Five Baylor Bears make ’40 Under 40′ lists across Texas

A classic “40 Under 40” list comprises of men and women who are making a huge impact in their field and their cities, from business to law to non-profit and beyond — and of course, all 40 of them have achieved this level of influence before their 40th birthday.

Five Baylor alumni have been named already this year to 2017 “40 Under 40” lists across Texas:

Gabrielle Madison, BBA ’00, Dallas: The past two years have been perhaps Madison’s busiest. In the middle of adopting two children, she suddenly lost her husband. Soon after that, she started her current position at Thomson Reuters, developing community engagement strategies and overseeing the impact of outreach programs throughout Dallas-Fort Worth. “I never thought this would be my reality, but I am thankful none the less!” she says. “This job affords me the opportunity to meet some of the greatest there are in the DFW area, as well as help some that are in the greatest need.”

Heather Shipley, BS ’03, San Antonio: Shipley is chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is an expert in water quality, researching the transport of pollutants, conservation and sustainability efforts, and improvements in wastewater treatments.

James Armstrong III, Dallas: Armstrong leads Community Fellowship Church in West Dallas — a role once held by his own grandfather. The church not only ministers to the West Dallas community, but also empowers it through advocacy, development and action. “It’s difficult to give someone scriptural hope,” Armstrong said, “When they can’t find a job and have no food. … Being a pastor of an urban church, it allows me to encourage people with hope on Sunday and empower them through advocacy on Monday.”

Matt Stanley, BBA ’03, Austin: Stanley is a founder and CEO of Sundance Memory Care, a dementia and Alzheimer memory care community. The vision he had seven years ago of opening an innovative, well organized, family-owned solution for families battling dementia is now a reality. Stanley was specifically honored in the 2017 Austin 40 Under 40 for “social innovation” and “start-up.”

Tiffany Cason, BBA ’01, Dallas: Cason was named Capital One Bank’s Dallas market president early this year after previously leading the organization’s Fort Worth market. For the 20-year-olds just starting out in their careers, she had some advice: “The faster you can learn the skill of listening intently, the more successful you will be.”

Sic ’em, Baylor alumni!