Notable Alumni

Megan Watters Prewitt ’00 turned an obsession with candles into a successful business with a purpose.

Precious Birdsong’s '14 professional career is progressing at about the same pace as her trips around the bases.

The saying “home is where the heart is” seems to summarize Laurel Hensley Powell’s ’04 career path.

A chance meeting between a boy and a horse is a moving example of how big dreams can make wishes come true.

As an Angel Flight pilot, Andrew Godbold '04 has transported patients for medical appointments, all at no charge.

While tuning up pianos for some of the world’s most famous musicians, Steve Duncan ’69 was also tuning in to the interesting things going on and being said around him.

Harrison Hall '88 has found his dream job, but it is a completely different dream.

After earning a B.A. in music and minor in creative writing, Alex Ruffner ’09 returned to Chattanooga to consider her next step.

Grey Watson ’04 is passionate about movies, and the path he has taken to an executive position at Netflix is straight out of Hollywood.

Isabelle Drayer '18 will continue her studies in Spain as a Fulbright Scholar.

Bharet Malhotra '93 doesn't call himself a true entrepreneur, but that same mentality has served him well.

Asked for three places she enjoys visiting, founder of 6 Degrees Kate Corey '04 exceeds that number within seconds. Just try to keep up.

Juggling four businesses and four children, Lauren Toole Truslow '01 knows a thing or two about organization.

Working for accounting firms in Nashville, Joe Davis ’04 found himself connecting with small business owners, associations that eventually played a role in his decision to become a small business owner himself.

For Ashley Smith '04, "DJ Smash" is an identity-in-waiting. She currently serves as associate head of school at Valor College Prep, a charter school affiliated with Valor Collegiate Academies that she helped co-found. Both share a complex in Nashville, Tenn.

Chief executive and co-owner of Taimen Transport, Chris Wang ’06, and his partners founded their freight brokerage company based on two foundational pillars.

Katie Cooper Harbison ’96 has been named president and CEO of Chattanooga’s Chambliss Center for Children.

Claire Cassady Vaughn ’07 was named Head of School in October, after serving as an interim head for Advent Episcopal School in Birmingham, Ala.

Cooper Kinney ’21, the 34th overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, is being featured by Elite trading cards as one of the top draft picks and prospects from the past year.

Carolyn Jones ’10 is a program manager at Joby Aviation, a Santa Cruz, Calif., startup that plans a 2024 launch of its flying taxi service.

Armond Willis ’05 was determined that he would someday play college football in Division 1. The offers, however, never came. But walking on proved to be a valuable experience.

The medical practice headed by Dr. Ben Aiken ’00 in Asheville, N.C., is based on a simple principle: be the medical provider you’d want to have.

As a two-time sponsor of BaylorWorks internships, Guru Shah '06 has come to trust the summer interns that BaylorWorks sends his way.

PGA Tour golfer Harris English '07 has realized the dream of many professional golfers, playing on the 2021 U.S.A. Ryder Cup team that recently beat Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Blakesly Warren Brock '14 won the United States Golf Association's U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship, becoming Baylor's first female USGA national champion.

Retired U.S. Army Col. Ralph Puckett, Jr. ’43, age 94, was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 21, 2021, for acts of “conspicuous gallantry” during the Korean War.

Tim Kelly ’85 began a new chapter in civic leadership for the Scenic City when he was sworn in as Chattanooga’s mayor on April 19.

Col. Jeremy Bowling ’94 was promoted to colonel in a small ceremony held in the Pentagon on Nov. 2, 2020.

After 12 years of leading – and nearly a lifetime of vocally supporting – Baylor, Wilson retired this summer as the school’s headmaster. It is a moment that he admitted comes with a tinge of sadness, but also with a sense of great fulfillment.

On a blustery spring day in April, Coach Bill McMahan ’67 presided over a Middle School track meet against crosstown rivals GPS and McCallie as his final official athletic event of a 47-year teaching and coaching career.

Head Librarian Lauren Callihan paid tribute to Carl Owens '74 at the final faculty meeting of 2020-21in honor of his retirement.

Niko Blanks ’17 knew as a young boy that he was interested in space, and will graduate in May 2022 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he is studying Spaceflight Operations and Engineering.

Niko Simpkins '18 is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania, completing his major in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship.

