16th Annual
ALUMNI LEADERSHIP DAY
October 13, 2021
The Kinkaid School’s 16th Annual Alumni Leadership Day Dear Class of 2022, This year we have a very impressive group of over 55 alumni returning to campus to visit with the Class of 2022 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 questions about your next steps in college and beyond. 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 2022 will take advantage of this unique opportunity. Sincerely,
Alexa Leach ’09 Advancement Services Manager Julia Wood Harris ’08 KYPO President 2021-2022
Kenner Smith Francis ’10 KYPO Vice President 2021-2022
table of contents 3 arts & entertainment 6 banking, finance & accounting 9 computer science & technology 12 energy / oil & gas 14 engineering 16 entrepreneurship 19 healthcare / medicine 22 law 25 marketing & communications 28 military & NASA 29 non-profit & education 32 real estate 35 notes 37 schedule of events
advancement office contact information ALEXA LEACH ‘09 Advancement Services Manager
TOM MOORE Director of Advancement
(o) 713-243-5054 alexa.leach@kinkaid.org
(o) 713-243-5045 tom.moore@kinkaid.org
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arts & entertainment
JOE BAILEY JR. ’00
DEMETRIOS COKINOS ‘10
Lecturer & Filmmaker, University of Texas & Self-employed
Script Coordinator, INVASION on Apple TV+
joebaileyjr@mac.com
dcokinos@stellabelle.com
BA, Plan II Honors & History, University of Texas
BA, Radio/TV/Film & English Literature (Directing minor), Northwestern University
JD, University of Texas “My days have varied wildly; sometimes filming, sometimes editing, sometimes researching, sometimes teaching, sometimes traveling. Lately I’ve been focused most on teaching and recovering from major open aortic surgery. I’ve worked on documentary films, but I’ve also worked on sets of narrative productions based out of Los Angeles and Austin. Houston actually seems the richest city I’ve lived in so far, for documentary subject matter. Teaching and production are probably the most fun parts of my work; editing is the most challenging but can be invigorating; a legal background has been helpful; as has a well-nourished love for history, arts, and sciences from my teachers and classmates.”
3 | alumni leadership day
Prior Employers: HUNTERS Season 2 LITTLE VOICE DICKINSON UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT (1-4) 30 ROCK (7) “I work as the conduit of the Showrunner and writers’ room of INVASION to both the studio and production, making sure that the scripts are distributed to the cast, crew, and studio and understood correctly by the crew. In addition, I coordinate the writing and revision process of the scripts, while also proofreading, editing, noting continuity between scenes and episodes, managing translators, and serve as an encyclopedia of information for the show at large.”
arts & entertainment
BARRIE GORDON GRUNER ’00 Head of Hulu Originals Marketing & Publicity, Hulu barriegruner@gmail.com BFA, The George Washington University Prior Employers: Netflix (streaming television) TNT (linear television) Entertainment Weekly (magazines) Miramax (film and books) “As the head of Originals Marketing and Publicity for Hulu, I oversee marketing strategy, creative, events, media, social, and communications for all Hulu Original series (e.g., The Handmaid’s Tale, Nine Perfect Strangers, Only Murders in the Building). Most days are spent in meetings – either with my team, broader Disney teams, or with executive producers and talent attached to projects we’re developing and launching.”
ANTHONY HARRISON ’05 Founder & President, Preston Street Production Anthony@PrestonStreetProduction.com BS, Finance, Louisiana Tech University MS, Concordia University (Irvine) Prior Employer: Warner Bros Entertainment “Our company creates opportunities in the entertainment industry by financing scripted and unscripted projects. We have strategically partnered with some of the best directors & producers to produce content to be seen on steaming platforms, major networks, and digital platforms. Our focus is to create and acquire IP to help even out the playing field for diverse voices in the entertainment industry.” www.PrestonStreetProduction.com
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arts & entertainment
KAVITA RAO ’01
ISABEL ROSS ’11
Owner, Karmagraphy Entertainment Choreographer & Artistic Director, Self-employed
Executive Assistant to President & Senior Partner, Hauser & Wirth
kavita.dance@gmail.com BA, Communications (Dance minor), Chapman University Prior Employers: Independent contractor for industry jobs and self-employed “My schedule is different every day, as I wear multiple hats in my industry. If I am working on film or tv project, it would involve casting, working on choreography, meetings with production, rehearsals with actors or dancers, or a full day on set. If I am teaching on convention, it would be eight hours of judging and six hours of teaching master classes. Most days it is doing a bit of everything for my company: emails and calls with clients for my company, writing contracts, booking dancers, creating show concepts, choreographing for shows, rehearsing with dancers, costuming shows, and overall directing of events.”
