BUSINESS WEEK 2022: MARCH 28TH - APRIL 1ST

A longstanding tradition in the College of Business, Business Week is a full week set aside to connect faculty and students with business and community leaders. Executives and leaders, many of them UTA alumni, share their experiences and present case studies from their companies to a new generation of business leaders.

Guest speakers will present during regular undergraduate and graduate classes. Students not enrolled in these classes are invited to attend the guest speaker presentations.

Teams provides AI captions. For ASL interpretation or for additional disability-related access requests, including CART, contact Dr. Myrtle Bell, mpbell@uta.edu

Go back to Business Leadership Week

Speakers & Panel Discussion Schedule

Speakers

Speaker Name Instructor Class Time Class Location
Dorothy Robinson Beverly George 9:00-9:50AM COBA 239
Dorothy Robinson Beverly George 10:00-10:50AM COBA 239
Maira Pacheco Charles Miller 10:00-10:50AM COBA 142
Dorothy Robinson Beverly George 11:00-11:50AM COBA 239
Caleb Lowery Lauren Brewer 11:00-11:50AM COBA 252
Dorothy Robinson Beverly George 1:00-1:50PM COBA 241
Caleb Lowery Lauren Brewer 1:00-1:50PM COBA 140
Tod Franklin Lauren Brewer 2:30-3:50PM COBA 243
Bo Bartlett Jeff Wallman 5:30-6:50PM COBA 138
David Romeo Jeff Wallman 5:30-6:50PM PKH 113
Tammy Walsh Cynthia St John 6:00-10:00PM #301 Paramount Building
Lucas LaChance Stanley Seat 7:00-9:50PM COBA 252

Panel Discussions

Title: Great Reprioritization and Changing HR

Speaker Names Moderator Panel Time Watch
Louella Jernberg, Darien George Tom Graca 12:00PM Watch Webinar from Monday, 12:00PM

Speakers

Speaker Name Instructor Class Time Class Location
Shyra Smith Jeff Wallman 8:00-9:20AM COBA 151
Mateen Aini Jeff Wallman 8:00-9:20AM COBA 151
Shyra Smith Jeff Wallman 9:30-10:50AM COBA 151
Mateen Aini Jeff Wallman 9:30-10:50AM COBA 151
Lucas LaChance Stanley Seat 9:30-10:50AM COBA 245W
Pete Walsh Liliana Perez Nordtvedt 9:30-10:50AM COBA 150
Mark Borge Tim Wunder 9:30-10:50AM COBA 241
Sharon Washburn Tim Wunder 11:00-12:30PM COBA 147
Brian Chase David Shurtleff 11:00-12:20PM PHK 223
Jana Harris Fred Miao 12:30-1:50PM COBA 141
Matt McComas Santoso Budiman 12:30-1:50PM COBA 245W
Brian Chase David Shurtleff 12:30-1:50PM SEIR 294
Tony Carimi Fred Miao 12:30-1:50PM COBA 141
Abner Rodriguez Yibing Du 12:30-1:50PM COBA 348
Malcolm Gage Daniel Martinez 2:00-3:20PM COBA 241
Jana Harris Larry Chonko 2:00-3:30PM COBA 253
Molly Sandlin Hila Fogel-Yaari 3:30-4:50PM COBA 152
Brian Chase David Shurtleff 3:30-4:50PM COBA 150
Matt McComas Santoso Budiman 5:30-6:50PM COBA 142
Jake Bailey Sanjiv Sabherwal 5:30-6:50PM COBA 339
Sam Mahrouq Cynthia St John 7:00-9:50PM COBA 139
Brandon Bledsoe Sriram Villupuram 7:00-9:50PM COBA 254

Speakers

Speaker Name Instructor Class Time Class Location
Valerie Landry Roger Wehr 9:00-9:50AM COBA 147
Meghan Jordan David Quigley 11:00-11:50AM COBA 349
Varun Mallipaddi David Rakowski 1:00-1:50PM COBA 251
Justin Harris Jeff Wallman 5:30-6:50PM COBA 138
Tammy Walsh Cynthia St John 6-10:00PM #301 Paramount Building
Massimo Mancini David Quigley 7:00-8:20PM COBA 254

Panel Discussions

Title: DFW Real Estate Market: Boom or Bust?

Speaker Names Moderator Panel Time Watch
John Brookby, Travis Franklin, Brenna Wadleigh Dr. Sriram Villupuram 12:00PM Watch Webinar from Wednesday, 12:00PM

Speakers

Speaker Name Instructor Class Time Class Location
Emma Broyles Jeff Wallman 9:30-10:50AM COBA 245W
View Teams Live Stream
Caio Braga Ramya Aroul 9:30-10:50AM COBA 245E
Xavier Egan Correy Retzloff 9:30-10:50AM COBA 256
Larry Kemp Fred Miao 9:30-10:50AM COBA 255
Kervin Campbell Becky Neilson 11:00-12:20PM COBA 141
Bridget Moon Pyayt Oo 11:00-12:20PM COBA 149
Brenda Williams William Venable 11:00-12:20PM COBA 251
Will Fulton Elten Briggs 11:00-12:20PM COBA 256
Raul Gonzalez Ramya Aroul 12:30 -1:50PM COBA 245E
Brian Happel Fred Miao 12:30-1:50PM COBA 141
Gail Stout Perry Alison Birch 12:30-1:50PM COBA 251
Guru Moorthi Pyayt Oo 12:30 -1:50PM COBA 253
Kelly Haney Larry Chonko 2:00-3:20PM COBA 253
Gail Stout Perry Alison Birch 2:00-3:20PM COBA 251
Shirley Cox William Venable 2:00-3:20PM Online
Ashok Jain Jerry Hubbard 3:00-4:30PM COBA 140
Kelly Haney Larry Chonko 3:30-4:50PM COBA 138
Ryan Harrington David Rakowski 6:00-8:50PM FTW 122
Paul Brodie Faye Cocchiara 7:00-9:50PM COBA 139
Trey Knapp Jivas Chakravarthy 7:00-9:50PM COBA 152
Tamiko Bailey Randy Napier 7:00-9:50PM COBA 241

Panel Discussions

Title: Oh, The Places You Can Go

Speaker Names Moderator Panel Time Watch
Will Gough, Nichole Sheridan, Austin Burkhart Lorraine Raymundo 12:00PM Watch Webinar from Thursday, 12:00PM

Title: HR Best Practices: Hiring and Being Hired

Speaker Names Moderator Panel Time Watch
Susan Pereira, Everett Walker, Sam Santiago Dr. George Benson 6:00PM Watch Webinar from Thursday, 6:00PM

Business Week 2022 Speakers

Abner Rodriguez, MBA - 2015

Sr. Director Claims Operations

Ally

Abner Rodriguez Photo

Abner Rodriguez: Abner Rodriguez currently works in the Insurance Service Center at Ally as the Sr. Director of Claims Operations. Prior to this role, he spent 19 years in the Auto Finance serving in operational roles, which involved overseeing servicing operations, process improvement, strategy, risk management, and operations management. Abner is currently a member of the DFW chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) and a leader in Ally’s Hispanic employee resource group (Aliados). Abner has been recognized as a distinguished leader with Ally’s “Leading the way” award and named among the 2019 class of Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers. He attended the University of Texas, Arlington and completed his bachelor’s degree in business management and earned his MBA in 2015. He serves his community as a volunteer on the board of Grapevine Baseball-Softball and coaches youth sports. Abner is family oriented and enthusiastic about serving others. During his spare time, Abner enjoys spending time with his wife, reading meaningful books, and growing as a baseball/softball coach.

