June Alumni Spotlight: David Hollingsworth
David Hollingsworth '86 has thrived professionally since earning his degree from the Miller College of Business, but it is the challenges he has faced and overcome outside of his profession that have shaped his life since 2004.
Hollingsworth has found great success in the field of Information Technology and currently holds the position of Program Manager for SRA International, supporting IT projects for a number of Federal clients, including FDIC, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Veteran's Administration (VA), and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He resides in the Washington, D.C. area. He has always loved exercise and has a bucket list of races and feats he is looking to accomplish.
It was a 2004 motorcycle accident that nearly knocked Hollingsworth off his feet and out of the race for good. On July 9, 2004, he was transported from the scene of a motorcycle accident and immobilized for 48 hours to stabilize for surgery. Doctors stressed to him that it was uncertain as to whether he would ever walk again. After six hours of surgery, he spent nine days in critical care and six weeks in a
rehabilitation facility.
"It took me three weeks post surgery to stand (with a LOT of assistance). Four weeks to self-transfer to a wheelchair and stand with a walker, five weeks to walk with a walker, and the last week, I was able to finally walk unassisted (about 20-30 feet). I had to wear a TLSO brace (a plastic clamshell brace that kept my back in place.)," said Hollingsworth.
Upon returning home, he would nearly collapse after walking to the mailbox. He added slight increases to his exercise regimen each day, and after nine months, he got out of his back brace and was able to begin riding a bicycle. Over the next eight years, he had gained weight and was not exercising much at all. In November 2012, he decided that he was unsatisfied with his current limitations in life.
"I was overweight, stiff, sore, and sick and tired of being sick and tired. I had to make some hard decisions if I was going to change."
Much like his rehab after the accident, Hollingsworth started small and added to his routine daily. He built up from walking to running then ran his first 5K last spring, followed by a 5-miler, a 10K and a 10-miler. He finished out 2013 by running the Indy Monumental Half-Marathon. After taking a break for the holidays, he decided to find a new challenge, and what a challenge it was! In February, he completed the Empire State Buiding Run Up, climbing 83 floors in 21 minutes and raising about $5000 for the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund (MMRF).
"I had been aware of the MMRF through a high school friend, having contributed to a number of endurance fundraisers in support of his brother (also a high school friend) who was diagnosed in 2010. As he improved through treatment and stem cell transplants, I got to know more about the organization. For the ESB Run-Up, I casually mentioned it as a fun 'bucket list' item, since it was unique, and hard to get in to. It just happened that the MMRF's Director of Endurace Events, Alicia O'Neill saw the conversation online, and contacted me the next day, asking me if I wanted to get in the Run-Up for 2014. Having talked about it in public, now the pressure was on me. I had never done an event like this before, and had never raised money previously, let alone committing to raising $2,500.Through a lot of publicity and support, I doubled my original fundraising goal."
He hasn't stopped at climbing man-made mountains either. In May, he climbed a real mountain on a bicycle. "The Assault on Mt. Mitchell" is a 102-mile bike ride that climbed over 11,000 feet. It was the first of two 100+ mile bike rides he has planned for 2014, and he is planning several short road races, a sprint and Olympic triathlon and the Marine Corps Marathon this fall.
"In the end, I’ve gone from a hospital bed to a wheelchair, to a walker, to a cane, to walking unassisted. From there, I’ve continued to evolve, taking on more and more challenges as I’ve become more capable," said Hollingsworth. "Looking back 10 years, I couldn’t have pictured it. By taking small steps and building on each accomplishment, I’ve gone much farther than I could have ever imagined."
More From David:
How do you feel Ball State prepared you for the professional work environment?
"Ball State helped in a number of ways, from developing a good foundation in the General Studies requirements to the more specifc courses in my major. A lot of of the help came from activities outside the classroom, including my part-time job through the University, and organizations like Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity."
What are your favorite memories of Ball State?
"Way too many to count - but fall at BSU was always a special time of re-connecting with friends, getting into the swing of the new semester, and doing all the things unique to Ball State - hanging out in the Village, playing my guitar in the Quad and navigating the Scramble light. It was a special time, and I have friendships that started there that will last a lifetime."
May Alumni Spotlight: Andy Pierce
James "Andy" Pierce '93 has found great value in his journalism degree from Ball State University even after leaving the field of journalism. He worked 10 years as a reporter and editor and then spent 11 years working for the City of Chicago. In his current role, he helps Boy Scouts in Chicago find outdoor experiences.
