D CEO

North Texas has long been a place known for its ability to launch careers and companies, and the abundance of opportunity is increasing available to a more diverse group of entrepreneurs. Wells Fargo recently ranked the region as one of the best places in the country for female CEOs, and that honor is built on the reputations and success of the women already leading growing companies in Dallas. D CEO‘s June and July issue highlighted three businesswomen making an impact on the community, featured below. Lauren McMinn Clarke's Turn is a leader in the sustainability space, while Mahisha Dellinger is adding a beverage brand to her successful hair products line, and Sulagna Bhattacharya is continuing to make waves in the pharmaceutical space by literally curing blindness. Read below to meet the three game-changing DFW entrepreneurs. #DCEO #FemaleEntrepreneurs

Regional Vice President and Associate General Counsel of TIAA Caren Lock spent her formative years and youth in Hong Kong. With almost 30 years experience in law, including 16 with the financial and insurance giant with a focus on government relations, she serves as the buffer between the company and 17 other state governments. On the job she values simplicity in her style choices and embraces the convergence of a professional look mixed with a fun twist. Though she isn’t keen on an excessive amount of jewelry, she makes no apologies for her many pairs of white jeans. At the link below, she dishes on must-haves when going out, what her weekend attire consists of, and more.

When Bret Farrar launched Sendero Consulting in 2004 with his wife Ruth Farrar, who now serves as COO, he knew he was taking a risk. At the time, the couple had three 1-year-old triplets and a 7-year-old. The entrepreneur felt he had enough money to sustain the family for about 18 months, but should the business be sputtering a year-and-a-half in, Farrar knew he would have a decision to make on continuing down the startup path. The decision wound up being simple. Sendero not only survived beyond Farrar’s self-imposed 18-month threshold, but thrived. By the end of 2006 the company had eclipsed $1 million in revenue. Today, the firm boasts six offices across the country, totaling 250 employees nationwide, and is on track to grow by 15 percent compared to its 2023 financials. Working in myriad industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and more, Sendero has elevated itself from a small startup in a Dallas garage, to a nationally recognized business consulting firm. Farrar is a graduate of Texas A&M University where he earned a mechanical engineering degree. He got his start in the consulting industry after he landed a job with Arthur Andersen’s newly formed management consulting practice in 1988. That practice later morphed into Accenture. At the link below, Farrar discusses his earliest memories of getting Sendero off the ground, how he’s grown it to where it is today, and why he’s prioritized giving back to the community.

This week in personnel moves: Flix North America appoints Scott MacDonald as CFO; Zimperium adds Michael Williams as CMO; Eiseman Jewels taps Cristina S. as first CMO; Legacy Bank and Trust names Cameron Chancey new market president; and more at the link below. #DCEO #PersonnelMoves

The application deadline for the Emerging Women Leadership Network has been extended to July 11! This is a unique opportunity designed specifically for emerging women leaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and we don’t want YOU to miss out.    Why Apply? The Emerging Women Leadership Network is a premier development program tailored to support and empower women in their leadership journeys. By joining, you will: Connect with a network of like-minded professionals. Grow your leadership skills through hands-on workshops and seminars. Lead and inspire others with the knowledge and confidence gained from the program.    Don’t miss this chance to invest in your future and join a powerful network of women leaders. The extended application deadline is fast approaching on July 11. Take the next step in your leadership journey. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/gkY5aZRc #DCEO #EmergingWoman

A crowd of nearly 600 gathered at the Renaissance Dallas North Hotel on June 13 for D CEO’s ninth annual Women’s Leadership Symposium. The half-day event kicked off with breakfast and networking. Eleven inspirational speakers shared their insights about career challenges and opportunities.  Session themes ranged from “Embracing Ambition: Shaking Off the Stereotypes” to “Navigating Career Transitions and Shaping Your Ideal Life.” Along with D Magazine Partners President Gillea Allison, Publisher Noelle LeVeaux, and D CEO Editor Christine Perez, speakers included: Luisa M Havens Gerardo PhD, The University of Texas at Arlington  Mary Lyons, Benchmark Income Group and The Wealth Women  Silvia Martins, Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages  Renda Mathew, Truist Sharla Myers, Community Council of Greater Dallas  Briana Nelson, Toyota Financial Services Corporation  Neena Newberry, Newberry Solutions LLC  Julia Simon, Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann  Rachel B. Simon, AT&T  Tracy Schandler Walder, Former CIA Officer, FBI Special Agent, Educator, and Author   Karen Hughes White, Texas Women's Foundation   Thank you to all the speakers, panelists, and attendees for making this event one to remember. Special gratitude to our title sponsors, Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Community Council of Greater Dallas, Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann, Texas Women's Foundation, Toyota Motor Corporation, Truist Bank, the The University of Texas at Arlington, and Wealth Woman. See the full gallery: https://lnkd.in/gjk-JpD9

