Class Notes

jack c. johnson headshot
Jack C. Johnson, '89
doug killian headshot
Doug Killian, '91
donna jackson stephans headshot
Donna Jackson Stephans, '05 (M.S.)
kayln vaughn headshot
Kayl Ledford Vaughn, '13
ana yi puig headshot
Ana Yi Puig, '20
jillian slaughter headshot
Jillian Slaughter, '22
walter arimokwu headshot
Walter Arimokwu, '22
juana plata headshot
Juana Plata, '23

Lisa Fullerton, ’83, of Boerne, has been reappointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the state’s Small Business Assistance Advisory Task Force. Fullerton has owned and operated multiple Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon franchises in San Antonio since 2000.

Mark Sekula, ’87, of the San Antonio area, has been named the president and CEO at Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union. He previously served as executive vice president and CFO since January 2019 and has worked for the credit union for 23 years.

Teri Daley, ’88, of Sammamish, Washington, has been named vice president of corporate communications for H&R Block, a publicly traded tax preparation firm. Dailey previously held positions at global PR agencies and tech companies, including Microsoft and Samsung.

Jack C. Johnson, ’89, of Franklin, Tennessee, won reelection for his fifth term in the Tennessee State Senate in 2022 and has been appointed to the committees of Commerce and Labor; Calendar; and Finance, Ways, and Means for 2023-24. In addition, he was elected to his third term as the Senate Republican Majority Leader.

Javier Villalobos, ’89, of McAllen, has been awarded the Courage to Lead Award by the nonprofit National Immigration Forum. Villalobos, an attorney, was elected mayor of McAllen in 2021 after serving four years on the McAllen City Commission.

Richard McHale, ’90 and ’96 (M.A.Geo.), of Austin, has been named the director of Austin Resource Recovery, the city’s waste disposal department. McHale has more than 30 years of experience with ARR and most recently served as deputy director. 

Doug Killian, ’91, of Cypress, has been named superintendent of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. Killian has nearly 20 years of superintendent experience, including positions at Pflugerville ISD and Hutto ISD.

Reba Hollingsworth, ’92, of Richmond, Virginia, is celebrating 20 years with WTVR-TV in Richmond. The winner of four Emmy Awards, Hollingsworth also contributed to the new book Lipstick and Legacies about women entrepreneurs.

Brian Knetl, ’95 (M.A.), of Batavia, Illinois, has been named president of Waubonsee Community College, a college with four campuses and online offerings. Knetl has worked in higher education for 25 years as a faculty member and administrator.

Marise McDermott, ’96, of San Antonio, has stepped down as president and CEO of the Witte Museum in San Antonio after 20 years. Now president emeritus, McDermott was recently appointed to the American Alliance of Museum’s Excellence in DEAI Steering Committee. 

Andrea Shurley, ’96 (M.A.), of Dallas, has been appointed president of Ursuline Academy of Dallas, a Catholic college preparatory school for young women. Shurley joined Ursuline Academy as principal in 2014 and previously worked in the technology sector. 

Bill Voigtman, ’98, of Silsbee, has been reappointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Lower Neches Valley Authority Board of Directors. He is the general manager of Republic Services’ Golden Triangle Landfill and Hardin County Landfill.

Chris Formeller, ’00, of Berthoud, Colorado, has been named vice president of product management for Epoch Solutions Group, consultants in workforce management and data migration geospatial solutions. Formeller has 24 years of experience in the tech industry.

Nicole Richardson, ’04, of Austin, has been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists. Richardson is a marriage and family therapist supervisor and a licensed professional counselor supervisor in private practice. 

Donna Jackson Stephans, ’05 (M.S.), of Philadelphia, has been appointed vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Workforce Development for the Philadelphia Department of Aviation. Stephans previously worked for the City of Austin for 23 years.

Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen, ’07 (M.Ed.) and ’14 (Ph.D.),of Austin, has been named superintendent of Taylor Independent School District. She has a doctorate in school improvement from TXST and has held positions in the New Braunfels and Hays school districts.

Vanessa Gonzalez, ’09, of Austin, was featured for her standup comedy in the recent Netflix series “Verified Stand-Up.” A theatre major at TXST, Gonzalez headlined five nights at Austin’s Cap City Comedy Club in February and will tour nationally this year.

Brett Finley, ’11 and ’13 (M.A.), of New Braunfels, has been named president and CEO of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Finley previously served as government affairs director at the San Antonio Board of Realtors.

Keny Daniele, ’12, of Houston, was recently featured on the cover of Recycling Today, a trade publication that serves the recycled materials industry. His company, Prestige Auto and Metal Recycling, was recognized for its new automobile shredder and expansion of a pick-a-part yard.

Kayln Ledford Vaughn, ’13, of Leander, was recognized for her contributions to her industry with a Delta Zeta Sorority 35 Under 35 award. A former Texas State Strutter, she heads the Cedar Park Middle School Fine Arts Department and the Cadets Drill Team.

Adam Mathews, ’14 (Ph.D.), of Binghamton, New York, has joined Binghamton University, State University of New York, as an associate professor of geography. He has also published a children’s book called ABC’s of Geography.

Quincy (Charleston) Atwood, ’17, of Carthage, Missouri, has been inducted into the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Athletics Hall of Fame. Atwood was a NJCAA All-American before joining the Bobcat softball team as a pitcher. She now works for the Specialty Risk Insurance Agency in Carthage.

Stephanie Tilley, ’17 (M.Ed.), of Prairie View, has become the first Fulbright Scholar at Prairie View A&M University, where she is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership. Her Fulbright research focuses on Ubuntu, an Indigenous knowledge system, and how it is practiced in South African higher education. 

Daniel Z. Miller, ’19, of New York, made his Broadway debut in November in the musical Harmony, a show featuring music written by Barry Manilow. Miller is part of the ensemble cast and an understudy for three roles. 

Ana Yi Puig, ’20, of Gainesville, Florida, stars in the new Disney+ Series “Goosebumps” as Isabella Chen-Lopez. Her previous television roles include HBO Max’s reboot of “Gossip Girl,” “Senior Year” on Netflix, and Disney’s 2022 Television Discovers Showcase.

Alexis Andaverde, ’21, of McAllen, has joined the U.S. Energy Department’s Savannah River National Laboratory as a graduate fellow in the Advanced Modeling and Simulation group. His work consists of modeling and simulation of nuclear waste deposits.

Jillian Slaughter, ’22, of Dallas, has been hired as the Social Media and Creative Manager for the Dallas Jackals, a professional rugby team. Slaughter, who played volleyball at TXST, was previously a marketing intern at Rodeo Austin.

Walter Arimokwu, ’22, of Houston, has joined DWG CPA PLLC as a staff accountant. Arimokwu previously worked as a financial analyst at Empire Communities.

Matthew Johnson, ’23, San Antonio, has enrolled in the Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering program at University of Texas at San Antonio. During his time at TXST, Johnson helped start the TXST Space Lab and participated in the L’SPACE workforce development program at NASA.

Juana Plata, ’23 (M.B.A.), of Monterrey, Mexico, has joined C.F. Monterrey Femenil (Las Rayadas) in Liga MX Femenil, the top tier of professional women’s soccer in Mexico. A defender, Plata is also a member of the 
El Salvador Women’s National Soccer Team. 

 

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