Where to Help – Giving to JSOM

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.

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.

Jenny Rush, BS’85

Founder, Lymethriving

I came to UT Dallas in the early ‘80s when the campus was young. I loved the flexibility of night classes as I was working full-time at an advertising agency.

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.

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

Turning Adversity into Achievement: Abinav Bayya’s Academic Transformation

Abinav Bayya came to the Naveen Jindal School of Management to pursue his Master of Science in Supply Chain Management. After a turbulent first semester, Bayya found himself on academic probation.

Aubrey Meyers, BS’05, MBA’06

SVP and Deputy General Counsel, Caliber Home Loans, Inc

After Meyers received her BSBA and MBA at UT Dallas, she went to University of Illinois College of Law, graduating in 2009 with a law degree. She returned to the North Texas area, working for a couple law firms before moving to Caliber Home Loans.

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.

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.

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.

Jason Ellison, BS’03 MBA’06

Entrepreneur

While Ellison began his professional career at KPMG in audit, he now is on his second (or third) career, as owner of Ellison Business Consulting in Allen.

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.

Remsen Jennings, BS’11, MS’12

Assurance Services, EY

Remsen Jennings graduated summa cum laude with a double bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance in 2011, following that with a master’s degree in accounting in 2012. During his time at UT Dallas, Jennings was appointed as a UT System Student Advisory Council member, elected as student body vice president, served as president of the Davidson Management Honors Program and was a member of the Professional Program in Accounting.

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.

Scott Birnbaum, BS’84

Founder And President, Reclaimed Textiles Co.

Scott Birnbaum, a former CPA, founded a business that recycles items otherwise destined for the garbage heap. He established Reclaimed Textiles Co. (RTCM), which repurposes discarded textiles for new use. As president, he is active in all aspects of the company and constantly relies on skills learned while a student at the Jindal School. In addition to his 18 years in textile recycling, he has experience in defense manufacturing, transportation and publishing. Scott established RTCM based on his values regarding quality, innovation and customer focus, and he is committed to developing new means to repurpose used goods in the U.S. and in developing countries.

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.

Mindy Tiu, BS’14

GE, Commercial Leadership Program

Mindy Tiu, now living in Stamford, Conn, fully embraced her time at UT Dallas by taking part in a broad range of campus activities.

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.

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.

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.