• Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas announced Dawn Roque, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, as a new nurse practitioner at the Dauphin Women’s Center. According to Roque, she has been a registered nurse for 14 years and a family nurse practitioner for five years. “At a young age, I knew the Lord called me into service, and I felt like the nursing profession fulfilled that calling in my life,” she said. “I chose the field of nursing because I love caring for patients in all walks of life. It is a special feature in nursing that I get to develop genuine and trusting relationships with patients when they are walking through a difficult time in their life with an unfortunate diagnosis.”
• Lee Ann Fuselier has joined the Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) Foundation Board of Directors.
• Cassie Biehle started a new position as business development specialist at Calcasieu Mechanical Contractors Inc. for the Beaumont-Port Arthur area.
• Last month, Geoffrey Tahuahua, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Texas, celebrated his four-year anniversary with the company.
• Tom Walters of State Farm in Silsbee celebrated his five-year anniversary last month. The Louisiana native is a U.S. Army veteran and is married with three children. He resides in Lumberton.
• Jody Moore, director of Mission Advancement and Marketing of the YMCA of Southeast Texas, added to her current role as assistant director of the District 10 Youth & Government Program at the YMCA. YMCA of Southeast Texas works with six counties: Jefferson, Orange, Liberty, Jasper, Hardin, and Chambers.
• Thomas Davis is the new marketing and communications associate for the BBB Southeast Texas. Before joining the BBB, he worked as a store manager at Debbie’s Delights for 11 years, along with serving as the social media marketing & advertising manager. Davis is a graduate of Lamar University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
• Selby Bush Lilley, regional vice president for External Affairs and Communications with Sempra Infrastructure, will be speaking at the 21st Americas LNG Summit & Exhibition Strategic Conference on October 19–21 in Lake Charles, La. Lilley will be on the panel “Creating Social Value and Local Economic Growth through Community Engagement.”
• Ryan Guidry was recently named shift supervisor at Golden Triangle Polymers Co.
• 5Point Credit Union President/CEO Erik M. Shaw announced Madison Tenney has joined the credit union as assistant branch manager in Nederland. With almost four years of financial industry experience, Tenney has held the positions of virtual contact center representative, senior member experience associate, universal banker, and teller. Tenney, a graduate of Dayton High School, resides in Beaumont. She is in the final stages of completing her associate degree.
• During Burns McDonnell & Zachry’s 2 Million Man-Hour Celebration at Chevron Phillips Chemical, Safety Representative Mark De La Rosa was presented with an appreciation plaque for his outstanding contributions. He was hired April 29, 2024, and has dedicated 3,292.49 hours to Chevron Phillips Chemical.
• Dr. Johnny O’Connor has been appointed dean of the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) at Lamar University, following his service as interim dean since 2024. He brings more than a decade of higher education leadership within COEHD and over 16 years of experience in K–12 education, where he has held teaching, faculty, and executive-level leadership roles. His academic preparation includes studies at several distinguished institutions. He earned a B.S. and M.Ed. from Southern University in Baton Rouge, an M.B.A. from Texas Southern University, and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. He has also completed executive training at Harvard University–Cambridge (Urban Special Education) and Rice University (Strategic Marketing and Management). In addition, he holds Texas principal and superintendent certifications, a licensed speech-language pathologist and a trained mediator through the University of Texas School of Law.
• Javier Noreiga, a member of the G&G Enterprises team, was awarded the VJS Scholarship through the AGC of America Education and Research Foundation.
• Sam Hargrave was named the new Student Life coordinator at Lamar Institute of Technology. Prior to her new position, she was a recruiter. She graduated from Lamar University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
• Sam Bradley of Orange was named the new Service Development director at Freedom Behavioral in Lake Charles, La. For the past four years, she was director of Marketing and Business Development at Calcasieu Oaks in Lake Charles. Bradley earned a certificate in vocational nursing in 1993.
• Jessica Potter, MBA, a controls specialist with G&G Enterprises, announced she has been accepted into the Texas A&M University School of Law for January 2026. The Lumberton resident earned a Master of Business Administration in May.
• In a statement, Leanna Hopson announced she is the new executive director of the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Chamber of Commerce, succeeding Beverly Holley. Hopson and her husband, Shawn, have three children.
• Code Red Safety in Beaumont announced some new faces: Gabrielle Pennington, account manager; Baleigh Linscomb, customer service representative; and Joe Lynch, CDL driver.
• Provost Umphrey Law Firm announced Equity Partner James E. Payne has been honored with the cover feature of the 2025 Texas Super Lawyers magazine. In addition to this recognition, Payne has also received the distinction of Texas Super Lawyers 2025, an honor he has earned every year since the award’s inception.
• Indorama Ventures announced the newest members of its Port Neches Operations team: Samuel Eikhenomian, SIS engineer; Matthew Hebert, lab tech; Ryan Raley, control operator EO/EG; Gregory Oatis, utilities operator; and Jacob Osbourne, process computer systems analyst.
• Glen Christensen is the new chief financial officer of Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas (BHSET). In his role, Christensen is responsible for providing leadership and oversight of overall financial planning and operations of BHSET while ensuring compliance with the hospital’s mission, vision, values, goals, strategic direction, and applicable laws and regulations.
• Jenny and Clay Holyfield, owners of Mama Jack’s in Kountze, celebrated their one-year anniversary with the restaurant.
• Beaumont Police Department Lt. Cody Courts recently graduated from the Leadership Command College – Class 102 of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT). The program, taught by a group of Texas universities and national law enforcement experts, equips police administrators and leaders with advanced skills in leadership, ethics, communication, and personnel management.