While her classmates were navigating the challenges and chaos of starting college in the midst of the COVID- 19 pandemic last fall, Lucia Jackson ’20 stepped aboard a schooner to begin a journey that would cover 11,497 nautical miles.

When COVID-19 sent Baylor boarding student Zoë Hardnett ’21 home last March with the final semester of her junior year remaining, she was hoping not to lose the momentum she had gained on her Baylor Research project.

At the beginning of sixth grade, Adelle Pritchard ’22 and her  parents were discussing ways to animate their Southside event space during the day. Her idea? “Let’s open a creperie.”

At age 94, retired U.S. Army Col. Puckett '43 was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 21, 2021, for acts of “conspicuous gallantry” during the Korean War.

For over 35 years, Tom Paden ’75 has been writing, pitching, and recording songs in Nashville but success has never quite come about the way it did recently.

Read a commentary by David Helton '11 on what motivated him on the field at Duke University and what winning the Campbell trophy meant to him.

As the head of a company that owns and operates restaurants in four states, Allen Corey ’74 has been a picture of resilience throughout the global pandemic.

When Austin Cole ’11 majored in development studies and Latin American and Caribbean studies at Brown University, he had an idea where his studies would lead.

Dr. Lindsey Harris '01 was recently elected the first African-American president of the Alabama State Nurses Association.

Catherine Lacey ’03 (who went by Lacey Booth while at Baylor) published her fourth book and third novel, Pew, in July of this year.

Geoff Millener's '07 new position at The Enterprise Center brings together his many skills as well as his core beliefs.

Andy North '98 has been named the new head of Hammond School, replacing Chris Angel '89 who will take over as Baylor's headmaster in the summer.

Donna Marie Sigel '14 stepped in last spring to assist the communications office in capturing and editing a steady stream of virtual events and video messages

Jeremy Bowling '94 was recently promoted to Colonel and featured in a documentary produced by Fox Nation entitled "Heroes of Hamburger Hill." 

In the first week of March, Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke ’86 realized that a little-known disease could have a destructive effect on his city.

As Deputy Director for Federal Affairs in New York State’s Washington, D.C., office, Sarah Paden ’04 has been in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Italians are super social creatures, so this quarantine is especially hard for them."

Entrepreneur and author Jeff Tarumianz ‘92 has released his first book, If I Could Leave One Book: Reflections Cultivating Peace of Mind.

In this interview, read more about newly named headmaster Chris Angel '89 and his ties to Baylor that span nearly 40 years.

Greg Banks '89 served as the athletic trainer for the 2019 U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team that won the world title this past summer.

Sierra Watkins '14 is a data scientist at FreightWaves, providing insights to shippers, carriers, and brokers across the United States.

Tyler Watson '09 has been named the director of women’s basketball performance for the Lady Vols at the University of Tennessee.

Developer and philanthropist Steaven Jones ’50 had to think outside of the box to tackle homeless problems in Los Angeles.

This year’s Masters meant more to the golf-loving Mitchell family than ever before, as PGA pro Keith Mitchell ’10 teed up in the tournament after winning the Honda Classic in March.

Brian Holland '13 follows his love of learning and discovers some roots of his family tree.

At Baylor, Marvin Webb '76 and Dawson Wheeler '77 shared a love for the outdoors that eventually became a decades-long partnership.

Tiffany Williams '07 took the brave step of quit­ting  a glamorous media job and headed to a retreat in Georgia to “reset and to paint.” For the next nine months, she painted while wondering if she could commit to art fulltime.

Asked where he thinks the future will take Baylor students professionally, Tim Kelly '85 admits he doesn’t know. But he’s sure Baylor will prepare them if they get what he did from the school.

While working for Coca-Cola in London, Michelle Songy '04 and her busi­ness partner built Cake Technolo­gies, an app like Uber and similar mobile payment applications.

Allen Corey '74 shares the se­crets of his success for students entering the workforce in the future.

Kate Lynch '09 knew she wanted to work with children in some capacity and considered becoming a pediatrician until she took a life-changing class in developmental psy­chology at Vanderbilt.

Natalie Brackett '09 was so taken by the girls who received an educa­tion at the Sikkim Happiness Home through the Taraloka Foundation that she now works in international education.

