SMU+GSV - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner of Legacy Knight
Abe Minkara is the Founding Partner of Legacy Knight. Prior to Legacy Knight, Abe was the Managing Director at Mark Cuban Companies. Abe managed the portfolio of investments at Mark Cuban Companies with a focus on technology, logistics, and consumer product goods (Shark Tank). Abe is also actively engaged as an advisor and board member with a number of companies leveraging his expertise in strategy, operations, and capital allocation to help accelerate their growth. D CEO Magazine has recognized Abe as one of the 500 most influential business leaders in North Texas for 2020. Additionally Abe is a Member of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) North Texas Chapter, Advisory board member at Institute of Excellence in Corporate Governance (IECG), Advisor at NPX (A new Donor Fund), Advisor at NYC based City Rock Ventures (Focus on Impact with Diverse Founding Teams), Mentor at Unreasonable Group (Global Impact Accelerator), Advisor at Guardian Bikes (Shark Tank Season 8 Company), Advisor/Mentor at Stadia Ventures (Global Sport Business Accelerator), and Advisory Council Member at Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT). Abe received his MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.
Job Titles:
- Chairman and CEO of MoneyGram International
- Chairman and CEO, Moneygram
Alex Holmes is the Chairman and CEO of MoneyGram International, one of the world's leading brands that powers cross-border money transfers, having served more than 150 million people over the past five years. Under his leadership, MoneyGram has successfully executed its digital transformation and rapidly evolved its business model to deliver innovative financial solutions that connect the world's communities. Today, Alex is leading the next iteration of the MoneyGram journey to leverage its modern, mobile and API-driven platform with a specific focus on building the digital business model of the future. An award-winning champion of innovation, Alex has spearheaded industry-leading efforts to utilize crypto and blockchain technology to change the way money moves across borders. Alex is an established thought leader on global payments and is regularly featured on the world's leading media platforms, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post. He also has made appearances on live broadcast media, including CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox Business. With frequent international travel, Alex regularly contributes to regional news media and engages with world leaders, government officials, regulators and leading multinational business executives to advise on relevant global events. An advocate of social impact, Alex has been instrumental in leading company initiatives focused on empowering others through education and financial inclusion, as well as cultivating a company culture of diversity. Alex also serves on the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business Board-Emeritus and is on the board of Vogel Alcove, a nonprofit organization with a mission to help young children overcome the lasting and traumatic effects of homelessness. He is also a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Innovation Advisory Council and part of the Global One chapter of the Young Presidents Organization. Alex joined MoneyGram in 2009 and previously served as both CFO and COO before being named CEO in January 2016. Prior to MoneyGram, Alex spent almost nine years at First Data Corporation where he held a variety of positions, including Chief of Staff to the CEO, Head of Investor Relations, Senior Vice President of Global Sourcing & Strategic Initiatives, and Regional Director of the Benelux for Western Union.
Job Titles:
- Vice President & City Leader, All Stars Project ( ASP )
One of the country's most successful grassroots leaders and advocates for the poor - and a long-time performer on and off stage - Vice President and City Leader of the All Stars Project (ASP) of Dallas, Antoine Joyce has led the creation of cutting-edge youth and community development programs throughout Dallas and nationally. He is also a dynamic and passionate bridge-builder who has introduced Afterschool Development to a diverse array of public and private partners, fostering innovative partnerships and collaborations through ASP's Afterschool Development Initiatives. Under his leadership as City Leader, the ASP of Dallas, which Antoine helped found in 2013, now reaches 5,000 youth and their families each year and raises $1.2 million annually. He directs a staff of nine. Antoine is a member of the ASP senior leadership team and the Council of Grassroots Organizers, which works directly with the ASP CEO to grow and deepen the ASP's grassroots impact and expanding the influence of Afterschool Development initiatives and strategies in poor communities across the nation. Antoine plays a key role in advancing the organization's national strategic growth through a series of Dallas-based initiatives and, together with CEO Gabrielle Kurlander, is a creator and leader of the ASP's newest initiative, Operation Conversation. A sought-after leader, Antoine serves as board co-chair of the Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Steering Committee, serves as the Racial Healing Committee chair and Chair's South Oak Cliff High School NAF Academies Advisory Board. Previously Antoine has been a member of the Dallas Thrives Board and Dallas County Promise Alignment Council. Mr. Joyce is also an alumnus of Leadership ISD (2015), Mayor's Star Council (2017), Stagen ILP (2020), Leadership Dallas (2022) and a mentor with Judge Amber Givens-Davis' Empowerment Program. Other accomplishments include an invited presentation at TEDxSMU, keynote address at the NYC ACS Workforce Institute Conference; interview with the Communities Foundation of Texas 360 Podcast; several articles and op-ed pieces in the Dallas Morning News and the teaching of a graduate level seminar at Georgetown University. Born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Antoine Joyce has been an All Star since 1991. In addition to his involvement with ASP, Antoine also spent several years touring the world with hip hop legend Grand Master Flash. He is also a talented theater director, popular DJ, loving husband and proud father of two.
