Economics Advisory Committee
The Economics Advisory Committee (EAC) works in conjunction with the Department of Economics to support and strengthen its academic goals, while providing advice on how the Department can better serve its students, the University, and the State of Texas. EAC members serve a three-year term with possible renewal at the end of their term.
EAC CHAIR | CHRISTOPHER R. WAGNER
Rivington Holdings, LLC | Managing Partner
UT | BA 1993
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Christopher R. Wagner has 34 years’ experience in various energy-related banking, corporate finance, and advisory roles.
For the past 24 years Mr. Wagner served as the Managing Partner of Rivington Holdings, LLC, a firm he founded in 2002. Based in Houston, Texas, Rivington Holdings is an independent merchant and investment banking firm specializing in private capital transactions and corporate finance advisory services within the middle market upstream energy sector. Inception to date, the firm has closed > 100 capital and advisory transactions with an aggregate value exceeding $9 billion.
Prior to Rivington Holdings, Mr. Wagner was a founding partner and Chief Financial Officer of Shenandoah Energy Inc., a privately held energy company with upstream and midstream operations in the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. Shenandoah was sold in July 2001 to Questar Corp. for ~$420 million, yielding >100% IRR to the equity holders.
From 1992 to 1999, Chris was employed by ING Baring Furman Selz LLC (New York) in the Natural Resources Group. While at ING, Mr. Wagner originated and executed corporate finance and investment banking transactions within the small and mid-cap upstream energy space. Prior to ING Barings, Chris worked in the Petroleum & Minerals group of First City, Texas Bancorp in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Wagner served on the Board of Managers for Larchmont Resources, LLC, a private, institutionally backed independent producer with interests in > 2,500 producing wells located in seven states. Additionally, Mr. Wagner currently serves as the Chair for the Advisory Committee for the Department of Economics at The University of Texas at Austin and is a member of the Chancellor’s Council for The University of Texas System.
Mr. Wagner received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
EAC CHAIR | SCOTT VAN PELT
Dimensional Fund Advisors | Senior Trader and Vice President
UT | BA 2008
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Scott grew up in the Dallas, Texas suburbs and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Economics. While attending UT, Scott served as an undergraduate research assistant in the Economics Department and interned at an energy services company in Austin. Upon graduating UT in 2008, Scott joined the Equity Trading team at global asset management firm Dimensional Fund Advisors. In his time at Dimensional, Scott has worked in Austin, Texas and in Dimensional's European headquarters in London.
Now a Vice President and Senior Trader, Scott's role is to create efficient investment implementation strategies primarily in equity, FX and derivatives execution. Scott serves as a member of the Best Execution Committee and chairs the Trading Research group within Dimensional. He also regularly speaks to clients about trading and trading-related topics and is an expert on Transactions Cost Analysis. Scott has a BA in Economics from the University of Texas, an MS from London Business School in Finance and an MS in Statistics from Texas A&M University. He also holds the IMC from the CFA Society of the UK.
Scott lives in Austin with his wife Elizabeth and their two sons. When he is not changing diapers he plays hockey and enjoys reading, wine and cooking fish tacos.
EAC Members
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FELIX AKOMPI
Energie Row LLC | Managing Director & Senior Commodities Trader
UT | BA 1997
LinkedIn
Felix heads Global Supply & Trading operations for Energie Row (a boutique commodities trading firm). He operates primarily out of Houston & heads the Global Commodity trading desk - including serving as the client-lead & the lead commercial & trading interface. Prior to Energie Row, he spent over a decade with Royal Dutch Shell (Shell Oil Company-Houston, London, Den Haag...) in a Senior Management capacity. At Shell, he developed deep commercial deal-making skills in Global and regional leadership roles. He was a Global Commodity Manager (with responsibility for 100+ countries) and was the lead negotiator and deal-structurer on complex multi-billion dollar commercial deals. Felix has proven expertise in structuring and successfully negotiating complex high dollar-value commodity deals across countries - and in the emerging markets. In his final role at Shell, he was Head of the Commercial Buy Side Deal Team for the Americas region (both North & South America) with an annual deal portfolio of $2+ Billion. He is a US Military Veteran & is a proud Economics graduate from The University of Texas at Austin (Class of 1997).
