There’s nothing like getting back together every year for laughs, drinks, news and a little friendly competition.
Four events made up the 2019 alumni weekend, and it was great to see representatives from every class since the Neeley Executive MBA program’s founding in 2002. Below is a quick recap in case you were unlucky enough to miss it.
November 17, 2019
There’s nothing like getting back together every year for laughs, drinks, news and a little friendly competition.
Four events made up the 2019 alumni weekend, and it was great to see representatives from every class since the Neeley Executive MBA program’s founding in 2002. Below is a quick recap in case you were unlucky enough to miss it.
THURSDAY
Afternoon Advisory Board Meeting and Networking Night at Reata Restaurant
The rain couldn’t dampen our spirits Thursday evening, as about 50 alumni met at Reata to catch up with familiar faces and meet new ones.
Jim Roach, Executive Director of the TCU Neeley Executive Education Center, provided a preview of the new alumni professional development programming scheduled to be offered in 2020 at the advisory board meeting and at the networking event. The new program offers one-hour Lunch & Learn events alumni can attend for free, as well as a series of highly experiential half-day workshops for a small fee. In addition, alumni will continue to receive a 30% discount off of any open enrollment programs offered by the Executive Education Center.
FRIDAY
18th Annual Golf Tournament
It seemed the British Open visited Grapevine this year, bringing that trademark Scottish weather – or at least that’s what Kevin Davis, Neeley EMBA Director of Recruiting & External Relations, told everyone to keep them from chickening out in the rain.
Twelve foursomes braved the weather, and the following Frogs have earned official bragging rights for the next 12 months:
- Closest to the Pin: Justin McMillan ‘13
- Longest Drive: Jason Hartley ‘13
- Gross: Matt Smilor ‘14, David Milhollon ’14, Jesus Faz ‘18
- Net 1st: Christopher Stone ‘21, Steven Gonzalez ‘21, Adam Niolet ‘21, Graham Clark ‘21
- Net 2nd: Suzanne Carter, Jonathan Munson ‘21, Matt Burns
- Net 3rd: Fernando Duran ‘20, Stephanie Kuntzman ‘20, Laura Kelly ‘20, Megan Winkel ‘20
Of course, the real winners were Jonathan Munson, director of corporate sales for Saddleback Leather Co., who said he got more corporate connections out of this tournament than any other recent sponsorship; and Ty Mallard, Saddleback superfan, who got to meet Jonathan and pick his brain.
Huge Thanks to Our Sponsors
- Cendera Bank, sponsoring their fourth year, thanks to Jeff Montgomery ‘13
- 1 Thing Better Foundation, sponsoring their sixth year, thanks to Michael Stanley ’08-May
- Saddleback Leather Co., sponsoring their first year, thanks to Jonathan Munson
- Montgomery Partners Inc., sponsoring their eighteenth year thanks to Bob Montgomery ‘02, who founded the tourney back in 2002 with Kent Backus ‘02, retired CEO of HarCon Aerospace
- Cloud Ingenuity, sponsoring their first year thanks to Ty Mallard ‘11
SATURDAY
10th Annual Alumni Tailgate
We hit record high attendance at the tailgate, seeing well over 100 students and alumni representing most classes, plus another 100 students and alumni from other Neeley MBA programs. The only thing better was watching TCU beat UT 37-27!
The Queen and King of the grill – Nika and Mike Carter ’02 – donated their culinary talents yet again to keep us all coming back for seconds.
Also, special thanks to Jeremy Spann ‘14 and The Spann Group, our generous beverage sponsor for the Tailgate.
A Huge Thanks to:
- Chuck Thackston ‘03, who traveled the farthest to be there all the way from Louisville, KY for the golf tournament
- Henry Chiarelli ‘04, board member, who traveled in from Nashville, TN
Kevin Davis sums it up:
“During the course of the weekend’s events, you’ll see someone from almost every class in the program’s history. It’s great to watch these same people at different stages of their careers reconnecting with each other and making new connections with current students. We wish we could do more of these events, but taking the time at least a couple of times a year makes the program that much stronger.”
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