13th Annual
ALUMNI LEADERSHIP DAY
October 10, 2018
The Kinkaid School’s 13th Annual Alumni Leadership Day Dear Class of 2019, This year we have a very impressive group of over 50 alumni returning to campus to visit with the Class of 2019 about their respective careers and the decisions and paths that defined their choices. We want to thank our alumni for participating in this special event. Each of them has generously made time for Kinkaid and is willing and eager to share their insights so that you will be better equipped for the opportunities, challenges and decisions that lie ahead. The alumni panelists have shared a brief summary of what a “day in the life” of their career entails, along with their contact info and educational and work history. We hope that this information can be used to provide you with a realistic view of the demands and expectations of these various jobs. Our goal is that you will begin to better formulate the questions about your next steps and what lies ahead in the years to come. We encourage you to ask questions during the panel sessions and follow up with the panelists after the program. Making connections within the vast network of Kinkaid alumni is extremely valuable, and we hope that the Class of 2019 will take advantage of this unique opportunity. Sincerely,
Alexa Leach ’09 Alumni Activities Manager
Maddy Foxx Moffitt ’06 KYPO President 2018-2019
table of contents 3 arts & entertainment 5 banking, finance & accounting 8 energy / oil & gas 11 engineering 14 entrepreneurship 17 healthcare / medicine 20 law 23 marketing & communications 26 military & computer science 27 non-profit & education 30 real estate 33 notes 35 schedule of events
advancement office contact information ALEXA LEACH ‘09 Alumni Activities
TOM MOORE Director of Advancement
(o) 713-243-5054 alexa.leach@kinkaid.org
(o) 713-243-5045 tom.moore@kinkaid.org
arts & entertainment
KATHERINE CUNNINGHAM ’09 Institutional Giving Associate, Alley Theatre ksc1776@gmail.com BA, Psychology (Theatre Studies minor), Bryn Mawr College “What I do every day is corporate and foundation grant writing for the Alley Theare. Additionally, I am in charge of corporate and foundation stewardship, meaning I help create and coordinate all of the corporate and foundation sponsor events held throughout the year. Finally, I am the webpage coordinator for the Development department.”
MEGAN OLIVIA EBEL ’11 Electives Department Head, Art Curriculum Development, High School Art Instructor, Yes Prep Public Schools meganoliviaebel@rocketmail.com BA, Studio Art with a focus in Sculpture and New Media (Women’s & Gender Studies minor), Sewanee: The University of the South “By day, I am a teacher working in a West Houston charter school, providing an equitable college-ready education to low income populations. I create and instruct curriculum for Middle School through High School art levels, plan exhibitions for student work on both the campus and system level, and have the unique opportunity to expose students who often have never even been to a museum, let alone in an art studio setting, to a robust art education. Outside of school hours, I am a practicing artist, focusing on soft sculpture, watercolor, acrylic and illustration. I participate in shows across Houston and have several murals and exhibited works across the US. I am also currently participating in a residency through Lenka Claytons Art Residency In Motherhood, which is a grant-funded exploration created to combine the aspects of mothering and makership. I produce the bulk of my work through this residency, but also do commissions for both personal and commercial collections.”
3 | alumni leadership day
arts & entertainment
CARROLL ISON ‘13
JJ JOHNSTON ’95
Sales Assistant to Executive Director, Galerie Perrotin
Founder and Executive Artistic Director, Classical Theatre Company
carrollmison@gmail.com
johnj@classicaltheatre.org
BFA, Studio Art, University of Texas
BA, Theater Arts, Boston College
Prior Employer: Christie’s Auction House, Post War and Contemporary Department
MFA, Drama, Catholic University of America
“Working in the art business is exciting, challenging and hilariously fun. My day to day is mostly spent at the gallery, assisting with the client meetings and sales of our Executive Director, preparing upcoming exhibitions with our team and handling sales of my own. I absolutely love getting to work with the artists directly, which is something that really drew me to the gallery field. Whether I am working from the New York or Paris office, I have found my Texas ties to be a great asset. Texans are everywhere!”