Alan Starr, MBA - 2010

Director - Financial Services

Protiviti

Alan Starr Photo

Alan Starr: Alan is a Director within the Financial Services Internal Audit practice based out of the Dallas office and has been with Protiviti since 2012. Alan has a BBA - Accounting and an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to joining Protiviti, Alan added value as a lead within Internal Audit for a Dow 30 company using his skills across many risk consulting projects within the consumer, mass market, and enterprise markets. With 10+ years of internal audit experience, Alan has utilized his expertise to design and execute enterprise risk, internal control, as well as process and compliance assessments within the Financial Services Industry. Alan also leads the Consumer Lending Internal Audit practices for the Dallas Office and serves as a National Mortgage subject matter specialist. Alan is a CIA, CISA, and a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors - Dallas.

Ashok Jain

Retired

Ashok Jain Photo

Ashok Jain: Mr. Jain has worked with two professional service firms, Price Waterhouse and Deloitte, for over 25 years including the last 22 years at Deloitte. He had been a Principal at Deloitte for nearly 17 years. He was a Deloitte U.S. Advisory Principal with a focus on providing Valuation and Modeling Advisory Services to Fortune 500 companies along with targeted middle market enterprises on a worldwide basis. He also had significant experience in providing these Services for Intellectual Property assets including valuation, royalty rate studies and monetization services, amongst others. His client service focus has been on providing these services to enable enhanced and optimized decision-making for a variety of purposes. He has demonstrated an ability to collaborate with other functions within Deloitte to enable a more comprehensive and customized solution for clients thereby enhancing the client’s overall value proposition. In addition to his client service and leadership roles on certain client accounts, Mr. Jain has held various leadership positions within Deloitte including Financial Advisory Services (FAS) Executive Committee, Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics LLP (DTBA) Board of Directors and Deloitte U.S. Advisory Asia-Pacific Regional Leader with a focus on strategic collaboration with Deloitte Member Firms in Australia, China and Japan. In addition, Mr. Jain has been the Regional Managing Principal for Deloitte’s U.S. India FAS practice, the FAS National Director for the Intangible Assets Valuation service line and the FAS National Diversity leader. Mr. Jain has also been a leader, both as a Coach and a Mentor, to numerous other Partners, Principals and Managing Directors along with both client service and non-client service management and staff. His approach, which is based on establishing a strong and impactful culture within both the organization and the individual, has resulted in meaningful financial and non-financial contributions. Mr. Jain’s connection and impact has been profound resulting in both the organization and various individuals achieving immediate, dramatic and significant favorable changes. Specifically, the cultural shift in their awareness, understanding and acceptance of what is possible in their lives has enhanced their overall passion for learning and knowledge. As such, the individuals have shared how their evolved thinking and approach has enabled a focused pursuit of purpose and happiness in both their professional and personal lives.

Austin Burkhart, BS Information Systems - 2015

Customer Experience Product Manager

BNSF

Austin Burkhart Contact Photo

Austin Burkhart: Austin Burkhart is a creative leader with proven experience challenging the status quo. He currently works at BNSF Railway as a Product Manager on the Customer Experience team; helping their customers have the best shipping experience while using BNSF’s online tools. He started his career as a Software Developer and has taken on increasing responsibilities in roles in Business Analytics, User Experience Design, and IT Product Management. In 2019 he won the Adobe Creative Jam and has helped BNSF submit 5 Intellectual Property Patents for new technology. He has taught seminars on intrapreneurship, human centered design, and problem solving through design thinking. In his free time, he is most likely at the gym, disc golf course, or working on completing his MBA.

Bo Bartlett

Co-founder & Chief Technologist

Kickstand - Marketing and Advertising

Bo Bartlett

Bo Bartlett: Bo is an international-award-winning creative director and coder/design guru. He came to marketing via a programming-and-heavy-backend-development background, which he in turn came to through a design background. He has built social media platforms, managed the Federal Judiciary’s applications, and helped build and grow a successful pharmaceutical brand from scratch. Brands in categories from baby lotion to video games to research hospitals depend on Bo for both digital strategy and implementation to communications insights. Most importantly, he uses the word API a lot, which has a calming effect on CIO’s and CTO’s the world over.

Brandon Bledsoe

President - Fort Worth Region Amegy Bank

Amegy Bank

Brandon Bledsoe Photo

Brandon Bledsoe: Over the last 30 years, Brandon has worked in a variety of real estate banking industry positions in Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, and Sacramento. Brandon is now responsible for growing and managing the overall banking activities within the Fort Worth market for Amegy Bank of Texas. Brandon previously spent 18 years with Bank of America. Brandon is a native of Fort Worth, Texas and received his B.B.A in Real Estate and Urban Land Development from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute North Texas District, The Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth and a board member of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. He previously served on the boards of Downtown Dallas, Inc. and The Real Estate Council. Additionally, Brandon was previously Vice Chairman of The Community Enhancement Development Corporation for the City of Southlake, Texas as well as previously being elected to the City Council as Mayor Pro Tem and serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Brenda Williams

University Relations Manager

INROADS

Brenda Williams Photo

Brenda Williams: Mrs. Williams currently serves as an University Relations Manager under Talent Acquisition, for INROADS, Inc. Brenda is an alumna of the INROADS process and has come full circle since her internship and now as a staff member of the very organization that started her career development. Through the INROADS process, Mrs. Williams completed five sponsored summer internships between her freshman and senior year of college before completion of her Bachelor of Science Accounting Controls Systems at University of North Texas. In October 2019, Brenda Williams became the Diversity Recruiting Advisor with BKD CPAs & Advisors. She played a key role in the execution of BKD’s diversity talent attraction and recruitment strategies for campus and experienced talent. She had the opportunity to turn ideas into action. The role included being responsible for proposing and executing projects to increase the diversity of our candidate pipeline, deliver top notch candidate experiences, build relationships with diverse talent pools, and track outcomes to ensure the most impactful results. Unfortunately, the position was eliminated due to COVID-19 in April 2020 and she returned to INROADS in a full-time capacity. Brenda has gained essential leadership and business soft skills that gave her the confidence and preparation she would need to be a successful leader. The mentorship, academic, and professional development exposed her to opportunities she did not have access to and provided networking opportunities to help her along the way. Her professional journey has taken her to small and large companies performing the duties of an accountant, information specialist, Technical Consultant and Project Manager before becoming a Talent Manager with INROADS. In additional to her professional career, Mrs. Williams has been recognized for her community outreach, serving as an active member of the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). Mrs. Williams continually lives out her passion to work with students thru NABA, INROADS and the Robinson Legacy Foundation while giving back to the very organization and that started her career path. Mrs. Williams is married and lives in Dallas.

Brenna Wadleigh, BBA Finance - 1995

CEO

N3 Real Estate

Brenna Wadleigh Contact Photo

About Brenna: Brenna A. Wadleigh serves as CEO & President of N3 Real Estate. She is responsible for all aspects of the company's investment strategy, fundraising, development, and operations. Prior to joining N3, Brenna served as VP of Strategic Planning at Crescent Real Estate Equities, a $6 billion REIT in Ft. Worth, TX. Brenna is a Certified Public Accountant, a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), a Board Member of CREW Dallas (Commercial Real Estate Women), a member of the Board of Trustees of The Clariden School, and serves as a member of both the Collaborators’ Committee of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Innovation and the Advisory Council for the College of Business at University of Texas at Arlington.

