Distinguished Alumni, Supporters to be Honored at Awards Gala

Herbert D. Weitzman is executive chairman of Weitzman, a full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm that ranks as one of the largest retail-focused real estate services firms based in Texas. Weitzman has a long history of civic and professional involvement, serving on over a dozen boards, including the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies board. In 2018, UT Dallas announced the establishment of the Herbert D. Weitzman Institute for Real Estate following a legacy gift made by Weitzman and his wife, Donna.

Alicia Makaye PhD’12 is co-founder and CEO of GXA, an award-winning Dallas-Fort Worth area IT solutions provider named one of the fastest growing companies in America in 2020. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Makaye is also a committed philanthropist and civic leader. She frequently speaks and participates in activities that foster youth development, and serves as a member of the Dallas College Foundation board of directors and an advisory board member for the Richardson Chamber of Commerce.

Jonathan Campos BA’03 is chief technology officer at Alto Experience, a ride-hailing service. Before joining Alto, Campos worked at a variety of startups and agencies, including as principal architect for data and design analytics at Precocity where he developed enterprise applications for corporations like Pizza Hut, American Airlines, Procter & Gamble and Fannie May, and as chief mobile architect for Bottle Rocket.

Suzanne Cole BS’99, BA’99 is a medical oncologist and currently serves as medical director of the Simmons Cancer Clinic at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She earned her MD at UT Southwestern and spent eight years caring for patients in their local communities before joining the UTSW faculty in 2018. She is the founder of the Hematology & Oncology Women Physician Group.

Barjis Ghadially BA’98 is CEO of WorldLink, a Frisco-based company which provides end-to-end mobility solutions, engineering services, cloud, data analytics and digital transformation. Ghadially earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and business from UT Dallas and spent his early career in sales as a top performer for a Texas technology certification company before joining WorldLink in 2000 as chief customer officer. He transitioned to the position of CEO in 2017, where he leads WorldLink’s vision and direction while overseeing all operations and business activities.

Field Harrison BS’04 is founder of MINT dentistry, one of the fastest-growing dental companies in the United States. Harrison is also the founder of several other dental-related companies, including MINT orthodontics, Pure Dental Assistant Academy and PURE Oral Surgery. An author, speaker, entrepreneur and dentist by trade, Harrison is a passionate Christian and launched AMEN Church in Dallas with his wife, Sabrina, in 2021.

David Mittelman BS’01 is founder and CEO of Othram Inc., a biometrics company that uses DNA sequencing and genomics to advance human identification applications in forensics. Othram solves cold cases previously thought to be unsolvable using trace quantities of often degraded or contaminated DNA evidence. After completing his degree in neuroscience at UT Dallas, Mittelman pursued a doctorate in molecular biophysics at Baylor University and was subsequently an associate professor at Virginia Tech. After three years at Virginia Tech, Mittelman held, founded or served in leadership positions in several pioneering genomics companies.

Lucas C. Rodriguez MS’15, PhD’18 is principal of Orchid Capital. A biopharma entrepreneur, Rodriguez began his studies at UT Dallas in 2012 and co-founded CerSci Therapeutics in 2015 with UT Dallas professors Dr. Ted Price and Dr. Gregory Dussor. CerSci Therapeutics is a biotechnology firm focused on developing non-opioid pain therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of acute and chronic pain. The company sold to Acadia Pharmaceuticals in 2020.

Bonnie C. Shea BS’84 is founder and CEO of Urban Oil and Gas Group LLC, a private equity company specializing in direct investments in oil and gas assets. She graduated from UT Dallas with a degree in accounting. In addition to her long career in the energy industry, Shea is also a restauranteur and advocate for the city of Plano. She is the founder of Urban Crust, Urban Rio, Urban Seafood Co. and Rooftop Event Spot, all in Plano. She has also served as director and chairman of the Historic Downtown Plano Association and as director for the Downtown Plano Arts and Heritage Foundation.

William F. Tate IV MA’87 is president of Louisiana State University. Before being named to this position in 2021, Tate served as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of South Carolina, as dean of the graduate school and as vice provost for graduate education at Washington University in St. Louis. Tate received his PhD in mathematics education from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree in teaching from UT Dallas, a master’s of psychiatric epidemiology from Washington University School of Medicine and a BS in economics from Northern Illinois University.