Class of 1960

Stanley Abramson, MBA, is running a business on Amazon.

Class of 1961

Robert C. Robinson, BBA, is now retired and living at the University Retirement Community in Davis, California.

Class of 1962

Barbara Lucas, BBA, is a retired United Methodist minister living at Trinity Terrace in Fort Worth, Texas.

Class of 1968

Lyndon Neuman, BBA, is a VP at Impact Advisors LLC, a healthcare information technology consultancy. He now enjoys his three grandchildren.


Class of 1975

Joe Rappeport, MBA, is retired from Chase Bank.




Class of 1976

Bob Hirth, BBA, is co-vice chair of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), which issues industry-specific sustainability accounting standards to assist investors in their decision-making. He continues as chairman emeritus of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) and as senior managing director at Protiviti.

Tim Mescon, MBA, and his wife have been living in Amsterdam since 2015, where he is executive vice president and chief officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa for AACSB, the global accreditor of business schools.

Class of 1979

Harry Puterbaugh, MBA, BBA ’78, is feeding the world with sustainable farming in Central Illinois. His daughter is a senior engineering major at SMU and is in the band.


Class of 1981

Bryan Dunklin, MBA, retired after teaching accounting at Fordham University for 17 years, during which time he also taught in an MBA program at Beijing University in China. Since retiring, Dunklin has published two novels, “The Two Weddings of Zhao Ping” and “E-vengeance.”

Class of 1982

Richard Laurin, BBA, was named associate general counsel for AdvoCare International LLC in October 2019.



Class of 1984

John Landers, MBA, is listed as Best in State by Forbes as a financial advisor.



Sterling T. Rutherford, BBA, has retired in Naples, Florida. He worked for over 30 years in the oil and gas business, from Sun Exploration and Production in Dallas to the Sun Oil Co. of Philadelphia, and then on to AmeriGas Propane Co. in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. His interests now are the simple pleasures of gardening and having dogs, and he’s contemplating a horse and a boat in the near future.

Paula Smith, BBA, is a home-based cook and caterer in Northwest Houston and is a published cookbook author. “Cooking & Dining with Heart and Soul” is in hardback and features over 100 recipes and photographs of beautiful food and tablescapes taken by Smith. Prior to the country’s shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith sensed a common craving by many to get back in the kitchen — armed with fresh, simple and approachable recipes that never fail and never disappoint. This is what “Cooking & Dining with Heart and Soul” is all about. The stay-at-home orders in the spring forced many to see the value of cooking and dining at home. The kitchen may be the heart of the home, but Smith has always believed the dining room is the soul of the home. Time around a family dining table nourishes all of us in many ways for years to come. For more information, go to paulaspalate.com.

Class of 1985

Elena Andro, BBA, was selected by the Dallas Office of Arts & Culture to serve as a panelist to select participants in the FY20-21 Community Artist Program.


Milton Kirby, BBA, ordered a new golf cart — a must-have if you live in a golfing community.



Class of 1986

Lisa Giliotti Feeley, BBA, just published a book titled “An Accountable American: Choosing a Life of Enlightenment, Peace, and Prosperity,” available only at anaccountableamerican.com. Feeley is a five-time entrepreneur and three-time published author, and she has worked for both startups and Fortune 500 companies. She’s also certified as a Lean Six Sigma Master Blackbelt. She has secured certifications as a senior professional HR and retirement planner, has obtained her broker’s license and has taught adjunct college courses for 20 years.

Mark McNulty, BBA, is a vice president at CBRE in St. Louis, Missouri.



Class of 1987

Ron Cagle, MBA, retired in December 2017 and relocated
after 33 years in Atlanta to rural Georgia, near Athens, to pursue the life of a “gentleman farmer” (without the farm). Cagle is renovating the house in the country, enjoying the grandchildren — who range from toddler to college freshman, traveling with his wife of 48 years and second- guessing political decisions.

