacity” podcast/video series did an interview with Coop Ale Works founder Daniel Mercer (BSB Economics ’01).

JC Shine (BS prior learning & University Studies-Technical Management ’02, MBA ’06), a technical officer in the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Section at the International Civil Aviation Organization, presented an overview of unmanned aerial vehicle model regulations before a trade group.

Kyle Dillingham (BM Instrumental Performance ’02) and Peter Markes (BM Instrumental Education ’01) were guests on the RFD-TV show “WoodSongs,” where they mentioned their goodwill music trips after meeting as music students at OCU.

Margaret Creighton (BS Dance Management ’02, MBA ’06) was named executive vice president for Positive Tomorrows, a school established for children who are experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City.

Former OCU basketball player K.T. Turner (BA Criminal Justice ’03) was named the associate head coach for the University of Texas Longhorns.

Ben Russ (JD ’04) was appointed to the board of directors for FTS International, Inc., an independent hydraulic fracturing service company based in Fort Worth, Texas.

Schulyer Adkins (MM Music Theater ’05) was hired to be a music teacher at Dewey Elementary.

State Sen. Carri Hicks (BA Broadcast/Political Science ’05, MLA ’09) was named to the Journal Record’s Achievers Under 40 list for 2020.

Anita Reynolds Howard (JD ’05) made history when she became the first African American person and first woman to be named district attorney of the Macon Judicial Circuit in Georgia.

Christina Chicoraske (BA Religion ’07), former OCU undergraduate admissions assistant director and current water conservation coordinator for Oklahoma City, was a guest on a recent “This is Oklahoma” podcast episode.

Erick Worrell (BA Public Relations ’07) was named executive director of marketing and PR for Oklahoma City Community College.

Tim Peerbolte (BS Education ’07), a theater teacher for Greenwood High School in Arkansas, was interviewed for a news story about teaching arts during a pandemic.

John Ratliff (JD ’07) was appointed city attorney for Lawton, Oklahoma.

Three women
Pictured are Kate Bacon, Family Builders executive director; Oklahoma First Lady Sarah Stitt; and Kelly Williams.

Kelly Williams (BS Psychology ’08), board president of Family Builders, presented Oklahoma First Lady Sarah Stitt with the Advocate of the Year Award at the Hope for Families Luncheon. 

Clinton Normore (MBA ’08), former OCU director of multicultural student affairs, was promoted to vice president of diversity and inclusion at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri.

Judge Trevor Pemberton (JD ’08) was appointed to the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals.

Crowe & Dunlevy named Jennifer Willey (JD ’08), Zane Anderson (JD ’12), and Paige Masters (JD ’12) as directors in the firm.

Matthew R. Schultz (BA Theatre Performance ’09), a financial advisor with Principal Life and Principal National Life Insurance companies, earned the Retirement Income Certified Professional designation from The American College of Financial Services.

The Oklahoman and El Dorado News-Times ran feature stories about Teresa Ritchie (BS Nursing ’09) and her journey to help in a New York City hospital’s ICU during the COVID-19 outbreak.

2010s

Singer and actress Heather Harris (BM Vocal Performance ’10, MM Musical Theater ’13) was the mistress of ceremonies for the Texas Cinderella Miss pageant.

Red Lake Nation News, the news source of the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota, featured Yukon attorney Pamela Kennedy (JD ’10) and her fused glass artwork.

Chaz Wolcott (BPA ’10) performed in “Broadway in Franklin” in March at the Black Box in Massachusetts. Wolcott also choreographed a 3D Theatricals production of “Newsies” as part of the 3D+U Thursday lineup.

Jacob Leighton Burns (BFA Film Studies ’10), Zachary Burns (BFA Photography ’10), and Vinnie Hogan (BM Composition ’08) were interviewed about their film “Shifter” for the Indie Horror Rising podcast. Jacob Leighton Burns also participated in a Virtual Orbiter screening of the film as part of the Other Worlds Film Festival.

Sasha Hutchings (BPA Dance ’11) was amongst several guest stars performing with a "Hamilton" Zoom flash mob on the "Some Good News with John Krasinski" show. Hutchings appears in the film version of “Hamilton,” which was released this summer on Disney+. She is also a host of a new talk show series on BroadwayWorld TV called “Chaos Twins,” which premiered in June, and was on the judges panel for BroadwayWorld’s “Next on Stage” Dance Edition” student video competition.

Greg Butz (BM Music/Emphasis in Business ’11) was hired as an associate with Sumner Schick, a Dallas-based law firm.

Woman with glasses smiling
Kassie McCoy

The Claremore Daily Progress featured Rogers County (Oklahoma) Associate District Judge Kassie McCoy (JD ’12) in its “Know Your Neighbor” series.

Former OCU runner Aleia Gordon (BS Biomedical Science ’12) was the subject of a KXII Sports Rewind in Ardmore.

Brandon Cooper (JD ’12) opened a new law practice in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Andrew Byrd (MBA/JD ’12) is leading the new Kansas City, Missouri, office of Generational Group, a mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held, middle market businesses.

Bailey Perkins (BA Political Science ’12), vice chair of the Oklahoma Women’s Coalition, moderated a panel discussion with a group of leaders called Black Women Voices on issues of race and justice.

Kyle Lacy (BM Music Theater ’13) released his debut album “The Road to Tomorrow.”