Who among us has not had a moment in time—professionally or personally—that they’d like to have back? From making an honest mistake at the office, a wardrobe malfunction gone awry, or a freak-of-nature accident, everyone has something they would like to remember not happening. Even some of Dallas’ most recognizable executives. For D CEO’s December 2023 and June/July 2024 issues, Layten Praytor asked around to see what some of the most memorable (or infamous) embarrassing moments DFW C-suiters were brave enough to share. The responses are just as funny and cringeworthy as one might expect.

Meet the Dallas 500: Elizabeth Mack, Locke Lord LLP As chair of the environmental section of Locke Lord, Dallas office Managing Partner Elizabeth Mack’s fields of expertise include environmental litigation and environmental compliance. She also holds influence in other leadership positions. She was named “Outstanding Law Firm Pro Bono Coordinator” by the Dallas Bar Association and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board: A Member of the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Organization. Mack’s initiatives have centered around the well-being of the community, as well as the ecosystem. Federal issues like The Safe Drinking Water Act were pushed along by Mack, creating a huge impact on the public. Mack talks about her environmental practice, reveals her most embarrassing moments, and shares the best books she's recently read at the link below. #DCEO #Dallas500

Kate Rose Marquez grew up as the youngest of six children in South Bend, Indiana. The family lived about a mile away from University of Notre Dame, where her father, Jim Murphy, led public relations and fundraising efforts for the school, working out of the university’s iconic golden-domed Main Building. For Marquez, Notre Dame was an idyllic childhood playground. “I can tell you some of the best hide-and-seek places on campus,” she says. “I would ride my banana-seat bike around, learned to swim in the lakes, and took classical lessons for eight years in the music department.” Today, Marquez is CEO of Ascend Dallas, an influential community organization that until April was known as WiNGS. It launched in 1908 as the YWCA. It’s no surprise that her career path eventually led to nonprofit leadership. Marquez got her start working at her father’s fundraising events when she was in the fifth grade. But her meandering career path started with journalism. Her father, who worked as a television news producer before joining Notre Dame, oversaw the school’s Ave Maria Press, a publishing arm formed in 1865. She and her parents and siblings avidly consumed the news, with multiple newspapers landing in the front yard every morning and PBS NewsHour often playing on the television at night. “It’s what dictated our table conversations at dinner,” Marquez says. After earning a B.A. in American history and English (Notre Dame did not offer a journalism degree at the time), she worked as a television producer and radio broadcaster for NBC affiliates in South Bend. She moved to Dallas in 1989 and ran her own communications firm, before working at what’s now Cumulus Radio and DDB Needham Worldwide. A chance meeting ultimately led to her becoming VP of marketing at the Dallas Morning News, where she had a $13.7 million budget and a team of more than 30. The entrepreneurial bug bit again in 2001, and after developing branding and cause marketing initiatives for corporations and nonprofits for 17 years, she took over marketing and development for Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas.  These myriad but aligned experiences made her the ideal choice to lead Ascend as CEO, a post she has held since January 2020. She hit the ground running and developed a new three-year strategic plan. Every single milestone was achieved within 18 months. The organization’s budget increased by 84 percent. In the past year, the number of clients served has grown by nearly 40 percent, and Marquez expects an additional 27 percent in growth by the end of this fiscal year. Read more on how Kate Rose Marquez is taking Ascend to new heights at the link below.

This week in personnel moves: Dallas Symphony Orchestra taps Michelle Miller Burns as President and CEO; PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh steps down after six years; SMU Cox School of Business Dean Matthew B. Myers plans to step down at the end of the 2024-25 academic year; and more at the link below. #DCEO #PersonnelMoves