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Alumni Profiles
LaTonya Taylor '01
Associate Editor
Campus Life
Overwhelmed by the process of choosing a college, LaTonya Taylor immersed herself in a sea of college recruitment brochures and catalogs. "My room was a fire hazard!" she laughs. "I wrote down everything I was looking for in a college on an index card and decided that I would look for a college instead of letting them look for me." Her methodical approach is something Ms. Taylor actually uses in her job today.
As associate editor at Campus Life magazine and point editor of its four Christian college guides, she now helps high school students navigate the sometimes-difficult college selection process. "I'm a writer, editor, guidance counselor, librarian, and cheerleader for Christian colleges," she says. She selects and edits manuscripts, plans online magazine content, and writes a weekly column.
Taylor also spent a year as editorial resident at Christianity Today magazine. She was the youngest staff member to write a cover story--a feature about Oprah Winfrey titled "The Church of O" describing Oprah's position as an unofficial spiritual leader.
"Taylor prepared me for life after college," says Ms. Taylor. "Christian colleges provide a safe place to explore and discuss difficult questions. That's why I now encourage students to attend them through my work," she says.
Dan Gordon '71
President
Gordon Food Service
"You can be very successful in life and still be a follower of Christ and a good steward in all that you do," says Dan Gordon, president of Gordon Food Service, a 103-year-old food distribution service founded by Gordon's great grandfather.
Today, the company provides total food service distribution with an inventory of 15,000 products, a roster of 10,000 employees in the U.S. and Canada, and five distribution centers across the Midwest. Despite the company's size, Gordon says the cornerstone of its success is a philosophy of philanthropy that extends to supporting communities in which they do business.
It's the same philosophy Gordon says he encountered as a Taylor student, and it's what helped shape his vision as president of the fourth-generation family business.
"The caliber of people you meet at Taylor is unmatched. Both the students and faculty live out a strong Christian lifestyle. I was exposed to a very bright, motivated, talented group of people who influenced me."
Debbie (Messamore) Frostrom '83
Test Director
NASA
For NASA employee Debbie (Messamore '83) Frostrom, each launch is an emotional experience as she watches astronauts rocket into outer space at speeds exceeding five miles a second. The astronauts are carried in a shuttle composed of over one and a half million parts, and a single team of individuals is responsible for making sure those parts function properly during a launch.
Frostrom, a NASA test director (NTD) for eight years, made history as the first female to ever serve as a certified NTD. As an NTD, Frostrom was part of a team of 10 to 12 individuals who manned the control room, known as the firing room, during the three days preceding a shuttle launch. The around-the-clock work was intense and regimented, and included overseeing the completion of a 5,000-page procedures manual that required signatures and approvals for every turn of a screw or check of a valve.
Stephen Johnson '73
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
A lot of us are breathing easier thanks to Stephen Johnson. As Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Johnson has had a critical role in implementing the nation's pesticides, toxic substances and pollution prevention laws.
Being appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate has put Johnson in a position that he never imagined as a young undergraduate. But he's quick to credit his alma mater for helping to set the stage for his current success. "I felt at the time I was getting a high-quality education academically, but more importantly, what I appreciate now is the spiritual and moral grounding that Taylor provided," he says.
Johnson has also held rank in the top tiers of the EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS). His efforts have focused on everything from the implementation of landmark federal legislation enforcing more stringent requirements for existing pesticides to helping safeguard chemical and food supplies from terrorist threats.
Johnson has also received numerous awards, including the Presidential Rank Award, the highest award given to a civilian federal employee.