HANS BRINDLEY
Prologis | Senior Vice President, Market Officer
UT | BA 1992
LinkedIn
Hans Brindley joined Prologis in October of 2019 as Market Officer of the Houston office. In this role, Hans oversees operations and strategic direction for Prologis’s 37 million square foot Houston portfolio.
Prior to joining Prologis, Brindley served as Market Leader of Liberty Property Trust’s 10.5 million square foot portfolio. In addition to overseeing the operations of the Houston office, Brindley also led the acquisitions and development efforts for the portfolio.
Prior to joining Liberty, Mr. Brindley was a leasing and marketing director Houston office of First Industrial Realty Trust, where he was responsible for managing all leasing and marketing efforts for the company’s 6.5 million square foot industrial portfolio.
Mr. Brindley serves on the Board of directors of the Houston Real Estate Council, and has served on the board of the Houston chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). He’s a member of the Greater Houston Partnership, the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), and the LaPorte Chamber of Commerce. Brindley received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas, in Austin. Brindley resides in Houston with his wife, Lauren. Together Hans & Lauren are busy raising sixteen-year-old triplet sons.
BARRETT BRUCE
SunTX Capital | General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
UT | BA 1994
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Barrett Bruce is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of SunTx Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas. Barrett manages legal support for all of the SunTx portfolio companies and is a member of each of the firm’s investment teams. Before joining SunTx, Barrett practiced law at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, where he focused on venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance. Barrett received his JD from Texas Tech University School of Law and his BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. Barrett was born and raised in Dallas, where he currently resides with his wife and four children. Barrett is also a member of the UT College of Fine Arts Advisory Council, and has been active as a prior member of the board of directors of Zachary Scott Theatre in Austin and the board of trustees of the Dallas Theater Center.
SCOTT COHEN
CD Wealth Management | Founder, Principal & CEO
UT | BA 1993
LinkedIn
Scott is the Founder, Principal and CEO of CD Wealth Management — a wealth management firm based in Dallas, Texas. Scott’s company specializes in financial consulting for individuals, not‐for‐profits and privately held companies, with an emphasis on asset management, estate planning and retirement planning.
Scott graduated in 1993 from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in economics and was a member of the Silver Spurs and Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT). While in college, Scott worked at Brown Distributing Co. as a College Sales Rep.
Before Scott started his own company in 2014, he worked at Allmerica Financial for a few years and then Waldman Bros for almost 19 years. Scott is a Certified Financial Planner™, Certified Fund Specialist, and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®.
Scott has been in the financial sector for over 28 years and is known throughout the industry as a confident and trusted wealth advisor, Scott holds a seat on Kestra Financial’s Advisor Council and has been named to Barron’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors list and the Forbes Best‐in‐State Wealth Advisors rankings.
Scott is a dedicated volunteer who believes in giving back to the community and helping others. For the past 15 years, Scott has served as chairman of the Maxine Irwin Waldman Golf Tournament – raising over $3M for under‐privileged children Scott serves on other non‐profit boards including being past chairman of the board of the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center and past vice‐chairman of the DaVinci school.
Scott loves spending time traveling with his wife Barbi and three daughters, Kacey, Ella and Olivia.
CLAY CONELEY
Lime Rock Resources | Managing Director
UT | BA 1990
LinkedIn
Clay joined the Lime Rock Resources team in 2022 as a Managing Director with a focus on investor relations and business development, including fundraising, investor reporting and communications, limited partner co-investing, public relations, and strategic marketing initiative efforts. Clay has over 20 years of investment banking and capital markets experience, including 15 years with energy sector focus at Jefferies and Company, Tudor Pickering Holt & Co, and U.S. Capital Advisors. Clay is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin (B.A. Economics) and South Texas College of Law in Houston (J.D.).
