1971
J. Gary Rankin (BS, Mechanical Engineering) retired in 2020 after 50 years in the aerospace business. He worked for LTV Missiles and Space Corporation before joining the NASA Johnson Space Center, where he worked the last 43 years.
1980
Lloyd D. Khuc (BS, Electrical Engineering) retired after 16 years at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command-Armaments Centers in Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey. He earned the Army’s Research and Development Achievement Award for Technical Excellence in 2010.
1981
Lynne McLean (MSW; ’79 BA, Sociology) is the CEO of Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County in Texas. Previously, she served 14 years with Child Protective Services and as executive director of Community Partners of Dallas and Greater Texas Community Partners.
1982
Tobi Jackson (BA, Physical Education) was elected president of the Fort Worth ISD Board of Education.
“Alumni, get back on campus! Part of the journey after graduating is staying connected, and the best way is to attend athletic events. Mav Up!”
—David Daniel
(’83 BBA)
Director of Contract Packaging Sales, Progressive Laboratories
1984
Jaynie Schultz (MA, Urban Studies) was elected to the Dallas City Council in June. She served on the Dallas City Plan Commission and chaired the Urban Design Committee, served on the city’s Market Value Analysis Committee, and sits on the Welcoming Communities Committee. She is also active with the Muslim Jewish Advisory Council of the American Jewish Committee and the Akiba Yavneh Foundation and is president of the foundation for CityLab High School.
1988
Bahram Alidaee (PhD, Mathematical Sciences) has been a professor of operations/supply chain and pharmacy administration at the University of Mississippi’s School of Business since 1995.
Edwin A. Lichwa ll (BS, Biology) is a senior physician in adult medicine with Kaiser Permanente in Davis, California, and was appointed to the Opioid Safety Committee for the
Northern California region.He graduated from Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1992.
1989
Tommy Dies (BBA, Finance) is owner and president of Bryan Insurance Agency in Graham, Texas. He is a member of the board of directors of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas.
1990
Nirmal Goswami (’90 PhD, Public and Urban Administration) was named a Regents Professor by Texas A&M System, the highest honor that can be awarded to a faculty member.
Dan Powers (MSW) is chief operating officer of Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County in Texas. A licensed clinical social worker, he is the past chairman and current member of the Texas Children’s Justice Act Task Force and a member of the Texas Statewide Multidisciplinary Team.
1991
Jon M. Larson (MBA) was appointed head of homebuilder and community finance for Texas Capital Bank.
Mark Lederman (BA, Journalism) is a director of Education in Action’s Lone Star Leadership Academy, based in Keller, Texas. He teaches English, world history, and economics at Timberview High School in Mansfield, Texas.
Charles V.L. “Chuck” Elia
(AS) Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Charles V.L. “Chuck” Elia celebrated his 100th birthday July 27 at a ceremony hosted by the U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) in San Antonio, Texas. In honor of his dedication to Army veterinary medicine, a Percheron draft horse from the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Caisson was officially renamed Elia. He was a charter member of the museum and still volunteers there. Elia attended North Texas Agricultural College (now UTA) before he was commissioned into the Army in 1942.
1995
Aprel Dobson (BA, History) is director of finance for Onward Medicaid Solutions. She has 25 years of experience in Texas school-based Medicaid.
1996
Tracie Hlavinka (BA, Psychology) is the new city manager of Lago Vista, Texas. Previously, she served as town manager for Clarkdale, Arizona.
1997
Susan Alanis (MPA) was named to the board of directors of the Metropolitan Area EMS Authority for Fort Worth, Texas. She is the chief operating officer for Tarrant County College District.
2001
Kylie Finnell (BA, English) has been selected as city attorney for the city of Bremerton, Washington. She has practiced law in Kitsap County for more than 16 years in the public sector and in private practice. Finnell earned a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.
2002
Sharon Boothe (BBA, Business Management) is the interim superintendent for the Greenville ISD in Texas. Previously, she was deputy superintendent for three years.
Linda Plank (PhD, Nursing; ’77 BSN) began her tenure as dean of the Louise Herrington School of Nursing at Baylor University in May after serving as interim dean since summer 2020. Dr. Plank was a registered nurse at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas for more than three decades.
2003
Alan Bentrup (BA, Communications) is rector of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Keller, Texas.
2005
Shannon Fisher (MS, Health Care Administration) is chair of the board of directors for 6 Stones, a nonprofit based in Bedford, Texas, that provides daily clothing and food assistance to 300 people per week and helps restore homes. She serves on the board of the Junior League of Dallas and is co-chair of the community investment cabinet for United Way of Tarrant County.
2006
Michelle Boudria (MSN) is in practice with Fort Worth Renal Group in Fort Worth.