Brian Chase, BS ECON - 1994

Vice President, International Government Affairs

Bell

Brian Chase Photo

Brian Chase: Brian Chase leads Bell’s international government affairs and public policy team in support of the company’s global operations, sales, and services. During his tenure at Bell he also served as Director of Future Vertical Lift Enterprise Alignment, where he led changes across the enterprise to support the U.S. Department of Defense’s Future Vertical Lift program, as well as Director of Global Communications. Prior to joining Bell, Chase worked as a senior aide to two Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and held increasingly senior roles in the U.S. civil space industry, including NASA’s Assistant Administrator for Legislative Affairs. Chase began his career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston after earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Brian Happel, 1983

Fort Worth Market Executive

Regions Bank

Bridget Moon

Economic Development Specialist

US SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Bridget Moon Contact Photo

Caio Braga

Managing Director

InvoiSEC Trade Finance & Trade Credit Solutions

Caio Braga Photo

Caio Braga: Caio Braga is a Supply Chain Finance evangelist with more than 25 years’ experience in the International Trade & Development industry. His career started with a full-time internship with a software company while attending school in the evenings. Prior finishing his bachelor's degree he joined a metals mining company helping implement the digitalization of import/export department and eventually moving on to business development roles with a major shipping carrier in Brazil and Fortune 500 and 100 companies which lead to a relocation to the United States in 2009 and starting a new role within financial services arm of major logistics integrator. Between 2009 and 2018, Caio has added a strong knowledge and hands-on experience within financial services sector, namely Trade Credit Insurance and Alternative/Non-Banking Finance leading to the inception on InvoiSEC.

Caleb Lowery

Area Operations Manager

Amazon

Caleb Lowery Profile Picture

Caleb Lowery: Hello, I am Caleb Lowery. I graduated from UTA in the Spring of 2021 with a double major in Marketing and Management. I now work at a Robotics facility for Amazon in Grapevine, TX as an Area Operations Manager. I currently manage a team of 60+ direct reports, and am the Director of D.E.I. for Glamazon; an affinity group whose goal is to help LGBTQIA+ employees at Amazon.

Darien George, 2001

Managing Partner

Mackenzie Eason

Darien George Photo

Darien George: Darien George is a thought leader and expert in the talent industry, having spent eighteen years focusing on culture, talent acquisition, talent development, organizational leadership, and organizational change. Darien is the managing partner and founder of Mackenzie Eason, an executive search and consulting firm, and founder of Talent Metrics, an AI cloud-based software that measures an organization’s culture and provides actionable intelligence for executives on how to build a strong culture to improve revenue, retention, and productivity. He has worked with Fortune 50 companies, private equity firms, and top CEO’s, successfully executing searches at the C-Suite level from Vice President to Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. Darien has a deeply held philosophy that all great companies respect talent strategy just as much as they do their business strategy and financial capital. Darien’s motivation is to fundamentally change the way organizations do business by focusing on building a strong culture around an organization’s talent to produce unparalleled financial results. Darien is a frequent industry-expert media contributor and speaker. Darien believes in the ability to give back to your community and focuses primarily on nonprofits that work to help underserved children. His work success and community activities earned him recognition as a top 40 Under 40 area executive and the 2018 Neighbor of the Year for the City of Fort Worth. In 2019, Darien co-authored Broken Handoff- Saving Your Assets, a breakthrough book with rare and remarkably transparent insights into owning, buying, and selling a business that was published by Brown Books Publishing. In 2020 Darien was chosen as one of the Top 400 Influential Executives by FW Inc Magazine for his work through business, philanthropic, and the community. Darien holds a bachelor of business administration from the University of Texas at Arlington and graduated from the Talent Management Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Entrepreneurial Studies Executive Course at London Business School, and the Howard University Sherpa Executive Coaching course. Darien still resides in his hometown of Fort Worth, where he enjoys playing soccer, scuba diving, traveling, and donating his time to local nonprofit organizations. Darien currently is on the Executive Committee of Read Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation. Darien is married to his wife, Laurie, with two young boys, Harrison and Merritt, and daughter, Madeline.

David Romeo

Vice President, CTO

Allata

David Romeo Photo

David Romeo: David Romeo is a Vice President for Allata and is based in Dallas/Forth Worth. He has spent the last 15 years providing technology solutions and architecture in a variety of industries, including retail, healthcare, financial services, and logistics. Prior to Allata, David was a Senior Manager at Pariveda Solutions where he was responsible for project delivery, solution architecture and thought leadership. David’s passion in technology includes Cloud Architecture, Identity and SSO, MicroServices and event driven systems. David has a son and a daughter with his loving wife and enjoys golfing in his time away.

Dorothy Robinson

Retired

Dorothy Robinson: Now in her 80's, working on her second book, Dallas ISD activist, retired charter schoolteacher, writing and speaking to groups that our children matter, She will be challenging all students to be all they can be since COVID - reidentifying their voice of contribution. Retired from Texas Instruments of 30 years, first college graduate in her family in her late 50's that has led to variety of college graduates in 3 generations.

Emma Broyles

Miss America

Emma Broyles Contact Photo

Emma Broyles: This past year, thousands of young women competed to become Miss America and on December 16th, 2021, as the organization celebrated its 100th Anniversary, Emma Broyles from Anchorage, Alaska became the first Miss Alaska to earn the coveted Miss America crown and was awarded a record $100,000 in scholarship assistance. As Miss America 2022, Emma will embark on a year of service that will take her on a national tour across the country, promoting her social impact initiative, Building Community Through Special Olympics, an organization she has volunteered with for more than 12 years. Emma also encourages another important conversation by sharing her personal experience with ADHD along with dermatillomania, a form of OCD with chronic skin picking. “I’ve struggled with all of these things, and I am а better person as а result. Being isolated in my college dorm for so long during Covid was extremely difficult. It was at that point, when I was at my lowest, that I realized I was capable of so much more.” “Being crowned Miss America 2022 is an incredible dream come true,” said Broyles. “As a Korean American, I am so grateful for the opportunity to compete alongside so many brilliant, talented women and I hope to live up to the legacy. It’s been an honor to represent the great state of Alaska and I look forward to making a significant impact through my personal story and social impact initiative on the national stage.” Broyles is in her junior year at Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, where she is majoring in biomedical sciences with plans to become a dermatologist. Broyles believes that being a part of a community is central to the human experience. Through her social impact initiative, her goal is to help people from all walks of life be heard and respected through practicing inclusion. A gifted vocalist, for the talent portion of the Miss America competition, Broyles sang, “Let Me Be Your Star” from the NBC television show, “Smash.”

