Advisory Council Member Biographies

John L. Adams is managing partner of Overton Partners LLC. Before forming Overton Partners LLC, Adams was with Trinity Industries, Inc. as vice chairman and with Chase Bank of Texas (Texas Commerce Bank), where his last responsibility was as chairman, president and CEO. He currently serves on the boards of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Trinity Industries, Inc. and is non-executive chairman of Group 1 Automotive.

Adams is chairman of Children's Medical Center of Dallas and is past chair of several organizations including the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Central Dallas Association, and Methodist Hospital, and is presently a national trustee of the Boys & Girls Club.

He has a BBA and a JD from The University of Texas at Austin.

Les L. Allison is president of Allison Interest Inc., a private investment company founded in 1981 with interest in real estate, healthcare, banking, technology and energy.

Allison serves as an advisory director of Amegy Bank of Texas, Episcopal High School Board of Trustees, Boys and Girls Country Board, Texas Wildlife Association Foundation Board and The University of Texas Chancellor's Circle Executive Committee.

Allison received a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

J. Robert Alpert is CEO of The Alpert Companies in Dallas. He has managed his own portfolio of companies since 1961, with investments in banking, finance, real estate and entertainment. During the past 15 years, his focus has been on investments worldwide that promote innovative technology and employment.

Alpert currently serves as advisory director for Summit General Partners, SunTex Ventures, and Windsor Investments, all located in Dallas, Texas. He also serves as an advisory director for The Empire AB and Trio Consulting (UK) in Stockholm, Sweden. Alpert has served on three public boards in the past, Texas Industries of Dallas; CNF, Inc. of California and Aladdin Industries of Tennessee.

Alpert retired as the Honorary Consul of Sweden-Dallas in 2003 after fifteen years of service. He was knighted and received a medal of honor from King Carl Gustaf of Sweden. Alpert is also trustee emeritus of Colby College in Maine and former chairman of the Dallas Foundation for Health, Education and Research.
 

Travis Bain is chairman of Texas Custom Pools Inc. He purchased Sandler Pools, Inc. of Plano, Texas in 1993. A subsequent merger in 1999 created the largest independently owned swimming pool company in Texas. Previously, Bain built a small institutional food company into a five-state operation with revenues of over $120 million and has helped turn around sales and earnings of publicly- and privately-held companies.

He serves on the boards of several public companies and institutions.

Bain holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 
 

Steve Ballantyne 
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

Sam Barshop is founder and retired chairman, president and CEO of La Quinta Inns, Inc. He is currently chairman of Barshop and Oles Company.

Barshop serves on the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research and is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Incarnate Word, and is a former board member of Southwest Airlines, the Austin/San Antonio Corridor Council and the Texas Turnpike Authority. He is very active in local, state and nationwide affairs, has served as a University of Texas System regent, and served on The University of Texas at Austin's Commission of 125. A member of the McCombs School Hall of Fame, Barshop is also a member of the Advisory Board of Southwest Texas State University College of Business Administration and holds the Roy F. and Joanne Cole Mitte Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship at Southwest Texas.

Barshop received a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Howard Berk 
Since 2002, Mr. Berk has been a partner at MSD Capital L.P., the investment firm formed in 1998 to exclusively manage the capital of Michael Dell and his family. From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Berk was managing director of TG Capital Corp., an investment group that manages the capital of a single family and acquires and invests in both public and private companies. From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Berk was with The Stenbeck Group, acquiring and managing businesses in multiple countries. Prior to that, he was with Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he worked in the Principal Investment area as well as the Mergers and Acquisitions department. Mr. Berk graduated magna cum laude from The University of Texas in 1987 with a BBA in Finance and received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1991. Mr. Berk currently serves on the DineEquity Inc. Board of Directors.
 

Lewis E. Brazelton III
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.

Jon Brumley is chairman of Encore Acquisition Company, a company he and his son, Johnny co-founded in 1998. Today, Encore Acquisition Company has a market capitalization of $1.5 billion. He began his career in the oil and gas industry in 1967. He co-founded XTO Energy in 1986, was chairman and CEO of Mes Petroleum Company in 1996, and helped form Pioneer Natural Resources in 1997.

Appointed by Governor Mark White to the Texas State Board of Education in 1984, Brumley has been active in educational causes and oversight since 1980, and was appointed chairman of the TCU School of Education’s Millennium Task Force in 1999. He has also been chairman of the Fort Worth Children’s Hospital.

Brumley received a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin in 1961 and received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He was inducted into the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame in 1998.
 

Preston Butcher is chairman and CEO of Legacy Partners in Foster City, California and a manager and developer of property in the western United States. In 2002, Legacy Partners was honored as Builder of the Year by Multifamily Executive Magazine and the National Association of Home Builders. Butcher co-founded the National Multi Housing Council and California Housing Council and continues to serve as director for each.

Butcher is a member of the Policy Advisory Council of the Center for Real Estate at UC-Berkeley and was a founding board member of BRIDGE, a non-profit housing corporation created to provide low to moderate income housing.

Butcher received a B.S. in electrical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. 
 

Karl T. Butz Jr.
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

John Carpenter is CEO, president and chairman of the board of Lachlan Alliance, a real estate development firm. Prior to Lachlan, he held leadership positions with Southland Financial Corporation from 1977 to 1989. Carpenter was president of Las Colinas, Inc. from 1989 to 1992, and was chairman and CEO of JPI Companies from 1992 to1997.

Carpenter is also active in the Dallas community, serving on the boards of the Trinity River Improvement Association, The Texas Horse Park, Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation, State Fair of Texas and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. He served on the Highland Park Independent School District Board from 1998 to 2004 and is on the board of the West Dallas Initiative. John and his parents, Ben and Betty Carpenter, recently donated funds to create the Carpenter Family MBA Leadership Center in the McCombs School to provide MBA students and organizations a space to gather and conduct business.

Carpenter holds a BBA from Texas Tech and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Shelby Carter is a distinguished adjunct professor at the McCombs School of Business.

In addition to working at The University of Texas at Austin, Carter co-founded the pioneering computer networking company, SynOptics Communications in 1985, which went public and became a Fortune 500 company in less than ten years from its founding. In 1996, Carter co-founded the Silicon Valley start-up, VitalSigns Software.
 
From 1970 to 1985, Carter worked in senior management with Xerox Corporation. With Xerox, he rose to the position of corporate vice president and general sales manager of the company's worldwide operations. Prior to that, he spent 14 years in marketing and line management positions with IBM.

Carter has been recognized for his teaching from various student organizations and, in 1997, was inducted into the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the business school in 1986 and a Distinguished Alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin in 1998.

Carter is a member of the Chancellor's Council of The University of Texas System, the Entrepreneur's Council of the Children's Museum of Austin and the board of Input/Output (I/O NYSE). He serves as vice-chairman of Vital Signs Software, and as director of TechWorks, Inc. and Pervasive Software, Inc. (PVSW NASDAQ).

He received a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and attended law school at The University of Texas and the University of Maryland.

 

Robert A. Chereck is executive vice president and division manager for the Wells Fargo Regional Commercial Banking Offices, Southwest Division. He oversees commercial banking professionals who provide loan, treasury management, deposit products, and other financial services to companies with annual sales greater than $20 million.

With more than 30 years in the banking industry, Mr. Chereck has held many positions in Wells Fargo. He joined First Interstate Bank of Texas in 1991 as executive vice president, group manager of wholesale banking. With Wells Fargo’s acquisition of First Interstate in 1996, he became executive vice president and manager of commercial banking and the Energy Group.

Prior to Wells Fargo, Chereck was president of Norwich Financial Associates, managing director of Mason Best Company and executive VP of Interfirst Bank Dallas. At Interfirst, he was manager of the Energy Lending Group, Eastern Corporate Group and Southwest Group, and served as group manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, operating through the bank's London office.

Chereck is a board member of the City of Dallas Housing Finance Corporation, Children's Medical Center in Dallas and Dallas Regional Chamber. He sits on executive committees for the Dallas Regional Chamber and Children’s Medical Center. He is also a member of the Dallas Citizens Council

Chereck earned a BA in government and an MBA in finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Eugenio Clariond Reyes-Retana is chairman of Empresas Verzatec, Honda Plaza, Toyota Innova and AMANCO Corp. and serves as director for Johnson Controls Inc, Navistar International Corp., Texas Industries Inc. and The Mexico Fund, Grupo Financiero Banorte S.A., and Mexichem, S.A. He formerly served as chairman and CEO of Grupo IMSA, S.A.

On not for profit organizations, he serves as chairman of the Mexican Fund for Nature Conservancy, president of the USA-Mexico Business Council (MEXUS) under the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade (COMCE) and vice president of the Latin American Business Council (Mexican Chapter). He also serves as a director of Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superior de Monterrey (ITESM), a trustee of Bat Conservation International (an Austin NGO), and a member of the Advisory Board of Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies.

He has a BBA and an MBA in business from ITESM.  

 

J. Coley Clark is chairman of the board and CEO of BancTec, Inc., a Dallas-based company providing a wide range of solutions for automating business processes for financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, government services and utilities industries. Clark retired from EDS in 2004 as senior vice president and head of the Financial and Transportation Industry Groups.

Clark previously served on the boards of Carreker Corporation and FundsXpress, Inc. and is past chairman of the Financial Services and Insurance Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the board of i2 Technologies Inc. Active in his community, he is a member of the Dallas Citizens Council and Salesmanship Club of Dallas, and he also serves on the board of the Dallas Regional Chamber and on the board of trustees of the Dallas Theater Center. He has also served on the board of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. He is a member of the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council for Athletics, the President's Associates and the Chancellors Council at The University of Texas at Austin.

Clark has a BA from The University of Texas at Austin. He served three years in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of captain and served as a company commander in Europe and Southeast Asia.
 

Aubrey L. Cole
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

Peter Coneway joined Riverstone Holdings LLC as managing director in March of 2009 following his service as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Riverstone Holdings is a private equity firm specializing in the global energy and power sectors with offices in Houston, New York and London.

Coneway spent 37 years in various capacities at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He joined the firm in 1969 after graduating with an MBA from Stanford University. He founded the Houston office for Goldman Sachs in 1975; was named a general partner in 1978; established the firm’s securities sales, trading and research division in Tokyo in 1987-88; and returned to manage the Houston office.

Coneway is currently a trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts – Houston, a member of the board of trustees of the Texas Heart Institute, and continues to serve as a member of the M.D. Anderson Board of Visitors, having previously served as chairman. He has served on the National Board of the Smithsonian Institute, served as chairman of the Stanford Business School Trust, director of the Greater Houston Partnership, and chairman of the Houston/Harris County Sports Facility Public Advisory Committee.

Coneway earned his BBA from The University of Texas. He received the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award in 1983; was appointed to the UT System Board of Regents in 1993; was named a Distinguished Alumnus in October 2003; and was inducted into the McCombs Business School Hall of Fame in 2004.
 

Catherine Crain is a vice president of Fayez Sarofim & Co. She serves as a portfolio manager and is also responsible for overseeing the firm's Dreyfus mutual funds relationship. Crain joined Fayez Sarofim & Co. in 1993 as a research associate. Over the years, her areas of research responsibility have included transportation, media and entertainment, and consumer products. Before returning to graduate school, she worked for Merrill Lynch & Co. as a financial analyst in their investment banking division in New York and Houston.

