Class Notes from Across the Cox Alumni Network

Class of 1965

Peter Williams, ’BBA 64, MBA ’65, who formerly lived and worked in Deerfield, Illinois, is now retired and lives in San Antonio.

Class of 1966

Carlton Crenshaw, BBA, had a complex year as he came down with advanced prostate cancer and beat it after 43 rounds of radiation. His grandson Collin will receive four years of education while playing football at Monmouth College. His granddaughter’s Dallas-based volleyball team placed third in Nationals.

Kennedy Lane, BBA, just finished restoring the historic West Beacon, commissioned in 1874 at Two Lights, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The twin lights, marking the entrance to Casco Bay, were the GPS of their day, guiding ships into the port of Portland Maine.

Clint Hughes, EMBA, is seeing the results of 20-plus years of work with the business plan he wrote for Jerry White coming into reality. Help Or Motivate Everybody Inc. is a 501c3 raising the self-esteem of kids with special needs or disabilities and teaching other children compassion and inclusion with the children’s book series, “Doctor Owlkin and The H.O.M.E. Team: Celebrating Our Differences and Diversity with Inclusion.”

Class of 1967

John Heberle, BBA, has been comfortably retired for 14 years. He moved back to Victoria, Texas, after 35 years in California. It was a big move for his wife of 28 years, Bobby (Barbara), who is from the San Francisco area.

Class of 1968

Harvey Davis, BBS, CPA (Retired), is the city treasurer for the City of Hays, Texas.

Lydon Neumann, BBA, is VP and healthcare technology consultant with Impact Advisors, LLC.

Class of 1978

Joe Needham, BBA, recently retired, bought a small farm and still loves to travel. He spent time in the Peace Corps, grad school, 35 years in agribusiness, five years in venture capital and has four great kids.

Class of 1979

Ben Anderson, BBA ’73, JD ’78, LLM ’79, is retired from being a global managing partner at Deloitte after 30-plus years and is living in Tyler. He travels extensively and just returned from an expedition trip to Antarctica. He devotes his time to helping local residents with legal issues and giving technical presentations to bar associations.

Class of 1981

Terri Peeters, MBA, is retired and living part-time in France.

Class of 1982

William Avery, BBA, and his wife became empty nesters four years ago after a “temporary” move to Chicago that lasted 31 years, so they moved to NYC. He took a position within Wells Fargo Bank’s Wealth & Investment Management group as the new senior credit manager for The Private Bank. They are currently living in Midtown East and enjoying all the city has to offer and more. He’d like any old classmates in NYC to reach out!

Andrea (North) Lamarsaude, BBA, is excited to share she has opened an art gallery and artist community in East Dallas called Art on Main! The space includes artist studio spaces for 22 Dallas-based creatives, the Art on Main Gallery and a venue for group or solo shows or pop-up exhibits. The gallery is a hub for art classes, artist talks and art education events. The Art on Main Gallery offers contemporary works by local DFW artists.

Class of 1983

Lauren Useda Law, BBA, BFA, was named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Dallas for 2023 by Women We Admire. She’s in her sixth year with The LOOMIS Agency as director of business development. Her husband, Gordon, is in his 13th year teaching digital advertising and brand management classes at SMU while also running his ad agency, Swimming Duck. Their son is a senior at SMU and will graduate in May 2024 with a sports management degree. He currently works with the defensive coaches on the SMU football team and wants to be a college or NFL coach.

Class of 1984

Corrie Harris, PMBA, accepted the role of executive director for the American Heart Association covering Tarrant County in January of 2023. Within six months of being in the role, their team achieved the Million Dollar Club. Pictured is the 2023 Million Dollar Club with CEO Nancy Brown.

Paula Herman Smith, BBA, has been a home- based cook, cookbook author and caterer for 16 years in Northwest Houston. Paula published a second cookbook in March titled “Cooking & second cookbook in Dining with Ease.” This new collection of over 100 recipes in hardback form continues with old favorites not published in her first cookbook, new creations and wonderful discoveries from some of her favorite food sources. Her choices and guidance in the pages convey cooking and dining simply, comfortably and without stress.

Class of 1985

Elena Andro, BBA, was named to the board of the Dallas Alumni of Gamma Phi Beta.

Andy Miller, MBA, spent 30-plus years working for the golf ownership industry with the iconic company ClubCorp (now known as Invited), which was started by the Dedman family and furthered under the guidance of KSL Capital. In early 2020, Andy had the privilege of becoming a founding partner (CRO) in the acquisition of a small, six-golf-club company with 350 employees called Heritage Golf Group, which has now become the fastest-growing owner and operator of private country clubs and daily fee resort clubs in the U.S., with 34 owned clubs and more than 3,500 employees. He has always been thankful to both SMU and the Dedman family for allowing him to “make a vocation out of an avocation.”

Class of 1986

Mark McNulty, BBA, is happy to have another Mustang in the family as his son Jim recently graduated from SMU.

