Thanking Our Outgoing Alumni Volunteer Leaders

Pioneer Spartans Representative ELLEN JOCKUSCH ’70 has devoted herself to strengthening alumni connections and preserving St. Stephen’s traditions. Through her tireless efforts and thoughtful leadership, attendance at the annual Reunion Weekend Pioneer Spartan Dinner has seen remarkable growth over the past four years. Jockusch will continue to serve on the Comprehensive Campaign Leadership Committee, focusing her passion and energy on garnering support for the Chapel expansion and renovation project.

T.J. BROWN ’99 and KATHERINE BAILEY BROWN ’05 have served as alumni co-chairs of St. Stephen’s Annual Fund for the past two years. Their thoughtful and strategic approach helped increase alumni support, raising over $450,000 in 2024-25. From personal thank-you’s to leading stewardship efforts on the Spartan Alumni Association Board, their leadership positively impacted the life of the school.

PAUL BYARS ’07 joined the Spartan Alumni Association Board in 2020 as the alumni chair of Spartans Engage.

Since then, he has played a pivotal role in creating meaningful opportunities for students to explore real-world career pathways through the alumni and parent mentorship program, and through engaging lunchtime panel discussions.

For over two decades, JONATHAN QUANDER ’89 has been connecting Spartans across the Houston area and hosting countless gatherings while simultaneously serving as class representative for the Class of 1989. From 2016 to 2022, Quander used his leadership and insight on the board of trustees, serving as chair of the Governance Committee and co-chair of the DEI Strategic Plan. Jonathan was honored with the Spartan Alumni Leadership Award in 2022, and in 2023 he officially joined the Spartan Alumni Association Board as its inaugural regional representative for Houston/ Texas. After two effective years in that role, Quander will return to the board of trustees, serving as executive chair, and be named an emeritus member in recognition of his enduring service, leadership and unwavering commitment to the alumni association and St. Stephen’s.

LINDA LIU ’21 and CARSON MURTUZALANIER ’21 — both Stanford University graduates with high honors — each earned the J.E. Wallace Sterling Award for Scholastic Achievement, an award that recognizes the top 25 graduating seniors in Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences. The prestigious award, named after a former university president known for hiring top scholars to attract the best students in the country, is one of Stanford’s most selective recognitions of a student’s overall academic performance.

When Liu and Murtuza-Lanier learned they would receive the award, they were told to invite to a special luncheon two teachers who had the greatest impact on their academic success: their most influential secondary school teacher and their most influential Stanford academic advisor or other Stanford faculty or staff member. Murtuza-Lanier, a mathematics major, invited longtime and beloved St. Stephen’s Upper School physics instructor Frank Mikan, PhD, and Liu, a political science major, called Middle School culture and governance instructor Jin Chung.

“Mr. Chung was the first person I thought of,” said Liu, who arrived at St. Stephen’s as an 8th grade boarding student from Beijing, China. She says Chung, who was her teacher and advisor, helped set her up for success on The Hill and beyond.

“He really gave me a lot of guidance