Arts: Dick Gillham
Born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Richard “Dick” Gillham has called Odessa home for 70 years. Dick graduated from University of Arkansas. He has worked in the oil business service industry for more than 70 years. Dick serves on a variety of community organizations including as a Director of the Colorado Municipal Water District, Grow Odessa Board of Directors, Odessa Public Art Committee and is a former Director of Odessa First National Bank. Dick also serves as an Elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Dick has been recognized by many local organizations including Odessa’s Citizen of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Odessa Chamber of Commerce. Dick has been a major supporter of the United Way of Odessa, receiving the Bill Elms Award and the Donovan R. Williams Award. In 2016, Dick was honored by the Permian Basin International Oil Show. While Dick gives of his time and talent to so many local organizations, he also shares his artistic talent, providing much of the public art pieces you might see around town. No surprise that one of his leisure activities is doing artwork! He and wife, Iola, have five children, 8 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Business: Mike Forrest
Born in Carlsbad, Mike Forrest graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of University Studies and was also named All-Conference Football MVP. He moved to Odessa in 1985 and started the local Forrest Tire Co. The company transitioned to Forrest Brothers Tire in 2018. He is a partner in several business ventures, including FABCO Industries, Mesquite SWD and Reverence Oil and Gas. He also has ownership in many hotels including the American Inn Hotel in San Angelo and the LaQuinta/Hawthorn Suites in Pflugerville and Del Rio. He is also a partner of the La Estancia Racquet Club, which is new to Odessa. Mike was inducted into the Odessa Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, pickleball, traveling and family ranching. Mike has a younger brother with Down syndrome. Mike says his life resulted in the formation of the CARC Farm in Carlsbad, a facility which houses more than 150 clients, all of whom come from the Permian Basin. Mike has been married to Jo for 42 years. They have three grown children and nine grandchildren.
Community Service: Karla Milson
Karla Milson was born in Odessa and is a proud graduate of Odessa High School. Karla is a hard worker, and has her hand in many types of businesses. She was in sales at the Outdoor Shop Sporting Goods and she and her late husband, Jim, owned and operated Sun Electric for 28 years. Karla is part-owner of several restaurant and entertainment venues including Twin Peaks in Lubbock, Rockin Rodeo in Midland, Denim and Diamonds in Mesa, Arizona and Jimbo’s Garage in Odessa. After the sudden loss of her husband, she and her son, Brian, decided to remodel the mechanic barn and make it into a Party Barn, offering it as a place where individuals and community organizations could host benefits. What an impact she has made with this tremendous gift! The “Legends” Honky Tonk Saloon has been the site for fundraisers for CASA, West Texas Gifts of Hope, Crisis Center, LINKS, Joe Beene Benefit and others. She’s also hosted numerous reunions, holiday parties, state and national associations and political events. Karla loves fishing and has received many awards from the Permian Bass Club. She has also served on the Boards of Crime Stoppers and CASA.
Education: Dr. Jim Olson
James N. (Jim) Olson was born in Fargo, North Dakota. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, obtaining a B.A. in Psychology. He then went on to UCLA and received his Masters and Doctorate in Psychology. His first Research Assistant job at University of California, Santa Barbara was teaching language to chimpanzees, two of which he took for weekly trips to the beach! He also held several positions at UCLA, Pasadena College and Santa Monica College, teaching introductory Psychology as an Adjunct Lecturer. He then moved to Odessa in 1973 to become a Lecturer at the newly built University of Texas Permian Basin. He was instrumental in the development of the University Counseling and Psychological Services Center, serving in the role of clinician and practicum supervisor, providing individual and family therapy for students and community members. Dr. Olson served as the first Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. Throughout his almost five decades at the University, Dr. Olson has held many positions including Psychology Program Coordinator, Acting Chair of Psychology, Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology and the Director of the Division of Behavioral Science, as well as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor of Psychology. Jim is married to Cindy. They have three grown children and two grandchildren.