Tiffany Huitt (MS, Interdisciplinary Studies) is acting chief of school leadership for the Dallas Independent School District. She also serves on the Texas Education Agency Science Standards TEKS Revisions Committee and the Leadership Council for the Global Learning Network.
2007
Holly Behl (BA, Spanish) is a legal translator and interpreter working in Spanish and English. An instructor with the UT Austin Center for Professional Education, she owns Preciso Language Services, which focuses on legal topics. She is a master licensed court interpreter with Texas Judicial Branch Certification Commission and certified translator with the American Translators Association.
Angelia Young
(’88 BS, General Studies) joined the Center for Policing Equity as the program manager for the law enforcement initiatives team. The team works with law enforcement agencies to understand how their officers police the communities they serve and make positive changes toward increasing policing equity.
2008
Deepa Koshaley (MS, Landscape Architecture) held an exhibit of her nature-inspired paintings, Ancient Hymns, July through September at the Mesquite Arts Center in Mesquite, Texas.
Jennifer Marburger (MSN; ’04 BSN) is a nurse practitioner at Shannon Clinic – Knickerbocker in San Angelo, Texas. She has more than 13 years of medical experience in pediatric and acute patient care.
Ramoun Mourhatch (PhD, Materials Science and Engineering) is a lead scientist developing automotive engine oils at Chevron Oronite, part of Chevron Corp.
2011
Jeannie Patton Deakyne (MA, ’98 BA, Political Science) was elected to the Tarrant County College District board of trustees. She will serve through 2027.
2012
Raquel Alvarado (MSN) was appointed assistant clinical professor at UT Health Center at San Antonio. She has a clinical background in critical care, home health, case management, and nursing education. She served four years as an officer in the Army Nurse Corps Reserves.
Teneisha Kennard (MSW) is the executive director of Behavioral Health–Ambulatory Services at JPS Health Network.
Gina M. Simoneaux (BSN) has been appointed vice president of patient services for North Oaks Health System, based in Hammond, Louisiana.
2013
Claudia Calvo-Montes (MS, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies) is the new principal of Ginnings Elementary School in Denton, Texas. She received the the 2020 Region 11 Education Service Center Assistant Principal of the Year, awarded by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association.
Ericka Olivarez (MEd, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies) is principal of the Northside Independent School District’s new CAST Teach High School in San Antonio, Texas, which opened in August 2020.
Jerald Wilson (MEd, Curriculum and Instruction) was selected the principal of Kealing Middle School in Austin, Texas, in December 2020.
2014
Chigane Abraham (BSN) is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with Patterns Psychiatry in Pantego, Texas.
“The learning at UTA is solid, my teachers were wonderful, and my peers added a global perspective to my experience.”
—Ana A. Galindo
(’20 MS, Marketing Research)
Director of Customer Experience, Travelers
2016
Steven Crittenden (BBA, Management) serves as the chief administration officer for Proveer Senior Living in McKinney, Texas.
James Hubbard (MPA; ’11 BA, Criminology and Criminal Justice) was named city manager for Jacksonville, Texas. Previously, he was assistant to the city manager for the city of Colleyville, Texas. He is the president of the Jacksonville Economic Development Organization
John Miranda (BFA, Art) had his work shown at the Erin Cluley Gallery in Dallas. His Movidas: New Work opened in May 2021.
2017
Niccole Crews (BS, Exercise Science) has joined HealthQuarters, a medical service provider in New York City.
Nkechi Ezema (MSN, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner) is lead psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with Patterns Psychiatry in Pantego, Texas.
Meagan Perry (MEd, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies; ’10 BA, Broadcast Communication) is the disability access coordinator in the Office of Disability Access at UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
2018
Robert B. Caldwell Jr. (PhD, History) is a visiting assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous studies at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Steve Hunker
(’08 BS, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) contributed his talents to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as it developed Perseverance, the Mars rover. Hunker and his colleagues were responsible for designing and developing a robotic arm fitted to the underside of the rover.
2019
Elias Perez (BA, Political Science) is a facilitator with Education in Action’s Lone Star Leadership Academy, based in Keller, Texas. He is certified to teach secondary social studies and is a classroom assistant at Gunn Junior High in Arlington.
2020
Lauren Casey (MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner) is a nurse practitioner at Treehouse Pediatrics in Round Rock, Texas. Previously, she worked at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center as an emergency room/trauma nurse.
Emily Snider (MSN, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner) is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner at Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas.
2021
Aislyn Avery (MEd, Teaching; ’16 BS, Biology) has joined the student housing and residential life team at the University of Houston as a residential life coordinator.
Junior Ezeonu (BA, Political Science) was elected to the Grand Prairie City Council. At 22, he is the city’s youngest-ever council member.
Charles McCoy (MSN, Nursing Administration) is the new chief nursing officer at Heart Hospital of Austin, Texas.