Jaeger made history in 2016, firing a first round score of 58 and winning his first Web.com Tour event with a record 72-hole score of 250, an amazing 30 strokes under par, at the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, California.

Several climbs up the career ladder have taken Lori Hall '98 to  senior vice president of marketing and creative services at TV One.

When Beck Chen ’13 graduated from Baylor, he enrolled in Union University, declaring a major in engineering but not forgetting his love of art that was initially nurtured in art classes in China and blossomed at Baylor on the Liz Aplin trip.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina with a degree in journalism and Spanish, Keely Stockett Hungate ’05 would first explore other career paths before working as a creative lead at 26 Tools, an independent brand consultancy based in Chattanooga.

Luke List was a four-time All-State golfer during his years at Baylor. A member of three state championship teams (1999-2001) and four region champions, List was the individual state champion in both his junior and senior years.

Research Scientist

Artist, Illustrator, Publisher

Filmmaker, Producer

Broadway Conductor

Head of Music Staff, Conductor

Stage Actress

Child Life Specialist

Theater Educator, Actress

Visual Effects and Animation Executive

Environmental Activist, Nashville Disc Jockey

FBI Counterintelligence Specialist, Author

Facilitator, Human Genome Project

Senior V.P., Oceaneering International

Editor, New York Times

Professor, Emory University, Transplant Specialist

Conservationist, Museum Owner

When George Mann says he prefers living off the land, he's not kidding. The wildlife museum...

Federal Judge

Sandy Mattice still has a copy of beloved English teacher Roy Ashley's self-published grammar compendium "The Syllabus" tucked away...

Federal Prosecutor

While wrestling and the law seem to have little in common, both enterprises require face-to-face showdowns which...

Designer and Animator

What happens when you dream of working for Disney and end up with George Lucas?

Author, Memoirs of a Geisha

Arthur Golden's first novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, took the literary world by storm, and he's...

Real Estate Analyst

Born in Cambodia, David and his family escaped the war-torn country after the North Vietnamese invasion in 1979.

Following graduation last year from Samford University, Lauren Sims ’12 was offered an eight-month internship with Nueva Esperanza-New Hope Girls Inc., an organization in the Dominican Republic that provides rescue, refuge, and restoration for vulnerable girls through educational programs and a safe house.

Midshipman 1st Class Jacob Wirz ’13 graduated in the top one percent of his class from the United States Naval Academy in May, receiving bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics with a minor in Chinese.

The work of artist Alan Shuptrine ’81 will be featured in a new exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum through Oct. 1, in Nashville.

Michael Johnson ’02 was always drawn to technology and problem solving, but credits Baylor as an important influence on his career.

Antonio Frazier ’06 played football while earning his engineering degree at Furman University, which is a significant accomplishment considering the time demands both programs imposed.

Caroline Hensley Doster ’09 excelled in math and science at Baylor and later at the University of Alabama, where she graduated summa cum laude. “Since I had interest in design and problem solving,” she remembers, “engineering seemed like a natural fit.”

When Colton Griffin ’07 found a way to convert the Baylor dining hall’s cooking oil into biodiesel for the school’s buses as his senior leadership project, his passion for engineering was ignited.

Keely Lusk Woods ’08 decided to major in electrical engineering at the University of Tennessee for two reasons – she liked science and there was a scholarship available.

The fact that her sister, Keely, was already in engineering school was a factor in Alison Lusk's ’10 decision to pursue a similar career, but she also remembers the influence of retired science instructor Scott Dering.

Ben Fischer ’85 says it wasn’t just the math and science classes that steered him toward a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech.

In the summer of 2014, Alexis Decosimo ’07 watched news reports of the Ebola epidemic spreading across Liberia and decided to make a difference.

In December 2014, Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed announced that the city had sold Underground Atlanta to WRS Inc., a development company owned by Scott Smith '78, based in Mount Pleasant, S.C. When restoration is completed, the project will cost $350 to $400 million.

A brand new Chattanooga Choo-Choo is emerging with Adam Kinsey ’98 at the helm of an $8 million revamp of the historic complex.

“I never appreciated Baylor School until I left. Then, I realized what an outstanding school I had attended. It definitely prepared me for the real world.”

