Class notes

BBAs

John Stavinoha, BBA ’49, celebrated his 91st birthday on Sept. 26.

Walter P. Schuetze, BBA ’57, former chief accountant of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has been inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame. The distinction was given by an international board of electors, and only 83 individuals have been bestowed with this honor since the inception of the hall of fame in 1950. Shuetze has frequently published and given talks on financial reporting topics.

Norman Caldera, BBA ’70, was minister of foreign affairs for Nicaragua from 2002-07 and worked with the U.S. to ratify the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

Randall B. Johnson, BBA ’70, and his wife Linda welcomed their first grandchild and “future Longhorn” Zachary Baine Johnson on July 25. Proud parents are Nathan and Leslie Johnson of Houston.

Robert P. Braubach, BBA ’73, an attorney in San Antonio, recently helped form a delegation to further trade possibilities between the U.S. and Namibia, a country with important gas, uranium, diamonds and hunting and fishing opportunities.

Wilfred Krenek, BBA ’75, has been named to the Board of Directors of Wedge Group Inc. Krenek has been vice president and chief financial officer for Wedge Energy Holdings, LLC since 2004. Prior to joining Wedge, Wilfred was president and chief operating officer of Bettis Corp., a subsidiary of Emerson Electric Co.

At Southwest Airlines, Gary Kelly, BBA ’77, now assumes the three roles of CEO, chairman of the board and president. Kelly has been with the company for 22 years and is also a member of the McCombs School Advisory Board.

Anne Robillard, BBA ’77, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. She is a fundraising consultant at M. Gale & Associates in Dallas.

Kenneth Erback, BBA ’78, is consulting principal at Austin-based Castlebay Consulting, which provides financial and management services in the property and casual insurance market.

Sue Gove, BBA ’78, was named executive vice president and chief operating officer of Golfsmith International Holdings Inc., a specialty retailer of golf and tennis equipment, apparel and accessories. She also serves on the McCombs School Advisory Council.

Kevin Judice, BBA ’80, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is a human resources manager at Shell Exploration and Production in Houston.

Rick Harsch, BBA ’81, was selected as a member of the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is the vice president of commercial real estate at Citibank in Houston.

Cindy Highlander, BBA ’81, was selected as a member of the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board.

Robert A. Buchholz, BBA ’82, has been elected to the board of directors of SWS Groups Inc., a Dallas-based holding company that offers financial services through subsidiary companies.

Robert Brady, BBA ’83, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. He owns Aquarelle, a French cuisine restaurant in Austin.

Jon Garfield, BBA’86, was named to the board of directors of Neah Power, a leading developer of fuel cells for technologies such as military radios and portable electronic devices. Garfield is CEO and board member of the technological company Clearant Inc.

Dan H. Jester, BBA ’87, is an adviser to U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson. Prior to this role, Jester was a senior strategy officer and deputy CFO at Goldman Sachs.

Jeff Kazaka, BBA ’88, and his family relocated to Park City, Utah, where his son started first grade. Kazaka is director of marketing and communications for Contango Capital Advisors, the investments and trust subsidiary for Salt Lake City-based Zions Bancorporation and its eight affiliate banks in the western United States.

Bryan Perez, BBA ’90, is senior vice president and general manager for NBA Digital. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the broadcasting company.

Mark Minick, BBA ’91, has been promoted to senior vice president for external relations for Lutheran Social Services.

Don Maranca, BBA ’93, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is the practice head of accounting and financial analysis at Gerson Lehrman Group in Austin.

Laurens Albada, BBA ’94, became the chief financial officer for Carpio Solutions, a pan-American IT company. He previously served as vice president of finance for Misys Healthcare Systems.

Scott Kimpel, BBA ’95, joined the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. as counsel to Commissioner Troy Paredes. His wife Katrina (Lewis) Kimpel, BBA ’96, MPA ’96, joined Ernst & Young, LLP as a partner in assurance and advisory business services after completing a professional accounting fellowship in the office of the SEC Chief Accountant. The couple also announced the arrival of “future McCombs student” Rex Lewis Kimpel, born Aug. 2.

Brook Syers, BBA ’95, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Syers is a senior accountant II at Lyondell in Houston.

Alex Alt, BBA ’96, was promoted to vice president of development and strategy for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, a Dallas-based manager of luxury hotels.

