Oklahoma Baptist University Honors Distinguished Alumni During Harvest Dinner

October 27, 2025

OBU recognized outstanding alumni with special awards during its annual Harvest Dinner on October 24, 2025. The event was held during The Weekend, the University’s annual homecoming celebration, on the OBU campus in Shawnee.

Multiple awards were presented, including the Alumni Achievement Award, Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award and Profile in Excellence (PIE) Awards.

The highest honor bestowed by the OBU Alumni Association, the Alumni Achievement Award is given in recognition of outstanding life service that has brought honor to the University.

This year’s Alumni Achievement Award recipients were Verne L. McCabe and Dr. Margo Sullivan Henderson.

Verne L. McCabe, ’71

McCabe was recognized with the 2025 OBU Alumni Achievement Award for corporate leadership and nearly 50 years in bi-vocational ministry.

Called to ministry at age 16 during a Dallas-Fort Worth youth camp, McCabe was licensed at Richland Hills Baptist Church. After attending Baylor University and Murray State College, he transferred to OBU in 1968. He served on the OBU Activities Board, College Players and Debate Team and began ministry as music and youth director at First Baptist Church, Morris.

At OBU, he met his wife, Rosemary Chappell. They married in 1970 and have six children—five OBU graduates—plus 28 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, eight of them OBU alumni.

McCabe earned a master’s degree in theatre from Central Missouri State University and taught at Cameron University and Union University before entering the industrial minerals industry. He served in leadership roles including vice president at McCabe-Woody & Company and U.S. Silica and has been president and CEO of McCabe Industrial Minerals, Inc., for more than 30 years.

His ministry included about 40 years in worship and music and 10 years as senior pastor, concluding at Tulsa Hills Baptist Church in 2016. He served on the board of WatersEdge (formerly Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma) and remains active in supporting Christian higher education.

“OBU had a major impact on my life,” McCabe said. “I learned to think analytically, reason critically, theologically and ethically because of the values of the education I received.”

Dr. Margo Sullivan Henderson, ’74

Sullivan Henderson received the 2025 OBU Alumni Achievement Award for a global nursing career integrating medical expertise and faith.

Raised in Shawnee, Henderson earned early college credit through OBU’s Academy Program. Influenced by OBU faculty and her church community, she chose OBU for its strong nursing program. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1974, later earning a Master of Science in Nursing, a post-master’s certificate in family practice and a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

Henderson’s career included roles as nurse practitioner, clinical educator and healthcare director. She co-founded Focal Pointe Women Center in Georgia, launched clinics providing indigent care and spiritual counseling and taught at the Medical College of Georgia, where her doctoral research on non-epileptic seizures earned national attention.

She participated in more than 20 medical mission trips to Ecuador, Thailand, India and Libya, leading mobile clinics, training healthcare workers and implementing infection control in crisis zones. She also served for a decade as director of Fine and Performing Arts in East Asia for the International Mission Board.

Her leadership extended to nonprofit boards, including Christ Community Health Clinic. Now retired from full-time practice, she remains active at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia.

“So much of who I am today was shaped by what I saw and heard at OBU,” Henderson said.

Corbin Ellis Campbell, ’15

The Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award was presented to Campbell, recognizing his extraordinary professional and personal achievements within 10 years of graduation.

An Edmond native, Campbell came to OBU to play soccer, drawn by the personal recruiting approach of both coaches and admissions staff. After briefly transferring away, he returned, citing a sense of purpose and growth.

A business administration in marketing graduate, Campbell is the marketing and business development lead at Guernsey, an Oklahoma City-based architecture and engineering firm.

He previously coached boys soccer at Deer Creek High School, helping lead the team to a 2015 state championship and mentored through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma.

He played soccer in Liverpool, England, with a Christ-based club that used the sport for ministry, serving churches and schools across the United Kingdom.

“At OBU, I matured in my faith, developed deep friendships and was encouraged to think beyond conventional business concepts and toward mission-driven work,” he said.

Campbell is active in professional organizations, including the Society for Marketing Professional Services and the Society of American Military Engineers. He lives in Oklahoma City with his wife, Kaleigh and their two sons, Harrison and Porter and attends Life Church.

“God used everything—my plans, my mistakes, even my detours—to lead me exactly where I needed to be,” Campbell said.

This year’s Profile in Excellence Award recipients include the following OBU alumni:

Matt McAllister, ’12,

McAllister is a marketing graduate and a former Bison baseball player. After applying to more than 300 jobs, McAllister launched his career in Texas, then built and scaled marketing teams at Aspen Heights Partners. He later co-founded a Denver agency serving 150 clients in its first year. He broke into tech at Spredfast and rose to executive roles, including vice president and chief marketing officer. At Yelp, he leads a 40-person team managing nearly $1 billion in business across five divisions. He co-founded Demandful in 2024 and mentors professionals while advising global tech and AI firms in multiple countries.

Kay Johnson, ’67

Johnson is the founder and superintendent of Lawton Academy of Arts and Sciences. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art at OBU and a Master of Arts from the University of Oklahoma in 1969. Under her leadership, Lawton Academy gained regional and national recognition, including the 2018 Values Driven Award of Excellence from AdvancedED. In 2011, she coached a team to the national eCybermission STEM competition finals. The City of Lawton declared August 23, 2024, as Lawton Academy Day. Johnson’s work includes community service through blood drives, military family support and local events. She is a member of First Baptist East, Lawton.

Dr. Jenna Lee Geohagan, ’11

Geohagan, an OBU biology graduate, is a family physician at Central Oklahoma Family Medical Center in Seminole. She earned her M.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 2015. She founded and leads Impact Seminole, a nonprofit improving education and community engagement through initiatives such as literacy programs, esports and countywide events. She volunteers with the Seminole Public Library, presents to youth and civic groups and coordinates free sports physicals. She serves on the Seminole Chamber of Commerce board and is active in Rotary. In 2025, she received the Up & Coming Community Award. She and her husband, Tyler, have three daughters and attend Life Church Shawnee.

Dr. George H. McDow, ’68

McDow, a 1968 music education graduate, has led a decades-long career in music education and global arts advocacy. After Army music training and service, he earned a master’s from the University of North Texas in 1973 and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1989. He taught at multiple levels and serves as an adjunct professor of ethnomusicology at Liberty University. He helped found the OkMEA Hall of Fame and was inducted in 2023. Honors include China’s Friendship Medal and roles with the Lausanne Movement and Global Consultation on Arts and Music in Missions. He and his wife, Sherry, have three children and six grandchildren.

The evening began with an invocation led by Chris Justice, secretary of the OBU Alumni Board, followed by a welcome from Lea Ann Quirk, executive director of the OBU Alumni Association.

Lisa McMillan Roth, president of the OBU Alumni Board, delivered the State of the Association Address.

OBU President Dr. Heath A. Thomas presented the presidential address, reflecting on OBU’s recent progress and future vision.

Roth conducted the award presentations and delivered closing remarks. The event concluded with the singing of “The Hymn to the Alma Mater,” led by Lauren Buss who was accompanied by Jennifer Benhan Williams on the piano.

For more information about the OBU Alumni Association or to nominate a deserving alum for future awards, visit www.okbu.edu/alumni.