Alumni & Friends Events
Here you can learn about recent and upcoming Alumni & Friends Events.
May 5, 2024 - May 5, 2024
Tipsy Putt with the McCombs SF Bay Area Alumni Chapter
Off Campus, Tipsy Putt, 301 W. McKinley Ave. #150, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 @ 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Type: Alumni Event
Audience: Alumni
Program or Department: Alumni Relations
Join us for a family friendly social networking event! We‘ll play mini golf, devour a nacho bar, drink local beverages, and enjoy chatting with fellow Longhorns.
May 8, 2024 - May 8, 2024
Breaking Boundaries: Leadership Refocused with Ellen Burnes and Jill Tietje
Off Campus, University of Denver, 2190 E. Asbury Ave., Denver, CO 80210 @ 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Type: Alumni Event
Audience: Alumni
Program or Department: Alumni Relations
Join us for an inspiring evening with Ellen Burnes, a distinguished University of Texas alumna and accomplished author, as she presents her forthcoming co-authored book at an exclusive speaking event hosted by the Texas Exes Rocky Mountain chapter.
Ellen's journey from being inspired by her "cool friends" to pursuing an MBA at the McCombs School of Business, following her passion as a professional modern dancer in Austin, Texas, reflects her dynamic and unconventional path to success in global water, transportation, and energy industries.
Accompanying Ellen is Jill Tietjen, a renowned electrical engineer, women's advocate, and bestselling author. Jill brings her 47 years of experience in the electric utility industry and passion for women's empowerment to the discussion. Together, Ellen and Jill will share insights from their collaborative book, Leadership Starts with C, which delves into the unique qualities defining women's leadership—emphasizing character, courage, and connections over conventional norms.
May 15, 2024 - May 15, 2024
Tour of the Denver U.S. Mint and Networking Happy Hour
Off Campus, United States Mint at Denver, 320 W. Colfax Ave., Denver CO, 80204 @ 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Type: Alumni Event
Audience: Alumni
Program or Department: Alumni Relations
Join the McCombs Denver Alumni Chapter for a tour of the United States Mint in Denver. After the tour, there will be an informal networking happy hour (pay your way) at the YardHouse, 1555 Court Pl, Denver, CO 80202, at the Sheraton Downtown. Spots are limited for the tour. RSVP today!
May 18, 2024 - May 18, 2024
McCombs Dallas Alumni Chapter Volunteering Event at North Texas Food Bank
Off Campus, North Texas Food Bank Distribution Center, 3677 Mapleshade Ln., Plano, TX 75025 @ 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Type: Alumni Event
Audience: Alumni
Program or Department: Alumni Relations
Come join the McCombs Dallas Alumni Chapter to give back to the community around us. We will be working at the North Texas Food Bank distribution center in Plano to pack and sort boxes. Sign up and join the team below. At this time space is limited to 8. so sign up quickly!
May 22, 2024 - May 22, 2024
Deep in Texas: Opportunities and Challenges in the Energy Transition
Off Campus, Robert B. Rowling Hall, Room 3.310, 300 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Austin @ 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Type: Alumni Event
Audience: Alumni
Program or Department: Alumni Relations
Please join the Rice Alliance and the McCombs Austin Alumni Chapter as we present an interactive discussion on how startups in Central Texas can play a critical role in the energy transition.
The panelists for our discussion will be:
THOMAS ORTMAN
Tom is a Mechanical Engineer with 40+ years of experience in Engineering, Product Design, Manufacturing Tools & Systems Development, and Test Equipment, with a special focus on Semiconductor Technology, Electronics, Solar Energy, Wind Energy, and Battery Energy Storage Systems.
As Founder, President, and CEO of Concurrent Design, Inc. he oversaw, executed, and delivered on over 1800 projects for many small technology startups through Fortune One clients and is a US DOE Sun Shot Awardee.
He has served as, and worked with, countless CTOS, as well as the office of the CTO, at numerous global technology leaders, including IBM, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, and Amazon Robotics. After 25 years of operating Concurrent Design, his firm was acquired by Voltabox, a German multinational, publicly traded firm operating in the traction battery manufacturing sector.