"A career is that thing you love, the thing you invest yourself in learning to do, and that thing that becomes your life. Love it, learn it, live it.”

"At Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, I began to question the never-ending stress and suffering I still experienced, even with such good fortune in my life. Listening to the Heart tells the story of what led me to a Buddhist monastery in Northeast Thailand and the wonderful contemplative teachings of awakening that guided my monastic life for the next 15 years."

Geoff was part of the U.S. Olympic world-record-setting 800-meter freestyle relay team in 1984, for which he was awarded a gold medal.

Happy Broadbent '81 worked for his family's business for 28 years until Churchill Downs, Inc. bought it. As Churchill Downs VP, Broadbent now oversees Brisnet.com, the largest online horse racing information service, and manages the online wagering site TwinSpires.

Dr. Julianne Walden Creech '92 is a small animal veterinarian in Lexington. "I thought I got into veterinary medicine because I love animals and science. It comes as a surprise to me that I most enjoy making connections to people, earning their trust, and helping them solve problems."

Sam Lockridge '80, who has bred stake winners for four decades, bred his first winner when he was just 13. When he was in his in twenties, he bred the Triple-Crown contender, El Bakan.

Dan Pride '87 grew up with horses in Nashville and loved being around them. "It was the origin of the addiction," he says only half-jokingly. But it took some time—and jobs in other fields— for Pride to find his way to Lexington.

John Greely '84 is a fourth generation horseman. His grandfather, whose family had been in the horse business in Ireland, moved to the United States in the late 1800s, and continued the family business here.

When Patrick Lawless '93 discusses his alma mater, he tells people that attending Baylor was the most formative experience he has had in his educational and professional career.

Writer, Producer, Director

"Creativity and problem-solving skills are absolute necessities in the world of television," Wiser says. "Nothing prepared me better for that than my time at Baylor."

Charles Coolidge ’40 is one of 12 heroes featured on the cover of the United States Postal Service’s new “Forever” stamp collection.

Weejee Learning co-founder and CEO Ian Huckabee ’80 is on a mission to rid the world of ho-hum learning.

Chief Content Officer, Time Inc.

Murray believes that journalists should gain an appreciation for language and knowledge of the world rather than attend journalism school. His success in his field certainly makes a case for this approach.

Medical Malpractice Litigator

Laurie Speed-Dalton '92 turned 40 the Friday before she was interviewed for this article. On Saturday she swam ten miles in the Tennessee River in less than four and a half hours.

President, Lauren Templeton Capital Management

From the time Lauren Templeton '94 was eight years old, her room in Winchester, Tenn., was decorated with certificates of the stocks she selected for purchase each month. The bedtime stories her father told her were tales of investing.

US Department of Education

Dr. George Alan Smith '87 is wholly content serving as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education in Washington, D.C.

Poet, Author, Teacher

Dr. Coleman Barks '55 was 39 when he was first introduced to the work of the 13thcentury Persian poet, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi, known to the English-speaking world as Rumi.

Owner, Shadowbox Paperie

Mariah Mayfield '93 has found a niche in the nostalgic. The owner of Shadowbox Paperie, Mariah sells customized wedding invitations, birth announcements, personal stationery, greeting cards, and other miscellaneous paper items.

Track 29 entertainment co-owners, Adam Kinsey '98 and his wife, Monica, deserve a round of applause.

Co-owner, The Antiquarians

As co-owner of The Antiquarians, Carl Schow, '05, made more money in his first eBay transaction than he did in two weeks at his part-time job.

"Baylor had instilled the notion that I could do all the things on my to-do list."

"This school produces leaders. You stand a little taller and walk a little prouder knowing that you've gone to Baylor."

If anyone could convince you to exchange thirty dollars for a twenty dollar bill — and to do so gladly — it would be licensed auctioneer Ben Farrell '88.

Raising money and awareness of breast cancer has become a personal mission for head varsity softball coach, Kelli Howard Smith '95

Capt. Marisa Catlin's childhood fascination with planes has taken her around the world but not as a typical passenger.

If bass-baritone performer Seth Carico '00 hadn't been eager to impress a high school date, chances are he might not have become the international opera performer he is today.

The combination of competitive drive and cooking didn't immediately click with Charles Mayfield '92, but once it did, it was only a matter of time before he had a best-selling cookbook on his hands.

