Rising Star Award
Each year, the McCombs School of Business is pleased to present two young alumni with the Rising Star Award. Honorees are acknowledged at the annual Hall of Fame ceremony. Established in 2004-05, this award is presented to alumni who have been successful professionally and have helped strengthen the McCombs Alumni Network. These are graduates who have presented themselves as consummate professionals and dedicated business people. Congratulations to this year's honorees!
We are now accepting nominations for the 2012 Rising Star Awards. Download a nomination form in Word or PDF. The deadline for nominations is June 1, 2012.
Please note: We have changed the criteria for BBA/MPA Rising Star Award. Eligible BBA and MPA alumni must be under 40-years-old (as of Oct. 31, 2012). Eligible MBA and MSTC alumni must be no further than 10 years from graduation (as of Oct. 31, 2012).
2011 Rising Stars
Matt Chasen
MBA ’04
CEO, uShip
As CEO, Matt Chasen leads uShip's executive team in the company's mission to create the most efficient marketplace for shipping that has ever existed. The idea for uShip was hatched in 2002 when Chasen moved from Seattle to Austin in a half-full rented moving truck and has since grown into a global online transport marketplace. In 2010, Chasen was a finalist for Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in Central Texas, and in 2011 earned top honors in the Austin Under40 business and entrepreneur category.
Prior to founding uShip, Chasen spent five years in business development and engineering roles at The Boeing Company in Seattle. He helped assess the technical and financial viability of new ventures including broadband in-flight Internet access and a theater ballistic missile defense system. Chasen also led the avionics integration effort for the F-22 fighter aircraft and evaluated research proposals for NASA.
Chasen attended the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin where he earned his MBA in May 2004. During business school, while turning the uShip idea into reality, Chasen interned for the Austin office of Hunt Ventures where he evaluated new investment proposals. In addition to his MBA, Chasen has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
David Anthony Murrell
BBA '01
Vice President and Global Investment Specialist, Private Wealth Management Group, JPMorgan Chase
David Anthony Murrell joined JPMorgan Chase in 2009 as Vice President and Global Investment Specialist in the Private Wealth Management Group. Murrell currently manages $350 million of client assets for approximately 75 families and mentors several analysts in his group.
Prior to JPMorgan, Murrell spent eight years in the Private Wealth Management division at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Starting in the three-year financial analyst program, he was one of five analysts nationwide to be promoted to Associate. Two years later, Murrell was promoted to Vice President, responsible for managing client assets and developing new relationships for the firm.
Murrell graduated in 2001 from the Business Honors Program at The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance. He earned the CFA designation in 2004.
Murrell currently serves as President-Elect for the Dallas Texas Exes. A board member since 2007, he has held several positions on the Executive Committee and has also chaired several signature events, including the 2011 Get Teed Off at OU golf tournament. Murrell is also active with the Dallas Safari Club, an organization focused on wildlife conservation and outdoor education in Texas public schools.
David resides in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Monica.
Rising Star Honorees
2010
Daniel P. Nelson
B.A. '96, MBA '06
Matt Polze
BBA '99, MPA '99, J.D. '03
2009
M. Christina Clayton
BBA ’02, MBA ’06 (University of Oxford)
Gregory H. Johnson
BS ’84 (Air Force Academy), MBA ’05
2008
Holly Goodrich McMullan
MBA ’04
2007
Tony Rogers
BBA ’90, MBA ’97
2006
Ted Wang
MBA ’96
2005
Jeff Hoogendam
MBA ’95