Prior Employers: See below “A typical work day runs from 10am - 6pm, where I fundraise, market and administrate the CTC. Weekday evenings and weekend afternoons typically involve rehearsals or performances until approximately 11:00pm. I have worked in a number of theatres in Washington D.C., Boston and elsewhere. I have directed around the country at such theaters and universities as the Goddard Players, Creative Arts, Boston College, the Magic Circle Theater and Tufts University. I have also directed and acted internationally at the National Theatre of Ireland through the Abbey Theatre Program. I have appeared in numerous productions around Houston with Stages Repertory Theatre, the Alley Theatre, Unity Theatre, Unhinged Productions, Theatre Under the Stars, the Children’s Theatre Festival and the Great Caruso as well as the International Festival Institute at Round Top and the Houston Shakespeare Festival. I have also made appearances on television and film, most notably on Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU. As an educator, I was a professor of drama at the University of Houston Downtown, and have taught at all levels of education including Medford High School, Tufts University, Boston College, YES Prep Academy, San Jacinto College and the Catholic University of America. At CTC, I have acted in various productions and have directed Reading Series and Mainstage productions. In 2016, under my guidance, Classical Theatre Company was awarded the prestigious National Theatre Company Grant Award by the American Theatre Wing.”
the kinkaid school | 4
banking, finance & accounting
DREW BLOOM ’09
NADER DAYLAMI ’06
Associate, First Reserve
Director of Finance, Bruin E&P Partners
drewblm@gmail.com BBA, Finance, University of Texas Prior Employer: Barclays “I work at a private equity investment firm exclusively focused on energy. My responsibilities include financial modeling, due diligence, execution and monitoring.”
5 | alumni leadership day
naderdaylami@gmail.com BS, Economics & Mathematics, University of California, San Diego Prior Employer: Morgan Stanley “You wear many hats at a start up. I buy/ sell assets, raise capital and also do things like managing relationships with bond investors and Native American tribes.”
banking, finance & accounting
CAROLYN DYER ’13 Analyst, J.P. Morgan
GRACEY WINTERS HOWEY ’07
cldyer3@gmail.com
Vice President – Commercial Banking, Cadence Bank
BBA, Business Honors & Finance, University of Texas
gracey.howey@cadencebank.com
“I work in the Private Bank at J.P. Morgan and support a team of bankers. My role is to help the bankers cover their book of clients and work with investors, lending specialists, trust officers and other members of the team. My primary responsibility is to help analyze a client’s personal wealth and investment portfolio.”
BBA, Accounting, University of Texas MPA, University of Texas Prior Employer: Ernst & Young “My primary responsibility is developing client relationships for the bank. My typical day involves advising clients and/or potential clients on financing alternatives for business. I cover middle-market commercial businesses across a diverse spectrum of industries in Houston and across Texas.”
the kinkaid school | 6
banking, finance & accounting
WHITNEY RAPE ’04
CARRIE WALKER ’13
Private Banking Mortgage Loan Originator, Amegy Bank
International Tax Consultant, Deloitte Tax LLP
whitney.rape@gmail.com
carrwalker@deloitte.com
BS, Advertising/PR & Spanish, Texas Christian University
BA, Spanish (Chemistry & Financial Economics minors), Vanderbilt University
Prior Employer: The Vault Mortgage Company 2008-2015 “I love helping clients finance their dream home! The beauty of being a Loan Officer is my day is never the same. Sometimes I’m out of the office with realtors or other potential referral sources, in the office working on a loan or hopefully, at a closing!”
7 | alumni leadership day
MAcc (Master of Accountancy), Vanderbilt University “A day in the life of a public accountant centers around providing services to multinational clients in a variety of industries. For an international tax consultant, these services can range from answering client questions about potential transactions, developing and proposing tax efficient structures, studying the implications of recently enacted tax reform, or building excel models to compute the tax consequences of different scenarios. Depending on the time of year, you also might prepare or review tax returns for corporations or partnerships, or participate on an audit of the financial statements of an SEC registered client. International tax consulting is a collaborative and creative environment, as you will attend frequent meetings and calls with clients, other local employees, and employees of foreign country offices. This job involves a great degree of communication and creativity, as well as an attention to detail and a certified public accountant (CPA) license.”
energy / oil & gas
LAYNE FRENCH JR. ’09 Reservoir Engineer, Marathon Oil Corporation laynebfrench@gmail.com BS, Geosystems Engineering & Hydrogeology, University of Texas MS, Petroleum Engineering, Louisiana State University “I work with a team of geologists and engineers to plan and execute the drilling of oil and gas wells. Our team assesses oil-bearing rocks in the subsurface to determine the number of wells to drill and the most effective well design to yield a strong return on our investment. In addition, we evaluate our company’s investments in other operator’s wells and fresh mineral leases.”