She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a member of the CFA Institute. Crain served as an investment counselor to the McCombs School's MBA Investment Fund from 1994 to 2003.

Crain received a B.A. in Plan II and an MBA in finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Gary T. Crum is president of the CFP Foundation, and a founder and former director of AIM Management Group, Inc. He served as president, CEO and director of investments for AIM Capital Management, the investment advisory subsidiary of AIM Management Group and director of parent company AMVESCAP PLC, after AIM Management Group's merger with INVESCO in 1997. Prior to founding AIM Management Group, Crum gained valuable industry experience as portfolio manager and head of fixed-income investments for American General Capital Management.

Crum is on the Board of Directors for the McCombs School of Business MBA Investment Fund, L.L.C. at The University of Texas at Austin. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Southern Methodist University (SMU) and on the Executive Board of the Cox School of Business at SMU, and is a trustee of the AIM Foundation. He was formerly a member of the Boards of Trustees at Episcopal High School and the Memorial Endowment Fund for St. John the Divine Church in Houston. Crum was inducted into the McCombs School Hall of Fame in 2004 and is chair of the McCombs School Advisory Council.

Crum received a BBA from SMU and an MBA in finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Ken DeAngelis is a founder of Austin Ventures and has served as general partner since 1981. He focuses on services investing. Previously DeAngelis was with the Merchant Banking division of the Bank of Boston.

He has been active in the Austin community for many years and is a member of the University's Development Board. He was also past chairman of the McCombs School Advisory Council. DeAngelis was actively involved, for many years, with the local PBS affiliate, KLRU-TV, and is a past board chairman. Currently he serves on the Board of Governors for Hyde Schools, headquartered in Bath, Maine.

DeAngelis received his B.A. from Harvard University and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
 

Jason Downie is a partner of HM Capital Partners, L.L.C., a Dallas, TX based private equity firm focused on control oriented leveraged buy outs. Jason has over 15 years of investment experience and has been at HM Capital since 2000. Jason’s primary responsibilities include deal sourcing, execution and monitoring of the firm's investments in the energy sector.

Jason currently serves as a director of BlackBrush Oil & Gas, TexStar Midstream Services, TriDimension Energy and PDC Pages.

Prior to joining HM Capital Partners, Mr. Downie was an associate with Rice, Sangalis Toole and Wilson, a mezzanine private equity firm based in Houston. Before pursuing his MBA, he was employed by Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette for five years.

Jason, MBA 1999, was recently voted chair-elect of the McCombs MBA Alumni Network advisory board and has been an active member of the board for the past five years, serving as the chair of the alumni giving committee and as an at-large member.

In addition to his MBA, Jason has a McCombs BBA degree in real estate. He lives in Dallas with his wife Berkeley and their four children, Sam, Michael, Malcolm, and Vivian.
 

Alan Dreeben is a partner and serves on the board of directors of Republic National Distributing Company in San Antonio, Texas. He also serves as an advisory director of Cullen Frost Bank. Mr. Dreeben chairs the Wine Advisory Committee of the Texas Department of Agriculture, serves on the board of The Institute of Masters of Wine-North America, and is treasurer of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America.

With a long history of commitment to education at all levels, Dreeben sits on the Executive Committee of the UT System Chancellor’s Council and the advisory council and board of visitors of Trinity University’s School of Business. He serves on the development board of UTSA, is a trustee and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio. He has held several positions with the Alamo Heights ISD in San Antonio, including past president, trustee, and director of its foundation and serves on the board of the Bexar County Federation of Schools.

In addition, Mr. Dreeben has held leadership positions in more than 20 community and religious organizations, including Any Baby Can, Hospice of San Antonio, the Council on Alcoholism, the McNay Art Museum, the Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital Foundation, United Way, and Temple Beth El. He has received a number of awards: the Chairman’s Award of TSUS, the Dallas Morning News Outstanding Individual in the Wine Business, the UTSA Ethics Award, National Conference Award, and Man of the Year in the New World Wine & Food Organization.

Mr. Dreeben received a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard University.  

Robert M. Duffey Jr.
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

Robert Duncan is chairman of Transwestern. He began his career with the Trammell Crow Company in Dallas and became the partner responsible for commercial operations in San Antonio. Duncan left to form Transwestern in 1978 and has directed its expansion from a small investment building company to a major national diversified real estate organization.

Duncan is an active member of the Real Estate Roundtable, the Urban Land Institute, and the World President’s Organization. He is a founding member of the McCombs School’s Real Estate Finance and Investment Center and serves on the Advisory Council of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. He has served on the boards of the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the Greater Houston YMCA. He resides in Houston with his wife, Marcy, and their six sons.

Duncan received a BBA in the Business Honors Program, an MBA in Finance, and an LLB from the University of Texas at Austin.
 

James R. Elliott III is global head of the Mergers & Acquisitions with JP Morgan.

Elliott joined JPMorgan in 1997 as a senior member of the M&A Department. He began his career at the First Boston Corporation in 1976 and spent ten years in the Mergers and Acquisitions department specializing in energy sector takeovers. He was appointed head of Risk Arbitrage Department in 1986 and managed a $500 million portfolio until his departure in 1989. In 1990, he started and managed a hedge fund, which invested in M&A Risk Arbitrage and Special Situations.

Elliott received a BBA and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Mike Espinosa
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

Dick Evans is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. and Frost National Bank in San Antonio, Texas. A native of Uvalde, Texas, Evans graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor of business administration degree in 1967. Before joining Frost Bank’s training program in 1971, he served as an assistant national bank examiner with the Comptroller of the Currency.

During Evan’s career at Frost, he has served as a commercial loan officer, a vice president in the bank’s commercial loan, credit and marketing areas, and then as senior vice president in the marketing division. In 1977, he was named executive vice president of the banking group and was elected president of Frost Bank in 1985. In 1993, Evans was elected chairman of the board of Frost Bank and chief banking officer of Cullen/Frost in 1995, and in 1997, chief executive officer.

Evans is serving a two-year term as a member of the Federal Advisory Council to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C. He recently served a two-year term as a member of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

In the civic and professional arena, Evans is a member of the board of directors of United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, an organization in which he served as general campaign chairman for 2003-2004 and chairman for 2004-2005. He is also a member of the board of directors and past chairman of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation and the San Antonio Medical Foundation. He serves as a member of the business Advisory Council of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Texas State History Museum Foundation in Austin, and is past chairman of the United Negro College Fund. Evans is a director and life member of the San Antonio Livestock Exposition, Inc. and is a member of the World Presidents’ Organization.

Evans is married and has two children.
 

Bill Finnegan is a partner with Vinson & Elkins LLP in Houston. Bill is the Practice Group leader for V&E’s Capital Markets Practice Group. His practice focuses on various corporate and securities transactions, including public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, public and private company mergers and acquisitions, and joint venture and partnership transactions. Bill’s clients are drawn primarily from the energy industry, both nationally and internationally.

Bill is married to Susan and they are the parents of Nick, Terrell and Scotty. Bill received a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and a JD from The University of Houston School of Law.

Jake Foley III is a managing director for Deutsche Bank since joining it in September 2006. He leads the Transaction Origination Group acting as the bank's Private Equity Capital Market calling officer for corporate clients while driving idea generation for the leveraged buy-out firms and Sovereign Wealth Funds. The practice includes development of thematic work targeting key trends impacting the M&A environment. The role of private equity, hedge funds, leveraged finance, and the mergers and acquisition marketplace are studied continuously for the benefit of the bank's corporate calling effort. He formerly led the Transaction Development Group for Banc of America Securities for four years. He served the prior nine years with Morgan Stanley leading the Business Development Group after working in the High Yield Bond Department.

He began his career in the leveraged loan group of First Chicago followed by two years with PaineWebber's High Yield Bond Group. He is a chartered financial analyst and received both his Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Professional Accounting degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in 1988.

He is a member of The University of Texas Development Board and also chaired the Finance and Resources Committee of The Commission of 125 for UT.

Anthony D. "Tony" Forcum is a principal of Deloitte Consulting, LLP, a member of its Executive Committee and its Board of Directors. His practice focus area is concentrated in strategy and operations consulting and he serves as lead consulting principal or advisory principal to clients in a variety of industries. Tony was managing director of Deloitte Consulting’s Texas practice offices in Dallas, Houston and Austin from 1997 to 2001 and served as managing director of the Dallas office in 1996. He has also served as the national recruiting principal for Deloitte Consulting at UT-Austin and is currently a member of the firm’s UT MBA recruiting team.

Tony joined a predecessor of Deloitte & Touche in 1974 after graduating from Emporia State University and became a partner in 1984.
 

Jack D. Furst
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

Mark D. Gibson Mark is an executive managing director for HFF and one of its founding partners. As part of the HFF Executive Committee, Mark is responsible for the overall direction of the firm’s 18 offices throughout the nation. Mark joined HFF in 1984 and has been involved in real estate financing, joint ventures, entity recapitalization and asset sales for major corporate, institutional and entrepreneurial owners, both nationally and internationally.

His professional involvements include chairman of the Industrial and Office Park Development Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, member and former board member of the Real Estate Council of Dallas, Executive Council chair of the UT Real Estate Finance and Investment Center, member of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, and member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Mark received his BBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

John C. Goff serves as managing principal of Goff Capital Partners, L. P., a private equity firm with more than $2 billion in investments under management. The firm recently entered into a new strategic partnership with more than $1 billion of new capital focused exclusively on the real estate debt markets. Additionally, Goff manages personal investments through Goff Capital, Inc., focusing on publicly traded securities, oil and gas, private equity and real estate. Finally, Goff is involved in directing the charitable efforts of The Goff Family Foundation, a foundation he formed in 2007.

In the early 90’s, Goff co-founded Crescent Real Estate Equities with Mr. Richard Rainwater, designing the strategy and orchestrating the acquisitions leading to its initial public offering in May 1994. Under the helm of Goff as vice chairman/chief executive officer, the company’s assets grew from approximately $500 million at its IPO to $6.5 billion in August 2007 when it was acquired by Morgan Stanley Real Estate.

From 1987 to 1994, Goff served as vice president of Rainwater, Inc., acting as a senior investment advisor to and investor with Mr. Rainwater. Prior to joining Rainwater, Inc., Goff was employed by KPMG Peat, Marwick from 1981 to 1987.

Goff is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and is a C.P.A.
 

Pablo González-Sada is president and CEO of Uniexcel Chemical Solutions S.A. and president of Aero Servicios Regiomontanos S.A. González-Sada began his career in banking in 1976 with Banpaís S.A. and in 1986 he was appointed president of the insurance company Seguros del País S.A. Three years later, he was named president of Vitro, S.A. holding company and in 1990, he became president of Vitro Chemical Fibers and Mining Division. In 1996, he was appointed as president of Vitro Flat Glass Division.

He serves on the boards of Grupo Cydsa, Regio Empresas, Aeropuerto del Norte, and Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexican Red Cross). He is also Honorary Consul of Greece for the Northern States of Mexico.

Gonzalez-Sada earned a BBA from the University of Monterrey and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. He also attended the Global Leadership Program at the University of Michigan.
 