5 | alumni leadership day
isabeltross@gmail.com BA, History of Art, Vanderbilt University Prior Employer: Museum of Modern Art “Hauser & Wirth is a leading international contemporary and modern art gallery representing over 90 artists and estates. As Executive Assistant, I provide both sales assistance and administrative support to our President & Senior Partner, while guaranteeing that the day-to-day operations of our New York galleries run smoothly. I work specifically with a group of our artists on gallery and museum exhibitions, art fairs, and special projects with the goal of placing their work in the best public and private collections across the globe.”
banking, finance & accounting
FRANCES ANDREWS ’15
MAURICE LAMB III ’06
Tax Consultant, Deloitte
Associate in Indirect Tax, Ernst & Young, LLP
frances.andrews13@gmail.com BA, Accounting, Texas A&M University
Maurice.lamb.iii@gmail.com BA, Government, University of Texas
MS, Finance, Texas A&M University
JD, South Texas College of Law
“I work with oil and gas companies and private equity groups on tax strategies for compliance and reporting purposes. My specialty group also helps model and structure transactions, from a tax perspective, that our clients are considering or pursuing.”
Masters in Laws of Taxation, University of Florida “I assist clients by performing nexus matrices to determine a corporation’s physical and economic presence nationwide. I also help defend my clients against sales and use tax audits and recover overpaid taxes through look back reviews.”
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banking, finance & accounting
BYRON LANGFORD ’07
CHINNA O’SUJI ’11
Senior Associate, Bank of America
Infrastructure Investments Associate, Brookfield Asset Management
byron.langford@gmail.com BA, Mathematics, Middlebury College Prior Employers: Lazard Lime Rock Resources BMO Capital Markets “I work for the energy investment banking group at Bank of America, which provides energy clients with a range of advisory and capital markets services. My primary responsibilities include identifying opportunities for current and prospective clients and helping manage transaction execution.”
7 | alumni leadership day
ceo.osuji@gmail.com BS, Management, Science & Engineering, Stanford University Prior Employer: Citi Investment Banking (Global Energy Group) “As an associate in the Infrastructure group, my day-to-day consists of evaluating inbound offers, new investment idea origination, and driving the quantitative and qualitative analysis that ultimately supports all of our investment decisions. My focus is on Energy infrastructure, including midstream and utilities investments. Given Brookfield is a global real asset manager with $550+ billion of assets under management, I assess infrastructure investments in various regions across the world.”
banking, finance & accounting
RICKY PERUSQUIA ’11 Vice President, CAZ Investments
ELIZABETH CLARK WALTRIP ’14
rickyperusquia@gmail.com
Credit Analyst, Third Coast Bank SSB
BA, Economics, University of Texas
ecwaltrip@gmail.com
MBA, University of Virginia
BA, History, University of Texas
Prior Employers: Credit Suisse Dimensional Fund Advisors
MBA, Acton School of Business
“We are a private investment firm with several investors across the US. I spend my time in three ways: 1. Finding, doing diligence on, and monitoring investments; 2. Meeting with existing investors to go through their investments with us; 3. Meeting with prospective investors to discuss investing with us. A typical day consists of two-to-three meetings with existing and prospective investors either in person or on Zoom, and the rest of the time, I review and prepare materials for prospective investments to help decide if we will participate.”
Prior Employer: Armenta Jewelry “My day-to-day is very consistent: I underwrite loans. This means I prepare a package for a loan officer that analyzes why the borrower (usually a company) will be a good customer of the bank. I analyze their finances, but do a lot more analysis of the people, the market, and their history with the loan officer to give all the information on why the loan would be a good credit.”
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computer science & technology
KRYSTAL D. CARTER ’01
CAMPBELL CRAVENS ’12
Founder & Chief Cloud Enthusiast, Danny Kay Consulting
Lead Game Developer, Mega Bad Crew, LLC
krystaldcarter@gmail.com
campbelljcravens@gmail.com
Corporate Organizational Communication, University of Houston
BS, Advertising, University of Texas
“I start each (work) day with a quick 10–15-minute touchpoint with my senior consulting team. We update each other on each of our active projects. The rest of the day varies based on the projects. It may include project status meetings, system development, meetings with prospective clients, etc. The thing that stays consistent from day-to-day is the goal of being problem solvers for our clients, and it’s even better if we’re able to solve problems that they don’t even realize they have before they have them.”
