The Naveen Jindal School of Management was well-represented on the 2017 list of 40 Under 40 achievers compiled by the Dallas Business Journal; four alumni received the honor.
The 40 Under 40 awards celebrate up-and-comers in a cross section of industries and business sectors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, focusing on business leaders who are under the age of 40 and making a difference at their workplaces by excelling in their current roles and making valuable contributions to their organizations.
A panel of judges comprised of former 40 Under 40 recipients and other community leaders made the selections for the list of honorees this year. Nominations for the awards were made for business leaders in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Parker, Rockwall and Tarrant counties.
JSOM graduates Stephanie Bowers, Executive MBA 2010; Brian Enzler, BS in Business Administration 2004; Mo Katibeh, Executive MBA 2011; and Saadia Sheikh, BS in Business Administration 2009; were among the honorees at a May 18 awards event at The Hall on Dragon in the Dallas Design District. In addition, honorees were featured in a special “40 Under 40” section of the May 19 issue of the Dallas Business Journal.
In 2016, Brian Enzler, was tasked with establishing a new BMO Harris Bank office in Dallas, developing a team of professionals, marketing the BMO brand and building a commercial client base. As the Dallas market executive, he is responsible for all business operations of the commercial bank in Dallas-Fort Worth.
When he enrolled at UT Dallas’ Jindal School, Enzler said, the school likely was not as well-known as others he considered, but there were many things he liked.
“I was impressed by the average SAT scores of the students, the investment that was being made to expand the University, and the diversity of the students there,” he said. He also made lasting connections with other business people while attending JSOM.
In addition to his work for BMO Harris, Enzler has served on a number of boards and committees, including the Mayor’s Southern Dallas Task Force and the Oak Cliff YMCA.
Saadia Sheikh is vice president of the real estate services team at E Smith Realty Partners, where she represents tenants and users of commercial space nationally in transactions that include renewals, expansions, site selection, general consultation and purchases. She joined the company three years ago.
The McKinney native chose to attend the Jindal School because it was close to home. “But many of the connections I made with people there — students and professionals — have benefited me so much in my career,” she said.
Her connection to JSOM continued with the recent establishment of the Saadia Sheikh Scholarship/Fellowship for Entrepreneurship.
She is a certified commercial investment member of CCIM North Texas Chapter, and a member of the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors and Junior League of Dallas.
Sheikh is forming a nonprofit organization called Power Sense to empower deaf children to reach their full potential in the community and the workplace.
Stephanie Bowers is project manager for operations at Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, where she is responsible for managing the planning and execution of projects, programs and grants.
Bowers joined Habitat for Humanity in 2015 and enjoys watching home ownership transform the lives of families and working with communities to revitalize neighborhoods.
“When you work for a nonprofit your responsibilities tend to include wearing a lot of different hats. Currently, I manage the grant portfolio for government grants, with a small responsibility for land acquisitions,” she said. “The MBA program taught me how to work through challenges and gave me the ability to push through projects and see them through to the end.”
Bowers also finds time to give back to the community by serving as lead financial educator hosting youth workshops for Operation Hope, an organization focused on empowering underserved communities, through its Banking on Our Future program.
Mo Katibeh is senior vice president, Advanced Solutions at AT&T, where he oversees product development and marketing for emerging growth services, including security, cloud, Wi-Fi, big data and public safety solutions.
Katibeh chose JSOM’s Executive MBA program because “it was well-ranked, and the curriculum was fantastic,” he said. “I looked at other programs, and I really loved the curriculum at UT Dallas and the fact that the program is designed for executives who have already been working. The class schedule fit well with my work schedule, and the experience of being in class with a group of my peers from other industries and seeing the way they solve problems has been invaluable.”
Katibeh, who grew up in the United Kingdom and lived in Europe, the Middle East, South America and the United States, has been with AT&T for 15 years. He also serves on the board of directors for the Boy Scouts of America Circle Ten Council.
