Opportunity Funds

Want to support UT Dallas in a way that leaves a lasting legacy? Opportunity Funds give donors the chance to benefit any part of the University through the creation of a permanent endowment. These funds can be established with a gift of at least $10,000 and can be pledged over five years. Employee matching gift programs, which are offered by many companies, can be used to fulfill a pledge.

Opportunity Funds provide deans, center directors and other key leaders with critical unrestricted resources. These funds can be used to take advantage of timely opportunities, enhance programs and meet unexpected needs.

By pooling the income generated by multiple Opportunity Funds, deans and directors may enable students to travel to academic conferences, pay for upgraded research equipment, supplement scholarships to recruit competitive students and bring distinguished artists to campus.

To learn more about our generous donors who have established Opportunity Funds, select any of the names listed below. For more information, please call 972-883-6504.

 

Alumni Relations

• Ms. M. Erin Dougherty and J. Ray Mitchel Opportunity Fund

Callier Center for Communication Disorders

• Cochlear Implant Program Opportunity Fund, Established in Honor of Pediatric Patients and their Families by Melissa and Ben Sweeney
  
  

  Melissa MS’98 and Ben Sweeney have a personal connection to the Callier Center for Communication Disorder’s Cochlear Implant Program. After graduating from UT Dallas with a master of science in communication disorders, Melissa became a speech-language pathologist at the same place that she did her clinical training: Callier. Little did she know that working with children and families in the center’s cochlear implant program would become her life’s work. It’s been 13 years since Melissa started at Callier, and she now serves as the program’s first division head. The Sweeneys created an Opportunity Fund to honor the children and families in the program. Melissa said that the participants have enriched her life and that she and Ben are committed to the program’s sustenance.

• Jan Lougeay Excellence in Clinical Training Opportunity Fund, Established by Drs. Christine A. Dollaghan and Thomas F. Campbell
• Howard B. And Lois C. Wolf Opportunity Fund for Clinical Care of the Hearing Impaired

Eugene McDermott Library’s History of Aviation Collection

• Jan Collmer Opportunity Fund
  
  

  Jan Collmer is a well-known businessman and philanthropist. He is the chairman of the History of Aviation Collection (HAC) Advisory Council and founder and president emeritus of the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas. Jan is also the creator and former president of High Voltage Power Systems, previously Collmer Semiconductor. He is a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot and has flown in air shows for more than 20 years. From 1990-96, Jan served on the UT Dallas Development Board. In addition to the HAC, Jan also supported the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UT Dallas. Jan and his wife Suzanne reside in Dallas.

• James and Jayne Davilla Opportunity Fund
  
  

  Dr. James Davilla is an aviation and aerospace enthusiast who also serves on the History of Aviation Collection (HAC) Advisory Council. James’ affinity for the University began when he used the McDermott Library Special Collections, home of the HAC, to do research for his book French Aircraft of the First World War. His work with UT Dallas was so impactful to his research that he established an Opportunity Fund for the ongoing care and operation of the HAC. James also gives back to the University in other ways, including hosting several members of the advisory council who traveled to San Jose, Calif., to view his private collection of aviation memorabilia.

• Jack and Jane Hamilton Opportunity Fund
  
  

  Both Jack and Jane Hamilton were longtime area residents who generously supported UT Dallas. Jack was a key figure in the growth of the History of Aviation Collection (HAC). As former president of Teledyne Geotech, he was a staunch supporter of aviation history who served as co-chairman of the History of Aviation Collection Advisory Council. The council provides guidance and fundraising support for the HAC. Jack also served on the board of directors for the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas. From 2002-10, Jane was a board member for the Foundation for the Callier Center for Communication Disorders.

• Michael and Buffy Hasco Opportunity Fund
  
  

  Michael Hasco EMBA’98 is vice president of global accounts for the H.J. Heinz Company. As a student at UT Dallas, Michael was voted by his classmates as most likely to be the first quoted in The Wall Street Journal. Michael fulfilled that vision when he was featured in a 2006 story that focused on the efforts of food processing giant Heinz to win back the ketchup concession at McDonald’s restaurants in the United States. As an aviation enthusiast and Zeppelin airship specialist, Michael made a book donation to the History of Aviation Collection at UT Dallas. The Technical Air Intelligence Center Report #41: Japanese Balloon and Attached Devices contains declassified U.S. intelligence documents detailing the World War II project that successfully sent balloons rigged with bombs from Japan to the United States. Michael and his wife, Buffy, live in Pittsburgh with their three daughters.

