Highest Honor
Texas McCombs Welcomes 5 Hall of Fame Honorees and Recognizes 3 Young Alumni Who Are Rising Stars
Each fall, the McCombs School of Business welcomes its most distinguished alumni and friends into the ranks of its Hall of Fame, and honors exemplary early- to midcareer alumni as Rising Stars. On Nov. 2, 2023, alumni and friends convened at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center for the annual Hall of Fame celebration recognizing these honorees.
The Hall of Fame honorees for 2023 are Connie Duckworth, BBA ’76, Phil Green, BBA ’77, Bill Gurley, MBA ’93, Kyle Hranicky, BBA ’91, and Paul Knopp, MBA ’83.
“Our inductees demonstrate extraordinary accomplishment and great leadership,” says Dean Lillian Mills. “In all ways, they embody ‘What starts here changes the world.’”
Induction into the Hall of Fame is McCombs’ highest honor, and it was established in 1983 to recognize alumni, faculty, and friends of the school who have made outstanding professional contributions to the business community and who have advanced humanity through their civic, philanthropic, and educational activities.
1
Connie Duckworth, B.A. ’76 Plan II, retired in 2001 after 20 years with Goldman Sachs. The first woman sales and trading partner in Goldman Sachs’ history, Duckworth now serves as a director of Steelcase Inc. and MP Materials. In 2002, she founded ARZU, a social enterprise employing destitute women rug weavers in rural Afghanistan, and she has served the organization pro bono as chairman and CEO for 17 years. She sits on the George W. Bush Institute’s Women’s Policy Advisory Council in Dallas and is a founding member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council in Washington, D.C.
2
Phil Green, BBA ’77, has served as chair and CEO of Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. and Frost Bank since 2016. He joined the organization in 1980 and, having served in several managerial roles during his tenure, has helped guide it to become one of the nation’s 50 largest banks. Its common stock dividend has increased for 30 consecutive years, as Frost has received top rankings for customer satisfaction from J.D. Power for 14 consecutive years and has earned the Greenwich Excellence Award for seven consecutive years.
3
Bill Gurley, MBA ’93, is a prominent venture capitalist and general partner at Benchmark, a leading venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. He has played a crucial role in guiding several successful startups, including Uber, Zillow, Nextdoor, Stitch Fix, and OpenTable. Before his career in venture capital, Gurley spent four years in investment banking, where he worked on the Amazon IPO. In his blog, “Above the Crowd,” he shares his thoughts on technology, investing, and business strategy. At UT, he serves on the President’s Commercialization Advisory Board.
4
Kyle Hranicky, BBA ’91, is the CEO of Commercial Banking at Wells Fargo and serves on the organization’s Operating Committee. After holding numerous other leadership roles for Wells Fargo, Hranicky now oversees teams dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of emerging middle market, middle market, mid-corporate businesses and government, institutional, and not-for-profit clients. He is also an executive sponsor of Wells Fargo’s Native American Connection employee resource network. Hranicky serves on Texas McCombs’ Advisory Council.
5
Paul Knopp, BBA ’82, MBA ’83, is chair and CEO at KPMG LLP, a leading professional services firm providing audit, tax, and advisory services to many of the world’s most prestigious organizations. Recognized for his commitment to ethical leadership, Knopp has been honored by Accounting Today, the National Association of Corporate Directors, and Glassdoor. He is a governing board member of the Center for Audit Quality and a board member for nonprofit organizations Catalyst, Partnership for New York City, and U.S.-India Business Council.
In addition, McCombs also recognizes young alumni with the Rising Star Award, established in 2004. This award is presented to younger alumni who have experienced professional success and have shown exemplary service to the McCombs Alumni Network. These are graduates who have presented themselves as consummate professionals and dedicated businesspeople.
This year, McCombs also honored three Rising Stars: Amy M. Bell, BBA/MPA ’03, CFO, the Cook’s Nook; Zach Petrone, BBA ’05, chief investment officer, Highside Capital; and Chirag H. Shah, BBA ’98, MBA ’06, senior portfolio manager, Private Equity team for Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.
Learn more
Learn more about the new Hall of Fame inductees and find video profiles here.