Terri Knupp Gwinn, BBA, published a book titled “So You Had a Stroke, Now What?” available only at amazon.com. Gwinn suffered a massive stroke in 2014 after surgery to remove a brain abscess. A wife and mother to two grown children, she tells the true story of her recovery and shares what to expect during the early days and weeks following a stroke.

Tom Sheedy, MBA, is a managing director with Compass Point Research in Washington, D.C. The firm is an institutional investment bank focused on research and raising capital in the financial services, financial technology and real estate sectors.

Class of 1995

Cathleen O’Brien Dolt, BBA, is back on the Hilltop, overseeing the student comptroller’s office in Hughes Trigg Student Center.



Robert Casagrande, MBA, was recently promoted to division vice president for SSC Services of Education, a sector of the Compass Group. He’s also celebrating his 16th year as adjunct professor at the Lyle School of Engineering. Pony Up!

Jamie Fuller, MBA, joined the MBA admissions team at the Cox School in 2019. Fuller was at the Service Academy Career Conference in San Antonio with Air Force Academy grad Joshua Reece and current OMBA students.

Laura Sneed, BBA, is living outside Philadelphia and working for Merck as a director of early-stage vaccine pricing.



Class of 1999

Norman Ma, MBA, and his wife, Mary, are living in Massachusetts, where he works as a system architect for Oasis Systems LLC and Mary is a nurse practitioner. While Norman continues to read and anticipate future effects of advanced software, he also helps Mary muck the stalls.

Richard Sowden, MBA, is a principal at Frontier Investment Management, a $3.3 billion Texas-based wealth advisory business.Richard Sowden (MBA) is a principal at Frontier Investment Management, a $3.3 billion Texas-based wealth advisory business.

Class of 2000

Julas Hollie, MBA, recently started a new job as national sales director, correspondent lending, at Mid America Mortgage.


Class of 2001

Art Harvey, MBA, opened Westlake Brewing Company in September 2019. Westlake Brewing produces premium craft alcoholic beverages, which can be enjoyed in the taproom and restaurant located in the heart of Deep Ellum at 2816 Commerce St. Follow their Instagram @WestlakeBeer.

Tarik Masri, MBA, was appointed president and CEO of Taylors International Services Inc. in January 2020. Taylors provides Global Life Support Services for the energy, construction and government sectors.

Class of 2002

Jim Bernard, MBA, was accepted as a graduate student in Major Programme Management at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. Bernard is the former CFO and current executive vice president of Capital Markets at StoryBuilt, an urban infill homebuilder with offices in Austin, Dallas, Denver and Seattle.

Class of 2003

Wade Wegner, MBA, started a new position as COO of Pace Companies, an asset management and investment company.

Class of 2004

Mary Thomas, MBA, is the director of product development in the IOTS organization at AT&T. She was recently blessed with her first grandson named Kaito James.


Class of 2005

Liz Youngblood, MBA, moved to Houston a year and a half ago to assume the role of SVP/COO at St. Luke’s Health Texas Division. Youngblood’s division consists of 18 hospitals and multiple outpatient and ambulatory care sites including a physician enterprise. In March of this year, in addition to her division role, she also assumed responsibility as the president of Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center.

Class of 2006

M. Fasal Shariff, BBA, started his career with BDO Seidman LLP, a mid-size CPA firm, in 2006. He then went on to work with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP, both Big Four public accounting firms. In 2014, he left to start his own practice because he had a passion to take the experience he’d gained from the Big Four and serve his local business community. Shariff is the CEO and Founder of Shariff CPA Firm PC, a full-service CPA firm licensed in the state of Texas providing accounting and tax services to individuals and small- and medium-sized businesses.

Class of 2007

Nicole Kellogg, BBA, welcomed her second little girl, Tatum Lee, to the family. Tatum Lee recently turned 1, and big sister Parker Elisabeth will be 4 in August. Professionally, Kellogg is celebrating a recent promotion to director at Capital One.