BRITTANY SAKOWITZ KUSHNER ’04 Corporate Senior Associate, Vinson & Elkins LLP brittanysakowitz@velaw.com BA, Mass Communications, Louisiana State University JD/MBA, University of Houston Law Center Prior Employer: Baker Hostetler LLP “I assist private and public companies in mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance issues. Every day is different, but most involve reading and drafting agreements, discussing issues with clients and negotiating with buyers and sellers to come to a deal. I advise clients across a broad range of industries, including energy (upstream, midstream, oilfield services, power, marketing and trading).”
the kinkaid school | 8
energy / oil & gas
BYRON LANGFORD ’07
HARRIS MASTERSON ’01
Senior Associate, Lime Rock Resources
Vice President-Light Ends, Freepoint Commodities
byron.langford@gmail.com
harrismasterson2@gmail.com
BA, Mathematics, Middlebury College
BA, Economics, Texas Christian University
Prior Employer: BMO Capital Markets
Prior Employer: Gulfstream Trading
“I work at a private equity firm that acquires and operates oil and gas properties. My responsibilities include evaluating and executing new investment opportunities, fundraising and monitoring our existing E&P portfolio.”
“By the time I arrive at my desk around 7:30 a.m., I am caught up on the overnight markets in Asia and Europe and am ready for the US market to open at 8:00 a.m. Most mornings are spent following up with clients, talking with market participants and managing positions. If not out at a customer lunch, I am eating at my desk. The market closes at 1:30 p.m. and soon afterwards activity quickly dies down. If not out entertaining a client, I try to spend my afternoons doing research and catching up on back office work.”
9 | alumni leadership day
energy / oil & gas
MOLLIE SCHALL ‘01 Government and Community Affairs Manager, Crestwood Midstream Partners LP mollie.schall@gmail.com BA, English & Plan I Liberal Arts Honors, University of Texas Prior Employers: Korn Ferry Apache Corporation Texas Senate “I work with our Communications and Legal team to coordinate our overall political and public affairs strategy. I monitor pending policy changes and inform my executive team and other staff on upcoming legislation and its potential impact. In order to advocate Crestwood’s policy positions, I develop and maintain relationships with state and federal public officials who represent the communities where the company operates.”
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engineering
KEVIN CLEGG ’08
MATTHEW CRANDELL ’09
Director, Engineering and Underwriting, Tregan Energy
Mechanical Engineer, JGC America, Inc.
kclegg7@gmail.com
mcrandell09@gmail.com
BS, Mechanical Engineering; BA, Plan II Honors, University of Texas
BE, Engineering, Auburn University
Prior Employer: Chevron “Tregan Energy is a private equity fund that invests in oil and gas minerals. My primary role involves studying operators, forecasting well performance, and building financial models to underwrite deals. My day is split between technical work at the computer, interfacing with our sourcing and finance team, and conducting meetings with leadership to make investment decisions. In the years prior, I worked rotationally in the Gulf of Mexico for Chevron. This was a very hands on job that focused on construction and commissioning of an offshore drilling platform.”
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Prior Employers: Turbo Drill Industries AAA Capital Management, Inc. “I joined JGC Corporation in 2014 as a Mechanical Engineer. As a member of the Mechanical Engineering Group, I have worked as a design engineer in Houston on rotating, static and packaged equipment that is used in large oil, gas and petro-chemical facilities around the world. During college, I held various internships in the upstream, tool manufacturing and commodity segments of the energy industry.”
engineering
CAMILLE PANACCIONE LOZERON ’08 Engineering Project Coordinator, MOGAS Industries clozeron@gmail.com BS, Chemical Engineering, Rice University Prior Employers: Chevron Blue Apron “I am the project coordinator and the document control manager in the Engineering department for a specialty valve company. I spend about half my day analyzing data and schedules and the other half interacting with people and checking on work progress and resolving issues. My job is busy and sometimes hectic, but I’m excited to go to work every day. I wouldn’t have it any other way!”
ELENI PAPPAS ’04 Principal Associate, Traffic Engineers, Inc. ehpappas@gmail.com BE, Civil Engineering, Vanderbilt University MS, Civil Engineering, University of Texas MBA Candidate, Rice University “As a transportation engineer and planner I spend my day trying to make Houston a more livable place. Days can include developing project deliverable, meeting with team members to ensure we are on track, exploring in the field, meeting with clients to ensure we are developing the best product for them, and sometimes lots of Excel.”