Avery Johnson is a former NBA basketball player, NBA coach, and NCAA Men's basketball coach. A New Orleans native, Mr. Johnson signed with the Seattle Supersonics in 1988 and went on to play a sixteen-season career with the NBA. Known as "The Little General" for his on-court leadership and diminutive stature, Mr. Johnson played with seven different teams, most notably helping guide the San Antonio Spurs to their 1999 NBA Championship. Mr. Johnson's coaching career began in 2004, when he transitioned from player to assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks. The following year, he took over as head coach and led the Mavericks to the team's first ever Western Conference Championship and was later named NBA Coach of the Year. In 2010, Mr. Johnson became head coach to a struggling New Jersey Nets team where he emphasized discipline, attitude, and collaboration to lead the team on a remarkable turnaround. As a result, he was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October and November 2012. From 2015 - 2019, he was invited to join the University of Alabama's athletic department as the new head men's basketball coach where he guided the Crimson Tide to the 2018 NCAA tournament. During this time, Mr. Johnson also worked as a broadcast analyst for ESPN & CBS Sports, where he continues to be featured to this day. An entrepreneur at heart, Mr. Johnson has advised on business dealings in a variety of sectors including oil and gas, multi-family and commercial real estate. He is also a sought-after motivational speaker, known for his fireside chats with Fortune 500 CEOs, as well as his motivational speeches and management training sessions. In 2008, he published his second book, Aspire Higher: Winning On and Off the Court with Determination, Discipline and Decisions. In early 2020, Avery Johnson and John Bailey formed Avery Capital Partners, a national minority owned and operated commercial real estate advisory firm. Mr. Johnson is very involved in the community. He is on the board of Behind Every Door, a nonprofit that operates a network of community centers helping to alleviate poverty in Dallas, as well as supporting Shoreline City Church and Hunger Busters, a food pantry in Dallas.
Ben Nelson - CEO, Chairman, Founder
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Chairman
- Chancellor
- Founder
- Chairman and CEO, Minerva Project, Chancellor of Minerva University
Ben Nelson is founder, chairman, and CEO of Minerva Project and Chancellor of Minerva University. Ben founded Minerva in 2011 with the goal of nurturing critical wisdom for the sake of the world through a systematic and evidence-based approach to learning. Nelson has, since, built Minerva University, ranked as the most innovative university in the world, and has developed a business to share Minerva's unique approach with other like-minded institutions, corporations and governments. Prior to Minerva, Nelson spent 10 years at Snapfish, where he helped build the company from startup to the world's largest personal publishing service. Serving as CEO from 2005 through 2010, Nelson began his tenure at Snapfish by leading the company's sale to Hewlett Packard for $300 million. Nelson holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he created a blueprint for curricular reform in his first year, the principles from which he drew to frame Minerva.
