GCU TODAY • 2 9
at Newton College & Career
Academy in Covington.
JedDavis, B.S. in
Accounting, ’11,
andMBA, ’13,
has a
part-time business,
DMPhoto inPhoenix,
andhas developedDixieGrip, which
makes it easier for photographers
touse off-camera lighting.
JeffreyJenkins,
M.S. inAddiction
Counseling, ’11,
is
programdirector
at Tiger Mountain
Recovery, a residential substance-
abuse program in Henryetta,
Okla. Jenkins, a former FBI special
agent and Oklahoma police chief,
was involved in a car accident in
2012 that left himwheelchair-
bound. He was unable to return
to law enforcement, but because
of his GCU degree, he was able to
start a new career.
Serena
Christianson, MBA
with an Emphasis
in Leadership, ’12,
is marketing and
public relations director at Ames
Engineering and Development
Services in Williston, N.D.
Christianson also is a certified
personal trainer and co-founder
of Kay Michael Lee Dance Studio.
Johan Ivarsson,
B.S. in Business
Administration,
’12, andMBA,
’13,
is a junior
group financial controller for
a Stockholm-based consumer
goods company, Svenska
Cellulosa Aktiebolaget.
Phillip Jean-Louis Jr., M.S.
in Addiction Counseling,
’13, andM.S. in Professional
Counseling, ’14,
received a sustained
excellence award
for helping at-risk
youth in Louisiana’s
juvenile justice system. He is
a multisystemic therapist for
Life Changing Solutions, which
provides therapeutic home- and
community-based services to
adolescents and their families.
Killian Larson,
B.S. in Sports
Management, ’13,
a
former GCU men’s
basketball player,
signed a contract with Lukoil
Academic Sofia in the Bulgarian
National Basketball League.
Gus LaZear, MBA
with an Emphasis
in Health Systems
Management, ’13,
is vice president and
general manager of the Sports &
Fitness Center for Personswith
Disabilities at Arizona Bridge to
Independent Living. LaZear has
more than 18 years in rehabilitative
medicine, recreational therapy,
outdoor adventures and adaptive
programming for peoplewith
disabilities.
Dr. Joe Veres, Ed.D
in Organizational
Leadership:
Effective Schools,
’13,
director of
GCU’s K-12 Outreach, received the
Arizona School Administrators’
Outstanding Dissertation Award
for “Blended Learning: A Case
Study on Teacher Effectiveness.”
Kenneth
Wormack, M.Ed.
in Educational
Administration, ’13,
recently published
his second children’s book, “My
Brother’s Keeper,” about a little
boy who sees another child
without shoes and offers his own
shoes to help the boy.
AdamBenavides,
B.A. in Theatre
and Drama, ’14,
is
a videographer and
editor at Manley
Films in Phoenix.
Cindy Hallman-
Quenneville,
MBA, ’14,
is
executive director
of Southwest
Center for HIV/AIDS in Phoenix.
A former vice president of John
C. Lincoln Health Network,
Hallman-Quenneville has more
than 20 years of experience in the
nonprofit health sector.
Ashley Hines, B.A.
in Theatre and
Drama, ’14,
teaches
theatre, acting and
theatre history to
elementary and middle school
students at Joy Christian School
in Glendale, Ariz.
SharonMarshall,
Master of Public
Health, ’14,
published a book,
“Strategies for
Success in an Online Graduate
Class.” Marshall, a teacher’s
assistant in the Natchez-Adams
(Miss.) School District, hopes her
book will help graduate students
stay organized and focused.
AlexandraMontoya,
B.A. inDance
Education, ’14,
is a
dance instructor at
Independence High
School in Glendale, Ariz., where
she encourages students to focus
on the techniques, production,
history and kinesiowlogy behind
their art.
Kristen Therens, ‘13
Like many little girls, Kristen Therens
grew up selling Girl Scout cookies,
earning badges and going to camp
with her mother, Theresa, who was
the troop leader. But it was a troop
presentation about the Peace Corps
that really made a lasting impression
on Kristen.
In September, the GCU alumna
(B.S. in Health Care Administration,
’13) arrived in Fiji to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer for the next
two years. In this South Pacific nation of 849,000 people, Therens
is working at the community level to raise awareness about the
need for health education. She organizes training and activities to
teach families about maternal and child health, nutrition, sanitation
and rehydration therapy.
“I hope to aid in the advancement of wellness, and I would like to
build international relationships,” said the Illinois native who one day
wants to work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SPOTLIGHT ON