Tom now serves as a mentor with the Texas Venture Mentor Service (TEXVMS) as well as an Executive in Residence at the University of Texas at Austin Technology Incubator. Tom also runs his consultancy; Nous Energy.
JUAN THURMAN
Juan Thurman is the co-founder and Managing GP of the Semilla Climate Capital Fund. Before venture capital, he spent 7 years as an angel investor, mentor, board member, and consultant. He also has a passion for supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs in climate tech and traditional startups. Juan has made 19 angel investments since 2016 and has had 2 exits.
Juan was one of the first angels at SWAN Impact Network, where he is a Director and was instrumental in the growth of the largest impact network in the Central US. Additionally, he is a Board Member at DivInc, Aiqueous, and VemiDoc, a mentor at Techstars, G51, and other organizations, and was a Venture Partner at NextGen Venture Partners. Before joining SWAN, Juan held sales leadership and technical roles at Twilio, IBM, and other tech companies. As head of Customer Success and Account Management, he helped grow Twilio from $10M to $100M in ARR before their IPO.
Juan has an MBA from the University of Texas, The Red McCombs School of Business, and a BSME from Rice University. He loves fishing and coaching his kids in sports.
SCOTT CRAIG
Scott Craig advises emerging growth, technology, and life science companies and their boards of directors, as well as venture capital and private equity funds on a full range of corporate transactions in high-growth industries. Drawing on his varied experience, Mr. Craig guides clients throughout the company life cycle, from incorporation through exit planning. He brings particular experience in the technology and life sciences sectors. Mr. Craig also advises private equity funds and their portfolio companies from initial investment through exit.
JONATHAN KLEINMAN
Jonathan Kleinman has 25 years of professional experience in the utility industry, focusing on customer programs and services to drive the clean energy transition. He has served as an advisor to utility clients and participated in legislative and regulatory proceedings, managed third-party evaluations, directed program implementation teams, and worked directly with businesses and institutions to manage their energy use. He founded AIQUEOUS in 2015 to provide a program management software platform for energy providers to deliver energy efficiency and clean energy programs. AIQUEOUS, alongside energyOrbit and EnergyX, was acquired by Apogee Interactive in 2023 to create a full customer journey management platform for demand management and clean energy initiatives.
Parking: Parking is available in Rowling Hall or AT&T Conference Center, standard rates apply. The parking garage entrance is on 20th Street. Free street parking is also available in the government district below Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
May 22, 2024 - May 22, 2024
Meet and Mingle with Fellow McCombs Longhorns!
Off Campus, Surfside 4200 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 @ 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Type: Alumni Event
Audience: Alumni
Program or Department: Alumni Relations
Join us for a social networking event. The first of, what we hope will be many, opportunities to network and enjoy chatting with fellow Longhorns.
May 23, 2024 - May 23, 2024
Rebuilding the McCombs Arkansas Alumni Chapter
Off Campus, Chuy’s, 4889 W. Pauline Whitaker Pkwy., Rogers, Ark 72758 @ 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Type: Alumni Event
Audience: Alumni
Program or Department: Alumni Relations
Please join the McCombs Arkansas Alumni Chapter for a happy hour event at Chuy’s in Rogers! This will be a great opportunity to network with fellow McCombs alumni and meet the newly appointed Chapter Leaders, Woody Watson, MBA `23 and Carrine Stiles, BBA `11.
May 24, 2024 - May 24, 2024
Webinar: Scott Kupor, Managing Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
Off Campus, Online via Zoom @ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Type: Alumni Event
Audience: Alumni
Program or Department: Alumni Relations
Scott Kupor, Managing Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, has the distinction of being the first employee at Andreessen Horowitz.
Scott has managed the firm’s growth from $300 million in AUM to more than $35 billion. He is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It, and serves on the boards of Cedar, Headway, Foursquare, Labster, Ultima, and SnapLogic. He also served as chairman of the board for the National Venture Capital Association.
Scott graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in public policy with honors and distinction. He also holds a law degree with distinction from Stanford University and is a member of the State Bar of California.