Job Titles:
- President & CEO, Big Thought
Byron Sanders is a committed advocate for education, economic development and creating equitable communities. As the President and CEO of Big Thought, he explores innovative ways to narrow the opportunity gap and believes it's our charge to shape society so young people have the chance to live the innate greatness that's inside of them. Byron has been with the organization since 2008 in various capacities, as a supporter, volunteer, advisor, partner and board member. A collective of creatives, artists, and analysts that partner with the community, schools, and institutions, Big Thought equips youth with tools to channel their voice and creativity into shaping their best lives and the world around them. The organization's goal is not only to serve equitably but also to push the boundaries of what education can be - now and in the future - through a range of learning experiences within school walls and beyond. Byron is a recipient of the 2014 Dallas Business Journal's Minority Business Leaders Award and was recognized in its 2012 40 Under 40 Awards; in 2020, he was an honoree of the paper's Most Inspiring Leader Award. In 2017, he was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar by the program led by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Lyndon B. Johnson. And in 2020, he became the first person of color to receive the CASEL O'Brien Award for Excellence in Expanding the Evidence-Based Practice of Social and Emotional Learning. Byron has also been recognized as a recipient of Dallas Foundation Good Works Under 40, Parkland Foundation's Community First Award, NAACP Juanita Craft Award, Innovator in Education from the Alcuin School and as a TEDx speaker. His professional expertise spans the fields of banking and finance, education, philanthropy and entrepreneurism. Before joining Big Thought, Byron served as Vice President for U.S. Trust and as the Executive Director of the Dallas Education Foundation, where he cultivated philanthropic, corporate and community relationships to support initiatives benefiting Dallas ISD students. He also served as Vice President of Group Excellence, a mentoring and tutoring organization. Byron is an alum of The University of Tulsa and now serves on the institution's Board of Trustees. Above all, he loves spending time with his wife, Celeste, and two children.
Experienced Board Member, Qualified Financial Expert and Executive with significant finance and operating experience. Former member of the board of directors of Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC), served on both the Audit and Nominations & Governance Committees. $15+ billion in completed transactions including IPOs, Secondaries, Convertible Securities, private company fundraising and Mergers & Acquisitions as a CFO and investment banker. In multiple Chief Financial Officer roles, Carol has helped companies achieve rapid expansion where digital transformation was a strategic imperative for success. Carol is an accomplished executive with 30+ years of experience in fintech and financial services including brokerage firms (including alternative trading systems), investment managers, alternative asset custodians, private equity and venture-backed lending. In addition, she has worked with marketplace, subscription-based, SaaS and architectural companies, to name a few. Carol is a sports enthusiast, a mentor and a life long proponent of providing equal access to education for all through scholarships and work with various organizations including Oakland Lacrosse Club.
Job Titles:
- North Carolina State Superintendent
Since her first days as a classroom teacher, Catherine Truitt's priority has been students. Ensuring that students have an opportunity to receive the best education possible is the driving force in her day-to-day work. She recognizes that today's students are tomorrow's workforce and remains committed to readying graduates for college or career. As North Carolina state superintendent, Truitt's work is focused on improving the state's public schools, expanding innovation, and creating new opportunities for students to learn, grow, and successfully transition into the post-secondary plans of their choice. Truitt's service in education began as a high school English teacher, where she spent 10 years in the classroom at both the high school and middle school levels. Her last three years in the classroom were spent at West Johnston High School, where she taught English to 11th and 12th grade students. It's this classroom experience that Truitt draws from when considering how to best equip students, engage parents and invest in teachers. In 2012, Truitt joined the International Center for Leadership in Education, where she worked as a school turnaround coach with underperforming school districts. She collaborated with principals and superintendents to craft plans to close achievement gaps while developing whole-district transformation initiatives. Truitt also served as a coach for teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade, helping them develop strategies to foster student engagement and cultivate learning. In 2015, Truitt was given the opportunity to apply her experience as a teacher and coach to help shape education policy in North Carolina when Gov. Pat McCrory appointed her as his senior education advisor. In the Governor's Office, she coordinated policy for all dimensions of public education and helped lead the development of strategic state education policy goals for ages 0-20. Most recently, Truitt served as chancellor of non-profit Western Governors University North Carolina (WGU NC). As chancellor, she focused on increasing access to higher education for the 1.5 million North Carolinians with some college but no degree. Truitt collaborated with community colleges, hospitals, school districts and economic development groups to ensure that state workforce demands were being met. Prior to joining WGU NC, Truitt served as Associate Vice President of University and P-12 Partnerships at UNC General Administration, helping strengthen the educator pipeline and supporting public colleges of education. Truitt is a 1994 graduate of the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She received her master's in education from the University of Washington in 1997. She and her husband, Jeff, an attorney and captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves, live in Cary. They have one daughter in college and a son and daughter enrolled in Wake County public schools.
