President
Stacie Hyatt, MBA WG’00
Stacie Hyatt is a general management, marketing and operations professional in
the global medical technology sector. She has worked for industry giants such as
Medtronic and St. Jude Medical, but in the past years finds her passions
directed towards working in the early-stage/start-up environments from angel
investing to management. Her geographical experience extends worldwide and
includes several years based in Europe. Stacie earned a bioengineering degree
from Texas A&M followed by her MBA from The Wharton School with a triple focus
in health care management, marketing and operations. She serves her follow MBAs
and community through current Board positions with the Dallas Business Club and
The Salvation Army, as well as serving her fourth term in leadership with the
Wharton Alumni Club of DFW including two terms as VP, Programs and one
previously as President. staciehyatt@yahoo.com.
Treasurer
Bruce Aranoff, MBA W’78
Since joining the Wharton Club in the mid 1980s, Bruce has been involved in
every facet of the club. In 2000, Bruce became president and was instrumental in
creating the club’s website and Advisory Board. Most recently, Bruce has been
the club’s treasurer. After graduating from Wharton with a B.S. in Economics,
Bruce received an MBA with a concentration in Finance from the University of
Texas at Austin. Bruce has been active in the commercial real estate finance
industry. Currently, Bruce is president of Aranoff Interests, a Dallas based
commercial real estate capital and consulting company. Bruce resides in North
Dallas with his wife Sharon and son Max and can be contacted at biaranoff@yahoo.com.
Co-Vice President, Programs
Evan Shelan WF’01
Evan Shelan, founded eZforex.com, Inc. in 1991. He graduated from University of
Texas in Austin with a BA in Economics in 1973. In 2001, he was named a Wharton
Fellow as part of the Wharton Fellows Masters Program at the Wharton School of
the University of Pennsylvania. As a Wharton Fellow, he attended quarterly
Master Classes around the globe to explore the latest innovations,
transformations and future business models prior to exploding into the market.
The cutting edge program combined research-based knowledge and hands-on learning
while developing new ebusiness models and set new, secure directions for their
organizations utilizing the Internet. Today, eZforex.com is the foreign exchange
company of choice for tens of thousands of individuals travelling overseas for
business or leisure. The model is serving Business-to-Consumer environment, a
Business-to-Business affiliate network with over 3,000 credit unions and 2,500
banks, including the entire FSCC Shared Branching Network of Credit Unions. In
addition, eZforex.com is the official foreign exchange site for Continental
Airlines, United Airlines, Rail Europe, Abercrombie Kent, and Qantas Airlines &
Vacations. Evan is married to Debbie who is VP of Operations with ezforex.com
and both reside in Longview TX. They have two daughters Stephanie, an art
therapist, and Erin, a Licensed Master Social Worker and two grandchildren.
Co-Vice President, Programs
Neenu Sohi, MBA WE’08
Neenu Sohi has extensive experience in the field of product management and
operations in the communications and software sector. Neenu brings in over 10
years of experience in developing and driving strategies to strengthen product
portfolio, product operations and customer experience via improvement in
business processes and systems in startup, mid-cap and Fortune 50 environments.
In Neenu’s last role as an Executive Director of Product Development at Comcast,
she was responsible for managing the deployment of products across the national
footprint for a $800M business unit. Prior to that, Neenu held various roles in
the field of product management at Vonage and Verizon. She holds a BS and MS in
Computer Science from Arizona State University and an Executive MBA from
Wharton. Neenu has been in the Dallas area for over 12 years. She has spent the
last 4 years commuting to the East Coast but the great weather and lifestyle has
always made Dallas the perfect home. While not working, Neenu spends time with
her top two priorities: her husband and daughter.
Chairman, The Annual Wharton Gala – An Evening to Remember
Gretchen Weber, MBA WG’98
See bio below under Vice President, Communication and Sponsorship.
