Dallas Mavericks Advisory Council

Alex NK Sharma is a native of Massachusetts but has been a Dallas area resident off and on for more than 30 years. He earned his B.A. with High Honors from Southern Methodist University and a JD from the University of  Texas at Austin. He also earned an LLM in International Law from Southern Methodist University.

His early work experience was with the State Attorney General's office in Austin. After several years Alex left the legal profession and began a career in real estate development. Primarily working in the Pacific Northwest for the past two decades Alex and one partner have built projects opportunistically, including Offices, condominiums, and currently a second home resort development in Central Washington state.

Alex and his family are deeply committed to child welfare and children's issues locally and all over the globe. The Family has given their time and energy to Unicef for more than a decade. Alex is currently the Board Vice Chair for Family Gateway, an organization that assists homeless children and families in the Dallas area. He is also the current Board Chair of KIPP DFW Public Charter schools, which currently serve more than 2,700 disadvantaged children in Southern Dallas. Alex and his wife Gowri have one high school aged daughter.

Mr. Gautreaux is President and CEO of Legacy Exploration. Andrew brings over a decade of experience in the oil and gas industry to Legacy. He graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelors Degree and during his last year of college, he began working with an independent oil and gas company and various industry professionals including geologists, petroleum engineers, geophysicists and sales professionals.

After working for two independent oil and gas companies, he co-founded an independent oil and gas company in 2011. He later sold his interest in that company and launched Legacy Exploration so that he could participate in the new oil boom made possible by hydraulic fracturing and drill wells closer to his home in Texas.

His mission, however, has remained the same throughout his career: to drill, service, and develop low-cost, high return, oil and gas wells with long term partners, and thus provide the highest possible returns to his investing partners. Mr. Gautreaux resides in Dallas, Texas.

Ashok Kumar Mago was born in India where he did his early schooling and migrated to the US, landing at Dallas Fort Worth, in 1974. Later, he obtained a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Texas at Dallas and started Mago and Associates, a private Management Consulting firm, in 1991.

Soon, he was active in the social and civic milieu of Dallas and in 1993, he was appointed as the Commissioner of the Plan and Zoning Commission of the City of Dallas. This was followed by numerous positions of which one of special note is that of the * Director of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Board, in 2002, the same airport where he landed as an immigrant in 1974. In between, he founded the Greater Dallas Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (Now known as US-INDIA Chamber of Commerce) in 1999, of which he was the founder Chairman. He is also credited with efforts in raising millions of dollars for the Asian organizations based in Dallas.

Mago's contribution in the creation of Senate India Caucus is generally known.^] In 2004, Mago invited Senator Cornyn for an India visit when he mooted the idea of forming a caucus to the Senator. After returning from the trip, Senator Cornyn, along with Senator Hillary Clinton, founded the Senate India Caucus. It is reported that no other country has an individual caucus in the US Senate. This caucus played a crucial part in the passing of the civil nuclear bill.

Ashok Kumar Mago is married to Monica and the couple has a son, Ajay and a daughter, Anita. Mago lives in Dallas, attending to his business and other social duties.

Byron Sanders is a committed advocate for education, economic development, and creating equitable communities throughout Dallas, Texas. As the President and CEO of Big Thought, he works each day to explore innovative ways to narrow the opportunity gap for children. Big Thought connects people and organizations to prepare youth and children in under-resourced communities for tomorrow’s creative economy through quality in-school, afterschool and community-partnership experiences. Byron has worked with Big Thought in various capacities since 2008, as a supporter, volunteer, advisor, partner, and most recently, board member.

Byron is a recipient of the 2014 Dallas Business Journal’s Minority Business Leaders and its 2012 40 Under 40 awards. He has also been recognized as a Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau BIG Influencer, in Who’s Who in Black Dallas, Dallas   Foundation Good Works Under 40, and as a TEDx speaker. In 2017, he was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar by the program led by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Most recently he received the Parkland Foundation's Community First Award.             