Woman in front of America's Got Talent banners
Eileen Chase

Eileen Chase (BFA Acting ’13) performed on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”

Biology professor Dr. Tony Stancampiano and his daughter, Angelina Stancampiano (BS Biology ’14), a naturalist at Sequoyah State Park in Oklahoma, participated in a webinar and were mentioned in a Tahlequah Daily Press story about the Bathtub Rocks natural feature in the J.T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve in Cherokee County.

Steven D. Powell (BS Nursing ’14) was deployed to Puerto Rico by the Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System of the Department of Veterans Affairs for two weeks in January to help with relief efforts related to a 6.4-magnitude earthquake. Also in January, Powell began a new appointment on the Health Policy Committee of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. He was one of two national scholarship winners to attend the Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs Hill Day in Washington, D.C.

Performance Today on American Public Media played music by Katie Barrick (BM Music Business ’15) during its July 17 program.

Seth Sloan (JD ’15) joined Crowe & Dunlevy as an associate in the firm’s Dallas office.

Dr. Sadeq AL-Fayyadh (DP Nursing ’15) had an article published in the Ethics, Medicine and Public Health journal titled “Whose Life Is It Anyway? A Reflective Dialogue between Religious and Secular Bioethical Perspectives.” AL-Fayyadh, who teaches at the University of Baghdad College of Nursing, wrote to his Kramer School of Nursing professors, saying “even after five years of graduation from the KSN program, it is still fruitful, simply because it is a lifelong productive program—a program whose educational seeds continue to grow everywhere and anywhere!”

Roy Samra (BFA Acting ’15) made his Mercury Theater Chicago debut as part of the ensemble in the musical “Priscilla Queen of the Desert.”

Former OCU golfer Taylor Cusack (BS Kinesiology and Exercise Studies ’15) is the co-host of “Swing Clinic” on Fox Sports.

Jacintha (Bachman) Webster (JD ’16) became a professor of politics, law, and society for East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.

Caitlin Crabill (MM Opera Performance ’16) stepped into the leading role in the Sarasota Opera (Florida) production of “La Wally.”

Madison Moody (BFA Studio Art ’17, MA Non-Profit Leadership ’18) was a curator for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s Momentum exhibition in March.

Daniel McClain (BBA Accounting ’17, MS Accounting ’19) was promoted to senior associate at BKD CPAs & Advisors.

Mathew Hester (BFA Film Production ’17) completed a master’s in English at University of New Orleans last spring and received a doctoral fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. this fall at Texas Tech University.

Grace Lewis (BM Instrumental Performance ’17) co-founded and is a double-bass instructor for the distance-learning Motivation Orchestra Camp.

Oklahoma’s Nursing Times ran a feature story about Matt Logan (BS Nursing ’17), an ER nurse at Integris Community Hospital–West.

Rutgers University–Camden fine arts grad student Patience Williams (BA English ’17) was a semi-finalist for the Fulbright Scholarship competition. Williams was named a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in the highly competitive Netherlands program.

Cover of Bass World magazine
Abby McBroom

Abby McBroom (BMIE ’18, MM ’20) was appointed assistant orchestra director at Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City. McBroom was featured on the cover of an issue of Bass World, the magazine for the International Society of Bassists.

Nicolette Winterscheidt (MS Physician Assistant Studies ’18) is one of the providers for Oklahoma State University’s telemedicine psychiatric services for students.

KFOR in Oklahoma City featured law alumnus James Blaise (JD ’18) and his inspirational story of how he became a lawyer.

Abby Peek (BFA Acting ’19) performed in “Young and With Time” at Dixon Place in New York City.

Sara Byerly (BFA Acting ’19) starred in “The Library” at Carpenter Square Theatre in Oklahoma City.

Cassidy Jasperson (BS Elementary Education ’19), coach of the state’s first high school girls wrestling program in Broken Arrow, was interviewed for a story in The Oklahoman headlined “How Girls’ Wrestling is Taking Another Step Toward Inclusion in Oklahoma.”

The Journal Record’s Oklahoma Joe column featured Claire Pedulla (BS Nursing ’19), a registered nurse at the OU Health Sciences Center, on her experiences in treating COVID-19 patients.

Oklahoma’s Nursing Times ran a feature story about Gretchen Chafey (BS Nursing ’19), a nurse at Integris Community Hospital.

Erin Davis (BA English ’19) was accepted into the graduate English program at Tulane University.

Laura Leigh Turner (BM Music Theater ’19) earned her first Broadway credit with the role of Karen Smith in the Tony-nominated hit “Mean Girls.”

Vanessa Martinez (JD ’19) joined the Stange Law Firm’s Oklahoma City office as junior associate attorney.

Laley Freeman (BA ’19) was hired as youth director for Bartlesville First Church.

Film production alumni Mary McLain (BFA ’19) and Hannah Rogers (BFA ’20) served as student liaisons at this summer’s at-home version of the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, usually held at Quartz Mountain. Associate professor Bryan Cardinale-Powell was also a member of the film faculty at OSAI.

Allen S.D. Zomonway (MA Nonprofit Leadership ’19), hospital administrator at Ganta United Methodist Mission in Liberia, was featured in a United Methodist News story headlined “AU (Africa University) Health Care Grads on COVID-19 Front Lines.”

Dr. Eman Alslman (Ph.D. Nursing ’19) published an article in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health titled “Alexithymia, Fibromyalgia, and Psychological Distress Among Adolescents: Literature Review,” based on Alslman’s dissertation research.

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