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engineering
GLEN A. WIND ’11 Cost Engineer, ExxonMobil Gawind@me.com BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas “I meet with designers and execution engineers to discuss project requirements and utilize ExxonMobil technology to provide accurate cost information to facilitate business decisions. I also interface with contractors to progress design and construction of major global projects.”
13 | alumni leadership day
entrepreneurship
KRYSTAL D. CARTER ’01
VINCE GRAINGER ’04
President & Chief Cloud Enthusiast, Danny Kay Cloud
Founder/Director of Operations, Envision Renovations
kdcarter@dannykaycloud.com
vince@envisionyourhome.com
Corporate Organizational Communication, University of Houston
BS, Business Administration, Texas A&M University
Prior Employers: Duff & Phelps ION Geophysical Chevron “My day ends and begins with checking my calendar, then it’s checking Salesforce and emails. One of the things I love about what I do is that no two days are just alike. There could be client calls, speaking engagements, several hours in the office developing cool client solutions or spending a lot of time in airports.”
“My daily business goals are to keep our customers as happy as possible and to constantly improve every facet of our business. We are a full service home remodeling company that works on projects all around Houston and its surrounding areas. Our goal is to turn all of our customer’s visions into reality. To do this, constant long and short term planning is involved to produce a high quality product that meets our customers’ needs and looks great. I log a lot of hours and miles to make sure that our business is successful, but I enjoy (almost) every minute of it!”
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entrepreneurship
REBECCA HARRIS ’09
FRANCO SILVA ’09
CEO, Purple
Vice President, Mexssub International
rebecca@getpurple.io BA, Political Science, University of Connecticut
francosilva@mac.com BA, Psychology, Tufts University
MA, Entrepreneurial Journalism, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
Prior Employers: Kizazi (Founder) L5 Advisors
“As the CEO of a small startup I wear a bunch of different hats. I spend a significant amount of time doing business development, which entails meeting with brands and publishers (i.e. potential users of our platform) and showing them how our platform works and why they should use it. We are in the process of building out our engineering team so I conduct a lot of hiring interviews. I also designed and built our website so I spend a good portion of time doing UX/UI design and writing code to add to and update the site. Marketing and PR is a lot of what I do, which includes content marketing (writing/creating content that helps bring in inbound leads of potential users to increase growth). Finally, I spend a lot of time fundraising capital for the company which entails meeting with a lot of potential investors and raising that money.”
“As a strategic entrepreneur, my day to day is a balance between macro-level decision making and ground-level execution. I spend 20% of my time defining highimpact actions to take, and the remaining 80% assembling and managing the team to execute said actions. At the end of the day, knowing how to prioritize objectives and manage time are the two keys to establishing the highest level of long-term productivity.”
15 | alumni leadership day
entrepreneurship
RUDY WRABEL ’03 Vice President/Co-Owner, At Your Side Home Care rudywrabel@gmail.com BS, Business Administration with Entrepreneurship emphasis (Political Science minor), University of Southern California Prior Employers: Sageworks Kayne Anderson Big Red Print Solutions Jersey Mike’s Subs Franchises MusicProfessor “A day in the life is typically spent out and about driving around Houston developing new referral relationships and partnerships. We partner with Senior Living communities and hospitals to provide in home care to their residents and patients. I also will visit with families who are currently using our care services or considering our care services and communicate those care needs with our staff.”
the kinkaid school | 16
healthcare / medicine
JEFFREY BERMAN ’08
MOLLIE GORDON ’96
Medical Resident, Baylor College of Medicine
Medical Director, Human Trafficking Program, Associate Professor – Department of Psychiatry, Associate Director – Ben Taub Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Baylor College of Medicine
berman@bcm.edu BA, Plan II; BBA, Business Honors, University of Texas MD, Baylor College of Medicine “A day in the life of a medical resident can vary a lot from month to month. Certain rotations are inpatient focused, and we see sick patients admitted to the hospital for various ailments. Other rotations are based in the clinic. We also rotate through various medical sub-specialties, including cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, etc. Our daily schedule changes significantly depending on the rotation.”
