Advisory Council

​Phil Canfield
Chief Executive Officer
Ariet Capital LLC

Phil started his career in the corporate finance department of Kidder, Peabody & Co.  He joined GTCR in 1992 and retired from GTCR in 2020.  Phil was the Managing Partner of GTCR from 2007-2015, served on GTCR’s investment committee from 1998 until his retirement and led/co-led the firm’s technology, media and telecommunications investing practice for two decades.  He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BBA in finance with high honors from the Business Honors Program at the University of Texas. 

At the University of Chicago, Phil serves on the Booth School of Business Council and the Polsky Center Private Equity Council.  At the University of Texas, Phil is the Vice Chair of the McCombs School of Business Advisory Council.  The Business Honors Program at the University of Texas was recently renamed the Canfield Business Honors Program in recognition of a generous gift from Phil and Mary Beth Canfield.

John Goff
Founder and Managing Principal

Goff Capital Partners

John C. Goff is a private investor based in Fort Worth, 
Texas.  John invests in a variety of public and private industries, through his family office, Goff Capital, which he founded in 2009.
John co-founded Crescent Real Estate with Richard Rainwater in the early 1990’s, designing the strategy and orchestrating the acquisitions leading to its initial public offering (NYSE) in May 1994. Under his leadership as Vice Chairman and CEO, Crescent grew from approximately $500 million at its IPO to $6.5 billion upon its sale to Morgan Stanley in August 2007. Crescent provided its shareholders with a 15.4 percent compounded annual return and more than $2.5 billion in cash dividends during its 13 years as a public company. In November 2009, John reacquired Crescent in a partnership with Barclays Capital, and in December 2017, he purchased Barclays’ interest to become the principal owner of Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and Canyon Ranch - the world’s recognized leader in health and wellness.

John joined Mr. Rainwater in 1987 to invest in public securities, private equity, and distressed debt in a variety of industries - including oil and gas, health care, insurance, and banking. This background led John to establish the private equity firm Goff Capital Partners, during the credit crisis of 1998, when the company went on to invest in more than $4 billion in assets, real estate debt and equity. In 2016, John combined the resources of Goff Capital Partners and Crescent to consolidate all future real estate investing into one entity. Now operating as Crescent Real Estate LLC, the combined organization has assets under management or development with an investment capacity of more than $4 billion.

John serves as Chairman of the Board for Crescent Real Estate, as well as Contango Oil & Gas Company, a publicly traded independent oil & gas producer. He is presently focused on investments in aerospace, energy, entertainment, real estate, and wellness.
John C. Goff is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, where he continues to pledge his support to McCombs School of Business through the John C. Goff Endowed Excellence Fund. John was inducted into McCombs Business School Hall of Fame in 2014 and is a member of The Longhorn Foundation, serves on The University Development Board, as well as McCombs School of Business Advisory Council. John was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the Southwest Region in real estate and construction in 2014. He is a Legend in the North Texas Real Estate, Dallas Business and the Fort Worth Business Halls of Fame, and a 2020 Inductee to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.

 

John D. Harkey Jr
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
JDH Investment Management, LLC

John D. Harkey, Jr. has over 25 years’ experience as a private investor, chief executive and director in both public and private companies. He has merged, acquired, operated and/or served on the board of directors of eight public companies in biotech, energy, technology, aerospace, telecom, and restaurants, and private companies in healthcare, real estate, farm and ranch products and software. 

He is the Founder of JDH Investment Management, LLC, which is focused on leading innovative technologies and emerging company opportunities in biotech, gene therapy, non-opiate pain and pharma/therapeutic spaces.  He is Co-Founder and formerly Executive Chairman of the Board of AveXis, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVXS), which was acquired in 2018 by Novartis.  AveXis develops proprietary gene therapies for rare neurological genetic diseases. He was a lead investor and served on the Board of CerSci Pharmaceuticals, which has a primary compound for a non-opioid severe pain reliever.  CerSci was acquired in 2020 by Acadia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACAD).  He is also a Co-Founder and currently serves on the Board of Cessation Therapeutics, a developer of vaccines for addictions to fentanyl, heroin and nicotine. He is also Chairman of the Board of Dialectic Therapeutics, Inc., which is developing cancer immunotherapies.   He previously served nine years on the Board of Directors of the Baylor Health Care System Foundation. He is formerly the Chairman of the Board of Regency Gas Partners, L.P. (NYSE:RGP, sold to Energy Transfer) and has served on the Board of Directors of the Energy Transfer, LP companies (NYSE: ET). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Loral Space & Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:LORL), and formerly served on the Board of Directors of Emisphere Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:EMIS) which was acquired by Novo Nordisk, and formerly served on Board of Directors of Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ:LEAP), which was acquired by AT&T. Mr. Harkey also serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Restaurant Companies, Inc.

Philanthropically, John serves on the Board of Directors of The University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee, the University of Texas Development Board and is Chairman of the McCombs School of Business Advisory Board at the University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the President’s Development Council of Howard Payne University, the Southern Methodist University Tate Lecture Series Board of Directors 2018-2019 season, the CEO Advisory Board of Dallas Arboretum and the Executive Board of Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts of America, where he is a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award and the Distinguished Eagle. His commitment to Scouting was recognized in 2017 at the Boy Scout National Jamboree, Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia for his philanthropic gift establishing the John D. Harkey, Jr. X-Zone for High Adventure. 

John and Peni are longtime residents of Highland Park, Texas and have two daughters.  Meredith graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in Liberal Arts Honors and recently earned a J.D. at The University of Texas School of Law, and Morgan graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in Plan II Honors and just completed her first year at The University of Texas School of Law.

Mr. Harkey grew up in Brownwood, Texas, obtained a B.B.A. in Business Honors and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. from Stanford University School of Business. 

Red McCombs
Owner
McCombs Enterprises

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. Currently he is involved as lead investor of Circuit of the America’s Formula 1 Grand Prix race and is excited about the annual race and related events at the Circuit of the America’s track near Austin.

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.

 

Kenneth Aboussie
Managing Partner
Stonelake Capital Partners

Kenneth Aboussie is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Stonelake Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm founded in Austin, Texas in 2007. Mr. Aboussie directs major capital transactions for Stonelake and manages the firm's investment committee. 

Prior to founding Stonelake, Mr. Aboussie was a Partner with Cypress Real Estate Advisors. During his tenure at Cypress, Mr. Aboussie headed the firm’s capital markets group and directed both acquisitions and dispositions of investments with a total capitalization of $700 million. Prior to joining Cypress, Mr. Aboussie was a Summer Associate in New York with JP Morgan Chase & Co. in their real estate group.

Mr. Aboussie received a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Christian University, and a Master of Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. 

Mr. Aboussie serves on the Advisory Council for the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin as well as the Executive Council for the University of Texas’ Real Estate Center. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Board for the Baylor Health Care System Foundation. 

Tim Berry
Founder, President, And Chief Executive Officer
Pennybacker Capital LLC

Timothy P. Berry is the Founder, President, and CEO of Pennybacker Capital, LLC, a real estate private equity firm he founded in 2006.  Mr. Berry directs Pennybacker’s investment strategy and decisions, governance, and investor relations, and chairs the firm’s investment committee. Pennybacker has sponsored five discretionary real estate private equity funds within its value-add strategy, four separate accounts within the income and growth strategy, and two real estate credit funds. Pennybacker currently manages capital commitments across all these strategies on behalf of some of the largest public pension funds, endowments, foundations, and family offices in the United States. The firm has offices in Austin, TX, Denver, CO, Nashville, TN, and New York, NY.

Pennybacker is an early industry adopter of emerging technologies in both real estate and investment management.  To date, the firm has invested more than $3 million in capital to build its Pennybacker α™ platform, which generates data and infuses technology into every business at the firm.  Pennybacker α™ layers third party data with portfolio and historical data to aid the team in making better real-time investment decisions, generating asset level efficiencies, and improving overall risk management.  The system processes more than 1 million discrete data elements and plays a crucial role in Pennybacker’s back-office, cutting hundreds of hours formerly dedicated to manual processes.  Pennybacker is one of a small handful of real estate managers with a dedicated data science team focused on improving and growing the platform’s capabilities in close collaboration with Pennybacker’s investment team.

In 2018, Pennybacker acquired a leading real estate debt manager to enable it to offer comprehensive capital solutions to partners and to further refine its investment acumen by bringing together debt and equity capabilities to each prospective investment.  Pennybacker’s credit team has originated or underwritten more than $10.5 B in debt over its collective 63 years of experience.

Mr. Berry completed his undergraduate studies in Accounting at the University of Houston. He earned a Master’s degree in Professional Accounting from McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Berry holds dual MBAs from Columbia Business School and London Business School Upon graduation, Mr. Berry worked at Deloitte, KPMG Corporate Finance, and Qualcomm. Prior to Pennybacker, Mr. Berry co-founded the national real estate firm N3 Capital, which acquired and developed retail, land, office, and residential projects across 14 states.

Mr. Berry has been invited to speak about investment management, entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, and related topics at leading institutions, including the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business, and Columbia School of Business, Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate. Mr. Berry has also participated in numerous panels at industry events and conferences. 

Mr. Berry is a member of the Pension Real Estate Association, Columbia Business School Real Estate Circle, Young Presidents’ Organization, Forbes Real Estate Council, and the Executive Council of the Real Estate Finance and Investment Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Tim is engaged in numerous civic and charitable endeavors and is most passionate about family.

Alan Blake
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
​Nuclein, LLC

Alan Blake is a co-founder and CEO of Nuclein, LLC. Nuclein is working to commercialize a disposable, hand-held PCR testing device. The initial target application will be a testing device for COVID-19. Nuclein’s platform requires no technical expertise, and it is designed to deliver battery-powered, sample-to-answer results in under one hour, without the need to mail in a sample.

Alan also co-founded and was CEO of Yorktown Technologies. Yorktown was best known for GloFish®, brilliantly colored fluorescent fish, which are the world’s most visible example of consumer biotechnology and the only widely-marketed biotech animal. GloFish was sold to Spectrum Brands (NYSE: SPB) in 2017. At that point, GloFish were available in over 7,000 retail locations, with roughly 100 GloFish-branded companion products, and underpinned approximately 15% of all sales in the ornamental fish industry.

Alan currently serves on the board of Falcon Structures, and he is a mentor at Capital Factory, as well as an Advisory Partner with Trinity Private Equity Group. He has formerly served as the Austin chapter president of the Entrepreneur’s Organization, and as a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of the Austin Area, PrideBites, LLC, and Well Aware, as well as a mentor for Incubation Station (now SKU). Prior to co-founding Yorktown Technologies, Alan founded ClassMap, a venture-funded online learning company that ultimately served professors at 75 universities. Alan is also a winner of the prestigious Austin Under 40 award and holds 21 U.S. patents.

Alan graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a BBA with Highest Honors.