9 | alumni leadership day
“I am leading a development team building Kitty Esports – a competitive video game for cats to play online solo or cooperatively with their owners. Yes, you read that correctly, cats playing video games. We have been funded by the founder of Blizzard Entertainment and one of the founders of Twitch among many others. My primary role is the development of the game in the Unity Engine. We are gearing up for an open Beta release mid-October and final launch late November 2021.”
computer science & technology
GRAHAM GAYLOR ’10
RODNEY KENNEDY ’12
Founder/CEO, VRChat Inc.
Technical Specialist, Millennium Relief & Development
graham.gaylor@gmail.com BS, Computer Science & Math, Vanderbilt University Prior Employers: GREE Zynga (mobile game companies) “In the early days of VRChat (2014/2015), most of my day was spent programming the core VRChat product, shipping changes, receiving feedback from our small community, and iterating. As we grew and hired more engineers, my role turned into whatever the company needed at the time – fundraising, HR, product management, strategic planning, and company management. Today, my days consist of team and product management (lots of meetings, design reviews, roadmap discussions), interfacing with external partners (investors, technology partners), and sometimes getting hands on with critical projects (project scoping, QA features).”
rodney.m.kennedy@gmail.com BS, Computer Science, Trinity University Prior Employer: iD Tech Summer Camps “We use technology to serve clients globally with few members in the office. I’m often making, optimizing, or maintaining our customized database software (FileMaker) or working on projects to help make our organizational process more effective. On any given day, I may need to facilitate a meeting with our tech team, troubleshoot issues with our internet or servers, or program solutions to client issues on our web interface.”
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computer science & technology
JARRETT WADLER ’09 Product Manager, Cisco jawadler@gmail.com BA, Economics (Financial Economics; Leadership & Organization minors), Vanderbilt University MBA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Prior Employers: Huron Consulting Group OrthoFi “I continue driving software enhancements I own through the stages of the software development lifecycle (I will happily explain what the steps are during the panel!). I meet with the internal product management team to discuss and update the prioritization of future software feature requests. I speak with current users (customers) for feedback regarding pain points they’re experiencing using our product. I lead Early Field Trials, in which existing customers interact with upcoming features that aren’t out yet, so they can provide feedback.”
11 | alumni leadership day
energy / oil & gas
MARSHALL CRAWFORD ’09
HALEY EBEL O’BRIEN ’14
Producer, Alliant Insurance Services
Senior Crude Marketing Representative, Gibson Energy
mhcrawford3@gmail.com BBA, Marketing, University of Alabama Prior Employers: Wortham Insurance & Risk Management Stallion Oilfield Services “I work on the brokerage side of the Energy/Marine insurance business. A typical day consists of business development, reviewing contracts, claims handling, and addressing clients’ needs from a risk management perspective. I also negotiate with underwriters on my clients’ behalf to ensure we are providing the best terms and pricing for their insurance programs.”
hbeobrien@gmail.com BA, Education, Elon University “I work for a Canadian midstream company. On a day-to-day basis, I buy and sell crude oil at the lease site as well as blend various grades of oil at our terminal and pipeline in West Texas to capture quality based arbs. I also participate in business development activities such as pipeline connectivity opportunities and acquisitions.”
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energy / oil & gas
HAYNER RUDE ’06
WAKEFORD THOMPSON ’03
Business Development, Texas Brine Company
VP - Business Development, Magnolia Oil & Gas
hayner.rude@gmail.com
wthompson1@gmail.com
BA, Economics, University of Texas
BBA, Finance, University of Georgia
MBA & Masters of Management in Energy, Finance & Trading, Tulane University
MBA, Rice University
Prior Employers: Killam Oil Hunt Oil “I work for a family of companies in the salt business. We provide salt for the chemical industry and underground hydrocarbon storage in salt domes for oil companies. I spend my days working with petrochemical companies on chloralkali growth projects, major oil and gas companies on hydrocarbon storage needs, and figuring out how to expand our dry salt production for customers like H-E-B.”
13 | alumni leadership day
Prior Employers: EIG Global Energy Partners Post Oak Energy Capital Amegy Bank “I lead Magnolia’s business development efforts which primarily involve sourcing, evaluating, and executing oil and gas asset acquisitions as well as corporate M&A opportunities.”
engineering
LAYNE FRENCH JR. ’09
MATTHEW HUSSEY ’08
Associate, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.
