Grow@BU Participant Spotlights

Read below for spotlights on participants who have completed the Grow@BU professional development initiative.

October 2026

Lindzie Lane

Grapevine, Texas is just under two hours north of Waco, but Lindzie Lane’s path from there to Waco took her around the globe. A self-described “military brat,” Lindzie was born in Grapevine, but grew up in many places as her father’s career in the Army took his family as far away as Germany and Anchorage, Alaska. It was in Alaska where she spent the longest portion of her childhood, but Lindzie’s family connections to Abilene Christian University eventually brought her back to Texas.

ACU is where she completed her undergraduate studies in Business Management with a minor in Communications, and it is also where she met her future husband Gavin, a Belton native. After graduation the newlyweds moved to Waco where Gavin enrolled at Baylor’s Law School while Lindzie landed her first job at Blackhawk Aerospace providing sales support. Her parents, and then later her brother and sister-in-law, followed her to Waco. The years that followed would see three daughters join the family as well. After the COVID pandemic, Lindzie began seeking a new full-time role. She had heard from friends about their positive experiences working for Baylor, and so she applied and was hired in October 2022 when she joined Baylor’s External Affairs team as a Community Relations Specialist.

This summer, Lindzie joined the growing list of Baylor staff who have completed the Grow@BU Professional Development Initiative, which she credits for helping her make new connections at the university, including with people she might not have encountered otherwise. She was also drawn to the versatility of the offerings finding the program’s options to be broader in scope than other professional development programs she had encountered. Away from work her three daughters, ranging in ages from two-and-a-half to eight years old, keep her on her toes and on the move. Lindzie also finds enjoyment in reading and in spending time with friends and family. Lindzie, we’re glad your exciting journey led you to Waco and Baylor!

September 2026

Amanda Schroeder

For Amanda Schroeder, the road ahead always seemed to turn towards Waco. When it came time for her to select a college, she knew she wanted to go someplace warm. Her family had moved from California to Idaho when she was a child, and Amanda sought to retrace those steps and began applying to colleges in California. A warmer climate wasn’t her only desire; she also wanted to attend a Christian University. Her mother was not keen on her returning to California and instead insisted she apply to Baylor. When her application was waitlisted at a college in California, her decision was made. Instead of heading to the west coast, she headed for Central Texas.

At Baylor, Amanda majored in Communication, and it was also on the Baylor campus where she met her future husband. After briefly living in both Houston and Dallas, she and her then fiancé found themselves returning to Waco often for games and events. They decided to get married in Waco and to make the city their forever home. It has been almost ten years now since Amanda joined the Baylor staff in Institutional Events. She loved the work and found a team that supported her desire to complete the final year of her Baylor degree. Thanks to Baylor’s tuition remission benefit, she achieved that goal, but she has never stopped learning.

Along her Baylor journey she had started taking learning courses offered by HR, and when the Grow@BU Professional Development Initiative, Amanda was up for the challenge again. She has also continued to grow in her career at Baylor. Eighteen months ago, Amanda joined the Campus Services team where she recently celebrated a promotion to Assistant Director of Campus Services. She balances a successful career and her desire to learn and grow with a healthy dose of family time with her husband and two small sons. When she’s not watching her children or Baylor in a sporting event, she loves a good game of Mahjong, or she simply takes advantage of the ease of getting away to Dallas or Austin for a while. But the road always leads her back to Waco and Baylor, and we are all thankful for that! Keep up the great work, Amanda!

Kerri Pridemore

Ask her about where she grew up and Kerri Pridemore beams with enthusiasm for her home state of Arkansas and its many natural wonders. It was as a child in Arkansas where Kerri developed an appreciation and awe for God’s handiwork. She grew up in the small rural town of Genoa, located about ten miles east of the twin cities of Texarkana, Texas and Texarkana, Arkansas. When it was time to select a college, she opted to stay in state and attended the University of Central Arkansas where she earned her undergraduate degree in Finance.

When her family relocated to Bell County in Central Texas in 2004, Kerri joined them so she could help provide care for her father, but it was also the start of a successful career in her chosen field. After a couple of years as an auditor at JRBT, Kerri joined Scott & White Health Plan in Temple where she spent a decade as a Senior Financial Manager. She made the move into education when she accepted the role of Director of Financial Reporting with Belton ISD where she spent the better part of another decade. In 2024, Kerri joined Baylor as a Financial Manager where she initially supported six client groups. Today she serves as Financial Manager for CRASR and the newly formed School of Earth and Environmental Science.