Everett Walker, BBA Business Management - 2010 | MSHRM - 2011 | MBA - 2012

Chief, Staffing and Employment Services

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Everett Walker Contact Photo

Everett Walker: Currently employed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) within the Office of the Executive Director as the Chief of Staffing and Employment Services. I have several years of experience in human capital management and human resources involving knowledge of and skill in applying concepts, principles, laws, regulations, and practices; and program evaluation techniques, HR instructions, reports, charts; providing HR assistance to management; researching and presenting solutions to resolve HR problems. In 2010, I started my federal HR career as a student intern with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration Customs and Enforcement before converting to an HR Specialist role. In 2013, I transitioned to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and became a Lead Human Capital Evaluator until 2020. In this role I led audits and evaluations of agency HR operations, typically covering one or more systems of the Human Capital Framework, i.e., strategic alignment, leadership and knowledge management, results oriented performance culture, talent, and evaluation. I hold a Master's degree in Science in Human Resources Management (MSHRM), a Master's degree in Business Administration in Business Management (MBA), and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in Management (BBA) from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Fahmi Karam

CFO

Santander

Fahmi Karam Contact Photo

Fahmi Karam: Fahmi Karam was named Chief Financial Officer in September 2019. He previously served as Head of Pricing and Analytics, a role he served since May of 2018. He joined SC as Executive Vice President, Strategy & Corporate Development in September 2015 overseeing financial planning and analysis, asset acquisition/sales and other strategic initiatives. Prior to SC, Mr. Karam was at JP Morgan Investment Bank for 12 years, where he ended serving as an Executive Director. Prior to JP Morgan, Mr. Karam served as a Senior Associate at Deloitte Audit Assurance Services for two years. Mr. Karam received his Bachelor’s and Master’s of Accounting from Baylor University. He is a Certified Public Accountant

Gail O’Bannon

Vice President Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Dallas Mavericks

Gail Bannon Contact Photo

Gail O’Bannon: Gail O’Bannon serves as the Dallas Mavericks Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, overseeing the teams’ internal and external DEI strategy and implementation. Gail is responsible for developing and implementing the Mavs Inclusion Strategy with six strategic pillars that are embedded into the organization’s overall goals. Additional responsibilities include creating programs and initiatives that support an inclusive environment for all employees. Overseeing the organization’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Inclusion Council, Inclusion Ambassadors, Mentoring Mavs Program, Representation and Talent Pipeline, Diversity Education and Development, and facilitating multicultural activities in the community. In 2020, Dallas Mavericks were honored to receive the 2020 NBA Inclusion Leadership Award. O’Bannon has been recognized by multiple organizations for her commitment to diversity and leadership, including being honored in the Dallas Business Journal’s first Leaders in Diversity Awards in 2021, in 2021 she was recognized by Sports Diversity Council as one of the Top Diversity Officer in Sports and recently named as 2022 Sports Business Journal ALL IN: Leaders in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Honoree. Gail is on the Advisory Committee of Women in Sports and Events of DFW (WISE), a member of Black Sports Professionals of North Texas (BSPNTX), a member of Pro Sports Assembly (PSA) and a Lifetime Member of Girl Scouts USA. She is looking forward to continuing to be a positive voice for diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.

Gail Stout Perry

Partner

Credera

Gail Perry Contact Photo

Gail Stout Perry: Gail is a Partner in our Dallas office. She joined the firm in 2019 where she focuses on strategy formulation, strategy execution, and performance management. She brings more than 25 years of management consulting experience across multiple industries, disciplines, and technologies. Prior to joining Credera, Gail worked in management consulting at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), the Balanced Scorecard Institute, and other firms. She has also held the role of Chief Strategy Officer at a global software company. She is a co-author of a textbook, The Institute Way: Simplify Strategic Planning and Management with the Balanced Scorecard which is available in English, Arabic, and Vietnamese. Gail has had many keynote speaking opportunities across the globe. She has been featured in Performance Magazine and written for publications such as Texas CEO Magazine. Gail is a member of the Executive Women’s Roundtable at the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce. Gail graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering (with a focus on Automation & Robotics) and earned her MBA in Finance from Abilene Christian University. Outside of the office, Gail is an avid learner. She views travel as a learning experience, a way to bring history to life while meeting new people, exploring other cultures, and directly experiencing current events. She is also a voracious reader, as it allows her mind to travel and explore. In addition to loving to learn, Gail treasures spending time with her family.

Guru Moorthi

CEO

Virtual Tech Gurus

Default profile card image

Jake Bailey, MBA - 2014

CEO

Split Rock Resources

Jake Bailey Photo

Jake Bailey: Jake Bailey has over 12 years of oil and gas experience and founded Split Rock Resources (“SRR”) in 2019 with a $140MM equity commitment from North Hudson Resource Partners. SRR is focused on non-operated upstream investment opportunities in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. To date, SRR has invested over $100mm in over 400 wellbores. Prior to SRR, Jake managed existing assets for Crestline Investors and evaluated new deals in the oil and gas space. He oversaw an ~80,000 acre operated position in the Bakken along with ~150 non-op wellbore interests in the DJ Basin. Before joining Crestline, he served as CFO at Tana Exploration, a subsidiary of TRT Holdings, which had operated assets in the East Texas, onshore South Louisiana, shallow water offshore Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico. Jake also has experience in the Woodbine with an East Texas operator. He began his career with a contract driller covering basins in Texas, Arkoma, and Appalachia. Mr. Bailey has a BBA in Accounting and a BS in Psychology from the University of Georgia, an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington and is certified in Corporate FP&A.

John Brookby, MSRE - 2000

VP Commercial Development

DFW Airport

John Brookby Photo

John Brookby: John Brookby serves as Vice President of Commercial Development at DFW International Airport. In this position, he is responsible for driving revenue-generating development and leasing of Airport real estate. Mr. Brookby leads the strategic planning, marketing and implementation of business initiatives for commercial land development and redevelopment at DFW, as well as the Airport’s hotel, commercial facilities, and property management functions. He has over 25 years of real estate experience and an extensive background and knowledge in aviation and real estate development, master planning, architecture, construction, real estate marketing and financial analysis, and development processes. Mr. Brookby holds Master of Science in Real Estate and Bachelor of Architecture degrees, and he is a licensed architect and private pilot.

Justin Harris

Founder

SEM Rush

Justin Harris Contact Photo

Justin Harris: Justin is a recent graduate from UTA and currently a Sales Executive at Semrush, the leading platform for market analysis. Justin uses his knowledge in digital marketing and customer service to help clients achieve their digital goals using Semrush. He often uses his free time to spend time with his Fiancé and his Dog Archie.

Kervin Campbell, MBA - 2016

North Texas Regional Executive

Dunaway

Kervin Campbell Photo

Kervin Campbell: I began my career with Dunaway in 2003 in our public infrastructure group. Since then, I have been able to gain exposure and experience in a wide array of project types involving all of our different service lines and market sectors. This technical experience and keen business acumen have allowed me to become a trusted advisor to many of our clients. I obtained my engineering degrees from the University of the Bahamas and Lamar University and my MBA from the University of Texas Arlington. As a firm Principal and Regional Executive, I am responsible for leading Dunaway’s strategic growth of the North Texas geographic market and office locations. I enjoy providing leadership and direction to our regional and project managers ensuring that we deliver on the Dunaway brand promise by exceeding our valued clients’ expectations.

Larry Kemp, BBA - 1980

Managing Owner

Kemp & Sons General Services/ Kemp Brothers Trucking

Larry Kep Photo

Louella Jernberg

Talent Acquisition Manager

Enterprise Holdings

Louella Jernberg Contact Photo

Louella Jernberg: My name is Louella Jernberg, Talent Acquisition Manager of Enterprise Holdings in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I started my career in Wisconsin as a Management Trainee, have been with the company for 12 years and promoted 10 times. Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to get promoted to Regional Talent Acquisition Manager in Dallas/Fort Worth and am loving the new challenge. I have lived in many countries, was born in Japan and graduated with my Master’s in Innovation & Business Creation from an International University in Sweden. I love meeting people from all over the world and bringing the best talent to our company every single day.

Lucas LaChance , CPA, CIA

Partner-Practice Growth

Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLC

Lucas LaChance Profile Picture

About Lucas: Lucas is a Texas Society of CPAs Rising Star Award-winning relationship manager, auditor, board member, author, and speaker with two decades of leadership in assurance, consulting, risk management/ mitigation, and taxation services. After nearly a decade as an auditor working with clients in a number of industries; including construction, M&D, and not-for-profit, he now is responsible for leading firm initiatives to expand existing client relationships and establish new ones, investigate innovative client services and solutions, and instill a culture of client service and sales. He often presents to local, state, and national audiences about accounting industry developments.