John Thomas, MBA, is working in privacy and security program management.

Class of 2008

Mary Coffee, MBA, is regional manager-incubation at FasterCapital, a virtual incubator that has a unique approach to the industry. It’s based in Dubai Internet City (UAE). Currently, FasterCapital has 18 startups graduated and about 20 that are about to graduate. FasterCapital’s presence is worldwide through more than 100 regional partners who represent FasterCapital in different countries. She’s a member of the Cox School of Business Executive Board, and the opportunity for access to capital aligns perfectly with the mentoring program.

Class of 2009

Jamerus Payton, MSM, — co-owner of Carolina Chicken & Waffles LLC, a North Carolina family-owned and -operated mobile food business franchise — recently released his self-published book under The Payton Publishing Group LLC, “A Story of the Power of Black College Students, Economic Self-Sufficiency and Financial Freedom.” The book is an essential read for creating, growing and sustaining generational wealth.

Class of 2010

Chris Mitchell, MBA, is a partner and COO for MMC Group, a Dallas Top 100 company, and was instrumental in supporting staffing efforts to various clients throughout the U.S. during COVID-19 by providing resources to fill critical roles. The 2020 virus threw everyone a curveball, but Mitchell’s team quickly realized they had tremendous opportunities and, over the past few months, have been working hard helping clients find good people.

Class of 2011

Amanda Vining, BBA, to Denmark in the fall of 2017 to complete her MBA after five years at Topgolf Entertainment Group in Dallas. In August 2018, she graduated from Copenhagen Business School with her degree and began work with a Danish shipping and logistics company. She is currently living and working in Copenhagen, where she recently started a new position as a CRM and sales transformation partner. On the side, Vining volunteers as a mentor for the CBS MBA program and has even run into a few fellow Mustangs along the way.

Class of 2013

Clare Tokheim, BBA, decided to trade the concrete jungle in for the San Diego beaches after five years in New York City. With offices going remote for the foreseeable future, she couldn’t think of a better time to finally try things out West. Looking forward to meeting the SMU network there. Pony Up!

Sean Tremblay, MBA, welcomed baby No. 4, Bennett George, in June.



Class of 2014

Ben Briggs, MBA, is loving his four kids ages 2 to 13, running finance for Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty and working on a Freedom Place real estate project to generate significant capital to fight human trafficking.

Class of 2015

Julia Anthony, MSA, BBA ’14, has started a new role as vice president of finance and operations at Lydia Partners LP. Lydia Partners is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in the consumer technology, healthcare and biomedical spaces. Anthony manages the finances of the fund and oversees operations of the firm’s three portfolio companies. Anthony began her career at Deloitte Tax, where she obtained her CPA license before serving as the COO of a private political consulting firm.

Patrick Floeck, MBA, is a principal at Valesco Industries, a lower middle-market private equity firm investing both equity and subordinated debt across a variety of industries, including niche manufacturing, value-added distribution and specialized business services.

Jonathan Heckmann, MBA, and Julie Heckmann welcomed the arrival of their second daughter, Lucy Grace, on July 16. Emma (age 3) is “undecided” on Lucy’s arrival and the prospects of being a big sister.


Jenny Mitchell, BBA, is working at Airtable with two class of 2016 Mustangs.

Class of 2016

Diane Hogenkamp is working at Publicis Health Media in NYC as an associate director on the programmatic media buying team.



Cody Conoly, MSF, since graduating from SMU, has been working at Accenture in their Corporate Development Transaction Services helping to shape deals for large-scale opportunities sold to clients. This position started Conoly in Dallas and currently has him near the nation’s capital. Conoly loved participating in events post-graduation and staying connected to the campus and says he’s honored to be on the SMU MSF website. “It’s been an amazing four years since graduation. Here’s to many more! PONY UP!”