Completions Engineering Supervisor, SilverBow Resources
laynebfrench@gmail.com
mlhussey13@gmail.com
BS, Geosystems Engineering & Hydrogeology, University of Texas
BS, Mechanical Engineering; BBA, Engineering Route to Business, University of Texas
MS, Petroleum Engineering, Louisiana State University Prior Employer: Marathon Oil Company “I work as an associate at Tudor, Pickering, Holt and Co. (TPH), an investment bank focused on energy. TPH’s investment banking team advises energy companies on acquisitions and divestitures (A&D), mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and strategic alternatives. I work with finance professionals, engineers, and geologists to value oil and gas assets and advise our clients on the sale or purchase of those assets.”
Prior Employer: Chesapeake Energy “SilverBow Resources is a publicly traded upstream oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) company. My primary responsibilities are the planning and management of hydraulic fracturing operations in South Texas. This involves working with multiple vendors and contractors to drive operational efficiencies while maintaining a safe working environment. Two key facets of my job are communicating the goals and expectations to our field personnel and performing analyses to identify areas for enhanced performance.”
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engineering
ELENI PAPPAS ’04
GLEN ALLEN WIND ’11
Principal, Traffic Engineers, Inc.
Engineering Manager, Bold Production Services
ehpappas@gmail.com BE, Civil Engineering, Vanderbilt University MS, Civil Engineering, University of Texas MBA, Rice University “As a project manager to a variety of projects, my day is focused around a series of meetings and constant communication with my team members and with our clients. I will have calls with clients on a variety of topics including check-ins on a project or helping them solve challenging problems. I will then work with my team members to ensure we are delivering the project the client needs in the best way possible. I also spend much time training and leading staff to ensure our junior staff grow into company leaders and fantastic project managers.”
15 | alumni leadership day
GAwind@bps-llc.com BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas Prior Employer: ExxonMobil “My primary responsibility is to provide engineering input and guidance for all Bold projects and operations. This ranges from sizing production equipment to running process simulation for natural gas treating to troubleshooting operational upsets. I am also responsible for new product development and product manufacturing. For new products, this entails developing an understanding of the market and the niche we are trying to fill. I am then accountable for the R&D effort to develop a product that meets that need while staying within the capital requirements to make the product profitable. For existing products, I serve as a project manager to handle vendors and suppliers engaged in the manufacturing process. There is a new challenge almost every day, which keeps things fresh and exciting.”
entrepreneurship
VICTORIA PAPPAS BLUDORN ’07
WELLS CHILDRESS ’09 Co-Founder, Mode Maison
Operations Manager, Bludorn Restaurant / Pappas Restaurants
wells@childress79.com
victoria@bludornrestaurant.com
BA, Psychology, Columbia University
BA, Business Marketing (Art History minor), University of Georgia
Prior Employer: Wells Fargo (Investment Banking Analyst)
Grand Diploma, Culinary Arts, French Culinary Institute “In the restaurant business, each day is different! During the day at Bludorn, cooks and servers are setting up for a successful evening. In the background, I’m working on upcoming events, having operations meetings, discussing PR strategy, rolling out new menu items, updating our benefits package, to name a few things going on behind the scenes. The thrilling part is dreaming up something fun and tasty and seeing it executed and enjoyed by guests.”
“My day-to-day consists of the following: business development – bringing in new clients/partnerships and research and development to keep a cutting-edge product offering; operations – bringing in high quality talent and making sure we run a lean and scalable organization; fundraising and investor relations – pitching investors, networking, and negotiating.”
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entrepreneurship
CATHERINE FRANK ’12
BEN THOMAS ’13
Owner & Lead Designer, CE Paperie
Founder & CEO, Nutiliti
catherine.e.frank@gmail.com
benji@nutiliti.com
BA, University of Texas
BBA, Finance, Baylor University
Prior Employer: Houston Independent School District
Prior Employers: Morgan Stanley Energy Partners Wells Fargo Investment Banking
“As a stationery designer, primarily working in the wedding industry, my typical day consists of meeting with clients and creating custom designs. I work in different mediums including graphic design and watercolor painting. Many hours are also dedicated to administrative tasks such as invoicing, writing cost estimates, placing orders, and communicating with my production team.”
