12th Annual Executive Mentorship Dinner
Event fosters connections between alumni and students
The 2025 Executive Mentorship Dinner welcomed more than 100 undergraduate students and a record number of mentors to its 12th annual event held Feb. 13 in the Hall of Honors at the McCombs School of Business.
A private reception welcoming 18 volunteer mentors kicked off the event in the Legacy Room above the Hall of Honors. The mentor group included industry leaders from marketing, technology, finance, and more, and many of them graduated from McCombs before launching their careers.
“An event like this brings back alumni and connects them with the future leaders from McCombs,” says Keri Herron, BBA Advisory Board member and co-chair for the Mentorship Committee. In a competitive job market, Herron says, mentorship events such as this help students get an edge. “Students get to have one-on-one interactions with people who are out in the industry, and so they get to build their community and their network.”
Many McCombs students look forward to the event every year, like Derrick Armstrong, a BBA marketing major who attended the dinner for the third year in a row. “It gives me a chance to meet different alumni,” he said. “It’s been a great experience every year.”
At the event, students can select a mentor from a list of alumni who are accomplished in various fields. Then, they connect with their chosen mentor over dinner as they discuss a wide array of topics, such as their McCombs experience, career trajectory, and interview guidance.
“This event continues to be a highlight for our students and our alumni,” said Dan Cournoyer, McCombs’ associate director for development and external relations. “The mentors say they get just as much if not more out of the experience than the students.”
This year’s event reached capacity for both students and mentors, which is something Cournoyer and the rest of the development team hope to see continue.
McCombs is deeply grateful to all the mentors who attended this year’s event, including:
- Katherine Allen, BA, Plan II, 2019, Co-founder and CEO, Flo Recruit.
- Prescott Caballero, BA 1995, JD 1998, MBA 2001, Chief Information Officer, Goldcrest Capital.
- Antonio Camberos Baeza, BBA 2012, Managing Director, Grupo PASA.
- Boyd Faust, BBA 1984, Chief Strategy Officer, GoHealth Urgent Care.
- Sarah Hawkins, CBHP 2007, CEO – East Region, Hines.
- Jared Johnson, MBA 2002, Vice President of Marketing, PepsiCo, Frito Lay.
- Kent McNeil, BBA 1998, Principal, High Side Real Estate.
- Rob Pierce, BBA 1990, Head of Investment Banking, TD Securities.
- Amy Porter, BS 1999, Founder, Former CEO and Executive Chairman, AffiniPay.
- Jimmy Schatte, BBA 1999, Vice President, CGI.
- Loretta Soffe, Co-founder, L&J Consulting.
- Clayton Spencer, BBA 2003, CEO, Poncho.
- Sean Tackett, Regional Business Manager, Shell.
- Garry Tanner, MBA 1997, Partner, Quantum Energy Partners.
- Ed Tokon, BBA 1978, President, Zebra Technologies.
- John Turner, BBA 1994, MBA 2001,President and CFO, Atlas Energy Solutions Inc.
- Mark Walker, BA 1998, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO, Direct Digital Holdings.
- Heather Zynczak, BBA 1993, CMO, AlphaSense.
About this Post
Share:
