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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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Share Your Special Moments

Share Your Special Moments with Us!

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

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.

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.

Randall Tan, BS’13

Key Account Manager, An IBM Company.

Randall Tan had plenty of success before launching his academic career at The University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to coming to UT Dallas, he earned the Gold Individual Physical Proficiency Test while serving with the Singapore armed forces. As a marketing student at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, Tan was involved in the Chinese Student Association, American Marketing Association student club and served as public relations chair for the University’s sales club. He lives in the Dallas area.

Kate Reagan, BS’15

Assistant Vice President, Business Development, Texas Capital Bank

In Reagan’s role at Texas Capital Bank, she leans on both degrees she earned at Jindal School – a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a bachelor’s degree in marketing. “I connect with business leaders in the Dallas community to hear their stories and see if Texas Capital Bank can help them achieve their company’s goals,” she says. “In school, I had no idea how accounting and marketing would fit together and if I could even find a role that would allow me to utilize both my degrees.

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.

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.

Steven P. Nelson, MBA’89

Director, Ecosystem and Marketing Platformsfreescale Semiconductor

When Steve entered the Jindal School’s MBA Program, he decided to stray from his engineering background and pursue a concentration in marketing. That unlikely decision uncovered a new passion and ultimately shifted his career path.

Randy Black, CFP, CDFA, BS’06

Financial Planner, Spectrum Financial Group

Black, a certified financial planner, is certain that a successful leader will go above and beyond what is expected when helping others. This value is evident in his work helping numerous clients reach their financial goals. Since his May 2006 graduation from the Jindal School, Black has exceeded several industry standards even though he has not yet reached his 10-year mark in the professional world.

Anjie Vichayanonda, BS’08

Founder And CEO, Leg Up Legal

I wanted to come back to Texas to be closer to family, so I joined the Dallas office of Haynes and Boone, LLP, in 2017.

Phil Neighorn, BA’95, MBA’01

Managing Director, Central Zone Surety Practice, Leadermarsh USA

Phil Neighorn has more than 16 years of experience as an insurance professional and balances his time between working for Marsh USA, a global leader in insurance broking and risk management, and mentoring Jindal School students. He is committed to helping both audiences develop business strategies to successfully reach goals. Whether he is assisting an international client or providing advice to a promising student, he regularly shares his extensive industry knowledge. He also routinely uses the skills he developed while earning his undergraduate degree and an MBA from the Jindal School.

Brian Livingston, MBA’01 MS’02

President and COO, Firebird Restaurant Group

Livingston holds two degrees from the Jindal School, his MBA and his master’s degree in accounting. His undergrad degree in finance is from UT Austin. He is now with Firebird Restaurant Group, LLC, the parent company of El Fenix Mexican Restaurants, Snuffers Restaurant & Bar, Meso Maya, Village Burger Bar, Taqueria La Ventana and Tortaco, where he oversees the daily operations of 54 restaurants, a food manufacturing company and related companies.

Kuntesh Chokshi, MS’01, MBA’04

GM, Sales Director New Business, PepsiCo

Chokshi, a 2017 Minority Business Leader honoree by the Dallas Business Journal, credits his business success to both hunger and curiosity

Brandy Arbuthnot, BS’99 MS’02

Tax Partner, BDO, USA LLP

In her current position at BDO, Arbuthnot assists accounting clients with their tax compliance and consulting needs including tax returns, tax provision preparation and review, assistance with tax implications of mergers and acquisitions, and other tax planning matters. She joined BDO, an international assurance, tax and financial advisory services firm, after earning her undergraduate accounting degree. Her master’s degree is also in accounting. “My degrees prepared me for a career in public accounting and the necessary qualifications for the CPA exam. Furthermore, my experience at UT Dallas prepared me to have success the professional world,” she said. BDO certainly covers the world, with offices in 167 countries.

Richard E. Peck, MBA’04

Senior Technical Process / Quality, AT &T, Second Vice President, Toastmasters International

Peck has been with AT&T for more than 30 years where his responsibilities include leading cross-functional teams; project management, overseeing numerous high-tech, multimillion-dollar projects annually (he is also PMP certified); and developing and reviewing project-related business cases, among other responsibilities. Peck is also Robotic Process Automation certified.

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.

Shahzil (Shaz) Amin, BS’11

Founder & CEO, Blue Track Media; Managing Partner, Karlani Capital; Founder, Plugged Labs, Inc.

Amin followed a path to entrepreneurship many have trod – he had no choice but to be successful.

Holly Heironimus, MS’17

Program Coordinator, Medical City Dallas Blood & Marrow Transplant Program

Heironimus completed her MS in Healthcare Leadership and Management degree and now works as coordinator for Medical City Dallas.

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.

Paulina Jesionek, BS’13, MS’15, MBA’15

Marketing Program Specialist, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Jesionek graduated cum laude in Fall 2013 with two undergraduate degrees – Global Business and Marketing. She delivered the commencement address that year.

Gigi Bryant, GLEMBA’02

Business Development Consultant, GMSA Management Services

Throughout her life, Gigi Bryant has overcome adversity – spending more than a decade in the foster care system. Since then, she has dedicated herself to serving others. She has started her own business consulting firm, established a foundation to assist youth in the foster care system and devoted her free time to volunteer work.

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