Cherie Gordon comes to the City of Fort Worth with more than 25 years of experience in corporate sourcing, supplier diversity, and economic development at American Airlines and BNSF Railway. In Economic Development with BNSF, she worked on the Strategic Programs team helping plan for Logistics Center sites, 800-1200 acre sites for industrial development. In her current role with the City of Fort Worth, she is Business Development Coordinator, working on leads generation, target industries & business attraction for corporate and industry clients for site selection in Fort Worth TX. She serves on the board for WTS Women Transportation Seminar Greater Dallas/Fort Worth chapter and the Texas Professional Chapter for AISES - American Indian Science and Engineering Society. Her past recognitions include BNSF employee of the year in 2014, Advocate of the year for the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Texas in 2011, Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader in 2010, and Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber Advocate of the Year in 2009. BNSF also won corporation of the year from the Women's Business Council Southwest in 2011 during her tenure.
Job Titles:
- Editor of D
- Editor of D CEO
Christine Perez is the editor of D CEO, named the country's best regional business magazine in 2022 and 2021. She also oversees the brand's digital operations and its popular signature publication, the Dallas 500. A national award-winning journalist, Perez previously was columnist for National Real Estate Investor and held various editorial posts at the Dallas Business Journal.
Job Titles:
- Chairman, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Runway Growth Capital
David founded Runway Growth Capital in 2015 and is the chairman of the firm's investment committee. David is a seasoned and respected Silicon Valley-based investment executive, with 30 years of experience as a venture capitalist and growth debt lender. As a VC, he has been active in the formation and development of nearly 50 technology companies with 18 IPOs and 14 trade-sales. He was ranked four times by Forbes magazine on their annual Midas List as one of the top 50 venture capitalists; in 2006 he was ranked the #8 VC. Beginning in 2010, David transitioned from venture capital to growth lending as a Co-Founder of Decathlon Capital Partners, a provider of revenue-based loans to small, fast-growing, bootstrapped companies. His experience at Decathlon opened his eyes to the opportunity to use debt as an alternative to equity to finance the growth of both venture-backed and non-venture backed growth companies. In 2015, he formed what is today Runway Growth Capital to pursue this vision. David's commitment to the entrepreneurial ecosystem is unwavering. He has served on the board and as Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee of the National Venture Capital Association ("NVCA") and has been an active member of the World Economic Forum ("WEF") community-including as a frequent panelist in Davos, as a member of the Technology Pioneers Selection Committee, the Steering Committee for Entrepreneurship and Successful Growth Strategies, and as an adviser to the Alternative Investments 2020 and Mainstreaming Impact Investing initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Co - Founder and Managing Director at Horizon Capital Partners LLC
David W. Johnson has served as a Director since January 2017. Mr. Johnson has served as co-founder and managing director at Horizon Capital Partners LLC since September 2021. Before this, he served as president and chief executive officer of Aimbridge Hospitality ("Aimbridge") from April 2003 to September 2021 and oversaw the management of Aimbridge's portfolio of over 1600 hotels having approximately $10 billion in annual revenue and over 65,000 employees. Mr. Johnson held senior management positions at Wyndham International, including as president of Wyndham Hotels, overseeing approximately 15,000 employees, with $3 billion in annual revenue. He helped Wyndham grow from 10 hotels to over 500 hotels during his tenure. Currently, Mr. Johnson serves on the owners' board of the Dallas Stars NHL Franchise. Additionally, he serves as chairman of the board and a member of the audit committee for Sonida Senior Living. Mr. Johnson previously served on several boards of directors, including Strategic Hotel (NYSE: BEE), where he was also a member of its audit committee and corporate governance committee from 2012 to 2016. From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Johnson served as a director of Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET). He also serves on several nonprofit boards, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Plano YMCA. He was recognized as a finalist for the Ernst & Young 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year. Mr. Johnson received his undergraduate degree in business economics, with highest honors, from Northeastern Illinois University.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity
- Executive Director, Hunt Institute
Dr. Eva Szalkai Csaky is the Executive Director of the Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity at SMU and the co-founder of the Inclusive Economy Consortium. Her work leverages transformational technologies, innovative financial mechanisms and social entrepreneurial approaches for climate-smart and inclusive economic development. Previously Dr. Csaky worked for 18 years for IFC, the largest global development institution focused on the private sector, and has served as an advisor to the G20, OECD, UN agencies and various US organizations. She has an MS in Finance from George Washington University and a PhD in Public Policy with a specialization in Globalization & Development from Duke University.
