McCombs School of Business
Exchange Magazine : 2007

McCombs MBA alumni (mma) network advisory board committees

The MMA Network Advisory Board has seven committees dedicated to fostering the legacy of the McCombs MBA degree. These committees welcome participation from all alumni. Current initiatives and contact information for each committee chair follows.

Mentorship Committee
In August 2006, the Mentorship Committee launched the MBA Mentorship Program to bring McCombs MBA alumni together with current MBA students. More than 150 alumni volunteered to serve in one of three mentorship roles:

  • One-on-one mentors: Alumni provide direct guidance to individual students. Mentors have the opportunity to form a dynamic relationship with a single MBA student.


  • City/Area/Region (CAR) mentors: Alumni serve as points of contact in various geographic areas and communicate with students via conference calls and discussion boards. Alumni in 18 U.S. cities and eight international cities have volunteered to be CAR mentors.


  • Student group mentors: Alumni work with MBA student groups to assist with prioritizing group activities, outreach to alumni to assist group as speakers, interview coaching, event development and group activities.
Interested alumni should contact Committee Chair David Gordon, MBA ’00, at david.gordon@bus.utexas.edu.

Other Mentorship Committee members include: Suzanne Brown, MBA ’04 (vice chair); John Dapper, MBA ’96; Blair Duncan, MBA ’96; Julia Johnson, MBA ’02; and William Leake, MBA ’94.

Alumni Recognition Committee
Partnering with the Graduate Business Council, this committee launched the MBA Alumni Awards Celebration in September 2005. The Alumni Awards Celebration is a great opportunity for alumni and students to come together to celebrate alumni successes and contributions to McCombs.

At the second annual Awards Celebration, Ted Wang, MBA ’96, was honored with the Rising Star Award. The Austin Chapter received the Outstanding Chapter Event Award.

The third annual MBA Alumni Awards Celebration will be held Friday, Sept. 28, 2007. Nominations are welcome through March 31, 2007.

The Alumni Recognition Committee identifies additional ways to recognize McCombs MBA alumni for their professional achievements and service to the school, alumni network and community.

To learn more, contact Committee Chair David Naismith, MBA ’99, at david.naismith@alumni.utexas.net.

Other Alumni Recognition Committee members include: Roland Galang, MBA ’99, and Kim Matthews, MBA ’03.

Governance Committee
(previously, Membership Committee)
This committee works to strengthen the MMA Advisory Board. Initiatives for 2006 and 2007 include:
  • Targeted recruiting for board membership to McCombs executive and working professional MBA programs in support of Dean Eric Hirst’s goal to foster stronger cohesion among the six MBA programs.
  • Creation and distribution of an orientation package for new Advisory Board members.
  • Development of a Class Presidents’ Handbook to help MBA alumni class presidents provide maximum benefit to their classmates and to the program.
For more information, contact Committee Chair Tom Stephenson, MBA ’95, at tstephenson@vergefund.com.

Other Governance Committee members include: Emily Burguieres, MBA ’00; Karen Kelly, MBA ’05; Robin Kelly, MBA ’01; and Chris Spahr, MBA ’02.

Chapter Presidents Committee
Since the committee’s inception in 2005, the number of alumni chapters has grown from 15 to 27, with 15 domestic and 12 international chapters. The Chapter Presidents Committee:
  • Connects chapter presidents through monthly conference calls to provide a forum for sharing best practices. The committee is also working to develop a Web-based chat board for sharing information.
  • Provides support and resources to each chapter president.
For more information, contact Glenn Sprenger, MBA ’97, at texasmba@yahoo.com.

Alumni Networking Committee
(previously, Career Networking Committee)

The Alumni Networking Committee creates opportunities for alumni to communicate more easily and frequently with each other and with current students. Current initiatives include:
  • Collaborating with alumni to determine networking needs.
  • Conducting a best practices analysis of the networking programs at other top MBA programs.
For more information, contact Committee Chair Michelle Silver, MBA ’06, at consultsilver@gmail.com.

Other Alumni Networking Committee members include: Drew Bolton, MBA ’06; Blair Duncan, MBA ’96; Marissa Jarratt, MBA ’04; John McCollum, MBA ’97; and Ryan Smith, MBA ’05.

Alumni Giving Committee
This committee works to promote alumni giving to the Annual Giving Campaign and the MBA Alumni Endowed Excellence Fund (MAEEF). MAEEF provides resources to support new or existing student initiatives that have a broad and lasting positive impact for MBA students. Accomplishments for 2006–2007 include:
  • Leave a Legacy V/X, launched during the 2006 reunion, established that gifts from members of the classes of 1996 and 2001 will be allocated to the MAEEF.
  • Development of a long-term goal of $1 million for the MAEEF.
  • Establishment of a goal of 20 percent participation in MBA alumni annual giving from the 10 most recent classes.
For more information, contact Committee Chair John McCollum, MBA ’97, at john@heritagetrust.com.

Other Alumni Giving Committee members include: Jason Downie, MBA ’99; Chris Johnson, MBA ’95; Beau Ross, MBA ’88; Ryan Smith, MBA ’05; and Jason Watkins, MBA ’96.

Experienced Alumni (Pre-1995 Graduates) Committee
Alumni who graduated prior to 1995 did not have the opportunity to develop the sense of community and connection established by the cohort system. This committee develops programs to reconnect with these alumni. Current opportunities include:
  • 1970 Houston MBA Alumni dinners and lunches.
  • Faculty Speaker Series: McCombs faculty members travel to domestic chapters to talk about current trends and topics in business.
  • Chapter calling campaigns to increase pre-1995 alumni attendance at local events.
For more information on how you can help with these efforts, contact Committee Chair Eddy Trevino, MBA ’86, at eddy_trevino@alumni.utexas.net.

Other Experienced Alumni Committee members include: Betty Boynton, MBA ’64, and Reggie Cobb, MBA ’94.


 
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