At Baylor, Kerri quickly discovered the University’s free learning opportunities through Human Resources. Initially motivated by the desire to develop a better understanding of the organization’s expectations and best practices, she eventually found the classes to be what she describes as among the top employer-provided learning opportunities she has experienced. This summer Kerri completed the requirements of the Grow@BU Professional Development Initiative, but she still balances her busy work life with her role as a wife and full-time mom. In her free time, you’ll find her in the dance studio, at the volleyball court, or at the swimming pool supporting her daughter’s extracurricular activities. She also loves traveling and seeing new places with her family. Thank you, Kerri, and we look forward to continuing this journey with you.

McKenna Lalani

When Wichita Falls native McKenna Lalani began her college search, she wanted to find a school no more than three hours from her hometown. Clocking in at 200 miles and just under a three-hour drive away, Baylor University met her criteria. But truth be told, what really drew her to Baylor for her undergraduate studies was the school’s strong reputation and ideal size, the exciting student life opportunities, and the fact she felt that as a student she would matter and not just be a number.

After earning her degree in Education, McKenna taught middle school math in the Dallas area. Along the way she married a fellow Wichita Falls native and when his family’s business offered them a chance to move to Waco, it set the stage for another homecoming of sorts. McKenna came home to Baylor when she joined the School of Music in 2017. After five and half successful years working with the school’s student records and advising, she moved to Hankamer School of Business where she supports the Online MBA program as the Assistant Director of Student Support.

This summer McKenna became of the first staff members to complete the Grow@BU Professional Development Initiative which she credits for enhancing her professional skills helping her to serve her students, team, and department even better. Her schedule away from Baylor is just as full as her work life as she balances time with her spouse and three children ages 15, 13, and 11. Thank you McKenna for exemplifying Baylor’s Core Commitment to Seek Learning and Apply Knowledge. We’ll see you in class soon!

August 2026

Landa Jacobo

A self-described lifelong learner, Landa Jacobo was drawn to Baylor as a place to work, learn, contribute, and grow. She credits Baylor’s “faith-based community, nationally recognized academic excellence, beautiful campus, family-oriented culture, commitment to servant leadership” as an ideal fit for this autodidact who has spent a career in education. Prior to joining the Baylor staff as the Office Manager for the Special Collections Library in The Texas Collection in July 2023, Landa built a successful career in education with experience in instruction at the primary, secondary, and college levels.

A passion for education is evident in Landa’s own educational journey. The daughter of a Christian minister, she has lived all over Texas and has completed coursework from both Cisco and Ranger Junior Colleges, Weatherford College, and Tarleton State. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History from UT- Permian Basin and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon University. Her passion for education continues to grow as she regularly seeks out learning opportunities through reading, podcasts, LinkedIn Learning, and campus learning opportunities including the Grow@BU Professional Development Initiative, which she recently completed. An educator at heart, Landa actively seeks opportunities to share with her team what she has learned and has even launched a monthly newsletter within the Texas Collection titled The Learning Ledger. 

Landa credits Baylor's learning opportunities with helping her strengthen the professional skills she relies on daily. She also notes that these opportunities have enabled her to build meaningful relationships across the University. In her spare time, she enjoys staying active, enjoying family and pet time, and as she describes it, “engaging with literature, film, and thought-provoking podcasts". Always seeking ways to grow and learn, Landa offers a word of encouragement to all of us at Baylor. As she says, “Today is the best time to begin investing in professional development and personal growth". Thank you, Landa, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

July 2026

Sheila Smith

Waco-area native, Sheila Smith, has deep roots both in the local community and at Baylor. As a child, she recalls her mother bringing her to campus to see the Bears and to visit the Strecker Museum, at that time located in the basement level of Sid Rich. She graduated from nearby Robinson High before SpaceX moved to McGregor and Robinson still boasted the only Rockets in town. Her roots only grew deeper when Sheila joined the Baylor staff back in 2014.

Her Baylor career began as a part-time Administrative Assistant in the Honors Residential College. She loved the job and was proud to be at Baylor, and then in 2019 she had an opportunity to go full-time. Today she serves as the Office Manager for Medical Humanities, and has helped the newly-elevated department transition from program status. Along her path, Sheila earned her BBA in Accounting. Staying true to her roots, she stayed local and earned her degree from Tarleton State through the University Center at nearby MCC.

