Class Notes
Sandi McDermott (’06 MSN, Nursing) has been named director at the Tarleton State University center at Navarro College’s Midlothian campus. McDermott will coordinate one graduate and six undergraduate programs offered in Midlothian as well as oversee services for more than 250 students. She joined Tarleton in 2014 as director of health and service professions at the university’s Fort Worth campus.
Wrennah Gabbert (’85 BSN, Nursing; ’90 MSN) is the James A. “Buddy” Davidson Chair in Nursing Excellence in the College of Health and Human Services at Angelo State University. The endowed chair was established through a $1 million grant from the James A. “Buddy” Davidson Charitable Foundation in Midland, TX.
Giancarlo Lyle-Edrosolo (’07 BSN, Nursing) was appointed to a two-year term on the board of directors of the American Organization of Nurse Executives. He is service line manager in critical care at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and is a doctoral candidate in the Doctor of Nursing practice program at the University of San Francisco.
1980s
Gary Tucker (’80 BSN, Nursing; ’82 MSN) is president and chief executive officer of Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, N.Y. He served as senior vice president and chief operating officer there since 2008.
1990s
Debra K. Grant (’90 BSN, Nursing) is chief nursing officer at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford. Previously she was chief nursing officer for Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in California.
Tonya Sosebee (’93 BSN, Nursing) is assistant chief nursing officer at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Azle. She began her career at Texas Health Azle where she served as the medical-surgical and ICU director, a role she will continue to hold while in her new position. Prior to joining Texas Health, she worked for 20 years at Cook Children’s Healthcare System, where she also served in leadership roles.
Chad McBroom (’97 BA, Exercise & Sport Science) is a football and baseball assistant coach at North Crowley High School.
2000s
Cherie Six (’00 BSN, Nursing) received the Excellence in Leadership Award as Nurse Manager of the Year at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. She has been a nurse for 40 years, the past 10 at Hendrick.
Kaci Hickox (’02 BSN, Nursing) was named 2014 Woman of the Year last year by mtvU.com, MTV’s website for college students. She spent much of 2014 working with Doctors Without Borders in impoverished areas of Burma, Sudan, and Nigeria, and she traveled to Sierra Leone to help fight the spread of a deadly Ebola outbreak that has killed thousands in Africa.
Calvin Banks (’04 BA, Kinesiology) is director of training and development of Benchmark Hospitality International in The Woodlands, Texas. Previously he was director of training for The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. He has served in several positions of increasing responsibility for Gaylord hotels, including director of training and senior training manager.
Olabisi Eseyin (’06 BSN, Nursing) completed her master's degree in nursing administration at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio in May 2015.
Stephanie Campbell (’07 BSN, Nursing) came to the UTA campus in October to lecture the Nursing Constituency Council on the life of a burn unit nurse. She treats patients at the Parkland Hospital Burn Unit in Dallas, where she is a staff nurse, and gives lectures for the American Burn Association.
2010s
Garrett Yuen (’10 BA, Kinesiology; ’12 MBA, Business Administration) is a teacher and coach in the Alvord Independent School District in Alvord.
Angie Blankinship (’12 BSN, Nursing) was named to the list of 2015 ASC Women Leaders to Know in the ambulatory medicine core industry. She is an administrator at Nobilis Surgery Center in Dallas.
Melvin Ibana (’12 BS, Exercise Science; ’15 MS, Kinesiology) was chosen as an American Kinesiology Association 2015 award-winner in the graduate scholar category. The AKA Scholar Awards recognize academic and leadership accomplishments of graduate students in AKA member departments at the national level.
Sherron Meeks (’12 BSN, Nursing) was appointed to the Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke by Gov. Greg Abbott. She is a registered nurse and manages the Primary Stroke Center at Midland Memorial Hospital in Midland, where she serves as stroke coordinator and critical care unit education coordinator.
Amy Billingslea (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is an athletic trainer and teacher at Spring Hill High School in Spring Hill, TX.
Johné Booty (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is a graduate assistant trainer for UTA Athletics, working mainly with the cross country and track teams.
Katie Clark (’15 MS, Athletic Training) is a physician extender/athletic trainer for the Arlington Orthopedic Group.
Janet Cover (’15, MS Nursing Administration) published “The Leadership Practice Circle Program: An Evidence-Based Approach to Leadership Development in Healthcare” in the journal Nurse Leader in August 2015. She is a nurse practitioner in Dallas, specializing in pediatric nursing.
Eren Cruz (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is an assistant athletic trainer at MacArthur High School in Irving.
Cody Hicks (’15 MS, Athletic Training) is an assistant athletic trainer at Irving High School.
Anita Huang (’15 MS, Athletic Training) accepted a doctoral research and teaching assistantship at Oregon State University.
Kyle Kratzenberg (’15 MS, Athletic Training) is an athletic training intern at UT San Antonio.
Kiley Lodrigue (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is an assistant athletic trainer at Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth.
Chris McNeely (’15 MS, Athletic Training) is doing contract athletic training for Ben Hogan Sports Medicine.
Victoria Morris (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is an assistant athletic trainer at El Campo High School in El Campo, TX.
Joey Pena (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is an assistant athletic trainer at Martin High School in Arlington.
Jesse Ramirez (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is doing contract athletic training at Ben Hogan Sports Medicine.
Anneliese Roberto (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is an assistant athletic trainer at Sam Houston High School in Arlington.
Maya Seals (’15 MS, Athletic Training) is an assistant athletic trainer at Duncanville High School.
Sanjay Shrestha (’15 BS, Kinesiology) is an exercise physiologist at Baylor All Saints, Carter Rehabilitation and Fitness Center, part of the Baylor, Scott, & White Health System. His work was recently selected for publication in the Baylor Medical University Center Proceedings, a quarterly, peer-reviewed medical journal.
J. T. Updegraff (’15 MS, Athletic Training) is doing contract athletic training for Ben Hogan Sports Medicine.
Jessica Waldrep (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is an athletic trainer and teacher at Ford High School in Quinlan, TX.
Canesha Woolford (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is an assistant athletic trainer and teacher in the Carrollton Independent School District.
Cierra Young (’15 BS, Athletic Training) is athletic trainer at Prince of Peace Catholic School in Plano.