University Alumni, Supporters to be Honored at Annual Gala

Richard W. Danielson PhD’87 serves as manager for audiology and hearing conservation at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston and is an associate professor of otolaryngology at Baylor College of Medicine. Danielson’s work preventing noise-induced hearing loss during spaceflight and ground missions has earned several professional accolades, including the Outstanding Hearing Conservationist Award from the National Hearing Conservation Association and NASA’s Astronaut’s Personal Achievement Award. He previously served for 28 years as an audiologist in the United States Army.

Venise Stuart BS’79 is a prominent civic leader in the Dallas area. She is currently the president of the Park Cities Historic and Preservation Society, president-elect of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden Women’s Council, and also holds leadership positions with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League and Junior League of Dallas. Stuart previously served as president of AWARE Dallas, an organization dedicated to combating Alzheimer’s disease, and as president of Les Femmes du Monde, a women’s organization which supports youth health and education.

Angelica E. Barriga BS’03, MBA’08 is a business planning manager at Google. She credits the knowledge she gained at UTD in the field of organizational behavior with launching her current career helping companies manage change. Prior to working at Google, Barriga served in various business management positions at FleetPride, ADVA Optical Networking, FedEx and Cisco Systems. She is an active supporter of Minnie’s Food Pantry in Plano, Texas, and Operation Underground Railroad, and serves as a professional career mentor to several individuals each year.

The Honorable Fred Hill is a retired member of the Texas House of Representatives, where he served for 20 years as representative of District 112. During his time in the state legislature, Hill was a staunch advocate for The University of Texas at Dallas, supporting legislation that authorized UT Dallas to admit its first classes of freshman and sophomores in 1990 and advocating for transformative capital projects that have reshaped the University, including the construction of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Laboratory and the Student Services Building.

Philip R. Jonsson is the owner of Signal Media of Arkansas Inc., which operates three radio stations in Little Rock, Arkansas, and published a series of history textbooks for public schools. The son of UT Dallas founder Erik Jonsson, Philip Jonsson previously founded and operated Great Plains Land Co., a petroleum production company. A prolific philanthropist and civic volunteer, Jonsson is trustee and president emeritus of the Philip R. Jonsson Foundation, founder of the Dallas Symphony Foundation, honorary chair of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science Executive Council and serves in leadership roles for a number of other organizations in both Dallas and Little Rock.