Job Titles:
- Chancellor, Dallas College
For more than 17 years, Dr. Justin H. Lonon has provided proven executive and strategic leadership for Dallas College, guiding the institution to fulfill its mission of "transforming lives and communities through higher education." Following a unanimous vote by the Dallas College Board of Trustees in 2021, Lonon began serving as the College's eighth chancellor in March 2022. Lonon previously served as executive vice chancellor leveraging his institutional knowledge to provide intentional leadership to the finance, governmental relations, legal, board relations, diversity, equity and inclusion, facilities, human resources, innovation and technology, marketing and communications, safety and security, emergency management, institutional effectiveness and strategic initiatives functional areas. Lonon served as a driving force in the consolidation of the 55-year-old Dallas County Community College District -- and its seven colleges -- into one Dallas College. The historic move helps to meet the needs of Dallas County students, improving their access to in-demand degrees and credentials. In order to help address the teacher shortage, Lonon provided oversight to the creation of Dallas College's first 4-year degree in Early Childhood Education - the first in the state of Texas at a community college. This has led to the launch of the state's first Teacher Residency Program. Lonon's experience as a collaborative leader in higher education transcends the executive suite. He previously served as interim president of Dallas College's Brookhaven Campus, overseeing the 13,000+ students the campus welcomes each semester. Prior to joining Dallas College in 2005, Lonon worked in the private sector providing public affairs counsel to local and national companies and non-profit organizations. Lonon began his career in Dallas at City Hall serving as press secretary for the Mayor's Office. Because of his commitment to higher education and the Dallas community, Lonon serves on several national and local boards including the Austin-based United Ways of Texas, the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas' Advancement Committee, the North Texas Crime Commission, the Dallas Father of the Year Awards, Rebuilding America's Middle Class (RAMC), COMBASE, a national consortium of leading community colleges, and as past chair of the Task Force on Higher Education Government Relations for the American Association of Community Colleges, among others. The Arkansas native earned a bachelor's degree in public administration from Missouri State University, a master's degree in public administration from the University of North Texas and a doctorate in management from the University of Maryland - Global Campus.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Economic Mobility Systems
Job Titles:
- Small Business Community Officer
- Vice President, Bank of America
Evelyn Solorzano is a Small Business Community Officer working with business owners in the North Texas market. Dedicated to support women and minority business owners for the past 6 years , Evelyn finds solutions to help them achieve their unique evolving goals. To bridge the gap on Small Business Financial Literacy, Evelyn delivers business financial classes across the community utilizing all of our educational resources. In addition, as a North Texas CDFI Ambassador, Evelyn works closely with local development institutions to identify ways to support entrepreneurs with access to capital. Evelyn joined Bank of America in 2004 and throughout her 18 year journey, she has held different positions within the company. She is not only passionate about helping business clients, she is highly committed to the communities she serves. She is engaged in the community as an active member of local Chambers of Commerce including the Ft. Worth Hispanic and the Dallas Regional Chambers, working side by side with various non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Women's Business Development Center, Minority Business Development Agency Dallas (MBDA) and local business organizations such as The DEC Network. Evelyn was born and raised in Colombia and migrated to the United States with her family at the age of 13. She obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Finance from University of Texas at Dallas. She is married with two young children and in her spare time loves to dance, spend time with family, play baseball and participate in volunteer activities with her two boys.
Job Titles:
- General Partner and Co - Founder, Highmount Capital
Jason is the General Partner, co-founder and CEO of Highmount Capital, a unique investment firm focused on world-class leaders and transformative technology companies. He is the former Managing Director and founding member of Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), the venture and growth arm of Koch Industries, the largest privately-held company in the US with $130B in revenue. Jason was responsible for helping KDT grow to billions in AUM across 40+ companies. His primary focus is in software-related platforms and marketplaces with strong experience in enterprise software, artificial intelligence, web3/crypto, and more. Jason is a founder and 2x CEO of high-growth tech companies with two exits. He is an experienced originator, executive, investor and operator. He has advised multiple VC firms and tech companies, both in Board positions and as an advisor.
Job Titles:
- Founder & CEO, Center for Education Reform & Director, Yass Foundation for Education
Jeanne Allen pioneered the Center for Education Reform (CER) in 1993 to restore excellence to education and built it into the nation's leading voice for innovation and opportunity in education. Almost 30 years later, CER continues to help unite education innovators, advance and defend sound policy, rally parents and make the cause of education freedom the most important domestic issue of our time. In 2021, with Covid making transparent the deficiencies of the traditional education system, CER launched the $1 million STOP Award to Transform Education - now the Yass Prize - in partnership with CER Director and long-time education philanthropist Janine Yass, to honor education providers who have outperformed for underserved students. The Yass Prize and STOP Awards Initiative honors the country's top innovators who deliver best-in-class education and exemplify a Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless approach to education. It awards over $16 million annually and creates unprecedented partnerships that accelerate impact with the speed and urgency students deserve. A respected national thought leader for more than three decades, Jeanne has written and appeared extensively throughout the media. She has contributed her analysis and voice to hundreds of outlets from NBC to FOX, the Wall Street Journal to the Washington Post. Jeanne Allen is a regular contributor to Forbes Online, authors a weekly newsletter entitled Forza, hosts her own podcast, in Piazza, and is a sought-after speaker. She has been a trusted advisor to policymakers and philanthropists and serves on numerous boards and posts including managing director of the StartEd Accelerator, founding advisor to the Modern States Education Alliance, and an integral member of the ASU-GSV community since its inception in 2010. Her book An Unfinished Journey: Education & the American Dream (2020) chronicles her journey through education. She is also the author of Education Reform: Before it Was Cool (2014), Manifesto: A Movement at Risk (2016) and co-author with Angela Dale of The School Reform Handbook: How to Improve Your Schools (1995). A first-generation Italian-American, Jeanne is mother to four amazing people & a grandmother to two. When she's not challenging education convention, she enjoys spoiling them and spending time on the water with her husband Dr. Kevin Strother, educator, boat Captain and classically-trained musician.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board for the Global Entrepreneurship Network
- Chairman, Global Entrepreneurship Network
Jeff Hoffman is the chairman of the board for the Global Entrepreneurship Network where he focuses on providing strategic input and communicating GEN's vision while serving as the organization's chief evangelist. Hoffman is a successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, bestselling author, Hollywood film producer, a producer of a Grammy winning jazz album, and executive producer of an Emmy Award winning television show. In his career, he has been the founder of multiple startups, he has been the CEO of both public and private companies, and he has served as a senior executive in many capacities. Hoffman also serves on the boards of companies in the US, Europe, the Middle East, South America, Africa, and Asia. He supports the White House, the State Department, the United Nations, and similar organizations internationally on economic growth initiatives and entrepreneurship programs. He is a frequent keynote speaker, having been invited to speak in over 60 countries. He speaks on the topics of innovation, entrepreneurship, and business leadership, and is the author of the book SCALE, a how-to guide for growing your business. He also teaches innovation workshops to major corporations on a regular basis. Hoffman was honored with the Champion of Entrepreneurship Award from JP Morgan Chase and Citibank, as well as receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award and being inducted into the Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, President of Bank America Dallas
Jennifer Chandler is Managing Director, President of Bank America Dallas, and Head of Philanthropic Solutions for Bank of America. As President, Jennifer directs effective collaboration across multiple lines of business, advancing purposeful engagement with client priorities. Deeply committed to corporate stewardship, she serves on the Bank of America Foundation committee and promotes a culture of volunteerism and community support. As Head of Philanthropic Solutions, Jennifer oversees strategy development and advisory/consulting services for non-profit institutions, corporate and private foundations, and ultra-high-net-worth families. She directs a nationwide team that offers a suite of integrated capabilities, including Outsourced Chief Investment Office services, board governance and development, grant making, high-impact philanthropy, and fiduciary administration. She also fosters the effective use of cross-enterprise capabilities, resulting in a more unified and directed client experience. Jennifer joined Bank of America in 2001. She earned her B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin in two and a half years and her M.B.A. from the University of Dallas, which honored her in 2018 as a College of Business Hall of Fame inductee. Born and raised in Dallas County, Jennifer is very active in the greater Dallas community. She is a Leadership Dallas 2011 alumni and Women's Exchange Sue Haskoor honoree. Jennifer is also a Dallas Business Journal "40 under 40" and Women in Business honoree. She currently serves on the Dallas Citizens Council, Dallas Regional Chamber, Dallas Museum of Art, and Phoenix House Texas boards and is also a member of the Crystal Charity Ball, Texas Lyceum, United Way Women of Tocqueville, the Dallas Symphony League and the National Charity League. Jennifer and her husband have 4 children and enjoy serving their local community.
Job Titles:
- President and Chief Executive Officer of a.G. Hill Partners
Mr. O'Brien serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of A.G. Hill Partners, LLC, a family office with diverse interests in real estate, energy, private equity, and public securities. The family owns and operates Highland Park Village, a luxury outdoor shopping center in Dallas, Texas, and develops other multi-family, retail, hospitality and senior housing properties across the country. In addition, the family sponsored the launch of Expedition Capital Advisors, LLC, a real estate private equity fund sponsor in 2016. Previously, Mr. O'Brien was a Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Highside Capital, a multi-billion-dollar equity hedge fund in Dallas. He was a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Petra Capital Partners, a private equity fund for six years. Mr. O'Brien was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in the private wealth management and prime brokerage divisions. He started his career as an investment banking associate at The Robinson-Humphrey Company in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. O'Brien graduated from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce in 1986 and earned his Master of Business Administration from Harvard in 1992. He lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife and three children.
John is Chairman of Shared-X, an innovative agriculture company aiming to close the yield gap in emerging markets. He is a former Senior Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which he joined in 2001. John was a member of the partner team that conceptualized and launched the firm's greentech investment initiative. Since then, the KPCB greentech team, including John, has invested in more than 50 companies across a wide variety of sectors. John also works with several stealth greentech companies, and collaborates with partners in connection with other portfolio companies. Before joining KPCB, John was a managing director and head of technology investment banking for the Western United States at Salomon Smith Barney. He also served on the investment committee for Salomon' s venture capital direct investment fund and CitiGroup' s venture capital fund-of-funds. Earlier in his career, John was a partner at the law firm Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, where he was head of the firm's venture capital practice group and co-head of its information technology practice group. He also served on the investment committee for the firm' s venture capital fund. John has a BA in Economics and a JD from the University of Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Director on the Strategic Capital Investment
- Director, TD Cowen
John Jamison is a Director on the Strategic Capital Investment Banking team at TD Cowen. He has over 15 years of investment banking and corporate finance advisory experience working with healthcare and tech-enabled services companies. Prior to TD Cowen, John was SVP Strategy at National Partners in Healthcare. He also spent several years as an investment banker at Pinecrest Capital Partners and Nexus Health Capital advising lower and middle market companies. John holds a BA from Rhodes College.
Job Titles:
- Founder, Charter Schools USA
Jon Hage is one of the nation's leading social entrepreneurs committed to improving education and life-long learning. He founded Charter Schools USA in 1997 and as CEO, built it into one of the nation's largest and highest performing education companies with 8,500+ team members educating 76,000+ students in 90+ schools across 5 states. CSUSA-managed schools have produced some of the strongest gains in reading, writing, science, and math in the nation, especially for minority and low-income students. Today CSUSA has over 25,000 students on waiting lists with 96% attending college or technical schools and a 95% parent satisfaction rate. CSUSA was the first Cognia/SACS accredited education service provider in the nation. Mr. Hage also created and oversees one of the nation's largest school development companies - Red Apple Development - financing and building over 6 million sq ft of new schools. Mr. Hage and his wife run an innovation incubator, LaunchED, including early learning centers, social emotional learning curriculum, and multiple software solutions. Mr. Hage is quoted and interviewed regularly in the national news and has advised Governors, Legislatures and US Presidents and their campaigns. In 2013, Mr. Hage was named the Floridian of the Year by Florida Trend magazine. He serves on the board of Pine Crest School and served on Governor DeSantis's Covid-19/Re-Open Florida Task Force. He's formerly served as Senate President Appointee to the Community Health Purchasing Alliance, on the Board of NSU's Huizenga Business School and was Chair of the Broward Sheriff's Foundation. Mr. Hage served in the U.S. Special Forces/Green Berets and holds degrees from the University of Colorado and Georgetown University. He is a 4th generation South Floridian and graduated from Nova High School. He and his wife Sherry, who is CEO of Noble Education Initiative, a non-profit education organization, have four children and are raising two boys from Haiti. They live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Michael is the author of three books, "Finding the Next Starbucks", "the Global Silicon Valley Handbook" and his most recent, "The Mission Corporation."