17 | alumni leadership day
mollie_gordon@hotmail.com BA, English, University of Pennsylvania MA, English, King’s College London MD, Washington University in St. Louis “As a clinical instructor at BCM I work alongside medical students and residents to provide acute treatment for chronic mental illness on an inpatient unit at Ben Taub Hospital. I lead a multi-disciplinary team of psychologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, chaplains and trainees to care for adult patients. When not seeing patients, my research focuses on the mental health impacts of human trafficking and severe forms of trauma. This fall I will be in Italy training with Harvard to complete a certificate in Global Mental Health and refugee trauma.”
healthcare / medicine
LAURA SHEEDY PIPKIN ’01
AUDREY PYLE ’08
Certified Physician Assistant, Complete Dermatology
Quality Resources Coordinator, The Menninger Clinic
lsheedy@gmail.com
audrey.d.pyle@gmail.com
BS, Human and Organizational Development & Spanish, Vanderbilt University
BS, Human and Organizational Development & Nursing, Vanderbilt University
MSPAS, Physician Assistant Studies, Baylor College of Medicine
MS, Nursing Leadership & Management, Western Governors University
Prior Employer: Bellaire Dermatology Associates “I assess, diagnose and treat various skin conditions (rashes, acne, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, etc.), as well as perform full skin exams trying to identify any potentially dangerous moles or growths. I focus on the medical aspect of dermatology, but my office offers comprehensive dermatologic care with cosmetic and surgical departments as well.”
“I lead patient safety and quality initiatives throughout the hospital, including preparing the nursing discipline for our upcoming electronic health record implementation. I work extensively with the nursing discipline and with multidisciplinary teams in improving quality measures, such as fall and nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior prevention. Every day is different! On most days, I focus on educating and empowering staff across mental health disciplines to improve quality measures and patient safety.”
the kinkaid school | 18
healthcare / medicine
WALKER D. SHORT ’10 General Surgery Resident, Baylor College of Medicine wdshort@bcm.edu BS, Neurobiology, University of Washington MD, Baylor College of Medicine “I arrive at the hospital around 5:00 am to care for patients who have recently undergone surgery, then I participate in surgeries or outpatient clinic throughout the day. Every third or fourth day I work a 24-hour shift in the hospital to manage any emergencies or admissions of surgical patients during the night.”
healthcare / medicine
PAIGE GARRISON WRIGHT ’02 Owner/Pediatric Physician, Pediatrics Around The Bend pagarrison@gmail.com BS, Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill MD, University of Texas Medical School at Houston Pediatric Residency, Baylor College of Medicine Prior Employers: Texas Children’s Pediatrics Texas Children’s Health Plan - The Center for Children and Women “I take care of children from birth through college, seeing them for routine physical exams, immunizations, sick visits and management of more complex or chronic medical conditions. I spend time every day reading pediatric journals and news reports so that I can continue providing the highest quality care to my patients. The learning is never done! Since I own my own practice, I make decisions daily regarding the business side of medicine. These decisions could involve staffing, revenue management, buying new equipment for the practice, dealing with contracts or customer service.”
19 | alumni leadership day
law
JENNIFER VOSKO CAUGHEY ’00
VALERIE GRAINGER HENDERSON ’04
Justice, Texas First Court of Appeals
Associate Attorney - Business Litigation, Baker Donelson
jennifer.caughey@gmail.com AB, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
vhenderson@bakerdonelson.com BBA, Marketing & Management, Texas A&M University
JD, Harvard Law School
JD, South Texas College of Law
Prior Employers: Smyser Kaplan & Veselka, LLP Baker Botts LLP Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
“I represent corporate clients, mostly insurance companies, banks and financial service companies, and I typically am on the defense side of a litigation matter. I spend most of my days strategizing on how to move a case forward, drafting motions, discovery and other documents and meeting with clients and other attorneys in the firm. When I’m not in the office, I’m representing clients at hearings, depositions, mediations, arbitrations and trials. Every day in litigation is different.”
“I serve as a Justice on the Texas First Court of Appeals. As a Justice on this court, I handle appeals from 10 counties, including Harris County. I am up for re-election this fall, so I am also working on my campaign. This appointment is such an honor, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve my State.”
the kinkaid school | 20
law
law
ANDREW KLEIN ’08
ZACHARY SCHNEIDER ’04
Corporate Associate, Vinson & Elkins LLP
Associate, Hirsch & Westheimer, P.C.
aklein@velaw.com BBA, Finance, University of Alabama JD, University of Texas School of Law “As an associate in our Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets Group, I spend most of my day drafting, reviewing and revising transactional documents for public corporations and private companies. Significant time is also spent collaborating with other attorneys, investment banks and clients in order to move transactions forward towards closing and advising clients regarding SEC compliance and corporate governance.”
