During the past two years, as chairman of the Naveen Jindal School of Management Advisory Council, Ray Hemmig, CEO and chairman of Retail & Restaurant Growth Capital, helped grow council membership by 35 percent and at the same time grow the value of the council as a strategic asset for the school.
Why was growing the number of advisory council members such an important initiative for you?
At the beginning of my two-year term, I asked Dean Hasan Pirkul how many members he wanted on the council. He said, “We need 50 representatives from the top businesses in our area. I particularly want those who already have or will employ our most important product – our Jindal School graduates.”
I took that challenge as a goal for this past year, and as I’m a competitive type, I embraced the task. We formed a committee of six former advisory council chairs and Kevin Ryan, who is the council’s vice chair and incoming chairman. The Jindal School external relations team, led by Dr. Diane McNulty, also contributed to the ultimate success of this endeavor.
I believe that UT Dallas is the best academic partner for our business community, and the companies represented on the advisory council get an up-close opportunity to develop meaningful relationships. Council membership also provides an important two-way communication vehicle for the Jindal School to receive input from the DFW business community.
What do you see as most valuable benefit to having a large advisory council?
The combined council members’ work and time invested are paying terrific dividends. Tangible benefits include valuable Jindal School scholarships, growing the Partners in Progress fund, increased endowments, more student internships, classroom interfaces and classroom speaking engagements. Our council members also are adept at giving “elevator speeches” in their workplaces and in the community, endorsing Jindal School and its graduates, which is an important marketing outreach for UT Dallas and the Jindal School.
Are there any industries underrepresented on the advisory council?
Our membership spans almost every type of industry in DFW, including aerospace, energy, professional service firms, supply chain, construction, finance, human resources and IT, along with others. The council communicates directly with faculty and staff at every meeting to remain in touch with industries we believe might wish to engage in advisory council activities and the Jindal School’s mission.
What was your greatest accomplishment as chairman?
In the time I’ve been chairman, I’ve developed personal relationships with other council members, the UT Dallas administration, faculty and staff, and I deeply value those relationships.
My greatest personal satisfaction has come from being in the classroom as a guest speaker, as a panel judge or as a participant at Jindal School student events. I am grateful for the privilege to have served as the JSOM Advisory Council chair and to have interacted with such high-quality individuals, and I hope I have added some value to JSOM and the next generation of leaders in the DFW business community.
