Meet The Voices Inspiring SHSU Graduates This Summer

Sam Houston State University’s Summer 2025 Commencement ceremonies will take place Saturday, Aug. 2, at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

Degree candidates attending the morning ceremony will be addressed by Jamie Woodall, while afternoon graduates will hear from Jeremy Dishongh.

 Jamie Woodall

She is a 2003 graduate of Sam Houston State and a nationally recognized leader in athletic training, school safety, and public health. With over two decades of experience, she brings a dynamic blend of clinical knowledge and strategic leadership to the educational setting.

Woodall earned a bachelor's degree from SHSU before completing her master’s in public health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center with a focus on prevention programs in school safety.

She currently serves as executive director of school safety for Waller ISD. Additionally, she holds multiple leadership roles, including president of the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association (SWATA) and member of the Southeast Texas Behavioral Threat Assessment and Prevention Team for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Woodall also serves as a member of the SHSU Alumni Association Board of Directors.

This includes previous roles as assistant director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer for Bryan ISD as well as director of health and safety and COVID-19 response for Brenham ISD.

Her dedication and professionalism has been recognized with prestigious honors such as the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year Award and the SWATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award.

 Jeremy Dishongh

He embarked on a career defending others after earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State (’99). For over 20 years, he has cemented himself as a legal force in the East Texas community through a steadfast devotion to his clients.

He currently serves as owner and senior attorney at the Law Office of Jeremy S. Dishongh, PLLC, in Conroe, a firm he founded in 2005. He has since developed an award-winning team of attorneys and oversees one of the area’s most respected criminal defense and personal injury firms.

After graduation, he was employed as a probation officer at the Montgomery County Adult Probation Office from 1999-2001. He then attended South Texas College of Law in Houston, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. During his final two years of law school, he worked as a law clerk for local attorney Stephen Jackson.

His depth of experience and work as a probation officer left Dishongh convinced that many individuals required more than what the justice system was giving them. He sought to become a passionate and professional advocate for defendants and their rights. Through his efforts, he has won numerous jury trials and secured dismissals for thousands of cases.

Dishongh is a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association as well as the Montgomery County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.