Alumni Awards

Distinguished Alumnus

John H. Beall '65

John H. Beall received a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from SFA in 1965. While attending the university, he was active in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and most importantly met his wife, Nacogdoches native and 1966 SFA graduate Susie Ritterskamp, who is now a retired elementary school teacher. The Bealls have two children, Tracy Ferguson of Houston and Tim Beall of Vail, Colorado. They have five grandchildren.

After graduation, Beall began his career at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, now the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston. During his early years, he took business and accounting courses at night and passed the certified public accountant exam.

Beall retired from Johnson Space Center after serving 10 years as chief financial officer. His path to the CFO office included increasingly responsible leadership positions, such as deputy CFO and financial management officer. Additionally, Beall served as the chief of the Central Budget Office, coordinating and facilitating the implementation of the integrated center-wide budget process.

In his role as Johnson Space Center CFO, Beall was responsible for financial planning, execution, control and reporting of all resources in the center's more than $4 billion annual budget. Beall was also a member of an agency team that interfaced with its Russian counterparts. The purpose was to understand the Russian budget process as it related to the International Space Station. Over a series of four visits to Russia, the team developed a professional working relationship with the Russian team and successfully completed the mission.

Distinguished Alumnus

Bob Williams '70

Bob Williams was born and raised on a farm and ranch on U.S. Highway 84, eight miles from Cushing, Texas. He graduated from Laneville Sue Allen High School then attended SFA, where he graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting.

Williams was drafted into the U.S. armed forces immediately after graduating from SFA and is a Vietnam-era Army veteran. He served in the 105th Finance Section in Augsburg, Germany. In 1971, his then-fiancée, Linda Lampkin from Nacogdoches, flew to Munich, Germany, where she and Williams were married Sept. 6, 1971. They have one daughter, Nichola Williams, and two grandchildren, Nikolas and Abigail.

For 27 years, Williams worked as a commercial casualty underwriter and underwriting manager primarily for James S. Kemper. He started a financial advisory business in 1996 and partially retired after almost three decades in that business. He has served on the board of numerous charitable organizations, including for nine years on the SFA Alumni Association board. He is an elder at his church, an avid golfer and a proud Lumberjack.

Watch Williams recount details of his time at SFA for the university's Centennial Conversations video series.

Outstanding Young Alumna

Amber Burda '09

As a student at SFA majoring in hospitality administration with a minor in general business, Amber Burda was a member of the Delta Delta Delta chapter Beta Xi, serving as secretary, reference chair and vice president of chapter development. The Pearland, Texas, native represented SFA in July 2008 at the 53rd Tri Delta bi-annual convention held in Chicago.

During her time at SFA, Burda worked as a front desk clerk at the Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center (otherwise known as her "second home"). Immersing herself in the town's and hotel's rich history brought her intimately closer to Nacogdoches.

Following graduation, Burda worked in the fast-paced event industry as an event coordinator with SMG (now ASM Global) at NRG Park. Passionate about events and helping one company succeed at sales in the fair and rodeo business, her move to Mattress Firm was a natural fit. Burda spent six years managing and growing relationships with over 300 events across the country, eventually becoming Mattress Firm's director of multi-channel sales planning.

In January 2017, Burda joined the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as the executive director of sponsorships, business and corporate development. In 2023, she was named chief revenue officer and currently oversees ticketing, corporate and business partnerships, and official sponsors. Under her guidance, the sponsorship program at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has experienced significant growth and expansion. Burda's contributions have elevated the program, fostering exceptional partnerships with numerous sponsors and establishing the organization as a leader in the industry.

Burda serves on the board of directors of the Sponsorship Marketing Association and is a member of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions, Texas Association of Fairs and Events, and Western Fairs Association. In 2023, Burda was honored with a Houston Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business award in the nonprofit category.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Burda prioritizes her family. She resides in Santa Fe, Texas, with her husband, Greg '07, and their two young children, Jase (10) and Anna Lee (5), where they are always planning their next trip to the Caribbean or fishing.

Outstanding Young Alumnus

Dr. Joshua D. Rhodes '06

Dr. Joshua D. Rhodes is a research scientist at The University of Texas at Austin, a nonresident fellow at Columbia University, a founding partner and chief technology officer of IdeaSmiths, and a commissioner for the City of Austin's Electricity Utility Commission. His current work is in the area of smart grid and the bulk electricity system, including spatial system-level applications and impacts of energy efficiency, resource planning, distributed generation, and storage.

Rhodes is also interested in policy and the impacts good policy can have on the efficiency of the micro and macro economy. He is a regular contributor to Forbes and an expert voice for Axios, an American news website. He also sits on the advisory board of Catalyst Cooperative.

Rhodes holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from SFA and a master's degree in computational mathematics from Texas A&M University. He also holds a master's degree in architectural engineering and a doctoral degree in civil engineering, both from UT Austin.

He enjoys mountain biking, backpacking and a good cup of coffee.

Lumberjack Pride

Samantha McPhail '92

Samantha McPhail graduated from Klein Forest High School in Houston and enrolled at SFA to pursue her interest in early childhood development and speech-language pathology. She was attracted to the university's collegial community feel and the reputation of its James I. Perkins College of Education.

At SFA, McPhail was a proud Lumberjack, attending athletic events and participating in and supporting various programs, including the Special Olympics.

After receiving her bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology, McPhail returned to Houston and accepted a speech therapist position at Cedarbrook Elementary School in the Alief Independent School District. As the Cedarbrook "speech teacher," she was responsible for diagnosing and treating speech, language and learning disabilities for pre-K through fifth-grade students. McPhail gained great satisfaction from working with her students to address their challenges and observe the advancements they made.

In 1996, McPhail married her long-time friend, Terry, and together, they moved around the world as part of Terry's career in the oil industry. While she was unable to work in some foreign locations, including Malaysia, Angola and Indonesia, McPhail took the opportunities to get involved in the communities and support various local cultural programs.

After moving back to Houston, McPhail reengaged with SFA and quickly stepped up as a Lumberjack. Despite living in Houston, she makes frequent trips to Nacogdoches and is often seen on campus supporting the university and its programs. She also initiated a scholarship program and provided support for the Perkins College of Education.

McPhail has been a lifelong animal lover. She supports animal rescue programs and has taken in and adopted numerous dogs and cats, including their current dogs, Holly and Penny. She and Terry are active members of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Houston.

Lumberjack Pride

Natalee (Newton) Kelaher '96

Born in Ohio, Natalee (Newton) Kelaher moved to Houston at age 5 and has called Texas home ever since. She grew up in Sugar Land and earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology with a minor in communications from SFA.

During college, Kelaher demonstrated her self-starting nature by supporting her education through various roles, including stints in the library, as a resident assistant, and as a tour guide in the Office of Admissions.

Prior to becoming a real estate agent in 2010, Kelaher spent 15 years with Texas Medical Center, initially in human resources and later as an academic administrator for surgical residency programs.

Since obtaining her real estate license, Kelaher has continually expanded her expertise through professional designations, aiming to better serve her clients. She also actively gives back to her community through involvement in local charities and volunteer initiatives.

As a proud SFA alumna, Kelaher remains engaged with her alma mater, volunteering with the Alumni Association and serving on the College of Liberal and Applied Arts board. She has established a scholarship fund and participates in various alumni events.

Kelaher and her husband, Jim, reside in Houston, where they enjoy exploring the city's diverse restaurant scene and pampering their rescue dogs. In her free time, Kelaher enjoys travel, baking, wine tasting and cherishing moments with family and friends.