School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

• Carrie Kelleher Opportunity Fund
  
  

  Carrie Kelleher BS’96 is an entrepreneur and adjunct faculty member in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at UT Dallas. Named the Most Outstanding Graduate of the UT Dallas Economics Program, Carrie worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas before moving to positions in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds. Her newest venture is based on a business plan she wrote while still a student at UT Dallas. Slated to open in Dallas soon, Coffee House Cafe is a community-centric business that Carrie hopes will be a welcoming spot for customers and a support for the nonprofit organization Coffee Kids.

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science

• Thomas and Matthew Krenik Opportunity Fund, Established by Bill Krenik
  
  

  Amorn and Bill PhD’93 Krenik established an Opportunity Fund to celebrate their sons. Thomas Krenik completed a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering at UT Dallas and is pursuing a master’s. The Kreniks’ other son, Matthew, participated in research projects at the Natural Science and Engineering Research Lab as a high school student and will be a freshman at UT Dallas in fall 2011. Bill and Thomas are both engineers at Texas Instruments, where Bill serves as CTO in one of the analog business units. Bill is also a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. Through the family's relationship with UT Dallas, the Kreniks have seen firsthand the benefit the University brings to North Texas. Amorn and Bill hope that their Opportunity Fund will help UT Dallas grow and continue to serve the community.

• Krish Prabhu Opportunity Fund
  
  

  Krish Prabhu is a frequent visitor to the campus and longtime supporter of UT Dallas. He is a life member of the Development Board and a past board chair. Krish holds the distinction of establishing the first Opportunity Fund, designating his support to the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. After completing a bachelor of science degree in physics from Bangalore University and a master of science degree in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Krish studied electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. At Pittsburgh, he earned an MSEE in 1977 and a PhD in 1980. Krish received the school’s distinguished alumni award in 2001. He has had an extensive career in the telecommunications industry, starting with technical positions at AT&T’s Bell Labs and Rockwell International, and more recently with senior management roles at Alcatel-Lucent. After a brief run in the venture capital industry at Morgenthaler Ventures, Krish joined Chicago-based Tellabs in 2004 as president and CEO, a position he held until 2008. He was named president and CEO of AT&T Labs in 2011.

• Lila and Mark Spong Bronze Tablet Opportunity Fund
  
  

  Dr. Mark Spong, dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, and his wife, Lila, were committed to creating one of the first Opportunity Funds. Lila and Mark, the Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair in Electrical Engineering and the Excellence in Education Chair, believe that educational excellence should be recognized. As a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Lila was inducted into the Bronze Tablet Club. Each year, the University of Illinois hangs a new bronze tablet listing graduates who have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA through the academic term prior to graduation, and rank in the top 3 percent of the students in their graduating class. To honor this tradition and the motivation it inspired in their lives, Mark and Lila wanted to start a similar custom in ECS.
  
  The Bronze Tablet Opportunity Fund will endow an annual award to one or more ECS graduating seniors based on GPA and recommendations by faculty. Award winners will have their names permanently displayed on a plaque outside of the Texas Instruments Auditorium.
  
  Mark and Lila said they hope that their Opportunity Fund will not only inspire student excellence but also will benefit future deans of ECS.

Naveen Jindal School of Management

• Robert and Gloria Hewlett Opportunity Fund
  
  
  

  Bob Hewlett BS'82 established the first Opportunity Fund for the Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM) to reflect his appreciation for his educational experience at UT Dallas. From 1953-58, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a Special Agent in the Office of Special Investigations. A 30-year career in the petroleum industry in plant operations and consulting followed, and since retiring, Bob has served as president and treasurer of the Hunt Oil Retirees group. In 2001, he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by JSOM, where he has served as a mentor to students in the Cohort MBA program. Bob was awarded the University’s Green and Orange Award for Alumni Service in 2009. He served as an executive committee member of the University’s former alumni association and the association’s historian. Bob said the support of his wife, Gloria Martin Hewlett, EdD, has been vital to all his endeavors at UT Dallas.

