Mentor Appreciation

Esteemed alumni pay it forward at the McCombs 13th annual Executive Mentorship Dinner

The McCombs School of Business welcomed 140 undergraduate business students and 19 top-tier executives to its 2026 Executive Mentorship Dinner on Feb. 12 in the Hall of Honors. The event celebrated its 13th year and featured industry experts from across the business spectrum, including marketing, technology, finance, and more. Most of them graduated from McCombs or The University of Texas at Austin before launching their careers.

Dan Cournoyer, senior associate director of development, has been overseeing the dinner for the past several years and gives full credit for the event’s success to Ed Tonkon, BBA ’78 and president of Zebra Technologies, who endows the program.

“This event provides an opportunity for our high-achieving students to spend one-on-one time with someone in their chosen field over dinner, and that conversation can be a turning point in a student’s life,” Cournoyer said.

He also gives credit to the McCombs BBA Advisory Board and its Mentorship Committee co-chairs, Keri Herrin, BBA ’98, and Monica Huber, BBA ’90, who are vocal advocates for the dinner and its impact on students and mentors.

Before the event, students select a mentor from a provided list. Students are then placed at a table with their chosen mentor where they chat over a catered meal provided by McCombs.

For some mentors, this is a way they can give back to their alma mater while paying it forward to future Longhorns.

“The University of Texas gave me so much; I feel like I have an obligation to give back,” said Tony Rogers, BBA ’90, MBA ’97, chief marketing officer at Dollar General.

Among the hot topics at this year’s event: Artificial intelligence and the way it is reshaping industries across the board. When a nervous student shared with Rogers his fears about AI gobbling up jobs, the former accounting major had some sage advice.

“AI will help marketing grow. It’s a tool,” he said. “Marketing has changed. First, it was about creativity. Now, it’s about creative data.”

Other topics students broached included ways to get started in their career, what to do when they feel they are behind their peers, and what to do if they are still deciding what career path to take. Mentors provided practical advice sprinkled with their own personal stories.

Future plans for the dinner include continued expansion so even more students and business executives may participate. To learn more about the McCombs Executive Mentorship Dinner, email events@mccombs.utexas.edu. Photos from this year’s event may be viewed here.

McCombs wants to extend a heartfelt thank you to the mentors who participated in this year’s event:

Marshall Adkins, B.S. ’84, MBA ’89

Managing director and head of Energy Investment Banking, Raymond James

Alex Alt, BBA ’96

Executive vice president and general manager, Commercial Cloud Applications

Oracle

Corby Brooks, BBA ’96, J.D. ’04

Attorney

Cooks Brooks Johnson PLLC

Stacie Butler, B.S. ’00

Senior director

Slalom

Jennifer Chandler, B.A.’85

Managing director, head of Philanthropic Solutions

Bank of America

Steve Chase, MPA/MBA ’94

Global head of AI and Digital Innovation

KPMG

Brian Falik, BBA ’01

Chief investment officer, global

Mercuria

Gerardo Gutierrez, BBA ’07

Director

Centauri

Lamarr Houston, B.S. ’11, MSTC ’22

President and co-founder

Boxxtech

Justin Kentor, BBA ’00

Chief of strategy and business development

Varsity Brands

Sean Mitchell, BBA ’95

Chief executive officer

Daniel Energy Partners

Daron Peschel, BBA ’88

Senior vice president in charge, Houston Branch

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Tony Rogers, BBA ’90, MBA ’97

Chief marketing officer

Dollar General

Tedd Smith, BBA ’93

Chief executive officer

FirstClose

Doug Swanson, B.A. ’94, MBA ’99

Managing partner

EnCap Investments

Aaron Thielhorn, BBA ’98

Managing director

Trammell Crow Co.

Shara Ticku, B.A./BBA ’10

Co-founder and CEO

C16 Biosciences

Ed Tonkon, BBA ’78

President

Zebra Retail Solutions

Jeff Vanlandingham, BBA/MPA ’07

Partner

Treaty Oak Financial Services