McMurry University Celebrates Alumni Excellence at 2024 Night of Distinction

Shannon Sedgwick Davis ’96 is the 2024 Distinguished Alumna. Ms. Sedgwick Davis, CEO of Bridgeway Foundation and the author of “To Stop a Warlord,” has dedicated her career to ending and preventing mass atrocities worldwide. An attorney, activist, and passionate advocate for social justice, Ms. Sedgwick Davis has guided the Bridgeway Foundation in pioneering solutions to seemingly intractable issues worldwide. Sedgwick Davis and the Bridgeway Foundation have been credited for their pivotal role in mobilizing awareness, civilian protection, and recovery efforts to counter the violence of the Lord’s Resistance Army and its leader, Joseph Kony, the first-ever indictee of the International Criminal Court. The work of Ms. Sedgwick Davis and the foundation has been featured on NBC’s “TODAY,” “TEDxSanAntonio,” “PBS NewsHour,” and in Forbes. Before joining Bridgeway Foundation in 2007, Ms. Sedgwick Davis served as Vice President of Geneva Global. This leading philanthropic consulting firm advises individuals, foundations, non-profit organizations, and corporations on international development, global health, and poverty solutions. Previously, Ms. Sedgwick Davis was the Director of Public Affairs at the International Justice Mission (IJM), a human rights agency that focuses on ending slavery, forced prostitution, and illegal land seizures in the developing world. Her work in helping rescue children from sex trafficking in the Svay Pak village of Cambodia was featured in the 2005 Emmy award-winning piece, “Children for Sale,” on Dateline. Ms. Sedgwick Davis is an honors graduate of McMurry University and Baylor Law School, from which she received the institution’s Young Lawyer of the Year Award in 2011. Her other recognitions include the Nomi Network’s 2014 Abolitionist Award; a Global Human Rights Hero award from Saving Innocence; the Navy SEAL “Fire in the Gut” Award; and the 2022 International Citizen of the Year Award from the World Affairs Council of San Antonio. 

The Distinguished Alumni Award was established in 1971 by the McMurry Alumni Association to recognize alums who have made a significant contribution to their profession, society, and McMurry University. 

Karl Scott ‘07 was honored with the 2024 Young Alumni Achievement Award. Scott is an accomplished football coach known for his expertise in developing defensive backs and coordinating defensive passing games. A native of Houston, Texas, Scott honed his skills on the football field at McMurry, where he earned a degree in exercise and sports studies in 2007. Following his collegiate career, Scott began coaching at Delta State in 2007, where he served as a graduate assistant. Scott transitioned to Tusculum College in 2008, where he took on the roles of recruiting coordinator, defensive backs coach, and linebackers ‘ coach and mentored standout players who garnered all-conference honors. In 2012, Scott joined Southeastern Louisiana University, where he spent three transformative years as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, steering the Lions to consecutive Southland Conference Championships and two NCAA Football Championship Division playoff appearances. Scott continued to climb the coaching ranks into Division I football, joining Skip Holtz’s coaching staff as the safeties coach at Louisiana Tech University in 2015. In 2018, Scott served as the cornerbacks coach for the University of Alabama. His tenure coincided with the Crimson Tide’s dominance, resulting in a National Championship victory in 2020 and establishing several defensive players as top NFL prospects. In 2021, Scott made his mark in the NFL, joining the Minnesota Vikings as the defensive backs coach. Scott’s journey reached new heights when he assumed a key role in the Seattle Seahawks as the defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach after starting as the team’s defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach in 2022. Scott has been a visionary leader, dedicated mentor, and relentless competitor. As he continues to inspire and shape the future of football, Scott’s coaching legacy will endure for generations. 

McMurry established the Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2011 to recognize alums who have graduated in the last 20 years, excelled in their professions, and served their community and McMurry. 

Bramer Owens ‘03, the 2024 Outstanding Alumnus in Business, is a seasoned healthcare executive with over two decades of experience in the start-up, for-profit, and not-for-profit markets. He is the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Wellvana, a company he co-founded in 2019 in San Antonio. Mr. Owens helped grow the company from a great idea into one of the fastest-growing value-based care enablement companies in the U.S., boasting nationwide expansion and multiple successful capital raises. Before Wellvana, Mr. Owens held executive leadership positions at Baylor Scott & White Health and Baptist Health System. He is passionate about community impact and actively contributes to various health-related non-profit boards, leveraging his knowledge and experience to drive positive change. Mr. Owens graduated from McMurry in 2003 and earned an MBA from Baylor University.  

Austin native, Dr. Hope Pamplin, ’01, the 2024 Outstanding Alumna in Education, immersed herself in many organizations while a student at McMurry and took an active role in Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, where she led the youth group under the guidance of Pastor Dr. Kelvin Kelly. It was here that she discovered her passion for teaching. Despite initial reluctance, she embraced her calling, becoming a successful educator, counselor, and college dean. Currently, Dr. Pamplin serves as the Director of Disability Services at the University of Houston, Downtown, where she established a counseling center to address the mental health needs of the student body and earned her master’s in counseling and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Dr. Pamplin’s endeavors include owning a private practice, founding a group counseling practice, and a non-profit focusing on therapy and education. Dr. Pamplin is also an author of three books dedicated to empowering and supporting others. 

The 2024 Outstanding Alumnus in Fine Arts, George Levesque ’96, originally from Colorado City, Texas, graduated from McMurry University with a degree in theatre. He embarked on a successful radio and TV journalism broadcasting career, notably anchoring KTXS Television news for nearly 18 years. In June 2018, he left the news industry to take the helm at the Historic Paramount Theatre. In his short tenure at the Paramount, he’s already made a significant impact. He was recognized for his contributions with an Individual Contribution Award from the League of Historic American Theatres in 2023. George graciously shared his theatre and broadcasting talents to help celebrate MMcMurry’s Centennial. He served as the face and voice of the McMurry Centennial, anchoring a video series on local TV about the Centennial and emceeing our Centennial Gala. 

Marcus Ramage, ’65, the 2024 Outstanding Alumnus in Math and Science, graduated from McMurry College with a Bachelor of Science in Math and Business, and earned a Master of Arts in School Administration in 1972 from the University of Wyoming. Marc was employed by Ector County Independent School District from 1965 until 2005. He was at Odessa High School for 40 years, with the last 31 years as an administrator serving in the capacity of instructional services director. He was EECISD’s Administrator of the Year in 2001 and retired in 2005. Since retiring, Marc has served on the Sacramento Camp and Conference Center Board of Directors, the McMurry Alumni Board, and the Board of Region 18 Education Service Center as EECISD’s representative. Marc is very active in his church, Highland UMC in Odessa, Texas, where he has served as chairman of trustees, finance, and a New Mexico Annual Conference delegate. 

The Rev. Heather Gates, ’04, the 2024 Outstanding Alumna in Religious and Spiritual Life, is an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church and the lead chaplain for the Galveston Police Department. Heather’s journey into law enforcement chaplaincy wasn’t part of her original career plan, but has become a deeply fulfilling calling. Coming from a background in youth ministry, she recognized the need for further training. She pursued a master’s in social work at Tulane University, which she completed in May 2023, and recently passed her licensure test in January 2024. As a chaplain, Heather provides a ministry of presence during some of life’s most challenging moments. Whether comforting a grieving family or supporting a traumatized officer, she offers solace and support with compassion and empathy.