C. Kim Goodwin, with over twenty years of experience in investment and financial services, most recently served as managing director and head of equities, globally for Credit Suisse's Asset Management Division. Based in Europe, Ms. Goodwin had been responsible for the management of all Credit Suisse equity products in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, as well as all multi-country equity products. Prior to Credit Suisse, Ms. Goodwin's career includes senior executive positions at State Street Research & Management Company, American Century Investments, Putnam Investments, Prudential Investments, and Mellon Bank. Along with her business accomplishments, Ms. Goodwin has appeared frequently in the financial press, including CNBC, and has been featured in Time Magazine, USA Today, Investment News, and Barron’s.

Ms. Goodwin earned a bachelor's degree in politics, cum laude, from Princeton University, and two master's degrees from the University of Texas at Austin - one in public affairs from The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and an MBA specializing in finance from The McCombs School of Business. Goodwin is a life member of the Texas Exes, as well as a former member of the UT System's Chancellor's Council, the UT Development Board and the MBA Investment Fund Advisory Board. Ms. Goodwin currently serves on the board of directors for Akamai Technologies and on the advisory council for Correlation Consulting, specialists in socially and environmentally conscious investing. She is now a consultant for a range of clients, with a primary focus on business restructuring, talent management, and investment performance.

 

Sue E. Gove is executive vice president and COO of Golfsmith International. Until March 2006, she served as executive vice president and COO of Zale Corporation.

Gove serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Autozone. 

Gove earned a BBA in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Robert H. Graham was a co-founder of AIM Investments in 1976 and served at various times as its president, CEO and chairman before retiring in 2007. He also served as vice chairman of AMVESCAP PLC, the parent company of AIM and Invesco PLC following their merger in 1997. He currently serves as chairman of St. John’s School and of Houston Zoo, Inc. He also serves on the board of directors of Southwestern University, the Houston regional board of Teach For America and the national advisory board for Prison Entrepreneurial Program. He formerly served on the boards of The Gladney Center and University of St. Thomas and as president of Chinquapin School.

A Houston native, Graham received a BS degree, an ME in electrical engineering and an MBA in finance, all from The University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Graham was inducted into the McCombs School Hall of Fame in 2004.

 

Joseph M. "Jody" Grant is chairman emeritus of Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc. He is also partner and senior advisor of BankCap Partners and a founding member of the Investment Committee for BankCap Equity Fund LLC.

He was formerly chairman and CEO of Texas Capital Bancshares. Previously with EDS, he was CFO and executive VP and co-led the successful spin-off of EDS from General Motors. He has also held leadership positions with Texas American Bancshares, Inc. and Texas Commerce Bank Houston. Grant is the author of two books on the history of banking in Texas and was recognized as Ernest & Young's Southwest Area Entrepreneur of the Year for 2002.

Grant serves on the Board of Visitors for M.D. Anderson and is Chairman of the Communities Foundation of Texas. He currently chairs the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation and is a member of the Hall of Fame of UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business.

Grant holds a BBA from Southern Methodist University. He also earned an MBA in finance and a Ph.D. in finance and economics from The University of Texas at Austin.

 

Robert G. Greer is vice chairman for Bank of Texas. Previously he was chairman for Bank of Tanglewood, the first CEO and later senior chairman of the Cullen Center Bank and Trust, and vice chairman, Frost Bank, in addition to holding numerous other banking leadership positions since he began his career in 1955, including president of the Texas Bankers Association.

Greer is former director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Business Administration at The University of Texas at Austin, member of the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council and member of the Development Board of The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He also serves as a Life Member of both the UT Health Science Development Board of Houston and the Texas Medical Center Board.

Greer received his BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Bill Gurley joined Benchmark Capital in 1999 after spending two years as a partner with Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. His current investments include Linden Lab/SecondLife, LiveOps, Move Networks, Nanosolar, OpenTable (IPO: OPEN), Red 5 Studios, Ruba, Tropos Networks, Vudu and Zillow.com

Previous investments include Avamar Technologies (acquired by EMC), Business,com (acquired by R.H. Donnelley), Crossgain (acquired by BEA Systems, Employease (acquired by ADP), JAMDAT (IPO: JMDT;acquired by Electronic Arts), Nordstrom.com (acquired by Nordstrom), Shopping.com (IPO: SHOP; acquired by eBay) and The Knot (IPO: KNOT).

Before entering the venture capital business, Gurley spent four years as a research analyst for Wall Street, including three years at CS First Boston, where he was the lead analyst on the Amazon IPO. In 1995 and 1996, he was a member of the Institutional Investor All-American Research Team.

Prior to his investment career, Gurley was a design engineer for Compaq Computer and also served in the technical marketing group of Advanced Micro Devices' embedded processor division.

Gurley holds a BS in computer science from the University of Florida and earned an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Barbara Sublett Guthery is general partner of Sublett Partners, Ltd. After 30 years in the New York metropolitan area, where she was a vice president with Prudential Securities Inc., she returned to Texas in 1991. Prior to the formation of UTIMCO, she served as one of the five investment advisors to the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System.

Guthery was a member of the first Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council, and currently serves on the Advisory Council of the UT College of Pharmacy and the McCombs Advisory Council. Active with the Texas Exes, she currently serves on the Public Affairs Committee, the Scholarship Committee and the Investment Committee. Guthery has donated a Presidential Scholarship in Entrepreneurship Education to the McCombs School of Business and a basketball scholarship to the Longhorn Foundation. She is also chairman of the Neighborhood Longhorns Board and on the Caritas Community Advisory Board. She is a member of the board of the Colorado Chautauqua Association and the VP of the Colorado Chautauqua Cottagers.
 

Richard A. Haberman
Bio is currently unavailable.
 

John P. Harbin retired in 1983 as chairman and CEO of Halliburton Company. Before his 35 years with the petroleum services firm, he worked for Carter Oil (Exxon) in Venezuela and served as a Lieutenant in the US Navy Reserve during WWII. In 1989 he joined Lone Star Technologies, Inc. as chairman and CEO. Though he retired in 1998, he served as consultant through 2003.

Harbin has served on numerous financial and petroleum industry associations and presently serves as an honorary director of the American Petroleum Institute and director of the Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association. A member of the National Petroleum Council from 1974 to 1999, he has served on the boards of Citicorp/Citibank, Burlington Industries, Louisiana Land & Exploration, Petrolite, Circle K and Penrod Drilling. He is active in many civic affairs in Dallas and, a Distinquished Eagle Scout himself, was president of the Boy Scout Circle of Ten Foundation from 1967 to 1996. Harbin's generosity resulted in the Harbin Chair and Harbin Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

A 1994 inductee into the Texas Business Hall of Fame, Harbin was also awarded The University of Texas at Austin's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1981 and is a member of the McCombs School Hall of Fame. He is a donor of the John P. Harbin Chair in Business and served as president of UT's Ex-Students Association (Texas Exes) from 1989 to 1990.

Harbin earned a BBA with honors from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Katherine J. Harless has had top P & L responsibility for several multi-billion businesses. She served as president and CEO of Idearc Media Inc. from 2006-2008. She led the successful tax-free spinoff of Idearc Media from Verizon Communications. Idearc is the second largest national yellow pages directory publisher.

She previously served as president of Verizon Information Services, the nation’s most advanced provider of yellow pages and related shopping information, from 2000-2006. Before that (1996-2000), she was president of GTE Airfone, where she directed overall operations, including the expansion of air-to-ground public telecommunications services in the United States and other countries.

Harless worked for GTE from 1973-2000, starting in her hometown of San Angelo, Texas, and carrying out assignments of increasing responsibility in finance, sales, marketing and operations. She was appointed regional president for GTE Telephone Operations in Texas and New Mexico in 1994.

Harless serves on the board of directors for the Toro Company, on its Compensation and Human Resource Committee, as well as the Nominating and Governance Committee. She was a member on the Idearc Media board, and is a lifetime member of and serves on the Advisory Board for The University of Texas McCombs School of Business. She twice served as chairman of the Yellow Pages Association board.

Harless is a member of the Committee of 200 and Leadership America. She was featured in the November/December 2005 issue of Profiles in Diversity Journal as one of the 77 “Women Worth Watching in 2006.”

In 1998, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame at The University of Texas at Austin. Harless earned a B.B.A. in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin.

Frederick B. Hegi Jr. is the founding partner of Wingate Partners and chairman of United Stationers, Inc. Previously, he was chairman of Loomis, Fargo & Co. and Kevco. He also serves on the boards of Hallmark Cards, Texas Capital Bancshares, Lone Star Technologies, Drew Industries and Austin Industries, among others. Prior to forming Wingate, Hegi was president of Valley View Capital Corporation.

Hegi has co-chaired Southern Methodist University's (SMU) annual fund campaign and Harvard Business School's major gifts campaign, and is active in several Dallas-area philanthropic organizations. He is a member of SMU's board of trustees, a trustee of UT Southwestern Medical Foundation, a member of the Board of Visitors of UT Southwestern University Hospitals, former Chairman of UT Southwestern's Presidents Research Council, a trustee for the Dallas Center for Performing Arts, a member of the Chancellor's Council Executive Committee of The University of Texas System and a trustee of The Communities Foundation of Texas. At The University of Texas at Austin, he is a member and former chair of the McCombs School of Business Foundation, is a member of The University of Texas at Austin's Development Board and served on the Commission of 125. Hegi is a former chairman of the McCombs School Advisory Council.

Hegi has a BBA from Southern Methodist University, an MBA from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from the The University of Texas at Austin
 

Jeff Heller currently serves as vice chairman of EDS. He had retired from EDS in 2002, after a 34-year career with the company, but returned in 2003. He originally joined EDS as a trainee and moved through various technical management and executive positions before becoming senior vice president in 1987. He was named president and COO in 1996, and vice chairman in 2000. During his career, EDS grew from a small start-up company to a Fortune 100 corporation with revenues of $21.5 billion and 140,000 employees.

Heller’s UT career was highlighted by his achievements as an NCAA All-American swimmer for the Longhorns from 1957-1961. In 1995, he was honored with the Frank Erwin Award in swimming and, in 2000, he was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor. In 2002, he was inducted into the McCombs School Hall of Fame. Heller is a 2003 recipient of the University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Heller serves on the board of directors of several public, private and charitable companies and institutions and was appointed to UT-Austin’s Commission of 125.

Heller earned a B.B.A. in finance from The University of Texas of Austin.

William C. Helms is Senior Executive Vice President and head of the Wealth Management Group at BBVA Compass. Prior to joining BBVA Compass, he spent 17 years with Bank of America. Helms' last executive position at Bank of America was as co-president of the Private Bank. His early career was spent with Texas Commerce Bank in Houston and New York.

Helms serves on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He also serves on the boards of the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science and the Houston Grand Opera Board of Governors. He previously served on the boards of the Atlanta and Houston YMCAs, the UT Health Science Center, Emory University Board of Trustees and the Atlanta Ballet.

Helms received a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Gilbert A. Herrera  founded Herrera Partners in 1992.  It is a private investment banking firm that provides merger & acquisition advisory, SEC compliance, expert testimony, valuations, bankruptcy-related restructuring and related services. He formerly served as director of Coopers & Lybrand's Southwest region corporate finance group. Previously, he was the senior investment banker for Underwood, Neuhaus & Co.

In 1995, Gilbert received the Outstanding Young Texas-Ex award from the Texas Exes. In 2001, he was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to serve as chair of the General Services Commission and by appointment from the Supreme Court of Texas he served as a member of the Commission for Lawyer Discipline from 1993 until 1999.