Maira Pacheco, International Business - 2017

Packaging Consultant

American Carton

Maira Macheco Contact Photo

Maira Pacheco: Maira graduated from UTA in the fall of 2017 with an International Business Degree in Spanish. Since then, Maira has perused a career in sales and loves it. She works at American Carton Company, a folding carton manufacturer in Mansfield Texas. Working for a women-owned business like ACC as a Packaging Consultant, has empowered Maira to find her professional strengths. She is passionate about cultivating quality relationships and is successful by implementing customer-centric approaches. Our goal is to design sustainable packaging solutions that embody the company’s ethos. She has worked alongside industries like pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, automotive, cosmetic, and CPG companies, helping them make a lasting impression to their respective markets.

Malcolm Gage

General Manager

Park Place Dealerships

Malcolm Gage Photo

Malcolm Gage: In 2005, Gage joined Park Place Dealerships as New Car Sales Manager at Park Place Motorcars Bedford, which is now located in Grapevine. Gage quickly rose up the ranks at Park Place, where he spent the past five years as New Car Sales Director at the Park Place Premier Collection in Dallas, representing luxury brands Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maserati and McLaren. He was named General Manager at Park Place Motorcars Arlington in 2019. He was named Coach of the Year from two different Park Place dealerships, and being part of teams that were recognized as Dealerships of the Year, both nationally and internationally. Gage was also named the first ever Rolls-Royce Sales Manager of the Year by Rolls-Royce Motorcars North America. Gage graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Affairs and Corporate Communications, and he is still involved with the SMU Alumni Association. He is an Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Lifetime Member, and he volunteers with Equality Texas, the Human Rights Campaign, the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and several other organizations.

Mark Borge, Finance - 1989

CEO

Best Facility Services

Mark Borge Photo

Mark Borge: Born: November 30, 1965, Fort Worth, Texas Residence: Fort Worth, Texas Family: Julie (wife) since 12/29/90, Kaleigh (daughter) born 3/12/97, Allie (daughter) born 2/4/2000. Organization Affiliations: Lifestyles Unlimited – December 2019 to current. Preferred Investors Group The Entrepreneurs Organization – October 2014 to July 2020 Dallas Building Owner Managers Association: October 2013 to current United States Green Building Council: May 2012 to current Fort Worth Building Owner Managers Association: February 2007 to current Professional Career Experience: Principal & Co-founder, Best Facility Services – August 2004 to current Real Estate Investor, residential homes, passive multi-tenant – 2008 to current Sales, Swifty Printing/Redstone Visual Impressions – 2000 to 2005 Vice President, Minuteman Press Arlington – August 1998 to 2000 Owner of Minuteman Press in south Forth Worth – October 1995 to July 1998 Accounting Manager – Tecnol/Anago – 1991-1998 Property Tax Specialist – Lomas Mortgage – 1990-1991 Education: UTA, Bachelors in Business Administration - Finance, 1989 Haltom High School class of 1984 Other Experience: Board of Directors: Entrepreneurs Organization – Fort Worth Chapter 2018-2019 Social Enterprise Advisory Board – Catholic Charities of Fort Worth 2018 to now Board of Directors: Fort Worth BOMA 2010 Board of Directors: Southlake Church 2009 Contributing writer for Holeshot Magazine, published in other periodicals Trained in trading stocks and options Motocross racer – 1981 to 1987, 1985 amateur national finalist Other Interests: Drumming/music, motocross riding, fishing, writing, reading, physical exercise, family time & embarrassing my wife and daughters.

Massimo Mancini

Vice President, Commercial Planning and Analysis

American Airlines

Massimo Mancini  Contact Photo

Massimo Mancini: Massimo Mancini is American’s Vice President of Commercial Planning & Analysis. He leads the airline’s work around strategic planning, performance analysis, data management and commercial reporting. Massimo and his team coordinate key commercial initiatives, forecast capacity and revenue, and support short- and long-range planning of critical enterprise assets. Previously, Massimo served as Managing Director of Strategic Planning & Analysis and Managing Director of Network Analysis. He joined American in 2009 and has held a variety of roles in Finance, Fleet and Planning. Massimo grew up in a small town in Italy. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Università Bocconi in Milan and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Matt McComas, BA History - 1996

VP ITS DevOps Automation Solutions

GM Financial

Matt McComas Photo

Matt McComas: Matt is an Information Technology Professional with 25 years in the field in various roles. He pursued and received a BA in History, with initial thoughts toward teaching either at the high school or college levels but determined to shift gears and move into the technology field upon graduation because he was anxious to start a career and begin supporting himself. The background in liberal arts education uniquely prepared Matt, giving him the communication and people skills necessary to succeed in the technology field, first as an engineer, but ultimately as a leader. In his spare time, Matt loves to tinker with old cars, and of course new technologies. A Fort Worth native, Matt and his wife have two children, Hannah, and Daniel, both of whom are enrolled at the University of Texas in Arlington, pursuing Nursing and Computer Science respectively. With an empty nest, Matt now lives in Burleson, Texas with his wife and golden retriever, Piper.

Molly Sandlin, 2014

Founder & President

CAET PMC LLC

Molly Sandlin headshot

About Molly Sandlin: Molly Sandlin is the founder and president of CAET Project Management Consultants LLC, offering services in owner representation, construction, project, and contract administration management. Initially a one-woman operation, the company expanded to a team of five within two years. CAET was recognized as the fastest-growing Maverick-owned business at the 2020 MAVS 100. Molly received the Women's Business Enterprise Rising Star award from the Women's Business Council - Southwest and was a finalist for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award in the emerging business category. She was also named one of the "Great Women of Texas" by the Fort Worth Business Press in 2019.

Nichole Sheridan, MS HRM

Human resource business partner

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Nichole Sheridan Photo

Nichole Sheridan: I graduated from UTA in 2016 with my Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies, a concentration in Business Communications, minor in Disability Studies, as well as a Diversity Certificate. I received my Masters in Human Resource Management in December 2019. I started with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in May 2019 and am now a Human Resource Business Partner. In my current role I support, coach, and consult over 600 clients, including five senior managers and one director. My roles and responsibilities include promotions, contingency planning, performance and employee personnel issues, as well as a variety of other things. Two of my main projects over the past year have been the Program Manager for the Executive Inclusion Mentoring Pilot for Engineering and Technology within Aeronautics and setting the tone/expectations for the second cohort of the program. Additionally, supported the Fort Worth chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council. In this role I developed and facilitated movie nights where we watched thought-provoking movies/documentaries and had a dialogue about them. These movies included “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” as well as “Disclosure.” One of my biggest passions is diversity, as I feel it is not only beneficial to your employees, but potential customers that you do business with. Our greatest strength is our ability to listen and learn from one another.

Paul Brodie

CEO

Brodie Consulting

Paul Brodie Photo

Paul Brodie: Paul Brodie is a Multi-time Bestselling Author and CEO of Brodie Consulting Group. He helps medical professionals, attorneys, coaches, consultants, speakers, and business owners share their story with a proven system through book publishing and virtual summit creation. What makes Paul’s books different is his ability to explain complex ideas and strategies in a simple, accessible way that you can implement immediately. Paul is a lifelong learner and earned an M.A. in Teaching from Louisiana College and B.B.A. in Management from the University of Texas at Arlington. In his spare time, he loves to read and write books, travel (especially to Maui and Las Vegas), and is an avid sports fan. Paul is a proud Rotarian and holds membership in the Corporate Leadership Council of the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Rotary Club of Arlington Highlands, Timeless Concerts, and River Legacy Foundation.