JIM CURRY
BuildGroup | Co-Founder
UT | BA 1994
LinkedIn
Jim is the Co-Founder of BuildGroup, a $370m SaaS growth equity firm based in Austin. Prior to BuildGroup, Jim was the SVP of Product and Strategy at Rackspace in San Antonio through its IPO in 2008. In 2010 he founded and launched OpenStack which has grown to become the leading open source cloud infrastructure project and one of the largest open source projects overall.
Jim is a 1994 graduate of UT Austin with a degree in Plan II and Economics. Immediately after UT he worked as an M&A banker for Goldman Sachs in New York and as an investment associate for SCF Partners in Houston.
Jim actively serves on a number of corporate and community boards. He is an active dad serving as coach, Scout leader, and overworked fishing guide. He lives in Austin with his wife of 23 years and their three children.
BARRY DAUBER
MosaicML | VP Sales & Business Development
UT | BA 2005
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Barry Dauber is currently the VP of Sales & Business Development at Mosaic ML. He has held similar roles at Primer AI, Cloudera, Topsy Labs (Apple), and Deloitte Consulting. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in Economics and Government.
VICTOR ELIZALDE
Viva Pictures Distribution, LLC.| Managing Partner
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As Managing Partner and founder of Viva Pictures Distribution, LLC., Viva Kids and Kidsflix LLC., Victor is responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations and production.
Between Viva Pictures Distribution and their subsidiaries 3 Doubles Producciones, Viva Kids & Kidsflix the combined groups distribute 10-15 new release animated films annually, are currently producing 2-3 original animated films annually and have direct business relationships providing premiere content for the World’s top entertainment platforms including Hulu, Amazon Kids+, Freevee, HBO, Roku, Tubi, Directv, TCL, Samsung & LG TV to name a few.
Prior to joining the Viva Pictures, Elizalde was Director of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s International Business Development. Elizalde has held a number of positions in entertainment and consumer products for some of the top entertainment and consumer product companies in the world including The Walt Disney Co, Warner Bros. and Technicolor.
A native of the Chicago, Elizalde earned a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Michigan and a Bachelors Degree from the University of Colorado.
RICHARD EMERY II
Arum Capital Connect | Managing Director
UT | BA 1990
LinkedIn
Richard has been involved in leading and managing organizations for over 30 years. He has served in sales and senior executive roles with leading business aircraft manufacturers and completion and MRO businesses as well as aviation service providers. While his primary focus has been aviation related, Richard has also served as the CEO of OSS, worked with placement firm Maven Capital Partners, was a partner with consulting firm Catapult Partners, and founded a boutique insurance firm, Artemis Partners.
He has served on the Board of Directors of Skandia Corporation, the advisory board of Rise and the advisory board of SmartTray International.
Richard has a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. He is involved with fund raising for Jesuit College Prep School of Dallas and is a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, which operates the AT&T Byron Nelson PGA tournament and the Momentous Institute, a non-profit school and counseling center for high-risk, low-income children and families. Richard serves on the board of the Momentus Institute.
BRANDON FREEMAN
Freeman Group | CEO
UT | BA 1995
LinkedIn
Brandon is the CEO of Freeman Group - a private investment firm based in Dallas, Texas. During his career, Brandon has been involved in the early formation and management of several companies and participated in a number of buyouts and restructurings, including the acquisition and turnaround of technology, energy, and real estate assets. He was a co-founder and the Chairman of LayerOne, DataBank and Cypress Industries and a founder and board member of Rusk Energy. Brandon is currently the Chairman of Pixia and DirectStream. Prior to starting Freeman Group, Brandon was a venture lawyer at the Austin, Texas office of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati.
