Past Sociology Student Participants
The following list is a selection of past sociology students that have participated in the CCRD program, as well as the careers they have pursued upon graduation.
Michael Lotspiech-Yadao, a 2021 graduate, is a Research Scientist, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Yadao's dissertation was Three manuscripts on the relationship between entrepreneurial ecosystems, and the resiliency and growth of military veteran-owned firms in the rural United States.
Bethany Smith, a 2020 graduate, is a Research Analyst at Ken Consulting INC in Bowie, Maryland. Dr. Smith's dissertation was Educational Trajectories During the Great Recession Effects of Community, Homeownership and Race.
Jake Kane, is a Macroeconomic research analyst/appraiser in training at Paul Hornsby & Company (real estate appraisal firm in Austin , TX. Thesis was The Politics of Pot - Marijuana Use and the Potential for Collective Action - 2018. His projects in CCRD were the dyadic patient/caregiver study on behalf of Baylor Scott & White Hospitals, our early childhood development health outcomes survey of Mclennan County and SACs accreditation evaluation of graduating seniors on behalf of Baylor University in the Spring of 2017 & 2018.
Justin Nelson, a 2019 graduate, joined the faculty of Campbell University in 2018 as assistant professor of sociology. He teaches courses in sociology, including Principles of Sociology, Exploring Underserved Communities, and Sociology of Education. His dissertation was Understanding addiction: A Sociology Analysis of Technological Device Addiction and Attachment in the Digital Age.
Emily Hunt Hinojosa, a 2018 graduate, is a research Fellow at the Insatiate for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virgina. Dr. Hinojosa's dissertation was The Complexity of Disadvantage: Examining the Effects of Moral Ecology on Adolescent Academic Achievement.
Dr. Su Jin Kang, a 2017 graduate, is a research analyst for Center for Health and Bioscience at Baker Institute, Houston Texas. Dr. Kang's primary research involves quantitative and qualitative data analyses of neglected tropical diseases and vaccination issues in the US and the globe.
Dr. Jasmine Wise, a 2017 graduate, is founder and CEO of Prosper Projects, a Project Management Firm in Atlanta, Ga. Her time spent at the CCRD and Baylor University taught her how to manage various projects simultaneously. Prosper Projects specializes in individual and small business projects.
Dr. Brittany Fitz Chapman, a 2016 graduate, is the Director of Data and Research for Prosper Waco, a collective impact initiative in Waco, Texas. Dr. Fitz-Chapman’s primary responsibilities include maintaining community-level indicators, coaching organizations on data collection and usage, and conducting evaluations on programs receiving the initiative’s support.
Dr. Jeffrey Tamburello, a 2016 graduate, is a Senior Social Science Analyst in the Research Support Group at the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s Health Care Team. His training at Baylor and his work in the CCRD prepared him well for his work at GAO – coordinating qualitative and quantitative research efforts in support of congressional oversight of the federal agencies and programs that tangibly affect the lives of all Americans.
Dr. Katie Arnhart, a 2015 graduate, is a Senior Research Analyst for the Federation of State Medical Boards. Katie continues to use skills learned at the CCRD to help state medical boards ensure public safety through survey research and data analysis. Her role also contributes in assessing performance on the United States Medical Licensing Exam, healthcare workforce characteristics and physician discipline.
Dr. Phil Davignon graduated from Baylor in 2014. He is an assistant professor and department chair at Union University in Jackson, TN. His teaching and research interests include religion, morality, and human flourishing
Dr. Debbie McMahon received her doctorate in 2013 and is the Coordinator of Assessment and Program Improvement for the Baylor University Libraries. She designs, coordinates and promotes assessment activities in the Library. She collects and analyzes qualitative and quantitative data for assessment, providing support for strategic planning and program improvement initiatives within the division.
Dr. Wes Hinze, a 2011 graduate, served as adjunct faculty for both Baylor University and McLennan Community College. He is currently an Instructor of Sociology within the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences located at Bossier Parish Community College. He also serves as a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Human Services and Public Policy, located at Louisiana State University-Shreveport.
Jessica Farrar, M.A. is a 2010 graduate, currently completing a psychology residency at Denver Health Medical Center and will graduate with a PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oregon in August. She earned an MS in Counseling, Family, & Human Services from University of Oregon in 2015.
Dr. Jeniece Lusk, 2010 graduate, is currently an Assistant Professor at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) located in the United Arab Emirates. She has taught sociology for 10 years at institutions in the US and Japan. Her areas of teaching and academic scholarship include survey research methodology, global gender studies, environment and consumption, and deviant behavior. In addition to her academic career, Dr. Lusk has also conducted client-based qualitative and quantitative research and analysis for corporations in Atlanta and Central Texas. Dr. Lusk also serves in the UN Global Compact PRME Business for Peace Working Group and is an advisor for the AUS Model UN.
Dr. Liz Embry, a 2009 graduate, is currently working at Early Warning Services as a Statistical Data Analyst, where she does fraud and risk modeling for the financial services industry.
Dr. Rusty Parker, a 2009 graduate, is currently the Senior Manager for Research and Insights at the Atlanta Hawks. He leads all of the team's survey projects, analyzes and visualizes all marketing key performance indicators, and uses third party data sets to answer other strategic questions.
Dr. Jodien Johnson, a 2008 graduate, is a Research Director for Anderson Press Incorporated. She directs survey research projects for a wide variety of research topics including publishing products, media/entertainment, home decor, digital innovations, topics related to social justice, and others.
