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ALUMNA
Theresa Neil ('05 MBA)
Theresa Neil ('05 MBA) had just quit her job to start a new business – an agency for user experience design that drew on her education from UNT and experience at Sabre.
But she hit a problem.
Although she started with two start-ups for clients, she and her husband had run out of their savings a few months in.
"We were looking at bills," she says. "And we thought, ‘We're going to have to wait tables if we don't get paid soon.'"
The next day, one of those start-ups received funding. A few days later, so did the other start-up. Neil's business had $25,000.
"From that day on, I never looked back," she says. "It was growth every year."
And that company, Guidea, now boasts 20 employees, big-name clients such as Adobe, Dell and Google -- and a place on the list of Inc.'s 5000 Fastest Growing Companies. Neil is proud of the company for its innovative ways of creating apps and websites that help companies reach their clients. And, inspired by her time at the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, she's helping other women entrepreneurs.
After years in corporate and agency environments, Neil started Guidea in Austin after she received her graduate degree.
"I wanted the independence to work with my clients in a way that I thought would best serve them and that was different from the traditional agency model," says Neil, who now lives in Santa Cruz, California.
Her motto was "Hire an Expert, Not an Agency" because she served the clients' needs, by delivering bespoke solutions instead of following a format from agencies that follows profitability and outcomes.
She was attracted to user design thanks to her job at Sabre. At the time, many companies were investing in the engineering aspects of technology, while she was interested in designing websites to make the user experience easier.
A few years after Guidea's launch, her big break came in 2008 when one of her previous managers asked her to spearhead PayPal's iPhone experience – which she designed and developed in 30 days. That brought in dozens of referrals, including 20 Fortune100 companies.
Neil has launched a new program, Femovate, aimed at startups who are focusing on female-centric health issues. Her company is investing over $500,000 in business mentoring and UX services across 30 Femtech companies around the globe to improve women's health.
"We believe investing in female founders in healthcare will have a transformative impact on all women's health," Neil says.
READ MORE...
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Published by UNT North Texan, 2022
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STUDENT
Christine Truong ('23)
Meet Christine Truong, a supply chain management and operations major at UNT.
For Truong, spreading positivity and inspiring women to become the best version of themselves – both personally and professionally – is her life’s mission.
As an international student from Vietnam, Truong knows firsthand the barriers women face in some cultures when it comes to education. When she was 19, she was a part of JUNKO Association – a non-profit organization originally from Japan – that traveled around remote areas in developing countries in Asia. They worked to persuade families into letting their daughters attend school, even supplying them with backpacks and school supplies.
But after receiving pushback, Truong was inspired to start her own non-profit called “She Inspires Me.” The organization aims to bring women of different backgrounds and careers together to speak about their struggles, how they overcame them and provide motivation to Millennial and Gen Z girls to fight for the education they deserve.
“There are a lot of barriers and obstacles out there – but when we talk to other women who have experienced similar hardships, it inspires us to better ourselves,” said Truong.
In many developing Asian countries – especially in some remote areas where students don’t have access to transportation, electricity and education – Truong says it is traditional for women to drop out of school as young as the second grade, often forced into arranged marriages.
“They still think women don’t deserve a better education than men,” she said.
This traditional perspective is what encouraged Truong to move to the U.S. to pursue higher education. Now, she is president of the logistics and supply chain organization at UNT, affiliated with ISM and ASCM – the oldest and largest non-profit supply chain organization in the United States. She was also recently offered a research graduate assistant position in business analytics.
When speaking to Truong, she talked about the struggles of being a woman leader in a male-dominated field like supply chain management.
“Being a good leader is hard, especially as an immigrant woman, but I believe that whatever we do reflects who we are, and it doesn’t stop me from being an inspiring Gen Z female leader.”
When Truong first started her supply chain management education journey, she was typically the only woman in the room, but she continued to pursue an avenue for women to thrive alongside her. Since becoming the president of the logistics and supply chain organization, it has grown from just a handful of members to well over 100, with more women and diversity participating than ever before.
Her motivation?
Prove. Them. Wrong.
READ MORE...
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Bob (’64) and Sandra Connor
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Bob (’64) and Sandra Connor know the impact of a gift.
For more than 40 years, the Connors have been passionate about giving back—and in 2019, they established The Sandra M. and Robert C. Connor Endowment for Faculty Research. The impact of their endowment is what enables the Ryan College of Business to continue improving classroom practice, while also providing meaningful contributions to the business world.
This fall, the Connors reaffirmed their passion for faculty research once more with a year-end gift of $50,000 to grow their endowment, and impact, further.
“We are eternally grateful for Bob and Sandra’s generosity toward faculty research in the Ryan College of Business,” said Jessica Steinke, assistant dean of development for the college. “Their continued support plays a tremendous role in developing our faculty leadership and excellence, as well as driving the growth of the college.”
Thanks to Bob and Sandra’s support, the Ryan College of Business is providing an innovative education for students by increasing opportunities to grow faculty expertise. As a result, the college is better positioned to compete against other institutions as they conduct impactful research and enrich knowledge, in and out of the classroom.
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If you would like to join Bob and Sandra by making a year-end gift, please consider following the link below and donating toward a cause that resonates with you and your loved ones. There is no better way to show you care, than by giving the gift of opportunity.
Make your year-end gift today
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Five UNT business professors named most cited researchers in the world
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UNT Ryan College of Business Professors Dan Kim, Brian Sauser, David Gligor, Bob Heere and Jeremy Short have all been named among the world’s most cited researchers, according to a study led by Stanford statistician, John P.A. Ioannidis.
