Some careers grow from a plan. Others take shape one experience at a time, with each step revealing what matters most. For these five Marquis Who’s Who honorees, the work may look very different on the surface, but each story points back to the same idea: a desire to be useful, to keep learning, and to leave people better off than before.
That sense of purpose shows up in many forms. It can look like mentoring future leaders, building products with real scientific care, feeding families at milestone events, sharing a message of faith, or helping develop tools that may improve medical testing. What joins these professionals is not a shared field. In fact, each has tied success to service in a personal way.
Jacquelyn Payne Found a Calling in Care and Leadership
Jacquelyn Payne, EdD’s story begins in Cleveland, Ohio, and it moves through military service, national security work, and now health and wellness leadership in Virginia Beach. She is a mother of two boys and a grandmother of one, describing herself simply despite a career that has covered a lot of ground.
“I fell in love with the feeling of serving my country and doing something greater than myself,” Dr. Payne says.
That feeling first took shape when she enlisted in the military as a young college student. From there, she moved into civilian work supporting national security, first as a marine electrician, then in information technology and communications within the maritime and shipboard world. Her years at CACI opened even more doors. Over more than 15 years, Dr. Payne rose from work on the deck plates to executive-level support, advising senior military personnel, leading global programs, and helping grow parts of the business in ways that created job security for others.
That experience now informs her work as owner and chief executive officer of GYMGUYZ Virginia Beach. Her focus extends far beyond individual fitness sessions. As the leader of GYMGUYZ Virginia Beach, Dr. Payne has built a model that connects fitness, recovery, nutrition, and long-term wellness across private clients, corporate teams, government agencies, schools, and healthcare partners. Her work is especially impactful for individuals navigating post-rehabilitation, chronic conditions, and age-related transitions—helping them move from clinical care back to confident, functional living.
“I run after the hard stuff,” Dr. Payne says, a philosophy that defines both her career and her leadership. Through strategic partnerships and community-based initiatives, she is committed to mentoring others, developing future leaders, and creating scalable wellness solutions that strengthen individuals, organizations, and the broader community from the living room to the front line.
David L. Stachura Stayed With the Science That Kept Pulling Him Forward
David L. Stachura, PhD, built his career through serious study and a deep interest in discovery. He earned a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology, completed a doctorate in the same field at the University of Pennsylvania, and then pursued postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Diego. There, he worked with zebrafish and fish cell cultures used in biotechnology research.
He later established a lab at Chico State. Although the school is known more as a teaching institution, Dr. Stachura came to realize that research was where he felt most engaged. He also believed that strong teaching grows out of active scientific work. That mindset carried over into his current role at FACTORFIVE Skincare, where he helps lead research on stem cells, exosomes, and skin repair.
“We recently launched a product centered on exosomes,” Dr. Stachura says, explaining that his team wanted to approach a fast-growing area of skin care with real scientific discipline. He partnered with researchers at the University of California, Davis, to help verify the product’s contents and quality. That emphasis on proof matters to him, as he is resolved about not wanting to sell hype.
“This is what I always tell people about science,” Dr. Stachura says. “You simply have to love it.” He adds that the real reason people stay with science is not money. “The true motivation is to help others.” That belief has shaped both his research and his work building a biotechnology community in Chico, where students and graduates can find meaningful opportunities close to home.
Donald Lee Rogers Speaks About Faith Through the Lens of Survival
Donald Lee Rogers, OM, an informational technology professional, ordained Christian minister, and emerging screenwriter, has lived a deeply personal story of faith, resilience, and creative purpose. With a career in programming and data engineering, Donald has contributed to the development of complex infrastructure and enterprise-level systems. In parallel, he has cultivated a passion for storytelling, writing screenplays, stage plays, and literary works.
Now, following a series of serious medical events, Donald is entering a new chapter—one defined by creative expression, faith, and a renewed sense of purpose. Donald sincerely states, “Everything that’s happened to me, the positive and negative, has led me to one thing—and that is an absolute faith in Jesus.”
In early 2024, after 20 days, Donald was hospitalized with a severe infection that doctors indicated could have been fatal if treatment had been delayed by even one day.