Byron’s professional expertise spans the fields of banking, education, philanthropy, and entrepreneurism. Prior to Big Thought, Byron served as Vice President for U.S. Trust, the private bank of Bank of America, where he connected high net worth individuals and institutions to solutions that accomplish their financial goals. He is the former Executive Director of the Dallas Education Foundation, where he built and cultivated philanthropic, corporate, and community relationships to support initiatives benefitting the students of Dallas Independent School District. He also served as Vice President of Group Excellence, a mentoring and tutoring organization serving at-risk K-12 public school students. During his tenure, Group Excellence was named the country’s fifth fastest growing education company in Inc. Magazine's 2011 Inc. 500 list.

Byron believes that one’s purpose and mission cannot be fulfilled without being actively engaged in the community. He is a member of many high-impact boards, such as United Way’s Community Impact Council, Social Venture Partners Dallas, CitySquare, ChildCareGroup, KIPP DFW, and the Mayor’s Star Council. He is also a member of Dallas Assembly, Leadership Dallas ’13, Leadership ISD ‘12, Latino Center for Leadership Development Fellows, and several other service engagements.

A graduate of the University of Tulsa with a BSBA in Marketing, Byron’s first love is spending time with his wife Celeste and his two young children.   

Catherine Cuellar has two decades of strategic communications, advocacy and advancement experience — leveraging global public, private and non-profit relationships to develop leaders, strengthen communities and grow businesses.

Cuellar currently serves on the board of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, The Texas Lyceum, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, and the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation. She also serves as a community advisor to the Austin College Global Outreach Forum, Aberg Center for Literacy, the Creative Arts Center of Dallas, and the Center for a New Generation at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. She is a member of the Dallas Assembly, Dallas Summit, DFW Hispanic 100 and NALEO (National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials). Cuellar was a 2014 Next Generation Project Texas Fellow at The Strauss Center for International Security and Law at UT-Austin. She has been recognized among the Dallas Business Journal ’s “40 Under 40” and was a White House Fellows regional finalist, a Leadership Women graduate, one of the Dallas Junior Chamber of Commerce's “Five Outstanding Young Dallasites” and founding board president of La Reunion TX.

Previously, Cuellar worked as director of partnerships for health social enterprise RefillWise and as a director on Communities Foundation of Texas’ relationships team. From 2013 to 2015, she helmed the Dallas Arts District, the nation’s largest contiguous urban cultural district. As CEO, she balanced their budget; doubled annual revenues; secured new municipal, private, foundation and state funding; co-founded the Global Cultural Districts Network headquartered in Dallas; and hosted the 82nd U.S. Conference of Mayors and North American debut of the international New Cities Summit. Prior to that, she managed communications at Oncor, the sixth largest electric power grid in the U.S. While there she supported advocacy during three state legislative sessions and in hundreds of cities during the construction of 1,000 miles of new transmission lines and the installation of millions of advanced digital “smart” meters.

Cuellar is an award-winning multimedia journalist who co-founded GuideLive.com and has reported for National Public Radio stations KERA & KCRW, Sojourners magazine, and ​The Dallas Morning News — among others. She is a two-time TEDxWomen speaker. In 2013 Cuellar made her fiction debut in the anthology Dallas Noir from Akashic Books.

She is a graduate of Rhodes College who lives in downtown Dallas with her husband Paul.

Cece Cox is recognized for her longtime effective leadership and advocacy in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) civil rights movement. She serves as CEO of Resource Center, which operates one of the largest LGBTQ community centers in the United States, and provides health services and programs to individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. The Center serves more than 60,000 people annually with a staff of over 50 employees and 1,100 volunteers.

Cox has advocated on behalf of the LGBTQ and HIV communities for nearly 30 years. She was instrumental in the passage of the City of Dallas’ sexual orientation nondiscrimination policy, the Dallas Independent School District’s first anti-harassment policy and its subsequent anti-bullying policy. Since June 2010, over 50,000 public sector employees and a quarter-million students in the Dallas area have new or expanded LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections thanks to the Center’s advocacy.