Vice President, Communication and Sponsorship
Gretchen Weber, MBA WG’98
Gretchen Weber, currently a Senior Industry Consultant for Teradata Corporation,
has worked for and with major airlines, car rental companies, global travel
distribution and travel management companies over the past 20 years. After
graduating from Wharton in 1992, Gretchen joined American Airlines first in
route planning and yield management then she moved to loyalty programs and
promotions. Following AA, Gretchen joined Sabre, another AMR division at that
time. During her 12-year tenure there, she led product development teams,
developed product marketing strategies, created new revenue streams within
existing business structures, guided global partnerships with the likes of
companies such as American Express, and led the organization through an
off-shoring of customer support and restructuring to be support bottom line
value. After Sabre, Gretchen moved to several start-up and post start-up
companies both within and outside of the travel space. This experience provided
a deeper skill set in ways to be more nimble, faster to market and creative in
the ever-changing travel space. Gretchen has a Bachelor degree in both Computer
Science and Mathematics from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina and her
MBA in Marketing and Finance from The Wharton School, University of
Pennsylvania.
Vice President, Membership
Johnny Walker, MBA WG’75
Mr. Walker is currently CEO of the Healthcare Information Technology (HIT)
consulting firm JDW Consulting Group. Previously he served as founder and CEO of
the Patient Safety Institute (PSI). Prior to PSI, Mr. Walker served as VP M&A
and Strategic Initiatives for the public HIT consulting firm First Consulting
Group (FCG). Prior to FCG he held CEO and Vice President positions in healthcare
consulting and before that real estate. Mr. Walker is a Certified Public
Accountant, serves on the Adjunct Faculty of Business at LeTourneau University
and previously worked at a Big 5 accounting firm. He is an author of a myriad of
healthcare articles and speaks nationally at healthcare seminars on patient
safety, interoperability and Healthcare Information Exchanges. Mr. Walker
received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University and his
M.B.A. in finance/accounting from The Wharton School, The University of
Pennsylvania.
Director, Recent Graduate Integration
Gordon Raney, MBA WG’09
Gordon Raney is currently a financial analyst for the RM Crowe Company,
where he is involved in the acquisition and management of office and hotel
properties within the Company’s portfolio. Prior to this role, Gordon worked
as a CPA from 2002 through 2007 in the Dallas office of
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). During his tenure with PwC, Gordon worked in
the financial services audit practice and then spent 3 years in the firm’s
Transaction Services Group. Gordon received his B.S. (Magna Cum Laude) in
Finance and Accounting from Tulane University in 2002 and his M.B.A (with
Honors) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2009.
Gordon is responsible for new member integration for the Wharton Alumni Club
of DFW. He currently resides in Dallas with his wife Jennifer and two
Labradors Lacey and Molly. Gordon can be reached by email at
graney@rmcrowe.com.
Board of Directors
Linda Bechtold W’91
Linda held numerous Organizational and Leadership Development positions in the
Financial Services industry and spent several years as a leader in the
Search/Staffing industry prior to joining FranklinCovey. Over the past 4 years,
Linda has been a top sales executive in the Organizational Training and
Consulting division of FranklinCovey, a global provider of training and
consulting services in the areas of leadership, productivity, strategy
execution, customer loyalty, trust, sales performance, government, education and
individual effectiveness. Her goal is to enable greatness in people and
organizations through individual, team and organizational effectiveness
programs. She is primarily responsible for serving FranklinCovey’s customers in
DFW and Oklahoma, but also manages several national and global accounts. Linda
graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School. She is a former Officer and
current Board Member with the Wharton Alumni Club of Dallas/Ft. Worth. Her spare
time is mostly spent enjoying her two sons, John and Steven, who are both active
high school students. (linda.bechtold@franklincovey.com; 214-952-5322)
Doug Black, MBA WG’89
With a passion for innovation, Doug is a senior executive who brings new ideas
to life. He leads new initiatives from concept to completion. Applying his
strong background in product development, program management and finance, Doug
has successfully led strategic initiatives across a range of firms in the
financial services, software and technology industries. Satisfied clients have
included Citigroup, Bank of America, BellSouth, Nortel Networks, Fujitsu and
Motorola. Doug earned an MBA from The Wharton School, a Master of Management
from University of Dallas and a Bachelor of Arts from University of Miami .
Originally from Miami , Doug and his family now call DFW their home.
Erica Bramer, MBA WG’00
Erica Bramer is a Director with the consulting firm AlixPartners LLP, where she
is involved in valuation, bankruptcy and expert witness engagements. Erica has
enjoyed being involved with the Wharton Club of DFW for nearly 10 years, having
previously served in officer roles and on the Board of Directors, and looks
forward to serving the club further in the future. Erica also keeps busy with an
amazing husband and two little “princesses” at home (as well as their little
brother who is expected to arrive in September).