The communication skills he honed in Muncie have been an asset even after his time as a reporter and editor. He spent eight years working for the City of Chicago Department of Buildings, writing and editing the city's building codes, and then spent three years as chief of staff for Alderman Robert W. Fioretti. He served the Loop, South Loop, West Loop, Printer's Row, McCormick Place and parts of Bronzeville.
"I was one heartbeat away from 1/51st of the power base of Chicago," said Pierce. "We have 50 aldermen representing 50 geographic wards and one mayor. My responsibilities included overseeing public safety, legislation, improvements in parks and schools, infrastructure repairs, consideration of public support for large building projects and
everyday constituent services. It's a 24-7 commitment in Chicago. People's needs and their expectations of what government can do for them does not take a day or a night off."
One of his proudest moments with the city came in 2004, as he was tasked with writing then-mayor Richard Daley's public comments on the day Wrigley Field was closed due to safety issues. He wrote talking points to prep the mayor for his news conference.
In his current position with the Boy Scouts of America, Pierce gets to help provide outdoor opportunities for kids who live in an urban setting, something he has a passion for as an Eagle Scout.
"I am very fortunate in my job today. My only regret is that I did not come to it sooner. If I do my job right, then more kids go to camp. That is a good feeling at the end of each day. No video game, electronic tablet or cellphone will ever replace trained adults who take Scouts outside to do fun things. Given the opportunity, boys still want to catch a fish, build a car and race it, build a fire and cook on it or shoot targets with a bow and arrow. That experience is becoming rare for kids in cities and in rural areas."
In his free time, Pierce volunteers with the Theatre Historical Society of America and the Friends of Uptown. The organization is perhaps a perfect combination for a person with a background in communications and experience working with building codes. The Friends of Uptown are looking to preserve the Uptown Theatre, the "last large, 1920's movie palace in the United States."
"When I met longtime volunteers in 1998, I asked if I could be on their mailing list. They said: 'Mailing list? That is a good idea.' That's when I knew they needed help. We had a U.S. Mail list and one of the first theatre web sites. Now we have an email list of 1,000 and more than 10,000 fans on Facebook. I've met many of my close friends through the efforts to help keep this building from demolition by neglect and to learn how theatres elsewhere
have been renovated and reused. A great resource is Theatre Historical Society of America, which I joined in 1998. We have a museum and archive in Elmhurst, Ill. and we have an annual tour or conclave of theatres in a different region of the country each year. I helped lead the conclaves in Chicago (2003) and Indiana (2010)."
More From Andy:
How was your experience with Ball State?
"I have a positive feeling about Ball State and I am encouraged by its growth, particularly in new and emerging media. I have not been back to campus except to pass through on a theatre tour. I do believe that the fundamentals of journalism do not and should not change no matter what the medium. And Ball State is a great place to learn those skills, practice them and then try to make a living based on that good foundation."
"No one has ever turned up their nose at my Ball State degree. Just like everyone says 'Michael Jordan' or 'Al Capone' when I say I live in Chicago, the fame and success of David Letterman and Jim Davis are conversation starters enough to pique people's interest about who I am, where I came from (New Castle, Ind.) and what I learned at Ball State."
April Alumni Spotlight: Darcy Burthay
Darcy Burthay '84 MS02 has used her Ball State Nursing degrees to steadily rise through the ranks of the profession. She served as Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at St. Joseph Hospital, Chief Nursing and Chief Operating Officer of St. Vincent Indianapolis and began in February as Managing Director of Home Care Services for Ascension Health, a national health organization.
Burthay says that her Ball State education prepared her immensely for the road she has forged in her career. "My motto has been do what you do, do it well, and you will be noticed. Always focus on doing the best job you can do with what is before you. Others will notice and
sponsor you throughout your career path. Ball State nursing prepared me to focus on just that."
Darcy and her husband, Wayne Burthay, live in Noblesville, Ind. She has two sons, Ryan and Nathan Herr and a stepson, Matt Burthay. Her sister, Denise Frazier '04, and two nieces, Amber Rosetti Edwards '02 and Alissa Rosetti Schnick '06, are Ball State alumni. Her brother-in-law, Ron Frazier '85, is also an alumnus, and her nephew Riley Frazier starts classes in Muncie this Fall.
Burthay is also the chair of the American Heart Association's 2014 Go Red For Women campaign. The annual Go Red For Women campaign raises awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women and encourages women to take preventive measures to reduce their risk for heart disease sponsor you throughout your career path. Ball State nursing prepared me to focus on just that."