Carrie Staton Stumfall, BBA, BFA, accepted a position as COO at Atlantic Housing Foundation in Dallas.

Sharon Fjordbak, BBA, just started her 14th year as the senior lecturer of business law at the UNT Dallas School of Business.

Class of 1988

Brent Mellow, MBA, completed the sale of his company, akaCRM, to Strata Information Group (SIG) in 2022 and is now VP of Salesforce Services for SIG, one of the largest privately held companies providing comprehensive strategy, implementation and managed support to more than 700 colleges and universities.

Class of 1989

Kenneth Rubenstein, BBA, completed a full renovation of the Rubensteins Men’s high-end clothing business and added The Rubenstein Hotel to the property, which opened September of 2023. He is very excited to add hotelier to his resume.

Class of 1991

Laura Galt, BA, Laura Galt (mom to Campbell Snavely, Marketing 2025) is co-producing “The Outsiders,” a musical based on the beloved S.E. Hinton novel and Francis Ford Coppola film. Texas band Jamestown Revival, along with Justin Levine (Tony from Moulin Rouge), is composing its score. Galt and her company ATx Random teamed up with Broadway productions to bring investors and sponsors to the table. Angelina Jolie recently joined the producing team. “The Outsiders” will have its first preview on March 16, 2024, and opening night is slated for April 11, 2024. She is also a filmmaker and speech-language pathologist who works with creatives and companies in coordinating all aspects of production. She provides accent modification, public speaking and voice and diction coaching for those who would like to improve their communication skills or pronunciation of the English language.

Class of 1992

William Lauck, EMBA, is president and CEO of American Lighting Association.

Class of 1994

Dyan Carbine, PTMBA, earned her JD from the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law. She graduated with honors in May 2023.

Eric Everett, MBA, has joined Hilcorp Energy Company as its director of acquisitions & divestitures and business development. Hilcorp is one of the largest privately held oil and gas companies in the U.S., with current production of over 360,000 barrels per day. He is joining to spearhead the company’s Hilcorp 500 initiative, which targets growing the company to over 500,000 barrels per day by the end of 2026. Hilcorp is active across the Lower 48 and is the largest operator in Alaska following its $5.6 billion acquisition of BP’s Alaska assets in 2020.

Class of 2000

Neil Foote, EMBA, switched from the classroom to administration, becoming an associate dean of research, external affairs and community engagement at the University of North Texas’ New College, which is expanding its footprint with a brand-new standalone campus in Frisco—one of the nation’s fastest-growing communities located just north of Dallas. He’s charged with leading the school’s internal and external marketing outreach as well as building partnerships with local businesses and organizations to create more enriching, project-based, experiential research and learning. He was also elected as board chair of Forefront Living, a Dallas- based organization that provides active independent and assisted living, long-term care, Alzheimer’s and memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation therapies, hospice and palliative care.

Class of 2001

Tammy Lomonaco, BBA, is senior transaction manager at Colliers International.

Class of 2002

Jason Danielson, BBA ’01, MSA ’02, was admitted to the partnership of KPMG LLP.

Class of 2003

Charles Bryant, EMBA, is thrilled to share that he has recently been appointed to the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Dallas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to igniting potential and promise in youth through one-to-one mentoring relationships.

JD Moore, BBA, is director of NGL off-hub marketing and business development for Phillips 66.

Class of 2004

Ali Gowani, BBA, has transitioned from Amazon Robotics to Meta (formerly Facebook). At Meta, he is accelerating revenue by developing and deploying state-of-the-art AI and Machine Learning technologies. He is contributing to overall ads growth and monetization across ranking and signal growth.

Mikhail Orlov, PMBA, launched GRITR Sports & Outdoors in 2019 in North Richland Hills, Texas, and recently launched a new line of GRITR Gear designed by their team here in Texas. The product offering augments their shooting range and training center and includes such products as holsters, range bags, cleaning kits and red dot sights.

Class of 2006

Christine Boudreau, EMBA ’06, LPCA, AFMCP, is proud to announce the grand opening of Dots Wellness in Frisco, Texas, a source for holistic mind and body care. At Dots Wellness, healing is amplified with a cutting-edge blend of functional medicine and psychotherapy because… the body keeps score.

Class of 2008

Carlos Guzman Carranza, MBA, was promoted to associate VP of commercial strategy and forecasting for Hyatt Inclusive Collection.

Class of 2009

Michelle Delaurier, BBA ’05, MBA ’09, opened Maple Leaf Diner in Dallas with her husband, Michael Delaurier, in 2015. They are honored to announce that Yelp, the leading platform for local business reviews, has named Maple Leaf Diner as the Best Diner in Texas.

Class of 2010

Christopher Coleman, BBA, was promoted to property controller by SunTex Marinas REIT in April 2023.