Jose Briones, MBA, PhD WE’97
Dr. Jose A. Briones is the Director of Operations of SpyroTek Performance
Materials and Solutions, a diversified supplier of specialty materials, BPM
software and innovation consulting services. Dr. Briones also holds managerial
and board positions in several companies, including: CSI Incorporated, a
manufacturer of rubber and industrial fabric assemblies; Smarty-Ears LLC, a
developer of iPhone software for Speech Therapy applications; and Melenaus
Corp., a supplier of hypoallergenic Natural Rubber. Dr. Briones is also an Advisory Council Member of the Chemical
Development Marketing Association. Dr. Briones has a Ph.D. in Chemical
Engineering from Clemson University and is a graduate from the Business
Administration Program from Wharton Business School. Dr. Briones has 18 years of
commercial and technical experience in the manufacturing industry, holding
multiple positions in the areas of marketing, innovation, sales, engineering and
research with Fortune 300 companies such as Celanese, Elf Atochem, Air Products
and Reichhold. Dr. Briones has been the commercial or technical leader in the
launch and commercialization of over 35 new products for a variety of
applications and end use segments. Dr. Briones is also named as inventor in 5
different patents.
Cliff Edwards, MBA WG’90
Cliff Edwards is the CEO and majority shareholder of Thomas, Edwards Group.
Prior to starting Thomas, Edwards Group, Cliff held various roles in banking,
accounting and management consulting. He was a Manager in Coopers & Lybrand's
national banking and real estate consulting groups. Before that, he was a
commercial real estate lender at a regional savings bank, an accounting manager
for a financial institution and a staff auditor in public accounting. He earned
a BBA in Accounting at the University of Oklahoma. He also holds an MBA in
Finance from the Wharton School of Business. Cliff passed the CPA exam in 1985
but is no longer licensed to practice. Cliff is a member of the AICPA, CEO
Netweavers (Netweaver Partner) and Financial Executives Institute (FEI). Under
Cliff’s vision and leadership, TEG has won "Best Places to Work" awards several
times and is regularly included on the Dallas Business Journal's Book of Lists.
The company has been in business since 1997.
Bruce Frey, MBA WG’73
R. Bruce Frey was raised in New York but has enjoyed the last 35 years in
Dallas, Texas. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Queens College, City University
of New York (Major; Physics; Minor: Economics). Bruce graduated from Wharton in
1973 with an MBA in Finance and spent the first third of his career in Industry
on the finance staffs of Ford Motor Company and The LTV Corporation prior to
making a strategic move from industry to financial services where he spent the
next 26 years in Corporate & Commercial Banking in Dallas. In 1984, Bruce
developed the concept of establishing a corporate real estate finance / secured
private placement capability in Dallas and worked for The Lomas & Nettleton
Company, followed by RepublicBank and later First RepublicBank prior to becoming
a Japanese Banker as Deputy Chief Rep. of The Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan (LTCB).
He built a corporate banking team that helped grow the Dallas office from $400mm
to $2 billion in assets over the next 10 years. Bruce then moved to Compass Bank
prior to his current position with Frost Bank today as an SVP – Relationship
Manager in the bank’s Commercial Banking Dept providing relationship banking to
middle market companies and high net worth individuals. During the last 5 years,
Bruce has also been an active member of the Wharton DFW Alumni Club in a number
of ways including, helping arrange speakers for Club events and providing Frost
Bank sponsorship to fly down Wharton Faculty to Club events.
George Kelly W’59
This is the year of the 50's I graduated Wharton in 1959 and had my 50th reunion
last year. This year we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. I have had a
variety of employment over the past fifty years starting first with Investment
Banking, moving on to Airline management to AT&T and the Bell systems in various
assignments, in top management support, rate cases and key contacts with elected
officials. In December 1991 on my 61st birthday I was downsized by the now AT&T and since
that time have been self employed doing tax and financial consulting. My wife
Violeta and myself we have three children and five grandchildren.