At The University of Texas at Austin, Herrera serves on the Advisory Council for the Ex-Students’ Association, the MBA Investment Fund, L.L.C. and the Executive Committee of Chancellor's Council of The University of Texas System. He is also a member of the Littlefield Society and previously served on the University's Commission of 125.

Gilbert earned a BBA in finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Thomas O. Hicks is founder, chairman and CEO of Hicks Holdings LLC, a Dallas-based family office that owns and manages the Thomas and Cinda Hicks Family’s sports, real estate and corporate assets and investments. Previously, Hicks co-founded, and was chairman from 1989 through 2004 of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, Inc., a nationally prominent private equity firm specializing in leveraged acquisitions. During Hicks’s tenure as chairman, HMTF successfully raised over $12 billion of private equity funds, consummated over $50 billion of leveraged acquisitions, and was one of the world’s most active private investment firms. From 1984 to 1989, Hicks was co-founder and co-CEO of Hicks & Haas, a Dallas-based private equity firm. The successful acquisitions of HMTF and Hicks & Haas included AMFM Inc., A&W Brands, Inc., Berg Electronics, Inc., Dr Pepper/Seven Up Companies, International Home Foods, Life Partners Group, Pinnacle Foods, Sybron International, and Yell Group plc, among others.

Hicks is the chairman of the board and owner of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and serves as the team's representative on the MLB Board of Governors. He is also on the board of directors for Major League Baseball Advanced Media. He is chairman of the board for the Dallas Stars Hockey Club and serves as vice chairman for the NHL Board of Governors. He also serves on the NHL Executive Committee and the NHL Audit and Finance Committee. Hicks is also Co-Chairman of the Liverpool Football Club, an English premiership league team.

Hicks also serves on the boards of directors for the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, Crow Family Holdings, as well as The Center for Strategic and International Studies Board of Trustees, the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business Dean's Board of Advisors, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Foundation Board of Trustees, The University of Texas Chancellor's Council, as well as various charities. A former member of The University of Texas System Board of Regents, Hicks has served as chairman of The University of Texas Investment Management Company, (UTIMCO) which manages the $20 billion Permanent University Fund and Long Term Funds. Additionally, Hicks was a recent recipient of the University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award, and annually serves as a Distinguished Guest Lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Hicks has a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of Southern California.
 

Richard S. Hill is partner with Hill Partners, Inc., a firm he co-founded in 1992.

After a two-year stint at Ernst & Young as a senior accountant, Hill joined Trammell Crow Company in 1980 and was named a partner in the Austin Industrial Division in 1983. In 1988, he took over the Austin Office Division and was named a partner in the firm. In 1992 he left Trammell Crow to co-found Hill Partners, Inc., one of Central Texas' most successful commercial real estate firms.

As a past president and current member of the Real Estate Council of Austin, a past member of the Chamber of Commerce board, and former president of the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo, Hill has a history of community involvement. He is also the current Trustee of the Texas Wildlife Association Foundation and is on the Board of the Austin Crime Commission.

Hill has a BBA in finance and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Mr. Charles M. Holley, Jr. is executive vice president finance and treasurer for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He is responsible for corporate development, strategy and planning, tax, investor relations, treasury operations and risk management for Wal-Mart. Previously, Charles held the title of senior vice president of finance with responsibility for the company’s accounting and tax areas, financial reporting and investor relations. In addition, he oversaw the financial support of the company’s corporate areas including real estate, benefits and risk management, the Information Systems Division and the People Division. Charles joined Wal-Mart in 1994 and has served as the company’s senior vice president and corporate controller as well as the senior vice president and CFO for Wal-Mart’s International Division. While involved with Wal-Mart International, he helped pioneer the Company’s international expansion efforts.

Before joining Wal-Mart, Charles was with Tandy Corporation as managing director for Tandy’s European Memorex Consumer Product Division (Memtek International). Charles previously spent 10 ½ years with Ernst & Young.

Holley has a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Texas in Austin and earned his MBA in Finance at the University of Houston.

Joe E. Holt is Chairman-Austin Region and market manager for Middle Market. He has been with JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors for 37 years. Prior responsibilities include South Region manager, Technology Corporate banking; Middle Market banking for the Texas Regions and serving in several other Texas markets in various senior management positions within the firm’s Commercial and Middle Market business groups.

Within the community, Joe is actively involved and currently serves as the immediate past chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and is on the board of the Austin Economic Development Corporation. He is a member of the Austin Area Research Organization and is president of the Greater Austin Crime Commission. He is also on the board and executive committee of the Austin Symphony and is on the executive board of the Capitol Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. Joe is a member of the Brackenridge Development Council and the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council. He is on the executive committee of The University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council and on the advisory council of the McCombs School of Business of The University of Texas at Austin.

A native of Henderson, Texas, Joe graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance in 1971.

Ralph T. Hull's professional career involved investing in and supervising small, Houston-area banks, and he is presently a full-time investor.

Hull has served on numerous Houston civic organizations and is currently a member of the UT Austin Development Board  and the UT Health Science Center Advisory Council. He is a life member of the UT College of Natural Sciences Advisory Council and is also a member of the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council.

He earned a BBA and a J.D. from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Ronald Hulme is a Houston-based director at McKinsey & Company, the international management consulting firm.

Hulme has led or co-led several of McKinsey's functional and industry practices including the Global Strategy Practice, the Global Corporate Finance Practice, the Americas Petroleum Practice and the Americas Chemical Practice. Currently, he leads McKinsey's Special Initiative on Corporate Risk. He has also been active in McKinsey's internal governance, having served as a member of the Shareholders Council (the firm's Board of Directors) and as a member of McKinsey's eight-person Office of the Managing Director, where he had oversight responsibility for the firm's global knowledge efforts and functional practices. 

Hulme earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
 

Shawn Hurwitz is president and vice chairman of the board of MAXXAM Inc., an American Stock Exchange listed company in the real estate development and pari-mutuel racing business. Mr. Hurwitz is also president/CEO of MAXXAM Property Co. and CEO of Sam Houston Race Park.

MAXXAM Property Company is involved in single-family and multi-family residential projects, retail and commercial projects, hotel development and operation, and resort and country club operations.

Sam Houston Race Park owns and operates a horse-racing facility in Houston, as well as a greyhound race track in Harlingen, Texas, and owns a license for a horse track in Laredo, Texas.

Mr. Hurwitz’ proudest achievement outside of his MAXXAM work is his work for the KIPP (“Knowledge Is Power Program”) organization where he serves as chairman emeritus of KIPP: Houston and president of KIPP Finance Corporation. In addition, Mr. Hurwitz has the honor of serving on the board of KIPP Foundation, which oversees all of the KIPP Schools nationwide. KIPP Schools are open-enrollment public schools that provide educationally underserved pre-K to 12th grade students with the knowledge, skills, and character needed to succeed in top-quality high schools, colleges, and the competitive world beyond.

Mr. Hurwitz is married to Debbie Hurwitz and they have two children: Ellie, age 13; and Scott, age 12.

Alfred Jackson has been a principal with Davis Hamilton Jackson and Associates, an asset-management firm in Houston, Texas, for the past 15 years. His career history includes successful experience working in the areas of marketing, sales and management in the investment banking, investment advisory and money management fields.

In 1986, after several years in the investment business, Jackson joined American Asset Management Company out of New York. In a joint venture with the company, he created his own firm, Alfred Jackson & Associates. Two years later, Jackson joined efforts with Mr. Robert Davis and Mr. Jack Hamilton to form Davis Hamilton Jackson & Associates in Houston, Texas, which now manages more than $4.7 billion and is the second largest independent money management firm in Houston. In 2004, Jackson founded a private equity firm, Capital Point Partners, which specializes in mezzanine investments with a diverse group of companies from across the United States.

Jackson presently serves on several boards including: The Houston Municipal Pension System Board of Trustees, The National Association of Security Professionals, The University of Texas Exes Investment Committee and The University of Texas Chancellor's Council. Past board participation includes The University of Texas Longhorn Foundation and the Texas Guaranty School Loan Corporation. Jackson was also appointed to Governor Rick Perry's Economic Council for the State of Texas.

He received a B.A. in history from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Stephan A. James retired from Accenture and his international chairman role in August 2006. From 2000 to 2004, he was COO of Accenture, with primary responsibility for Accenture's global operations and functions including marketing, finance operations and human resources. He was also responsible for the development of expert capabilities in technology, business consulting and outsourcing. In 1999 to 2000, he was chief executive of Accenture's Resources Operating Group focused on energy, chemicals and utilities industries. For the six prior years, he was the chief executive for their global Financial Services Operating Group focused on banking, insurance and health care. He joined the company in 1968 and became a partner in 1979. James was vice chairman of Accenture's board of directors and the firm's management committee, as well as a member of its executive committee and global leadership council.

James is currently a member of the board of directors of Metavante Technologies and of Navigant Consulting, and he is a member of the compensation and audit committees for both companies.

James has a BBA with a specialization in industrial management and labor relations from The University of Texas at Austin.

Kenneth M. Jastrow, IIserved as chairman and CEO of Temple-Inland Inc., an Austin-based Fortune 500 company with interests in paper, forest products, real estate and financial services, from 2000 to 2007.  Jastrow worked at Temple-Inland for over 27 years.  He served as president and chief operating officer in 1998 and 1999, group vice president from 1995 until 1998, and chief financial officer of Temple-Inland from November 1991 until 1998.  

Jastrow is non-executive chairman of Forestar Group, Inc., and serves as a director of KB Home and MGIC Investment Corporation.  He is past chairman of Texas Taxpayers Research Association and Texas Mortgage Bankers Association.  In 2007 he was awarded the Mirabeau B. Lamar Medal presented by the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities.  In addition, he received the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association Distinguished Service Award and Boy Scouts of America (Midland, Texas) Distinguished Citizen Award.   

At The University of Texas, Jastrow served as chairman of the following:  Development Board, Advisory Council of the McCombs School of Business, and Neighborhood Longhorns.  Jastrow also served as chair of the Commission of 125.   Currently, Jastrow is chairman of UT’s Capital Campaign.   In 2004 Jastrow was named a Distinguished Alumnus of The University of Texas, and he was inducted into the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame, 2003.    

Jastrow earned his BBA in 1969 and MBA in 1971 from the University of Texas.  Jastrow came to UT from Midland, Texas and is married to Susan Thomas Jastrow.   Kenny and Susie have three children, all married:  Marty and J. McCartt, Kenny and Kendal Jastrow, and Corby and Stephanie Jastrow, and six grandchildren.  The couple resides on a ranch outside Austin in the Hill Country of Texas.

Rob L. Jones is a managing director and the head of Merrill Lynch's Investment Banking Global Energy and Power Group and principal of Merrill Lynch Commodity Partners, a private equity investing arm of Merrill Lynch for the energy and power sector. 

Jones works extensively with a variety of energy and power clients, with a particular focus on the natural gas sector. He has been involved in over $80 billion of advisory transactions in the natural gas industry. Jones joined Merrill Lynch in 1993 from The First Boston Corporation. Prior to graduate school, Jones was a financial specialist with Sun Exploration and Production Company.

Jones, a resident of Houston, Texas, is a member of the President's Associates at The University of Texas at Austin and on the Board of Advisors of the Children's Fund of Houston.