Pete Walsh

CEO

Velocity Intelligence Group

Pete Walsh Photo

Pete Walsh: Peter Walsh is the CEO of Velocity Intelligence Group – a Texas based sports & entertainment technology Integration Company.  Previously, he was the CIO for the Dallas Cowboys and AT&T Stadium (deemed the “most technically advanced stadium in the world”), and home to the Dallas Cowboys  Regional CIO for Nokia - Americas  Head of Sports & Entertainment for AT&T’s Network Integration  Worked on the US Space Shuttle program at NASA  And various Department of Defense programs including the B-1B Bomber, F-16 and F-22 programs He holds 20+ patents focused on the sports & entertainment industry and is owner or co-founder of six technology companies. He also has extensive technology and business experience in the sports & entertainment, government, telecommunications, and consulting industries and has global business experience in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Mr. Walsh holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration - Finance concentration from California State University, Fullerton; and he has been a member of the Advisory Council for the College of Business at the University of Texas at Arlington for the past 13 years.

Raul H Gonzalez, 1985

Director of Administration

Passman & Jones, A Professional Corporation

Raul Gonzalez Photo

Ray Casas, Public Policy - 1996

Director, Community Impact

Texas Rangers Baseball Club

Ray Casas Photo

Ray Casas: Ray Casas, a public and government relations professional has spent over 25 years working with and for major corporations and non-profit organizations across the world. Ray's professional career began at the University of Texas at Arlington where he served as an Admissions Counselor in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, recruiting and counseling high school students on the college admissions process. He later rose through the ranks and became Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, overseeing the Freshman Admissions Program for the university. After 8 years in higher education, Ray moved on to Washington, DC and worked for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and later, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute under Chairwoman Grace Flores Napolitano (CA). After his time spent on Capitol Hill, Ray then accepted a role with MTV Networks in New York City, overseeing the public affairs department for then start-up, MTV Tr3s, a channel aimed at reaching U.S. Latino Millennials. Ray then returned to Washington, DC and served as Manager of Government Relations for Viacom (now ViacomCBS). Ray served as one of the company’s leading advocates in Washington, advising its senior executives on a wide range of policy matters affecting the entertainment industry. Ray also served as one of the company's liaisons between their movie studio (Paramount Pictures), cable channels and The White House. In 2014, The Huffington Post included Ray as one of the "40 under 40 Latinos in American Politics." After leaving Viacom in 2016, Ray started a boutique, public relations consulting firm in Los Angeles focusing on projects that included non-profit campaigns and the entertainment world. In the same year, Ray was selected by Google as a member of the NextGen Tech Policy Program. In 2018, Ray accepted a front office role with the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. He currently serves as Director of Community Impact and chairs their diversity, equity, and inclusion council. In his spare time, Ray takes part in several philanthropic projects and serves as a Media Advisor to Power to Decide and Bring Change 2 Mind. In 2021, Ray joined the Board of Directors for SafeHaven of Tarrant County, the largest service provider for domestic violence survivors in Tarrant County.

Rina Parikh

Partner

Grant Thornton LLP

Rina Parikh Photo

Rina Parikh: Rina Parikh is a Certified Public Accountant and an audit partner in the Dallas office of Grant Thornton. Rina has more than 19 years of public accounting experience at Grant Thornton and several years of prior auditing experience. She has focused primarily on auditing both public and private companies, including financial services, banks & lending institutions, investment companies, asset management companies and real estate entities. Rina has significant experience in conducting financial statement audits as well as internal control examinations. Rina has extensive experience in evaluating and testing processes and internal controls, including SOX compliance for public companies. Rina has assisted several companies with initial public offering, additional equity and debt offering filing reports as required by the 1933 and 1934 Securities Acts. Rina leads financial services and real estate industry efforts for Dallas office, focused on increasing industry development and branding efforts. She is actively involved with multiple industry groups internally and externally. Rina serves as executive sponsor for Dallas office Women’s initiative focusing on recruitment, retention and development of women, including implementing leadership programs, organizing internal and external networking events, implementing professional development and business development programs for women. Rina is also a national sponsor for firm’s Working Parent business resource group. Rina also leads and supports training initiative, including technical and professional development trainings of audit service professionals for Dallas office.

Ryan Harrington

President and CEO

Trinity Healthcare

Ryan Harrington

Ryan Harrington: Ryan Harrington is a founder and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Trinity Healthcare. With over 1,600 employees across 20 locations, Trinity Healthcare specializes in the operation and management of nursing homes. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, the company provides a broad range of rehabilitation and long-term care services to residents and patients. Ryan was previously the Chief Financial Officer of a senior housing operator with multiple locations across Texas and New Mexico. Ryan was also previously a Senior Manager in the transaction advisory services and audit practices of Ernst & Young. In addition to leading Trinity Healthcare, Ryan serves locally on the board of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Senior Living Properties, the Texas Health Care Association, and the Fort Worth Chapter of YPO. He is also a member of the Long-term Care Facilities Council. He was recognized as a Healthcare Hero by the Fort Worth Business Press in 2019. He is a Certified Public Accountant and received a BBA and Masters in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin. Ryan lives in Fort Worth with his wife and four children.

Sam Mahrouq, 1991

CEO OWNER

Automax - MEI Group

Sam Mahrouq Photo

Sam Santiago

Chief Administrative Officer

Maple Digital Agency

Sam Santiago Contact Photo

Sam Santiago: Sam Santiago, CDE, is an award-winning senior corporate social responsibility and diversity leader with 30+ years of CSR/ESG, diversity, inclusion, health equity and nonprofit experience in the travel, hospitality, health, logistics, digital marketing and retail industries. He’s held leadership roles with American Airlines, Hilton Worldwide, American Heart Association, Ross Stores, Inc. (US) and is currently the Chief Administrative Officer for a corporate group that includes two logistics companies and a digital agency based in Mexico. He’s been a volunteer, advocate and speaker on these topics with organizations such as the United Nations, the European Commission, Junior League International, the Points of Light Foundation, UNICEF USA, and the Texas Volunteer Management Conference, to name a few. In addition, Sam has been an active citizen and board member with many local and national organizations and networks such as CNM Connect, VolunteerNOW, the Business Council for the Arts, the International Association for Volunteer Effort/GLobal Corporate Volunteer Council, the Resource Center Dallas, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission for the City of Dallas. In 2010, Sam was the recipient of the American Airlines' Earl G. Graves Award for Leadership in diversity and inclusion; in 2012, he was recognized by the Points of Light Foundation on behalf of President Barack Obama with the President's Volunteer Service Award, and in 2019 he was honored by the American Heart Association with the Heartbeat Award for service above and beyond in the advancement of health equity. In April 2022, he’ll be the recipient of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Champion Award bestowed by the National Diversity Council. Sam attended pre-med and business schools at the University of Puerto Rico and holds several certifications including Training Manager Certificate, Nonprofit Management Certificate and Certified Diversity Executive ™ (CDE). Sam and his husband split their time together between Manzanillo, Mexico and Dallas, Texas.