In 2007, Cox joined the Center as associate executive director and became CEO in July 2010. Previously, she practiced commercial law and provided pro bono legal services to individuals with HIV. Cox is a member of the executive committee for SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development; the Dallas Assembly; and Dallas Summit. She is board co-chair of the national organization, CenterLink and a former board member of the Dallas Women’s Foundation. In 2016, Cox was recognized as an outstanding alumna of SMU’s Dedman School of Law, and she was named the LGBTQ Texan of the Year by the Dallas Voice. In June 2017, Cox was selected as a winner of the Dallas Business Journal’s Women in Business Awards.

Cox is also a former president of the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance (DGLA), a former co-chair of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/Dallas and a former officer of the LGBT Section of the State Bar of Texas. She is an alumna of Leadership Dallas and Leadership Lambda and was recognized with the Kuchling Humanitarian Award from Black Tie Dinner in 1999.

Cox is a former professional photographer who co-authored a book chronicling the 1993 March on Washington for gay and lesbian rights. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and is a proud alumna of SMU’s Dedman School of Law. Cox is a member of the State Bar of Texas. She lives in Dallas with her partner and son.

Chastin J. Miles is a full-service real estate agent specializing in Dallas real estate, brand management, and client representation in a comprehensive spectrum of classes including single-family residential, condos and developments, commercial real estate, and luxury leases.

Miles and his team aim to bring a new perspective to the traditional real estate transaction by extending far beyond the offerings of conventional agents. Chastin J. Miles strives to be both a lifestyle agent committed to informing and connecting our local communities, and an agent offering design, marketing, and sales solutions for buyers, sellers, developers, and local and international investors.

Miles’ work background, education, and passion have helped him to become a top producing real estate agent. Miles is an agent who understands that buying a home is one of the largest purchases a client will make. His mission is to provide each client with the best sales
and marketing tools to get their property sold, while providing an open line of communication to keep his clients engaged in each step of the process. One of Miles’ top priorities is to produce the highest return for his client’s investment.

As a native Texan, Miles is no stranger to the competitive Texas real estate market. His background in sales, marketing, and brand management has given him a foundation for success in all aspects of the home buying and selling process. Whether it is implementing a strong marketing campaign or negotiating a contract, Miles strives to produce the best results for his clients. His enthusiastic attitude and strong work ethic makes him one of North Texas’ top agents.

In addition to working with clients, Miles serves as the Social Media chairperson for the MetroTex Young Professionals Network, hosts the Millennial Movers Series podcast on iTunes, and was recently awarded the prestigious Healy Hustle Award. He was also named “Mr. Branding” by his peers for his unique and effective approach to marketing in the competitive home market. He has been featured in numerous publications including The Dallas Morning News, CEO World Magazine, The Dallas Voice, BE GREAT Magazine, and more. You can also find many of Miles’ writings on Inman News where he serves as a contributor in the real estate, social media, and marketing categories.

Chastin J. Miles is the author of More Than Four Walls: The Ultimate Guide to Buying or Selling a Home in Dallas. This book empowers buyers and sellers with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate through today's competitive real estate marketplace. Buying and selling homes differs throughout the country and this book is a go-to guide to flourish in the strong Dallas real estate market. Thousands rely on Miles’ YouTube channel to gain insights on how to be successful in their own real estate careers and building their own brands.

Miles has made a way to give back to his peer community of real estate agents by launching the Industry Power Players Network. Inspired through his growing YouTube audience, Miles’ mission is to empower, motivate, train, and educate the next generation of real estate agents and entrepreneurs through this network.

