McCombs Magazine

Elizabeth Gorski-Fratus, MBA ’03
Elizabeth Gorski-Fratus, MBA ’03, has been promoted to U.S. managing director of strategy and technology at Deloitte LLP. She was…

Jorge Garduño, MBA ’01
Jorge Garduño, MBA ’01, has been named chief customer and commercial officer at the Coca‑Cola Co. He was based in…

Edward Chipman “Chip” Earle, MBA ’01
Edward Chipman “Chip” Earle, MBA ’01, has been appointed executive vice president, general counsel, chief administrative officer, chief compliance officer…

David Clifford, BBA ’00
David Clifford, BBA ’00, has been named chief operating officer of Tectonic Financial Inc., a technology-focused financial services company. He…

Kevin Hamilton, BBA ’99
Kevin Hamilton, BBA ’99, has been appointed vice president of global marketing and communications for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council…

Matthew Chee, BBA ’99
Matthew Chee, BBA ’99, was appointed senior vice president of growth at Charge Enterprises Inc. He had been vice president…

Cullen Childress, MBA ’97
Cullen Childress, MBA ’97, wrote about “Overcoming the Push and Pull of AI: Lessons From IT Teams in Making AI…

Jorge Silva-Puras, MBA ’96
Jorge Silva-Puras, MBA ’96, was appointed interim provost at Lehman College. He is also senior vice president for academic affairs…

Khary Scott, BBA ’95
Khary Scott, BBA ’95, has been appointed senior vice president over co-brand partnership development at Atlanticus Holdings Corp., a financial…

Matt Osburn, MPA ‘95
Matt Osburn, MPA ‘95, was named one of Austin’s Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders for 2023. He is chief financial…

Bill Poston, MBA ’94
Bill Poston, MBA ’94, received the Raymond L. Gardner Alumnus of the Year Award from Phi Delta Theta fraternity for…

Praveen Madan, MBA ’94
Praveen Madan, MBA ’94, has been named CEO and publisher of Berrett-Koehler Publishers. He is a former chair of the…

Brett Elder, BBA ’94
Brett Elder, BBA ’94, has joined Advanced Management Operations Platform as vice president of sales. He had worked as a…

Steve Chase, MBA/MPA ’94
Steve Chase, MBA/MPA ’94, was named vice chair of the new AI and digital innovation group at KPMG US. He…

Shannon Smith, BBA ’93
Shannon Smith, BBA ’93, was named chief commercial officer of Chestnut Carbon, a carbon offset developer. She was chief growth…

Harriss Currie, MBA ’92
Harriss Currie, MBA ’92, has been named president over regenerative medicine with 3D Systems of Rock Hill, South Carolina. He…

Erin Mulligan Helgren, BBA ’91
Erin Mulligan Helgren, BBA ’91, has been appointed to the Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc. board. She is CEO of OfficeSpace…

Stewart Seeligson, BBA ’86, MBA ’94
Stewart Seeligson, BBA ’86, MBA ’94, was named a managing partner of The Agency Telluride, a Colorado franchise of the…

Diana Diaz, BBA ’85
Diana Diaz, BBA ’85, has been named the permanent chief financial officer of Direct Digital Holdings, an advertising and marketing…

Ross R. Moody, BBA ’84
Ross R. Moody, BBA ’84, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2023 from Texas Exes. He is chairman and CEO…

Marcie Zlotnik, BBA ’83
Marcie Zlotnik, BBA ’83, has joined the board of NRG Energy Inc. She is the co-founder, chief operating officer, and…

Susan Sabanos, MBA ’83
Susan Sabanos, MBA ’83, has joined Opinions Ltd., a U.S. data collection and fieldwork services firm, as vice president of…

Sherron Watkins, BBA ’81
Sherron Watkins, BBA ’81, MPA ‘82, spoke about “The Courage of Your Convictions” in a business ethics address at Franklin…