When Owen Roberts '03 was interviewed for this article, he had just returned from Haiti, and it's a safe bet that he'll soon be packing for another adventure.

Jack Studer '01 and his partners selected the name Lamp Post Group for the company they co-founded because it works on many levels. The lamp post is a landmark in the country of Narnia in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series. It plays a part (likely a tribute to Lewis's classic books) in the television series Lost, and of course a lamp post helps light the way in darkness.

Ashley Farless '94 wasn't asked to write this alumni profile. But she thanks Baylor almost daily for instilling the skills she would need had she been called upon to do so.

Former Baylor Player and actress Lizzie Chazen '02 has returned to the local spotlight, sharing her considerable talent on the stage and behind the scenes at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.

If you've been wondering what former Baylor Player John Michael Weatherly '98 has been up to lately, just check out Robert Redford's movie "The Conspirator," which opened nationwide in April starring Robin Penn Wright, James McAvoy, and Evan Rachel Wood.

Fesmire's book, "Nashville Skyline is a moving story of human weakness and redemption. Fueled by Southern history and classical mythology, Fesmire's story of Gabe Rutherford's journey will stir anyone who remembers the sting of a lost loved one or the heartbreak of lost love."

"One of the main reasons I got interested in working abroad was my experience in Jamaica [on the spring break community service trip] my senior year," said Rangaswami. "It led me to think about what I wanted to do with my life.

Gary Wheeler '71 who is now a professor and pediatric specialist in immunology and infectious diseases, points to many aspects of his Baylor years as having had an influence on his choice of college and career.

He has earned degrees in archaeology, art history, and ancient civiliza­tion, but Matt Prater '01 says a kinship with Indiana Jones is the real impetus behind his recent global odyssey.

The stacks of notebooks surrounding Ashleigh Dawkins Pipes '94 for much of last summer and this past fall have been placed in the hands of children 7,000 miles from her home in Jacksonville, N.C.

As oil gushed from the BP Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico last summer, efforts to contain the spill on the surface were low-tech in nature: skimming, chemical dispersants, and burning.

"College is just the training ground for a profession. You've got to get your education before you get to college, and Baylor certainly did that for me."

"If I could say anything about the Baylor experience – and it's the thing I would want for my son – it is that it instilled the confidence to set my course and pursue my dreams."

"I had such a strong foundation at Baylor that college was almost easier than high school."

Bodley, who has "no wife, no kids, no pets, and no mort­gage," jokes that he has performed in 8,000 bands...

Our goal with Eagle Ear is to continue to pursue our own music while we keep ourselves relevant. We find talent and help other artists reach their potential...

Randy Weinberg '70, a Princeton graduate, was class valedictorian, state champion wrestler, and a Rhodes Scholar. More than 30 years ago, he also became a Buddhist practitioner...

Although he didn't make the cut for a musical performance scene in the 1994 Baylor production of "The Grapes of Wrath," Morgan Jahnig '97 (pictured above on bass) has found his place in the spotlight...

As a member of the lighting crew for major rock and pop concerts for the last decade, Christopher Keene '97 has a unique perspective on the complexity of staging a mega-million dollar concert production...

Having performed with Opryland Productions eight years, Brandon Stansell '05 was already acquainted with the stage and well on his way to fulfilling a lifelong dream to be an entertainer when he was selected as a backup dancer for Taylor Swift's Fearless Tour.

When Nate Rawlings entered Princeton Univer­sity, he had no intention of joining the Army. But he came to think of military service as a good bridge between college and graduate school and signed up for ROTC

A month into her junior year of high school, Kim Keith Berglund's family moved from Atlanta to Chattanooga. Not knowing what to expect, Berglund was relieved when she visited Baylor in anticipation of the move and attended Joe Gawrys's world literature class. "I thought it was cool and liked the way he set up the class. It was more of a discussion than a lecture," she remembers.

When Sam Holmes was a high school sopho­more in his hometown of Monticello, Ga., population 2,500, his parents realized that he needed a school that would expand his world — academically, athletically, and so­cially.

Before Roy Fuller's interview for this pro­file, he made a list of Baylor teachers who had influenced him. "It's a long list," he warned. "What Baylor gave me was a confidence about myself and the world around me that I didn't have coming in."