Austin College will honor six graduates for distinguished professional accomplishment and/or service to the College on Friday, October 14, during Homecoming events on the campus. Awards will be presented during a dinner in Mabee Hall of Robert J. and Mary Wright Campus Center. For information, contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at 903.813.2335.
Distinguished Alumni Awards
Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize those who have distinguished themselves in their profession and in their communities, exemplifying leadership and ethical standards in their interactions. They model the accomplishment, spirit of service, and broadened perspective fostered by the Austin College educational experience and support and advocate on behalf of the College. First Decade Award recipients are selected on the same basis, but for accomplishments within 10 years of graduation. Austin College Alumni Board president Jeanne Holland Thoes of Garland, Texas, Class of 1984, and Dr. Marjorie Hass, president of Austin College, will present the awards to alumni.
2016 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients:
Michael Adams, Class of 1986, Monterrey, Mexico
Michael Adams graduated from Austin College in 1986 with a degree in psychology and earned a master’s degree through the Austin Teacher Program in 1987. He completed graduate studies at University of Houston Clear Lake in school guidance and counseling and later earned a doctorate in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota. Since 2013, Michael has served as superintendent at American School Foundation of Monterrey in Mexico. He began his career in 1986 as an elementary teacher in Bells, Texas, then from 1990 to 2010, he lived in Colombia, South America, working in several educational roles, from teaching to counseling to administration.
Michael has been very active in his communities, serving in a variety of volunteer positions for professional and service organizations.
Michael and his wife, Clara Rico, Class of 1988, live in Monterrey, Mexico, and have three children.
Don Johnson, Class of 1971, Wimberley, Texas
Don Johnson graduated from Austin College in 1971 with a degree in psychology. He earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Trinity University and later, a Ph.D. in education from The University of Texas at Austin. A licensed psychologist, he operates a private practice, Western Trails Counseling Services. For more than 30 years, he served as executive director of Austin Psychotherapy Associates, which he founded. He also was a member of the graduate school faculty at St. Edward’s University.
Past president of the board of the Child Assault Prevention Project of Austin, Don has received service awards from several Austin organizations. He is a member of the Austin College Athletic Hall of Honor and the Robert T. Mason Giving Society and served two terms on the Austin College Alumni Board. Don is president of the board of Wimberley Valley Radio and host of the station’s “Mind/Body Talks.”
Don and his wife, Karolyn Tybor, who also is his business partner, live in Wimberley, Texas, and have three adult children.
Virginia Smith Volpe, Class of 1990, New York City, New York
Virginia Smith Volpe graduated from Austin College in 1990 with a degree in economics and literature and a minor in business administration. She next earned a master’s degree from John Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In 2000, she became a chartered financial analyst (CFA) and is currently a managing director at SS&C Technologies.
Virginia had worked in the financial services industry since 1997, spending 17 years at Citi in various positions, winning the Citi Chairman’s Award for top sales three consecutive years. Prior to her work with Citi, she was a fixed income analyst with Reuters. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sri Lanka from 1992 to 1994.
She has been involved with several professional organizations and served as a speaker and moderator for SAIS Global Woman Leadership Conference. A community volunteer, she also has served as a member of the Austin College President’s Visiting Council.
Virginia and her husband, Andrea, live in New York, New York.
First Decade Award
Kristin Saboe, Class of 2007, Falls Church, Virginia
Kristin Saboe graduated from Austin College in 2007 with a degree in psychology and philosophy. She earned both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology from the University of South Florida.
Kristin took her expertise to the U.S. Army, which she now serves at the rank of captain. She deployed to Afghanistan to examine mental health and leadership in deployed soldiers and continues to direct and manage high-impact, policy-driving research to identify ways to improve the welfare and well-being of service members both in their everyday lives and while deployed. She spent three years at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and now is stationed at the Pentagon as an acting branch chief for science and research integration at the Army Resiliency Directorate.
Kristin has received a variety of awards—including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Achievement Medal—and national recognition for her military service and volunteer efforts with veteran employment. She has been an invited speaker for events such as providing Congressional testimony on veterans’ civilian sector employment and frequently participates in professional conferences and media interviews for outlets including The Washington Post. She also is the director of a national volunteer outreach program called the Veterans Transition Initiative.
Kristin and her husband, Michael Webb, live in Falls Church, Virginia.
Heywood C. Clemons Volunteer Service Award
The Clemons Award is given to alumni or friends of Austin College in honor of continued service and commitment to the College. The award is named to honor longtime Austin College Board of Trustees chair Heywood Clemons of Fort Worth, Texas.
Fran Crown Sims, Class of 1965, St. Petersburg, Florida
Fran Crown Sims graduated from Austin College in 1965 with a degree in elementary education. She went on to receive a Master of Arts degree in Christian education from Union Theological Seminary in 1968.
Now retired, Fran worked with a variety of organizations throughout her career as a leadership and management consultant, focusing on the human side of business. For 15 years, she also was executive director of Suncoast Management Institute, a nonprofit consortium of 25 companies aiming to provide top quality leadership training for employees. She previously served as a director of volunteer services for a large hospital, was a director of Christian Education in Virginia and Maryland, and taught in a five-room elementary school in Alabama.
Involved in many community organizations, she is a recent board member of Suntan Art Center and a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Fran and her husband, John, live in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Cindy Bean Service to Alumni Award
Margie Briscoe Norman, Class of 1983, Sherman, Texas
Margie Briscoe Norman graduated from Austin College in 1983 with a degree in psychology and sociology. She earned a master’s degree in behavioral studies from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1988.
Before joining the Austin College staff, Margie worked as a misdemeanor probation officer and a felony pre-sentence investigation officer for Grayson County. She also served as director of educational services at a private therapy clinic.
Margie joined the Austin College staff in 1995 as a career counselor and Student Services program coordinator. She was promoted to director of Career Services in January 2000. Margie is a member and secretary of the board of the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center.
She and her husband David Norman, Class of 1983, live in Sherman, Texas, and have two adult children.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.