The Chastin J. Miles Real Estate team is constantly working to bring the best luxury real estate transaction. Miles and his team are experts at delivering smooth real estate transactions and have closed millions of dollars in real estate transactions to date

Dale Petroskey has more than 35 years of leadership experience in the public, private, and non- profit sectors. In April 2014, he became President and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC), one of the largest and most established business organizations in Texas, representing 1,100 member companies. The DRC works to strengthen the business community by attracting companies and talented workers from around the world, improving education, advocating for pro-growth public policies, and enhancing the quality of life for all in the Dallas Region.

Mr. Petroskey’s career also includes service as Assistant White House Press Secretary to President Ronald Reagan; Senior Vice President for Mission Programs at National Geographic; and President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

At The White House, Mr. Petroskey served as a spokesman for President Reagan and led the staff responsible for the preparation of every official White House document released to the media. In addition, he traveled extensively and accompanied the President to his historic first meetings with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 1985, and in Reykjavik, Iceland, in October 1986. He also frequently accompanied the President and Mrs. Reagan on weekends to Camp David.

From 1988-1999, Mr. Petroskey served as a senior executive at the National Geographic Society, the world’s largest educational membership organization. He was named Vice President of Public Affairs in 1988 and was promoted to Senior Vice President of Mission Programs in 1996. In that role, he was the senior executive responsible for the committee that funded scientific research and exploration projects for well-known scientists and explorers such as Jane Goodall, Bob Ballard, and Sylvia Earle.

From 1999-2008, Mr. Petroskey was President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, where he was the primary link to all living Hall of Famers and their families and led the day-to-day operations of one of the nation’s best-known museums. While there, he was instrumental in launching the museum’s first-ever national traveling exhibition, Baseball As America, which was seen by more than 2 million visitors in 15 respected museums throughout the U.S. He also worked closely with the Board to initiate and implement a one-time-only, five-year study and process for considering and electing Negro League players, managers, and executives. That process resulted in the election of 17 Negro Leaguers in 2006, nearly doubling the number in the Hall of Fame. The first induction ceremony Mr. Petroskey oversaw in 1999 welcomed George Brett, Nolan Ryan, Robin Yount, and Orlando Cepeda to the Hall of Fame in front of a crowd of 50,000 – the largest to that point. That number was eclipsed in 2007, the final induction of Mr. Petroskey’s tenure, when Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn drew more than 75,000.

EXTENDED PROGRAM BIO

Mr. Petroskey is a member of numerous Boards, including the Dallas Citizens Council, The Salvation Army of DFW, Dallas Medical Resources, Educate Dallas, The Alfalfa Club of Washington, D.C., the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, and Clayton Kershaw’s Challenge. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Petroskey and his wife, Ann, both graduates of Michigan State University, live in Dallas and have three grown children.

Donna Taliaferro-Freeman is a small business owner and former Vice President with over 15 years of solid and progressive experience in executive leadership, P&L management, operations management, and strategic planning.

She is an innovative leader that blends technology and business acumen while promoting positive organizational change. Donna has extensive expertise in facilitating process change, while providing training, establishing benchmark goals, and instilling positive employee and management relationships.

She is instrumental in reducing costs, enhancing efficiency, and introducing technology solutions.

Donna is keen on executing strategic plans, generating innovative ideas, and implementation processes to build corporate value, and ensure high-quality product and service delivery.

Garwin is currently the Chief Financial Officer of 5miles. 

Previously, he was a Managing Director at Founder H Fund (private equity arm of Founder Group). 

Prior to that, he was a Vice President at Bain Capital, a global leading investment firm. 

Garwin graduated from Harvard College cum laude in 2003.  He also received his MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 2008.

Gwen recently moved back to Dallas after being away for 23 years. She and her husband have 3 children, the youngest of which headed off to college this fall. Gwen spends the majority of her volunteer time on educational issues.

Currently she is a board member for Open Door Preschool and a fellow for LeadershipISD.

Her favorite date night is going to a Dallas Mavericks game.

For 27 years, Jan Edgar Langbein has been an activist in efforts to end violence against women. Currently, as CEO of Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support, Ms. Langbein oversees Genesis’ internal and external operations as well as funding and community education.