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CHARLES GALE
Cardinal Investment Company | President
UT | BA 1994
Charlie is the President of Cardinal Investment Company which serves as the family office of the late Edward W. (Rusty) Rose, III and Evelyn P. (Deedie Rose). Prior to joining Cardinal in 2010, he was a partner at Krage & Janvey, LLP where he practiced commercial litigation with an emphasis in securities litigation and receiverships. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin (1994) and a Juris Doctorate from the Oklahoma City University School of Law (1998). He lives in Dallas with his wife Kerri and three sons, Bauer, Gray, and Charlie, Jr.
STEPHANIE GOODMAN
UT | BA 1995
Stephanie Goodman graduated from UT with a BA in Economics in 1995 and returned to Austin with her husband and three children in 2011. Upon graduation, she worked in the energy markets and pipeline business with Koch Energy in Houston, until her family relocated to London. In Austin, Stephanie has been involved with the Blanton Museum and served on the board from 2016-2020 and has been the co-chair of the Blanton Art Club for many years. She is also on the Advisory Council for the College of Fine Arts at UT and on their Executive Committee. Stephanie has served as a mentor for the Helping Hand Home and Settlement Home since 2016. She and her family are strong supporters of Pease Park Conservancy and the Austin youth sports community. Outside of Austin, Stephanie sits on the Dean’s Parent Council at the University of Chicago.
PAUL GRUENWALD
S&P Global Ratings | Managing Director
UT | BA 1983
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Dr. Paul Gruenwald is the Chief Economist at S&P Global Ratings, leading the economic forecasting and research effort and serving as the primary spokesperson on macro-economic matters for the company.
Before joining S&P Global, Paul spent five years ANZ bank as the Asia-Pacific Chief Economist, where he was responsible for helping set and direct the economic research agenda as well as building the bank’s profile in the region.
Prior to that, Paul worked at the International Monetary Fund for nearly 16 years where he led the team producing their Asia-Pacific regional outlook, represented the Fund in Hong Kong SAR and Korea, was the Deputy Chief of the China division, and worked extensively on sovereign debt restructurings.
Paul has a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University in New York and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Texas.
STEVE HOUSTON
iCapital Network | Managing Director
UT | BA 1989
LinkedIn
Steve was born and raised in Houston. After graduating with an Economics degree from UT, Steve moved to New York to work in the financial services industry. While living there he also earned his MBA in Finance from Columbia University.
For several years, Steve work with Bankers Trust Company in their innovative financial derivatives division. During this period, he lived in Hong Kong for five years, expanding the firm's business footprint in Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. Most importantly, it was there that he met his wife, Mimi.
Steve joined Merrill Lynch in 1999 where he worked for 10 years. Leading the firm's Alternative Investments and Structured Investment businesses, he returned to Asia, this time to Japan, where he lived for three years.
In 2009, Barclays Bank recruited Steve to head their Americas Wealth Management business. During his six years with the firm he was named to the Board of Directors of Barclays Capital, Inc. Steve is now a partner with the start-up funds management firm, m+ funds.
Steve and his wife live in Connecticut and have three children; Marley (sophomore at UT, Austin), Sadie and Miles. He has been active on his children's school boards and committees and is also currently the Chair of UT's Economics Advisory Committee. He is also a member of UT's Liberal Arts Advisory Committee. Steve is a passionate music supporter and currently sits on the Board of National Sawdust, the Brooklyn performing arts center.
ERICA HUERTA
Walt Disney Corporation | Data Science Manager
UT | BA 2019
LinkedIn
Erica Huerta is an accomplished and results-driven Pricing, Competitive Intelligence, and Data Science Executive with broad-based expertise in building and leading effective strategies in consumer value optimization. She has a successful career in developing and implementing customer centric strategies for companies such as Amazon, Whole Foods Market, Good Food Holdings, The Home Depot, and Expedia. Erica is currently the Sr. Director of Merchandising Analytics & Consumer Insights for Good Food Holdings overseeing Consumer Insights, Competitive Intelligence, Price Optimization, Promotion Optimization, Assortment Mix Optimization, and Category Management decision sciences. Erica holds a BA in Economics at the University of Texas at Austin.