• Steven W. Lyle Opportunity Fund



Steve Lyle is the director of education, workforce development and diversity for Texas Instruments. Steve’s responsibilities include K-12 education, overall worldwide university collaboration and various diversity and inclusive initiatives across the company. He holds double degrees from Western Kentucky University in information technology and office administration and is a graduate of the Human Resource Strategic Leadership course at the University of Michigan and the Strategic Negotiations course at Harvard University. Steve serves on the board of directors for the Texas Business and Education Coalition and has a long history of working with universities. He is a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, the Naveen Jindal School of Management Advisory Council, which he chaired from 2006-08, and the UT Dallas Development Board. He also served on Texas Tech University’s Management Information Science Advisory Board, as a faculty affiliate in Tech’s College of Business, and as a member of Southern Methodist University’s Career Development Advisory Board.

School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

• Natural Sciences and Mathematics Opportunity Fund in Honor of Myron B. Salamon
• Petroleum Geology Opportunity Fund for the Department of Geosciences, established by James Dixon
  
  

  Long before Dr. James R. Dixon PhD’80 became a geological advisor for ExxonMobil Exploration Company, he honed his chops at UT Dallas. Jim credits his experience at the University as helping to lay the foundation for a successful 20-year career. In 1975, both Jim and his wife, Selena, enrolled in the UT Dallas Geosciences graduate program. As a student, he taught geology classes at Eastfield College and interned for a summer at Mobil Oil’s research lab in Dallas. Pleased with his work, Mobil hired Jim to conduct research on the origin of uranium deposits, the characterization of sandstone oil reservoirs, and the fluid flow behavior of reservoir rocks. When Mobil merged with Exxon in the late 1990s, Jim moved his family to the Houston area so he could join ExxonMobil’s Upstream Research Company. Later, Jim transferred to ExxonMobil Exploration Company, where he teaches, mentors and oversees core analysis for worldwide exploration projects. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Society of Core Analysts. Jim is a past recipient of the UT Dallas Distinguished Alumni Award. In his spare time, he volunteers as a community firefighter.

• Lynn and Tom McIntire Opportunity Fund
  
  

  Lynn BA'79 and Tom McIntire are certified financial planners who live in Dallas. Tom is a Harvard University graduate who started his planning business in 1992 following a successful overseas career in the oil services industry. Lynn joined him as a partner after having served for several years as a vice president for First Tennessee Brokerage Inc.
  
  Lynn's first position after graduating from UT Dallas was in a research lab at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She then worked in pharmaceutical sales and later held a development position for the Easter Seals in Fort Worth. Lynn and Tom reconnected in 1995 at their 20-year reunion at Richardson High School. While getting acquainted again, Tom discovered that Lynn would be an excellent investment planner, and he encouraged her to consider a second career.
  
  Lynn has two sons. Chris graduated from Texas Tech University in Lubbock and David from The University of Texas at Austin. The McIntires are also the proud owners of a goldendoodle named Chewie.
  
  Tom and Lynn are firm believers in philanthropy and commit their time and income to favorite charities each year. Lynn served on the board of UT Dallas former alumni organization and still wears her class ring. The McIntires' careers in financial planning have illustrated to them the importance of long-term investments, which is why they invested in an endowed fund at UT Dallas.

• Daniel E. Schwartz Opportunity Fund for the Department of Geosciences
• Geosciences Alumni Energy Opportunity Fund for the Department of Geosciences
• Qingming Yang Opportunity Fund for the Department of Geosciences

School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences

• Behavioral and Brain Sciences Opportunity Fund, Established by Dr. Bert S. Moore
• Pagett and Mike Gosslee Opportunity Fund to Benefit the Center for Children and Families

Interdisciplinary Studies

• Bridge to Our Future Opportunity Fund, Established by Garry C. Miller, Jr.

Center for Vital Longevity

• Jean and Bill Booziotis Opportunity Fund
  
  

  Jean and Bill Booziotis established an Opportunity Fund for the Center for Vital Longevity to support the efforts of a group of distinguished cognitive neuroscientists led by Drs. Denise Park and Michael Rugg. Bill founded Booziotis & Company Architects in 1989 and serves as its senior principal. He founded that firm’s precursor, Thomas and Booziotis, in 1965. During his career, Bill has worked with clients including UT Austin, Texas Instruments, the Dallas Museum of Art, and Communities Foundation of Texas. He has also been involved in all phases and aspects of planning, architecture and interior design in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Bill has served on numerous advisory committees and boards, such as the Center for Vital Longevity Advisory Council and the UT Dallas Development Board.