Dan Mulford, BBA, co-founded the Dallas office of KBC Advisors in February 2020. KBC Advisors, based in Seattle, WA, is a privately-owned boutique real estate brokerage firm with unparalleled experience and knowledge of every major, and most other, industrial markets in North America.

Yashasvi Diptivilasa, MBA, is in a new job at a tech startup in Barcelona, Spain.

Class of 2017

Seohyeon Kim, BBA, took a two-year break because of a health condition after graduating from school. This year, she did an internship at EY Korea and started studying for the USCPA exam.


Bryan Forsberg, BBA, went to work for a startup e-commerce company specializing in baby products after graduating. In the last four years, he and one other person have grown the company’s revenue year over year. They started with two employees and now have a full-time team of eight. Last year, they were able to surpass $6 million in online sales, and this year they are on pace to break $8 million in sales. Forsberg now holds the position of COO. In the past two years, he’s also married his best friend, and this year they just welcomed their first child, a beautiful little girl.

Joseph Kilianski Jr., MBA, is the newest member of the Board of Managers of Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance.

Elise Redetzke, BBA, MBA ’22, started a new operations role in the beginning of the year and enrolled in the fall 2020 SMU Cox Professional MBA program.


Class of 2018

Megan Heber, MA/MBA, is joining the University of North Texas College of Music as an adjunct professor of music business and entrepreneurship.



Ashok Kafle, MSBA, accepted a job as an associate at PwC the week before graduation and in the summer was promoted to senior associate. Kafle says, “my degree has been very helpful throughout my career so far. I work for a tax technology team and the tools and skills I have learned during my program has been of tremendous help.”

Class of 2019

Avery Lewis, BBA, moved to NYC after graduation to start her marketing career. Lewis is a digital marketing account manager at 3Q Digital.

Connor Kolodziej, Minor in Business, is working as video coordinator for the Boise State Men’s Basketball Program.



Andrew Adams, MSM, BBA ’18, is president of River Valley Underwriters.

Connor Sullivan, BBA, moved from an oil and gas group to a power group on Citi’s trading floor.

Victoria Whitcomb, BBA, recently completed her first year at Epsilon, a data-driven marketing firm, as an associate account executive.

Class of 2020

Pauli Kerr, BBA, is at JLL as an investment advisory analyst. Kerr says, “I’m so excited to continue my real estate career at such an amazing company where I will be immersed in knowledge and challenged daily.”

Montana Watts, BBA, was recently hired on at AT&T in the consumer care organization and is adapting to our current circumstances and WFH as a new hire.


Xinhe Bao, MSBA, landed his first full-time job as a data analyst.

Madeline Thomalla, BBA, MSA ’21, signed a full-time offer with KPMG Tax Dallas for October 2021.



Class of 2021

Vicki Liu, BBA, is interning for three different startup companies this summer. Her employers include AI and machine learning in the wine industry, IT systems in the health industry and a training school in the drone industry. They’re all over the world, from Dallas to San Luis Obispo to Dublin. Liu says, “Cox has prepared me for my internships, which provide immense experience in learning about the health, wine and drone industries all at once. I am excited about my senior year and seeing my professors and peers on campus again.”

In Memoriam: Eric Zimmermann

The Cox School mourns the untimely death of MBA ’20 alumnus Eric Zimmermann, who completed his MBA program in August. A memorial service was held at Winfrey Point at White Rock Lake on Friday, September 25, for family and close friends. Eric spent his childhood in Dallas, where he attended Lake Highlands High School. Prior to pursuing his MBA at SMU Cox, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in television and film from the prestigious USC School for Cinematic Arts. He proudly ran a successful business in film and music alongside two partners, worked on a variety of productions including “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” and wrote and filmed his own projects. The 37-year-old is survived by his wife, Natalie Wright Zimmermann; his parents, Cynthia Anthony and Mark Zimmermann; his sisters, Lisa Zimmermann and Lily Zimmermann; his brother, Reed Zimmermann; and many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He will be missed.