SERGIO V. LEAL
Ericsson | Head of Compliance (M&A, N&S America)
UT | BA 2003
LinkedIn
Sergio V. Leal is an international anticorruption and white-collar attorney based in Houston, Texas. As a member of Ericsson’s Legal & Compliance team, Sergio is Head of Compliance for the Americas and global M&A activity. In 2019, Ericsson paid a $1 billion settlement for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and is currently under a 3-year monitorship period. Previously, Sergio was the Chief Compliance Officer of Layne Christensen Company—where he led the company to a successful FCPA settlement resolution, and after that he worked at Bilfinger as a member of the Global Compliance Leadership Team, helping the company resolve its extended FCPA Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the US DOJ. Before his anticorruption practice, Sergio was a commercial litigator, beginning his legal career with the international law firm of Baker Botts LLP.
Sergio graduated from Columbia Law School and obtained a B.A. in economics from UT (with honors) in ’03.
TAYLOR LEE
Caliche Development Partners | Director of Finance & Strategy
UT | BA 2017
LinkedIn
Taylor is Director of Finance and Strategy for a private equity-backed subsurface hydrocarbon and industrial gas storage company where he focuses on evaluating acquisition and business development opportunities. Taylor previously worked at HSBC in the Global Banking group, where he was involved in cross-border M&A transactions. Prior to HSBC, he worked in the U.S. Corporate and Investment Banking group at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, where he focused on corporate finance advisory. Taylor received his BA in Economics with High Honors and Departmental Honors from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was actively involved in Omicron Delta Epsilon and the Texas Bass Fishing Team and currently serves on the Economic Advisory Committee.
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SUZY MONFORD
Food Sport International & Focal Systems | CEO/Founder and Chief Strategy & Marketplace Officer
UT | BA 1985
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Suzy Monford is CEO/Founder of Food Sport International and the Chief Strategy and Marketplace Officer for Focal Systems. She is the former CEO of PCC Community Markets in Seattle, a role she was recruited to from the Kroger Corporation, where she served in three senior executive roles: Group Vice President of eCommerce, Group Vice President of Fresh, and president of QFC Grocery. In her executive roles, Suzy created and implemented go-to-market strategies for new ecommerce markets across the U. S., led branding and marketing for all fresh departments as well as product development, digital merchandising and innovation growth strategies. Prior to joining Kroger, Suzy held CEO roles for Andronico’s Community Markets, the San Francisco Bay Area chain that was sold to Albertsons in 2017, and FitBank.Works, the fitness platform she created and launched in 2015. She is passionate about creating healthy communities.
Suzy serves on the Board of N.E. Grocers Inc. and as an advisor to the leading tech-focused innovation companies Infarm and Q-Hop. She has held Board positions with FMI, Seattle Food Lifeline, the Beecher’s Foundation/Sound Food Uprising, the California Grocer Association, YMCA of Greater San Antonio, and the San Antonio Mayor's Fitness Council. Industry achievements and recognition include: 2019 “Top Woman in Grocery”, 2016 “Top Woman in Retail Tech”/RIS, 2016 “Top Woman in Grocery” and 2015 “Top 25 Technological Disruptors” by Super Market News.
Suzy holds a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin, is a Certified Holistic Health Coach under the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and is an internationally certified group exercise instructor.
SEAN O’NEILL
Old Ironsides Energy| Co-Founder & Managing Partner
UT | BA 1998
LinkedIn
Mr. O’Neill is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Old Ironsides Energy, a Boston-based energy investment firm. Prior to forming Old Ironsides Energy in 2013, Mr. O’Neill spent nine years with Liberty Energy Holdings, including as a Senior Managing Director. He was responsible for sourcing, structuring, and managing the firm’s private equity and oil and gas working interest portfolios. From 2000 to 2004, Mr. O’Neill served as a Senior Associate in the Natural Resources group at Bank of America and its predecessor, FleetBoston Financial. Mr. O’Neill began his career in 1998 with Dynegy Marketing and Trade.