Darcy and her husband, Wayne Burthay, live in Noblesville, Ind. She has two sons, Ryan and Nathan Herr and a stepson, Matt Burthay. Her sister, Denise Frazier '04, and two nieces, Amber Rosetti Edwards '02 and Alissa Rosetti Schnick '06, are Ball State alumni. Her brother-in-law, Ron Frazier '85, is also an alumnus, and her nephew Riley Frazier starts classes in Muncie this Fall.
Burthay is also the chair of the American Heart Association's 2014 Go Red For Women campaign. The annual Go Red For Women campaign raises awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women and encourages women to take preventive measures to reduce their risk for heart disease.
More From Darcy:
How was your experience with Ball State?
"The nursing program both at the undergraduate and graduate level are both very respected programs. I loved the BSU campus and the many friends I made especially through my sorority, Chi Omega. I continue to stay in touch with many of my nursing colleagues especially as I moved to the Indianapolis market. My undergraduate degree not only prepared me to be a good nurse, but to be a leader who could think critically in clinical and non-clinical situations. My graduate degree allowed me to pursue a minor in business which was extremely helpful as I migrated to leadership roles with a broader focus than nursing. I only occasionally get back to campus, but have found my Chi Omegas throughout the state that have allowed me to stay active. Many of the bigger state colleges are thought of before Ball State. I feel like my education prepared me very well to take on these varied roles throughout my 30-year career. I am very proud to be a Cardinal!"
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Spotlight
August Alumni Spotlight: Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor ’96, MA ’98 has been around Ball State University since his childhood, and other than a brief journey into the world of corporate communications, he has devoted his professional career to promoting Ball State student-athletes. He now heads the award-winning Sports Link program in the Department of Telecommunications.
Taylor spent nearly 12 years as a member of the Ball State Athletics Department, most recently serving as Director of Athletics Communications and Marketing. In that capacity he managed the publicity, marketing and media efforts for all 19 teams in the department of intercollegiate athletics, along with the game day experience at events.
In 2007, he stepped away from Campus for the first time, working as a Senior Account Executive for a private communications and marketing firm in Nashville, Tennessee and as a Project Director for Kern Creative Group in Muncie before returning to campus in 2009. It was the opportunity to teach and be a part of an innovative immersive learning opportunity that drew Taylor back.
"Sports Link started from many ideas back when I worked in athletics, but during the Fall of 2008 the TCOM department tried it as a one semester pilot program,” said Taylor. “It's success sparked a full-time, 10-month, no guarantee position, which is what I returned to campus in 2009 to lead.”
This immersive learning production has won over 40 state or national awards in the past five years, including SIX Emmy Awards and four consecutive Sports Video Group/College Sports Media Awards for outstanding student-produced features. Ball State is the FIRST and ONLY university in the nation offering a digital sports production academic concentration.
The program provides real world training for students, who will graduate with a résumé superior to most of their peers from other universities. It also benefits Ball State Athletics in that high quality features and coverage are produced at no cost to the department. This is great for fans of the Cardinals, who get dynamic content on their favorite student athletes and coaches, and it is a superb recruiting tool for coaches when talking to prospective student athletes.
Sports Link students have been involved with Turner Sports’ NCAA March Madness Live initiative during the past four NCAA Men’s Basketball tournaments, and recently announced they will work in a similar capacity for PGA.com’s PGA Championship Live. The program has worked with ESPN, Fox College Sports, and many other national leaders. When it comes to top undergraduate talent, national sports media companies are well aware of what Ball State has to offer.
“The most rewarding part of the program is clearly working with our students and our student-athletes. It's the best of both worlds for me. Knowing that I can mentor and be an influential person in someone's life is not only rewarding, but very inspiring.”
The program has seen continued growth and is attracting in-state and out-of-state students to Ball State University. In 2013-2014, the program hosted 70 high school students on visits to campus with specific interest in the program. With all of the success the program is having, Taylor projects to have 64+ students in the program by 2017.
More From Chris:
What are your feelings toward Ball State?
"Ball State has been a major part of my life since arriving on campus as a freshman in 1992 -- and even before attending Ball State sporting events with my family. My years as a student in the best department on campus, TCOM, prepared me for a successful, creative career. In athletics, I made many lasting friendships and experienced so many great events. Now, to be in my current role working with both departments and students is very rewarding. I'm blessed."
What has been the piece your students have produced that you've been most proud of?
"Honestly, I tell our students we need to be proud of everything we do because we are telling someone's story each time we pick up equipment. With that said, a piece Ben Wagner produced in 2010 called "Tarblooder Mission" really set the stage for what we've done the last four years. This piece, and Ben, will always be one I am proud of because it allowed us to do so many after it."