This May, her Baylor roots grew even deeper as her youngest daughter earned her Masters in Communication, courtesy of Baylor’s tuition remission benefit. At the same time, Sheila was completing the Grow@BU Professional Development Initiative - completing all requirements in April. She credits Grow@BU with helping her get to know people from across campus. A self-described home body, Sheila enjoys reading, but she also doesn’t mind heading south to Austin whenever she can to visit her oldest daughter. We recognize Sheila this month for her commitment to professional development and her commitment to Baylor!

Tiffany Ridings

When Tiffany Ridings moved to Waco in 2024, it was a homecoming of sorts for her. She began her college career at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, AR, before transferring to Baylor. After a year, she returned to Ouachita and finished her degree in communication with a minor in music uncertain if her path, and perhaps Providence, would lead her back to Waco.

Prior to her most recent move to Waco, Tiffany was sent by Antioch Community Church to northeast Scotland where she served with a new ministry Revive Scotland, now Revive Ministries, for three years. Tiffany found her way back to Baylor in November 2024 when she joined the Mayborn Museum in a temporary capacity before going full-time in February 2025 as the Events Coordinator. But perhaps the biggest life change came in late 2025 when she married her husband, Timothy. The two met at Antioch where Tiffany, a classically trained vocalist, serves on the worship team and leads worship for Selah, a ministry for single mothers. Her multitude of ministry skills extends beyond singing and includes playing both the piano and guitar as well.

In her personal time, she enjoys reading or listening to audio books, practicing photography, and loves spending time with family. She also likes playing board games, card games, even group games, and not surprisingly, she loves music. Tiffany completed the Grow@BU Professional Development Initiative in April where she says the programming helps staff catch more of the vision of what Baylor is trying to achieve. And it has helped her make campus connections with other like-minded people seeking to grow. That’s music to our ears. Keep up the great work, Tiffany.

Adrianna Diaz

Just how Adrianna Diaz came to Baylor is one of her favorite stories to tell. In late 2022, she was researching new opportunities when a recruiter at Baylor reached out to her. She admits at first she thought it was a spam email. But she had been praying about next steps in her career, and when she saw a commercial for Waco less than a day later, she realized maybe God was trying to answer her prayer.

As they say, the rest is history. She applied, interviewed, and joined the Baylor staff in 2023. She currently serves as Senior Procurement Manager for Student Life in Business Services. Procurement is a field she says she “fell into” early in her career. While earning her BBA in HR Management and Entrepreneurship at Texas State, Adrianna had begun working at Oil State Industries. It was there she was first offered a position in procurement; a field she has since made her home. She later joined GE where she continued working in procurement for over a decade before making the move from Houston to Waco.

At Baylor she quickly became active attending professional development workshops, impressed by the fact Baylor made learning employee-driven and easily accessible. In April she completed the Grow@BU requirements. A lover of learning, in her free time Adrianna loves to read anything from mystery to science fiction, to self-improvement and business books. But she also likes to get away, including traveling to state and national parks, or you may just see her cruising some backroad in her restored ’67 Buick Skylark listening to 60s and 70s tunes. Keep up the professional development, Adrianna, and maybe we’ll see you on the open road.

Jonathan Hill

Much of Jonathan Hill’s childhood was spent on the Baylor campus, and perhaps for that reason his college career initially took him in a completely different direction. The son of a local sportswriter, Jonathan followed his father to practices and games, got to meet and know the players, and was exposed to the media side of athletics at a young age. When he graduated high school and planned to continue his education, he went in a direction away from the world he had known and ended up studying Marine Biology at Texas A&M-Galveston.

But as it often does, life brought him back to his roots in Central Texas where he attended MCC before completing his Bachelor degree at Tarleton State. Life came back full circle as Jonathan became a Baylor Bear in his own right completing a Masters in Sports Management from Baylor. Half-way through his graduate studies he joined the Baylor staff in Athletics in 2015. Since 2019, Jonathan has been a part of Baylor’s Marketing & Communication Brand Integration team where he currently serves as Brand Manager. 