Mr. O’Neill is a member of the Investment Committee of Old Ironsides Energy and currently serves on the Board of Directors of several Old Ironsides Energy portfolio companies. Mr. O’Neill also serves on the Board of Directors of the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Board of Overseers of Boston Children’s Hospital.
Mr. O’Neill received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College.
AMAR PATEL
Connectria | President & CEO
UT | BA 2007
LinkedIn
Amar is a Technology CEO and Board Member with a long history of rapidly growing companies from mid-size to multi-billion-dollar market leaders. Amar got his professional career going as a Bank Examiner with the FDIC, which was a Cooperative offered through UT’s School of Liberal Arts. Upon graduation, Amar started his career in the Austin area working for Dell as a sales professional. He then continued his sales and leadership track at Rackspace, where he spent almost a decade running large-scale sales organizations. He has spent the past 20 years in IT, IT Services, and most recently as a CEO at a technology services firm helping organizations run and optimize their cloud Infrastructure. His recent work has been associated with scaling and growing P/E backed technology companies - focusing on value creation, go to market acceleration, operational excellence, and organizational design. Outside of work, Amar spends his free time with his wife, his son, his daughter, and two dogs in the Dallas area. Amar has a passion for sports and is an avid follower of all Longhorn athletics. Hook ‘em.
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JW SIKORA
Cibolo Energy Partners | Managing Partner
UT | BA 2003
LinkedIn
Mr. Sikora most recently served as a Principal with The Carlyle Group in the Energy Mezzanine Opportunities Group from 2013 through 2016. Based in Houston, Mr. Sikora’s responsibilities consisted of business development and origination of debt and equity investment opportunities in the upstream and midstream sectors, investment structuring, valuation, execution of legal documentation, due diligence, and ongoing portfolio management. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Sikora spent five and a half years as an Assistant Vice President with TCW/EIG Global Energy Partners in their Houston office. As a member of the EIG investment team, Mr. Sikora focused on mezzanine debt and equity investments made across the energy value chain in the upstream, midstream, mining, and power sectors. During his tenure at TCW/EIG, Mr. Sikora was involved in 17 financings totaling over $4.5 billion. His responsibilities included valuation, investment structuring, due diligence, and portfolio management. Prior to TCW/EIG, he was a Senior Analyst for NGPC Capital Resources and worked as a member of their investment team focused on mezzanine facilities provided to the energy industry. Mr. Sikora holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
KENLEY STEEG
Alta Resources, LLC | CFO
UT | BA 1998, MBA 2003
LinkedIn
Kenley Steeg is the CFO of Alta Resources, LLC, an upstream oil and gas company focused on the acquisition and development of resource plays in North America. Prior to joining Alta in 2012, Kenley was an investment banker for 6 years at Jefferies and Citigroup where he covered exploration and production clients.
Kenley graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Economics in 1998. He then returned to the University of Texas for his M.B.A. in 2001, and graduated from the McCombs School of Business in 2003.
STEPHEN STOUT
Proton Partners | Founder & Managing Partner
UT | BA 1998
Stephen Stout is the Founder and Managing Partner of Proton Partners, which invests in, partners with, and provides specialized strategy and strategic advisory services to Financial Technology and Commerce Technology companies around the world. Proton has offices in New York and London and is a shareholder in companies across Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
Prior to his investment banking career, he covered the Payments industry as an equity research analyst for eight years at J.P. Morgan and UBS, where he helped build the #1-ranked research team in the Institutional Investor and Greenwich Polls. Stephen began his career as an economic analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where he began studying the payments system in the U.S. and alternative payment technologies globally.
Stephen is based in Austin and New York City and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of New York Stage & Film and has served on the boards of LAByrinth Theater, Lobo Theater and America SCORES New York. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin, graduated from Groton School and is married to Kiki Lambden-Stout, an award-winning Film Director, founder of Mudcat Films and Board Member of the Chelsea Film Festival and the Austin Film Society.