Jones received his BBA in finance and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Don D. Jordan is the retired chairman and CEO of Reliant Energy, based in Houston, Texas. Joining the company, formerly Houston Industries, in 1956, Mr. Jordan served in several management positions at Houston Lighting & Power Company (HL&P), Houston Industries and Reliant Energy. Mr. Jordan served as chairman of the board and was elected president and CEO of Houston Industries Inc. in 1977. Houston Industries changed its name to Reliant Energy in February 1999.

Among his many community activities, Mr. Jordan served as president and chairman of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, chairman of the board of South Texas College of Law and chairman of the board of the Houston Chamber of Commerce. He was president of the World Energy Council headquartered in London, England, chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 17th Congress of the World Energy Council, held in Houston in 1998, and now serves as the honorary lifetime president of the World Energy Council. Mr. Jordan also serves as director of AEGIS Services, Inc., BJ Services Company and the Texas Medical Center, and as an executive committee member of the South Texas College of Law, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and Greater Houston Partnership, as well as many other civic and charitable organizations.

Mr. Jordan is the recipient of many honors, including Distinguished Alumnus from the University of Texas and from the South Texas College of Law; the 1998 Distinguished Citizen Award from the Rotary Club of Houston; 1998 Executive of the Year from World Cogeneration Magazine; and a 2001 inductee into the Texas Business Hall of Fame.

Mr. Jordan received a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a JD from the South Texas College of Law. He is married and has three daughters.


William J. Kaplan
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

Herbert D. Kelleher is co-founder and executive chairman of Southwest Airlines. Under his leadership, Southwest became the most consistently profitable, productive and cost-efficient carrier in the country. 

His revolutionary vision, famously sketched out on a cocktail napkin in 1966, became an industry-leading business strategy delivering high value for shareholders, a stimulating corporate culture that encourages new thinking, and an enjoyable low-cost option for business and leisure travelers. It is no coincidence that Fortune rates Southwest as one of the world's most admired companies, as well as one of the best to work for.

He has been named CEO of the Year by Chief Executive magazine and CEO of the Century by Texas Monthly. His gift to the McCombs School established the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, ensuring that his legacy of innovation will spur future economic growth in Texas and beyond. He is also a member of the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame.

Kelleher is a graduate of Wesleyan University and has a law degree from New York University. 
 

Gary Kelly serves as the chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer at Southwest Airlines. A 22-year Southwest veteran who became CFO in 1989, Gary has worked closely with Southwest's legendary Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus Herb Kelleher and President Emeritus Colleen Barrett to build the nation's fifth-largest airline—and the undisputed low-fare leader.

Gary began his career at Southwest Airlines as controller, moving up to chief financial officer and vice president finance, then executive vice president and CFO, before being promoted to CEO and vice chairman in July 2004. Gary assumed the role of chairman in May 2008 and president in July 2008. Prior to joining Southwest Airlines in 1986, Gary was a CPA for Arthur Young & Company in Dallas and controller for Systems Center, Inc.

Southwest Airlines is celebrating 36 years of consecutive profitability and was recently named #1 in Customer Satisfaction by the Department of Transportation for the year 2008.  For the 13th year in a row, Fortune magazine listed Southwest Airlines among America’s most admired corporations.  Gary has received awards and recognitions, including being named one of Business Travel News’ 25 Most Influential Executives of 2004; a finalist for Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News editors for the year 2005; being honored with the 4th Annual Friends of Texas Public Schools Friend of the Year Award for 2008; and being named one of the best CEOs in America for 2008 and 2009 by Institutional Investor magazine.

Gary received a BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of Financial Executives Institute and the Texas Society of CPAs, and he serves on the McCombs School Accounting Advisory Board and Advisory Council at the University of Texas at Austin. He also serves on the board of the Dallas Citizens Council.

Ellen L. Keszler serves as president and CEO of Clear Sky Associates, a management and strategy consulting firm focused on the technology and travel industries. Previously, she was president of Travelocity Business, launching this new online oriented corporate travel business in 2003 and growing it to over $30 million in revenue in less than four years, with operations in the US and UK. Prior to that, she led the North American division of Sabre Travel Network, a $1B revenue business. In these leadership roles she had responsibility for sales, account management, software product management, marketing and operations in the global distribution system, corporate booking tool, and corporate travel agency businesses.

The first thirteen years of Ellen’s career were spent in a variety of finance functions at JCPenney, American Airlines and Sabre Holdings. These functions included financial planning, strategic analysis, treasury, mergers and acquisitions, as well as financial operations.

Ellen serves on the board and audit committee of PROS Pricing, a NYSE company. She is a member of the Advisory Council of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a board member of KERA, North Texas Public Broadcasting and Preston Hollow Presbyterian School, chairing the Advancement Committee at both organizations. She was on the board of the National Business Travel Association Foundation for three years, a foundation dedicated to delivering education and research to the corporate travel industry, and served for two years as its chair. She participated on the editorial board of Business Travel News, the leading corporate travel industry publication. She has twice served as a mentor at Menttium, an organization dedicated to improving professional performance of high potential female executives through mentoring. She was also named one of the 100 most powerful women in Travel by Travel Agent Magazine for four consecutive years.

Ellen received her B.S. in Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University and MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.


Paul Kinscherff is Vice President of Boeing International and President of Boeing Middle East where he is responsible for strengthening the company’s presence across the region and supporting Boeing growth and productivity opportunities. He joined Boeing in 1999 and has worked as assistant treasurer, Vie President of Investor Relations, Vice President of Finance and Treasurer for the company before assuming his current position in May 2008.

Prior to Boeing, Kinscherff worked at Lockheed Martin, holding increasingly responsible finance and treasury positions. Before Lockheed Martin, he was with ARCO in various domestic and international finance assignments.

Board memberships include Boeing Capital Corporation, the company’s finance subsidiary, as well as the board of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Kinscherff has a B.S. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA and Masters in public affairs from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Gary Kusin is a senior advisor at TPG, a private equity firm with offices around the world. Prior to joining TPG in 2006, Kusin was president and CEO of FedEx Office from February 2004 when FedEx Corp. acquired Kinko's until January 2006. He originally joined Kinko's as CEO in August, 2001. Kusin was responsible for Kinko's strategic direction, product and service vision, as well as growth and development in all areas of the company. He also served on the Senior Management Committee for FedEx Corporation.

Prior to joining Kinko's, Kusin was CEO of HQ Global Workplaces. He co-founded Laura Mercier Cosmetics in 1995 and was president and co-founder of Babbage's Inc., now operating as Game Stop. Earlier in his career, he was vice president and general merchandise manager for the Sanger-Harris division of Federated Department Stores.

An Inc. magazine "Entrepreneur of Year" award winner, Kusin serves on the board of directors of Electronic Arts, Inc. He also serves on the board of directors of the Dallas Citizen’s Council and various other public and private boards, both for profit and not for profit.

He earned a B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Thomas L. Kuzio recently retired as the senior vice president of sales for PepsiCo International. Prior to this role, Tom was senior vice president of Sales for PepsiCo United Kingdom & Ireland; senior vice President, National Sales for Frito-Lay North America (FLNA); president of Frito-Lay-West; Director of Sales for Frito-Lay-Australia; and vice president, Sales Development for FLNA. He joined PepsiCo in 1978 and before that worked for Procter & Gamble. He is actively involved on the Dean's Advisory Board of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio and The University of Texas at Austin. Kuzio and his wife, Janet, have recently moved from London to NYC. They have four sons: Geoff, Alex, Steven and Scott.

Kuzio holds a B.S. from Miami University, an MBA from Golden Gate University and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.
 

S. Todd Maclin is CEO of Commercial Banking at JP Morgan Chase & Co. One of the firm’s six lines of business, Chase Commercial Banking is the third largest commercial banking franchise in the United States, with local presence in 27 States. The business provides a full range of products and services to over 26,000 customers, including best-in-class deposit and treasury management, commercial card, asset management, direct lending, capital markets and investment banking. Chase Commercial Banking has earned leadership rankings in all these relevant product categories. The business is organized geographically, with senior decision makers and dedicated teams present in over 75 local U.S. markets. Important client and product capabilities include middlemarket and mid-corporate banking, leasing, asset based lending, real estate finance and mezzanine capital. Chase Commercial Banking also relies on dedicated professionals around the world to serve the international needs of its client base.

Maclin is a native Texan and 29-year veteran of JP Morgan Chase and its predecessor banks. He has held a variety of leadership positions in investment banking and commercial banking at JP Morgan Chase. These include prior roles as Regional Executive for Texas and the Southwest U.S. and as a Global Executive for Energy Investment Banking. He is a member of the JP Morgan Chase Operating Committee, the senior-most operating group of the firm. He also serves on the board of the JP Morgan Chase Foundation.

An active member of the business community, Maclin has served on the executive committee and board of directors of the Greater Dallas Chamber; as an advisory director of the Export-Import Bank of the United States; advisory member of the National Petroleum Council; and member of Young Presidents Organization and World Presidents Organization. He is a director of the Private Export Funding Corporation; a national trustee for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America; and The Financial Services Round table in Washington DC. Maclin holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Texas at Austin and a masters in business administration from the University of Houston.

Frank Maresh is currently a self-employed CPA. He retired from KPMG Peat Marwick in 1993 and has since served as a private investor and consultant to businesses. He serves on two public company boards (Argenaut Insurance Company and Eagle Materials) as the Sarbanes Oxley "Audit Committee Financial Expert."

Maresh was the youngest audit partner to enter the firm when he came to KPMG in 1968. During his years at KMPG, Maresh was vice chairman of KPMG's Board of Directors, a member of the firm-wide Management Committee and partner in charge of the Southwest Region. When he retired in 1993 to enter venture capital business, he was appointed to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy by Governor Ann Richards, and served as chairman.

As an involved member of the community, Maresh has been chairman of the Board of Directors for the Central Houston Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Business Committee for the Arts. He has been a president and member of the Board of Directors for the Easter Seal Society of Harris County, Travelers Aid Society of Houston and the Lakeside Country Club of Houston. 

Maresh recently received the first "McCombs Accounting Program Texas Star Award" at the May 2005 commencement ceremonies as the outstanding UT accounting alumnus.

He earned a BBA and an MPA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

John H. Massey has been a senior investment advisor with Lehman Private Equity Fund Advisers since 1996. In May 2009 he became chairman of the Investment Committee of the Neuberger Berman, LLC Private Equity Funds Group, which manages and administers more than $20 billion of private equity limited partnership interests.   Neuberger Berman, LLC succeeded to the private equity funds previously managed by Lehman Private Equity Fund Advisers.

 Previously, Mr. Massey was chairman and CEO of Life Partners Group, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange listed company, from 1994 to 1996; and chairman and CEO of First Southwest Investments from 1992 to 1994. He has served in numerous executive leadership positions with publicly held corporations including Gulf Broadcast Company, Anderson Clayton & Co. and Gulf United Corporation. He began his career with Republic National Bank of Dallas as an investment analyst in 1966. Massey has served on the board of directors of more than 40 corporations including six companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange..

Massey currently serves on the boards of several financial institutions, including First Southwest Company, Brazos Funds, Inc., Occidental Life of North America, Central Texas Bankshare Holdings, Inc. and Hill Bankshares Holdings, Inc., among others.

Massey received the Most Distinguished Alumnus Award from Southern Methodist University's (SMU) Cox School of Business in 1993. He serves on the advisory board of The University of Texas at Austin's School of Law, served eight years on the Johnson School of Management's board at Cornell and also served 16 years on the board at the SMU's Cox School of Business. He is also active in agricultural and wildlife conservation activities in Colorado County and Matagorda County, Texas.

