By Dylan Howlett
Homecoming at Durham Academy is upon us, and multiple generations of Cavaliers will reconnect in the coming days with Durham, the DA campus and each other. Amid the festivities, the classes that end in 3s and 8s will celebrate their reunions Saturday afternoon with a social at Tobacco Road Cafe.
We caught up with four alums from three of this year’s reunion classes to learn about their moral, happy and productive lives. Hear from a brand marketing manager who has served lunch to Condoleezza Rice and chatted with Rory McIlroy about dogs; a veteran healthcare executive who named his daughter after Michael Jordan; and a husband and wife from the Class of 1998 who started dating 10 years after they met. All share tremendous affection for their time and their teachers at DA.
The following conversations have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Braxton Lloyd ’13
Marketing Associate Brand Manager, TaylorMade
San Diego
DA: You graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2017. But before you left campus, your apartment burned down at the start of your final semester. How did you eventually make your way to California and TaylorMade?
Lloyd: “It was an insane, hectic ending. I was awake when it happened, so I was able to get out unscathed. It was a crazy ending to college. I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason. It did allow me to move to a different place pretty easily, if I can find one positive that came out of it. I knew after graduating that I wanted a bit of an adventure after school. In South Carolina, I would say 80% of my friend group either ended up in Charlotte or Atlanta working for a bank. I love going home and I love visiting, and I do think I’ll end up on the East Coast eventually, but I wanted a different start to my career out of school. I didn’t really ever think that I would be at a place like TaylorMade. I’ve played golf my whole life and wanted to be working in sports, but I never really knew that was going to happen.
“The internship was the first great step in the right direction. I worked at The Masters during college, and I really think that helped get me in the building. Augusta has a great program with the University of South Carolina. I was able to actually work at the tournament my junior and senior year. That’s really how I think I got an interview with TaylorMade, and the rest is history.”
DA: It’s almost impossible to attend The Masters Tournament, let alone work on the premises for consecutive years. How was your experience at arguably the most prestigious golf course in the world?
Lloyd: “I was basically a waiter and bartender in the clubhouse. My first year, I was in the Trophy Room, which is a formal dining room behind the patio area in the clubhouse. It’s really more for the membership. My second year was the coolest. I went to the second floor of the clubhouse where the champions locker room is. That’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever gotten to do. I was with the players, their families, wives, parents, and also the uber VIPs of the tournament. I served lunch to [former U.S. Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice, and [actor/musician] Mark Wahlberg was there, and all of the older golfers like Tom Watson and Gary Player. My first year in 2016 was the last year Arnold Palmer (the late father-in-law of Peter Wears ’70 and grandfather of Anna Wears ’15) was able to attend. It was just golf royalty and Masters royalty as well.”
DA: You’ve now been working with TaylorMade in San Diego for six years, but breaking into the sports industry can be challenging. What’s your advice for any current or recently graduated Cavaliers who want to pursue a career in sports?
Lloyd: “In hindsight, I can say it worked for me. I didn’t really know what I was doing at the time. I’ve had interns and other people ask me this along the way. My biggest recommendation is to get your hands dirty — and by that, I mean volunteer at things as a high school student. I volunteered at the U.S. Open when I was 17 down in Pinehurst when the men were there in 2014. I was a standard bearer for the tournament. My advice would be to take advantage of any opportunities you can to get real-world experience with doing the thing you want to do, whether it’s basketball or whatever. Do something that puts you in the right field because from there, it’s just a matter of meeting people and having experience.
“I grew up playing golf at Hope Valley Country Club, and I worked at Old Chatham Golf Club. The guy I happened to interview with at The Masters knew of Old Chatham, so he knew that I had experience dealing with high-end clientele. I’m pretty confident that’s why I ended up being put in the clubhouse at Augusta because he knew I had the experience. That all started five years prior with me just taking a position at Old Chatham. Getting hands-on experience at whatever level you can would be my biggest piece of advice to making that dream a reality. It is a tough field to get into, but it’s definitely easier to do when you have those types of internship opportunities throughout your college experience to get your hands dirty in the field you want to be in.”