If you would like to be considered for Alumni Spotlight, submit the online sign-up form
and the Alumni Association will contact you.
September Alumni Spotlight: Lauren Madden
Every year around the same time, Lauren Madden '11 changes her Facebook profile picture to her favorite image. The image depicts Madden and her residing king waving at the crowd from the back of a horse-drawn carriage in the Ball State Homecoming parade.
In 2008, as the president of Alpha Phi sorority, Madden was nominated by her sisters to run for homecoming queen. And despite her background in pageants, Madden says she was still excited and honored that her sisters looked up to her.
“Being a leader is something that just comes naturally to me. Being so involved in my sorority and being president, I was looked up to and I wanted to be a positive role model,” Madden said. “When I was a freshman, the homecoming queen was also an Alpha Phi and I was just so proud of her. I was honored and proud to be able to represent Alpha Phi again.”
Originally thinking she wanted to be on Broadway, Madden came to Ball State to study musical theater. When she realized she might want to have her own country music television show, she switched her major and graduated with a degree in telecommunications.
After she graduated from Ball State in 2011, Madden was a Colts cheerleader and worked as a bank teller. Her parents were both in the medical field, however, so she says she grew up with medical jargon used at the dinner table.
And when her parents were both diagnosed with cancer, her mother with uterine cancer and her father with a rare duodenal cancer, Madden chose a different career path.
“Instead of being happy to visit my parents at the hospital, my parents are now patients. I decided I want to take care of people the way nurses took care of my family,” Madden said.
In 2012, Madden decided to pursue a nursing degree. She enrolled at an accelerated online program through Marian University and began with pre-requisite classes.
Although she had to take prerequisites in addition to the nursing program courses, Madden received her nursing degree in August 2014.
Her father did not live to see her receive her nursing degree, but Madden says he knew she was going to nursing school and was very proud of her. Her mother is in complete remission today.
In the same week she received her nursing degree, Madden also tried out and made the Indiana Pacer’s Official Dancing team, the Pacemates. She says it was being nominated for homecoming queen that built up her confidence.
“To be able to represent an entire college for a whole year is a great opportunity. One girl gets to be the homecoming queen each year, and I was it for 2008,” Madden says.
While being a Pacemate keeps her busy, Madden is still studying to take the NCLEX Examinations for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
“Being a Pacemate is a part-time job. It’s a crazy schedule. I don’t know how I’m going to make full-time nursing work, but I’m going to,” Madden said. “Really, my motivation is the end result. I knew I was going to get a nursing degree. I can’t wait to work with patients and just be a nurse.”
October Alumni Spotlight: Kaleb Kern
Just two months after graduating from Ball State with a degree in Electronic Art and Animation, Kaleb Kern '11 and his father packed up their bags and flew to California to pursue Kaleb’s dream career in animation.
“It was the first summer I didn’t work at a golf course. I had always worked there. Now, people were asking me, ‘Hey, what do you want to do now?’ I wanted to move out to California and get a job in animation,” Kern said.
There, Kern and his dad took a tour of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. After the tour, Kern walked up to an employee and simply asked how he could get a job there.
After returning home for 10 days, Kern packed up the last of his belongings that would fit into his car, and then drove with his mom across the United States to move to Los Angeles, Calif.
For his first 6 months, he worked as a VIP Tour Guide and Tour Support for Warner Bros. Entertainment Group. Along with giving tours at the Warner Bros. studio, which Kern calls an ironic turn of events, he helped organize and assist the audience in TV Shows such as “Conan” and “Ellen.”
Kern says that was not his dream job, though. After work, he was still searching and applying for animation jobs.
“I finally applied at Wild Brain Entertainment as a central production assistant. (The application) didn’t say what project they were working on, but I ended up getting an interview and getting the job,” Kern said. “It was because I had the artist knowledge and because of what I learned in school.”
Although he was specifically looking for a job in an animation as an artist position, Kern said having the artist knowledge, which he learned in school was “über helpful” for him getting the position and working as a production assistant. Kern graduated in the inaugural year of the Electronic Art and Animation degree. Previously, students who studied graphic animation graduated with a degree in animation.
In 2012, DreamWorks assumed the “Dragons: Riders of Berk” TV series, and by April Fools Day, Kaleb was an employee in DreamWorks Animation’s television division. Kern was eventually promoted to the position of Production Coordinator while working on two seasons of the 3-D animated television series “DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk.” The series followed the main characters and their adventures after the 2010 feature film “How to Train Your Dragon.”