Craig Bondy
Managing Director
GTCR, LLC

Craig Bondy is a Managing Director of GTCR, which he joined in 2000.  He is the Co-Head of the firm’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications group.  Founded in 1980, GTCR is a premier private equity firm that currently manages more than $15 billion in equity capital.  GTCR utilizes The Leaders Strategy approach to investing in high-growth industries.  During his tenure at GTCR, Craig has been actively involved in over 50 acquisitions for the firm and its portfolio companies.  Craig currently serves on the board of directors of several GTCR portfolio companies including EaglePicher Technologies, Fairway Outdoor and Simpli.fi.  In addition, Craig was previously a Director of GTCR’s past investments including Avention, CAMP Systems, CellNet Technologies, DigitalNet (NASQ: DNET), Landmark Aviation, Six3 Systems, Solera (NYSE: SLH), TransFirst and VeriFone (NYSE: PAY).

Prior to joining GTCR, Craig worked in the investment banking department of Credit Suisse First Boston in Chicago where he focused on M&A advisory and capital markets transactions primarily for Midwest industrial clients.  He also worked in CSFB’s London office where he principally advised Western European governments on the privatization of several state-owned businesses including telecom, oil & gas, banking, and aviation assets.

Craig holds MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.  He received a BBA in Finance with high honors from the Honors Business Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

Outside of GTCR, Craig spends significant time on the Board of Communities In Schools of Chicago, a non-profit organization that connects public school children with free social, emotional, health and enrichment programs.  He also serves on the Management Advisory Board for the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Craig lives in Chicago with his wife, Elliana, and their two teenage children.

​Adam Blum
Managing Member
ACB Holdings, LP

Adam Blum manages a portfolio of investments in real estate, oil and gas, public securities, private loans, and interests in private companies. He began his principal investing career at Austin Ventures, a $4 billion private investment firm. Prior to Austin Ventures, he worked from 2006 to 2008 in New York City as an investment banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co. 

In addition to the McCombs School of Business Advisory Council, Mr. Blum serves on the UT System Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee, the University Development Board for UT-Austin, and the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council, and he is a past member of the McCombs Alumni Board. Mr. Blum founded the Dell Med Society for Health & Business, the first leadership board for community supporters of the Dell Medical School. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of Business Executives for National Security, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on addressing the national security community’s most pressing challenges. Mr. Blum is a board member of the Greater Austin Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Mr. Blum is a graduate of Leadership Austin’s Emerge Program. He is the Chair of the American Enterprise Institute’s Enterprise Club group in Texas and serves on the Enterprise Club’s National Board. Mr. Blum is a member of The Fifty, a board affiliated with the Seton family of hospitals. Mr. Blum graduated first in his class at The University of Texas at Austin and received a joint MPA/BBA with Highest Honors (2006) from the Master in Accounting Program and a BBA with Highest Honors (2006) from the Business Honors Program.

​Bob Borden
Chief Executive Officer
Delegate Partners

Bob Borden is a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer, and Managing Partner at Delegate Advisors. Prior to joining Delegate, he had over 15 years’ experience serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer for two multi-billion dollar public trust funds. Concurrently, Bob was Managing Partner of an RIA providing OCIO services to numerous institutions. Prior to these roles, he served as Treasurer and Senior Manager of Financial Services for the Texas Mutual Insurance Fund. He was previously Vice President of Treasury and Interest Rate Risk Manager of Franklin Federal Bancorp. 

Bob serves on the board of directors of Athene Holdings (ATH), a $95B reinsurance company, as well as Apollo Tactical Income Fund, Inc. (AFT) and Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund, Inc. (AIF), both publicly traded mutual fund companies. 

He began his career in 1982 at the Bond Division of the Texas State Treasury. Graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance, he went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Finance from Louisiana State University. 

Bob holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst professional designations.

Ray Brimble
Founder and CEO
Lynxs Holdings/SeedPod Investments

Bio coming soon.

Shane Brisbin
Managing Director
Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management

Shane Brisbin is a Managing Director for Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management in San Francisco. For more than 25 years, Shane has served as a financial advisor exclusively for families of significant wealth. His team manages in excess of $5 billion on behalf of Corporate Executives, Entrepreneurs and Private Investors who require comprehensive and sophisticated investment advice. Shane and his team have been recognized by both Barron’s magazine and Forbes magazine rankings of America’s Top Financial Advisors. Shane and his team currently rank #18 on the Barron’s Top 50 Private Wealth Advisory Teams in America. Shane attended The University of Southern California where he earned his BS degree and The University of Texas at Austin where he earned his MBA.

Chris Cartwright
President and Chief Executive Officer
TransUnion

Christopher A. Cartwright is the President and Chief Executive Officer of TransUnion, assuming the role in May 2019. He joined the Company in August 2013, previously serving as Executive Vice President-U.S. Information Services, where he helped drive TransUnion’s transformation into a global information and insights company as the head of the largest business unit, including providing consumer reports, risk scores, analytical services and decision technology to customers in the U.S. across the financial services, insurance, rental screening and public sector industries. 

Prior to joining TransUnion, Mr. Cartwright was the Chief Executive Officer of Decision Insight Information Group, a portfolio of independent businesses providing real property information, software and services to insurance, finance, legal and real estate professionals in the United States, Canada and Europe. Mr. Cartwright also spent almost 14 years at Wolters Kluwer, a global information services and workflow solutions company, where he held a variety of executive positions of increasing responsibility. Prior to Wolters Kluwer, he was Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning & Operations for Christie’s Inc. and Strategy Consultant for Coopers and Lybrand. 

Mr. Cartwright graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's in public accountancy. 

Kristi Chickering
Chief Executive Officer
Sirius Solutions

Bio coming soon.

Christopher Crow
Chief Executive Officer
StratiFi Health

Bio Coming Soon.

Lynn Davis
Co-President and Chief Leasing and Development Officer
Fidelis Realty Partners

Lynn Davis is co-founder and co-owner of Fidelis Realty Partners (Fidelis) where she currently serves as Co-President and Chief Leasing & Development Officer. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Fidelis is a commercial real estate development, leasing, property management, and investment company with over 60 properties and more than 80 employees in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Colorado. Founded on the principle of creating great tenant relationships, Fidelis continues to develop flourishing power centers, many of which are grocery-anchored shopping centers with well-known national retailers.

Since its inception in 2003, Ms. Davis has worked to grow Fidelis into one of the largest Commercial Real Estate Firms in the Houston area.  Fidelis has been named one of the Largest Houston-Area Commercial Real Estate Developers from 2011 to 2019, one of the Largest Houston-Area Commercial Property Owners from 2012 to 2019, and one of the Largest Houston-Area Commercial Property Management Firms from 2013 to 2019 in Houston’s prestigious Book of Lists.  

As head of leasing and marketing, Ms. Davis oversees the leasing of Fidelis’ entire retail portfolio consisting of over 12M SF, which is one of the key revenue-producing activities in the company.  She manages a team of leasing executives, who, combined, complete over 200 leasing transactions per year.  Together with her team, she has created, renewed, and processed approximately 3,000 lease transactions totaling 10 MM square feet with a combined contract value of $1.5 billion.  Not only does Ms. Davis offer guidance with leasing strategies and execution, she also provides asset management and investment direction. With Ms. Davis’ daily and overall strategic planning, Fidelis has made a positive impact on the retail development landscape in major cities across Texas.

Ms. Davis has over 30 years’ experience in the commercial real estate industry, cementing her as a top executive in her field.  In fact, she was given the distinguished honor of being named one of the Top 15 Women in Commercial Real Estate in Houston in 2012 and One of the Top Houston Power Women in 2019.  These esteemed awards are given to top local women executives who have had a permanent impact on Houston’s Commercial Real Estate industry. Earlier in her career, Ms. Davis was the highest producer in retail leasing nationwide for five consecutive years at Trammel Crow, where she began her career in commercial real estate as a Property Manager and Leasing Agent before quickly ascended the ranks and becoming a Senior Retail Leasing Agent. 

Ms. Davis strongly believes in giving back.  Along with serving on various boards and committees over the years, she has served as an Executive Council Member of the Real Estate Finance Investment Center since 2011 and plans to continue. In addition, not only does Ms. Davis serve on the Advisory Board for McCombs School of Business’ Private Equity REIT Fund, but in 2016 she and her husband, Jeff, created the Lynn and Jeff Davis Investment Fund to support the McCombs Real Estate Investment Finance Center.  In the fall of this year, Ms. Davis will begin serving on the Texas Exes Board of Directors (a three-year term) and the McCombs Advisory Council.  As added support to the University, she mentors young women within the UT community, and beyond, who are interested in entering the real estate profession.  Ms. Davis shares the tools of the trade, imparting the knowledge necessary to succeed in the industry. She is honored to be a Life Member of Texas Exes and recently joined the Legends Club as a Life Member. 

Beyond her professional career, Ms. Davis lives in Houston with her husband of 32 years. She and Jeff have two daughters, both of whom graduated from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas and are Life Members of the Texas Exes.  During her time at UT, Ms. Davis was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority where she was Social Chairman and served on the Executive Council.  During that time, she was voted Head Sweetheart of the Silver Spurs for her contributions to the Spurs organization through service and philanthropy. Ms. Davis graduated from the University of Texas in 1983 with a BBA in Marketing.

R. Scott Dennis
Chief Executive Officer
Invesco Real Estate

R. Scott Dennis is the Chief Executive Officer of Invesco Real Estate. He is responsible for the day-to-day strategy execution and management of the global real estate business. Mr. Dennis has been with Invesco for 25 years. Prior to his role managing the global real estate group, he was co-head of IRE’s North American group and head of the U.S. acquisitions team. Over his career, Mr. Dennis has been involved in more than $25 billion of real estate investments, covering a broad range of property types and investment structures.

Before joining Invesco, Mr. Dennis worked at Bankers Trust Company, where he was responsible for structuring equity and debt investments on behalf of Bankers Trust and other institutional clients. Additionally, Mr. Dennis was with Trammell Crow Company, where he was responsible for investments on behalf of their commingled funds.

Mr. Dennis earned a BBA in Finance and Real Estate from The University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Dennis has 36 years of real estate investment experience.

David Druley
Chief Executive Officer
Cambridge Associates

David is Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Associates, and leads the firm in its mission to help endowments, foundations, pensions, and private clients exceed their investment objectives. David works with Cambridge Associates’ leaders to set and execute the firm’s strategy, enhance its capabilities, and evolve its processes. He works closely with Cambridge Associates’ key stakeholder communities – its clients, employees, and shareholders. While he travels between Cambridge’s offices focused on these priorities, David remains highly focused on empowering Cambridge Associates’ community of diverse and talented people to do their best work in delivering results and partnership to Cambridge Associates’ clients.

Previously, David was President of Cambridge Associates, and prior to that the founding global leader of the firm’s Pension Practice. In that role, David created and implemented innovative portfolio management frameworks that have transformed our pension clients’ approach to investing.

David has over 30 years of investment experience. Prior to joining Cambridge Associates in 2003, David founded and operated Druley Investment Management for nine years. While pursuing his MBA, David interned as an investment analyst at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. 

Travis Fagan
Senior Partner
McKinsey & Company

As leader of McKinsey’s Travel, Transport, & Logistics (TTL) sector, Travis Fagan helps to deliver unparalleled impact to its TTL clients. He primarily serves B2B clients such as railroads, logistics providers, environmental services companies, and advanced industrial manufacturers. He also has extensive experience in B2C sectors, including retail, hotels, and casinos.

