Class Notes
G.K. Maenius, ’73, of Fort Worth, Texas, announced his retirement from his job as Tarrant County administrator, effective Sept. 30. Maenius started the position in 1988, making him the longest-serving county administrator in Texas.
Barbara Reid Falkenhagen, ’78, of Galveston, Texas, has retired from American National Insurance Company as vice president for Multiple Line Agencies Support Operations. She worked for the firm for more than 16 years.
Brad Cargile, ’85, of Ewing, New Jersey, has been named vice president of Information Technology Infrastructure for mortgage loan company Cenlar FSB. He was previously technology strategy director at Fidelity National Information Services.
Lisa Stone Winters, ’85, of Kerrville, Texas, has been named Director of Business Development/Client Relations for a branch of environmental-consulting firm BRAUN Intertec. Winters will lead the Building and Structure Sciences group.
Fohn Bendele, ’91, of Hondo, Texas, has been appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the Nueces River Authority Board of Directors. Bendele also serves on the board of the Edwards Aquifer Authority and is president of Bendele Financial Services.
Russell Gum, ’96, of Dallas, Texas, has been named managing director of client solutions for Mohr Partners, Inc., a global corporate real estate advisory firm. Gum served previously in real estate advisory roles with Cresa, Savills, JLL, and CBRE.
Stephanie Reyes, ’00, of San Marcos, Texas, was named city manager of San Marcos. Reyes has worked for the City of San Marcos for 22 years, including as chief of staff and interim economic development director. She is the first woman to hold the city manager post.
Phil George, '02, of Odessa, Texas, has been named Odessa market president of SouthWest Bank. With 19 years of experience in the banking industry, George previously served as the bank’s senior vice president of commercial lending.
Cody Blossman, ’05, of Waco, Texas, has been appointed chief deputy in the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office. He previously served as a lieutenant in the office’s Fugitive Apprehension and Special Tasks units.
John Havard, aka Cowboy Jack, ’08, of Spring, Texas, has gained more than 39,000 subscribers for his educational YouTube channel called “Cowboy Jack.” His show takes young viewers on virtual field trips to explore the world.
Joshua Swindle, ’09, of San Marcos, Texas, was named chief operating officer for SkinCure Oncology, which provides advanced non-surgical treatment for common skin cancers. Swindle, who is a member of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, served previously as the company's national director of practice operations.
Jackson Gorski, ’10, of Austin, Texas, has established his own legal practice, the Law Office of Jackson F. Gorski. He practices criminal defense and serves as assigned counsel in Austin and Travis County via the Capital Area Private Defender Service.
Coty Raven Morris, ’13, of Portland, Oregon, was named a quarterfinalist for a Grammy Music Educator Award by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum. A faculty member at Portland State School of Music & Theatre, she founded Being Human Together, a community rooted in music education.
Reginald Andah, '15, of Houston, Texas, has published a book that was exhibited at the 2023 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. A New Dawn is a sci-fi novel about a soldier in training who awakens from a deep sleep onboard a spaceship to discover the Earth is at war.
Angel Garza, ’15, of Austin, Texas, has joined the De Castroverde Law Group as an immigration attorney. Originally from Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas, Mexico, Garza previously worked for the Travis County District Attorney’s Office in the civil rights division and as an immigration attorney for Anderson Immigration Law Group.
Amir Lancaster, ’18, of Austin, Texas, was featured on Bravo TV’s Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard, a reality show that premiered this summer. He also works as a real estate agent for The Eklund Gomes Team.
Jonah Fujikawa, ’19, of Austin, Texas, has written multiple books that were published by the entertainment company he co-founded, Trustfall Collaborations. An actor and comedian, he was recently featured in Zach Theatre’s production of The Inheritance.
Christina Rodriguez, ’20, of Dripping Springs, Texas, has been named marketing and social media manager for film studio Caster Studios. She credits TXST’s Public Relations program for helping prepare her for the job.
Elizabeth Gonzalez Ibarra, ’21, of Kyle, Texas, has been named a Spanish hotline operator for Farm Aid. She is also a case manager with Migrant Clinicians Network, which partnered with Farm Aid to provide an operator for crisis interventions and to connect agriculture workers with resources in Spanish.
Jeffery Penning, ’21, of Beaumont, Texas, has been named director of Christ Central Camp in Beaumont. The 62-acre facility opened this summer and serves as a nondenominational summer camp and retreat center for youth in the Catholic Diocese of Beaumont.
Lazaria Williams, ’21, of Houston, Texas, is an apparel product developer at Academy Sports and Outdoors. She previously worked in sales at Ross Inc., and as a merchandising intern at Dress for Success. While at Texas State, Williams was a co-coordinator of Texas State Fashion Week, served on the board of Black Women United, and served as president of Women of Gold.
Alexis Hunter, '22, of Austin, Texas, has been named 2023 Best Visual Artist by The Austin Chronicle. A multidisciplinary artist who teaches painting at The Contemporary Austin's Art School at Laguna Gloria, Hunter’s recent solo and group exhibitions include INVASIVE SPECIES at ICOSA Collective Gallery in Austin and SBMRVII at the George Washington Carver Museum in Austin.
Casey Schneider, ’22, of Round Rock, Texas, has been named an account executive with the Round Rock Express, the AAA affiliate of the Texas Rangers. During her time as an Exercise Sports Science major at TXST, she worked as an equipment manager for the Bobcat football team.
Nkundimana Claude, '23, of Houston, Texas, was elevated to officer as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Claude serves with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division.