Recognized as a National Expert on the dynamics and effects of domestic violence, Ms. Langbein provides expert testimony in court cases and trains law enforcement and prosecutorial professionals to enhance their efforts to end violence against women. She conducts training, keynote, and workshop programs for numerous local and national conferences, social and civic organizations, and corporations, and is an adjunct faculty member at AEquitas, The Prosecutors’ Resource on Violence Against Women.

In partnership with the Dallas Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ms. Langbein co-founded the annual National Conference on Crimes Against Women, which trains law enforcement, prosecutors, and advocates on the most advanced, cutting edge techniques and strategies in the investigation of crimes against women.

In 2009, Ms. Langbein concluded a Presidential Appointment as Senior Policy Advisor to the Director of the United States Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). Jan is the recipient of numerous local and national awards and recognition, including the FBI Director’s 2012 Community Leadership Award.

LaMonte Thomas became Cigna's president and general manager for North Texas and Oklahoma in January 2012. In this role, he serves as the senior leader for Cigna's operations, competitiveness and market growth in the region, and he helps to provide access to quality care for Cigna customers. His responsibilities include enhancing customer satisfaction through personalized service; helping to improve quality of care by working in collaboration with area heath care professionals; assisting clients to improve the health and productivity of their workforces; and leading Cigna's community service efforts.

Thomas has over two decades of experience in the health care industry. At Cigna, he has held roles in human resources, sales operations and sales management. Most recently, prior to returning to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, he served as Cigna's sales manager in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to joining Cigna, he held roles in finance, audit and operations.

In the workplace, Thomas has created a culture that values the ideas, contributions and energy of each Cigna employee. He encourages employees to be active in the Dallas/Fort Worth community where they work and live, which is reflected in the company’s strong participation in community events such as the March of Dimes walks for healthy babies.

Thomas is a member of the board of directors for KERA, Salvation Army (DFW Metroplex), Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, Texas Diversity Council, Plano Chamber of Commerce, Collin County Business Alliance, TexProtects and Friends of the Dallas Police.

In 2013 he received the Texas Diversity Council Leadership Award and was named to the 2014 Dallas Business Journal’s Who’s Who in DFW Health Care and the 2015 Dallas Business Journal’s Minority Leader award. Thomas chaired the 2017 March of Dimes Dallas Area March for Babies.

Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Washington University, St. Louis.

Pursuit of Excellence Inc. is a Dallas Based company founded in 1994 by Ms. Marie Diaz. While independently working with Fortune 500 companies as an Organization Development Consultant and Coach, Ms. Diaz in 1997 incorporated and expanded her business into a full scope of Human Resources offerings. Pursuit of Excellence is part of the 2014 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing companies in America. Inc. and has been added to the SMU Cox Dallas 100™ list of Dallas' 100 fastest growing companies.

Marie is a top business and community leader with the skills and experience required to provide direction and clearance for companies and individuals stuck in the quagmire of "dailiness." She, with her versatile organization, enables business owners to concentrate in what they do best: sales, delivery and expansion.

She is a member of the DFW Minority Supplier Development Council, the Women’s Business Council, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce, as well as the Secretary for the NMSDC GlobalLink Mexico Task Force.Marie is a top business and community leader with the skills and experience required to provide direction and clearance for companies and individuals stuck in the quagmire of "dailiness." She, with her versatile organization, enables business owners to concentrate in what they do best: sales, delivery and expansion.

Mark Thompson is the founder and CEO of Smith Thompson Security. Starting his company 1978, he has been providing peace of mind as a full-time job. In a time when tragedies seem to take place on a daily basis, Thompson emphasizes the value of safety and security.

Like his home security business, his pest control business, Smith Thompson Pest Control, has also proven lucrative. However, Thompson is a firm believer in working for one’s earnings. At the moment, his children are learning the ropes of the family business. Thompson’s years of hard work and dedication have proven to be fruitful. Smith Thompson Security is currently the official home security system of the Dallas Mavericks.