Massey received a BBA from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from the Johnson School of Management at Cornell. He also earned an L.L.B. from The University of Texas at Austin. He has been a member of the State Bar of Texas since 1966 and a Chartered Financial Analyst since 1971.

Joseph N. Matlock
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

W. Baker McAdams
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.

 

Red McCombs began his career as a salesman in the automobile business in Corpus Christi in 1950. In 1958, he relocated to San Antonio where he is owner of McCombs Enterprises. He is also co-founder of Clear Channel Communications and McCombs Energy Corporation and is active in a variety of other enterprises.

McCombs has had numerous leadership roles in national, state and local civic organizations, including the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce and San Antonio's World's Fair. He has served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Southwestern University and chairman of the Board of Visitors of Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and remains active in the local and statewide charitable communities. He is a member of the National Auto Dealers Hall of Fame, National College Football Hall of Fame, Texas Business Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame and San Antonio Business Hall of Fame.

McCombs is the former owner of the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL and the NBA's Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs.

McCombs has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of Southwestern University and The University of Texas at Austin. He has been honored with the Presidential Citation from The University of Texas at Austin and received an Honorary Ph.D. Letter from Southwestern University.
 

Hugh E. "Skip" McGee is head of the Global Investment Banking Division at Barclays Capital and chairman of the firm’s Investment Banking Executive Committee.

McGee joined Barclays Capital in 2008, having previously served as global head of the Investment Banking Division at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., following his appointment to the position in 2002. Additionally, Mr. McGee served as a member of Lehman Brothers’ Executive Committee and chairman of the Investment Banking Executive Committee. For the past 20 years, he has focused on energy investment banking, providing both strategic advisory and financing services to clients across all sectors of the energy and power industries.

McGee has a BS in systems engineering from Princeton University and a JD from The University of Texas at Austin.

John D. McStay is managing partner of John McStay and Associates, a private investment company with investments in a wide range of financial assets, real estate, ranching and operating companies. McStay was previously senior vice president and trust investment officer for Mercantile National Bank at Dallas and president and CEO of Mercantile Securities Corporation. In 1983, he founded John McStay Investment Counsel, which grew to $6 billion under management and was purchased in 1999 by American International Group (AIG).

A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), McStay has served as national director for the CFA Institute and as a director in both the Dallas and Austin-San Antonio Societies. He is a past director of The University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), which oversees the management of The University of Texas System's portfolios. He is a reserve elder of Highland Park Presbyterian Church, a member of the Governor's Business Council, a trustee of Southwestern Medical Foundation and a director of the Baylor Oral Health Foundation.

McStay holds both a BBA and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Mr. Ardon E. Moore is president and CEO of Ft. Worth based Lee M. Bass, Inc. where he has been employed since 1988. In addition, Moore serves as general partner and/or director of numerous other Bass entities. Moore participates, both as a principal and as a representative for Bass, in a broad array of asset classes and industries including public and private equities, debt, real estate, energy, agriculture, hedge funds and venture capital.

Moore serves on the Board of Directors of The University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) where he serves on both the Compensation and Policy Committees. In addition, he serves on The University of Texas Development Board and The McCombs School of Business Advisory Council. Moore currently serves as president of the Fort Worth Zoological Association and on the Board of Trustees of Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth.

Moore received a B.B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Stanford Business School.
 

Preston Moore Jr. began his career with Wilson Business Products, Systems & Services, Inc., and rose to chairman and CEO. Subsequently he was president of Wilson Industries, a major oil field services company, and was appointed by President George H. W. Bush as CFO and Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Moore returned to Houston in 1993 and is active in a variety of business, political, civic and community service endeavors. He served as the first president of Volcano Corporation, a California-based medical device company.  He serves as a member of the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council, the James A. Baker School of Public Policy Leadership Committee at Rice University and on The University of Texas-Houston Medical School Development Committee. Also, Moore currently serves as a board member of the Memorial Park Conservancy, and he was appointed to the Houston-Harris County Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council. He is a former regent of Texas Southern University and served on the Board of the Jesse Jones School of Business at Rice. He was captain of the Amateur Team in the Texas Cup Golf Match between leading professionals and leading amateurs in 2002.

Moore received his B.A. in economics and business from The University of Texas at Austin and is a graduate of the OPM course at Harvard's Graduate School of Business.
 

David A. Morris is a partner in the Houston office of Heidrick & Struggles and a partner with the firm's Global Financial Services Practice. Morris specializes in recruiting senior executives in a broad range of industries, as well as members of boards of directors.

Previously he was managing director and branch manager for Russell Reynolds Associates. Before entering the executive search industry, Morris had a distinguished career in financial services, including positions with Merrill Lynch, subsidiary Lionel D. Edie & Company and United States Trust Company of New York.

Morris received a BBA and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
 

 

Marc Myers founded Myers & Crow Company, Ltd., a company specializing in developing industrial properties and office buildings. Since 1994, the company has realized projects totaling over six million square feet in 12 Texas cities. Before establishing Myers & Crow, Myers spent over 20 years in management and development with Trammell Crow Company as head of the Dallas Industrial Division.

Myers serves on the Boards for Special Camps for Special Kids and the Children's Medical Center and served on the University's Commission of 125.

Myers holds a BBA and an MBA in finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Mike A. Myers has been chairman and owner of Myers Financial Corporation since 1969, and is president of Myers Development Corporation, a residential development company in Texas and Missouri. He has also been chairman of nine Texas banks, as well as serving on the boards of directors of several major national firms, and has extensive experience owning and operating country clubs across the state. Myers is majority partner in the UT Golf Club which is located at Steiner Ranch in Austin and serves as the home course for UT’s golf teams.

Myers has held volunteer positions at organizations including the Dallas Assembly, Dallas Citizens Council, Young Presidents Organization, Longhorn Education Foundation, Dallas Community College Foundation, Parkland Hospital Foundation and the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. He is currently serving as a director for the Texas Interscholastic League Foundation and is a trustee for the UT School of Law Foundation. Myers is a member of the McCombs School Hall of Fame, a UT Distinguished Alumnus honoree, a recipient of the university’s prestigious Presidential Citation award, and a 2008 inductee into the Texas Business Hall of Fame. The Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Field bears his name.

Toni A. Neal served as director of public money programs for the State of Texas Treasury, and helped achieve $1 billion in additional interest income through innovative cash management strategies. She also serves on boards of several start-up high technology companies in Austin and Montana, the Montana State University Business School Board, and is Treasurer and Board Member for the Boys & Girls Club, among other community activities.

Neal studied computer science and industrial engineering at the University of Oklahoma and earned her MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Jimmy Neissa is chairman of Global Mergers & Acquisitions for UBS Investment Bank. Additionally, Jimmy is responsible for UBS’ investment banking activities in Latin America, primarily in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Mexico City. After joining UBS in 2001, Jimmy has directed their M&A activities from New York and London. Previously, Jimmy was with Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette in New York and London where he led the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice.

Jimmy is a member of the board of trustees of The Fessenden School in Newton, MA. In addition, he is involved in various capacities with several non-profit organizations including serving as chair of the capital campaign for the Department of Urology of the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.

Jimmy received a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business.
 

Robert G. Phillips is the president and CEO of Crestwood Midstream Partners, a private midstream company based in Houston with total equity commitments of $150 million to pursue the acquisition and development of North American midstream assets. He also is a senior advisor to Kayne Anderson.

Phillips is the former president and CEO and a director of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD), the largest publicly traded master limited partnership. He previously served as chairman of the Board and CEO of GulfTerra Energy Partners, L.P. from 1999 to 2004 and president of El Paso Field Services from 1996 to 2004. Prior to that he was chairman, president and CEO of Eastex Energy, Inc. from 1981 to 1995.

Phillips is active in Houston civic affairs and currently serving on the Board of Directors of Boys & Girls Country of Houston and Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas, Inc.

Phillips earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin as well as a law degree from South Texas College of Law. 

Pat Priest is CFO for The Kor Group in Los Angeles. Previously she was managing director and CFO of The Beck Group, an affiliation of companies headquartered in Dallas involved in the real estate, architectural and construction industries which provides a variety of services to real estate owners, users and investors. Priest is responsible for the overall financial management of the firm. She is also involved in development of strategic opportunities for the company. The Beck Group was ranked No. 17 in Fortune's Best 100 Companies to Work for in America for 2001.

Prior to joining The Beck Group in 1999, Priest held the position of president of Intershop Real Estate Services, a Swiss-based investment company. She was also former CFO of Rosewood Property Company, and was chief investment officer of Patriot American Hospitality/Wyndham International.

Priest serves on the Boards of Directors for Dave and Busters, The Real Estate Council, Town North YMCA, The Dallas Opera and the Dallas Chapter of the International Women's Foundation. She is currently chairman of the Executive Women's Roundtable and sits on the Finance Committee of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

A native of North Texas, Priest is a graduate of the University of North Texas, and earned an MBA from The University of Texas at Dallas.
 

Joe N. Prothro
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

David C. Rader is executive vice president and CFO for Frito-Lay North America. A member of Frito-Lay's Executive Committee, he is responsible for business transformation, supply chain, finance, strategic sourcing, productivity, strategy and control. Previously he was senior vice president for finance and purchasing for PepsiCo Food Systems Worldwide.

Rader joined PepsiCo as analyst for Frito-Lay in 1975. He moved to Taco Bell in 1978 as director of business planning and marketing, and subsequently held the position of vice president and controller. Prior to PepsiCo, Rader was with Chrysler Corporation.

Rader holds a B.S. in electrical engineering and an MBA in marketing, both from Ohio State University.

Elysia Ragusa concentrates on office and industrial tenant representation, with an emphasis on workplace strategies, build-to-suit projects, lease negotiations and portfolio planning. Ms. Ragusa provides team leadership and direction for the Central Texas market while also serving clients in Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston.

With over 25 years experience in commercial real estate, Ms. Ragusa has successfully negotiated 350 million square feet of commercial real estate transactions valued at over $4 billion, including work for national clients whose growth strategies were driven by merger and acquisition activity.

Prior to joining Jones Lang LaSalle, Ms. Ragusa served as President and Chief Operating Officer of The Staubach Company from serving on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. Subsequent to its reorganization in July 2007 she served as President, Corporate Services-East.

Her focus on client service, knowledge of transaction management and strategic negotiation skills have been key to successfully leading projects for Kimberly-Clark, Ernst & Young, First Tennessee National Bank, Southwest Securities Group, Sterling Commerce, Sterling Software, Texas Instruments and Weil Gotshal & Manges among others.

She has a BA in English (Summa Cum Laude & Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Texas, a MBA (Finance Emphasis) from Southern Methodist University, and a Master of Arts from the University of Dallas.

Elysia serves on the board of directors of Fossil, Inc. She is a member of the Dallas Citizens Council, International Women’s Forum, the Dallas County Community College Foundation Board and is a lifetime Advisory Council member of the University of Texas McCombs School of Business. She has served as a board member of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas & the United Way Executive Committee and boards of the Visiting Nurse Association and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Elysia and her husband, Jake, have 2 children, Jake III and Jacqueline.

