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Alumni in the Press : Fall 2002

Recent MBA grad Jameson Smith was one of a number of MBAs from around the country whose perspectives were profiled in the July edition of Business 2.0. The survey took in graduating students at 25 of the nation’s most respected business schools and found a group of people whose faith in the value of the degree they had just earned was largely unshaken. “The dot-com boom and crash went to show that even though a few people got wealthy, a lot of people got the wool pulled over their eyes,” he said. Smith, 30, had worked for Good2cu, a dot-com that was going to put credit unions online. “I bought into it hook, line, and sinker,” he says. Smith was laid off in April 2000, right after he was admitted to the McCombs School. Last November he snapped up a job with Tenet Healthcare for a career in hospital management. “You really sacrifice your life to the company. With huge payoffs not panning out, people are taking a long-term approach.”

According to the August 18 New York Times, Daniel G. Montgomery, MBA ‘91, is “the date many airline executives want to take to the prom.” Montgomery is currently executive director of the Air Transportation Stabilization Board, the government agency Congress set up after September 11 to distribute $10 billion of loan guarantees to airlines suffering in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

An Associated Press dispatch widely distributed on August 19 profiled Brian Cruver, MBA ‘99, and his 348-page book, Anatomy of Greed: The Unshredded Truth from an Enron Insider. Anatomy traces Cruver’s journey from awe at joining Enron’s elite to the realization that his launch pad to success ignored the very risk strategies it had preached. The news report cited Steve Salbu (MSIS), who wrote the book’s foreword. Look for more on Cruver in the months to come as CBS releases a made-for-tv movie based on his book.

Lifting spirits and buttocks to new heights

Former University of Texas Head Cheerleader, Scott Cole (BBA International Business 1984), has been “lifting spirits and buttocks to new heights” around the world as an author, motivational speaker, TV, and video personality. Cole’s recent guest appearance on ABC’s LIVE with Regis and Kelly was a big hit, promoting his new Discover Tai Chi video/dvd series in stores nationwide. 
After graduating from UT, Cole went on to lecture in 30 countries, become a National Aerobic Champion, and star in the top-selling Abs of Steel video series (along with fifteen other videos). On the talk show/lecture/travel circuit more than ever now, Cole’s first book, Athletic Abs, will hit stores in the late fall, along with seven other video/dvd products. Check out his full body of work at www.scottcole.com.

BBA Alum is Outstanding Texas Ex

Thomas Delano “Del” Williams (BBA 83, JD 85) was one of four UT alumni to receive the 2002 Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award during commencement ceremonies on campus this May. Williams, a third generation UT alumnus, is a CPA and an attorney in private practice (Luce & Williams) in Dallas. 

A great friend of The University of Texas, Del is a member of the UT Law School Alumni Association Executive Committee, the Texas Exes Scholarship Committee, and a life member of the Texas Exes. He is also an exemplary civic leader, having served as President of the Dallas Assembly and the Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation. 

He is married to Sarah Cameron “Cammy” Wynne and has two daughters.