21 | alumni leadership day
schneider.zack@gmail.com BA, Art History & Classical Civilizations, University of California, Berkeley JD, University of Houston “I am a transactional attorney focused on commercial real estate and general corporate matters. My practice primarily involves the (i) purchase, sale, leasing, development and financing of commercial real estate properties, (ii) corporate formation, governance and reorganization and (iii) asset purchase and sale transactions. A typical day involves communicating with clients and opposing counsel regarding ongoing transactions, reviewing, revising, negotiating and drafting various real estate documents (such as leases, purchase and sale agreements and financing documents), preparing formation and governing documents for new entities and reviewing due diligence materials for various types of transactions (such as surveys, title reports and zoning and environmental reports).”
law
SHEA HENRY YOESEL ’03 Attorney, Lapidus Knudsen, P.C. sheahenry@gmail.com BA, English Literature, Southern Methodist University JD, South Texas College of Law Prior Employers: Serpe Jones Burck Lapidus, P.C. “I am a trial attorney at a small litigation firm. Our practice includes first-party insurance defense and third-party personal injury defense, bad faith and other extracontractual liability claims, healthcare liability defense and products liability defense. My day-to-day practice covers all phases of litigation, including discovery, witness preparation, pretrial matters, motion practice, settlement negotiations and trial preparation. When I am not in the office, I may be attending depositions, a mediation and/or appearing in court.”
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marketing & communications
RACHEL APPLEGATE ’95
CARLY GRAY ’12
Director of Marketing & Communications, Alley Theatre
Marketing & Communications Manager, Crime Stoppers of Houston
rapplega@gmail.com
carlygray17@gmail.com
BA, Advertising, Southern Methodist University
BBA, Marketing, Baylor University
Prior Employers: ZACH Theatre (Austin) Artis-Naples Arena Stage Signature Theatre The Kinkaid School “I create and implement strategic revenue generation plans in order to cultivate patron loyalty. Overseeing the public relations, graphic design, box office and front of house, I work to ensure productions are promoted, visual imagery is exciting and distinct, tickets are sold and sold out and patrons have a safe and enjoyable experience at the Theatre.”
23 | alumni leadership day
“I execute marketing and communication activities that support Crime Stoppers of Houston’s mission, programs and fundraising. This includes copywriting, creating collateral, managing the website, promoting events, running our social media pages and overseeing email communication. In a nonprofit, marketing and development overlap quite a bit so I also write grants, create marketing campaigns to support our fundraising efforts and interact with donors on a daily basis.”
marketing & communications
MICHEL MILLER MULLETT ’00 Senior Client Services Manager, Thompson & Knight LLP michelmullett@hotmail.com BS, Corporate Communication, University of Texas Prior Employers: Bracewell LLP Locke Lord LLP The Buzzell Company Public Relations and Marketing “I support the Houston attorneys of Thompson & Knight with their business development and marketing efforts. My primary responsibility is planning/ executing all Houston-based client events while I also oversee the Firm’s business development training program, assist attorneys with their strategic marketing plans, coordinate media placements and draft press releases.”
COLLEEN SHEEDY ’98 North America Marketing Manager, Shell Oil Products, Shell Oil Company colleensheedy@gmail.com BA, English Literature, Harvard College MBA, Duke University Prior Employers: Sysco Foods Walmart Sanford C. Bernstein “I market Shell’s oil products to our industrial and transportation customers across North America. My job is focused on launching digital marketing products and tools to support our sales teams and ultimately drive growth for Shell in these sectors. This spans everything from marketing campaign strategy and execution to content optimization and technology investment decisions. Digital marketing is quickly transforming the oil and gas industry, which means no day is the same.”
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marketing & communications
JULIA WOOD ’08 Brand Marketing Manager, Debner+Company jcwood2012@gmail.com BBA, Marketing, Texas A&M University Prior Employers: Furniture Marketing Group (FMG) Sewell Automotive Companies “As Brand Marketing Manager of one of the largest office and healthcare furniture distributors in Houston, my day to day entails fostering client relationships, event planning, brand management and marketing of both our Workplace Solutions and Healthcare Solutions studios. Debner+Company is the sole Knoll furniture distributorship in the Houston area. We work closely with some of the largest architecture and design firms, as well as with brokers throughout Houston and other major markets globally.”