Travis’ deepest expertise lies in productivity-oriented topics, and he has helped clients make major improvements in areas such as network planning, front-line operations, and supply chain efficiency. He has led more than 20 large-scale transformation efforts, ranging from merger integration to large-scale growth and productivity programs. 

Before joining McKinsey, Mr. Fagan held management positions at buy.com, Wells Fargo, US West, and Arthur Andersen business consulting, where he served clients in the telecommunications and media industries. He holds an MPA from the McCombs School of Business, where he was a Somerfeld scholar and received the Dean’s Award for academic excellence. He also received a BBA in accounting from The University of Texas, graduating with honors

Travis co-chairs McKinsey’s Senior Partner Election Committee, and serves on the Dean’s Council for the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.

Kent Ferguson

President

HealthCare Facilities Development Corporation

Kent Ferguson is President and Founder of HealthCare Facilities Development (HCFD), a full-service commercial real estate company which provides comprehensive real estate services exclusively to the healthcare industry.  Since its inception in 1985, the company has expanded its trade area to include Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Mr. Ferguson graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980 with a BBA in Finance.  He began his career in Houston, Texas where he spent four years with Western Bank as Vice President of Commercial Banking.  

Mr. Ferguson is involved in a variety of civic, educational and charitable endeavors.  He currently serves as a Board Member and Past Chair of The American Heart Association, The ARC of the Capital Area Board, The Austin Crime Commission, Executive Committee of The UT Chancellor’s Council, UT Development Board, Texas Real Estate Center Advisory Council, McCombs School of Business Advisory Council, and Board Chair of the McCombs School of Business Foundation.

Kent is the past board member of Tarrytown United Methodist Church, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Urban Land Institute, American Heart Association SW Affiliate, and Eanes Education Foundation.

Lois Folger

President
Folger Energy, LLC

Lois K. Folger is President of Folger Energy LLC, a private independent exploration and production company she founded in 2004 focusing on Permian Basin assets. 

Mrs. Folger has over 30 years of energy experience beginning her career as a field engineer for Texaco Inc. At Texaco, she held various engineering positions and authored technical papers on reservoir management and enhanced oil recovery. In 1997, she joined the start-up Concho Oil & Gas Corporation where she led oil and gas acquisitions and asset development resulting in the sale of the company to Devon Energy in 2001. She then joined the newly formed Concho Resources Inc. where she directed asset growth until the company was sold to Chesapeake Energy in 2004. 

Mrs. Folger serves as a Trustee for the University of Notre Dame, as President and Trustee of the Catholic Charitable Foundation, and as Vice Chair of the Cockrell School of Engineering Advisory Board. She is a member of the Midland Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, University of Texas System Chancellors Council, University of Texas Development Board, University of Texas Permian Basin President’s Council, and Notre Dame Gift Planning Advancement Committee. Formerly she served as a director for the University of St. Thomas, Texas Lyceum and Texas Business Hall of Fame. Mrs. Folger is also a former chairman of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Permian Basin Section. 

Mrs. Folger received her BS and MS in Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from the University of Texas Permian Basin and an MS in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. She is a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas. 
 

Gay Gaddis

In 1989, Gay Gaddis founded T3 (The Think Tank), an innovative digital advertising agency that grew into the largest female-owned agency in the U.S. under her leadership of 30+ years, with offices in Austin, New York, Atlanta and San Francisco. In 2019, she sold T3 to a leading private equity firm.

Today, Gaddis is focusing her always-on energy to empower the next generation of business leaders. She is an active speaker on women’s leadership, company culture and entrepreneurship. Her best-selling book, Cowgirl Power: How to Kick Ass in Business and Life shares insights and examples for women to develop personal power and lead like fearless cowgirls. 

Gaddis is the first female Chairman of the Texas Business Leadership Council, former Chairman of The Committee of 200 (C200) and on the board of the Texas Cultural Trust. She’s also an immediate past board member for Monotype Imaging Holdings, Inc.

Gaddis is deeply involved with UT. She is on the board of Texas Exes, is part of the McCombs Advisory Council, and an advisor for both the College of Fine Arts and the Moody College of Communication. She is also the founder and co-instructor of a new women’s development program, Women Who Mean Business at the McCombs School of Business.

An active spokesperson, artist and writer, Gaddis is a contributor to Forbes and part of Fortune’s Powerful Women Insider Network. Over her career, Gaddis has received numerous awards and honors including Fast Company’s “Top 25 Women Business Builders,” Inc. Magazine’s “Top 10 Entrepreneurs of the Year,” C200’s Luminary Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence and was recognized by Texas Monthly as one of “10 Artists to Collect Now.”

Neal Golden
President, Texas Regional Manager, and Vice Chairman
Newmark Knight Frank

Bio coming soon.

Laurie Ann Goldman
Chief Executive Officer
LA Ventures LLC

Bio coming soon.

Jason Green
Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Vice President, Portfolio Business Unit
NI

Known for revitalizing corporate growth against market and industry obstacles, Jason Green has built influential partnership, customer-centric engagement, global distribution, solution sales, team development, and operations strategies realizing exceptional results at National Instruments (NI) and Maxim Integrated Products. Sought by founders, CEOs, executive teams to contribute big-picture vision, design powerful growth scenarios and systems, and drive across-the-board transformation, Jason’s work has positioned corporations among top market contenders, with newly reenergized talent, lucrative partnerships, M&A growth strategies, operational excellence, and new distribution methods. Well-versed in partnering with Boards and executives to invigorate growth and concentrate on customer needs, he has led results exceeding peer regions and adopted on a worldwide basis.

Most recently the SVP for Global Sales, Support, Services, and Operations at NI, Jason established system-level offerings quickly outpacing peer products and gaining gross margin results, built dynamic and responsive teams, and formed a viable strategic turnaround plan for transformation across the company. As a trusted, pivotal leader in NI’s evolution as a Services provider, he enabled new market share through careful positioning in full solutions and software-connected offerings. In his earlier roles as VP of Sales & Marketing and Americas GM, Jason was recruited by the company founder and Board to resolve growth challenges. By developing a Global Sales, support, and operations strategy backed by a customer-focused culture and disciplined execution among 950 reports, he delivered gross margin improvements, increased strategic account volume 92%, and earned an outstanding Great Places to Work index score – eclipsing other multinational companies.

In his previous roles at Maxim Integrated Products, Jason was recruited by the company founder as a direct report, earning a reputation as a prominent go-to leader and rising to VP of Americas Sales & Applications / Global Initiatives & Business Development after serving as VP and Managing Director of Americas Sales & Applications and Global Distribution, and Executive Director, Americas Sales & Applications. Here, he championed a customer engagement process incorporated worldwide, disseminated a proven Americas sales process across Europe and Asia, and headed a $1B+ Global Distribution organization. Jason’s efforts positioned Maxim as the #1 fast-growing analog company, with recognition as NEDA Manufacturer of the Year for Americas and Fortune-ranked business including Google, Dell, and Motorola.

Jason’s earlier positions at Maxim include Area Sales Director, Area Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, District Sales Manager, and Account Manager, where he forged relationships at Compaq, Rockwell, and other major accounts. He also built a thriving Global Account Program hailed for strong executive relations and over-goal design wins, including up to 540% 6-year results in a new-market entry strategy.

Jason earned a BS in Business Administration with a minor in Economics from the University of Florida and executive training including the Advanced Management Program at Harvard (Spring 2021), Strategic Leadership from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Finance for Executives from the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. He serves on the Advisory Council at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and Board for STEAM-based learning program organization Thinkery. He is a member of the Technology Advisors Group, Austin Technology Council, Capital Area Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, and Coats for Kids.

Phil Green

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc.

Phil Green serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. and Frost Bank. Green joined the Cullen/Frost organization in July 1980 and served in a number of managerial positions in the company’s financial division before being named chief financial officer in 1995, a position he held until 2015 when he was named president of Cullen/Frost. He became chairman and CEO in 2016. During Green’s tenure at Frost, the company has become one of the nation’s 50 largest banks and has increased its common stock dividend for 27 consecutive years. At the same time, Frost has won numerous accolades for excellence and customer service, earning the most Greenwich Excellence Awards for service to business clients among banks nationwide for five consecutive years, and receiving the highest ranking in customer satisfaction in Texas in the J.D. Power U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study for 12 consecutive years. Frost has also ranked highly in the American Banker/Reputation Institute Survey of Bank Reputations and Forbes magazine’s list of America’s 100 Best Banks. Green currently serves on the Federal Reserve Board’s Federal Advisory Council, serving the Fed’s 11th District. He also serves on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee of the Southwest Research Institute and on the University of Texas at Austin Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee, McCombs School of Business Advisory Council and the McCombs Scholars Program committee. As a member of the Board of Directors of The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, Green serves as Board Treasurer and as the Chairman of the Finance Committee. Green is also a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees of the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. Green recently joined the University of Texas San Antonio Campaign Leadership Council and is a member of the Mid-Sized Bank Coalition where he is a former executive committee member. Green graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1977, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Prior to joining Frost, he spent three years in public accounting with Ernst & Ernst. Phil and his wife, Sandy, have been married for 45 years and have six grown children.

Carolyn Hansard
Senior Director-Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
Teachers Retirement System of Texas

Carolyn Hansard is currently a Senior Director, Portfolio Head and Chair of the Investment Committee for the Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure portfolio at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. She has primary responsibility for the $19 billion portfolio of fund and principal investments in both equity and credit mandates in the natural resources and infrastructure sectors.   She is also a member of the Management Committee for the Trust.  Prior to joining TRS, Ms. Hansard spent 17 years at Merrill Lynch in New York, London and Tokyo. While at Merrill Lynch, Carolyn held several senior management positions throughout the Capital Markets division and represented Merrill Lynch on several corporate boards.  Ms. Hansard began her professional career with Arthur Anderson as a consultant.  Carolyn has an MBA and BS, both from the University of Texas. She has served on numerous non-profit boards in both New York and Austin and is currently on the Advisory Board for University of Texas McCombs School of Business, the McCombs MBA Investment Fund, as well as the Advisory Board for Women in Energy.

Mindy Hildebrand

Vice Chair

The Hildebrand Foundation

Melinda “Mindy” Hildebrand currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Hildebrand Foundation and the Vice President of Hilcorp Ventures Inc. Hildebrand  is the President and Owner of River Oaks Donuts in Houston, Texas.

Hildebrand also serves on the following boards or committees: University of St. Thomas, Houston- Board of Directors; MD Anderson, Houston - Board of Visitors; University of Texas at Austin- Development Board and McCombs Advisory Council; Museum  of Fine Arts Houston- Bayou Bend and European Arts sub-committees; Houston Parks Board- trustee, appointed by Mayor Bill White; President of the  Memorial Park Conservancy Endowment, Houston; Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Texas-  Executive Committee and Endowment Committee; Elected to the board of the Upper Snowmass Creek Caucus, Snowmass, Colorado; Life House Houston-Advisory Board; Trustee for the Center for Addition(formerly known as the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse), New York City; and Preservation Square-board member, Austin, Texas.

Hildebrand has also volunteered for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, as a member of the International Committee for 31 years, and is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Houston. 

Hildebrand earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, has been married to Jeffery D. Hildebrand for 30 years, and has 3 children.

