Alumni in the News

Akers (M.F.A., Drama, 1983) is also a member of UTeach Fine Arts Advisory Committee and the artistic director of Plano Children's Theatre.

Trained as a painter, Austin-based artist Roderick (B.F.A., Studio Art, 1999) began quilting in 2016. Thao Votang's Q+A with her explores why she considers her quilt-making as 'utilitarian painting'. She was also the longtime executive assistant in the Department of Art and Art History until her retirement in 2015

Colarusso's (B.M., 1996; M.M., 1996; D.M.A., Music, 2015) band's new record is now available everywhere. It features the group's original members, current band members and special guests including Willie Nelson, George Strait, Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, Bill Kirchen and Lee Ann Womack. Recent performances have included prestigious venues like the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., Moody Amphitheater in Austin and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. 

 Nailor (B.M., Voice and Opera, 2002) has been hired as a part-time instructor of Applied Music in Voice at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

Auchter (B.M., Music Performance, 2019) will perform in for Dialogues of the Carmelites and Romeo and Juliet this spring.

Noted for his “gorgeously constructed stage pictures,” Miller’s (D.M.A., 2015) most recent directing credits include Albert Herring at Chicago Summer Opera, Le nozze di Figaro with the Crane Opera Ensemble, Suor Angelica/ Gianni Schicchi at St. Petersburg Opera (Theatre Tampa Bay nominee for Best Direction) and Turn of the Screw with Texas State University (National Opera Association Production Winner).

Ebling (B.A., Theatre and Dance, 2011) joins the Tony and Grammy-winning musical, which will play cities across the US including, but not limited to, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, and Austin.

This fall, McCombs Hall of Famers Gaddis (B.F.A., Studio Arts, 1978), awarded in 2020 and honored at the upcoming 2021 Awards Ceremony, and Lynn Utter launched a new development program at the McCombs School of Business entitled, "Women Who Mean Business." The brainchild of Gaddis, the program propels female leaders forward in their careers, while offering business owners a resource for nurturing diversity and strong leadership skills.

Gaddis (B.F.A., Studio Art, 1978) is the only female recognized in this year's ceremony and the 11th female recipient since the McCombs Hall of Fame began over 40 years ago in 1980. Gay is being recognized for illustrious career as an entrepreneur, author and artist. Gay is the founder of T3, an innovative digital advertising agency that she grew into the largest female-owned agency in the U.S. under her leadership for over 30 years.

Gaddis (B.F.A., Studio Art, 1978) also released a limited-edition silk "Burnt Orange Victory Scarf" featuring an original painting with 100% of proceeds benefiting a scholorship for a University of Texas student.