DA: In your role as associate brand manager, you oversee TaylorMade’s putter and wedge markets by developing go-to-market campaigns for new projects. You’re also a part of the celebrated TaylorMade production shoots that produce widely viewed content across social media. What are those days like?
Lloyd: “We call it our ‘Super Shoot,’ and that takes place every November in Florida. It’s basically two full days of all of our big players — Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler, Charley Hull, Nelly Korda. It’s two days of literally sunrise-to-sunset shooting all of our formal commercials — TV campaigns, media campaigns, things of that nature, mixed in with all of the stuff that you see on social. We capture literally a year’s worth of content within a 48-hour window. We have probably five to six shoots going on at the same time on one golf course. We’ll have a driver commercial being filmed on Hole 3, and then the social team could be filming on Hole 8, and on Hole 12 we’re going to have a putting drill hosted by Charley Hull. It’s like our Super Bowl every year, and that’s where I’ve gotten to spend some time with our players, get to know them to some level.
“I’ve been able to have conversations with Rory one-on-one, but he’s Rory: He’s not going to be there for an hour and a half just talking to you about what your dog’s name is. (Laughs) The aspiring players, the younger guys, the ones who don’t have quite the following yet, are the guys I’ve been able to really spend more time with. Those shoots are exhausting, but they’re incredibly cool.”
DA: Even though you’re on the West Coast, how have you managed to remain connected to DA?
Lloyd: “I’ve got it easier than most just with how connected my mom is [Anne Lloyd ’82, former Board of Trustees chair; his dad, Danny ’71, and sister Katherine ’17 also graduated from DA]. I would say the best way I stay in touch is through the teachers I built relationships with, Greg Murray being one of them. (In the spring of 2022, Lloyd and his best friend, David Peters ’13, organized a golf tournament to commemorate Murray’s retirement and 43 years of service at DA.)
“I still have a very close group of friends. I was just at a wedding for Ben Taylor ’13 last weekend. I still have a very tight-knit group of friends from DA. I just got an email from Teresa Engebretsen this morning about Homecoming. I took French with her from fifth to eighth grade and went to France with her in eighth grade. I would say the best way I stay in touch is through the teachers I’ve remained in contact with and my core group of friends.”
DA: What’s the most rewarding part of your work at TaylorMade?
Lloyd: “The coolest part of my job is being able to work with our PGA Tour players and create marketing campaigns alongside them to bring products to market. That is by far and away the coolest thing that I think I get to do every year. The more day-in-day-out corporate thing is that for putters and wedges, we’re not market leaders in those categories. We’re going up against Scotty Cameron and Titleist, whereas in our driver category, we are market leaders. To me, coming in every single day with the challenge of taking down Goliath in my categories is definitely something that motivates me to come and do my best work every day.”
Lee Huskins ’88
Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Partners Management Services Incorporated
Lafayette, California
DA: After graduating from DA, you stayed local for college when you attended Elon College [now Elon University]. What eventually brought you to California?
Huskins: “What brought me to California was gold. Just kidding. I was just looking for something different. Part of it was the job took me to California, but ultimately I wanted to try out a different state for a while. I figured I would move to California, experience it, meet my life partner and make a little money before heading back to North Carolina. That was the plan, at least.”
DA: You’ve been a leader in the healthcare industry for more than 25 years. How would you describe your current role?
Huskins: “Interesting question. My current title is CEO, so my ultimate role is to ensure the company is viable today and into the future. Ultimately, I am accountable for whether the company succeeds or fails. My team and I ensure our results lead to success on many fronts: financially, high-quality care provision and many other factors. Most of the time I just need to get out of the way.
“I carve out two to three hours each day where I am getting out into the community and meeting with our physician practices, listening to the people who are providing the care to our patient base. As the CEO, they are the asset: I am overhead. Physicians and caregivers are the revenue source for our company, and we need to ensure they are set up to succeed. We try to remove as many barriers as possible.”
DA: What continues to inspire you about your work?
