More than 100 alumni and students celebrated the New York for McCombs Council’s Tenth Anniversary on Monday, October 16. New York for McCombs (NYFM) is an alumni advisory council, launched in 2013 in response to the need to enhance connections for McCombs talent, both current and future.

Founding members like George Ackert, BBA ’91, who is senior managing director of strategic advisory at Evercore Partners, enjoyed marking the milestone while still making plans for even more in the future.

“Every day we pass a new milestone with more and more UT students being able to get one, two, five and ten offers from Wall Street firms,” he said. “I can’t think of a school with better placement for a business student aspiring to be an investment banker.”

Council members are accomplished leaders in their communities and industries who help shape the overall student and alumni experience in New York. The Council’s mission is to help raise the McCombs School of Business’ profile in New York and to support the Wall Street for McCombs (WSFM) investment banking training program. Alexandra Burban, BBA ’00, head of corporate development at Standard Industries, and current chair, is excited to see how much the Council has been able to grow and benefit McCombs graduates entering the workforce.

“The fact that we’ve been able to create a pipeline that’s ever-growing of students who are incredibly deserving and accomplished, and, in particular, deserve these opportunities has been an amazing achievement in and of itself,” she said.

The NYFM Council’s fall meeting was preceded by an alumni and student reception at the Penn Club of New York, co-hosted with the Texas Real Estate Center. Wall Street for McCombs and Texas Real Estate students were in Manhattan for their annual company treks and enjoyed visiting with Texas alumni about their experiences living and working in New York.

Listen to this month’s bonus episode of the McCombs Made podcast to hear from Paul Aaron, BBA ’95, and former McCombs dean Tom Gilligan, founding members of New York for McCombs, on what the last 10 years have taught them and what they hope to see in the future.