Having been heavily involved with the Dallas Mavericks for nearly eight years, Thompson won MFFL award at the final Mavs game of the 2017-2018 season.

Despite his staple status in the DFW community, Thompson has remained humble, hardworking, and dedicated to providing quality service to families and homeowners. 

Smith Thompson Security currently serves families and homeowners in over 150 cities and towns in Texas.

Meegan is a Marketing Activation Manager for Hilton and in this role manages large-scale marketing campaigns from concept through execution while driving speed to market. She joined the company in 2008. 

In addition to her love of marketing, Meegan has a passion for helping the community. She previously served as a volunteer Academic English Teacher for Literacy Achieves, and is currently a member of the Board of Director's for Seeds to STEM (STS) a non-profit organization that educates low income students in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Meegan graduated from The University of North Texas with an MBA in 2008. She has been a Mavs season ticket holder since 2001.  

An education leader with a consistent track record of transforming urban school districts, Michael Hinojosa is a veteran of more than 22 years of school district leadership. 

His career in public education – from teacher and coach to superintendent/CEO - spans three decades, including leadership at two of the 25 largest school systems in America – the Dallas Independent School District in Texas, and the Cobb  County School District in suburban Atlanta, Georgia.

Today, he is at the helm of Dallas ISD for a second time, approaching nine years of service to the district where he graduated high school and began his career as an educator. His record of improving academic performance in urban school districts is based on a firm belief that education, not environment, is the key to student success.   A frequent speaker and advisor to educational leadership organizations in Texas and the U.S., Hinojosa is  a past president of the Texas Association of School Administrators and has garnered numerous other  awards and recognition. 

He was named Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards in 2002 and selected as the state’s top superintendent by the University of Texas at Austin in 2005. His alma mater, the College of Education at Texas Tech University, named him a Distinguished Alumnus, and he was honored as Outstanding Latino Educator by the Association of Latino  Administrators and Superintendents. 

Hinojosa and his wife Kitty have two sons, graduates of Princeton and Harvard universities. His son from a previous marriage graduated from Texas Tech University. All three attended Dallas ISD for a significant portion of their K12 education.                                            

Chief U. Reneé Hall is the 29th Chief of Police for the City of Dallas, Texas. She is the first woman to ever hold this position. During her brief tenure with the Dallas Police Department, Chief Hall has made prominent steps to transform the department to reflect 21st Century Policing by streamlining the department’s organizational structure to improve efficient workflow between units, and strengthen effective policy processes. Chief Hall has prioritized community engagement and outreach by connecting with Officers in the field, meeting with Dallas community groups, professional leaders, and local organizations.  

Under Chief Hall’s leadership, the department has engaged innovative recruitment strategies, which include working with the independent school districts and local colleges to generate a student pipeline, and internship program. She has increased internal accessibility to her office, and overseen several General Order and policy changes within the department.    

Chief Hall is an accomplished and highly dedicated law enforcement executive with more than 18 years of experience to include 12 years at the management and executive level at the Detroit Police Department. Her career began in Detroit, Michigan with a community of 700,000 people and approximately 3,100 sworn and civilian employees. She commanded the largest Bureau that included the Neighborhood Policing Bureau, East and West Patrol Bureaus, Downtown Division, and Metropolitan Division with more than two-thirds of the total employees and a Bureau budget of 137 million dollars.

In Detroit, Chief Hall created community policing and mentoring programs that developed and fostered partnerships between officers, community members and businesses alike. These programs were nominated by the Department of Justice for Community and Justice Awards.

Her educational accomplishments include completion of the FBI National Academy, Major Cities Chiefs Executive Leadership Institute (PELI IV), two Masters of Science degrees in Security Administration and Intelligence Analysis, from the University of Detroit Mercy, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Grambling State University.