Class of 2011

Tudor Floru, MBA, joined SRS Distribution (McKinney, Texas) in January 2023 as the SVP of Enterprise FP&A after spending seven and a half years with Samsung Electronics America leading the Business Planning Group. SRS Distribution is the fastest-growing distributor of building products in the U.S., with 700+ branches in 44 states and 10,000+ employees. It was ranked as the 57th largest privately held company in the U.S. by Forbes.

Class of 2012

April Liz O’Malley, BBA, is head of people excellence at UBS and is expecting a second daughter.

Christopher Severs, BBA, is VP of business development at Lone Star Funds and recently got married to Taylor Severs, whom he met in Dallas after graduating from SMU.

Class of 2013

Trenton Owens, BBA, was named to Forbes’ Top Next Generation Wealth Advisor Best-in-State list in 2023.

Class of 2014

Evan Meehan, BBA, and Lacey, BS ’14, welcomed their first child, Magdalena, in March. Magda attended her first Boulevard in September. Evan has been busy as president and CEO of Spanish Schoolhouse, the largest chain of Spanish immersion preschools in the country, with 12 locations in DFW, six in Houston and two more coming soon. Lacey was recently promoted to HR manager, supporting the Walmart team at Frito-Lay.

Jeff Carper, MBA, works as COO for White Castle, a fourth-generation, family-owned business, with President and CEO Lisa Ingram (the great-granddaughter of founder Billy Ingram and an SMU alum). There are 345 White Castles (some call them restaurants) and eight manufacturing plants (two bakeries, three meat plants, and three retail plants). They produce their own buns, meat patties and produce the frozen sliders that are sold in grocery stores across the U.S. Their mission is to create memorable moments every day. White Castle has held the Great Place to Work® CertificationTM three years in a row. Carper has two of the greatest grandkids who keep him energized and living the dream every day.

Andy McIntosh, MBA, and his wife welcomed their son on 10/10/21. He and his wife, Lyndsay McIntosh, met at SMU. She was getting her master’s in advertising, and he was getting his MBA. They both graduated in 2014.

Class of 2015

Martha Nelson, BBA ’14, MSA ’15, was promoted to senior VP at Houlihan Lokey, based in the firm’s Dallas office. She is currently leading the sell-side advisory focus within the firm’s Transaction Advisory Services practice, as well as co-heading the consumer, food and retail (CFR) industry focus for the Financial and Valuation Advisory Services group’s corporate and private equity client account program. She also serves on the global leadership committee for the Women @ HL community group.

Class of 2016

Mohammad Alkhiyami, MBA ’15, MSA ’16, founded Gulf Center for FoodStuffs and Trading Importing and distributing FMCG to Qatar Local Market.

Christian Cadena, EMBA, has a new job as vice president at JP Morgan Private Bank.

Class of 2018

Levar Graham, MBA, is working as a technology and strategy advisory consultant for Accenture.

Daniel Molina, MBA, is e-commerce manager at Lansinoh Laboratories.

Colleen Betik, BBA, was promoted to senior product marketing manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS) in April 2023. Last summer, she celebrated her four-year anniversary at the company.

Class of 2019

Saniha Aziz, BBA, completed an MS in Applied Economics and Predictive Analytics at SMU and graduated in December of 2022.

Elie Nabushosi, MBA, is senior product manager at NerdWallet, angel investor at Velos Ventures and venture capital scout at Grishin Robotics (Silicon Valley) Full Stack Developer.

Class of 2020

Iman Zabdani, EMBA, works for Garza Gump Group, PLLC, in professional associate accountant management.

Class of 2021

Weiyi “Steven” Zhang, BBA, BS, graduated with a Master of Science in Quantitative Finance degree from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. He now lives in NYC and works at PwC as a Financial Crimes Associate.

Michael Da Silva, MBA, was promoted to senior manager of treasury at Gilead Sciences after completing a two-year MBA rotation program.

Class of 2022

Chris Rise, BBA, is working across the highway (Central Expressway) at Mill Creek Residential in their Single-Family Rental division.

Maria K. San Diego, EMBA, has entered a new industry. After over 15 years in medical device sales and marketing, she pivoted to real estate. As of September 2023, she is conducting her business under the Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate brand as a licensed RealtorTM.

SURPRISE ENGAGEMENT AT THE COX REUNION

Shortly before the Cox Homecoming Reunion got underway on Friday, Oct. 27, two Cox alumni got engaged in the plaza just behind the Collins Center. Mark Avioli, MBA ’20 and his girlfriend Sandra Saenz, MBA ’18 traveled from Houston to attend the reunion. Although the festivities weren’t scheduled to begin until

7 p.m., Avioli told Saenz he wanted to arrive early to look at the progress of the Cox renovation and expansion project. When she least suspected it, Avioli dropped to one knee, pulled out a ring and popped the question. She said yes! The couple celebrated with a champagne picnic Avioli had asked friends to arrange in the Turner Pavilion to further surprise Saenz. This joyful moment represents the first time a Cox alumni couple has gotten engaged at a reunion.