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Financial support from donors ensures that the school, its faculty and its students continue the tradition of excellence that has marked the first 50 years of The University of Texas at Dallas.
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For more information, contact development officers Melissa Bettis or Megan Harrison.
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Alumni Spotlight
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.
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.”
Dewei (Wayne) Jiang, MS’13
Strategic Analyst, Midway Asia Head Office, Merlin Entertainments Group
Jiang, an MS/Finance graduate, has a broad range of responsibilities at Merlin, where he works in its Hong Kong office.
Dilon Hanks, MBA’11
Aircraft Captain, Training & Safety Manager; Paypal Aviation Department
Hanks started his education with an undergraduate degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has had a long career path to land his current job.
Kyle Frederick, BS’04
Residential Realtor
Frederick, who earned a BS/Business Administration degree at Jindal School, with a concentration in management information systems, is a residential Realtor.
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).
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.
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.
Thomas Hunley, MS’90
Retail Risk Executive, PNC Bank
For some, big risks come with big rewards, and for Thomas Hunley, a decision to make a career change after several years in the information-technology sector, was a risk that led to a satisfying new profession. Hunley’s decision to transition into a finance role brought him to the Jindal School, where he received a master’s degree in management and administrative sciences.
Christian Tellez, MS’15
Senior Investment Associate, Diamond Realty Investments, Inc.
Tellez underwrites potential commercial real estate development projects across the country that his company may consider for investment. Tellez earned an MS/Finance at Jindal School. “The master’s degree I earned at UT Dallas 100 percent catapulted my career,” said Tellez, who completed his undergrad degree in economics at Texas Tech. “I was extremely hungry but I was struggling to get the attention of ‘big time’ finance players in Dallas due to lack of experience,” he says.
Bob Lockett, MBA’99
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Harland Clarke Holdings
I had the opportunity to meet some great professors and hard-working students. Many of the folks in my classes were working full time.
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.
Joshua Levy, MBA’11
Program Manager, Pearson Education
Joshua Levy combined his lifelong love of teaching with the Jindal School’s project management program to map his future as a leader for Pearson Education, the world’s largest education company and book publisher. A few years into his career there, he noticed that many of his colleagues who were going places had graduate degrees.
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.
Dustin Gadberry, BS’07
Chief Executive Officer, Gadberry Construction Company, Inc.
Gadberry is in his second decade in the construction business, having launched his company in 2000. He grew the business while completing his degree at The University of Texas at Dallas.
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.
Thomas S. Ducote, Jr. , MBA’96
Vice President – Business Development, City National Capital Finance
Ducote, who lives in Austin, works in the equipment finance group for City National Bank, based in Miami.
Mark Fuqua, BS’79
Exec Vice President And Manager, Energy Banking Comerica Bank
Fuqua completed his BS/Business Administration degree with a finance concentration at UT Dallas when undergrads had been on the UTD campus a mere four years.
Florent (AC) Ndindjock, BS’18
AVP, Associate Client Advisor, Marsh USA, inc
Ndindjock joined Marsh, a global insurance and risk management company with offices in 130 nations, after he earned his Business Administration undergraduate degree at Jindal School. He has since been transferred to the Marsh office in North Carolina. While at Jindal School, Ndindjock concentrated in Risk Management and Insurance and was active in the industry’s professional fraternity, Gamma Iota Sigma, which has a student chapter on campus. Ndindjock has “returned” to UT Dallas as an MBA student, where he is pursuing his degree online.
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.