17 | alumni leadership day
“At a startup, every day looks different, but sometimes there is some structure. I try to spend time with each of our heads (CTO, COO, and CPO) and see where we are on product development, operations, and growth. After that, I’ll engage with any investors who have reached out that week and put together various analyses. My main job is to recruit talented folks and delegate well. That enables me to focus on long-term vision and continue to build our company culture.”
entrepreneurship
RUDY WRABEL ’03 Vice President/Owner, At Your Side Home Care rudywrabel@gmail.com BS, Business Administration (Entrepreneurship emphasis), University of Southern California Prior Employers: Kayne Anderson Private Investors Big Red Print Solutions Jersey Mike’s Subs “Day in the life involves working with our team to serve seniors and their families. We provide caregivers to work with seniors one-on-one wherever they call home to help them safely get through their day.”
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healthcare / medicine
JEFFREY BERMAN ’08
ALLISON BOLIN ’12
Cardiology Fellow, Baylor College of Medicine
Physician Assistant – Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
jberman31190@gmail.com BA, Plan II; BBA, Business Honors, University of Texas MD, Baylor College of Medicine “A day in the life of a cardiology fellow can vary a lot from month to month. Certain rotations are inpatient focused, and we treat patients admitted to the hospital or cardiac ICU. Some rotations will be focused on procedures such as cardiac catheterization or electrophysiology, while others are all about imaging interpretation of echocardiograms, cardiac MRIs, and nuclear stress tests. Our daily schedule changes significantly depending on the rotation.”
19 | alumni leadership day
allison.bolin@att.net BS, Nutrition, University of Texas MSPAS, Physician Assistant Studies, University of Texas Medical Branch “As a PA, I work one-on-one with a supervising physician seeing patients in clinic and first assisting in the operating room. In clinic, I see patients for their preop and post-op visits and perform small procedures including tissue expansions and wound debridements. In the operating room, I am very hands on throughout each case, and I assist with taking skin grafts and closing surgical sites.”
healthcare / medicine
GEORGI ANDREWS GREGORY ’14 Pediatric Orthotist & Prosthetist, Transcend Orthotics & Prosthetics georgi.gregory19@gmail.com BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame MS, Orthotics & Prosthetics, Baylor College of Medicine “In orthotics and prosthetics, our goal is improving and restoring mobility. In prosthetics we are working to build and replace a limb that is missing; in orthotics we are working to help strengthen or support a weak, or otherwise concerning, limb. I work mostly as a pediatric orthotist, so I see many kiddos with Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Down Syndrome, etc., working on orthotic bracing with the goal of improving their gait and stability. I see 8-12 patients per day and do the evaluation, design, fabrication, fitting, and follow up of these devices. Typically, I spend two days/week in the clinic and two days/week in the community either doing home visits or working in a physical therapy office with other members of the team.”
LUIS ALBERTO JUÁREZ ’09 Family Medicine Resident Physician, Lone Star Family Health Center jalcjalcjalc@gmail.com BS, Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) MD, UT Southwestern Medical School “Depending on the rotation, I will spend my day in the hospital or in the clinic. In both settings, I take care of all types of patients including laboring moms, babies, children, adults, and the elderly.”
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healthcare / medicine
CAITLIN BAILEY MCCLURE ’07
LAURA CLEGG THOMPSON ’10
Licensed Professional Counselor, The Tarnow Center for Self-Management
Registered Nurse – Pediatric ICU, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
caitlinbailey89@gmail.com BA, Psychology, University of South Carolina MEd, Counseling Psychology, University of Houston PhD, Integrative Mental Health, Saybrook University (In Progress) “I work primarily with children and young adolescents (ages 3-15) with behavioral, emotional, or intellectual disabilities. Through individual, family, and group therapy, I aim to help the child increase their self-management skills. I have worked with children with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety. I use qEEG, Neurofeedback, and Biofeedback therapy to individualize diagnosis and treatment plan.”