Sharon Washburn

Financial Advisor

Morgan Stanley

Sharon Washburn Photo

Sharon Washburn: Sharon is a Second Vice President with Morgan Stanley. She has been with the firm or its predecessors since July 1993. During her career, she has worked with high net worth individual investors, foundations and Fortune 500 companies and their employee plans. Sharon has experience working with corporate stock plans including option, purchase and restricted stock plans. Sharon also has worked with our Executive Financial Services Group that is responsible for Rule 144 stock sales and 10b5-1 sales plans. She is a Financial Planning Specialist and will work with your financial team to make sure you have a strategy in place. Sharon is also a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®. She has helped many clients over the years with their divorces and pre-martial financial planning. Prior to working with corporate stock plans, Sharon worked with a retirement planning group at Morgan Stanley focusing on estate planning strategies and retirement planning. Sharon developed a Financial Literacy teen boot camp held at our local library. The program is available for schools or groups. Sharon is also on the Financial Literacy Board for UT Arlington. After graduating from The University of Texas at Arlington in 1986 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, she worked for Judson Malkin & Bloom (JMB) concentrating on real estate limited partnerships. In 1989, she joined PaineWebber (now UBS) working in various positions. Sharon resides in North Dallas. She is active with various charities in the DFW area. She is also a member of the Dallas Museum of Art, The Nasher, Perot Museum and the Dallas Arboretum. Sharon enjoys music and is an avid sports fan supporting all of the teams in the Dallas Metroplex.

Shirley Cox

Sr. Vice President

Amegy Bank

Shirley Cox Profile Picture

About Shirley: Shirley Cox has joined the team of professionals at Amegy Bank of Texas in May 2021. She is the Arlington Commercial Banking Manager and will be focused on growing the commercial market and team. She will also be able to assist not for profit entities with their banking needs across DFW including tax-exempt lending. She brings with her 33 years of banking experience which included leading lending teams both on the commercial side as well as working with not-for-profit entities. Shirley has been honored with awards such as the Business Press 40 under 40 Award, SafeHaven’s Legacy of Women Award, the Girl’s Inc. Bold Woman award and a Rotary Service Award. She has served in a variety of board leadership roles with the following organizations: Arlington Chamber, YMCA of Arlington-Mansfield, Texas Council on Family Violence, and Rotary Club of Arlington South and is a past member of the UTA College of Business Advisory Council.

Shyra Smith

Principal, Marketing Consultant

HS3 Marketing Solutions

Shyra Smith

Shyra Smith: Shyra is the Principal at HS3 Marketing Solutions, a marketing agency offering personalized end-to-end design and consulting services to organizations, startups, and small to midsize companies. With over 20 years of marketing experience, Shyra uses her skills to help clients capitalize on ways to improve their growth, revenue, and reputation. She goes above and beyond and aims to leave her clients with not only an impression worth remembering; but most importantly, with the results they seek to have. Along with marketing, Shyra is also passionate about personal growth and business development. She enjoys pouring into our youth and also mentoring new aspiring entrepreneurs about the steps in getting their new businesses up and running. In her book, “Don’t Quit Your Day Job”, Shyra shares her own personal journey into entrepreneurship. She exhibits her altruistic nature at every opportunity by giving back and volunteering with organizations that allow her to do what she enjoys. Shyra and her husband, Howard have 2 sons, ages 19 and 16 and they reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Susan Pereira, MBA - 2006

HR Director

ITW

Susan Pereira Contact Photo

Susan Pereira: Susan is an alumnus of UTA’s School of Business receiving her undergraduate degree in Management and a Master’s of Business Administration. Her work experiences include Materials Management, Quality Management, Financial Controls, and Strategic Human Resources with manufacturing organizations. Currently, her strategic HR responsibilities include Talent Development, Organizational Design, DREI, and Community Involvement initiatives. She is pleased to be included as a business partner in UTA’s DREI initiative.

Tamiko Bailey

Entrepreneur

Bailey's Premier Services, LLC

Tamiko Bailey Icon

About Tamiko: Mrs. Tamiko Bailey is the President/CEO of Bailey’s Premier Services, a multi-state defense contractor that provides aircraft maintenance and other support services to the United States government and state/local agencies. It is often that our early experiences give us inspiration and help pave our way in life. Tamiko Bailey is a prime example. The eldest of four children and a first-generation college graduate, Bailey was raised by her mother, along with grandparents who encouraged her to work hard and pursue college.

Tammy Walsh

CEO/Founder

Paramount Healthcare Solutions

Tammy Walsh Photo

Tammy Walsh: Tammy is an executive finance and operations leader with 20+ years’ experience with a focus in healthcare providing cross-industry expertise in strategy, operations, business development, financial consulting and client service with strong leadership, problem-solving, planning, team-building and project management skills. Her background as a CFO for physician groups has led her to be a proven leader to revitalize and restructure problem organizations ensuring organizational excellence. Tammy is CEO/Founder of a physician consulting services firm providing strategy and optimization to provider groups and health care organizations across the nation. The services range from physician compensation methodologies, revenue cycle optimization, hospital-physician alignment, clinic operational process improvement, compliance and overall leadership insight. Her services also offer interim-CFO and COO capabilities for provider groups. Tammy is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and serves as an officer for the Lone Star Chapter as well as chairing the state-wide Texas Conference in 2020 and 2021. She is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). Tammy is a frequent speaker and writer on physician-related revenue cycle, finance and strategic topics for these organizations and many others. Tammy is an adjunct professor teaching courses in Leadership and Healthcare Finance to the Master of Business Administrative Healthcare Students at Texas Christian University. She serves as the Board Chair at the University of North Texas Health Science Center MHA Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Advisory Board at the University of Texas at Arlington, College of Business, Accounting Department. She is a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP) and Certified Revenue Cycle Representative (CRCR). She was recently awarded the Fellow Healthcare Financial Management Association (FHFMA) designation. Tammy also spends her time in the not-for-profit setting helping raise funds for many charitable organizations. Both in organized events such as golf tournaments as well as direct donation reach outs. She is a graduate of University of Houston, Texas, with a B.S. degree in Finance.

Tod Franklin

Realtor®, Broker, Owner and multi-million dollar producer

DFWCityhomes

Tod Franklin Contact Photo

Tod Franklin: I am an entrepreneur that never imagined he would ever become one. My real estate company DFWCityhomes was started in 2004 when I could see the road at my corporate job coming to an end. Owning and operating a real estate agency is a second career for me. Armed with a BA in Management Information Systems and more than 25 years experience in technology, corporate finance, and marketing, I was determined to control my own destiny in this next career. My passion for real estate began as a teenager growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In one of my part-time high school jobs, I was a laborer on a construction site. Soon I worked up to be a full-fledged part-time framer and fell in love with the idea of building homes. Had the construction industry not fallen apart due to the oil crisis of the early 70’s I might have become a home builder instead of a Systems Engineer. In 2004, the real estate market was booming and I was booted from an early stage startup to satisfy VC investors wanting changes. Thereafter, I went the real estate investor route buying, fixing, and selling homes obtaining my real estate license to reduce my acquisition and selling costs. Facing an economic downturn, I found buying and selling other people’s properties more risk free and rewarding. In 2007, I obtained my broker’s license and positioned DFWCityhomes as a residential real estate brokerage targeting the traditional 6% brokers competing with great service and low fees. Over these past 15 years, I have nearly single handily purchased, sold, and leased over $300 million of over 900 properties for my clients. These properties include residential, multi-family, residential and farm-ranch land. This represents a commission savings of over $7,000,000 for my clients compared to the 6% broker. I am elated with the success of this business model.