 

B.M. "Mack" Rankin Jr. is vice chairman of Freeport Copper & Gold Co. and McMoRan Exploration Co. He began an independent career in the oil & gas industry in 1967 when he co-founded McMoRan Oil, Inc. He also serves as a private investments consultant for Falcon Energy, Inc.

He was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1981 and is a member of the University's Littlefield Society, Chancellor's Council, Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council for Men's Athletics (past chairman) and the 200 Horns Club. Rankin endowed the B.M. "Mack" Rankin, Jr. Scholarship in Athletics and the B.M. "Mack" Rankin, Jr. Professorship in Petroleum Land Management, among other gifts. The Longhorn Athletics Dining Hall is named in his honor as the B. M. (Mack) Rankin, Jr. Dining Hall. Additionally, he was inducted into the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame in 2006.

Rankin received a BBA in from The University of Texas at Austin.

 

Rod Reed is vice chairman of JPMorgan's Financial Sponsor Group, which is responsible for the firm's investment banking activities with the private equity community worldwide. He joined JPMorgan in 1980, working as a member of the firm's Energy Group in New York City, Houston and Dallas. In 1987, Reed joined the Financial Sponsor Group in New York, serving as co-head and co-chairman of the group before assuming his current responsibilities. JPMorgan's Financial Sponsor Group is the top mergers and acquisitions advisor, bookrunner of IPOs and provider of leveraged finance for private equity and buyout firms. He is a member of JPMorgan's Americas Investment Banking Management Committee.

Reed received a B.A. from Tulane University and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

 

Benjamin E. Rodriguez is president of Management and Business Advisors (MBA), a strategic planning consulting firm based in San Antonio. MBA has an international client base of mid-sized companies that have shown dramatic growth.

Rodriguez has been recognized by a San Antonio daily newspaper as one of the 10 most significant business leaders in the decade of the 80's and one of the most promising leaders in the 90's. He is a familiar face on San Antonio and statewide civic and nonprofit boards, serving numerous chambers, arts, scouting and educational organizations. In 1987, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the McCombs School of Business.

He has a B.A. and an BBA from The University of Texas at Austin, and was selected as a Cactus Outstanding Student. He also holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
 

Cynthia P. Rogan is the vice-president, E&P (Exploration & Production) Finance for BP plc, a global energy company. Rogan has accountability for global capability, financial systems and process standardization, along with a major multi-year transformation agenda for the North American finance back-office. In her 29 year career with ARCO and BP, she has held various leadership positions in the finance and energy trading areas, and has lived domestically and in Europe. Her career included four years as the CFO of CH-Twenty, an affiliate company responsible for ARCO’s environmental remediation activities.

Rogan is active in the community, serving on the board of the Katy Chapter, National Charity League and as a Silver Award advisor with the Girl Scouts. She is also a member of Leadership America and Leadership California.

Rogan has a BBA from the University of North Texas, an MBA from Southern Methodist University and has her Texas CPA.

Stephen J. Rohleder is chief operating officer of Accenture, joining the company in 1981 and becoming a partner in 1992.

Prior to his appointment as chief operating officer, Rohleder served as group chief executive of Accenture's $1.6 billion global Government operating group, as managing partner of Accenture's Government operating group in the United States, and as managing partner of Accenture's U.S. Federal operating unit. He currently serves on Accenture's Executive Leadership Team, Global Leadership Council, Operations Council and Senior Executive Income Committee.

Rohleder was honored as Industry Executive of the Year in 2006 by the PostNewsweek editorial staff of Government Computer News, a division of the Washington Post that focuses on government IT. He was also named one of the top 25 Most Influential Consultants for 2004 by Consulting Magazine and received the 2004 Executive of the Year Award in the 2nd Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards on behalf of the Northern Virginia Government Contractors Council, the Professional Services Council and Washington Technology. He is a trustee of St. Michael's Catholic Academy in Austin, Texas.

Rohleder has a BBA in finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

William E. Rosenthal grew up working in his father's meat business, Standard Meat Company. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in 1972, he joined the family's business, which was ultimately sold to Sara Lee Corporation in 1983. He remained at Sara Lee as president of Standard Meat until 1989.

In 1990, Rosenthal established Rosani Foods, and Pizza Hut soon agreed to purchase his first product, pepperoni. He later merged Rosani Foods with Kettle Cooked foods, a young emerging food company, forming KPR in 1992. KPR was acquired by Foodbrands America in 1995, which was in turn purchased by IBP, Inc. in 1997.

Rosenthal retired in 1998 from KPR Holdings, LP to pursue other business interests and focus his attention on the "new" Standard Meat Company and Penrose Group, LLC, a company that oversees all of his investments. In July, 2003 he became chairman of CTI, LLC, a food manufacturer for the foodservice industry.

Rosenthal also serves on several boards in the Fort Worth area including Shady Oaks Country Club, Cook Children's Medical Center and the Fort Worth Zoo. He also serves as a trustee of Texas Christian University and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors. 

Billy is married to Rozanne and they are the parents of three children, Ashli, Ben and Maddie. He earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Thomas L. Ryan was elected chief executive officer of Service Corporation International in February 2005 and has served as president of SCI since July 2002. Mr. Ryan joined the Company in June 1996 and served in a variety of financial management roles until November 2000, when he was asked to serve as chief executive officer of European operations based in Paris, France. In July 2002, Mr. Ryan returned to the United States where he was appointed president and chief operating officer of SCI. Before joining SCI, Mr. Ryan was a certified public accountant with Coopers & Lybrand LLP for eight years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Ryan serves on the board of directors of the American Diabetes Association. Mr. Ryan also serves on the executive committee of the board of trustees of the Texas Gulf Coast United Way where he chaired the Young Leaders Campaign and served on the finance and audit Committee. In addition, he currently serves as the community campaign chairman of the 2009-2010 United Way Campaign. Mr. Ryan is a member and chapter secretary of the Young Presidents Organization. Mr. Ryan also serves on the University of Texas McCombs Business School advisory council.

Tom and Amy Ryan have been married for 18 years and have three children, Meredith (8 years old), Luke (5 years old) and Mackenzie (3 years old). They reside in Houston, Texas.

 

J. Michael Sanders is the executive director of Ned Davis Research and the CEO of Davis, Mendel and Regenstein. He is responsible for strategic direction, marketing and sales of both organizations. Formerly he was a managing director of Goldman Sachs & Company. He is a board member of Wall Street on Demand (Boulder).

A native of Azle, Texas, Sanders graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in 1981. He resides with his wife and four children in Weston, Massachusetts.
 

George Seay is the CEO and founder of Annandale Capital of Dallas, Texas. Annandale Capital is a money management firm centered on conflict-free, customized investment portfolios for a wide variety of clients, including individuals, family offices, foundations and institutions. Annandale serves clients across the United States and has global breadth and reach in its sophisticated investment research platform. Mr. Seay is a licensed attorney at law in the State of Texas; he has prior public policy experience working for the Governor of Texas and Deputy Secretary of State at the U.S. State Department in Washington.

Mr. Seay received his BA with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin. He received his JD with honors from the SMU School of Law. He received his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin where he received a Dean's Award for Academic Excellence. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Mr. Seay is also the co-founder of Legacy, a national fellowship of business and civic leaders committed to making a difference through policy, philanthropy and political engagement.

In addition to time invested in his company, Mr. Seay serves on numerous boards and enjoys time with his wife and children, hunting, fishing, public policy and politics, and American and European history.

He and his wife Sarah live in Dallas with their three children.

Stacy J. Smith is vice president, Intel Corporation and assistant CFO of finance and enterprise services. He joined Intel in 1988 and has served as CIO where he was responsible for the company's IT group, and as general manager for Intel Europe, Middle East and Africa where he was responsible for product sales and marketing in those regions. In 2002 he became vice president of sales and marketing. Over the years, he has held finance positions in various divisions of Intel, including: components manufacturing, systems manufacturing, and sales and marketing. He has been located in the U.S., Asia, Europe and Latin America.
 
 Smith received a BBA and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Joel V. Staff has served as chairman and CEO of Reliant Energy, Inc. since April 2003 and has been a member of the Reliant Energy board of directors since October 2002.

Previously, he worked for nine years for National-Oilwell, Inc., as the executive chairman (2001 to 2002) as well as chairman, president and chief executive officer (1993 to 2001). Additionally, he was employed at Baker Hughes, Inc., a supplier of reservoir-centered products, services and systems to the oil and gas industry, for 17 years, holding various financial and general management positions at Baker Hughes, including senior vice president and president of the drilling and production groups.

Staff’s community involvement includes serving as a director of ENSCO International, Incorporated. He is also a trustee of Texas Children’s Hospital, a member of the Development Board of The University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston and an advisory director of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Houston.

Staff earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Texas A&M University - Kingsville.
 

Ron Steinhart, active in the Dallas financial community for more than 37 years, retired as chairman and CEO of the Bank One Commercial Banking Group in 2000. 

Steinhart serves on numerous boards, including Animal Health International, Inc., Texas Industries, Inc., Penske Automotive Group, Inc. and MFS/Sun Life Series Trust. In May 2002, President Bush appointed Steinhart to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, overseeing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum until 2008. He has received the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Texas Exes. He was also a member of the University's Commission of 125.

Steinhart holds a BBA in accounting and an MBA in finance, both from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Bryan D. Stolle is a general partner with MDV, a leading Silicon Valley early-stage venture capital firm with over $2B under management. Prior to MDV, Stolle founded Agile Software (NASDAQ: AGIL), a leading provider of product lifecycle management solutions, in March 1995. He served as Agile’s CEO through April 2006, and continued to serve as Chairman through the recent acquisition of Agile by Oracle Corporation. He also serves on the boards of several private pre-IPO companies..

Prior to founding Agile, Stolle served in executive marketing and product management roles at several high-tech start-up firms in Silicon Valley and Texas. He started his career at EDS.

Stolle also serves on the Santa Clara University Leavy Business School Advisory Board, and frequently speaks to undergraduate and graduate classes at both Santa Clara and Stanford universities.

He is also active on non-profit boards, serving as a board member and treasurer for The San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum, board member and past president of the Board of Trustees for Montalvo Arts Center, as well as the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council.

Stolle received a BBA and an MBA in from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Donald J. Stone retired in 1988 as vice chairman of Federated Department Stores. Previously, he was CEO of Federated's Dallas division, Sanger Harris, and before that was at the Houston division, Foley's. He spent 39 years with Federated in these three capacities. 

He was inducted into the McCombs School Hall of Fame in 1992, and was chairman of the McCombs School Advisory Council from 1990 to 1992. He has been involved with many nonprofit organizations, including serving as president of the Dallas Symphony and Cincinnati Symphony, and the Dallas High School for the Performing Arts. He has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, since 1989.

Stone holds a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

John Stuart is managing partner of Little Elm Investment Co. LP. Stuart retired as vice chairman of Guaranty Bank on August 31, 2003. He joined Guaranty in 1990 as chief lending officer. Stuart began his banking career with Republic National Bank as management trainee and later became president of RepublicBank-Dallas and its successor firm First RepublicBank Dallas.

Stuart is past president of Circle 10 Council, serves on the board of the Boy Scouts of America – Southern Region, and is the past chair of The University of Texas System chancellor's council. He also serves on the boards of Guaranty Bank and the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. He is a member of the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame, chair of The University of Texas Foundation, a Distinguished Alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin and served on the University's Commission of 125. He was also past president of the Texas Exes and past chair of the McCombs School advisory council. He also has an endowed chair in the McCombs School

Stuart holds a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and attended Southern Methodist University's Southwestern Graduate School of Banking and Harvard University's Advanced Management Program.
 