Rick Ortiz is the president and CEO of the award-winning Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He was unanimously chosen by the GDHCC Board of Directors in 2012 to lead the organization. 

During his tenure as the Hispanic Chamber's chairman of the board, Ortiz took on some of the management responsibilities. He assisted with the operations, financial, and budgetary management, and instituted an updated employee handbook. He provided grant and programming oversight, instituted internal audit procedures, oversaw corporate relations and fundraising, established entrepreneur partner relationships, and participated in small business advocacy.

Before he joined the GDHCC as president and CEO, Ortiz worked as an attorney, specializing in business and tort litigation.  He has represented individuals, small and large businesses, financial institutions, leasing companies, governmental entities, and nonprofit organizations and has served as general counsel to boards of directors.  

Ortiz’s community involvement includes serving on the Dallas ISD Superintendent’s Advisory Board, Dallas ISD M/WBE Advisory Committee, North Texas Commission, Visit Dallas Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee, and was a member of the Leadership Dallas Class of 2013. 

He has served as a board member of the Concilio, North Texas Navidad en el Barrio Foundation, Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the North Texas Commission. He was also a member of the DFW Airport Availability and Disparity Study Review team, Junior League of Dallas Community Advisory Board, Dallas Citizens Council, JFK 50th Anniversary Committee, and the Mayor Mike Rawlings' advisory and transition team.

A native of El Paso, Texas, Ortiz worked as a Bristol Meyers Squibb/Ventiv Health U.S. Sales pharmaceutical representative prior to attending St. Mary’s University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas, where he received his Juris Doctor in 2003. Ortiz graduated from The University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing and management.

Bob Mong is in his third year as President of the University of North Texas at Dallas and recently had his contract extended by three years by the UNT System Board of Regents.

During his time at UNT Dallas, the school has experienced record enrollment, retention and graduation growth. Bob arrived at UNT Dallas after nearly 40 years in journalism, most of it spent at The Dallas Morning News, where he served as both managing editor and editor-in-chief. During his time in news leadership, the paper won 9 Pulitzer Prizes and was Pulitzer finalist another 16 times.

In 2004, Bob was named the national Empathy Award winner by the Volunteers of America, recognizing an individual whose work has improved the communities they serve. He is married to Diane Reischel, a former reporter at the Los Angeles Times, and has a son in his third year of medical school and a daughter in divinity school.

Roland is highly committed to giving back to the community, especially causes that support the education and welfare of youth.

Roland is currently the CEO of Parrish Restaurants, Ltd., which owns and operates 25 restaurants in Dallas and surrounding areas.

The Dallas Business Journal awarded Roland its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. His company is the 7th Largest Minority Owned Firm in North Texas. Parrish Restaurants Ltd, consistently makes the Black Enterprise Magazine’s BE 100 as one of the Top 100 Black owned businesses in the United States.    

Roland’s $2M Leadership Gift supported the renovation of the former Management School Library at Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It was opened and renamed the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics in 2012. It’s the first facility at Purdue to be named after an African American. The library has received both National and International recognition.  

Also, his gift of philanthropy led to the building of the Rev. John and Marie Parrish Medical Clinic in Fort Portal, Uganda. The clinic, which opened in May of 2016, serves 6,000 orphans per year and is named in memory of his parents.    

Roland is at the end of an unprecedented 3rd term as Chairman and CEO of the National Black McDonald’s Owner Operators Association (NBMOA). He spear-headed the creation of the NBMOA Foundation and raised the Scholarship Program to a record $750k annually. All while advocating for minority owned suppliers, vendors and franchise owners. The NBMOA is a 44 year old self-help organization that boasts $3.6B in sales annually.  

Roland received his BS and MBA from Purdue’s Krannert School of Business. As a scholar and athlete, he consistently made the Dean’s List, was a 2 time MVP of the Purdue track team and selected by his teammates to be Captain his senior year. While competing, he set school records in the 600, 800 and 1000M. He still holds the 1000M indoor record. This has resulted in Roland’s induction into the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame and the Indiana Track and Field Hall of Fame.