Huskins: “What inspires me is trying to figure out how to make a little difference each day as it relates to our patient base. I am an ‘insider’ in healthcare, but even I find it challenging, confusing and difficult to navigate the healthcare system of care. What inspires me is trying to assist in the navigation or simplifying as best I can the journey for all patients. We want to remove any obstacles in their way of getting the care they need and deserve. I get the opportunity to work with great people who truly give all they have to take care of their patient base. There are a ton of people that sacrifice so much to ensure patients are taken care of, and it really is a gift for me to be able to see that day in and day out.”
DA: What do you like most about living in the Bay Area?
Huskins: “What I like most is the diversity of options available to us: food, cultures, geographical features. We have mountains, we have beaches, we have vineyards.”
DA: You and your wife, Ronie, have a daughter, Jordan, who’s in 10th grade. What are the chances that, as a huge North Carolina Tar Heels fan, you named your daughter after Michael Jordan?
Huskins: “She’s named after the G.O.A.T. I started attending games with my grandfather when I was in second grade. It gave me the opportunity to see some awesome games. I remember Jordan’s freshman year when he had a monster game against Tulane and had the most amazing dunk I had ever seen. That’s when I knew he was special.”
DA: What are some of your favorite memories from your time at DA?
Huskins: “Senior Challenge is a favorite memory for sure. It forced all of us to get out of any cliques we were in, work as a team and test ourselves in different ways. I enjoyed so many things about DA. The student base and the many friends that I was lucky enough to meet there would probably be my fondest memory. There are great people throughout. I’ve connected locally with a few ’88 graduates — Stephan Snider, Colclough Sanders-Gomez — who live in California, which is awesome. DA comes out here occasionally and cultivates a little cocktail party, which I try to attend. It’s always a good time to meet others and stay connected to DA.”
Jeb Quarles and Anna Hall Quarles '98
Jeb: Vice President of Sales, SOCCER.COM
Anna: Therapist, Waypoint Counseling & Maternal Wellness
Durham
DA: What are you looking forward to most about Homecoming?
Anna: "I look forward to seeing people and sharing some about our lives since we graduated."
Jeb: "I look forward to reconnecting with teachers, coaches and classmates, and getting updates on where they are. I also look forward to seeing [Upper School English teacher] Jordan Adair and celebrating his time at DA."
DA: What are some of your favorite memories from your time at DA?
Anna: "Looking back, I have often felt very lucky that my class was made up of some really good people. I wish I had stayed in touch with many of them, and I have been trying to reconnect. Most of my DA high points include friends: sitting together on the quad in the sun, staying late after soccer practice working on long balls, and of course the beginning-of-year field trips (Turtle Island, Nantahala, Eagle’s Nest and Senior Challenge)."
Jeb: "Many of my memories revolve around my first years at DA, including Robert Wilson’s fishing club and Mrs. Engebretsen’s French class. To this day, my love for travel stems from Mr. [Pete] McWilliams’ England trip. DA created so many unique opportunities both in and out of the classroom to be curious and learn."
DA: What experiences at DA have influenced your personal and professional lives?
Anna: "I was at DA for four years and only attended the Upper School, but it was evident both in college and grad school how much DA academically prepared me. Jeb has joked that I would have been a professional student if it paid better. I think DA showed me the range of what ‘school’ could look like: dressing up to recite Shakespeare with Mrs. Ching or debating ethics with a trio of teachers (I think Mrs. NcNamara, Ms. Woodberry and maybe Dr. Gould). The autonomy to pick classes might have been one of my first experiences with leaning into my strengths and knowing that I had a say in the matter."
Jeb: "DA taught me the importance of relationships and to be aware of the type of people and culture I want to be part of. Working at Sports Endeavors, which is owned by DA alumni (Mike Moylan ’84 and Brendan Moylan ’85), I am surrounded by a family, which I believe was cultivated first from our time at DA."
DA: How did you meet each other?
Anna: "We met the summer of 1994 at Hollow Rock Swim Club before I had even arrived at DA. As Jeb likes to tell the story: I did not have my contacts in and was not seeing clearly. We were good friends throughout high school into college — Franklin & Marshall (Jeb’s alma mater) and Bucknell were only one-and-a-half hours away. Almost 10 years later, we realized we had become best friends and started dating!"