2021 Photos

SMU Cox MBA/MS Class Reunions Oct. 1, 2021

Class Years Ending in ʼ0, ʼ1, ʼ5 and ʼ6
The Statler, Dallas
For additional photos, please see CoxToday fall print edition.

Don and Leslie Ritter, EMBA ’01, and Kevin Knox

Zach Sutton, Katie Sutton, Dave Karras, Inobat Karras, Molly Lavelle, Tommy Lavelle, Emma Stradling and Gunnar Gingery, all PMBA ’16

Jessica Boghetich, BBA ’06; Cody Boghetich, BBA ’07, PMBA ’10; Kevin Knox

Connor Hunt, Maggie Hunt and Matt Gamble, PMBA

Amrut Acharya, Jit Naik, Bailey Butzberger, Jeff Harrell and Max Joseph

Akin Awujoola and guest, Sanyaolu Agbetan, Stacy Tubonemi, all FTMBA ’21, and George Opudo, EMBA ’20

Timmons Gray and Jennifer Kesterson, MBA ’15

Dean Matt Myers with Patrick Zetlmaer, Ric Valdez, Tim Ward, Cathy McEachern, Stacy Townsend, Taruna Jain, Maria Neisler, Matt Neisler and Phil Webb, all MBA ’01

Paul Murphy, Meera Kulkarni, Jessica Martinez, Kelly Wu and Tyler Evenson, all PMBA ’21

Laurence Chiang, EMBA ’10, and Tom Perkowski

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Events

For additional photos, please see CoxToday fall print edition.

Oct. 22. Team King Operating was Jay Young, Chandler Knox, Cody Roark, and Chris Widdle. A huge “thank you” to Dallas Gun Club and our sponsors: 7-Eleven, Andrews Distributing and Rodney and Jimmy Joe, who provided ammo.

Oct. 22. At the Cox Sporting Clay Tournament, Team Lone Wolves was Heath Woodrum; Paine Matiscik, MBA ’22; Reid Cossey, MBA ’13; and Greg Vanbelois.

Oct. 22. The Cox Sporting Clay Tournament at Dallas Gun Club raised funds for the military veteran scholarship funds. Team T-Rex was Rex Simmons, BBA ’12; Jack Towler, MBA ’22; Peyton Dekker, MBA ’22; and Miles Kaufman, MBA ’22.

Oct. 21. SMU Cox students Caroline Smith and Lilly Myers were at the football game.

Oct. 21. Prior to the Tulane vs. SMU football game, Blake Helm, MBA ’14; Melissa Ginder; and Liz Schaab, MBA ’14, were at On the Boulevard at the Cox/Lyle Red Zone.

Oct. 19. Texas Legends Networking Breakfast, sponsored by the Cox School of Business, occurs on the third Tuesday of each month at the Comerica Center in Frisco. A recent featured speaker was well-known Dallas NBA star Spud Webb. He was interviewed by Britney Wynn.

Sept. 28. Chris Hanna (MBA ’02, Cox Alumni Board of Directors, Simmons School adjunct professor) hosted Eric Hargan, former deputy secretary of Health & Human Services, who spoke about healthcare in the U.S. to students, alumni, faculty, staff and corporate sponsors.

Sept. 23. At the Bent Tree Country Club reception: first- and second-year MBA students: Joe Beby, MBA ’23; Peyton Dekker, MBA ’22; Charlie Mansfield, MBA ’22; Ahkil Dewan, MBA ’22; Adam Brown, MBA ’22; Allie Murphy, MBA ’22; Roberta Scalla Ratelle; and Dalton Ratelle, MBA ’22.

Sept. 23. At the Bent Tree Country Club reception: Tryna Knox, ME ’12, and Tessa Hoskin, EMBA ’11.

Sept. 23. At the Bent Tree Country Club reception: Sarah and Chris Hanna, MBA ’02, and Gina Myers.

Sept. 23. Meredith and Bill Ajello, EMBA ’19, hosted a reception for the Cox Alumni Board of Directors at Bent Tree Country Club. Shown here: Nick Kapral, MBA ’10, Dean Matt Myers and Bill Ajello.

Sept. 17. Kevin Knox with Peruna at SMU’s kickoff of the new capital campaign.

Sept. 17. SMU cheerleaders at the School’s kickoff of the capital campaign.

Sept. 14. At the Don Jackson Center reception, Stephen Meek, BBA ’12, had an opportunity to speak to students in the Alternative Assets program, alumni and friends. Meek serves on the AAM board.

Sept. 14. David Miller (BBA ’72, MBA ’73, chairman of the Cox Executive Board and SMU Board of Trustees) hosted a reception for the Don Jackson Center for Financial Studies. Miller welcomed current students, alumni, board members, faculty and friends.

Sept 10: At Family Weekend, Cox rugby coach Charlie Mansfield, MBA ’22, puts the Cox Ruggers through their warm-up routine prior to the match with the SMU undergraduate rugby club.