The ranking, derived from research citations of scientific papers from 1996-2021, evaluated more than six million scientists in 22 major fields. The final list includes researchers that were cited the most among those scientists, either throughout their career, or for the year of 2021.
Drs. Kim and Short ranked both annually and for their entire career, while Dr. Heere ranked annually and Dr. Sauser for his career’s research.
In total, more than 60 UNT professors made the short list for most citations in 2021.
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Management Professor Dr. Matthew Walker honored as top scholar in his field
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Dr. Matthew Walker (pictured second from left), was designated a Sport Marketing Association (SMA) Research Fellow of 2022.
Walker earned this non-voting, merit-based distinction in recognition for his high standards and contributions of scholarly research. To be eligible for nomination, SMA requires a minimum of seven publications in the SMA-owned journal, Sport Marketing Quarterly, and at least ten presentations at the annual SMA conference.
Publishing eight articles in the Sport Marketing Quarterly and contributing twenty-two research presentations to the conference (with topics ranging from social sponsorships and social networking, to charitable and philanthropic-based analyses), Walker exceeded all prerequisites and deservingly earned his spot as a top scholar in the industry.
“To be recognized as one of the top-twenty scholars in the field is amazing, but it is also a testament to my co-author relationships and connections,” said Walker.
Established in 2013, SMA has honored only twenty-one research fellows in the sports industry, with UNT holding two of those spots. In 2018, Bob Heere, director of Sport Entertainment Management for the college, also earned the SMA Research Fellow distinction.
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HR students honored with selective scholarships
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This fall, Fort Worth HR (FWHR) awarded two of their three HR Excellence Scholarships to UNT business students.
Human Resource Management seniors, Michelle Grisham-Wallace (pictured left) and Ezra Poch (pictured right) were among those honored.
“Winning the scholarship provided recognition and a boost to keep working hard during my senior year,” explained Poch. “The amount of work, studying, leadership and community involvement I am in this year comes with a lot of stress and responsibilities—receiving scholarships give me a boost to keep grinding!”
FWHR selects its $1,000 scholarship recipients based on academic excellence, university and community activity participation, leadership qualities and a passion for human resources. A one-page essay, resume, transcript and two letters of recommendation are also considered in the rigorous selection process.
“Winning this scholarship means that my desire to change the face of human resources, and the sacrifices I have made to do so, are noticed and appreciated,” explained Grisham-Wallace.
Both Poch and Grisham-Wallace are also active members in UNT’s Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) chapter, serving as president and director of corporate relations, respectively.
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UNT joins Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities
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UNT has joined 20 of the nation's top research universities in the formation of the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU) to increase opportunity for those historically underserved by higher education. The universities represent every university that has been both categorized as R1 (very high research activity) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education.
The HSRU Alliance aims to achieve two key goals by 2030: Double the number of Hispanic doctoral students enrolled at Alliance universities and increase by 20% the Hispanic professoriate in Alliance universities.
READ MORE...
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Published by UNT North Texan, 2022
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Give a year-end gift to make a lasting impact
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Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, friends and UNT family, we were able to gift more than 250 business students over $590,000 in scholarship support. This meaningful support enables our students to focus more on their academic goals and less on their financial worries—giving them the confidence and ability to succeed.
Take a moment to watch the video above and see the impact that a scholarship donation, no matter the size, can make for a student in need.
Your gifts are not only appreciated—they are essential. Please help carry on this tradition of student support by clicking here.
Your generosity fills our classrooms, and our hearts, with Mean Green pride and immense appreciation.
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PHILANTHROPIC OPPORTUNITIES AT THE RYAN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
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THE WILSON JONES ENDOWMENT FOR RYAN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS CAREER SUPPORT SERVICES
Alumnus Wilson Jones (’85) and his wife, Jane, donated $5 million to the college earlier this year to create a new career center in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business. This generous gift will not only go towards the build out of a space that will serve to better prepare students for successful careers, but it will also fund the hiring of new staff and resources to support the college's growing student body. Working in conjunction with this gift, the Wilson Jones Endowment for Ryan College of Business Career Support Services will provide additional assistance to reach these goals and support services that promote career readiness.
G. BRINT RYAN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS DEAN'S EXCELLENCE FUND
The Dean’s Excellence Fund also provides immediate, essential support to our students. This fund serves as a vital resource to help our students and campus respond to opportunities and challenges as they occur. When you support the Dean’s Excellence Fund, you support the strategic vision of the college by allowing the Dean to have flexibility in directing the use of resources to the priorities of the college during this difficult time.
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G. BRINT RYAN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT FUND
Frank Dudowicz was an ardent supporter of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business. Before he passed away on May 1, 2022, one of his final requests was to have memorials be made to the Ryan College of Business Communications Support Fund, a testament to his ongoing efforts to be a positive force in the UNT community. Donations made to the Communications Support Fund aid Dudowicz’s most recent board efforts to increase brand awareness for the Ryan College of Business. Click here to honor Frank's memory with a gift. |
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PLP "25 IN A QUARTER" CAMPAIGN
UNT Professional Leadership Program (PLP) members, former members, and corporate partners and friends are invited to help develop the program's future leaders and their skills in servant leadership, stewardship, diversity and inclusion, ethical practice, problem solving, communications and teamwork.
As part of the inaugural "25 In a Quarter" Campaign, PLP will be setting out to raise $25,000 each fiscal quarter. To help kick off the campaign the PLP Board of Directors has pledged a generous “Leadership Gift” in the amount of $10,000. Now is your opportunity to support the PLP program and make an impact on the future of servant leadership. Click here to give today.
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