Master’s Class of 2025
COE BRINKMAN
Coe Brinkman has a BA in Psychology from Texas Tech University. She has been at Siemens DISW for 12 years where she started as an account developer, earned her way to top performer, and moved her career into senior leadership. In her current role, she has built, grown, developed, and scaled a successful business development team. Coe lives in Austin with her husband and pre-k twins. She enjoys traveling and the outdoors, whether that’s exploring new places or working on her growing backyard garden.
KESIMY COSTA
Kesimy Costa served four years as a Human Resources Specialist in the active-duty Army. Afterward, she went on to graduate magna cum laude from Methodist University with a bachelor’s degree in social work and a bachelor’s degree in management.
She serves as an executive assistant for the Battered Women’s Justice Project, working alongside a staff of gender-based violence, legal, and organizational development experts. In her free time, Kesimy enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and their dog, Bert.
JACQUELINE HALE
Jacqueline Hale is a project management professional (PMP) with over 11 years of experience at USAA in the insurance and banking industry. Currently, she is an Executive Operational Planning Director on the CEO Chief of Staff team, which focuses not only on the ensuring the success of the CEO but also strategic projects benefitting the organization. Jacqueline started her career on the “frontline” as an auto and property claims adjuster and then progressed to project management roles before transitioning into her current position.
In addition to her PMP, she holds a BBA in International Business Management from UTSA and an MBA from Texas A&M – San Antonio. She has always wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps of being a UT Longhorn.
MELINDA G. MARTINEZ
Melinda G. Martinez earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business – Spanish from the University of Texas at Arlington. She grew up working for her parents in a family-owned business and later began a career in the financial services industry. Melinda is currently a Senior Practice Marketing Associate at Rodenbaugh Wealth Management of Raymond James.
Melinda loves spending time with her husband, Mike, and their three grown children. She enjoys traveling, curling up with a good book, quilting, and cheering on her Texas Longhorns.
KATHERINE PAGANO
Katherine Pagano holds degrees from Drexel University in business administration and sociology as well as a certificate in social responsibility in business. She has primarily worked in the nonprofit sector where she has held a variety of fundraising and development roles at direct service organizations and higher education institutions in Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC. Looking to increase the reach and impact of her work she transitioned from working for nonprofits to working with them as a consultant.
Since then, she has partnered with many different nonprofit organizations across the country. Aside from honing her grant writing and strategic planning skills, consulting has provided an opportunity to manage teams and coach nonprofit executives. She hopes to continue to develop the strategic leadership skills that will benefit her work with nonprofit organizations and their leaders in the future.
SANDRA PAHL
Sandra Pahl earned her BA in psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and her MA and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. A US Navy veteran, she has worked for the US Government her entire career. For the past two years, she has been on active duty with the US Navy, working in the talent management and program development space. She is interested in leadership and creating sustainable, healthy work environments using an empirical, data-driven approach.
An avid ultramarathoner, when she is not running, she enjoys reading and spending time with her three cats and her partner. Recently, she has also rediscovered her love for painting and creating.
JESS VAUGHN-JANSEN
Jess Vaughn-Jansen is the Director of Financial Strategy at Partnership Home, the homeless coalition serving Tarrant and Parker counties. She oversees the implementation of the nonprofit’s increasingly complex and multidimensional approaches to addressing homelessness through strategic financial initiatives. Before creating this role, Jess worked directly as a service provider or manager with underserved populations, including people experiencing homelessness, youth in foster care, and victims of sexual violence.
Jess earned her undergraduate degree in religion with a minor in International Studies from Houghton College in western New York. She has two rabbits (Enzo and Elio) that fill up most of her free time, but she also tries to find time to paint and read.
ZENE NOOR
Zene Noor masterfully juggles the daily work lives of top executives while ensuring the department runs smoothly. A bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in anthropology from Texas State University have fueled Zene’s intense passion for learning about people and might just start them analyzing the behavior of fellow hikers on the trails. They manage a lively household with a supportive spouse, three energetic kids, and two mischievous cats who seem to think they’re the real bosses of the house.