RAGEN STIENKE
Ballast Asset Management | CEO
UT | BA 1997
LinkedIn
Ragen Stienke has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, spanning from early-stage investing in start-ups to public equities. Before starting Ballast Asset Management, Ragen was the Senior Portfolio Manager of the SMid and SMid Plus products at Westwood Management, an investment firm with over $20bn in assets under management. Ragen joined Westwood in 2004, and was responsible for managing and growing the SMid product from its infancy to over $3bn. Upon closing the SMid product, Ragen launched a sister portfolio in SMid Plus where he raised nearly $1bn in assets. During his management of SMid, the portfolio ranked in the top 5% against its respective peer group. Ragen was also a member of the Portfolio Risk Committee and the Business Management Committee at Westwood.
Ragen graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Economics. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he worked at the IC2 Institute, a research unit of the University of Texas focused on fostering constructive forms of capitalism that accelerate economic development. Upon graduation, Ragen joined Arthur Andersen in the Business Valuation Group. In 2000, he accepted a position with UBS Investment Bank's research group in New York. While at UBS, he spent three years as a research analyst focused on the software industry. In 2003, Ragen was promoted to Associate Director, where he served on the U.S. Equity Strategy team. Ragen received his CFA charter in 2003.
PAUL WILLIAMS
ARM Midstream | President
UT | BA 2005
LinkedIn
Paul joined ARM Energy in 2012 and currently serves as President of ARM Midstream, leading all midstream business development and operations efforts. Over the past ten years, Paul has been instrumental in the ARM Midstream growth trajectory, developing and commercializing multiple joint ventures including, Salt Creek Midstream, LLC where he served as Chief Commercial Officer, Kingfisher Midstream, LLC where he served as VP of Business Development, and US Infrastructure where he served as VP of Finance. Prior to joining ARM Energy, Paul was with CenterPoint Energy, serving in a variety of positions relating to financial analysis and gas marketing. He holds an MBA from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
TODD C. BENSON
Law Firm of Savrick, Schumann, Johnson, McGarr, Kaminski & Shirley LLP | Of Counsel
UT | BA 1988
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Todd Benson is currently Of Counsel at The Law Firm of Savrick, Schumann, Johnson, McGarr, Kaminski & Shirley LLP in Austin, Texas and serves as General Counsel to the international transportation and logistics firm Sunline Global, Inc. Todd has twenty plus years of senior level business and legal experience. Using his background in business and law, Todd has a passion for developing corporate vision and strategy for emerging market businesses integrating the latest in technology, business, regulatory & legal processes.
JOHN BOATWRIGHT
ENGIE North America Inc. | VP & Assistant General Counsel
UT | BA 1989
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John Boatwright (B.A., Economics – 1989) is Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for ENGIE North America Inc. He is responsible for all legal matters related to ENA’s “Energy Solutions” business line, which is devoted to bringing comprehensive low carbon energy solutions to cities, universities, and large campuses. He received his law degree from The University of Houston Law Center in 1998. He and his wife Annette (B.F.A. Photography – 1990) have three daughters, all of whom are Longhorns – Sarah (B.A., Plan II and Sustainability Studies - 2020), Genevieve (B.A., Studio Arts – 2022), and Frances (B.A., Plan II and Advertising – 2024).
STEVE BRINK
AIRINC | Chief Executive Officer
UT | BA 1983
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Steve drives AIRINC to address the ever-changing challenges of workforce globalization for global organizations. During his 10 year leadership of the company, he has led a significant transformation of AIRINC which includes: expanded global footprint, released innovative solutions, increased the customer base including new verticals and enhanced the reputation of AIRINC to be the premium provider of information, advice, and technology in global talent mobility. He is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Prior to joining AIRINC, Steve was the Global Leader and Worldwide Partner at Mercer responsible for its Information and Software businesses. As part of his global leadership role, he was based in Geneva, Switzerland, and has significant work experience in all regions of the globe. He is a frequent speaker on international HR issues and trends. Prior to his fourteen years at Mercer, he served as an Operations Manager at Towers Perrin, with a focus on HR software tools and global job evaluation systems.
