Rundown

Letter from the Editor

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There is just something about a college campus in the fall that ranks among my top favorite things. Even when temperatures start to cool, there is so much life in these buildings. This year it feels even more exciting to think about new beginnings when I look at the courtyard and see construction for the new building or when I call students to talk with them about how they came to choose Rice Business. Seeing our graduate students and faculty mingling on campus in classes and at Partio is always a sign that another year — and some big ideas — are moving forward, whether through classroom discussions or faculty research or new partnerships.

We have had undergrads around McNair since we launched the undergraduate major in 2021, but the graduation of our first class last May is another big step in our growth. That milestone also means our new graduates deserve a proper welcome, so here is an open letter to the undergraduate class of 2024:

Dear undergrad alumni:
Welcome to the alumni ranks! We are so happy to have you as our first class of undergrad alumni. We know you just graduated a few short months ago, but we also know you’re already out there doing some very cool work and exploring deep passions. This is your magazine — a way to keep up with what’s happening at Rice Business, but also to stay connected to your classmates as you head out into the energy space of Houston, the tech space of Silicon Valley or the consulting world and beyond.

The Class Notes section of the magazine is for you to share your successes and life milestones. We know there are plenty of digital and social spaces out there, but we also know that this section of the magazine is well-loved, allowing our tight-knit community to stay close. Tell us about your cohorts, too. We’ll be on the lookout for undergraduate stories for the magazine.

Please share your updates with us by emailing me at maureen.harmon@rice.edu. I will also share updates with Rice Magazine, the magazine for the university at large. We would love to hear from you.

A few more to-dos for your list: Keep an eye on Rice Business Wisdom (business.rice.edu/wisdom), our online ideas magazine offering actionable insights based on faculty research, and subscribe to the Rice Business podcast, “Owl Have You Know” (business.rice.edu/owl-have-you-know), for more business knowledge and alumni stories.

As you set off into the world, know that you will always have a home at Rice Business. You belong here. —Maureen

Celebrating Our Faculty

To conclude the 2023—2024 school year, Rice celebrated 20 outstanding and devoted faculty members. Alumni and students recognized impactful and passionate educators with teaching awards, while faculty members whose research has elevated Rice were honored with research awards.

Leadership Transitions

The leadership team at Rice Business has welcomed two new leaders to the Dean’s Suite. James Weston has joined as the senior associate dean for degree programs, replacing Barbara Bennett, who will transition back to the classroom and other academic work. Weston has taught popular courses on economics and finance in all of the Rice Business MBA programs. He has presented his peer-reviewed research on corporate finance and financial institutions at many universities worldwide, and his work has been cited by journalists and in congressional testimony. Weston has received many teaching awards over the years and was speaker of the Rice University Faculty Senate from 2014–16. Outside of academia, Weston, a former assistant economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, conducts executive education seminars, maintains professional consulting relationships, and provides expert witness testimony and litigation support.

James P. Weston

Anastasiya Zavyalova

 

Anastasiya Zavyalova also joined the leadership team as associate dean for degree programs and will be working closely with Weston on our Professional Evening and Weekend programs, as well as the Hybrid MBA. Zavyalova is an associate professor of strategic management, an International Research Fellow at the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation and an associate editor at the Academy of Management Review. She will continue teaching and pursuing her passion for research, which focuses on socially responsible and irresponsible organizational actions that build, damage and restore social approval assets, such as reputation and celebrity.

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Welcome New Faculty

Rice Business welcomed five new tenure-track faculty to the ranks this year:

• John Barry, assistant professor of finance
• Benedict Guttman-Kenney, assistant professor of finance
• Anthony Joffre, assistant professor of accounting
• Yueyang Liu, assistant professor of operations management
• Weiqing Zhang, assistant professor of marketing

In addition, the school welcomes an outstanding group of lecturers and adjunct faculty to support our growing programs, including the new undergraduate major, which saw its first graduates in the spring.

The Jones Scholars

The Jones Scholar award is an academic honor conferred by the faculty on students whose cumulative GPA at the time of graduation is in the top 10% of their graduating class. Each graduate of Rice Business completes a rigorous set of courses; develops a robust complement of skills and knowledge; and refines their capabilities in leadership, critical thinking and problem-solving. The Jones Scholars comprise a group of students who have performed exceedingly well — with high distinction — in completing a challenging curriculum.

Here are the awardees for the Class of 2024.

M.A. Wright Scholars

The Rice Business students selected as the 2024 M.A. Wright Scholars include a passionate brand manager and an executive at the world’s largest nonprofit publisher of open educational resources. The business school’s top leadership award is named for M.A. Wright, former chairman of Cameron Iron Works, founding chair of the Rice Business Board of Advisors and longtime friend of Rice Business. Students nominate peers from the school’s five tracks who’ve made significant contributions and excelled in leadership and service.

Executive MBA: Daniel Williamson

For the last 12 years, Daniel Williamson has led Rice's OpenStax, the world’s largest nonprofit publisher of open educational resources, which serves over 7 million students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mayor of Houston asked him to join the city’s Health Equity Response Taskforce. He helped to develop solutions for equitable access to devices and internet connectivity. Williamson came to Rice Business to build strong relationships, and as co-chair of his cohort’s socials committee, he helped to build programming through which classmates were able to bond outside the classroom.