Sept 10: During Family Weekend, Associate Dean of BBA Programs Jim Bryan, JD ’11, held the Cox Spotlight for prospective students and their parents in the Collins Centerʼs Crum Auditorium

Sept 4: The Cox-Lyle Red Zone Tailgate, On the Boulevard, hosted alumni, friends, students, parents, corporate sponsors and guests of Dean Myers and Dean Marc P. Christiansen.

Aug 30: “It’s Always Sunny on the Hilltop,” Sonny Dykes’ live audience, radio program at Ozona’s. Rich Phillips interviewed Garrett Riley, SMU offensive coordinator prior to SMU opening game, against Abilene Christian University.

Aug 03: During Dallas Startup Week, Abe Minkara, MBA ’04, founding partner of Legacy Knight, was interviewed by Trey Bowles in McFarlin Memorial Auditorium.

Aug 01: Chuck Walker, executive director of I AM a Golfer Foundation, makes remarks before awarding the championship prizes and trophies. Men’s Open Division winner: Drew Evans; Women’s Open Division winner: Rachel Smith; Men’s Net Division winner: James Newton; Men’s Senior Open Division winner: Lee Sandlin; Women’s Senior Open Division winner: Anna Schultz.

July 31: Sean Stout with SMU basketball operations, Ty Dunlap and Jonathan Wilfong, BBA ’17, at the Trinity Forest Golf Club for the Dallas Amateur Golf Championship.

June 15. The Cox School, along with other sponsors, hosts a monthly networking breakfast with the Texas Legends basketball family the third Tuesday of each month at the Comerica Center in Frisco.

May 23. At Cedar Crest Golf Course, registration and sponsor tables were hosted by Cedar Crest staff, interns and tournament sponsors.

May 24. Kevin Knox and Ira Terrell, BBA ’76, at the National Basketball Retired Players Association golf outing. The tournament was coordinated by SMU alumnus Ron Taylor and his wife, Jan.

May 23. The Cox School of Business was a sponsor for the Dallas Amateur Golf Championship, where there were six qualifying rounds at Cedar Crest Golf Course and a two-day championship tournament at Trinity Forest Golf Club. Proceeds went to the I AM a Golfer Foundation at Cedar Crest. Pictured here: Kevin Knox; Ira Malayo, Director of Golf at Cedar Crest; and Dave Ridley, MBA ’82, Chairman of the IAAG Foundation.

May 15. Gerald J. Ford Stadium was an outstanding venue for the Cox School of Business spring 2021 graduation ceremony.

May 07. Elizabeth Wattley, MBA ’15, at the podium to accept her award as an Outstanding Young Alumna award winner.

May 07. Lizzy Chesnut Bentley (right, BBA ’12) and her sister, Maggie, together at the Cox Alumni Awards Luncheon.

Jan. 22. Tom Perkowski retired from his position as assistant dean for the EMBA program. Dean Matt Myers awarded Perkowski a chair engraved with his name.

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May 2021 Commencement

Students, faculty and guests attended the May Commencement Ceremony, held in Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Saturday, May 15, 2021, on the SMU Campus. Graduate students are in brown collars and undergraduates are wearing red.

Students, faculty and guests attend the May Commencement Ceremony held in Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Saturday, May 15, 2021 on the SMU Campus.

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Honored SMU Cox Alumni

On May 7, 2021, the Cox School’s annual Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Alumni Awards Luncheon honored four alumni: two Distinguished Alumni and two Outstanding Young Alumni. The honorees’ official alumni portraits are featured on this page.

Cox Distinguished Alumni 2021

Brad Brookshire, BBA ’76, is chairman and CEO of Tyler, Texas-based Brookshire Grocery Company which operates more than 180 stores under the Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods, Fresh by Brookshire’s and Spring Market banners. Part of a three-generation SMU family, Brookshire is a longtime member of the SMU Board of Trustees and a Cox Executive Board member.

R. Andrew Clyde, BBA ’85, is president and CEO of Murphy USA (NYSE: MUSA), one of the largest convenience store chains in the US. Under his leadership, MUSA has grown to more than 1,670 stores across 27 states. A member of the Cox Executive Board, Clyde met his wife, Jennifer – a third-generation Mustang – at SMU.

Cox Outstanding Young Alumni 2021

Elizabeth “Lizzy” Chesnut Bentley, BBA ’12, launched CITY Boots in 2016 — the realization of her lifelong passion for cowboy boots. After graduating from SMU Cox, she went to work in the energy industry and later pivoted into a career as a successful entrepreneur, designing comfortable, stylish cowboy boots for women. Bentley is the second former BBA Scholar to be honored as an Outstanding Young Alumna.

Elizabeth Wattley, MBA’ 15, is the executive director of Forest Forward, a dynamic non-profit organization that partners with the Dallas community to drive equitable development, economic mobility and improved outcomes for the children, residents and families of South Dallas. Wattley is passionate in her efforts to ignite healthy neighborhood revitalization.