 

Scott Hill
Global Strategic Business Leader and Financial Expert

Scott Hill has served as Chief Financial Officer of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE) since May Scott has built a 30+ year career as a financial executive with deep operational expertise, extensive international experience and significant boardroom exposure within the financial services and technology industries. Scott is a seasoned business leader with a proven track record of building and leading complex finance organizations, instantiating corporate culture, collaboratively developing business plans, and serving as a strategic advisor to the board and CEO. Known for excellent communication skills and high integrity, Scott is a motivating and caring leader who builds strong relationships with key stakeholders across his teams, C-suite leaders, and board members in addition to investors, partners, and communities.

Reporting to the CEO and providing strategic direction and advice to the Board of Directors, Scott served as the Chief Financial Officer of ICE from 2007 to 2021. During Scott’ tenure as CFO, the company grew revenues and resources by ~20x and earnings per share 17% annually while its share price appreciated over 400% and its valuation expanded over 10x. In this high-growth environment, Scott was responsible for all aspects of the company’s global corporate functions including Corporate Finance, Business Development, Investor Relations, Accounting, Tax, Treasury and Financial Systems. During his tenure Scott lead the analysis, execution and integration of nearly 40 acquisitions totaling over $30 billion including the $11 billion acquisition of the iconic New York Stock Exchange as part of NYSE Euronext in 2013. Subsequently, Scott led the $2 billion IPO of Euronext in 2014; one of the largest European IPOs ever done at the time.

Scott also established and lead the company’s Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk functions and served on senior executive oversight committees for Technology, Operations and Cyber Security. In addition, he managed the company’s HR and Internal Communications functions where he and his team helped develop its ESG, diversity and Covid policies and initiatives. Of note, in addition to his CFO role, from 2008-2019 Scott also was responsible for ICE’s Global Clearing business which is primarily regulated in the US, the EU, the UK and Singapore. Scott was responsible for all aspects of the company’s Audit and Compensation Committees and a significant portion of its Risk Committee.

Prior to serving as CFO, Scott was an Assistant Controller at IBM based in Armonk, NY. He began his career at IBM in January 1991 and held various accounting and financial positions in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, including Vice President and Controller of IBM Japan based in Tokyo from 2003-2005 and Director of Finance for IBM’s European Global Technology Business based in Paris from 2000-2001.

Scott is a member of the board of VVC Exploration Corporation (TSXV: VVC.V) where he chairs the Compensation Committee and is a member of the Audit and Nominating & Governance Committees. He is also a member of the Dean’s Council at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and serves on the boards of Junior Achievement Georgia, 3DE Georgia, and Boys & Girls Clubs Metro Atlanta. Scott previously served on the board of Make A Wish Georgia.

Scott earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with High Honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990 and was recognized as a Stern Scholar while attaining his MBA from New York University in 1999. Scott was recognized as the CFO of the Year in Georgia in 2009 and 2010 and as Institutional Investors’ All America Executive Team Best CFO in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018. He was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement award from the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2021.

​Rob C. Holmes
Chief Executive Officer and President 
Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc.

Rob C. Holmes serves as Chief Executive Officer, President and a member of the Board of Directors of Texas Capital Bank and its parent company, Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ®: TCBI).

Holmes joined Texas Capital Bank in January 2021 after a 31-year career at JPMorgan Chase & Co., most recently serving as Global Head of Corporate Client Banking and Specialized Industries since 2011. In this position, he oversaw end-to-end responsibility for the business, providing global treasury management services, credit and investment banking solutions to clients in North America, as well as select countries in Europe and Asia, to help clients achieve their long-term corporate finance objectives.

Prior to serving as head of JPMorgan’s Corporate Client Banking and Specialized Industries, Holmes was the co- head of JPMorgan’s North American Retail Industries Investment Banking practice and the head of Investment Banking for the southern region of the U.S. Holmes also shared oversight of the Commercial Banking Credit Markets business and was a member of the Commercial Banking Operating Committee and Board of Managers of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC.

An active member of the local Dallas community, Holmes has historically served as a National Trustee for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and on the board of the Dallas Citizens Council. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, as well as a member of the Development Board for the University and most recently an inaugural member of the executive committee. In addition, Holmes is active on the board of the Baylor Health Care System Foundation. He is a long-time member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, which owns and operates the Momentous Institute.

Holmes received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin and holds a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.

Ben Jacobs
Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer
Anomaly Capital Management

Bio coming soon.

Martin B. Kaplan
President
Nalpak Ventures

Marty Kaplan has served as the President of Nalpak Ventures, a family investment office since January 2017. Previously, Marty worked at Mesirow Financial, Inc. from April 1995 until his retirement from the firm in December 2016. Marty served in several management capacities at Mesirow Financial, Inc.; a diversified financial services firm based in Chicago. Marty started his career working in the Advanced Strategies (hedge fund of funds) group where he served as the director of research from 1995-2006. He then served as chief executive officer of the Advanced Strategies group from 2006 through 2014. He then became director of corporate strategy for the parent company where he was responsible for developing and implementing key strategic business initiatives and enhancing the firm’s institutional investment management capabilities. He also served as chairman of Mesirow Advanced Strategies, and was a long-standing member of its investment and executive committees. Marty also served on the Board of Directors of Mesirow Financial from 2006 -2016.

Prior to his tenure at Mesirow Financial, Marty was an attorney with the law firm of Katten Muchin & Zavis, where he specialized in matters involving securities, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and sports law. Marty is involved in a number of charitable and philanthropic organizations and serves on the Investment Committee for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Marty resides in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife and 3 daughters.

Marty earned a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin in Finance and Real Estate in 1990 and a JD from The George Washington University in 1993.

 

Jeff Kramer
Partner, Portfolio Manager, and Head of ABS
Ares Management LLC

Jeff Kramer is a Partner, Portfolio Manager and Head of ABS at Ares Management, LLC in New York, where he focuses on alternative credit investments. Mr. Kramer serves as a member of the Ares Partner’s Committee, Ares Credit Group's Alternative Credit Executive Committee, Alternative Credit Investment Committee, and Ares Commercial Finance Investment Committee. Prior to joining Ares in 2013, Mr. Kramer worked in the Special Situations Group at Goldman Sachs & Co., where he was a member of the Asset Investing team from 2009 through 2013, focusing on investing and lending across a wide range of consumer and commercial related assets. Prior to Mr. Kramer's integration into the Special Situations Group at Goldman Sachs, he founded ReMark Capital Group, LLC, in 2005, an investment management company focused on asset investing in the consumer loan space. ReMark Capital was a partnership between Mr. Kramer and Goldman Sachs, and the platform was acquired in full by Goldman Sachs in 2009. Previously, Mr. Kramer was an Executive Director in the Global Financial Markets Division and Co-Head of the Securitization and Structured Credit Unit of WestLB AG, a European based global commercial and investment bank. Prior to that, Mr. Kramer worked in the Structured Finance and Capital Markets Groups of both Rothschild, Inc. and Nomura Securities and was a Vice President in the Asset Finance Unit at Financial Security Assurance Inc. 

Mr. Kramer holds a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in Finance. He lives in New York City with his wife, Kathy, and his daughter, Olivia.

Steve LeBlanc

Chief Executive Officer

White Stone Associates

Steve LeBlanc is currently chief executive officer of White Stone Associates. He is also Senior Advisor of CapRidge Partners, a fully integrated real estate operating company focused on value investments in commercial properties in the growth markets of the US, which he co-founded.

Steve LeBlanc is the former senior managing director of private markets, overseeing the real assets, private equity and principal investments portfolios at the $110 billion Teacher Retirement System of Texas (“TRS”). 

LeBlanc is a member of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), and on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Institutional Real Estate Letter – North America.

LeBlanc is a trustee and governor of the Urban Land Institute and formerly served as chairman of the District Council in Austin. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Real Estate Roundtable, the Investment Advisory Board of the Employee Retirement System of Texas, and the Penland School of Crafts and Charlotte Latin School.

In 2011, LeBlanc was invited to testify in front of the Congressional Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises on the “Reopening American Capital Markets to Emerging Growth Companies Act of 2011.” He has been on Bloomberg Television’s “Street Smarts” and “Money Moves,” as well as a guest host on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

LeBlanc has a Bachelor of Business Administration in real estate/finance from The University of Texas at Austin where he is the Associate Director of the Real Estate and Finance Council and a professor at the McCombs School of Business where he led the creation of the Real Estate Certificate Program for Undergraduate Students at The University of Texas at Austin.

Christopher Manning

Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer

Greenbelt Capital Partners

Christopher (“Chris”) Manning is Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Greenbelt Capital Partners. Chris founded Greenbelt Capital Partners in 2021, prior to which he was a Managing Partner at Trilantic North America. Chris joined Trilantic North America at its inception in 2009, where he was also Chairman of Trilantic Energy Partners North America. Chris remains a Senior Advisor to Trilantic North America and Chris currently serves as a member of the Investment Committees of Trilantic Capital Partners VI North America and Trilantic Energy Partners II North America, and was an investment committee member of all other predecessor Trilantic North America funds.  Prior to the founding of Trilantic, Chris had various roles at Lehman Brothers including Partner in the merchant banking business, the Head of Lehman Brothers’ Investment Management Division in Asia-Pacific, including both the Asset Management and Private Equity businesses; and was also a member of the Global Investment Management Division Executive Committee and the Private Equity Division Operating Committee. Prior to joining Lehman Brothers in 1997, Chris was the Chief Financial Officer of The Wing Group, a developer of international power projects and before that was in the investment banking department of Kidder, Peabody & Co.  Chris is or has been a director or Chairman of a number of portfolio companies.

Chris holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Chris currently serves on the University of Texas McCombs School of Business Advisory Council; is Chairman of the University of Texas New York for McCombs Executive Committee and is a Board Member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Squash Committee.
 

Rob Malcolm

Associate Director

Center for Customer Insight and Marketing Solutions

McCombs School of Business

In a marketing, strategy and general management career spanning 45 years, Rob Malcolm has been a student, practitioner, consultant and teacher and executive coach.  Following his Bachelor’s and MBA from USC –both in Marketing – Rob joined Procter and Gamble in Brand Management in 1975.  In his 24 years at P&G he progressed through both marketing and general management assignments in the US, the Middle East and Europe – working on more than 75 brands in more than 40 countries.

Over the next 9 years, he led the marketing, brand management, sales and innovation functions globally for Diageo, the world’s largest premium alcoholic beverages company as its inaugural President of Global Marketing, Sales and Innovation, based first in London and then the US.  During this first decade of Diageo’s formation, growth accelerated significantly, and Diageo established a very strong reputation as one of the premier marketing, brand building and innovation companies in the world, winning many awards for its advertising, direct and digital marketing, design and innovation.

Since retiring from full time corporate work in 2008, Rob has remained active in a range of business and marketing endeavors including sitting on the Boards of Directors of Hershey’s, Logitech, Yorktown LLC and The American Marketing Association (Chairman in 2015-16); the Advisory Boards of Just Marketing Inc, McLaren Technologies, CSM Inc, Harry’s Shaving Co., Loop & Tie, and Effective Brands.  He is an advisor and angel investor in numerous startups.   He has also served as a Senior Advisor to MDC Partners, Diageo, and Bacardi, is currently a Senior Advisor and Executive Coach at the Boston Consulting Group. Rob  serves on the Dean’s Advisory boards at both UT McCombs and USC Marshall. He taught marketing at the Wharton Business School and joined McCombs Business School at the University of Texas as Executive in Residence at the Center for Consumer Insight and Marketing Solutions in September 2013.