Ryan Moss, BBA ’97, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Moss is an executive director at Morgan Stanley.

Mike Svatek, BBA ’98, is the first vice president of product strategy for Bazaarvoice, where he will guide the expansion of the company’s global social commerce application line.

Rad Weaver, BBA ’98, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Weaver is the vice president of business development at McCombs Enterprises in San Antonio.

Connie Fuentes, BBA ’99, was selected as a member of the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Fuentes is a business and systems consultant at Apple in Austin.

Cathy Flores, BBA ’02, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Flores is a wholesale account manager at World Energy Solutions in Houston.

Kurt Leedy, BBA ’02, was selected as a member of the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Leedy is a senior associate at Bank of America.

Nikki J. Hanley, BBA ’04, was selected as a member of the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Hanley is a client service manager at JPMorgan Chase in Chicago.

David L. Pratt II, BBA ’04, is an associate member of the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court, an association of judges, lawyers, law professors and law students in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, Texas. He is co-chairman of the Texas State Bar Appellate Section Web site Committee and is a member of the litigation section at Decker, Jones, McMackin, McClane, Hall & Bates, PC, where he maintains a significant motion docket and appellate practice for all facets of civil and commercial litigation, with special emphasis on business litigation, trucking litigation and personal injury defense.

Melissa Tucker, BBA ’04, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. She is a Systems Analyst at Hewitt Associates in Houston.

Song Hong, BBA ’05, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Hong is a program manager at LiveOps Inc. in San Francisco.

Zach Petrone, BBA ’05, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Petrone is an associate at Providence Equity in New York.

Rohan Singal, BBA ’06, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Singal is president of Urban Estates NYC.

Elizabeth Trask, BBA ’06, marketing coordinator for Gratefulimages, a business that sells watercolor artwork, won her company the Total Exhibitor Award at the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando July 21–24. The award is the highest marketing distinction given at the event and recognized the company for excellence in all aspects of exhibiting and marketing.

MPAs & MBAs

David Wright, MBA ’77, is the chief financial officer for America Hears Inc., a manufacturer of hearing aids. Previously, as a partner with Vested Capital of New York, he helped America Hears raise private capital for expansion.

Richard Davis, MBA ’82, is vice president of institutional services for Natixis Global Asset Management LP and manages consultant relations for the investment management firm.

Sidney W. Stolz, MBA ’84, was elected to the board of directors at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. He is a corporate health care consultant and served as chief marketing officer for Caremark Rx.

Kevin Dillon, BBA ’81, MBA ’84, chief operating and financial officer at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, was honored as one of the Houston area’s “Best CFOs of the Year” during a June luncheon sponsored by the Houston Business Journal.

Blake Sellers, MBA ’86, joined the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is president and CEO of Avalion Consulting LLC in Dallas.

Ellen Keszler, MBA ’87, joined the board of directors for PROS Holdings Inc., which develops pricing and revenue optimization software. She is president and CEO of Clear Sky Associates, a management and strategy consulting company for the technology and travel industries.

Ernst & Young named Rob Snyder, MBA ’88, Entrepreneur of the Year for the Southwest region in the services category. He is cofounder and chairman of Stream Energy.

Michael Whalen, MBA ’90, is CFO of SolarReserve, a Los Angeles-based solar thermal company. Whalen worked previously for HSBC and Bank of America and has more than 18 years of experience in project finance and energy markets.

Mark Webb, MBA ’91, began working for the project management office of HEB. Prior to this position, he was a project manager at Karta Technologies, focusing on federal government weapon and support system acquisitions.

William Davison, MBA ’92, is CEO and president of the Internet- based high school, The American Academy. Davison is also on the school’s board of directors.

Jim Franklin, MPA ’93, was named director of the Texas MPA program.

Alex Ramsey, MBA ’93, joined the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board.

Michael Paczan, MBA ’95, is the chief technological officer for VaST, a leading electronics virtualization company.

Dave Hendrix, MBA ’97, is vice president of Client and Partner Services at Sailpoint Technologies in Austin. He was formerly a chair of the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board.

John McCollum, MBA ’97, is the alumni giving chair on the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is the chief investment officer at Heritage Trust Co. in Atlanta.

Neal Meadows, BBA’95, MPA’97, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board. Meadows is the director of state taxes at Clear Channel in San Antonio.

Jamie Ebersole, MBA ’98, is a senior investment director in private equity for Capital Partners LLP.

