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JSOM Alumni

Welcome 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.

students posing next to OWLIE against a UTD cutout

Students walking down the line while getting food

Two JSOM Alumni against a background that has a JSOM balloon arc

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Are you reaching a big moment or milestone in your life or closing or starting a new chapter?

Whether it’s a new job, marriage, welcoming a baby, teaching your children or grandchildren your favorite hobby or moving across the country, we want to hear from you!

Featured News

Collage photo of Mark Thouin (top left) and Gaurav Shekhar (bottom right)

Key Promotions Made in Strategic Move to Advance Jindal School Graduate Programs

Hasan Pirkul The recent retirement of Dr. Monica Powell, graduate dean of the Naveen Jindal School of Management since 2009 and the senior associate dean since 2015, created both challenges and opportunities for Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and Jindal School dean, to maintain the high level of service that the school has always provided […]

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Frequently Asked Questions

The simplest way to join is to go to jindalconnect.com and, using your LinkedIn profile, import your personal information. Take a few more moments to personalize your profile by using drop-down menus to indicate your interest in helping other students or alums with advice or mentoring. Joining will take you 90 seconds or less.

JindalConnect is different because it allows you to identify UT Dallas people who have intentionally indicated they want to help. And if you do initially show your willingness to mentor, offer advice or greet new Comets in your city, and then for whatever reason, you change your mind, a simple click on your personal JindalConnect profile takes you off the “Willing to Help” list.

Go to the Directory tab in the drop-down menu in the lefthand column of the JindalConnect homepage. On the right side are filters you can set for class year, degree, industry and more.

Yes. The “Say hello, ask for help, or just post what’s new on your mind” box in the center column under the photo at the top of the JindalConnect homepage offers a way to ask (and answer) questions. You also can “write a comment” under individual posts in the center column.

No.

Periodically, you will receive an email newsletter from JindalConnect that will highlight one story, two upcoming events and some other information. It’s all on one page. If you want to read additional information, links will take you to individual stories.

Alumni Spotlight

Vik Thapar, BS’00

Principal, Cypress Growth Capital

Thapar, a Dallas resident, was born and grew up just a few miles from the UT Dallas campus in Richardson.

Shaun Robinson, MBA’01

Vice President- Product Management, AMX

Robinson, a Dallas resident, has been at AMX since 2002, and in his current position for three years, where he leads the AMX Product Management team.

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.

Will McIntosh, EMBA’06

Senior Manager, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young LLP

McIntosh, a senior manager in Advisory Services at Ernst and Young’s Dallas office, measures his success by the quality relationships he has developed with clients and coworkers throughout his 15 years in the management consulting and financial services industries. He assists leading banks and lenders in solving various management problems and improving their operations in order to better serve customers and meet the demands of other key stakeholders.

Chris Spartz, MBA’11

Senior Associate – Risk Consulting, Contract Compliance KPMG

At KPMG, Spartz serves in multiple roles including reviewing contracts between his clients and their third party service providers to identify risks within the agreement and help his clients to ensure compliance with contracts, standards, policies and regulatory requirements. “I also collect, manipulate, analyze and interpret large data sets, and use results to develop recommendations for corrective and preventative actions for identified risks,” Spartz says.

David Smithen, MBA’05

Americas Transactions Manager, Cushman & Wakefield

Right after graduating from college, Smithen worked with juvenile delinquents at Texas Youth Commission (now the Texas Juvenile Justice Department).

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

Walter L. Sutton, Jr. , PhD’89

Adjunct Faculty, Consultant

Dr. Sutton, who earned his PhD in Business Policy and Strategy when Jindal School was just 14 years old, now serves on the school’s adjunct faculty, teaching Business Law. He’s had a far-ranging career that includes staff legal positions with oil and gas companies as well as Walmart; with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (in Dallas) and a presidential appointment to the Federal Highway Administration (in Washington, D.C.); and as chief of staff at UT Dallas.

Matthew A. Thompson, BS’12

Automation Marketing Manager, StructuredWeb

Matthew A. Thompson, who majored in marketing, moved to New York City soon after graduation. Once there, he landed a job at ALM, a specialized business news and information company largely focused on the legal community.

Long Ly, Class of ’21

Investment Analyst at Invitation Homes

The experience was wonderful, learning from the JSOM professors has shaped me personally and professionally. The JSOM students there were also very intellectual and curious. It was a great educational experience.

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.

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.

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.”

Darla Chapman Ripley, EMBA’97

Associate, Dave Perry-Miller & Associates Real Estate

Darla Chapman Ripley places a lot of importance on maintaining all networks, regardless of industry or location.

Sejal Desai, MBA’99

Program Director, Entrepreneurs for North Texas

Establishing the Desai Family Fellowship at Naveen Jindal School of Management is just one thing Desai has done to improve the lives of others.

Sid Keswani, MBA’09

President, Pandora Americas

As president of the Americas region, Sid Keswani is responsible for PANDORA’s markets in North America, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Jeff Hightower, MBA’01

SVP, Group Manager, Corporate Banking, Green Bank, NA

At Green Bank, Hightower originates and develops relationships with commercial clients. He also oversees a team of relationship managers.

Jonathan Seyoum, MBA’03

Partner and Chief Operating Officer, The Original Pancake House

Jonathan Seyoum never imagined a part-time job would one day lead to part ownership of one of DFW’s most well-known breakfast eateries.

Tina T. Hoang, BS’09

Financial Advisor, Northwestern Mutual

Hoang, who graduated cum laude with a Business Administration degree, says her degree gave her the knowledge, resources and connections to help people with their financial planning needs. “It helped me build character, business acumen and find the passion for what I do now,” she says. She says she is proud her work will impact families and businesses now “and last … on into the following generations.” She was recently selected as one of 60 representatives nationwide to attend a special fast-track program for young advisers in Milwaukee. While there, she took part in the challenge course.

Taylor Lipsett , MBA’16

AVP, Private Wealth Management And Portfolio Manager, US Trust at Bank Of America

In his role at Bank of America, Lipsett manages investment portfolios for the bank’s private wealth clients. He says his MBA “expanded my breadth of knowledge across various business areas [and] taught me how to balance a full workload, work with others to accomplish a common goal, and how to network and build relationships with other professionals.” For Lipsett, his extracurricular passion has been all things sled hockey.

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