Every year, we select alumni who have made a marked difference in their industry or community. These illustrious individuals exemplify the McCombs spirit through their innovation, drive, and determination. We congratulate this year’s inductees on receiving this prestigious honor.
Howard Berk, BBA ’87
Howard Berk, BBA ’87, is an advisory partner to merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners and is a previous vice chair of MSD Partners. He joined MSD Capital in 2002 as a partner and oversaw both public and private equity. MSD invested capital primarily on behalf of Michael Dell and his family and for select like-minded investors. From 1998 to 2002, Berk was the managing director of TG Capital Corp., a single-family investment office investing
across all asset classes.
From 1995 to 1998, he was with the Stenbeck Group, a family-controlled holding company, where he acquired and managed businesses in multiple countries. Before then, he was with Goldman Sachs & Co., where he worked in private equity and on mergers and acquisitions.
Berk is on the board of directors of UTIMCO, where he chairs the Investment Risk Committee and serves on the Compensation and Policy committees. He is the past chair of the McCombs Dean’s Advisory Council and has served on the UT Development Board Executive Committee. Berk was past chair and a founding member of New York for McCombs.
Berk graduated from UT with a degree in finance and received an MBA from Harvard Business School.
R. Scott Dennis, BBA ’81
R. Scott Dennis, BBA ’81, is the chief executive officer of Invesco Private Markets and Invesco Real Estate (IRE). He is responsible for the strategy, execution, and management of the global private market business.
Dennis has been with Invesco Real Estate, the real estate investment business of Invesco Ltd., for more than 32 years. He has served as CEO of IRE since March 2008 and as CEO of Invesco Private Markets since July 2019. Dennis has served as board chair for Invesco Real Estate Income Trust and Invesco Commercial Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. since December 2022. Before becoming IRE CEO, he served as co-head of Invesco Real Estate’s North American group and as head of its U.S. acquisitions team from 1992 to 2008. Before joining Invesco, he worked in the investment banking group at Bankers Trust Co. Before then, Dennis was with Trammell Crow Co. handling investments for the company’s opportunity funds. During his career, Dennis has been directly involved in real estate investments valued at over $100 billion.
Dennis earned a BBA in finance and real estate from The University of Texas at Austin. He is active in several industry and charitable organizations.
James Neissa, BBA ’85
Jimmy Neissa is chairman of investment bank Rothschild & Co. North America, where he was chief of the firm’s operations through 2023.
A native of Boston, Neissa enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school and later earned a BBA in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin. After college, he began his career in Houston at Arthur Andersen & Co. and continued to Harvard Business School, where he received an MBA.
He went on to have a storied career in the financial sector, holding executive positions with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and UBS Securities.
He and his wife, Janet Riha Neissa, have endowed several scholarship and professorship funds at Texas McCombs, UT, and the UTNY campus. They have also funded other educational endowments at Harvard Business School and New York University Langone Medical Center in New York.
Neissa has served on the McCombs Advisory Council and is a member of the University of Texas Development Board and Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council. He is also an executive member of the New York for McCombs Council and serves on the board of Envision Health Technologies Inc.
The Neissas split their time between Boston and Austin, and they have three sons.
Kent Ferguson, BBA ’80
Kent Ferguson, BBA ’80, is founder, president, and CEO of Healthcare Facilities Development (HCFD), a privately owned commercial real estate company that provides comprehensive services to the health care industry.
During the company’s 40-year existence, its trade area has grown to include Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. HCFD’s accolades include national rankings in trade journals and consistently high ratings in the annual Kingsley & Associates tenant satisfaction survey.
Ferguson is involved in a variety of civic, educational, philanthropic, and charitable endeavors. He serves on the McCombs School of Business Advisory Council, the UT Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee, the McCombs Real Estate Center Advisory Council, and the UT Development Board.
He is a past chairman of the McCombs School of Business Foundation board, is board chair of the American Heart Association of Central Texas, and serves on the boards of Tarryton First United Methodist Church and the Eanes Education Foundation. He and his wife, Melissa, continue to show their support to the University through the Ferguson Excellence in Real Estate Endowment and Mulva Hall gifts.
Ferguson graduated from UT with a degree in finance. He lives in Austin with his wife. They have three adult children and three grandchildren.
Sue Gove, BBA ’78
Sue Gove, BBA ’78, is an international retail senior executive who began her career with Zale Corp. During her 25 years there, she served as vice president of operations, senior vice president of strategic planning, treasurer, CFO, and COO.
In 2008, she joined Golfsmith International as COO and served as CEO from 2012 to 2014. Gove went on to found Excelsior Advisors LLC in 2014 and also served as a senior adviser with Alvarez & Marsal. From 2022 to 2023, she was president and CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. During the past 20 years, she has been a public company independent director for 11 companies.
In addition, Gove serves on the board of the McCombs School of Business Foundation, the Dean’s Advisory Council, the Executive Committee for the Chancellor’s Council, and the UT President’s Council. She is the chair of the internal audit committee for The University of Texas System. Gove is also an active supporter of Sky Ranch, a Christian camp for children.
She has four children, three daughters-in-law, and five granddaughters, and she enjoys Longhorn sports, travel, and entertaining with her friends and family. Gove graduated from UT with a degree in accounting.