James Schellhase, BBA ’80
James Schellhase, BBA ’80, MPA ‘81, has been appointed executive chairman of McCarthyFinch, a legal workflow software company. Before joining…

Gary Kelly, BBA ’77
Gary Kelly, BBA ’77, has been appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas board. He is executive chairman of…

John Goff, BBA ’77
John Goff, BBA ’77, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2023 from Texas Exes. He is the founder and managing…

Work with ‘companies that matter’ lands VC partner on Forbes 30 Under 30 list
Samuel D. Garcia, BBA ’16, has been named to Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 list for venture capital. He is…

Mixing business with pleasure: A recipe for margarita success
Chris and Elsa DeGroot hit a business milestone in 2023. Just as last year’s long, hot summer was beginning to…

Outdoor Living
How Two McCombs Entrepreneurs With a Love for Time Spent Outside Built a Company Kevin Long, MBA ’23, spent the…

Gatherings
Wall Street for McCombs Annual Reception, April 9 The annual reception for students in the Wall Street for McCombs (WSFM)…

Creative Pivot
Josh Tarplin, MPA ’24, on Finding His Passion for Auditing After a Career in Photography Accounting wasn’t on Josh Tarplin’s…

Letter from the Dean
Stepping into the Future I remember watching the moon landing on TV in 1969, and this “Star Trek” fan was…

Self-Driving Vehicles Bring the Store to You
With Autonomous Vehicles, Sellers Expand Their Reach Going Right to Their Customers Based on the Research of Junyu Cao Autonomous…

Uncovering COVID-19 Loan Fraud Schemes
How 2 McCombs Researchers Exposed Online Lenders Based on the Research of John Griffin and Samuel Kruger As John Griffin…

‘McCombs Made’
Monthly Podcast Features Revelations and Reflections on Success and Failure from McCombs-Connected Leaders by Alberta Phillips Most success stories are…

The Banana Cure
How 2 Texas Student-Entrepreneurs are Harnessing the Therapeutic Properties of a One-of-Kind First-Aid Treatment by Alice Popovici Sean Finney was…

Faculty on the Rise
Eleven faculty members have been recommended for promotion in 2024 by UT President Jay Hartzell. The new positions are effective…

Experience of Retiring Faculty Members Totals 175 Years
At the end of the summer this year, the Department of Accounting will be saying goodbye to three longtime faculty…

2 McCombs Teachers Picked As Best of 2023 by Poets & Quants
John Doggett, senior lecturer in the Department of Management, was named by Poets & Quants last fall as a favorite…

Trio Wins Best Paper Award at ISS Conference in October
Two professors and a student at the McCombs School of Business won one of two Information Systems Society Cluster Best…

Clement Selected for National Accounting Oversight Board
Longtime accounting professor Michael B. Clement, who is retiring this summer, has been named to the board of directors of…

Finance Professor Laura Starks is Named a Fellow of the EGCI
In recognition of her research and scholarship, Laura Starks, a professor of finance, was recently named a fellow of the…

Harmonizers Hum A Capella Hit the Road
Four McCombs students who are members of UT’s premier competitive South Asian fusion a cappella group, Hum A Capella, qualified…

Gen-Z Takeover Sparks Social Media Surge
This spring, Texas McCombs launched a unique initiative by enlisting student ambassadors for the first time to contribute to the…

Students Named Finalists for Outstanding Student Award
Two McCombs students — Scott Fonseka and Amelia Nickerson — were among the finalists in the Outstanding Student Award, a…

McCombs Wins National Women’s Case Competition
A trio of Texas McCombs students took the top prize for UT at this year’s National Women’s Case Competition. Finance…

Felix’s Famous Cookies: From Family Recipe to Nationwide Philanthropy
Since founding his company with his mother, freshman Felix Castillo has made giving back a central goal of the business.…

Texas Business of Sports Summit Lets Pros, Students Share Ideas
Students and professionals gathered in October to exchange ideas and build connections during the daylong Texas Business of Sports Summit.…