Jerry Lane W’48
Jerry Lane founded LGT in 1950 as a sole practitioner and served as the firm's
managing partner until 1990. An honors graduate of the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania, he has more than 50 years experience with tax,
business advisory, finance, and mergers and acquisitions fields. A former bank
board director, he is an active member in the Wharton School Alumni Club, and is
past chairman of the Southwest Practice Management Group. Jerry served as a
member of the Dallas County Appraisal Review Board. He is also a member of the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Texas Society of
Certified Public Accounts (TSCPA) and the Dallas Chapter of TSCPA. Jerry has
faithfully served the alumni of DFW on the Board for many years.
Karen Meador, MD, MBA WG’02
Karen is a pediatrician and health care executive who is currently providing her
expertise in service to many non-profit organizations. She has particularly
dedicated her time to Wharton School organizations, and in addition to her
participation as a Past President and Board Member for the Wharton Alumni Club
of DFW, she currently serves as Treasurer and Board Member for the Wharton
Health Care Management Alumni Association and as Chair of the Student-Alumni
Culture Committee and Board Member for the Wharton School Alumni Executive
Board. Karen has previously worked as a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia and as a pediatrician and senior leader at Children’s Medical
Center Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical School. Karen and her husband Bobby
have lived in Dallas for eight years and also enjoy occasional weekends at their
second home on Cayuga Lake near Ithaca, NY. She may be reached at meadork@pol.net.
Scott Miller, MBA WG’85
SCOTT L. MILLER specializes in global investments as the principal of Miller
Global Investments, L.L.C. He is also a founding member and partner of FCM
Investments with responsibility for the foreign component of the FCM portfolio
focusing primarily on Europe and Japan. After graduating with honors from
Vanderbilt University in 1981, Mr. Miller was Assistant Treasurer at Home
Savings in Houston. In 1985 he earned his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania and then joined Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. as a
portfolio manager. He became a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) in 1988. Mr.
Miller grew up in Indianola, Mississippi where he received numerous awards from
local civic leaders for excellence. Mr. Miller is active in community affairs.
He is President of the Dallas regional office of the American Jewish Committee.
He is a past President of the Wharton Club of Dallas/Fort Worth, CFA Society of
Dallas/Fort Worth, Jewish Family Service of Dallas, and past Chair of Dallas
office of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He is a past officer of
the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and Jewish Community Center of Dallas.
He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Dallas Committee on
Foreign Relations, The Dallas Assembly, and the Chartered Financial Analyst
Institute. He is an Eagle Scout. He and his wife Julie have three children
(Madelyn-8, Landon-7, and Jillian-4).
Shane Stein, MBA W’00 WG’05
Shane Stein joined the DFW Wharton Alumni board in 2010. He works in wealth
management at Merrill Lynch, and has prior experience in the private equity and
charter aviation industries. Originally from Dallas, Shane earned a BA from the
University of Pennsylvania in 2000, as well as an MBA from The Wharton School at
the University of Pennsylvania in 2005. In addition to the Wharton Alumni club,
he is active the Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Akiba Academy of Dallas, and
Congregation Shaare Tefilla. Shane lives in Dallas with his wife Tracey and
daughter Emma.
Saleem Zafar, MBA WG’08
Saleem Zafar is a Senior Associate at Sevin Rosen Funds in Dallas, TX. At Sevin
Rosen, Saleem sources, evaluates, and monitors early-stage ventures with an
emphasis on companies in the health care sector. Additionally, he is involved in
providing support to Sevin Rosen's current investment portfolio, continually
refining the firm's investment strategy, and growing/maintaining the firm's
professional network (entrepreneurial, industry, academic, syndicate, etc).
Prior to Sevin Rosen, Saleem was a Summer Associate at Goldman Sachs in the
Investment Banking Division in New York, NY where he provided advisory services
to private equity firms as part of the Financial Sponsors Group. Saleem began
his career at Eli Lilly and Company as sales representative in the Diabetes
Business Unit in Dallas, TX where he ranked in the top 1% of national sales
performance. Next, and immediately before his graduate studies, Saleem was a
Senior Brand Operations Associate in Indianapolis, IN where he worked with
biotechnology partners to improve the commercialization of selected drugs within
Lilly's diabetes portfolio. Saleem received his B.S. (cum laude) in Industrial
Distribution from Texas A&M University and M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania. Saleem, originally from Houston, TX, currently
resides in Dallas, TX with his wife, Rebecca. He is an avid sports fan, auto
enthusiast, and amateur backyard griller.
saleem.j.zafar@gmail.com.
