President Jay Hartzell and Dean Lillian Mills stand with the 2022 Rising Star inductees (from L to R) Kelly Steckelberg (BBA ’91, MPA ’91); John D. Harkey, Jr.(BBA ’83, JD ’86); W. Benjamin Moreland (BBA ’84); Andrew Phong Vo (BBA ’95); and Advisory Council Chair John C. Goff.
On November 10, 2022, notable alumni, friends, and Texas McCombs staff convened at the AT&T Conference Center for the annual McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame celebration to induct exemplary alumni into its ranks. This year’s Hall of Fame inductees included John D. Harkey, Jr., W. Benjamin Moreland, Kelly S. Steckelberg, and Andrew Phong Vo. McCombs Dean Lillian Mills also recognized 2022 Rising Stars Adam Blum, Nick Del’Osso, Philip Krim, and April Underwood.
McCombs School of Business established the Hall of Fame in 1983 as part of The University of Texas at Austin’s centennial celebration. This year, as McCombs celebrates its own centennial year, it’s fitting that we acknowledge the stellar achievements of those alumni who continue to change the world. 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. Recipients are chosen by a selection committee.
In addition, McCombs also recognizes young alumni with the Rising Star Award, established in 2004. This award is presented to young alumni who have experienced professional success and have shown exemplary service to the McCombs Alumni Network. These are graduates who have presented themselves as consummate professionals and dedicated businesspeople. Rising Star Award recipients are chosen by the McCombs BBA and MBA Advisory Boards and Dean Mills.
Hall of Fame inductees were showcased in video vignettes before taking to the podium to share words of appreciation. Learn more about each of their personal and professional stories by viewing the videos below.
2022 Hall of Fame Inductees
John D. Harkey, Jr.
BBA ’83, JD ‘86
Founder
JDH Investment Management, LLC
John D. Harkey Jr. has over 25 years’ experience as a private investor, chief executive, and director in both public and private companies. He has merged, acquired, operated, and/or served on the boards of directors of nine public companies in biotech, energy, technology, aerospace, telecom, and restaurants, and private companies in health care, real estate, farm and ranch products, and software development.
He is the founder of JDH Investment Management LLC, which is focused on leading innovative technologies and emerging company opportunities in biotech, gene therapy, non-opiate pain and pharma/therapeutic spaces. He is the co-founder and formerly executive chairman of the board of AveXis, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVXS), which was acquired in 2018 by Novartis. He also serves on the boards of CerSci Pharmaceuticals, Cessation Therapeutics, Dialectic Therapeutics Inc., Veterinary Service Inc., and Baylor Health Care System Foundation.
Philanthropically, Harkey serves on the board of directors of The University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee, the University of Texas Development Board, and is past chairman of the McCombs School of Business Advisory Council. He serves on the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors Research, and the Innovation and Commercialization Committee. He and Peni are longtime residents of Highland Park, Texas, and have two daughters. Meredith graduated from UT in Liberal Arts Honors and earned a J.D. at the UT School of Law, and Morgan graduated from the UT Plan II Honors and completed her first year at Texas Law.
W. Benjamin Moreland
BBA ’94
Principal
Moreland Interests
Benjamin (Ben) Moreland is principal of Moreland Interests and retired CEO of Crown Castle, where he remains a member of the board. Crown Castle, a leading provider of wireless infrastructure in the U.S., owns and operates over 40,000 towers and 115,000 Small Cell facilities, supported by over 80,000 route miles of fiber in key U.S. markets. An S&P 500 Company headquartered in Houston, Crown Castle has over 4,000 employees in the U.S. and an equity market capitalization in excess of $60 billion.
Prior to his retirement, Moreland served as executive vice chairman and was president and chief executive officer from July 2008 through May 2016. He joined Crown Castle in 1999 after 15 years with Chase Manhattan Bank and predecessor banks, primarily in corporate finance and real estate investment banking. Moreland is currently chairman of the board of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. and has served on a number of public and private boards.
He also serves on the board of Houston Methodist Hospital, where he chairs the subsidiary, Methodist Health Centers Board. In addition to serving on the Advisory Council of the McCombs School, he is a member of the Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee. He holds a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of Houston, where he is a member of the Bauer School Board.
Kelly S. Steckelberg
BBA ’91, MPA ’91
Chief Financial Officer
Zoom Video Communications
Kelly Steckelberg has been the CFO of Zoom Video Communications since 2017. She led the company through its successful IPO in 2019 and explosive growth in recent years. The Zoom platform brings teams together, reimagines workspaces, engages new audiences and delights customers. Previously, she held various roles at technology companies including CEO of Zoosk, and various roles in finance at Cisco, Webex, Epiphany, PeopleSoft, and KPMG. Steckelberg is a board member and Audit Committee Chair for Qualtrics. She has an MPA and BBA in Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin. She loves spending time with her family and friends and exploring new destinations in the world.
Andrew Phong Vo
BBA ’95
Chief Human Resources Officer
Accenture, Growth Markets
Andrew Phong Vo is chief human resources officer of Accenture Growth Markets, responsible for developing talent and leadership across Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and South Africa. A member of Accenture’s Global Leadership Council, Vo has built a 27-year career partnering with Fortune 500 clients to drive transformational change. He previously led Accenture’s global commodities trading operations practice, North America corporate finance offering, and a portfolio of energy accounts.
Passionate about advancing academic excellence and enrichment, Vo and his wife endowed a McCombs presidential scholarship in 2014 and launched UT’s Admissions Welcome Center with the establishment of the Vo Family Auditorium in 2020. A past Outstanding Young Texas Ex award recipient, Vo serves on the McCombs School of Business Advisory Council, UT Systems Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee, UT Development Board, and Forty Acres Society.
He is the founder/senior advisor of the Texas Iron Spikes service organization, benefiting Special Olympics Texas and Texas Baseball for nearly three decades. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Vo immigrated to the U.S. in 1975 and was raised in Sugar Land, Texas. In 1995, he earned his finance BBA from McCombs and joined Accenture’s Houston office. Vo, his wife, and their seven-year-old twins reside in Singapore.
Rising Star Recipients
Adam Blum
BBA ’06, MPA ’06
Managing Partner
Old Hickory Partners
Nick Dell’Osso
MBA ’03
President & CEO
Chesapeake Energy Corp.
April Underwood
BBA ’01
Co-Founder
#Angels
Philip Krim
BBA ’06
Founder & Managing Partner
Montauk Ventures
(Not Pictured)
See more pictures from the event here.
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