Leadership tips:

• Learn to love failing. Success is great, but failure is where you really grow.
• Understand that emotional intelligence is not something you’re born with; it’s a set of skills you build over time.
• Lead with purpose.

Evening MBA for Professionals: Nikki Suarez

As assistant director of development at the Texas A&M Foundation, Nikki Suarez forged key partnerships with corporations and donors, while her work at nonprofit Genesys Works helped underserved students secure transformative corporate internships. She came to Rice after her parents — a migrant worker from Mexico and a Bolivian immigrant — ingrained in her the value of a solid education. “I chose Rice Business not simply because of my love for learning, but as a way to open doors for my community,” she says. Suarez was recognized as an Emerging Leader by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a Rising Star by the League of Women Voters. At Rice, she received the Outstanding Woman in Leadership Award. She was co-president of the Latin Business Student Association and involved with the Rice Business DEI Committee. Now, she’s a brand manager at TDECU.

Leadership tips:

• Be a coach, not just a manager. Great leaders ask thought-provoking questions, offer support and equip their teams with the right resources to unlock their full potential.
• Use compassion as your superpower. Compassionate leadership strengthens trust and encourages people to show up as their authentic selves and be creative at work.
• Be vulnerable. Vulnerability humanizes you as a leader, making you more approachable and allow- ing you to foster deeper connections.

Full-Time MBA: Ahmad Tipu

Native New Yorker Ahmad Tipu worked on sustainability in luxury goods before pivoting to work in startup operations and client success. Rice Business piqued his interest with its focus on entrepreneurship and its emphasis on innovation and collaboration with the Liu Idea Lab and Rice Alliance. “The supportive, risk-free environment of Rice Business, the top-tier professors and practitioners, and the rich ecosystem of big Rice provided the perfect space,” he says. At Rice, he focused on entrepreneurship and served as vice president of the Rice Business Student Association and VP of Learning and Development for the Consulting Association. Now, he’s a senior consultant at Deloitte in New York and an avid soccer fan who fosters cats.

Leadership tips:

• Be clear. When you lead, leave nothing to the imagination. Address all questions and concerns and take time to ensure any potentially confusing actions, decisions or directions are perfectly clear.
• Be concise. Try to get tasks and meetings done quickly and efficiently. This shows you value your peers’ and co-workers’ time.
• Be caring. Checking in with people or giving them an open ear is essential to making sure everyone can be at their best.

Weekend MBA for Professionals: Ben Provenza

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native Ben Provenza studied international trade, finance and Spanish before embarking on a diverse career that’s included roles as a financial analyst of consumer packaged goods, construction and maritime services. He also worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration in Argentina and Chile. Provenza came to Rice to broaden his network and grow his finance expertise. He served as vice president for the Rice Business Student Association for Professionals and participated in the school’s finance club. Now, he’s director of finance at AccuTRANS, a marine management services company.

Leadership tips:

• To understand other groups’ perspectives, build relationships across groups and departments.
• Be agile and adaptable. Encourage a mindset of continuous learning and flexibility within your team.
• Foster a collaborative “us and we” mindset for team success, promoting shared ownership so team members see success as a collective effort.

MBA@Rice: Sarah Aboukhair

Sarah Aboukhair has worked as a mergers and acquisitions attorney specializing in cross-border M&A, private equity, venture capital and corporate governance since 2017, first in private practice and then in-house. She was inspired to apply to Rice Business after growing curious about decision-makers’ and business leaders’ thought processes during challenging transactions. “The Rice MBA program activated my love of finance — the finance- and investment-related electives at Rice are valuable and practical,” she says. Now, the Dallas/Fort Worth-based Aboukhair works as a senior director of legal for telecommunications company Liberty Global.

Leadership tips:

• Genuine and thoughtful listening are key – whether in negotiations or as a leader.
• Discernment and emotional intelligence are invaluable – tailor your leadership strategy to the emotional and mental state of the people you’re interacting with.
• Strength and confidence should never be replaced with pride, which almost certainly guarantees mistakes and missteps. There’s strength in humility and taking accountability.

Welcome Home

Another spring on campus, another Rice Business Reunion in the books. We welcomed nearly 1,000 alumni back to campus for networking, reminiscing, and another 50-year celebration last April. At the 2024 event, attendees heard from Utpal Dholakia, the George R. Brown Professor of Marketing, for a “last lecture” and watched four classmates receive Alumni Awards, which are given each year to recognize graduates for exemplary leadership and outstanding achievements in their professional fields. Recipients of these awards embody the four pillars of alumni engagement: community, philanthropy, volunteering and life-long learning.

Stay tuned to business.rice.edu/reunion for details on our next big Reunion get together, April 25-26, 2025.

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Congratulations to our 2024 Alumni Award Winners

Ben Mayberry

2024 Distinguished Alumni
Award Winner
Class of 1976

Maya Pomroy

2024 Rising Star
Award Winner
Class of 2022

Mindy Smith

2024 Outstanding Volunteer
Award Winner
Class of 2013

Dan Tinker

2024 Distinguished Alumni
Award Winner
Class of 2004