Stacy Smith, BBA ’85 has recently been appointed as the newest addition to the Board of Directors at Wolfspeed Inc. Serving as the executive chairman of Kioxia Corporation as well as the Non- Executive Chair of the Board at Autodesk, Stacy brings a wealth of tech business experience to Wolfspeed’s team. Congratulations to Stacy!
Read more here.
Following a longstanding family tradition of excellence, Keith J. Asmussen, BBA 21, MPA ’22, post graduation has made a career pivot into becoming a jockey in the professional horse racing circuit. Keith holds a strong statistic of 7 wins from 65 career mounts and is made his Oaklawn Park debut this past December. Congratulations to Keith!
Read more here.
Scot Parnell, BBA ’91 has recently been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer for Munich Re Life. Before accepting his new position, Scot worked as the Chief Financial Officer of DailyPay. Congratulations to Scot!
Read more here.
Brad Wright, BBA ‘05, MBA ‘10, was appointed to the Board of the Texas Permanent School Fund by Gov. Greg Abbott. The Texas PSF is the endowment for public schools in Texas. Congratulation to Brad!
Woody Hunt, BBA ’66, MBA ’70, has recently been honored as the new namesake of The University of El Paso’s college of business. The Woody L. Hunt College of Business was announced December 1st in honor of Woody’s longtime history with the university as well as El Paso itself. Congratulations to Woody!
Read more here.
Lisa Lee, MBA ’09, has recently been named as the Senior Vice President of Marketing of SPB Hospitality. Lee has managed the marketing efforts of SPB Hospitality since 2021, and will now add Guest Experience to her responsibilities. Congratulations to Lisa!
Read more here.
Gardner Pate, BBA ’04 has recently been announced as Greg Abbott’s Chief of Staff. Gardner had previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff within the Office of the Governor before accepting his new appointment. Congratulations to Gardner!
Read more here.
Richard V. Battle, BBA ’73, has published his ninth book, “Made in America by AmeriCANS not AmeriCANTS”. Congratulations to Richard!
Read more about it on Richard’s website.
Kyle Duffy, BBA Alumnus, has recently been hired as Vice President of Sales at Pivot. Kyle comes into his position with a wealth of 20 years of experience in his field. Congratulations to Kyle!
We are deeply saddened to hear the news that Dr. Lauren Gray Gilstrap, BA and BBA ’06, has passed away. Lauren was valedictorian of her high school class and then became a proud Texas Longhorn, receiving a BA in Plan II Honors and a BBA in the business honors program from The University of Texas at Austin, both with highest honors. During her time at UT-Austin, she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Truman Scholar. Her McCombs professor, Karen Stedatole, who had kept in touch over the years, says of Lauren: “She was without a doubt the best student I’ve ever had… She was a force to be reckoned with while at UT, then Harvard Medical School where she graduated top of her class.”
Lauren received her MD from Harvard Medical School in 2010. She completed an internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and fellowships in cardiovascular medicine as well as in heart failure and cardiac transplantation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. During her residency and fellowships in Boston, she also obtained a Master’s degree from Harvard’s School of Public Health.
Lauren and her family moved to Hanover in 2018, and she joined the faculty at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in the Heart and Vascular Center, with a joint appointment in The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. Lauren also taught as an assistant professor at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. In 2021, she became the Program Head for Advanced Heart Disease and Transplant Cardiology in the Heart and Vascular Center. Lauren’s research focused on improving the quality of clinical care for patients with heart failure, and—during her time at Dartmouth—she was recognized as an outstanding clinician and educator as well as a sought-after mentor for students, residents, fellows, and faculty.
Lauren is said to have lived life to the fullest and excelled at virtually everything she did. She always pushed herself to be the best and, in so doing, helped bring out the best in others. She is survived by her wife, Janet Milley, and her two children, Katelyn and David.
The McCombs School of Business recognizes the life and accomplishments of Lauren, and she will be deeply missed.
Read more about the life of Dr. Lauren Gray Gilstrap here and here.
© 2025 Texas McCombs Alumni News
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
