Congratulations, 2024 OWLIE Winners!
Congratulations, 2024 OWLIE Winners! A Decade of OWLIEs
By Allison Marshall
Students, faculty and staff at the Naveen Jindal School of Management gathered April 17 in the Davidson Auditorium for the 10th annual Outstanding Worthy Leaders Involved Exceptionally (OWLIE) awards ceremony.
Beginninng in 2015, the Dean’s Council has held this special awards ceremony to recognize members of the JSOM community for outstanding service on behalf of the Jindal School. Students, faculty, program directors and JSOM student organization advisors submitted their nominations, and finalists were called to the awards ceremony to learn whether they had won a coveted Owl trophy.
This year’s OWLIEs ceremony featured an opening act by Gannu, Neha, and Purnima, as well as special musical performances by Novis A Cappella and singer-guitarist Avaneesh. The two masters of ceremonies, Troy Murray, a marketing graduate student, and Kyro Abraham, an information technology and systems senior, called OWLIE award nominees to stand and then announced the winners to roaring applause. The ceremony concluded with a dance finale by the members of the JSOM Graduate Dean’s Council.
Decades of Service OWLIE Recipients
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the OWLIE Awards, the Dean’s Council added a new award category to recognize individuals who have dedicated numerous years of service to the Jindal School. These five Decades of Service award recipients have helped shape JSOM into the prestigious institution it is today.
Dr. Monica Powell, senior associate dean and graduate dean of the Jindal School, presented these five JSOM leaders with their own OWLIE trophies to honor their lasting commitment and service.
Sydney Smith Hicks, PhD & CEO
Dr. Sydney Smith Hicks is the former chair of the Jindal School’s Advisory Council, and she has been a member of the council for almost 30 years. She is also a lifetime member of the UT Dallas Executive Board.
Ron Nash, Former CEO & Chairman
Ron Nash, MS’79, is the founder and benefactor of the Nash Leaders Award and the chairman of the New Dimensions Campaign for UT Dallas.
Ray Hemmig, CEO & Chairman
Dr. Varghese Jacob, Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair and vice dean, has served the Jindal School for 27 years.
Varghese Jacob, PhD
Ray Hemmig is the chairman & CEO of the Retail & Restaurant Growth Capital Fund. He is a lifetime member of the UT Dallas Executive Board.
Diane McNulty, PhD
Dr. Diane McNulty has served the Jindal School for 37 years. She is the associate dean for External Relations, and the longest serving associate dean for the Jindal School. She was the original advocate for the purchase of Wise the Owl, the unofficial Jindal School mascot and the namesake for the OWLIE awards
2024 Winners:
Jindal Selfless Service
This award recognizes an undergraduate student, graduate student, or community leader in JSOM who has won hearts through their selfless acts of service to others and/or their community.
Carolyn Duke is a full-time MBA student who has organized multiple community service projects including a service day at Bonton Farms, a White Rock Lake clean-up, a clothing drive to support Dallas Life and a food drive for Minnie’s Food Pantry.
Jindal Student Mentor
This award goes to a student who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring, encouraging and promoting educational, professional, and personal development of other students.
Undergraduate: Sabrina Castillo is a full-time MBA student who has organized multiple community service projects including a service day at Bonton Farms, a White Rock Lake clean-up, a clothing drive to support Dallas Life and a food drive for Minnie’s Food Pantry.
Graduate: Diana Carneiro is a graduate marketing student. She serves as the current marketing student leadership council president.
JSOM Most Likely to be a C-Suite Executive
This award recognizes a student who demonstrates the qualities of a C-Suite Executive including the capacity to lead others and the strong commitment to their individual growth. This student should possess intense drive, powerful determination and an excellent entrepreneurial mindset.
Undergraduate: Katelyn Lobo is a finance senior. She was elected as a senator in student government and has served in various leadership roles including professional committee chair and vice president of membership for Alpha Kappa Psi and president and consulting director of 180 Degrees Consulting.
Graduate: Tamara Marshall is an innovation and entrepreneurship and MBA student. She is the founder and CEO of her own company as well as an active mentor to other students pursuing entrepreneurship at UT Dallas.
Jindal Ambassador
This award recognizes an individual in JSOM who exceeds expectations to support JSOM outside the school by being a spokesperson and representative for the school in the community and the corporate world.