Dr. Kathy Krey, a 2008 graduate, is the Director of the Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) at Baylor University. She is responsible for the overall management of THI and successful administration of its grants. She also directs research & evaluation projects on policy-relevant food insecurity and poverty issues.
Carrie Graf, M.A. is a 2007 graduate currently serving as Capacity Modeling and Operations Research Analyst for the Bank of America. She previously served as Director of Marketing for the eVerge Group. She also acted as a Bank Marketing Manager for Plains Capital Corporation in Dallas. Her responsibilities include database marketing, market research, campaigns, social media, technical writing, and contributing to product development.
Dr. Elizabeth Kelly, a 2005 graduate, currently serves as the chair of Sociology at Ouachita Baptist University, as an Associate Professor of Sociology and the Elrod Center for Family and Community Applied Research Associate.
Dr. Alex Trouteaud, a 2005 graduate, is Senior Vice President of Research for Anderson Press Incorporated, a publishing and CPG corporation located in Atlanta, GA. The research department consists of several teams of Ph.D.-level applied social science researchers.
Dr. Helen K. Wise, a 2003 graduate, serves as the Applied Research Coordinator of the Institute for Human Services and Public Policy and as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. In addition, Dr. Wise is the Program Director for the Master of Science in Human Services Administration and the Campus Executive Director of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. Through the Institute for Human Services and Public Policy, she has developed and implemented patient satisfaction surveys for regional healthcare organizations, developed and implements neighborhood face-to-face surveys and supervised neighborhood data collection and assessments.
Dr. Jon Wivagg, a 2002 graduate, currently serves as a Senior Study Director for Westat, where he directs survey research projects for government clients. His focus is on data collection design and implementation, however he also works on questionnaire design, web and CATI programming, data analysis, proposal writing, budgeting, and client management. In his spare time, he is one-quarter time faculty at Texas State University in San Marcos, where he teaches graduate courses in Proposal Writing and Impact Analysis as part of the masters program in Applied Sociology.
Dr. Aaron Young, a 2002 graduate, joined the Federation of State Medical Boards in 2008. As the Assistant Vice President of Research and Data Integration, Dr. Young provides expertise to address vital medical regulation issues, works with government agencies to compile data and analysis, and collaborates with affiliate organizations to achieve mutual objectives. Previously, Dr. Young worked for six years implementing marketing research and strategy for customer acquisition and retention at one of the largest energy providers in the United States. He received his Doctor of Philosophy from Baylor University in 2002, specializing in research methods, needs assessments, program evaluation and the impact of regulatory changes. While completing his PhD, Dr. Young consulted for an economic analysis firm providing litigation support to Fortune 500 companies and conducting economic development studies.
Dr. Leslie McCallister, a 2001 graduate, currently serves as an Associate Professor of Sociology at East Tennessee State University. Additionally, she is the chair of the Sociology department.
Mikele Cayton Woody, M.A. is a 2001 graduate, and serves as a Senior Marketing Analyst for Petco in San Antonio, Texas. She has been placed on three different research teams, which she attributes to the skill set gained at Baylor.
Dr. Stephanie Mixon, a 2000 graduate, is currently a Director of Global Consumer and Business Insights for McDonalds Corporation where she provides strategic leadership and decision support for key Global business initiatives such as restaurant re-imaging, new packaging design, in-restaurant experience solutions, advertising spend and pricing. In this role she has helped with the development of innovative research techniques and utilized advanced analytics to generate consumer and marketplace insights that link directly to business results and improving profitability. Prior to her work at McDonalds she was the Director of Consumer Analysis and Consulting at Information Resources where she worked with a variety of CPG companies such as PepsiCo , Kellogg, and Conagra Foods to design and deliver custom consumer behavior analyses using panel and store data. She has experience with new product testing and forecasting, price and promotion analyses, consumer segmentation, marketing mix analyses, and consumer decision analyses.
Dr. Sydney Seiger, a 1999 graduate, is Chief Marketing Officer for TXU Energy. She leads the company’s residential and business marketing and brand strategy, new product development, advertising, digital marketing, direct sales and consumer insights to drive long-term growth. Throughout her career she has gathered and interpreted data to tackle some of the toughest problems facing Fortune 500 companies and Texas communities, contributing to millions of dollars in benefits to her employers and social service agencies. Prior to re-joining TXU Energy in 2014, Dr. Seiger was vice president of consumer insights, analytics, and business intelligence for La Quinta Holdings Inc. where her focus was marketing strategy, decision support, and assessment. Subsequent to her work at La Quinta, Seiger gained broad experience in the retail electric market holding increasing levels of responsibility at Reliant Energy and TXU Energy. Most recently, she served as director of consumer insights, brand management, and marketing at TXU Energy where she built the consumer insights function and led the development and launch of the new TXU Energy brand in 2010. A frequent speaker and contributor to Forrester white papers on creating customer-obsessed cultures, Seiger was the recipient of the Rising Star and the CMO's Choice awards from The CMO Club, an international association of heads of marketing.
Dr. Gary Brinker, was the Program’s first graduate in 1997, then taking a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Southwest Missouri State University, which was renamed Missouri State University during his tenure. He also served for 11 years as Assistant Director, then Director, of MSU’s Center for Social Sciences and Public Policy Research. Since then, he has earned tenured full professorships at Missouri State University and Fort Hays State University, serving as Director of FHSU’s Docking Institute of Public Affairs for 9 years. He is currently full time faculty in FHSU’s Department of Sociology, teaching Introduction to Sociology, Social Demography, Methods of Social Research and Advance Sociological Research.