 

Ellen Mathias de Alessandrini
Managing Director
Investor Client Engagement Lead – Capital Returns
Citi

Ellen Mathias de Alessandrini is Managing Director and Investor Client Engagement Lead on Capital Returns for Global Markets and Securities Services. Previously she was Head of North America Credit and Emerging Market Credit sales division - $1b business rated Top 3 by Greenwich Associates.   She has driven transactions, expanded client relationships and managed sales teams across the United States and Europe. In addition to her role in Capital Markets, Ellen is a leader in technology strategy and development as well as data analytics for the credit business.

Ellen is actively involved in recruiting and diversity efforts and served as co-head of the Markets Diversity Committee and the Steering Committee for Recruiting.  Ellen currently serves on the Board of Advisors of The Williams School at Washington and Lee University and the Advisory Council of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. She also served on the Advisory Council for Woodberry Forest School and was Co-Captain of the senior gift fundraising campaign. She is a recipient of the YWCA-NYC Academy of Women Leaders Award.

Ellen received a bachelor’s degree in business from The University of Texas and earned an MBA from Wharton.  She began her career as a CPA with Peat Marwick Mitchell before transitioning to investment banking at Drexel Burnham Lambert and McFarland Dewey. Personal interests include strategy and brand development for her husband’s winery, Sassaia, in Piedmont, Italy.

Ayse McCracken
Founder
eNNOVATE Health Ventures LLC

Ayse McCracken brings a unique combination of business credentials, healthcare industry knowledge, proven success record for driving results, and a transformative mindset to companies aspiring to challenge the healthcare status quo.

After serving three decades as a senior executive in some of the country’s most prominent healthcare systems,  Ayse focused her, knowledge and energy on businesses seeking to revolutionize the delivery of healthcare and in 2016 she incorporated eNNOVATE Health Ventures LLC. Today, her company serves as a business advisor to CEOs and executive teams in healthcare systems, medical group practices, and digital health startups positioning for growth in this very dynamic and innovative environment. Supporting her client’s growth strategies in both domestic and international markets,  Ayse has gained deep expertise in the digital health space including technologies using AI and NLP.

Her past roles include Senior Vice President of Texas Children’s Hospital and President of Texas Children’s Pediatrics, Senior Vice President of The Methodist Hospital and COO of The Methodist Hospital Physician Organization; and CEO of Memorial Hermann Medical Group. She has also served as a senior executive at multiple venture-backed companies.

In 2017, Ayse founded IGNITE Healthcare Network, a nonprofit organization that brings together dynamic women executives interested in shaping the future of healthcare. IGNITE’s Annual Fire Pitch Competition is one of a few national events supporting women leading start-up companies poised to transform the industry.  Ayse is an advisor at TMCx and an active board member nationally recognized non-profit, BakerRipley, Inc. She has previously served on the boards of  the YMCA of Greater Houston and Texas Children’s Insurance Company, and as a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Ayse received her MBA from the Red McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas in Austin. She received a bachelor’s degree in business/accounting from Louisiana State University. A lifelong student,  Ayse has attended programs at Harvard’s School of Public Health and MIT, leveraging her learnings to make greater contributions to her clients and employers.

Pam McIlhenny
Executive Vice President
E.M. Consulting Inc.

Pam McIlhenny currently serves as Executive Vice President of E.M. Consulting, Inc. She was previously one of nine founding partners and the startup VP Finance of Energy Partners, an oil and gas company headquartered in New Orleans. She also served as the Chief Financial Officer for XCL, Ltd., a Lafayette, Louisiana oil and gas company that obtained the first onshore oil concession in the People's Republic of China, as well as Miller Thomson and Partners LLC. After receiving her M.B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin, Pam began her career at Texas Commerce Bank, and was Senior Vice President in the bank's Energy Group at the end of her tenure there. Pam and her husband, Edmund McIlhenny, divide their time between Austin, Texas and Avery Island Louisiana, where Edmund is a Director of McIlhenny Company, manufacturer of Tabasco brand pepper sauce products.

Milton Millman
Chief Operating Officer-Merchant Banking Division
Goldman Sachs & Co.

Milton Millman is chief operating officer of the Merchant Banking Division (MBD) with Goldman Sachs. He serves as secretary of the Firmwide Investment Policy Committee. Milton is also a member of the Firmwide Risk Committee, Physical Commodity Review Committee and Realty Management Executive Oversight Group.

Milton joined Goldman Sachs in 1994 at Archon Group, LP, the firm’s real estate asset management subsidiary based in Dallas, Texas. He became vice president of international operations in 1998. During 1997 and 1998, Milton served as finance director and chief operating officer of Trillium Investment Group, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs in London. In 2000, he moved to Tokyo to serve as chief financial officer for the Asian Special Situations Group. Milton assumed additional oversight of the European and Americas Special Situations Groups in 2003. After living in Tokyo for five years, he relocated to New York to help manage the global business. Milton was named managing director in 2002 and partner in 2008.

Milton earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin in 1986.
 

Gloria Moncrief Holmsten
Treasurer
Montex Drilling Company

Gloria Moncrief Holmsten was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas until moving to Austin to attend the University of Texas where she graduated with a BBA in Finance in 2004. Immediately upon graduation, she moved to Washington DC where she worked on President George W. Bush’s re-election campaign and Inaugural Committee. Upon re-election, she spent almost 5 years as a political appointee at the US Department of State in the Office of the Chief of Protocol. Upon leaving DC Gloria moved to New York City where she would spend one year working for a small investment firm before returning home to her roots in Fort Worth, in 2009. There she married her husband, Erich Holmsten and in 2010 she became a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines Petroleum SuperSchool.

Since returning home Gloria has worked full time and is a partner at Moncrief Oil as well as holding the position of Treasurer at their family owned and operated oil and gas business, Montex Drilling Company. She spends her days with her father - Charlie Moncrief, cousin - Wesley Moncrief, and still has weekly meetings with her 98 year old grandfather - “Tex” Moncrief, who is still a very active member of the business. The family’s primary areas of focus are the Wind River Basin of Wyoming, the Powder River Basin of Wyoming, the Permian Basin, the Barnett Shale, and an on-shore in the Gulf of Mexico.

Gloria is a member of the Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council, the University of Texas Development Board Executive Committee, a board member of the Fort Worth Zoo, and she is a founding member of UNICEF’s Next Generation Committee, as well as a founding member of The 43 Club of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Gloria is the Founder of the Saving Hope Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping animals in need in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding areas.

Gloria and Erich have 3 daughters – Monty, Kit and Gunni, and 5 rescue dogs – Link, Lollipop, Reeses, Rufus and Rolly.

Bill Montgomery

Partner

Quantum Energy Partners

Bill Montgomery is a partner of Quantum Energy Partners and is a member of Quantum’s Executive and Investment Committees. Founded in 1998, Quantum is a leading provider of private equity capital to the global energy industry and has managed more than $13 billion of equity commitments since its inception. Montgomery is responsible for originating and overseeing investments in the oil and gas upstream and oilfield service sectors. Prior to joining Quantum, he was a partner in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he headed the firm’s Natural Resources Group as well as its Houston office. His career as a banker spanned 22 years and was focused on large cap energy companies primarily in the upstream and oil service sectors. He currently serves on the boards of Apache Corporation, Enterprise Products Holdings, LLC, and Cockrell Interests. He has also been an active civic leader, chairing the boards of The Houston Museum of Natural Science, and The St. Francis Episcopal Day School and currently serves on the board of trustees of The Kinkaid School, The Episcopal Health Foundation and the Board of Visitors of the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Montgomery earned his BBA from The University of Texas and his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Daffan Nettle
Managing Director, Private Wealth Management
UBS Wealth Management USA

Bio coming soon.

Kara Nordstrom Wells
Chief Executive Officer
Sailormen, Inc.

Bio Coming Soon.

Gabriella Parcella
Executive Managing Director
Merlone Geier Partners

Gabriela Parcella joined Merlone Geier in 2018. She is a member of the Investment Committee and her primary responsibility is to work with Messrs. Merlone and Geier on the furtherance of the firm’s investment management activities.

Prior to joining Merlone Geier, Ms. Parcella was the Chairman, President and CEO of Mellon Capital, a $380 billion institutional investment management firm focused on index and multi-asset strategies. For seven years, Ms. Parcella oversaw and coordinated the fully integrated company including Investments, Operations, Distribution, Legal, Regulatory and Compliance. During her 20-year career at Mellon Capital, Ms. Parcella held numerous other leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to Mellon Capital, Ms. Parcella was a tax attorney at Orrick.

Ms. Parcella graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1991, earning a M.A. in Professional Accounting and a B.A. in Business Administration, both with High Honors. In 1994, she earned a J.D. with Distinction from the Stanford Law School and was elected Business Manager of the school’s Law Review. She is admitted to the California State Bar and is fluent in Spanish.

Ms. Parcella is a director of Terreno Realty Corporation (NYSE:TRNO), an industrial REIT with a strategic focus in six major U.S. coastal markets.  Additionally, she serves as an Independent Trustee on the Dodge & Cox Funds Board of Trustees.  Ms. Parcella is a member of the Stanford Law School Dean’s Advisory Council and the Stanford Real Estate Council.  She was formerly chair of the Board of Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco.

Ms. Parcella was named one of the area’s “Most Influential Women” by the San Francisco Business Times in 2016. In 2017, Fortune and ALPFA ranked her third on their “50 Most Powerful Latinas in Corporate America.” She is resident in the firm’s San Francisco office.

Daron Peschel
Senior Vice President in Charge
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston Branch

Daron Peschel is the Senior Vice President in Charge of the Houston Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank and a member of the Bank’s Senior Management Committee. In this capacity, Peschel oversees the activities of the Federal Reserve in the Gulf Coast region. 
Since joining the Federal Reserve in 1989, Peschel has served in numerous analytical and official roles including cash operations, financial and risk management, administrative services, public outreach, and the board of directors. He also served on special assignment at the Federal Reserve System Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. 

An advocate of business and financial education, Peschel serves on the University of Texas McCombs School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, Sam Houston State University Chair of Banking Advisory Board, and the Junior Achievement Gulf Coast Board of Directors. Active in the Houston community, Peschel serves on the Central Houston Board of Directors and the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston Advisory Board. He is a past member of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership Board of Directors.

Peschel holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters of Business Administration in Banking and Financial Institutions from Sam Houston State University. He is also a graduate of Leadership Houston Class XXVII, the Center for Houston’s Future, the Federal Reserve senior management training program, and numerous other executive education programs.