Government: Mari Spivey Willis
Mari Spivey Willis was born in Odessa and with the exception for a few years for college and work, she is a very proud, lifelong resident! A graduate of Ector High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and a Master’s degree from the University of Texas Permian Basin. Mari worked for the City of Odessa as the Director of Billing and Collections. She then redirected her work to the field of education, working as a teacher for ECISD at Hood Jr. High and the Teen Parent Center. Mari retired in 2019 from ECISD after more than 23 years of service. Mari currently serves on the Odessa City Council, proudly representing District 5, where she has been a part of many successful initiatives during her tenure as Councilwoman. Mari has been active with Odessa Arts Board, West Texas Gifts of Hope Board, Easy Rider Board, St. John’s Episcopal School Board, Girl Scouts and the Odessa Chamber Ambassadors. She is a graduate of Leadership Odessa, and a member of the St. James Missionary Baptist Church Business and Professional Women’s Ministry, as well as the Rho Iota Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Mari is married to Kirk Willis and they are the proud parents of two daughters and five grandchildren.
Health & Science: Dr. Anjaiah Kodityal, M.D.
Born in India, Dr. Anjaiah Kodityal attended Gandhi Medical College in Hyderabad, India, where he was Vice President of his college class and active in debates. He has a Fellowship in Medicine from Osmania General Hospital at Osmania Medical College in India. Dr. Kodityal worked in private practice in local village clinics in India and rode his bicycle and scooter and used public transportation, as there were no luxury cars in those days. Dr. Kodityal worked in Wales, United Kingdom and came to the United States to do a Residency/Fellowship in New Jersey. He made his way to Texas via Kentucky, stopping in Kerrville at the VA Hospital. He moved to Odessa in 1992, where he became affiliated with both of our local hospitals, as well as Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. Currently in private practice, Dr. Kodityal is board certified in Internal Medicine, Sleep Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine. He enjoys mentoring medical residents and hospital colleagues, and of course, treating patients. He is married to Dr. Meera Kodityal, M.D. and they have two grown sons and a set of twin grandchildren.
Humanities: Trudy Lewis
Born in Houston, Trudy Lewis attended Rice University and obtained a BA in History. She began her love of education in Waco, teaching junior high students. After moving back to the area almost 50 years ago, Trudy first taught at what is now Legacy High School for 15 years before becoming an Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate History Teacher at Odessa High School. She spent 22 years there, also serving as Social Studies Department Chair. She received many awards during her teaching profession, including being named the Favorite Teacher at least nine times. Trudy has served on the Education Foundation Board and on the Grants Committee for the Permian Basin Area Foundation. Trudy is a board member for the Ellen Noël Art Museum, as well as for the Tom Lea Institute. Most recently, she is serving on the Odessa College Board of Trustees. No surprise to hear that one of her hobbies is reading! She and her husband, Tryon, have two daughters.
Law: Melanie Hollmann
Melanie Hollmann grew up in Odessa and is a product of ECISD schools, graduating from Odessa High. She received her undergraduate education from Texas Tech University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a minor in Secondary Education. She earned a Juris Doctorate in 2005 from the Texas Tech University School of Law. Melanie had a summer internship for U.S. Congressman Larry Combest and U.S. Congressman Randy Neugebauer and worked at a Washington, D.C., law and federal government relations firm upon graduation. Melanie returned to Odessa in 2007, and joined the practice of Hollmann, Lyon, Patterson & Durrell Inc., and later the firm of Atkins, Hollmann, Jones, Peacock, Lewis & Lyon, Inc., as an associate attorney. In 2013, Melanie became a shareholder with her practice focusing primarily on corporate matters, including corporate transactions, selection, formation and maintenance of entities, as well as estate planning and probate matters. Melanie is a member of the Texas Bar Association, Ector County Bar Association and a Member of the Region 15 State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee. Melanie is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Melanie has received honors many times from Legal Aid of Northwest Texas for her pro bono legal services. Melanie is married to Steve Pope and they share one child, Nolan Pope.
Media: Trevor Tankersley
Born and raised in Irving, Trevor Tankersley attended Oklahoma State University. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and even played a season for the club ice hockey team while there. After working in sales for the Dallas Stars and a stint at a TV station in Laredo, Trevor moved to West Texas to work as the Sports Director at NewsWest 9 for four years before moving to the news desk as Evening News Anchor until 2019. During his nearly ten years at NewsWest 9, he collected several Texas Associated Press Broadcaster Awards in news and sports. In 2019, Trevor joined Medical Center Health System as the Public Relations Director. Trevor helped lead the communication efforts of two major crises: the August 31, 2019 mass shooting and the COVID-19 pandemic. He worked as part of the Hospital Incident Management Team, coordinating all media inquiries and interviews for the health system, while making sure the community had access to the most updated health information through media and social media. Trevor also coordinated, moderated and live-streamed more than 150 live press conferences with leaders from the healthcare industry, city and county to keep the public informed about what was happening in our hospitals and community during the pandemic. Trevor is married to Melissa, and they have two sons.