25 | alumni leadership day
military & computer science
JAMES EILERS ’06 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer, United States Navy jameseilers@gmail.com BS, Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology “As an EOD officer, I was involved in a wide breath of operations which include: diving operations, demolition operations, parachuting and helicopter air operations, underwater salvage, explosive ordnance disposal (IEDs, traditional ordnance, underwater mines, chemical, nuclear & biological weapons), integrating and working with SEALs, Army Special Forces and other special operations forces.”
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non-profit & education
XAVIER BECKWITH ’08 Middle School Math Teacher, The Kinkaid School xavier.beckwith@kinkaid.org BA, Philosophy of Law & Ethics, University of Rochester
STEPHANIE WILKINSON COMPTON ’05 Development Associate, Breakthrough Houston steph.b.wilkinson@gmail.com BA, English, Rhodes College
MS, Education Policy, Warner Graduate School of Education
MA, English, University of Houston
MA, Teaching, Relay Graduate School of Education
Prior Employers: Incarnate Word Academy St. John’s School Raul Yzaguirre School for Success
Prior Employers: KIPP Polaris Academy for Boys Morgan Stanley SCF Partners “After listening to Billy Holiday’s “Lovely Day” during my morning commute to work, my day begins with warm salutations from Kinkaid faculty, staff and students. After completing cool handshakes with my star-studded advisory group, I’m off to my awesome classroom to teach my eager math students. After creatively teaching Math in the morning, I serve as the 7th Grade Head Football Coach in the afternoon. Once practice is over, I leave my Kinkaid family en route to meet clients for my private practice, if I don’t have commitments to the KIPP PALs Executive Board, which I graciously serve.” 27 | alumni leadership day
“I absolutely love the variety of my job! During the summer, I’m responsible for gathering marketing material, managing the digital content, facilitating visitors’ days and jumping in wherever I can to help the program run smoothly. Throughout the school year, I assist with fundraising, event planning and maintaining consistent communication with our donors and families. The best part of my job is the mission: helping highachieving, deserving students gain access to competitive high schools and colleges and training college students for careers in education!”
non-profit & education
AISHA CARTER CRUMBINE ’95 Senior Managing Director, Alumni Leadership & Engagement, Teach For America Owner, Crumbine Education Consulting acrumbine@gmail.com BA, English, Trinity University MA, Educational Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University “TFA: Strategizing on how to maximize the impact of over 1500 TFA alumni living and working in Houston. This looks like collaborating with Houston Area superintendents and designing an Aspiring Superintendent/School Leader cohort. It looks like thought-partnering with someone on my team who is tasked with engaging alumni in business, law and the corporate sector to be champions for children in under-resourced schools in Houston. And it looks like having conversations with community members (even young ones) on the role they can play to eradicate inequity in education in our city.”
ANNE HOPPE FRIED ’04 Family Philanthropy Manager, Greater Houston Community Foundation annefried116@gmail.com BS, Communications, Texas Christian University Prior Employers: DePelchin Children’s Center Baylor College of Medicine The Texas State History Museum Foundation “I work with three main groups at the Greater Houston Community Foundation – the Next Gen Donor Institute, the Family Giving Circle and the Youth Leadership Team. Some days I am planning site visits to local nonprofits and others I am hosting educational events for donors – it all depends!”
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non-profit & education
PABLO HENNING ’10 President, Saludos Connection phenningjr@gmail.com BS, Bioengineering; BA, Art History, Rice University “There are three general types of days. If it’s the day of an event, I’m most likely preparing last minute details and then actually working at the event. If it’s a volunteering day, I’m working with volunteers on documenting and packing the supplies we send. On the other days, I’m working on everything else, mostly with a notebook and my computer, meeting with various people to advance different projects.”
