Abilene Christian University added two new members to its Board of Trustees, effective Jan. 28.

Kate (Petty ’91) Dalton graduated from ACU with a degree in accounting, and she worked in Texas and Connecticut as a CPA and a financial analyst before moving to part-time work with her own accounting business while raising two children with her husband, Dr. Carter Dalton (’91). Kate has also been active in non-profit work for the last 25 years, as a volunteer, fundraiser and board member with the Junior League of Little Rock, Little Rock Christian Academy PTO, the Athletic Booster Board for Little Rock Christian Academy, the 20th Century Club Lodge, and the 20th Century Club Women’s Organization. She has kept a strong connection to ACU, helping to raise money, along with her sister, to honor her parents, Dr. Bill (’64) and Donna (Guinn ’64) Petty, with the renovation of the atrium in the Mabee Business Building. Kate has been an active member and teacher at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ since moving to Little Rock in 1998. Both of her children attended ACU, earning accounting and engineering degrees. 

Kelly (Stites ’91) Shewmaker has also stayed involved with her alma mater, serving as president of the Alumni Advisory Board as well as a member of the President’s Venture Council and the College of Business Administration Strategy Development Committee. She is currently a member of the  search committee for the dean of the College of Business Administration. Kelly and her husband, David Shewmaker (’92), live in Leawood, Kansas, and recently launched a payment processing business in Europe. After graduating from ACU, Kelly worked as a CPA in the Dallas; Washington, D.C.; and Warsaw, Poland, offices of KPMG. She later was director of strategic planning and development for @Entertainment, a company operating satellite and cable television in Europe. Kelly has served on the board of Elevate Metro KC, an organization focusing on life skills and character building in urban youth, and has worked in various volunteer roles in the Blue Valley School District and the local chapter of the National Charity League. She and David are parents to three daughters who all attended ACU.

ACU’s Board of Trustees is the governing body for the university, and members are eligible to serve up to five three-year terms. Trustees set policy, guide the institution’s long-term direction and ensure it fulfills its mission to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. 

— Wendy Kilmer

February 16, 2024