Philanthropy: Cristy Scott Batte
Cristy Scott Batte grew up in Odessa. She and her husband, Blake, raised two adult daughters here and are now raising two teenage boys as well. Since 2004, Cristy has been a part of Students in Philanthropy, an initiative of the Abell-Hanger Foundation designed to spark an interest and provide education about the local non-profit community, board service and volunteering. She teaches the Students in Philanthropy classes at UT Permian Basin and Odessa College and also oversees the high school programs in ECISD, MISD and Greenwood. Cristy also serves on the Board of Birthright of Odessa, the Crystal Ball Foundation and the Permian Basin Mission Center. She is a past President of the Junior League of Odessa and previously served on the Boards of the Ellen Noël Art Museum and Harmony Home. She has extensive volunteer experience with ECISD, currently serving as President of the Nimitz Boys Athletic Booster Club and past President of Nimitz Middle School PTA, Travis Elementary Booster Club, past Treasurer of Nimitz Choir Booster Club, past Vice President of Permian Gymnastics Booster Club and a past member of Permian Cheer Booster Club. In 2016, the Batte family was honored as Family of the Year by the Samaritan Counseling Center.
Ranching/Agriculture: Tony S. Dunn
Tony S. Dunn was born in McAlester, Oklahoma but moved to Andrews at an early age. He grew up on a farm and ranch in Andrews County and contributes all his work ethic and passion for work to what he experienced from his childhood and working next to his father. He graduated from Andrews High School in 1984 and then spent two years at Howard County Junior College, attending on a rodeo scholarship. He then continued his education at Texas Tech University. He moved to Odessa in 2001. After college, he migrated to the construction industry and has remained there for the majority of his career, having spent time at each level from wholesale distribution to General Contracting and Real Estate Development. Currently, he is the managing partner for several different companies and actively involved in commercial and oilfield construction and Real Estate Development. He currently serves on the EPAC committee in Odessa, actively working on upgrading the agricultural-related facilities and programs. He has assisted in the early strategic planning process for the new Construction Management Program starting up at Odessa College. Tony served as President of the American Junior Rodeo Association for 3 years. He is married to Vanessa. They have four daughters and one son, and one grandson.
Religion: Kelby Davis
Kelby Davis was born and raised in Odessa. She is a 2006 Graduate of Permian High School and went on to graduate from UTPB with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, as well as a Masters of Public Administration in Leadership. Kelby began her professional career as a classroom teacher for ECISD. After five years, she moved over to Odessa College, where she served as Assistant Professor of Business Leadership and Department Chair of Business Professions and was awarded the Employee Excellence Award in 2017. In 2019, Kelby became an Assistant Pastor at The Bridge United Methodist Church. Kelby is a member of the Junior League of Odessa, where she was awarded the Odessa Community Award. In 2018, Kelby was named Young Professionals of Odessa Under 40 Honoree. She is currently a Coach for YMCA Youth Sports and a leader of the Bible Study Fellowship Group. Kelby is a founding member of the UTPB Alumni Network and was awarded Board Member of the Year for the Harmony Home Children’s Advocacy Board. She and husband, Garrett, have 4-year old twins Anderson and Rhett and they just welcomed baby Maverick! The Davis’ were honored as the Children’s Miracle Network Champion Family.
Service in a Profession: Dr. Pamela McQuillin, M.D., P.A.
Dr. Pamela McQuillin was born in New Orleans. She attended Houston Baptist University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She attended Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Lubbock, graduating with a Doctorate of Medicine in 1998. Dr. McQuillin then moved to Odessa to attend the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of the Permian Basin, doing her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Upon completion, she went to work for Dr. Norman Harris for one year, and has practiced independently at Total HealthCare for Women since July 2003. Dr. McQuillin is a Diplomate of The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons and a Fellow of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, walking her dogs, gardening and travel. She and husband, Erik Pokky, have three children.
