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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

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.

Atanas Hansen, BS’11 MS’13

Senior Business Analyst; New York Life Insurance Company

Working for a 173-year-old company provides a fantastic environment to observe how business processes and technology evolved over time

Allen Mueller, MBA’15

Senior Analyst, Fuel Strategy, Vistra Energy

Mueller, a recent Jindal School graduate, has spent a decade in mining engineering and operations, most recently at Luminant Energy in Dallas and Martin Marietta Materials in San Antonio. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degree in mining engineering at Southern Illinois University.

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.

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.

Abhishek Sharma, Class of ’21

Finance Manager at Amazon

My background experience was a mix of technical qualifications as a software engineer and work experience as a futures trader and Sales Finance Manager. Even though I had worked in the finance domain in different capacities, I didn’t have experience of academic finance and when looking for options for my graduate level education my priority was to complement both my previous education and work experience. The MS Finance program at JSOM not only fulfilled all the criteria but also boasted of world class faculty and a very enhanced learning program and facilities.

Frank Martinez, MBA’07, MS’14

Supervisor, Project Management Office; Federal Reserve Bank Of Dallas

Martinez, who started working at The Fed in 2011, keeps returning to UT Dallas and Jindal School to upgrade his skills.

Clarisa Duran Lindenmeyer, MBA’09

Founder/president: Proximity To Power

Lindenmeyer says that in her current role as a C-level strategist in sales, marketing and growth, her MBA helps round out her ability.

Ernest Lowery, BS’08, MS’09

Assurance Director, PwC

Ernest has worked in the assurance practice at PwC for over 10 years. He has worked with public and private clients in a number of industries, including energy, industrial products, media and entertainment and technology. He most recently worked in a digital role, where his primary focus was helping to develop new tools to be used across the assurance practice. What he enjoys most is working with clients and his teams to complete a common goal.

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.

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.

Julie McCure, MS’13

Texas Health Resources, Network Specialist

McCure, who earned her master’s degree in Healthcare Management, is part of a team managing Southwestern Health Resources’ preferred network of physicians.

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.

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.

Andy Mangham, BS’07 MBA’12 MS’13

IT Audit Manager – Global Sox Assurance; CBRE

In his role at the real estate services giant CBRE, Mangham manages IT audits for global operations, works on special projects for executives.

Heidi Rasmussen, BS’92

Co-Founder and COO, Freshbenies

Heidi Rasmussen, a former retail executive, and her husband, Reid Rasmussen, a former health insurance company manager, knew health benefits were complicated for employers and their workers.

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.

Sarah Hagan, EMBA’11

CFO, Omnitracs

Hagan, a Dallas resident, joined Omnitracs, LLC, in April 2016, after a successful 11 years at Sabre Corp., where she held senior leadership positions in accounting and finance.

Susan Kassen, MBA’00

Associate, Ebby Halliday Realtors

After several years spent working in sales and marketing, Susan Kassen decided to combine her passion for real estate and love of the local community, and pursue a career in real estate. During this transition, she relied on lessons learned while earning an MBA from the Jindal School.

Chris Petrawski, MS’17

Director Of Digital, Bedford Advertising

As head of digital strategy for Bedford Advertising, Petrawski is tasked with growing the digital division of the company as well as maximizing the digital impact of its clients. Petrawski earned his master’s in marketing at the Jindal School, which, he said, helped him grow in confidence and decision making. “They gave me the tools to succeed in the marketing roles I’ve had throughout my career,” he said. “This is very beneficial because I work with a multitude of clients across various industries. Understanding the role of marketing in business helps me focus our client’s efforts on activities that maximize the value for their dollar.”

See more Alumni Spotlights

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