Class Notes

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

There’s so much that’s rewarding. But one of the original things I loved about recruiting was how much fun it was to match somebody to their perfect job and the company with the perfect hire. I feel the same way today leading in HR, where the ultimate goal at Southwest is to be a great place to work for our employees and to hire happy people who serve our customers well. To be a part of that in some way brings satisfaction and is incredibly rewarding.

Why did you decide to become a University of Dallas trustee?

I want to give back. I give a lot of credit to the University of Dallas for where I am today. It was an incredibly enriching experience, and the education was more than I thought it would be. It shaped me and set me up to do well in business, and gave me the opportunity to have incredible debates and dialogues, as well as the experience of different cultures during my Rome semester. And of course I give credit to Dr. Churchill for picking up the phone and setting me on the path that I’m on today. People do ask me, ‘Do you wish you got a degree in human resources instead of psychology?’ and my answer is ‘No.’

What pieces of advice would you offer to a current UD psychology major?

Take some business classes. My second piece of advice is to those who are graduating today. They need to be incredibly resilient, as these are uncertain times during the pandemic. My advice is to know that you’re strong, know that you’re resilient and know that there are jobs out there. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake with that first job you take. Everything is a learning experience, and you can walk away from absolutely anything and learn. Don’t be afraid. When doing that job search, take a job that you feel will be rewarding for you. Pay less attention to the money and title, but instead, think about how it’s going to grow you and how you’re going to contribute, because all that matters at the end of the day is that you feel like you added value.

1970s

Edward Izyk, BA ’78, is the assistant city attorney in Oswego, New York.

1980s

Jeffery Drummond, J.D., BA ’84, was selected for inclusion in the 2021 Best Lawyers in America list, based on peer reviews, and the 2020 Chambers USA Guide. Gregory Borse, Ph.D., BA ’87 MA ’92, associate professor of English and philosophy at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, was recently named to the editorial board and as associate editor of the Philological Review. His essay “‘Beloved Inmates and Happy Ways’: Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park” appears in the next issue of the review. Previous issues have featured essays by UD faculty and alumni such as Bainard Cowan, Ph.D., BA ’70, Kathleen (Kelly) Marks, PhD ’00, Gregory Marks, MA ’92, and Andrew Osborn, Ph.D. Gregory's textbook, Other Canons: A Selection of Non-Western Literary Masterpieces, features introductions by UD faculty and alumni on Chinese literature (by Bainard Cowan and Robert Scott Dupree, Ph.D., BA ’62), Babylonian myth (Kathleen Marks), the Enuma Elish (Gregory Marks), and the Tibetan epic The Epic of Gesar (Gregory Borse). The next issue of the Philological Review features Dupree's essay on “threeness” and Faulkner's Snopes Trilogy.

Christina “Christy” (Rieger)

Roessner, Ph.D., BA ’88, is immediate past president of the American Association of University Women and chair of the Department of English at Mercyhurst University. She teaches composition, British literature and world literature. Her essays addressing issues of gender, reading and spectatorship in Victorian literature have appeared in Victorian Culture and 19th-Century Feminisms. She also is department sponsor for Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society. Deborah Hill, MBA ’89, is a transit planner for the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association.

1990s

Edward Baptista, M.D., BS ’92, is a cardiologist with Vital Heart & Vein in Humble, Texas. Since joining the heart hospital in 2003, Edward has served as chair of cardiovascular services at HCA

Read more at udallas.edu/ sleep-like-a-baby.

SlEEp lIkE A bAby

Successful Business Built on Helping

ndrea (Jauregui) De La torre, BA ’14, never expected to become a baby sleep consultant; until she became a mother to a baby who wouldn’t sleep, she didn’t even know such a career existed. An English and education major at UD, she taught for two years at Uplift Education after graduating. She met her then-future husband, Joe De La torre, BA ’11, during her interview at Uplift, where he taught third grade.

When the couple’s first baby was born, De La Torre opted to become a stay-at-home mom. She felt called to this vocation, but she also missed the mental stimulation that teaching had provided.

“I also wasn't sleeping, and my kid wasn’t sleeping, and I read so many books and blogs, and I still couldn’t figure it out,” she said. She

Pictured is the daughter of Melissa (Farris) and Mark Pearson, both BA '14.

then learned about baby sleep consultants, but they all seemed very expensive, so De La Torre decided to simply get certified herself.

Once her own baby was sleeping, she realized other moms needed this same type of help. She found her first clients through the network of UD alumna moms who had first introduced her to the concept of baby sleep consulting; she can similarly rattle off a whole list of fellow UD alumni who have assisted her in some way or another along the way. By focusing on helping others versus profit, she has built a strong following and community on Instagram. Baby Sleep Answers is now so successful that her husband, Joe, has quit teaching in order to help run it.

De La Torre gives the University of Dallas — both the education and the community — much credit for this success.

Houston Healthcare Kingwood and as chief of staff in 2010. Highly regarded by the hospital staff and his colleagues, he was honored five times as Physician of the Year. Edward also serves as a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Pamela S. Pierce, MBA ’94, a petroleum engineer, is CEO and president of Scientific Drilling International.

2000s

Seemee Ali, MA ’98 PhD ’01, is the first president of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, established in 1980 by a group of UD professors including Donald and Louise Cowan. Seemee takes over from retiring executive director Larry Allums, MA ’76 PhD ’78. She comes to the institute from Carthage College in Wisconsin, where she led the Western Heritage program. Colleen (Reynolds) Phelan, BA ’01 MBA ’03, graduated from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in May, fulfilling a longtime dream. She is excited to be back in the DFW area practicing veterinary medicine at Flower Mound Emergency Pet Clinic and North Texas Emergency Pet Clinic. Ed Schad, BA ’01, is the art curator and publications manager at The Broad in Los Angeles. An exhibition he curated, “Shirin Neshat: I Will Greet the Sun Again,” will open at The Modern in Fort Worth in spring 2021 after debuting at The Broad this fall.

Angela (Fougerousse) von Weber-

Hahnsberg, BA ’01, was named to the Top 10 in Ignite Visibility's “Courageous Marketing Leader Awards — Honoring the Boldest in Marketing in 2020.” She is the CEO and founder of Manoula Marketing, whose mission is to “cater to those who have created their own niche … those who are blazing new trails and creating real change.” Chrissy (Joseph) McGaha, BA ’03, is assistant vice president of lending at RelyOn Credit Union. Father Joseph Van House, O. Cist., S.T.D., BA ’03, is an affiliate assistant professor of theology at UD. Jesse Jackson, MBA ’06, will lead the financial institutions group and join the executive leadership team at b1BANK. Jesse was formerly executive vice president of Texas Capital Bank’s Dallas commercial banking practice. Benedict Whalen, BA ’08, was named Professor of the Year by Hillsdale College’s 2020 graduating class. Benedict has taught at Hillsdale since 2014.