SERVING YOU ADVANCING ACU
DALLAS AREA
FORT WORTH AREA Brent Barrow • URM 817-946-5917, brent.barrow@acu.edu Will Beasley • AC – Tarrant, Johnson and Hood Counties 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 wab06a@acu.edu Lance Rieder • AO 325-674-6080, lance.rieder@acu.edu
HOUSTON AREA Carri Hill • URM 713-582-2123 • carri.hill@acu.edu Lauryn Lewis • AC 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 lauryn.lewis@acu.edu Eric Fridge • AO 713-483-4004, eric.fridge@acu.edu
AUSTIN AREA Tunisia Singleton • URM – Austin / Central Texas 512-450-4329 • tunisia.singleton@acu.edu Natalie Fleet • AC – Austin, Central Texas 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 natalie.fleet@acu.edu
SAN ANTONIO AREA LaDonna Wilson • URM – San Antonio, South Texas 210-410-9014 • ladonna.wilson@acu.edu John Mark Moudy • AC – San Antonio, South Texas 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 johnmark.moudy@acu.edu Josh Clem • AO – San Antonio, South Texas 210-573-2475, josh.clem@acu.edu
WEST TEXAS AREA Cassie Baumann • AC 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 cassie.baumann@acu.edu Mark Rogers • AO 325-674-2669, mark.rogers@acu.edu
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fighting against the tide, but the culture of ACU is so supportive.” As Wilson begins her second year as a URM, she wants to spread the word about that culture to prospective students and parents, and help alumni tap into the connections offered by the Abilene Christian network. 䊱 – KATIE NOAH GIBSON
AUSTIN AREA facebook.com/ACUAustin • Gilbert Tuhabonye (’01) and his Gazelle Foundation sponsored Run for the Water, 5K and 10K races for more than 4,000 participants Oct. 27 that provided a rallying point for Hill Country alumni. Proceeds went to developing clean water for people in Tuhabonye’s native Burundi. A pre-race party the night before attracted more than 70 runners and fans, including ACU track and field stars Andrew Bynum, Baptiste Kerjean and Chloe Sussett, and Elea Mariama Diarra, who represented France in the 2012 London Olympics. Mike Mayeux (’87) grilled fajitas for the pre-race party and Tuhabonye spoke passionately about his love for his foundation and his alma mater. He also was the featured Chapel speaker back on campus on Sept. 11, 2012. • The Wildcat Caravan stopped at Saltgrass Steak House on July 17, 2012, where fans had lunch with head football coach Ken Collums, men’s head basketball coach Joe Golding (’99) and women’s head basketball coach Julie Goodenough, and other athletics staff members. Those present included Doug Bryant (’87), Delia Cantu-Harkless, Mike Carr (’90), Terry Childers (’74), Josh Clem, Aaron Dennington (’99), Albert Dennington (’71), Charis Dishman (Dillman ’02), Ty Dishman (’02), Abigail Dunagan (‘08), Ryan Dunagan (’08), Ken Gates (’82), Tom Hagan, Brian Jackson (’87), Randy Johnson, Geneva Johnson (’64), Casey Kelley (’03), Blaine Martin (’09), Mike Mayeux (’87), Bill McClellan (’81), Celeste Scarborough (’86), Todd Self (’93), Mark Shewmaker (’96), Brian Thrift (’06), Brooks Thrift and Brad VanStavern (’96). • Alumni and Friends Luncheon speakers in recent months have included Tim Johnston (’80), assistant dean of ACU’s College of Business Administration and School of Information Technology, and Darbie Angell (’03), founder of CRU Dinnerware. • Archie and Carol Johnson volunteered their home as the site of an Aug. 8, 2012, Send-Off Party in honor of 21 Austin-area freshmen. Co-hosts were Gary (’85) and Lisa (Crumley ’87) Shake and Gary (’85) and Bonny (Spoonts ’85) Jones. • Bill (’81) and Jan (Seaberg ’82) McClellan, Jim (’82) and Dana (Hodde ’81) Jones and Scott (’93) and Sandy (Miller ’92) Ferguson hosted a Purple and White Party on Oct. 3 that attracted more than 100 interested students and parents. • ACU Moms in Austin began meeting in September 2012 to get to know each other better, support and pray for their students. At the December meeting they will
HOLLY REED
Toni Young • URM 214-402-5183, toni.young@acu.edu Craig Rideout • AC – Collin, Denton, Wise and Parker counties 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 craig.rideout@acu.edu Lara Jenkins • AC – Dallas, Rockwall, Ellis and Kaufman counties 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 lara.jenkins@acu.edu Lance Rieder • AO 325-674-6080, lance.rieder@acu.edu
LaDonna Wilson is a relative newcomer to the ACU community: she has worked as a university relations manager for a little more than a year. But this Harding University graduate, minister’s daughter and mom of a rising junior says she loves working with the alumni community in the San Antonio area. “We have a strong foundation in place here,” Wilson says. “San Antonio alumni are a tremendous support.” Wilson says she “stepped into a full calendar” in September 2011, taking over from Tunisia (Sekhon ’81) Singleton so Singleton could focus her efforts on the Austin area. Attendance at San Antonio alumni luncheons has doubled over the past year, partly due to the introduction of speakers such as Steve Green (’77) and others. Additional events include a Wildcat Caravan event this summer that drew 46 people and a Basketball Bash at University of the Incarnate Word where ACU’s 250 supporters drowned out their opponents. Between school visits, college fairs, parent groups and talking with area school counselors and ministers, Wilson says the job is “multitasking mania,” but she’s enjoying the ride. “We’re having a ball,” she says. Wilson also has a broad network of connections in the Corpus Christi area, where she lived for 21 years. She has hosted several recruiting events there, seeing a jump in applications from Corpus Christi and South Texas. More than a tenth of this year’s freshman class hails from either San Antonio or South Texas, a testament to the efforts of Wilson, her partners Josh Clem of the Advancement office and John Mark Moudy (’04) of the Office of Admissions, and the tireless collaboration of parents and alumni in the area. “is is a warm and supportive group of people,” Wilson says. “ey are supportive of our students – they hire many of them and ACU’s recent alumni. ey also are tremendously supportive of our events, from planning to bringing in food to spreading the word to cleanup.” As the parent of a current student, Wilson brings a different perspective to recruiting events than many recruiters and admissions counselors. “I talk about the growth of my son and what I’ve seen happening in his life as a result of the ACU culture,” she says. “ere are a lot of places where he’d be LINDSEY COTTON
Do you want to recommend a prospective student, volunteer, host an event or just learn more about how you can be involved with ACU where you live? To help foster relationships with alumni and future students, ACU has assigned personnel from its Advancement and Admissions offices to major markets in Texas. A university relations manager (URM) focuses on establishing relationships with churches and schools, an admissions counselor (AC) reaches out to future students and their parents, and an advancement officer (AO) assists prospective donors who can contribute funds to ACU. Through this territory team approach, these dedicated professionals can provide exceptional service to those who contribute so graciously to ACU’s mission and 21st-Century Vision.
LaDonna Wilson has San Antonio buzzing over ACU