Scott Plantowsky

Managing Partner

RSR Finance, LLC

 

For approximately 30 years, Scott Plantowsky has held meaningful operating and advisory roles in a variety of successful business enterprises. His operating and financial leadership has driven several startups to extraordinary valuations. The areas of success have occurred in industries such has high tech software and hardware, real estate, equipment leasing and furniture manufacturing, both domestic and internationally. He has current and past business relationships and operating experience, both domestically and overseas, in countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Mexico, Vietnam, China and Cambodia. Currently, Mr. Plantowsky has focused his efforts as a Private Investor and is a valued advisor to a variety of business ventures and charities

Mr. Plantowsky has served on several charitable organizations including Advisory Boards of Texas Children’s Hospital, The Arthritis Foundation and Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces and is an avid supporter of many other organizations such as Houston Holocaust Museum and Seven Acres Jewish Home for the Aged. He is an adventurous traveler and enjoys skiing, fishing and golf as hobbies. He resides in Bellaire, Texas with his wife, Joy, and their two children, Hannah and Jake.

Don Reese
Founder and Partner
Riverside Resources

Don Reese is Founder and Partner of Riverside Resources, a real estate investment firm founded in Austin, Texas in 1990 that provides a concentrated focus on opportunistic and value-add commercial real estate investments, predominately in the Central Texas area. The firm's investment transactions have totaled well over $2 Billion, with acquisitions or new construction in excess of 7 million square feet of commercial space and 3000 acres of land. Property types include office, industrial, multi-family, retail, mixed use land development, and residential subdivision lot development. Riverside provides property management and leasing services for all portfolio held assets as well as a limited number of third party assets.

Prior to founding Riverside Resources, Don was President and partner in an Austin-based real estate company that developed and/or owned over 2.6 million square feet of commercial space and 3600 acres of land. Don started his career as an attorney with the Austin law firm of Clark, Thomas, Winters & Shapiro.

Don has been active in numerous civic and professional organizations including currently or previously serving as an Executive Council member of the University of Texas Real Estate Finance and Investment Center, Director of the Real Estate Council of Austin, University of Texas Chancellor's Council Executive Committee, UT President's Associates, UT Development Board, McCombs School of Business Advisory Council, Advisory Council and Executive Committee of the UT Longhorn Foundation, President and Director of the Austin Longhorn Club, Economic Development Council of Opportunity Austin, Board of Greater Austin Crime Commission, Board of Greater Austin Chapter of the National Football Foundation,  Board of the DKR Alzheimer's Fund,  and Director of Capital National Bank in Austin (now Wells Fargo Bank).  For his extensive and impactful involvement in the Austin community he was recently honored as Austin Man of the Year by the Austin Chapter of the NFL Alumni Association. 

Don received a B.B.A. (with Highest Honors) with a dual major in the Business Honors Program and in Accounting from the McCombs School of Business as well as a J.D. from the University of Texas. He is a licensed Attorney and was a Certified Public Accountant. He resides in Austin with his wife Gina. His two children and their spouses also graduated from UT and reside in Austin.
 

Luis Rhi
Director, Equity Portfolio Manager, and Analyst
Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss

Luis Pablo Rhi serves as a Director, Equity Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst at (BHMS) Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney and Strauss, LLC in Dallas, TX. In his role, he is responsible in the management and investment recommendations in the energy, utilities and real estate sectors for Domestic and Global Equity Portfolios.

He joined BHMS in 2017 from BNY Mellon, based in New York, where he was a Sr. Portfolio Manager of their US Large Cap Equity, US Large Cap Growth, Dividend Equity, Focused Equity and MLP strategies. In his role, he oversaw over $12 billion under management and handed some of the most important relationships.  He was also the Co-Chairperson of the firm’s proxy committee, serving $1.7 trillion under administration. He began his investment professional career at The Bank of New York in 1998, and during his tenure there, he served in different equity investment roles, including sector Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst covering energy, utilities, real estate and financials industries.

He earned a BBA in Finance from the McCombs School of Business in 1998 and was part of the first class of the Financial Analyst Program (FAP).  He currently serves on the McCombs BBA Advisory Board as the Chairperson for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He has also served on the McCombs Real Estate Investment Fund Advisory Board and as executive board member for the New York for McCombs Council (NYFM) and Wall Street for McCombs Boards.

Tammy Romo
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Southwest Airlines

Tammy Romo, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, joined Southwest Airlines in 1991. As EVP and CFO, Tammy is responsible for the airline's overall Finance activities, including: Reporting, Accounting, Investor Relations, Treasury, Tax, Corporate Planning and Financial Planning and Analysis. Tammy also oversees the Company's Supply Chain Management.

Tammy is a 30-year Southwest veteran who has held many positions at Southwest, including Senior Director Investor Relations, Controller, Treasurer, SVP Planning, before being promoted to her current role as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in September 2012. Prior to joining Southwest, she was an Audit Manager at Coopers and Lybrand in Dallas, Texas.

In 2014, Tammy was named as an Outstanding CFO for a Public Company by D CEO Magazine and was named CFO of the Year by the Dallas Business Journal.

In 2015, Tammy was appointed to the Board of Directors of Tenet Healthcare Corporation and also serves as Chair for the Audit Committee.  Tammy received a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin, where she is a member of the McCombs School Advisory Council and an Emeritus member of the Accounting Advisory Council.  She is also a graduate of Leadership Texas and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas. Tammy and her husband, Adam, live in Dallas, Texas and have two grown children.

Jeff Rosenbaum
Senior Portfolio Manager
Elliott Management

Jeff Rosenbaum is a Senior Portfolio Manager based in the Greenwich, Connecticut, office of Elliott Investment Management. He is responsible for certain public and private equity and distressed credit investments spanning multiple industries, including regulated utilities, merchant power, infrastructure, industrials, business services and consumer products. Prior to joining Elliott in 2016, Jeff was a Managing Director at York Capital Management. Prior to York, he worked at both D.E. Shaw & Co. and the Blackstone Group.  Jeff currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council at the McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin’s Development Board, and Edukate NYC, and organization that helps students with dyslexia meet their academic potential. He received dual BBA degrees from The Business Honors Program at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated first in his class.

KK Salem
Chief Executive Officer
Willamsburg Enterprises

Bio coming soon.

J. Scott Schanen

Chief Executive Officer

Integro Benefits

Scott has dedicated his professional career to creating and implementing innovative, sustainable solutions for large commercial payers in the healthcare industry. He began his healthcare career during the formative years of UnitedHealth Group as they transitioned from an amalgamation of regional Health Maintenance Organizations to become the world’s largest healthcare organization. In 1996, Scott founded Schanen Consulting, an Atlanta-based benefit consultancy recognized by peers and industry leaders as one of the premiere boutique benefit consulting firms, primarily serving Fortune 500 companies. To further its growth trajectory, in 2001 Scott merged Schanen Consulting with HCC Insurance Holdings Inc, a NYSE company. In 2007, Scott launched his second start-up, Dominium, a health and welfare benefit consultancy focused on serving the needs of large US employers. In 2014, Dominium was acquired by Integro, a global risk management firm where Scott serves as the CEO of Integro’s National Benefits Consulting Practice. 

Scott is a member of the Healthcare Innovation Initiative for The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin and has served on a number of advisory boards in his career.  He and his wife Lisa live in Dallas, Texas and enjoy spending time with their son Austin, a recent graduate of SMU, and their son Connor who is a Senior at TCU. Scott holds a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Gretchen Seay

Managing Director

Clearsight Advisors, Inc.

Gretchen Frary Seay is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at Clearsight Advisors. Clearsight focuses on M&A and Growth Equity capital raise advisory in the technology and business services markets. Gretchen leads the firm’s initiatives in Data Analytics and Public Sector Technology and recently opened and manages the Texas office in Dallas.

Prior to joining Clearsight, Gretchen served as a senior investment banker on the M&A teams at Agility Advisors and Updata Capital where she executed over 30 M&A and financing transactions for software and IT services clients. Additionally, Gretchen led the Price Waterhouse Coopers (“PWC”) federal transaction team spearheading the U.S. government’s asset divestiture initiative following the end of the Great Recession. Gretchen began her career with Arthur Andersen in the Global Emerging Markets group, executing privatization (divestiture) programs in both post-Soviet Russia and Egypt.

Gretchen’s experience includes nearly 20 years of structuring and executing sell-side, buy-side, divestiture, recapitalization and growth equity transactions for private and public companies. She possesses extensive investment banking experience across business services and technology sectors including software, data analytics, cybersecurity, public sector technology, as well as other professional services.

Gretchen serves as an Advisory Board Member for the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business and is an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth, Northern Virginia Technology Council, and Technology Titans of Texas. Gretchen earned a B.A. in International Studies from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington and an MBA from the Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business. She is also the very busy, proud mother of three energetic kids.

Robert Strauss
Managing Director
Peak Rock Capital

Robert Strauss is a Managing Director of Peak Rock. He helps lead all aspects of the investment process and also works closely with portfolio company executive teams to drive value creation initiatives. Mr. Strauss has led many of the firm’s investments in the Food and Beverage, Packaging, and Industrial sectors and serves on the Board of Directors of numerous portfolio companies. He has extensive experience helping family founded businesses and corporate carve outs grow revenue and expand margins through transformational facility expansions, revitalized commercial and product strategies and enhanced operational execution.

Mr. Strauss possesses over 20 years of private equity investing experience, having previously worked at Aurora Resurgence, Insight Equity and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst.  Mr. Strauss began his career working in the investment banking divisions of Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette and Salomon Smith Barney.

Mr. Strauss received a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Marissa Tarleton
President
Aceable, Inc.

Marissa is the President at Aceable where she leads day-to-day operations including Product, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, Legal and Business Development. She joined Aceable from RetailMeNot where she served as CEO most recently, and CMO prior to that. She has demonstrated leadership in building digital marketplaces that benefit both consumers and brands. Marissa has over 20 years of e-commerce and marketing leadership experience for companies including RetailMeNot, RxSaver by RetailMeNot, Dell, and Ogilvy & Mather. She was named a top 50 CMO on the inaugural Forbes CMO Next list in 2018, is a member of YPO Austin, and is a 2020 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. She earned her BA from Colgate University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Scott Tiras
President
Tiras Wealth Management

Scott Tiras is a Private Wealth Advisor and President of Tiras Wealth Management, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Scott started his career with his firm in 1988 after spending two years at Ernst & Whinney in their management consulting division. He is proud to have been recognized as one of the top 5 wealth advisors at Ameriprise Financial for the past 20 years, 7 of which were as Ameriprise’s top advisor. He continues to lead a team of 15 support associates, helps clients preserve and grow their wealth, and manages more than $2.2 billion in investible assets.

Scott is often interviewed and quoted by many publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Bottom Line, Financial Times, and the Houston Business Journal. In addition, he is honored to have been ranked on the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list (2018-2021) and was ranked #1 in Texas in 2021 along with ranking on their Forbes Top Wealth Advisors list (2016-2020). He was also named a Barron’s Hall of Fame Advisor in 2019, recognizing his placement in Barron’s rankings for the past ten consecutive years as well as a Barron’s All-Star Independent Advisor in 2017, recognizing his placement on every Barron’s Top 100 Independent Advisor ranking since the list’s inception in 2007. 

