Stay Connected with friends and former classmates
Register for the May 4th JSOM ReunionWelcome home, Jindal School alumni!
The JSOM Alumni Relations team is dedicated to keeping you connected to your alma mater and helping you support your university! To reach us directly, visit the JSOM Alumni Contact page or email us at jsomalumni@utdallas.edu.
Alumni Spotlight
Jonathan “J.J.” Jones, BS’12, MS’14, MBA’16
Senior Property Manager, Crescent Property Services, LLC
In his current position, Jones manages a Class A commercial real estate portfolio for Crescent, which acquires, develops and operates high-end properties alongside an exclusive group of investors and high-net-worth clients. Crescent currently has $3.5 billion in assets in its portfolio. Jones said his education at Jindal School has opened a lot of doors for him. “I don’t think I’m smarter than I was, but it helped me in my ability to creatively problem solve, navigate multiple fields of expertise and remain confident in a rapidly evolving business environment,” he said. He earned three degrees at the Jindal School – a BS in Business Administration, an MS in Supply Chain Management and an MBA.
Luis Ortiz, MBA’10
Brand Manager, North America Ericsson
As a young professional, Luis Ortiz found a way to further his company’s goals and initiatives while helping individuals in need. He developed a business initiative for Ericsson that not only met and surpassed company objectives but also helped a nonprofit organization. By looking beyond boundaries between for-profit and nonprofit organizations, Ortiz crafted a creative solution to help Ericsson increase its brand awareness while assisting the North Texas Food Bank.
Craig Weigel, MBA’03
Human Resources Director, PepsiCo
Weigel, an HR professional for more than 18 years, has worked for multiple Fortune 100 global companies in various roles, including recruiting, mergers and acquisitions, compensation, and business partnership. He is most proud of his short-term projects in Asia and Europe, which broadened his cultural awareness and global business knowledge.
Ankit Takallapaly, MS’15
Software Development Manager, Amazon
At Amazon, Takallapaly manages a team of software engineers who are responsible for building data-driven solutions to support hiring needs for Amazon globally. “The information technology and management program at Jindal School helped me gain deep knowledge in data analytics, program management and people management,” Takallapaly says. “Looking back, these skills were an integral part of my career in the initial days. In my current role, I actually rely on all three of them equally to execute my responsibilities and deliver results.”
Jessica Pillado Gonzalez, BS’10
Vice President, Santander Consumer USA
Gonzalez is vice president of the U.S. operational strategy and digital transformation team at Santander Consumer USA. In her role, Gonzalez’ team is focused on enhancing business performance and fintech solutions. She manages relationships with key partners and global digital leaders as the digital liaison for Santander Consumer.
J. Michelle (Abuda) Maraj, BS’14, MS’15
Financial Systems Analyst, Lyft
J. Michelle (Abuda) Maraj, now living in San Jose, California, powered through her master’s degree in business analytics just a year after she earned her BS in what is now information technology and systems. In 2014, she was selected to give the commencement address for her Jindal School class, where she pointed out it took her a few semesters to settle on majoring in what is now known as information technology and systems. Thanks to the Jindal School’s Career Management Center, she held an internship each summer during her college years. She also is a past contributor to the JSOM Perspectives blog.
Art Trepanier, MS’76
Retired, Lockheed Martinr
Trepanier was in one of the School of Management’s earliest graduating classes, earning what was then called a master’s in Management and Administrative Science
David Wedemeier, BS’02, MBA’05
Founder, Sales And Business Development Director, Martin House Brewing Company
David Wedemeier took a risk and left a management position at Nokia to start his own business. He put his own advice into practice, stepping outside his comfort zone and into a business-development role in a brand new venture. Wedemeier, along with two close friends, co-founded Martin House Brewing Company in Fort Worth. As a new-business owner and entrepreneur, he relies upon the skills and knowledge he accrued while pursuing his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the Jindal School.
Gary Tillett, BS’82
U.S. Financial Services Partner, New York Metro Deals Leaderpricewaterhousecoopers
Gary Tillett’s notable career spans three decades and includes roles in several divisions within the same “big four” accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Tillett currently serves as the New York Metro Deals Leader and is a partner in the U.S. Financial Services sector at PwC. In this dual role, he leads a practice of more than 400 deals professionals and serves some of PwC’s largest corporate and private-equity clients with investments in the financial services sector. Tillett attributes his success to his commitment to the delivery of quality client service and his desire to maintain a comprehensive lifestyle, which has included active community service within his career and personal life since an early stage.
Cristie Feldman Schlosser, ASID, RID, NKBA, NCIDQ , BS’84
Principal Interior Designer, Schlosser Design Group, LLC
The highlight of my current career has been recognition by my peers as an award-winning interior designer.
Priya Singh, BS’15
Analyst, Goldman Sachs
Singh, who earned her finance degree at Jindal School, now is a Warehouse Asset Manager at Goldman Sachs and works as part of the Realty Management Division in Dallas. “My current job consists of working with consumer and student loan facilities to ensure loan management and assist with the lending business,” she says. She also assists the trading desk and bankers in New York City. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Singh worked for two years with GE Capital in its Commercial Leadership Program in Chicago and Wisconsin.
Eugene Gicheru, MD, MBA, FACEP, MBA’16
Chief Executive Officer, Careculture Health Partners
Several physician colleagues along with myself founded CareCulture Health Partners, where I serve as CEO.
Joe Warren, BS’11
Software Engineer, USAA
Each day, I strive to use best practices, creating beautiful and accessible experiences for our internal and member-facing systems.
William F. Rayburn, MD, MBA’07
Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean, University of New Mexico School of Medicine
At UNM’s School of Medicine in Albuquerque, Rayburn is responsible for continuing medical education and professional development of the school’s faculty.
Robert Kientz, BS’04
Senior Security Analyst, Verizon Wireless
In his role with Verizon, Kientz performs risk assessment of information security vulnerabilities and system security policy compliance.
Gaurav Sethi, BS’20
Investment Bank Risk Analyst, JP Morgan
Sethi works at JP Morgan as a specialist in counterparty credit risk calculations, doing the heavy analysis that most don’t even know exists – he investigates and explains derivative exposure variances and changes. Sethi earned both finance and actuarial science undergrad degrees. (Actuarial science is in the UT Dallas School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.) Notably, Sethi was awarded the prestigious $15,000 Mitchell Family Foundation Scholar Award from the Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation, based on his work with CampusOven, a service that connects university employees and students with caterers who are focused on healthy eating options.
Angelica Barriga, BS’03, MBA’08
Director, Global Business Process Management, Adva Optical Networking
Angelica Barriga, an advocate for bold action, believes organizational behavior is an important yet often-overlooked component in developing a business strategy. In her role at ADVA Optical Networking, a telecommunications vendor based in Germany, she oversees the business lifecycle process across global sales, marketing and service organizations.
Gerald Youngblood, MBA’10
Director, North America Marketing Advanced Micro Devices
Gerald Youngblood, a graduate of the Professional MBA Online program, credits the Jindal School with preparing him to progress beyond the traditional business environment and into the wireless workplace. He now manages marketing and strategy development at Advanced Micro Devices, a multinational technology company that designs and integrates technology for intelligent devices, such as personal computers, tablets, game consoles and cloud servers.
HB Paksoy, MA’76
Retired Professor
This Richardson resident was one of the first graduates of what was then known as the School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas.
Doug Hermann, BS’14
Broker Associate, The Weitzman Group
Hermann double-majored while at Jindal School, graduating with a degree in Finance and a degree in Business Administration.