Tony Carimi

Managing Director

Park Place Dealerships

Tony Carimi Photo

Tony Carimi: Tony Carimi grew up in Odessa, Texas working for his grandfather’s oil distributorship company learning the value of a client, the importance of relationships and hard work. After graduating from Texas A&M University in 1994, he moved to Dallas were he began his career in the automotive industry working in both sales and service. Mr. Carimi joined Park Place in 2002 as the service director of Park Place’s original dealership on Oak Lawn Avenue in Dallas. In 2010, he became the director of fixed operations and then vice president of operations overseeing all service, parts and collision operations for the Park Place Dealerships group. In 2018, Mr. Carimi began serving as the chief operating officer focusing on consistent process execution and optimizing experiential components. Mr. Carimi now serves as managing director for Park Place’s eight dealerships, two collision centers, auction, and corporate headquarters. He speaks frequently for conferences, leadership series, and to local high school and college students with the hopes of inspiring others to achieve operational excellence and create their “wow”. He recently oversaw the successful sale of the company and conversion from a private to a publicly traded company under Asbury Automotive. Tony lives in Irving, Texas with his wife Debbie and has two grown daughters.

Travis Franklin, 84-87

Broker/Owner

Franklin Real Estate Brokerage

Travis Franklin Photo

Travis Franklin: Travis studied Real Estate, Finance and Economics at UTA from 1984-1988 and transferred to UT Austin from 1988-1989. He graduated with majors in Finance and Real Estate and has been in the real estate industry for over 25 years. Travis is broker and owner of his own firm, Franklin Real Estate Brokerage, handling commercial real estate, investment property and is very active in representing the over 55 community. Travis is an avid golfer and volunteers as a coach with the First Tee of Fort Worth as well as being on the board of directors for NPRA – a senior advocacy organization. He enjoys traveling with his wife DeeDee and is passionate about music, playing guitar and singing with the Jessica Brooks Band.

Trey Knapp, BBA Accounting and MS Accounting - 2002

Vice President, Finance and Accounting

Sewell Automotive Companies

Trey Knapp Photo

Trey Knapp: As Vice President, Finance & Accounting, Trey manages over 130 accounting and FP&A team members spread over three floors in Sewell’s corporate office, as well as two small remote offices in San Antonio and Houston. Trey has played a first-hand role in all of Sewell’s dealership acquisitions and new location openings for the last decade. He also personally handles many of the Sewell family’s personal financial matters, including coordinating with outside advisors on estate planning and income tax preparation, income tax audit defense, estate planning, and investment management.

Will Fulton

Head of Marketing - North America

Airbus Helicopters

Will Fulton Profile Picture

About Will: Will Fulton is responsible for Airbus Helicopters’ marketing operations in North America to include direct sales support, aircraft demonstrations, event execution, creative design, forecasting, and product improvement. He also currently serves as an operational advisor for vertical flight technology and unmanned aerial vehicle start-ups. Will’s helicopter industry experience includes engineering, pilot operations, research & development project management, product development, marketing and sales with global helicopter OEMs and Operators. Mr. Fulton began his career in the United States Army where he served as an attack helicopter pilot and military officer during two combat tours in the Middle East. Will is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and received his MBA at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas in 2010.

Will Gough, BS Accounting - 2016 | MS Accounting - 2018

Controller

Dallas Mavericks

Will Gough Contact Photo

Will Gough: Will Gough joined the Dallas Mavericks in November 2018, and currently serves as the Controller. He is primarily responsible for the organization’s internal and external financial reporting. Prior to joining the Dallas Mavericks, Will spent time at two different public accounting firms; PSK LLP and Ernst & Young. He also serves on the board of directors for DISE, Dallas Influencers in Sports & Entertainment. Will graduated summa cum laude from UT Arlington with both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Accounting. He is also a licensed CPA in the state of Texas. He currently lives in Mansfield, Texas with his wife and their two children.

Valerie Landry, MBA - 2012

General Manager

The Sanford House Inn & Spa

Valerie Landry Photo

Valerie Landry: Valerie Landry, nee McDonald, grew up in Arlington, Texas and attended the Arlington Independent School District through graduation from Lamar High School. She received the President’s Scholarship to attend Hofstra University in Long Island, NY. She played Division 1 Tennis, captained the team from 2006-2008, and graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2008. In 2012, she completed her Master of Business Administration from University of Texas at Arlington. Valerie joined her family’s business, The Sanford House, once she completed her degree at Hofstra University. Beginning first as manager of the Sanford Spa & Salon, Valerie learned all aspects of the business before taking over as General Manager of the property. With 12 guest rooms, a fine-dining restaurant, a full-service Spa & Salon and special events such as weddings, anniversary parties and galas going on all the time, Valerie is constantly on the move, tending to staff issues and making sure all aspects of the facility are well-maintained for their guests. Some of her professional accomplishments include successfully leading the rebranding effort of the hotel’s restaurant, Restaurant506. This rebranding included a makeover of the menu to provide “Inspired American Cuisine” that is bold, flavorful, and fresh. Most recently, Valerie led the negotiations on behalf of The Sanford House to manage and direct the Lakeview Event & Conference Center at Viridian from October 2017-February 2019. Valerie was recognized by the University of Texas at Arlington College of Business with the Alumni Award for Outstanding Early Career Achievement 2017-2018. Additionally, Valerie has improved top-of-mind awareness of The Sanford House and its expanded offerings with her commitment to networking in area civic organizations. Starting as a member of Leadership Arlington Class of 2009, this experience led to numerous outlets for community partnership and engagement. Valerie has been an active member of Downtown Rotary since 2011 and as a Past President of the Club, currently serves as an Advisor to the Board. She also served Rotary at a District level as the Assistant Governor – representing all of the Clubs in Arlington. She has been instrumental in the growth and development of Downtown Arlington as a past Chair of the Board of Directors. In addition to her work with Rotary and DAMC, Valerie has worked served the Arlington community as a board member for Symphony Arlington since 2010 and has also been active with Junior League of Arlington since 2009, serving in a variety of capacities including Board placements from 2013-2016. Valerie also serves on the Board of Directors for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and is a Past Chair of the Women’s Alliance and the Inspired Women’s Luncheon. In fall 2018, Valerie was recognized as the 2018 Chamber of Commerce Women’s Alliance Rising Star Award Winner. She is also a member of the Texas Health Arlington Memorial Health Exchange and was appointed by the Mayor to serve on the Commission for Community Relations to help guide the City’s Kindness Initiative, from 2016-2020. Valerie is married to Christopher Landry and they have two daughters, Vivian and Arya.

Varun Mallipaddi, Finance - 2014

Vice President

Frost Bank

Varun Mallipaddi Photo

Xavier Egan, 2011

President

Capital Asset Advisors, LLC

Xavier Egan Photo

Xavier Egan: Xavier Egan, currently President of Capital Asset Advisors, CFO of Meta Verse Capital, and various portfolio companies. Mr. Egan was formally educated at The University of Texas at Arlington, Cornell University and University of Chicago in Finance, Accounting, Strategic Planning, and Executive leadership. He has numerous years of Financial Leadership in complex businesses ensuring cost efficacy and revenue growth to accomplishments business commitments. Throughout his professional tenure, Mr. Egan partnered with small to large businesses across all sectors to create a network of opportunity for organizational stakeholders. Previously lead financial and operational management from small business to large corporations across multiple sectors as CFO of business units. Mr. Egan moved from the corporate realm to the entrepreneurial side via purchase of a Mergers and Acquisition firm. This allowed him to gain a significant insight into the power of M&A and the many ways to create a successful organization. This eventually led to the founding of Capital Asset Advisors (Broker) and Meta Verse Capital (Equity Group) where Mr. Egan has been building relationships with organizations to help problem solve and move them to the next phase.