President
Stacie Hyatt, MBA WG’00Stacie 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’78Since 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’01Evan 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’08Neenu 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
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.
Director, Wharton/Harvard/Kellogg Healthcare SIG
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.
Vice President, Membership
David F. Smith III WG’99
David Smith is a Managing Director in the Private Equity Group at Highland Capital Management, L.P. Prior to joining Highland in September 2008, David was CFO for a private-equity backed investment firm focused on distressed mortgage assets leveraging his extensive experience leading profit improvement programs in challenging business environments. Previously, David was Managing Director for Expense Management for Countrywide Financial during the financial distress caused by the “Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis,” held executive roles in DHL Express USA, and began his post-Wharton career as a consultant with Bain & Company in San Francisco. David began his career in public accounting with PricewaterhouseCoopers serving middle market clients in the United States and the Czech Republic. David is a Texas CPA (inactive). He has been active in non-profit organizations earlier in his career, and is looking forward to becoming an active member in the Wharton Club of Dallas. While working in the Czech Republic in 1994-1997, he founded the Prague Model United Nations, which continues to educate high school students about international affairs (www.studentsummit.cz/en/). In addition to receiving an MBA with majors in Marketing and Operations at the University of Pennsylvania, David is a Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma honors graduate from the University of Texas at Austin where he received a BBA in Accounting and International Business and a BA in Economics. David and his wife, Julia, and their two children live in Southlake, Texas.
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.
Vice President, Sponsorship
Richard Anastasi WG’75
Richard has over 30 years of sales and support experience in the computer software industry. Upon graduation from Wharton, he joined Arthur Andersen as a staff consultant. Richard has held technical sales and management positions at systems software companies such as Applied Data Research, Computer Associates, and VERITAS Software. He left the software industry for close to a year to care for his mother who died of liver disease in 2004. Based on that experience, he is launching a non-profit business with the objective of drawing attention to the needs of those providing care for the critically ill. (See http://caregiverja.com) In addition to an MBA in management from Wharton, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Mathematics magna cum laude from Boston College. Richard, a native of New York City is still an avid Yankees and Giants fan as well as an amateur musician, composer and poet. He has walked in many fund raising events in support of Susan G Komen for the Cure, including 2 Breast Cancer 3-Day events and two ½ Marathons. Richard has been an active member of the Wharton Club of DFW for the past 5 years and on the board of The Dallas Business Club.
Vice President, Technology
Greg Colandrea, WG'02
Greg Colandrea is an entrepreneur in the technology and software industry. He co-founded and launched Fluid Dynamic, a web software business offering workflow and collaboration solutions for the creative design industry. His main business, GIGA Strategy, is a consultancy focused on integrating technology with product management and marketing, through custom software solutions. Greg has held executive product development and marketing roles in businesses ranging from startups to industry-leading corporations in the technology and hospitality sectors. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he served as an active duty Naval Officer for eight years. He was a nuclear engineering officer aboard warships stationed on the west coast, and later served as the varsity Offshore Sailing Team coach at the Naval Academy. He is an officer in the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association. Greg and his wife Amy and their two children live in McKinney, Texas, but escape to Idaho as long as possible every summer.
General Counsel
Michael Wald, W’74
Lawyer, educator, writer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and adventurer, Michael Wald has been an active member of the Wharton Club since the 80’s. Currently a business, estate planning, and elder law attorney with Underwood Perkins, P.C., Mr. Wald returned in 2010 from a sabbatical during which he and his wife, Jackie, formerly a Spanish professor at SMU, joined the Peace Corps and were sent to rural Panama where they developed the English language program for the country for 2 years. Mr. Wald’s prior ventures included owning and operating a home healthcare agency, conceiving and building the Freeman Center at Duke University, and teaching American Management Association courses around the country for purchasing managers. Mr. Wald was head of the purchasing legal department at the now defunct computer company, Datapoint Corporation, a Fortune 1000 company in San Antonio, Associate General Counsel at TGI Friday’s Restaurants, and a consumer lawyer at the Federal Trade Commission where he handled a well known rulemaking proceeding as well as adjudications against America’s largest drug companies. He was a White House Public Policy Fellow working directly for Elizabeth Dole, a fellow graduate of Duke University where Mr. Wald graduated law school in 1977. Mr. Wald has served on the national board of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, and the local board chapters of the American Jewish Committee, the National Committee for Planned Giving, and many other civic organizations. He was the President of the Greater Collin County Community Foundation. Mr. Wald is a theater enthusiast and loves Broadway, having been born in New York. Currently writing a book about his Peace Corps experiences between seeing clients and visiting his son in Tucson and daughter in Austin, he can be reached at mwald999@gmail.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.