“Everything I did, in my opinion, in the art program really prepared me for what I’m doing now. Sometimes you’ll get those careers where it’s just your dream. It’s just kind of paying attention to what’s happening in the industry, and a lot of it you don’t know,” Kern said. “I watched a lot of bonus features.”
When “How to Train Your Dragon 2” comes out in Blu-ray and DVD on November 11, 2014 Kern’s name will be in the credits for his work on a bonus feature, a 26-minute short film called “Dawn of the Dragon Racers.” DreamWorks recently worked out a multi-year exclusive production deal with Netflix, and a new “Dragons” series will be available to stream next year.
Originally from Marion, Ind., and originally looking up to Jim Davis as a cartoonist, Kern says he “thoroughly enjoys the production side of things” and says he simply believes in chasing your dreams.
“This isn’t a joke, when I first moved here, I would drive to the studios, drive by the gates, and just look in. I went to DreamWorks, Disney and Warner Bros. I went to all of these studios and looked in and dreamed that one day I would work there,” Kern said. “The goal for myself is a feature, and I moved up the ranks … because of my knowledge (in electronic art and animation,) which put me at my department.”
Watch Kern’s work in “DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk” and “DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk,” available now on DVD and Cartoon Network. The animation series “DreamWorks Dragons,” will be available on Netflix in 2015.
If you would like to be considered for Alumni Spotlight, submit the online sign-up form
and the Alumni Association will contact you.
If you would like to be considered for Alumni Spotlight, submit the online sign-up form
and the Alumni Association will contact you.
If you would like to be considered for Alumni Spotlight, submit the online sign-up form
and the Alumni Association will contact you.
If you would like to be considered for Alumni Spotlight, submit the online sign-up form
and the Alumni Association will contact you.
November Alumni Spotlight: Patrick Ball
His camera sat on a tripod with its lens seeing the sunset over the mountains. A horse and its ride step in front of the shot. Seeing only the silhouette of the rider, a cowboy hat turns slowly toward the camera, nods, almost as a cue for the horse to trot onward.
“ACTION!” Patrick Ball yelled out.
Graduating from Ball State in 2012, Ball used his degree in telecommunications, relationships he built with students and his passion for video production to make a film in Sedona, Arizona.
Two months after graduation, Ball and fellow Ball State telecommunications friend, Aaron Newton, took a risk. They called Mark Bougher, author of The C-Bar Story, a Western novel about a family who help a girl whose family was violently murdered.
“I read this book by Mark Bougher and immediately thought ‘this would be a great movie!’ So I got in touch with Mark and he, too, wanted a film crew to bring his
book to life and to the full screen,” Ball says.
Over pizza, Ball, Bougher and Newton decided to turn The C-Bar Story into a movie.
“We had dinner together and knew very quickly that a movie was going to be made. My feet have not touched the ground since that day,” Bougher says in his biography about the movie.
Ball and Newton moved to Arizona soon after their meeting with Bougher. With them, they took their film equipment, personal belongings and three other Ball State friends to be a part of the movie: Michael Fisch (production sound mixer), Morgan Stehr (editor/composer) and Marissa Neel (actress, Sarah Dee).
Once they were in Arizona, Ball and Newton started C-Bar Production Company. Through the company, Ball began video freelancing for commercial, music videos and TV pilots.
“It’s kind of crazy how this all fell into our laps,” Ball says. “(Bougher) had the money and we had the talent and the equipment. So when we collaborated, it was perfect.”
After filming for almost 4 years, Ball projects The C-Bar Story is going to be finished by December. Once it is completely finished, it is his hope to get it into the big film festivals. Whether it gets into the festivals or not, Ball believes in the film so much, he plans to distribute himself to Netflix and Hulu.
“It has all of the elements to be a good movie,” Ball says. “I’d love to develop it into a TV show. My passion is in filmmaking right now, but the industry is moving toward TV, because there’s more content. I’ve got other feature-length film projects that I’ve started working on, but I’d do this full time. I’d love to do both.”
Ball says Ball State was really great to him for the opportunities he was provided in the telecommunications department.
“I met my crew (at Ball State) and we’re just like a family. We’ll probably be together forever. The TCOM department is top notch. They taught me how to use cameras, lighting, etc,” Ball says. “Right out of college we did something that is really hard. And we wouldn’t have been able to do it if weren’t for Ball State.”
If you would like to be considered for Alumni Spotlight, submit the online sign-up form
and the Alumni Association will contact you.