Dan Robinson, MBA ’98, was recently named an executive committee member on the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is a partner at Ernst & Young LLP in Houston.

Tim Berry, MPA ’99, helms Pennybacker Capital (formerly N3 Capital Partners), a Texasbased real estate private equity firm. The company, which moved its headquarters from Fort Worth to Austin in October, drew inspiration for its new name and company logo from the arched Pennybacker Bridge, the Austin landmark that spans over Lake Austin. Michael O’Malley, MBA ’05, and Vince Reyna, MBA ’01, are also principals with Pennybacker, which plans to invest $250 million in equity over the next four years in middle-market real estate projects.

Jason Downie, MBA ’99, was recently named chair of the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is a partner at HM Capital Partners LLC in Dallas.

Roland Galang, MBA ’99, is a new member of the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is a broker and urban development partner at Urbanspace Realtors LLP in Austin.

David Naismith, MBA ’99, is the alumni recognition chair on the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board and is a manager at Cisco Systems Inc. in Dallas.

Thomas Cademartori, MBA ’00, is a new member of the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is vice president at Bernstein Global Wealth Management in Dallas.

Juan Dibildox, MBA ’01, is an investment representative at Morgan Stanley’s private wealth management office in Miami, where he will serve high-networth clients in Mexico. Previously, Dibildox was a financial advisor for Lehman Brothers.

Sarah Malm, MBA ’01, announced her marriage to Grover L. Bynum III on May 31. Malm is managing director of Public Strategies Inc.

Chris Spahr, MBA ’02, is the governance chair on the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board and is the director of land engineering at Stanley Martin Homes.

Gerardo Quinones Areliano, MBA ’03, joined the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is a global account director at Telefonica USA.

Jeff Bock, MBA ’03, was recently named an executive committee member on the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is the global product marketing manager at Freescale Semiconductor in Shanghai, China.

John Davis, MBA ’03, has joined the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is vice president and controller at Southern Union Co.

Suzanne Brown, BBA ’96, MBA ’04, is chair-elect of the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. She is director of strategic alliances at GSD&M in Austin.

Norman J. Caldera III, MBA ’04, is director of technology for Almori, a Nicaraguan IT company. In this role, he runs a back-office operation for San Antonio-based HMOs and a bilingual call-center.

Holly (Goodrich) McMullan, MBA ’04, was presented with the McCombs MBA Alumni Network Rising Star for her work in strengthening the alumni network. Goodrich-McMullan is a principal at Apollo Management in New York.

Kurt Faulhaber, MBA ’04, joined Macquarie Funds Management’s Carlsbad, Calif. office as vice president. Faulhaber focuses on private equity clean technology investment activities. Previously he was associate director at the Clean Energy Incubator, a first-of-its-kind program initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Shawn Fong, MBA ’04, was elected treasurer of the MBA Council of Houston. He works for the management consulting firm Strategic CFO and is also a board member for the Houston Chapter of the McCombs MBA Alumni Association.

Charles Bauer, MBA ’05, is a new member of the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is vice president of Investor Relations at HM Capital Partners LLC in Dallas.

Pilar Rochefort Lopez, MBA ’05, joined the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board.

Jenn McClain, MBA ’05, is the chapter presidents’ representative on the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. She is director of online marketing at Ann Taylor.

Patrick Parker, BBA ’05, MPA ’05, joined the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board.

Will Brunt, MBA ’06, is a new member of the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. He is an account director at DDB Worldwide in Dallas.

Cesar Guerra de Leon, MPA ’07, was selected as a member of the McCombs BBA Alumni Advisory Board.

Meredith Winczewski, MBA ’07, joined the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board. She is manager of employee and development training at Air Liquide America Corp. in Houston.

In January 2009, Andrew Brownfield, BBA ’08, MPA ’08, will begin a postgraduate technical assistantship with the Government Accounting Standards Board.

Peyton Jones, MBA ’08, joined the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board and is a senior vice president at Houston-based Green Bank, which seeks to attract environmentally conscious customers.

John Ly, BBA ’08, MPA ’08, has been chosen as a postgraduate technical assistant at the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

Chris Pendergrass, MBA ’08, will become president of Presco Products, a manufacturer and seller of commercial marking products, in 2009. Pendergrass started working at the company in 1998 as an undergraduate intern.