21 | alumni leadership day
lclegg613@gmail.com BS, Nursing, University of Texas “As a Pediatric ICU nurse at the first Level 1 Trauma Center in the Texas Medical Center, every day at the hospital is different. I care for infants born with heart defects requiring surgery and children who have suffered from multisystem trauma, neurologic conditions, and respiratory illnesses. Caring for critically ill children is a hands-on job and includes managing their medications and ventilators, participating in bedside surgeries and procedures, collaborating with physicians on care plans, and performing a variety of life-saving treatments and therapies.”
law
WILL FULLENWEIDER ’12 Associate, McGuireWoods LLP
RACHEL MORICO HANSON ’11
wfullenweider@mcguirewoods.com
Associate, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
BA, Villanova University
rachelmorico93@gmail.com
JD, University of Texas
BA, Psychology, Northwestern University
Prior Employer: Jones Day “I work in the corporate and private equity practice group advising independent sponsors and private equity funds on transactional matters including mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. A typical day for me involves assisting in different areas of the deal process, including due diligence, preparation of the purchase agreement and ancillary agreements, and generally preparing for closing. Our clients are involved in a broad range of industries.”
JD, Tulane University “As an associate in the business finance group, I represent both lenders (such as banks or other financial institutions) and borrowers (such as public or private companies) in various secured and unsecured loan transactions. My day-today typically consists of reviewing and drafting loan agreements and related documents, conducting due diligence, corresponding with clients and opposing counsel, and assisting with closings.”
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law
BRITTANY SAKOWITZ KUSHNER ’04 Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP brittanysakowitz@gmail.com BA, Mass Communications, Louisiana State University JD & MBA, University of Houston Prior Employer: Vinson & Elkins LLP “I help companies, investors, and entrepreneurs form, grow, and sell businesses, including through strategic transactions and capital fundraises. My ‘day in the life’ as a mergers and acquisitions (M&A)/private equity lawyer mostly entails negotiating documents and meeting with clients and counterparties to drive transactions to closing or help clients achieve their initiatives.”
MORGAN LATIN ’08 Legal Intern, City of Houston morgan.latin90@gmail.com BA, Urban Policy, Trinity University MA, Teaching, Relay Graduate School of Education JD, South Texas College of Law Prior Employer: KIPP Houston Public Schools “On a typical day, I update myself on the status of cases, research relevant legal questions, and draft legal documents. I work in a team centered environment where collaboration and case strategy are also a big part of my day. The best part is going to court, selecting juries, participating in the trial process, and building relationships with clients. Internships have helped me identify the type of attorney I want to be and develop the skills to get me there.”
23 | alumni leadership day
law
MARK THIESSEN ’96 Trial Lawyer, Thiessen Law Firm mark@thetexastrialattorney.com BBA, Marketing, Texas Christian University JD, South Texas College of Law Prior Employers: Trichter and Murphy Brown Sims Bell Ryniker Letourneau and Nork Hoover Slovacek “Every day I wake up and fight for justice. I make sure the police, district attorneys, or judges aren’t overstepping their bounds and trampling on our constitutional freedoms. I fight for the underdog and give people their life back. I also police the police. I love going to trial and fighting for my client.”
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marketing & communications
NEHA BATAVIA AGRAWAL ’02 Director of Enrollment Marketing & Communication, Rice University n.batavia@gmail.com BA, Economics, Northwestern University MBA, Northwestern University Prior Employers: Kantar Retail PepsiCo - Frito Lay “I market the Rice undergraduate experience to prospective students, parents, and high school counselors. My job is focused on developing the strategic marketing vision to achieve enrollment goals at the University. This includes developing our brand identity, overseeing production of all marketing material (print, social, web, etc.), and determining methods to enhance the communication for the enrollment division. On a daily basis I work in close collaboration with the VP of Enrollment, the Director of Admissions, the Director of Financial Aid, and Public Affairs.”
25 | alumni leadership day
KATE BENTSEN ’13 Business Marketing Associate – North America, Spotify kate.c.bentsen@gmail.com BS, Human & Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University Prior Employers: Columbia Records Universal Music Peer Music Publishing “I support all of the marketing efforts that demonstrate our value for advertisers on the Free Tier of Spotify. This ranges from developing our end of year Wrapped campaign, localizing content for global rollouts, designing our merchandise, and managing social media campaigns to much larger, global activations. My favorite projects to work on are our live events and concerts, specifically Spotify Beach at the Cannes Lions Media Festival in France each summer or Spotify Supper at CES in Vegas. When I am not traveling for work, I am producing my own music that you can find on all streaming platforms.”
marketing & communications
KATHERINE CUNNINGHAM ‘09 Client Relations Director, Fountain Forward ksc1776@gmail.com BA, Psychology, Bryn Mawr College Prior Employer: Alley Theatre “I am the bridge between Fountain Forward’s sales department and account management. I am in charge of onboarding new clients and getting them set up for success. Additionally, I check-in with all of our current clients to make sure they are satisfied with Fountain Forward’s services. Finally, I help facilitate training and onboarding for new account managers.”