Angela Granger, BS’15, is an undergraduate program specialist on staff at JSOM and an interdisciplinary studies graduate student at UT Dallas. Her consistent efforts to promote JSOM’s reputation with external stakeholders make her an incredible advocate for JSOM’s mission and values.
JSOM Amazing Alum
This award is presented to a JSOM alum who has distinguished herself or himself through excellence in supporting JSOM students.
Pranav Tyagi, MBA’98, is the founder of Tango Analytics. In the last 16 years, he has hired more than 75 students from UT Dallas.
Rolando Perez graduated with a bachelor’s in healthcare management in 2020 and a master’s in healthcare leadership and management in 2023. Since graduation, he has worked at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
Jindal Employer of the Year
This award goes to an employer that has posted positions in the Jindal School, hired students for both internships and final placement positions, and helped to support the professional development of students.
This year’s award went to Charles Schwab. Miranda Honnell, senior specialist for talent acquisition, accepted the award for the company.
JSOM Student of the Year
This award is presented to a student who contributes to the growth of the JSOM brand. This individual is a strong representative of the school in their academic, community, and/or corporate pursuits.
Undergraduate: Sapna Krishnan is a senior double major in information technology and systems and marketing. She is involved in the Professional Program in Marketing, the Professional Program in Information Technology and the Davidson Management Honors Program, and has served in leadership roles for Alpha Kappa Psi.
Graduate: Griffen Henderson is a Full-Time MBA Cohort student. He has participated in multiple case competitions at Raytheon and USC and serves as a student ambassador for the MBA program.
PhD: Hong Zhang is a Management Science PhD student with a concentration in Information Systems. She has made highly valuable research contributions in the form of three influential papers and is known for her teaching excellence and exceptional involvement in school activities.
Jindal Faculty of the Year
This award is presented to a JSOM faculty member for excellence in teaching, advising, mentoring, and/or supporting students.
Undergraduate: Jennifer Lee, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Organizations, Strategy, and International Management Area at JSOM. She goes out of her way to make class enjoyable and engaging for students. Students appreciate her efforts to connect with them personally.
Graduate: Ignacio Rios Uribe, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Operations Management Area. He demonstrates remarkable patience, kindness, and genuine care for his students as he consistently goes above and beyond requirements to ensure that each student grasps the subject matter.
PhD: Steven Xiao, PhD, is an associate professor in the Finance and Managerial Economics Area and the PhD area coordinator for finance. He has implemented meaningful changes to the programs that enhance the training of PhD students.
JSOM Outstanding Staff Member
This award recognizes an undergraduate student, graduate student, or community leader in JSOM who has won hearts through their selfless acts of service to others and/or their community.
Courtney Graves is the director of undergraduate student services. She acts on behalf of students by providing service, counseling and support including academic guidance and career advice.
John Fierst is the program director for the master’s in supply chain management and the master’s in management science. He was a crucial organizer for the Fall 2023 Academic Success Boot Camp.
Dean’s Council Super OWL
This award is presented to an active member of the Dean’s Council in the Jindal School providing leadership and support for all the activities of the council.
Undergraduate: Shreya Bariki is a business administration senior.
Undergraduate: Safa Ashraf is an Information Technology and Systems senior.
Graduate: Nick Maleska is a Full-Time MBA student.
JSOM Outstanding Student Organization Leader
This award recognizes a student leader of a registered JSOM organization who has demonstrated a high level of leadership ability through character, work ethic and involvement.
Undergraduate: Vanessa Gomez is an accounting senior. She boosted engagement for the Women in Technology and Business student organization by collaborating with other women-focused events, hosting a canned food drive and creating a Discord channel for officers and members.
Graduate: Josh Peacock is an accounting graduate student. He serves as president of the Institute of Internal Auditors Student Chapter (IIASC).
JSOM Student Organization of the Year
This award recognizes the JSOM student organization that has made a significant contribution to the school and student body through service, programs and activities.
Undergraduate: Alpha Kappa Psi is the premier professional business fraternity on campus. The organization seeks to give back to the community through mentorship, service and knowledge. It has 91 initiated members.
Graduate: Project Management Club promotes project management-related activities through networking, speaker events, workshops, mock exams and reviews for professional certifications such as PMP and ITIL.
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