Steve has been teaching the Quantitative Analysis course at the WorldatWork organization since 1990. In addition, he was co-creator and current lead instructor for the course on Business Acumen for HR professional. Steve has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. in Economics from the University of North Texas.
LISA CLAWSON
Amegy Bank | SVP/Private Banking
UT | BA 1993
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Lisa Clawson, a native Texan with 23 years of experience in financial services, joined Amegy Bank in 2016 as a Senior Vice President in Premier Wealth Management. While Clawson's role involves several functions, her favorite is meeting with clients to develop customized solutions so that every individual can meet their financial goals. Her career has always been client focused with a goal of excellent customer service.
Lisa is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Her charity involvement is extensive and includes: The University of Texas at Austin Economics Advisory Committee, Texas Council on Economic Education Board Member, United Way Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, March of Dimes: March for Babies and Signature Chefs, Go Red for Women, Gabby's Sanctuary Ark, homeowners' association treasurer, and volunteer for The City of Corinth.
Lisa lives in Corinth with her husband, Scott, and their daughter, Caroline. She loves to read and spend time with Caroline, who was an accomplished ballerina but has now found her passion playing team sports.
SUSAN POHL
Director of Acquisitions | Barvin
UT | BA 1983
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Susan has over 25 years of experience in the multi-family industry. She's acquired over 30,000 units, covering all aspects of the transaction. Prior to joining Barvin, Susan was Vice President, Acquisitions for Resource Real Estate covering the western U.S. and acquiring just over $1B in assets in less than 5 years in Texas, California, Arizona, and Oregon. She spent 9 years with KC Venture Group acquiring 21 assets in Texas. Susan has worked in both the acquisitions and development side of the business with The Morgan Group, Flagship Properties, Guardian Savings, and Lan Bentsen Interests underwriting and acquiring property coast to coast.
Susan holds a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and currently serves on the department's Economic Advisory Council. She is the 2011 past president of CREW Houston and is an active member of NMHC. She holds a broker's license in the state of Texas.
JIM YODER
Velocis | Co-Founder & Partner
UT | BA 1986
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Jim Yoder, Co-Founder & Partner at Velocis, has more than 35 years of commercial real estate experience in investing, leasing, asset management, acquisition, disposition, due diligence, and market intelligence. At Velocis, Yoder serves on the Investment Committee and is responsible for asset operations and acquisition sourcing.
Prior to Velocis, Yoder was a Managing Director at JLL, where he led the Dallas office for JLL. Prior to JLL, Yoder was a Principal at Trammell Crow Company, directing both the Corporate Advisory Services Division and the Office Buildings Group. Earlier in his career, Yoder worked in asset management work for Tower Realty Management Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.
Yoder lives in Dallas with his wife, Ana, and has four adult children. He is active in multiple charitable organizations including the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. Yoder received his BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986.
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JIM YODER
Velocis | Co-Founder & Partner
UT | BA 1986
Jim Yoder, Co-Founder & Partner at Velocis, has more than 35 years of commercial real estate experience in investing, leasing, asset management, acquisition, disposition, due diligence, and market intelligence. At Velocis, Yoder serves on the Investment Committee and is responsible for asset operations and acquisition sourcing.
Prior to Velocis, Yoder was a Managing Director at JLL, where he led the Dallas office for JLL. Prior to JLL, Yoder was a Principal at Trammell Crow Company, directing both the Corporate Advisory Services Division and the Office Buildings Group. Earlier in his career, Yoder worked in asset management work for Tower Realty Management Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.
Yoder lives in Dallas with his wife, Ana, and has four adult children. He is active in multiple charitable organizations including the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. Yoder received his BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986.