DAVID FOSSAS ’00 Chief Marketing Officer, Restore Hyper Wellness dfossas@gmail.com BS, Communications - Television, Radio, Film, Syracuse University MBA, University of Texas Prior Employers: WP Engine Real Chemistry Big Fuel Communications Intrepid Pictures WME Entertainment International Creative Management “As a CMO, I’m responsible for growing the business’ revenue, for building a brand that is relevant and will stand the test of time, and for leading my team of marketers. My days are spent identifying opportunities to grow awareness and interest for our brand, improve how we engage audiences, educate them about our services, and help them understand what services they should be doing to reach their health and wellness goals. I love my role because I play in a lot of sandboxes from data analysis and strategy to user experience and design to creative communications. And, you can measure and feel the impact on the business.” the kinkaid school | 26
marketing & communications
ELIZABETH ROBINSON KENDRICK ’07
CLEMMIE PIERCE MARTIN ‘12
Manager, Consultant, EPAM Owner, Ann + Reeves Kids
Director of Strategic Partnership & Projects, Goodfair
erkend1088@gmail.com
Clempierce@mac.com
BA, Economics (Marketing & Corporate Strategy minors), Vanderbilt University
BA, Plan II; BS, Corporate Communications, University of Texas
Prior Employers: Slalom Consulting PwC LLP MMI Agency KPMG “As a full-time consultant, I help my clients better understand their employees and customers with everything from communications and training to team building and customer experience work. As a small business owner, I operate and manage all functions of my business – designing clothes, working with vendors and manufacturers, finances, website, marketing, social media, customer service, shipping, etc. I’ve learned a lot about how to focus my priorities to make sure everything gets done in a day!”
27 | alumni leadership day
Prior Employer: Teach for America “I work in a highly cross-functional role, managing both external strategic partnership and internal projects for Goodfair. I sit on the Leadership team and work across our Marketing, Merchandising, Customer Experience, and Warehouse and Fulfillment Ops teams to align objectives and execute on initiatives that advance the company’s mission and vision. Most of my days are spent working with partners (like Nordstrom and Oatly) to advance their sustainability goals, developing and deploying educational materials on sustainability and the textile industry to our customers, and working across teams to optimize our internal process efficiencies.”
military & NASA
JAMES EILERS ’06 Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) / Space Walk Operations Specialist, NASA jameseilers@gmail.com BS, Computer Science, Georgia Tech Prior Employer: U.S. Navy “The team I am with at NASA trains the astronauts in EVA or space walk operations: everything from how to operate and maintain the space suits to using tools and moving around in zero gravity. We also plan and execute all of the space walks from Mission Control at Johnson Space Center.”
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non-profit & education
HILARY COHEN ’10 Lecturer, Stanford University
JENNA MCGAW FONDREN ’13
hilary@hilarycohen.com
Safe School Institute Manager, Crime Stoppers of Houston
BA, Philosophy & Psychology, Georgetown University
jfondren@crime-stoppers.org
Prior Employers: McKinsey & Company Obama Foundation “I teach a large undergraduate class about Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change. Then, if I’m lucky, I’ll get to speak with a few Stanford students in office hours about their ambitions and representatives from tech companies about the ethical dilemmas they’re confronting.”
29 | alumni leadership day
BA, Sociology (Business Certificate), University of Texas “Every day I work to educate more and more students, school staff, and parents across Texas. I am typically writing preventative education curriculum, finding the newest personal safety information and statistics, and meeting with amazing community partners like United Against Human Trafficking or the FBI to work together to keep citizens informed and educated. Providing students with information to make good decisions and giving them a voice and platform to speak openly about issues they face is the best part of my job!”
non-profit & education
KEL MABATAH ’05 Founder & President, The ‘Kel Strong’ Mabatah Foundation kmabatah@gmail.com BBA, Entrepreneurial Management, Texas Christian University “Through my foundation, we award scholarships to selected individuals to help with their recovery needs, so I am in constant contact with the institutions my foundation has partnered with to make sure we are achieving our mission. When not doing that, I am raising money for our scholarships and talking with our scholarship recipients to see how their progress is going, if they need anything else to help them reach their goals, and just serving as that motivation/inspiration to them.”