Scott has been happily married to his wife Jennifer for 28 years, has 4 active boys, and is dedicated to making a positive impact in his community. In Bellaire, TX, the Tiras family is a proud sponsor for a sports field, the Tiras Family Complex in Mulberry Park. Tiras Wealth Management is the creator and sponsor of What I$, a local high school financial literacy program that provides seniors with presentations on a range of topics such as budgeting, credit, saving early, and basic investment concepts. In addition, Scott and his team came up with a #TipGivingPledge campaign to help hospitality workers get back on their feet after the pandemic.

A native of Houston, Texas, Scott holds both the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designations. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas in 1984 and a Master of Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas in 1986. 

Jere Thompson Jr.
Co-Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer
Ambit Energy

Jere Thompson, Jr. cofounded Ambit Energy in 2006 in response to new opportunities created by energy deregulation. Under his leadership, Ambit has grown from a start-up to a leading national retail energy provider operating in 16 states and the District of Columbia, with $1.2 billion in sales in 2015. The company has been recognized for its growth and success by Inc. magazine, J.D. Power, Direct Selling News, the SMU Cox School of Business and other organizations. In addition, Mr. Thompson has been personally honored with Bravo Award by Direct Selling News and was finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Prior to starting Ambit, Mr. Thompson was the founder of Caprock Fiber Networks, which built fiber and broadband networks across Texas. As CEO, he guided Caprock into new markets, took the company public and managed its growth from infancy to 1,300 employees and $300 million in annual revenues.

Mr. Thompson received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the boards of several civic organizations and was also Chairman and a member of the North Texas Tollway Authority for more than a decade.

April Underwood
CEO and Founder
Nearby

April D. Underwood is a product leader and angel investor who has created category-defining businesses over the past decade.

She is the CEO and Founder of Nearby, which makes shopping online from local stores easy. She is also a founding partner of the angel investing collective #Angels and a member of the board of directors for Zillow Group. Until 2019, April was chief product officer at Slack. Prior to joining Slack, April was director of product at Twitter from 2010 to 2015.

Previously, April has held product, partnerships, and engineering roles at Google, Travelocity, and Intel. April holds a BBA in management information systems and business honors from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. April has received numerous honors, including Fast Company's "Most Creative People", Fortune's "40 Under 40", and the highest alumni honor for professional achievement from The University of Texas at Austin, the "Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award".

April was born and raised in Texas and is a 5th generation Texan. April and her family split time between the Bay Area and Austin.

Sarah West

President

Sarah West & Associates, LLC

Sarah West is the president and owner of Sarah West & Associates in Houston, Texas. She specializes in architectural consulting and finish out of residential and commercial properties throughout the United States. Sarah has over 20 years of experience in consulting and design and her scope of work also includes serving as a liaison between clients, builders and architects throughout the building process. Sarah’s work has been published in many national publications and books. 

Sarah currently serves on the McCombs Advisory Board and is the current Chairman of the School of Undergraduate Studies Advisory Board. She is also one of the founders of the McCombs Texas BBA Parents Council and is a member of both the University of Texas President’s Development Board and the University of Texas President’s Associates. Sarah has also served on the Advancement Committee Board for Episcopal High School in Houston along with many other philanthropic efforts in the community. 

Sarah and her husband Larry have three boys who have graduated from McCombs School of Business. Sarah graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1987 with BFA in Communication Arts-Public Relations. 

Steve West

Steve joined Exxon in 1980 after completing his MBA at the University of Texas, Austin.  Prior to receiving his MBA Steve received his BBA at the University of Texas, Arlington.  Steve spent 31 years at ExxonMobil before retiring in 2011 after a career that included many Marketing, Distribution & Supply assignments in various U.S. locations.  Steve and his wife Susan currently reside in Austin, TX with vacation homes in Chatham, MA and Ahipara, New Zealand. 

In Austin, Steve serves on the UT System Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee, and now serves on the UT McCombs School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council after previously serving on the UT MBA Advisory Board.  Steve & Susan enjoy giving back to the UT system (Chancellors Excellence Endowment) and to UT Austin through donations to the McCombs School of Business (Rowling Hall Study Room, Dean’s Scholarship), the College of Liberal Arts Department of History (visiting scholar from Auckland University), to the UT President (Associates Endowment), and to the Longhorn Foundation (Legend Level).   Steve & Susan recognize the importance and benefits of securing UT degree(s) and they continue to find ways to enhance UT’s ability to provide students with an excellent education. 

In Chatham, Steve is President of the Chatham Anglers baseball team in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), the premier summer college baseball league, where he is also a CCBL Executive Board member.  Steve has served on the Town of Chatham’s Planning Board and also served five years on the Town Finance committee. 

In Ahipara, Steve and Susan relax and enjoy their wonderful New Zealand lifestyle!  

Mark Whatley
Senior Managing Director
Evercore, Inc.

Mark Whatley is a Senior Managing Director in the firm’s corporate advisory business in New York. He is a highly experienced advisor to companies worldwide and has significant experience representing corporate clients and special committees on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising alternatives, and restructuring transactions.

Since joining Evercore, he has helped to develop a global, industry leading Transportation and Infrastructure investment banking franchise and has primarily focused on the shipping and aviation industry verticals. At Evercore, Mr. Whatley has advised on many large corporate M&A transactions, and global business and capital structure restructurings. In addition, Mr. Whatley continues to advise clients on capital raising transactions and has extensive capital markets experience representing clients on over 50 public and private transactions for equity, equity-linked and high yield, including providing structuring advice on many of the existing shipping Master Limited Partnerships.

Mr. Whatley began his career at Merrill Lynch & Co. and joined Evercore in 2009. While at Merrill Lynch, Mr. Whatley helped develop the Gaming, Leisure and Transportation Group into a market leader of advisory and underwriting services across industry verticals. Over his 15+ year career he has advised on over 150 successful transactions aggregating more than $85 billion in transaction value.

Mr. Whatley is a Board Member of The 52nd Street Project, a NYC non-profit organization, he is the 2019-2020 Chairman of New York for McCombs Council, a leadership program focused on increasing University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business alumni engagement, and a Member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business.

Carlos Whitaker
Senior Managing Director and President of Blackstone Private Credit Fund (BCRED)
The Blackstone Group

Carlos Whitaker is a Senior Managing Director of Blackstone and President of Blackstone Private Credit Fund (BCRED). Before joining Blackstone in 2021, Mr. Whitaker was a Managing Director and Head of New York and Co-Head of EMEA Equity Advisory Sales at Credit Suisse. Mr. Whitaker began his career at Credit Suisse in 2000 as an Analyst.

Mr. Whitaker is a member of the McCombs School of Business Advisory Council at the University of Texas at Austin. He also sits on the boards of New York for McCombs and Rising Stars Capital Management, which is a nonprofit focused on improving diversity in the finance industry. Mr. Whitaker graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. He has a Bachelor of Arts from the Plan II Honors Program, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master in Professional Accounting.

 

Brent Williams
Senior Partner
The Halifax Group

Brent Williams is a Senior Partner with The Halifax Group.  Halifax is a private equity investment firm with approximately $1.5 billion of equity capital under management.  Halifax makes control equity investments in partnership with founders and managers of lower middle-market businesses and has closed over 65 acquisitions across the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia.  Brent is on Halifax’s Investment Committee, manages its Dallas office and is responsible for the firm’s overall strategic and operational management.  Brent has been with Halifax since it was first established in 1999.

Prior to Halifax, Brent was a Director in PaineWebber’s Merchant Banking Division, which he co-founded.  Prior to that, he was a Director in PaineWebber’s Investment Banking Division, which he joined from Smith Barney’s Investment Banking Division.  Previously, Brent also was an Assistant Vice President in the Project Finance Department of the Sumitomo Bank.

Brent has served on numerous boards, both for-profit and nonprofit.  He currently serves on the board of directors of BCI Burke and recently served on or chaired the boards of Golden State Overnight Inc., Nutrition Physiology Corporation, Animal Supply Co. and Taylor Logistics.  He is a member of the Investment Committee for the endowment of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and a member of the Young Presidents Organization.  Previously, Brent served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Center for Private Equity Finance at McCombs.

Brent earned his B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and his M.B.A. from Rice University.

Brett Biggs
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Walmart Inc.

Brett Biggs is the executive vice president and chief financial officer for Walmart. He is responsible for Walmart Enterprise Solutions, which includes all finance functions as well as Global Procurement. Brett and his team work to deliver on Walmart’s commitment to everyday low cost in an effort to pass savings on to customers. 

Prior to his current role, Brett has held the roles of chief financial officer for Walmart International, Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club.  He has also served as senior vice president of international strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and as senior vice president of corporate finance. Brett was also the senior vice president of operations for Sam’s Club. 

Prior to joining Walmart in 2000, Brett held various M&A and corporate finance positions with Leggett & Platt, Phillips Petroleum Co. and Price Waterhouse.

Brett is involved in various civic functions including serving on the American Red Cross Board of Governors. He serves on the Walton Arts Center Board and the Board of Trustees of the National Urban League.  Brett also serves on the Board of Regents at Pepperdine University and is Walmart’s corporate representative on the McCombs School of Business Advisory Council at the University of Texas.  Within Walmart, he serves on the Walmart Foundation Board as well as being an executive sponsor for the Hispanic/Latino Resource Group. 

Brett graduated from Harding University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and received a Master of Business Administration with Honors from Oklahoma State University.  

Brett and his wife, Kara, have two daughters and live in Rogers, Arkansas.

Seth Abrams
Partner, Deloitte Tax LLP National Leader, International Tax M&A
Deloitte

Bio coming soon.

Michael Blue
Office Managing Partner
Ernst & Young LLP

Michael Blue is the Managing Partner for the Austin office of Ernst & Young. Prior to assuming his roles in Austin, Michael was Partner in the firm's Capital Markets Group in Paris, France and was responsible for European multinational companies going public in the U.S. and other European multinationals registered on U. S. stock exchanges. He has also worked in San Jose, Frankfurt, Germany, and Houston offices. 

Michael has over 30 years of experience serving high growth, technology companies, from venture backed start-ups to multinational public and privately held companies with a focus on the semiconductor, software, and biotechnology industries. He has extensive expertise in SEC reporting, corporate governance, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as international accounting and auditing, and strategic transactions.

His clients have included National Instruments, Cree, Inc., Silicon Laboratories Corporation, Cirrus Logic, Luminex, GenSet, Whole Foods, Business Objects, Epicor, Websense, SAS, and Xilinx.

Michael has a BBA in Accounting in 1985 from the University of Texas at Austin.

​Bill Braun
Chief Information Officer
and President, Information Technology Company
Chevron

Bill Braun is Chevron’s chief information officer and the president of its Information Technology Company. Bill assumed this role in 2015 and is based in Houston, TX.

Bill joined Chevron in 1991 as a programmer, and has held technical and management positions across the organization, including Chevron North America Exploration & Production, Supply & Trading and ITC. These positions included responsibilities in telecommunications, fraud management, project management and operations. He has served with the corporation in Texas, California, and Singapore. 

Bill received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX, and completed the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 2014. He serves on the Board of Directors for SEARCH Homeless Services of Houston and as a co-chair for the Governing Body of the Houston CIO Executive Summit.