As his career progressed to a leadership role, Jonathan noticed some of the professional development opportunities at Baylor applied to the new ideas and skills he needed to better lead and direct the work of others. In April he completed the Grow@BU requirements and is far along the path to completing Lead@BU as well. Away from work he loves reading and being a husband and father. You might also spot him in town enjoying his own perfect Waco day at the zoo or a museum, at church, Hawaiian Falls, or simply relaxing with family and friends at home. Don’t be surprised if you catch him taking in a Baylor sporting event as well. Congratulations, Jonathan on completing Grow@BU and keep up the great work. 

Katherine Hudson

For her five-year anniversary service award gift from Baylor, Katherine Hudson selected the traditional diamond pin. Historically the pin had been the most popular selection among Service Award recipients, and it seemed the perfect fit for this lover of history. In fact, history was her major at Christopher Newport University in Virginia where Katherine was surrounded by some of the best of America’s historic charm in nearby colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown.

Drawn by the vibrancy and energy of a college campus, Katherine was drawn to working in higher education. After graduation, she found her way to Waco and Baylor stating that she felt drawn by Baylor’s Christian mission. Currently she serves as the Assistant Director of Marketing Strategy for Baylor’s growing Robbins College.

With such a strong connection to the university environment, it is no surprise Katherine’s learning journey is still continuing. Currently she is working toward a Masters degree, and in April she completed the requirements for Grow@BU. She was already sharpening her skills and learning new ones before the Grow@BU initiative was announced. Having found the trainings she had attended to be helpful and relevant to her job, she set out to be among the first to complete the new program. She still loves reading history as well as spending time with her husband and her two cats, Sasha and Ramses. Perhaps it was no coincidence she was reading a book on ancient Egypt at the time she provided these details. Keep learning Katherine and keep up the great work here at Baylor.

June 2026

Sam Smith

Sam Smith faced a challenge as a young teenager most people will never encounter. On her 13th birthday she suffered a stroke as a result of spinal meningitis that left her unable to speak or walk. She recovered over the following months, but her story ever since has not been the story of just a survivor, but also of a thriver. Her experience as a young teen deepened her faith, emboldened her witness, and inspired her to help grow others.

After meeting her husband at work at the State School in nearby Mexia, the young family moved to Waco where Sam began working in Human Resources at Waco ISD. A friend worked at Baylor, and after learning of Baylor’s tuition remission plan, Sam set her eyes on a career change and joined Baylor in fall 2018 at the Texas Hunger Initiative, now known as the Baylor Collaboration on Hunger and Poverty. The tuition remission came in handy as planned and her second son AJ will graduate from Baylor in 2027.

In her time at Baylor, Sam has continued to grow and is now a key part of the inaugural staff of the newly formed School of Earth and Environmental Sciences where she serves as the school’s Administrative Manager. In April, Sam completed the Grow@BU Professional Development Initiative, but she continues to invest in others as well. In early 2025, she launched a private initiative called She Speaks Boldly to help women heal and grow, and to help them “become the authentic women God wants them to be.”

Away from the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her three children Traylen, AJ, and daughter Aryanna. Congratulations, Sam, and thank you for your commitment to professional development and your contributions to Baylor.

Tamra Burkhart

While visiting a friend enrolled at Truett Seminary in the fall of 2017, Tamra Burkhart and her husband Blake fell in love with Waco’s hometown charm and Baylor’s Christian mission. After completing their studies at Wayland Baptist University, located midway between Amarillo and Lubbock off Interstate 27, the couple moved to Central Texas in search of careers and to begin their post-collegiate life.

After spending a year teaching preschool, Tamra joined Baylor’s Office of the Registrar in the fall of 2019. Now in her seventh year on staff, she serves as the Undergraduate Program Coordinator for Psychology and Neuroscience, where she helps plan undergraduate events and assists students with registration and enrollment to ensure they maintain their academic progress toward graduation. The role is a natural fit as Tamra majored in Psychology at WBU, while minoring in both Business Administration and Art.

Tamra was part of the first group to complete Grow@BU in April. An avid learner, her journey is not done yet as she is currently working on completing the requirements for the Lead@BU Professional Development Initiative. In addition to being a professional, a wife, and a mother, Tamra loves to connect with her passion for art and crafting. This summer she will have to schedule her hobby around her next educational adventure when she begins a Masters in Educational Psychology at Baylor. Way to go, Tamra! Keep learning and we wish you the best in all you do.