During this time, Donald experienced what he describes as a profound spiritual awakening, including an out-of-body moment while praying to remain with his wife and family. He is now developing a slate of projects, “Barbacas Lives Here,” “The Suzie Watson Adventures,” and “The Great Sea Monster Hunt Club,” that explore themes of faith, perseverance, redemption, and personal transformation, aiming to connect with audiences through reflective, hopeful storytelling centered on spiritual renewal.
In addition to his creative work, Donald continues to honor his family’s legacy connected to the Pacific Crest Trail, established in part by his father, Warren Lee Rogers, who helped pioneer the route between 1935 and 1938 and remained involved until his death in 1991. An ordained Christian minister through 2 Timothy 4:5 Ministries, Donald integrates faith into all aspects of his life, viewing storytelling as both a creative outlet and a form of outreach, with a message grounded in gratitude and reflected in his daily prayers of thanks for family, life experiences and the chance to continue his journey.
Christopher Bennett Sees Food as a Way to Care for People
Christopher Bennett works in barbecue, but he talks about the job more broadly. “We are in the barbecue business but also in the people business,” Mr. Bennett says. That outlook has guided his work as vice president of catering and events at Maurice’s Piggie Park BBQ, the South Carolina family business founded by his grandfather in 1953.
Mr. Bennett’s role includes much more than preparing food, as he also oversees catering operations, events, marketing, and the steady work of keeping a family business moving. Under the family’s leadership, the company has served weddings, school events, museum gatherings, military air shows, and large company picnics across the country. Mr. Bennett has helped grow that reach while keeping the tone personal and community-minded.
One story Mr. Bennett shares says a lot about the way he sees the work. A woman who had enjoyed meals delivered to her doctor’s office later asked the company to cater her wedding. For Mr. Bennett, that kind of relationship matters. “Our goal is to make customers happy,” he says, but he also knows that good service can become part of people’s memories.
Mr. Bennett talks with the same generosity about the catering field as a whole. He supports open conversations with other caterers and believes people in the industry should help one another when they can. He also credits his own success to the people around him. “Just do what you love,” Mr. Bennett says, pointing to his family support system as one of the main reasons the business works as well as it does.
Amber R. Titus Found Her Place Where Biology and Chemistry Meet
Amber R. Titus, PhD, did not begin college with a fixed long-term plan. “I knew I enjoyed science,” Dr. Titus says, “but I didn’t know what I wanted to do after getting my bachelor’s degree.” That uncertainty eventually gave way to a clear direction once she began working in research.
At Kent State University, Dr. Titus first worked in an obesity research lab using mouse models. Later, she moved toward more molecular work in a lipid research lab, where she studied intracellular lipid droplets, the organelles involved in fat storage. During graduate school, she also took part in collaborative projects that stretched her beyond a traditional biology track. One of them was a NASA-sponsored project on the fluid properties of a green propellant.
That broader experience led Dr. Titus to Cleveland Diagnostics. Her work has since resulted in 13 publications and the Graduate Student Excellence in Research Award at Kent State University. She was introduced to the company through a network of mentors and collaborators while attending graduate school. “I happened to be at the right place at the right time,” Dr. Titus says, though her path also reflects skill and preparation. She joined the company part-time while finishing her PhD, then moved into a full-time role, eventually becoming lead scientist in the R&D chemistry team.
Dr. Titus’ current work focuses on aqueous two-phase systems used in early cancer diagnostics. She explains the science in practical terms: the system separates blood proteins into different water-based phases, which can then be measured to yield more useful information than the concentration of a single biomarker. The company’s prostate cancer test, IsoPSA, recently earned FDA approval. Dr. Titus’ current focus is on the chemistry for future systems tied to other disease areas.
What Connects Them
These five profiles do not tell one kind of success story. They tell five personal ones. Still, they meet in the same place: a belief that work means more when it helps someone else. Whether that help comes through leadership, research, hospitality, faith, or diagnostic science, each of these Marquis Who’s Who honorees has built a life around a purpose that feels real, lived-in, and hard-won.
