Texas BBA students gathered in the hall of honors for Salt Lick BBQ and good conversation with distinguished McCombs alumni for the Seventh Annual Executive Mentorship Dinner. The dinner, which is hosted by the BBA Advisory Board, gave undergraduate students the chance to ask questions and receive advice from members of the Texas McCombs Alumni Network.
Eric Loop, BBA ’21, dined with executive mentor, Katie May, CEO of ShippingEasy and really enjoyed the opportunity, “It was one of the coolest experiences that I’ve ever had while at McCombs. This dinner provided an informal atmosphere where I could ask almost any question.” Dinner conversation topics were both professional and personal, “The stories that Mrs. May shared about her many successes and failures in the startup field were extremely insightful. However, the wisdom that Mrs. May provided about how her business career balanced with her personal life was far more valuable. Getting to talk to a successful businesswoman about her life, not just her job, was amazing.”
Peggy Chang Barber, BA and BBA ’91, MBA and JD ’94, Regional CEO Americas and Global Counsel, IACCM, hosted a table as an executive mentor, “I was really honored to be a mentor at the student and alumni mentorship dinner, and the experience was fantastic. Not only did I meet fellow mentors/alums who are doing or have done incredible things, the students I met at dinner were really bright and engaging as well. The dinner was a really wonderful experience.”
The dinner is such a worthwhile event that Ed Tonkon, BBA ’78, and his family established an endowment that will support the event in perpetuity. Tonkon is one of three generations of Longhorns — his wife, both his parents, and his grandmother are all alumni. Tonkon is president of Zebra Retail Solutions and former chair of the school’s advisory board, and he said his time on the board was a great way to get back to the campus and engage with students, faculty, and alumni.
View photos from the dinner on the Texas McCombs Alumni Network Flickr page.
Executive mentors included:
- Peggy Barber – Regional CEO Americas and Global Counsel, IACCM
- Alissa Bayer – Owner and Founder, Milk & Honey Spa
- Bill Cunningham – Dean of McCombs (1983-85) and President and Chancellor of UT (1985-2000)
- Neal Golden – President-Texas and Vice Chairman, Newmark Knight Frank
- Mark Green – Chairman Emeritus, Owner Resource Group and Former General Partner, Goldman Sachs & Co.
- Konnie Haynes-Welsh – Manager, Corporate Strategy and Portfolio Management, ConocoPhillips
- Marty Kaplan – President, Nalpak Ventures
- Katie May – CEO, ShippingEasy
- Don McKinnerney – Managing Director-U.S. Energy Corporate Banking, RBC Capital Markets
- Erin Patten – Co-Founder, Dao Detroit
- Omar Rios – Co-Founder, Kosmic Kombucha
- Ed Tonkon – President, Zebra Retail Solutions
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