CATHERINE CLARK PRESLEY ’05 School Principal, KIPP Houston Public Schools – KIPP Sharpstown College Prep catherinecpresley@gmail.com BBA, Finance; BA, Spanish, University of Texas MBA, Education Entrepreneurship Program (Principal Certification), Rice University Prior Employers: Teach for America Houston Independent School District “I focus on ensuring our students receive rigorous, effective, and caring instruction in every classroom. This includes monitoring student culture, coaching and developing teachers, and building relationships with our families and community.”
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non-profit & education
EMILY SCHREIBER, CFRE ’06 Director of Development, Rice University egs.schreiber@gmail.com BA, Individualized Study, New York University MA, Non-Profit Management, University of Houston Prior Employers: Houston Zoo Houston Grand Opera “I am a Director of Development at Rice University, where I have been working with alumni and families raising philanthropic gifts for over five years. In my capacity as a major gifts officer, I am responsible for developing and implementing strategies to raise gifts of $100,000 or more to realize the goals of the University from individuals who want to make a deep impact through their giving. I represent Rice in the Southeast US, in “normal” days traveling 50% of the time across 13 states. I spend the majority of my days in individual meetings with donors, sending lots and lots of emails to set up those meetings, and working with internal partners to bring gift conversations into reality.” 31 | alumni leadership day
real estate
ANDREW CHAMBERS ’05
BETTY GERECHT CRAIN ’08
Director of Finance, Stanmore Partners
Real Estate Agent, Douglas Elliman
achambers@stanmorepartners.com BBA, Managerial Finance & Real Estate, University of Mississippi
betty.crain@elliman.com BA, Texas Christian University
MBA, Rice University
Prior Employers: John Daugherty Realtors Arjeco Builders
“I serve as Director of Finance of Stanmore Partners, and my responsibilities include arranging debt and equity financing, managing the property disposition process, and asset management. I also maintain involvement in the sourcing of new opportunities and overseeing all aspects of the development process.”
“On a given day, I can be found watching the residential market, informing clients of new listings, and touring through homes across Houston. Additionally, lots of time is spent creating comparable market analysis packets, marketing materials for listings, and negotiating contracts. Helping friends find their dream home is such a fun process!”
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real estate
HOLLAN HENSLEY ’09
COLLINS ORR ’14
Investment Analyst, Northmarq
President, 1836 Brands
hhensley@northmarq.com
collins@orrinc.com
BS, Communications, University of Texas
BA, Government, University of Texas
“We arrange debt and equity for real estate investors and developers. My days change often, but they usually consist of a mix of financial analysis/spreadsheets/number crunching and sales/talking on the phone/ getting some facetime in.”
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Prior Employer: Orr Commercial, Inc. “On a daily basis I wear many hats such as real estate broker, restaurant operator and investor, or construction manager. I represent tenants and help them find locations to open their businesses. I work with restaurants like Zalat Pizza, Fajita Pete’s, KAMP, Prospect Park, Third Coast Cocktails & Cuisine, and Golden Chick. I get to work with my whole family and manage all things food and drink.”
real estate
BEN SARVADI ’14 Development Associate, DC Partners btsarvadi13@gmail.com BA, Liberal Arts Honors & Economics, University of Texas MS, Finance, University of Texas Prior Employers: J.P. Morgan Hines Venterra Realty “I help DC Partners, a Real Estate Development firm, with project management of our current developments, due diligence, market research, underwriting of future development projects in our pipeline, and producing financial reports for our investors and partners. Every day can be different and intellectually stimulating as I analyze and solve different problems using qualitative and quantitative means to do so.”
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student notes
35 | alumni leadership day
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schedule of events 9:45 – 10:05
Check-in, Ogilvie Lobby
10:10 – 10:40 Assembly, Brown Auditorium 10:50 – 11:20 Panel 1 11:30 – 12:00 Panel 2 12:10 – 12:40 Panel 3
The panel sessions will take place in the following rooms: 1.
Arts & Entertainment Panel: Main Conference Room
3.
Computer Science & Technology Panel: Classroom 109
2. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10. 11. 12.
Banking, Finance & Accounting Panel: Ogilvie Lobby Energy/Oil & Gas Panel: Classroom 111
Engineering Panel: Character Education B Entrepreneurship Panel: Classroom 401
Healthcare/Medicine Panel: Anderson Room Law Panel: Classroom 110
Marketing & Communications Panel: Black Box Military & NASA Panel: Classroom 108
Non-Profit & Education Panel: Head of School Courtyard Tent Real Estate Panel: Character Education A
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