Jeffrey L. Swope is founder and managing partner of Champion Partners, Ltd., a real estate investment company based in Dallas, Texas.

Swope's civic and professional affiliations include serving as founding chairman of The Real Estate Council and as a member of the Real Estate Roundtable. He is a trustee of the Urban Land Institute, past chairman of The University of Texas at Austin's Development Board and founding chairman of the McCombs School's Real Estate Finance and Investment Center. He was also a member of the University's Commission of 125.

Swope is earned a BBA and an MBA The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Charles S. Teeple IV is president of Teeple Partners, Inc., a real estate development firm focusing on Austin and the Hill Country. Previously he was chairman and CEO of Windsor Financial Corporation, vice president and director of KMS Ventures, Inc. and senior VP of United National Bank.

He serves as a member of the IC² Advisory Board, and the McDonald Observatory and Astronomy Board of Visitors. He served on the University's Commission of 125 and is a director and past president of the Capitol Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Teeple received BBA and MBA degrees in finance and real estate from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Ralph B. Thomas is senior VP, portfolio manager and member of the Investment Committee at Fayez Sarofim & Co.

A Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Investment Counselor, Thomas is a member of the Houston Society of Financial Analysts and was appointed to the Texas World Trade Council. He is a member of The University of Texas System Chancellor's Council, serves on the Board of Visitors for the McDonald Observatory, and is past chair of the McCombs School's Advisory Council. Additional service with the University includes acting as past chairman of the The University of Texas Health Science Center's Development Board, past president of the College of Business Century Club, past president of the Graduate Business School Club of Houston and member of the Texas Longhorn Education Foundation.

Thomas received a BBA and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Jere Thompson joined The Southland Corporation, initially based in Miami, in 1956, following active duty in the U.S. Navy. He returned to Dallas in 1962 as vice president with responsibility for retail business, primarily 7-Eleven stores. In 1983, he became president and CEO, retired in 1991, and served on the board of directors until 1996.

His past service to The University of Texas at Austin includes membership and chairmanship of the University's Development Board and The University of Texas System Chancellor's Council. Thompson is past chair of the McCombs School Advisory Council and he is a member of the Longhorn Foundation.

Thompson received a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

McHenry T. Tichenor Jr. is a private investor and serves as executive director of the WWWW Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation focusing on cancer research and education. Tichenor retired as president of Univision Radio and executive vice president of Univision Communications in December 2004, after a 25-year career in broadcasting.

Tichenor is a director of Belo Corp. He is a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Dallas chapter of the World President's Organization, and he and his family are active in the Highland Park United Methodist Church.

Tichenor earned a Plan II B.A. and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin and, in 2009, an MS in Biotechnology from the University of Texas at Dallas.
 

Gifford O. Touchstone
Bio is currently unavailable.

 

Peyton Townsend is a vice president with RBC Dain Rauscher (formerly Rauscher, Pierce, Refsnes) in Dallas. He has served as branch manager and as a member of the Director's Circle and the Broker's Advisory Council. He began his career with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company prior to joining Rauscher Pierce.

Townsend is a member of the UT System's Chancellor's Council and Development Board as well as the Texas Leadership Society and Dallas Leadership Council. He is a life member of the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council and has served on the Texas Exes' Executive Council and Board of Director and as chairman of the Texas Exes Investment Committee.

Townsend received a B.A. in government from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Lynn Utter was appointed president and COO of Knoll, North America in 2008. Knoll (NYSE: KNL) is recognized worldwide as a leading designer and manufacturer of branded furniture and textiles, focusing on innovation and modern design for work environments and residences.

Before joining Knoll, Lynn served as chief strategy officer for Coors Brewing Company. During her ten years at Coors she led various operating groups including Coors Distributing Company, container manufacturing, Coors’ partnership with CCM/FEMSA in Mexico, R&D, technical services, and logistics. Earlier in her career, Lynn spent six years with Frito-Lay where she held a variety of leadership positions in sales and distribution, and four years in consulting with Strategic Planning Associates in Washington, D.C.

She is a director for WESCO International, served as a Trustee for Mile High United Way, and serves on the dean’s advisory council for both the Stanford Graduate School of Business and The University of Texas McCombs School of Business. She is a Henry Crown Fellow at The Aspen Institute, is a board member of C200, serves on the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force, and has been recognized as an Outstanding Young Texas Ex.

Lynn earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1984 from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned her MBA from Stanford University in 1986.

Lynn and her husband, Ward, reside in Pennsylvania with their two children.  

Peter S. Wareing is a general partner of Wareing, Athon & Company, a Houston-based private equity group. He is chairman of the board of Gulf Coast Pre-Stress and Texas Concrete Company. In addition, he is vice chairman of Nordic Cold Storage. He is a director of CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP).

As a community volunteer, Mr. Wareing is a member of the boards of Texas Children’s Hospital and The Greater Houston Partnership. He has served on numerous boards for non-profit organizations in Houston.

Mr. Wareing received his undergraduate degree in business administration from The University of Texas and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
 

George S. Watson
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

Rad Weavergraduated from the University of Texas in 1998 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. During his time at UT, Rad was a member of Phi Gamma Delta men’s fraternity, and the Silver Spurs service organization. He was a letterman for four years with the University of Texas baseball team and led the team to a Southwest Conference Championship.

Rad joined McCombs Enterprises as financial analyst where he has participated in asset allocation. He created McCombs Automotive online solution known as redmccombs.com, the nation’s third largest online automotive group retailer.

Mr. Weaver now leads the McCombs Partner Group for McCombs Enterprises. Partner companies include: Plum Grove, Ltd., Patton Medical Devices, ComCapp, Digital Blue, Emergent Technologies, FameCast, RenewSource Strategies, Propel Financial Services, Natural Resource Consortium, HomeNet, Clickmotive, Media Excel, General LED, Aridien, Red McCombs Media, National Broadcast Company and SmartyPig. He serves on the advisory board for Emergent Technologies Fund IV and is a seat holder on the Chicago Climate Exchange.

Rad Weaver is active in his community serving on the board for Transplants for Children and Steer Auction Committee for the San Antonio Rodeo. He is a current member of the Advance Team for MD Anderson, Mav Pac, Texas Lyceum, Texas Business Hall of Fame and Mission Road Ministries. He was named in 2006 as one of San Antonio’s Top 40 under 40.

G.M. "Gary" Weed is vice president of downstream business services and downstream controller for Exxon Mobil Corporation, located in Fairfax, Virginia. He has held this position since 2003 and has direct global responsibility for the activities of the company's Downstream Controller's organization, which has locations in more than 90 countries. He also coordinates Treasurer's, Tax and IT activities.

In his early career, Weed held various positions with Exxon in the Upstream and Downstream organizations followed by positions in the company's Treasurer's and Controller's organizations at the corporate headquarters. After serving as corporate assistant controller, Weed spent three years in Italy as vice president and business services manager.

He has a B.S. from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

 

C. John Wilder Jr. is executive chairman of bluescapegroup.com. He is the former chairman, president and CEO of TXU Corp. Prior to that, he served as executive vice president and CFO of Entergy Corporation, positions he held since joining the company in 1998. He also served as a director or officer for 65 Entergy-related companies.

Prior to Entergy, Wilder spent almost two decades with the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies, most recently as CEO of Shell Capital in London. He served as a director or officer for more than 75 Shell-related companies.

Active in community service work throughout his career, he is a member of the World Economic Forum, the Edison Electric Institute and the United Methodist Church. He is also on the advisory bodies of The Global Entergy Management Institute at the University of Houston and the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.

A native of Missouri, Wilder graduated magna cum laude from Southeast Missouri State University with a BS in business administration, and he earned an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Rayford Wilkins is group president for SBC Communications, Inc.'s International, Directory and Sterling Commerce operations.

Previously he served as group president & CEO-Enterprise Business Services, and from 2000 to 2002, he was president and CEO of SBC Pacific Bell. He became president of Pacific Bell's Business Communications Services in 1997 and was named president and CEO of Southwestern Bell Telephone in 1999.

He began his career as a commercial assistant with Southwestern Bell Telephone in Houston in 1974. He held a variety of customer services, marketing and comptroller assignments in Texas and St. Louis before being named regional president for the company's Kansas/Western Missouri market area.

Wilkins serves on the boards of H&R Block, Cingular Wireless, Telmex, America Movil and the SBC Foundation. In 2005, he was named one of the 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America by Black Enterprise magazine. Also in 2005, as well as in 2002, he was named one of the 50 most important African Americans in technology by eAccess Corp., an online publisher. Black Enterprise magazine named him one of the "Top 50 African Americans" in 1999. And in 1997, he received the Eagle Award from the National Eagles Leadership Institute and was named "CEO of the Year" by the Minority Supplier Council.

Wilkins earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin. He attended the University of Pittsburgh's Management Program for Executives.
 

Thomas D. "Del" Williams is chief administrative officer and general counsel for Perot Systems Corporation. Prior to Perot Systems, he served as special counsel to Hillwood, the real estate company founded by Ross Perot Jr. Williams has been involved for a number of years in the development of Alliance,Texas, and was actively involved in the development of the American Airlines Center, the home of the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars.

Williams is a recipient of a 2002 Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award. He was president of The University of Texas at Austin Law Alumni Association. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Law School Foundation and the Texas Exes Scholarship Committee.

He is past chairman of the Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation, past chairman of the Dallas Assembly and former vice chair of the Texas National Research Laboratory Commission. He served on the University's Commission of 125 and serves as chairman of the board of the McCombs School of Business Foundation.

Williams received a BBA in accounting with honors and a J.D. with honors, both from The University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and a Certified Public Accountant.
 

Christopher Wrather
Bio and photo are currently unavailable.
 

Elizabeth Henke Yant is a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Houston. With 25 years of experience in international and domestic taxation of multinational companies and managing several tax consulting practices, she is the lead engagement tax partner for several of the firm's largest energy industry clients. From 1994 to 1996, she managed the Tax and Legal Practices for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania. Yant was a tax partner in the Houston office from 1989 to 1993 developing a middle market practice in technology in the Houston area and was a member of the team that opened the Price Waterhouse office in Austin in 1984. She began her career in San Francisco in 1979 with Deloitte Haskins and Sells.

Yant is an active member of the McCombs School of Business Department of Accounting Advisory Council. She is a member of The Greater Houston Partnership Women's Executive Forum and is on the Board of Crisis Intervention of Houston. Yant was recognized by the YWCA of New York on their 1999 list of Women Achievers.

Yant holds a BBA in accounting and an MPA in taxation from The University of Texas at Austin.
 

Peter Zandan is managing director at Public Strategies, Inc. and chairman and co-founder of Zilliant, a venture-backed enterprise software company. Previously, Zandan was CEO and chairman of IntelliQuest Information Group, a leading provider of marketing information to the technology industry. He co-founded the 360 Summit, an organization that connects Austin's technology CEOs to community interests, and is a founding board member of the Austin Idea Network.

Zandan serves on the board of public television station KLRU. He has received Austin's "Soul of the City" business award, the Austin Chronicle's "Best Visionary" award, and the Austin American-Statesman's "Hero of Democracy" award.

Zandan received his MBA and Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin.