Stay Connected with friends and former classmates

Welcome home, Jindal School alumni!

The JSOM Alumni Relations team is dedicated to keeping you connected to your alma mater and helping you support your university! To reach us directly, visit the JSOM Alumni Contact page or email us at jsomalumni@utdallas.edu.

Alumni Spotlight

Dustin Gadberry, BS’07

Chief Executive Officer, Gadberry Construction Company, Inc.

Gadberry is in his second decade in the construction business, having launched his company in 2000. He grew the business while completing his degree at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Robert Kientz, BS’04

Senior Security Analyst, Verizon Wireless

In his role with Verizon, Kientz performs risk assessment of information security vulnerabilities and system security policy compliance.

Susan Kassen, MBA’00

Associate, Ebby Halliday Realtors

After several years spent working in sales and marketing, Susan Kassen decided to combine her passion for real estate and love of the local community, and pursue a career in real estate. During this transition, she relied on lessons learned while earning an MBA from the Jindal School.

Thomas Hunley, MS’90

Retail Risk Executive, PNC Bank

For some, big risks come with big rewards, and for Thomas Hunley, a decision to make a career change after several years in the information-technology sector, was a risk that led to a satisfying new profession. Hunley’s decision to transition into a finance role brought him to the Jindal School, where he received a master’s degree in management and administrative sciences.

Atanas Hansen, BS’11 MS’13

Senior Business Analyst; New York Life Insurance Company

Working for a 173-year-old company provides a fantastic environment to observe how business processes and technology evolved over time

Dewei (Wayne) Jiang, MS’13

Strategic Analyst, Midway Asia Head Office, Merlin Entertainments Group

Jiang, an MS/Finance graduate, has a broad range of responsibilities at Merlin, where he works in its Hong Kong office.

Kuntesh Chokshi, MS’01, MBA’04

GM, Sales Director New Business, PepsiCo

Chokshi, a 2017 Minority Business Leader honoree by the Dallas Business Journal, credits his business success to both hunger and curiosity

Richard E. Peck, MBA’04

Senior Technical Process / Quality, AT &T, Second Vice President, Toastmasters International

Peck has been with AT&T for more than 30 years where his responsibilities include leading cross-functional teams; project management, overseeing numerous high-tech, multimillion-dollar projects annually (he is also PMP certified); and developing and reviewing project-related business cases, among other responsibilities. Peck is also Robotic Process Automation certified.

Michelle Ketsler, MBA’14

Senior Manager, Vistra Energy

Michelle Ketsler, whose MBA studies included a concentration in finance and strategic management, is the senior manager for demand management and account service management at Vistra Energy. She is responsible for establishing and managing the governance of Vistra Energy’s retail technology investment portfolio and ensuring approved projects are aligned with the company’s strategy.

Long Ly, Class of ’21

Investment Analyst at Invitation Homes

The experience was wonderful, learning from the JSOM professors has shaped me personally and professionally. The JSOM students there were also very intellectual and curious. It was a great educational experience.

Dilon Hanks, MBA’11

Aircraft Captain, Training & Safety Manager; Paypal Aviation Department

Hanks started his education with an undergraduate degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has had a long career path to land his current job.

Gigi Bryant, GLEMBA’02

Business Development Consultant, GMSA Management Services

Throughout her life, Gigi Bryant has overcome adversity – spending more than a decade in the foster care system. Since then, she has dedicated herself to serving others. She has started her own business consulting firm, established a foundation to assist youth in the foster care system and devoted her free time to volunteer work.

Brett Philips, BS’05, MS’09

Founding Partner, Shifflett & Philips

Philips, and his friend Nick Shifflett, started Shifflett & Philips accounting firm in 2014 in Frisco. Philips, a CPA, had worked at other accountancies for more than nine years before going out on his own. His practice now primarily focuses on the performance of federal and state tax compliance and consulting with individuals, estates, partnerships and closely held corporations. Philips holds two Jindal School degrees – a bachelor’s in Business Administration, which he completed in 2005, and an MS/Accounting which he completed in 2009.

Paulina Jesionek, BS’13, MS’15, MBA’15

Marketing Program Specialist, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Jesionek graduated cum laude in Fall 2013 with two undergraduate degrees – Global Business and Marketing. She delivered the commencement address that year.

Priya Singh, BS’15

Analyst, Goldman Sachs

Singh, who earned her finance degree at Jindal School, now is a Warehouse Asset Manager at Goldman Sachs and works as part of the Realty Management Division in Dallas. “My current job consists of working with consumer and student loan facilities to ensure loan management and assist with the lending business,” she says. She also assists the trading desk and bankers in New York City. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Singh worked for two years with GE Capital in its Commercial Leadership Program in Chicago and Wisconsin.