Steve Chase
U.S. Leader, Advisory Consulting
KPMG

Stephen Chase is the U.S. Consulting leader of the firm’s Advisory practice and a member of the firm’s national Advisory Leadership Team. He has more than 20 years of consulting and technology experience.

KPMG’s U.S. Consulting practice is a multi-disciplinary team that delivers transformation services to leading global businesses. Steve was one of the founding leaders of this business when it was formed in 2009.

Steve has served in a variety of practice leadership roles since re-joining KPMG in 2004. Most recently, he was the U.S. leader of the Management Consulting Technology Service Line and a member of the Global Management Consulting Leadership Team.  

As a client delivery partner, Steve has primarily served telecommunications clients and served as the Lead Partner on the AT&T account. His work is focused on large-scale technology and business transformation projects in various functional areas including billing and customer care, network, Information Technology, Finance, Supply Chain and Distribution, and Human Resources.

Before re-joining KPMG, Steve was a Vice President and Practice Leader overseeing the Wireless and Cable business at BearingPoint. He began his career in the Dallas office of KPMG LLP in 1994 and was promoted to Partner in 1999.

Steve has a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin, and BA degrees in Economics and Philosophy from the College of William and Mary.

Steve currently serves on the Board of Directors for Crossroads Community Services and he is a former Board Member Chair and Life Council member at the North Texas Food Bank.  Steve and his wife Lydia live in Dallas with their two children.

Tamara Fields
Austin Office Managing Director | South Market Unit Director of Operations
Accenture

Tamara Fields, Office Managing Director for Accenture in Austin, is responsible for bringing innovation to clients, recruiting and retaining top talent and strengthening Accenture’s impact in the Austin community. As a business veteran with more than two decades of cross-industry, multilateral project management experience, Tamara helps better serve clients with creative, strategic, and transformative solutions.

In addition, she is also the Director of Operations for Accenture’s U.S. South Market Unit, responsible for executing the business strategy and operational excellence to drive growth and efficiency, and engaging and developing high performing leaders across the 13-state region.

Passionate about promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace, Tamara serves as the U.S. co-lead for Accenture’s women’s employee resource group and the inclusion and diversity lead Accenture’s Austin office. In support of the company’s goal to achieve 50/50 gender balance by 2025, she advocates that Accenture’s rich diversity makes teams stronger—more creative, innovative and competitive—helping Accenture to better serve clients and communities.

An Austin native and University of Texas graduate, Tamara serves on the Red McCombs School of Business Advisory and is Accenture’s former executive recruiting sponsor for UT. She is a board member of the Texas Conference for Women, one of the largest women’s conferences in Texas. She is also a board member and on Financial Executive Committee for Paul Quinn College, a historically black college in Dallas. Tamara serves as a board member for Austin Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Committee as Vice Chair of Government Relations. Tamara is a recipient of the Austin Chamber of Commerce’s Greater Austin Business Award for Executive Leadership. She was named the Texas Exes Black Alumni Network’s 2019 Legacy Alumnus of the Year and is a winner of Austin Business Journal’s 2019 Profiles in Power and the Central Texas chapter of the Texas Diversity Council’s 2018 DiversityFIRST awards. She also serves as a coach and mentor in and outside of Accenture, helping people find their voice and preparing them for career advancement.

Kyle Hranicky

Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Banking

Wells Fargo

Kyle Hranicky is the Chief Executive Office of Commercial Banking. He was formerly the executive vice president and head of Wells Fargo Middle Market Banking. He is also a member of the Wells Fargo Management Committee.

Kyle also served as the executive vice president and head of Wells Fargo’s Corporate Banking group where he led the transformation to industry-specialized relationship businesses and managed Wells Fargo Strategic Capital, a specialized capital provider. He also partnered with other Wells Fargo executives to align Wells Fargo’s corporate banking and securities businesses to form Corporate and Investment Banking to serve the needs of corporate and institutional clients in a more integrated and simplified way.

Prior to that, Kyle served as the executive vice president and head of the Wells Fargo Energy Group. Under his leadership, the team established a top- tier position in the Energy industry. In addition, he served as senior vice president and regional manager of the Loan Syndication group, part of Wells Fargo Capital Markets.

Since 1995, he has served in leadership roles with Wells Fargo including Commercial Banking relationship manager and loan team manager. Before Wells Fargo, he worked for the Southland Corporation.

Kyle earned his B.A. in business administration from The University of Texas at Austin, and his M.B.A. with honors from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona.

He lives in Houston with his wife and their three children.

Steve McGaw

Senior Vice President - Corporate Strategy and Development

AT&T

Steve McGaw is responsible for the development of AT&T’s corporate strategy as well as the evaluation and execution of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and divestitures.

Prior to his current role, Steve served as chief marketing officer for AT&T’s business organization, where he oversaw marketing of both traditional telecom services as well as mobility and strategic services to millions of customers, ranging from small businesses to Fortune 1000 companies.

Steve has a history of leadership in corporate strategy and corporate development. He previously served as senior vice president of Corporate Strategy with responsibilities for driving AT&T’s long-term planning activities and strategic initiatives. Before that assignment, Steve drove AT&T’s consumer strategy, which focused on identifying and analyzing strategic alternatives for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.

During his 30-year career, Steve has also held key leadership positions in sales, international and technology planning roles at SBC and AT&T Bell Labs.

Steve currently serves on the advisory committee to the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, the board of trustees for LaunchAbility, a non-profit company serving Dallas-area families, and the World Economic Forum Steering Committee in support of ‘delivering the digital infrastructure.’

Steve earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Science in computer science at Northwestern University; and a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Purdue University.

Sharon Miller
Managing Director
Head of Small Business
Bank of America

Sharon Miller is the head of Small Business at Bank of America and is a member of the company’s Management Operating Committee. Her team is responsible for providing 11 million business owner clients a full range of financial products and services through Bank of America’s network of approximately 4,400 financial centers and 16,400 ATMs, and its award-winning digital banking platform. Miller’s team of approximately 2,500 associates deliver advice and guidance on cash management, business financing, personal lending, investments and retirement to business owners in local markets throughout the United States.

Miller is a member of Bank of America’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment within the company. She appears regularly on national and local TV and radio, discussing small business issues and advocating for the nation’s entrepreneurs as the engine that drives the U.S. economy.

Miller began her Bank of America career in 1996 as a financial advisor in Houston, Texas, and has since held various leadership positions at Bank of America. Most recently, she was Central Division executive for Financial Center Sales and Merrill Edge® at Bank of America, where she led financial center teams working in nearly 900 locations across 11 states. Other roles include national sales executive for Preferred Banking and Merrill Edge, complex director for Merrill Lynch in Texas, regional executive for Premier Banking and Investments, and market executive for Nevada.

Miller currently serves as a board member for the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Her other volunteer commitments have included leadership positions in United Way, March of Dimes, and Communities in Schools. She resides in San Antonio, Texas with her two children.

Niloufar Molavi
Global Energy Leader
PwC

Niloufar Molavi is a Vice Chair, U.S. Energy Leader and Market Managing Partner (MMP) for Greater Houston for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Niloufar leads a practice comprised of 920 professionals serving U.S. energy clients in the oil and gas industry and is responsible for all client services – assurance, advisory and tax – for the geographic markets of Houston, Tulsa and New Orleans.

She previously served as energy leader within PwC’s Tax practice and as the firm’s U.S. Chief Diversity Officer, overseeing the firm's diversity strategy and all of its related programs and initiatives. With over 20 years experience with PwC, Niloufar has served a wide range of energy companies both in the U.S. and abroad, advising clients on international and U.S. tax structuring, mergers, acquisitions and potential public offerings. 

Niloufar served on the firm's national tax Sarbanes-Oxley task force and co-developed the PwC Sarbanes-Oxley 404 tax training program. She serves on the national Tax Accounting Services Task Force and served as the local Houston office FIN 48 & FAS 109 technical leader.  

Niloufar began her career with PwC in 1991 and was promoted to partner in 2001. She joined the firm’s U.S. Leadership team in 2009. She earned her degree in Accounting as well as a Masters in Professional Accounting with a concentration in Taxation from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas and also serves on the non-profit board of Dress for Success Houston. She is a licensed CPA in Texas and resides in Houston with her husband and two children.

A respected leader within the PepsiCo organization, Gary Murtha brings 28 years of experience specializing in Corporate Finance to his role as a leader within the Executive Finance Team at Frito-Lay. In his current role, he leads the Frito-Lay U.S. Supply Chain Finance team where his key responsibilities are focused on Operations and Cost inputs to the Frito-Lay P&L, including Cost of Sales, Transportation, and Frontline Plant and Sales Labor.

In addition to managing traditional Cost P&L, Gary and team of 60 finance associates are also responsible for developing and executing the Company’s capital spending strategy, Total Company Productivity, as well as supporting its Growth and Capacity agenda to deliver America’s most loved snacks to consumers across the country.      

Gary joined PepsiCo in 1990 as a Credit Analyst for Cash Flow Forecasting.  Prior to joining PepsiCo, Gary worked at Big Eight Accounting Firm Arthur Young for three years. Gary has a master’s degree in Finance/Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin and a BS in Accounting from Penn State.

In addition to his executive career, Gary serves on the advisory council at McCombs School of Business in Austin, Texas.

Gary currently resides in Plano, Texas with his wife Robin, daughter Macy and son Greyson.

Lawrence Pope
Executive Vice President of Administration
and Chief Human Resources Officer
Halliburton

Lawrence Pope is Executive Vice President of Administration and Chief Human Resources Officer for Halliburton, where he has global leadership responsibilities for Supply Chain, Information Technology, Human Resources, Real Estate Services, Corporate Aviation, Corporate Affairs and Security. He is a member of the Company's Executive Committee. 

Previously, Mr. Pope was Vice President of Human Resources and Operational Excellence. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President of Administration for Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR). 

Mr. Pope holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Texas at Austin and has a master's degree in business administration from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. He is a graduate of Halliburton's President's Leadership Seminar (now called the President's Leadership Excellence Program), Halliburton's yearlong leadership development event in which a select group of high-potential senior managers, directors and first-time executives participates each year. He is also a Certified Compensation Professional.

Amin Sewani
Upstream Planning, Performance Management & Commercial Senior Leader 
BP

Bio coming soon.

Tom Sweet

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Dell, Inc.

Tom Sweet is Dell Technologies’ Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He oversees all aspects of the company's finance function, including accounting, financial planning and analysis, tax, treasury and investor relations, as well as global business operations, Dell Financial Services, Dell Technologies Capital and Boomi. He also leads corporate strategy, partnering closely with the CEO and COO to develop and execute a long-term growth strategy that creates value for Dell Technologies stakeholders. 

Tom joined Dell in 1997 and held various leadership positions before assuming the CFO role, including vice president of corporate finance, controller, head of internal audit, and chief accounting officer. He oversaw external financial reporting in the years before Dell’s historic five-year shift to privatization and served in a number of sales leadership roles in education and in various corporate business units.

Prior to Dell Technologies, Tom was vice president of accounting and finance for Telos Corporation and spent 13 years with Price Waterhouse providing audit and accounting services to the technology industry.

Tom received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Michigan University and is a CPA. He currently serves on the Salvation Army Central Texas Advisory Board and on the University of Texas McCombs School of Business Advisory Board.