29 | alumni leadership day
real estate
BRITTANY HANSEN CASSIN ’00 Residential Sales Associate, John Daugherty Realtors brittanyc@johndaugherty.com BA, Business Administration; FA, Fine Art, University of Southern California Prior Employer: Love Advertising “I am a Top Producer at a residential real estate firm, specializing in the inner Houston neighborhoods. I work with buyers, sellers and renters. From 1920s bungalows in the Heights to River Oaks estates, ranch homes in Tanglewood and Memorial, renovation-needed or new construction, I know it all. My first year in the business, I received the Rising Star award and last year, I was inducted into John Daugherty’s Society of Distinction. I have also earned designations from the Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI) and Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR). I post about interesting news (city or real estate related), new restaurants and city developments, along with real estate updates on Instagram and Facebook @brittanycassinrealtor.”
HOLLAN HENSLEY ’09 Investment Analyst, NorthMarq Capital hhensley@northmarq.com BS, Advertising, University of Texas Prior Employers: Endeavor Real Estate Group SRS Real Estate Partners “My typical day involves modeling real estate transactions, evaluating debt options, assembling marketing materials to send to lenders and spearheading the due diligence process in closings. My primary job is to act as a liaison between borrowers and lenders.”
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real estate
ZAC HOFFER ’07
SASHA LEVINE ’08
Vice President – Brokerage, The Retail Connection
Senior Associate, CBRE
zhoffer@theretailconnection.net BA, Plan II Honors; BA, Economics, University of Texas “My daily business activity is primarily dedicated to both landlord and retail/ restaurant tenant representation. From the tenant side, I aid in the real estate strategy and market development of each of my clients throughout Houston, including Equinox, Chase Bank, Bed Bath & Beyond, Nordstrom Rack, LA Fitness, sweetgreen, Mendocino Farms, as well as several other national, regional and local concepts. As a landlord representative, my focus is to maximize value and facilitate the leasing of each respective development or project by monitoring, evaluating and executing the most effective and long term mix of tenants.”
31 | alumni leadership day
Sashalevine@gmail.com BA, International Studies & Spanish, Northwestern University “My core focus is urban project leasing and tenant representation in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth. My tenant representation experience includes significant involvement in new business development, marketing, due diligence review, market/site analysis and transaction advisory for clients such as Saint Bernard, Fox Restaurant Concepts and Ascension Coffee. My principal focus in landlord representation is specialty retail and adaptive reuse within the urban core.”
real estate
LEXI SAKOWITZ ’07
BEN WHITMAN ’92
Residential Sales Associate, John Daugherty Realtors
Vice President - Capital Markets, Hanover Company
lexisakowitz@gmail.com
ben_whitman@yahoo.com
BFA, Film Production & Theatre, Chapman University
BS, Business Administration, Washington & Lee University
Prior Employer: Reality Television Producer
MBA, Rice University
“I assist buyers, sellers and tenants with their residential real estate needs by negotiating contracts, getting my clients the best and fair offer or purchase price, putting together comparable market analysis, keeping my clients informed with market inventory and finding them the perfect place to call home. I have enjoyed being back in Houston and getting reacquainted with the city. In just under a year, I have grossed over $2 million in sales, proving to be an asset to Houston homeowners.”
Prior Employer: UBS “I develop new and manage existing lender relationships and loan origination process for Hanover’s multifamily development and acquisition pipeline with multinational banks, regional banks, life companies and GSEs. Additionally I procure and negotiate loan term sheets and construction loan agreements through the distribution and coordination of offering memorandums and due diligence materials in addition to managing the project acquisition/joint venture closing process organizationally between the Development, Construction, Accounting, Property Management and Legal departments.”
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student notes
33 | alumni leadership day
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schedule of events 9:45 – 10:05
Coffee & Light Breakfast, Student Life Building Front Lobby
10:10 – 10:40 Assembly, Moss Amphitheatre 10:50 – 11:20 Panel 1 11:30 – 12:00 Panel 2 12:10 – 12:40 Panel 3 12:45 – 1:25
Roundtable Luncheon, Ogilvie Lobby
The panel sessions will take place in the following rooms: 1.
Arts & Entertainment: Room 103 (Freshman Hall)
2.
Banking, Finance & Accounting: Moss Amphitheatre
3.
Energy/Oil & Gas: Character Education B
4. Engineering: Main Conference Room 5. Entrepreneurship: SL 202 6. Healthcare/Medicine: Character Education A 7. Law: SL 203 8.
Marketing & Communications: Anderson Room
9.
Military & Computer Science: Character Education Conference Room 1
10.
Non-Profit & Education: Room 102 (Freshman Hall)
11.
Real Estate: SL 206