Alumni, friends, and school leadership gathered on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021 for the annual Hall of Fame celebration. This year the Texas McCombs School inducted four prominent business leaders into its Hall of Fame: George R. Ackert, The Honorable Kevin P. Eltife, Gay W. Gaddis, and Mark D. Gibson. Lillian Mills, dean, also recognized the 2021 Rising Stars, Jessica M. Lopez and Michael C. Smith, for their early accomplishments.

The McCombs School of Business established the Hall of Fame 38 years ago in recognition of The University of Texas at Austin’s centennial celebration. The Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made outstanding professional contributions to the business community and who, by their exemplary civic, philanthropic, and educational activities, have advanced humanity. The Hall of Fame award is the highest honor given by the McCombs School of Business.

Each inductee has an incredible life story and we are proud to have them be a part of the McCombs Hall of Fame. We invite you to learn more about their successes and contributions through the videos below.

2021 Hall of Fame Inductees

George R. Ackert
BBA ’91, JD ’95
Senior Managing Director
Evercore

George R. Ackert is a senior managing director in Evercore’s investment banking business in New York City. He is an internationally recognized adviser to companies in the transportation sector, and has recently become the head of the firm’s financial sponsor coverage effort.

Ackert began his career as an associate attorney in Mergers & Acquisitions and Structured Finance at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Ackert moved to investment banking in 1997 and joined Merrill Lynch as an associate, rising to global head of Transportation & Infrastructure before joining Evercore in 2009 to take the same position. He holds a J.D. with honors from The University of Texas School of Law, an MBA from Baylor University, and a BBA with high honors from The University of Texas at Austin.

He is a former chairman and a founding member of the New York for McCombs Board. He is also former chairman for the Advisory Council of the McCombs School of Business for the 2018–19 school year, and is now a Life Member. He serves on the Executive Committee of the UT Development Board and is a member of the UT Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council. He is a former member of the UT System Chancellor’s Executive Council, as well as a former member of the board of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at UT. Both of his children are currently students at UT.

The Honorable Kevin P. Eltife
BBA ’81
Owner
Eltife Properties, Ltd.

Kevin P. Eltife was appointed to a six-year term on The University of Texas System Board of Regents by Governor Greg Abbott in January 2017 and was confirmed by the Texas Senate on February 7, 2017.

On December 20, 2018, he was elected chairman of the Board of Regents. Eltife chairs the System Review and Structure Task Force. He previously served on the Academic Affairs Committee; the Audit, Compliance, and Risk Management Committee; the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee; the Finance and Planning Committee; and the Board for Lease of University Lands.

He served as senator for Texas Senate District 1 from 2004 to 2017, as the mayor of Tyler, and on the Tyler City Council. He was appointed in December 1996 by Governor George W. Bush to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and served until July 2003.

Eltife is the owner of Eltife Properties, Ltd. He is a director for Citizens 1st Bank and serves on The University of Texas at Austin Development Board and The University of Texas at Tyler Development Board.

Eltife earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. He resides in Tyler with his wife and two children.

Gay W. Gaddis
BFA ’77
T3 Founder and CEO of Gay Gaddis, LLC

Gay Gaddis founded T3, a digital advertising agency that grew into the largest female-owned agency in the U.S. under her leadership of 30+ years, with offices in Austin, New York, Atlanta and San Francisco. In 2019, she sold T3 to a leading private equity firm.

Today, Gaddis is focusing her always-on energy to empower the next generation of business leaders. She is an active speaker on women’s leadership and entrepreneurship. Her best-selling book, Cowgirl Power: How to Kick Ass in Business and Life, shares insights to develop personal power.

Gaddis is the first female Chairman of the Texas Business Leadership Council, former Chairman of The Committee of 200 (C200) and an immediate past board member for Monotype Imaging Holdings, Inc. She is on the boards of the Texas Cultural Trust and Texas Exes, part of the McCombs Advisory Council and an adviser for the College of Fine Arts and the Moody College of Communication. She is also the founder and co-instructor of a new women’s development program, Women Who Mean Business at the McCombs School of Business.

Gaddis is an active spokesperson, artist and writer and a contributor to Forbes. Over her career she has received numerous awards and honors including Fast Company’s “Top 25 Women Business Builders,” Inc. Magazine’s “Top
10 Entrepreneurs of the Year,” C200’s Luminary Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence and was recognized by Texas Monthly as one of “10 Artists to Collect Now.”

Mark D. Gibson
BBA ’81
Chief Executive Officer
JLL Capital Markets, Americas

Before becoming the CEO of JLL Capital Markets, Americas, as part of the HFF acquisition, Mark D. Gibson was a founding partner of HFF LP, having joined HFF’s predecessor firm, Holliday Fenoglio & Company, in 1984.

Gibson became a director and vice chairman of HFF Inc. in 2006, before the company’s IPO in 2007. In 2014, he became CEO.

Gibson played football at UT and was the first person in his family to attend college. His 35-year career in real estate began in 1981 when he earned a BBA from UT and joined Holliday Fenoglio in 1984. He is an executive committee member at the UT Real Estate Finance and Investment Center and an advisory council member at the McCombs School of Business.

He has been married to Jane Holland Gibson since 1987, and they have two children, Matthew and Jordan. Matt is in the real estate industry and Jordan is with a non-profit advocacy group for children. In his spare time, Gibson enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, and fly-fishing.

Rising Star Recipients

Dean Jay Hartzell also recognized the 2021 Rising Stars at the Hall of Fame celebration. The Rising Star Award, established in 2004-05, goes to young alumni who have experienced professional success and have shown exemplary service to the Texas McCombs Alumni Network. Congratulations to Jessica M. Lopez and Michael C. Smith.