He has served on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Krannert Business School, Athletic Department and Department of Libraries. Married to Jewel Parrish for 40 years, sons, Rowland (UNT-BA 2002), Wesley (CAI-BA 2013) and daughter Jade (Purdue BS 2012). Hobbies include running, biking, reading, playing musical instruments and collecting vintage automobiles.

Roslyn Dawson Thompson, president and CEO of Dallas Women’s Foundation, is a lifelong advocate for women and girls.

In 2011, she moved from a 25-year career as owner of a national marketing communications firm to leading the Foundation, where she had been a volunteer and donor since the organization’s inception in 1985. The Foundation, the largest of the 120 women’s funds worldwide, conducts gender-focused research, advocacy and grantmaking to advance opportunities for women and girls in North Texas and beyond.

Under Dawson Thompson’s leadership, the Foundation has undertaken ambitious strategic initiatives to impact women’s economic security and women’s leadership, at the same time increasing assets by 20 percent and grantmaking by 80 percent.

Dawson Thompson serves on the boards of Tides, an international public charity; Women’s Funding Network, the global association of women’s funds; Dallas Regional Chamber; Circle Ten Council of Scouting; and International Women’s Forum – Dallas Chapter.

She is married to Rex Thompson, and their family includes three grown children.

Sam Santiago is a Certified Diversity Executive and corporate and community social responsibility professional with over 25 years of experience in global corporate volunteering, learning and development, talent management, diversity and inclusion, fundraising, board service and nonprofit leadership in the airline, hospitality and health industries with organizations like American Airlines, Hilton Worldwide and the American Heart Association. 

Sam has served several terms on the boards of directors of the International Association for Volunteer Effort and the VolunteerNow (formerly the Volunteer Center of North Texas), and is chair emeritus of the Global Corporate Volunteer Council.  More recently, he's served on the board of director of The Renaissance on Turtle Creek's COA, the largest residential high-rise in Texas. He's currently an member of the Office of Cultural Affairs' Cultural Plan Steering Committee with the City of Dallas.

In 2010, he was the recipient of the Earl G. Graves Award for Leadership, for his work in the advancement of diversity and inclusion; in 2012 he was bestowed the President's Volunteer Service Award by Points of Light on behalf of President Barack Obama, for his work in the development of global corporate volunteering as a professional practice.  In 2014, he was recognized as a BIG Influencer by the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau.  

1984 Woodrow Wilson Graduate, 1987 Heisman Trophy Winner, & 2015 NFL Hall of Fame Inductee

Tim Brown is one of the greatest collegiate and professional wide receivers to ever play the game. During his collegiate career at Notre Dame, Tim's playmaking ability earned him the honor of being the first wide receiver to ever receive the Heisman Trophy award.

After his 1987 Heisman Trophy winning season, Tim was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders with the 6th overall pick of the 1988 NFL Draft. Tim spent sixteen years with the Raiders, during which he established himself as one of the League's most prolific wide receivers. Tim's play led him to be named to nine Pro Bowl teams and his 1,094 career receptions ranks 5th in NFL history. His fame and success with the Raider's organization earned him the title, Mr. Raider, and the honor of being inducted into the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Tim currently works as a host on Sirius Radio's NFL and College Football pregame and recaps. He now resides in Dallas, TX with his wife and four children.

Community Outreach: Tim Brown is heavily involved in the "9-1-1 for Kids" 
program which teaches children emergency preparedness. In addition to 9-1-1 for Kids, Tim is an ambassador to the President's Physical Fitness Council on Behalf of Reebok. 

Tim is also a man of God, being heavily involved in his church and routinely speaking to groups about his faith.

Tom Chapman is the owner of TDC Enterprises and National Advertising Board Member for Subway. Tom has lived in Dallas for 60 years and has a wife and two boys.