Entrepreneurship and Innovation

An accomplished entrepreneur and dedicated educator, Sunni Boenker is a trailblazer in the worlds of business, beauty, and wellness. Graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from TCU in 2001, she quickly turned her passion into action.

In 2002, she founded Sunni Boenker Insurance Agency, an all-inclusive insurance agency specializing in auto, home, life, health, and commercial insurance coverage. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to venture into the beauty industry, where she established Glam City Blo Haus, a chic blowout, hair extension and makeup bar that has become synonymous with elegance and style.

Beyond the business realm, Sunni is also a seasoned instructor of Heated Power Vinyasa guiding her students through invigorating journeys of self-discovery and strength.

With an unwavering commitment to excellence, she continues to inspire others through her multifaceted achievements and her dedication to sharing her expertise in business, beauty, and wellness. Outside of her professional accomplishments, she finds joy in her role as a loving spouse to her high school sweetheart and as a devoted parent to two children, who call Southlake, Texas their home.

Michael Browning is the CEO and Founder of Unleashed Brands, a platform company that houses the world’s best franchise brands to help kids Learn, Play and Grow. Browning launched Unleashed in 2021 after noticing a void in the market for parents looking for a trusted resource for kid’s activities. The growing portfolio currently includes Urban Air Adventure Park, Snapology, The Little Gym, Premier Martial Arts, Class 101, and XP League.

In 2011, Browning launched Urban Air Adventure Park, the world’s preeminent family indoor adventure park, which has since served more than 20 million kids annually and generated $500 million+ of annual systemwide revenue. Browning believes that every guest to come through the doors of Urban Air has a story and the company’s mission is to enhance the story through engaging atmospheres that leverage the combination of lighting, sound, attractions and a guest-centric staff.

A young entrepreneur, Browning was named a rising star by the Dallas Business Journal in their Annual “40 Under 40” list in 2021. Urban Air has also ranked as No. 1 for the past four years in the annual Franchise 500 list put out by Entrepreneur Magazine. The company was also ranked on the Franchise Times Top 200+ list, an exclusive annual ranking of the 500 largest franchises.

Starting in childhood, those who watched Browning’s passion for business recognized an innate ability and vision that would help him overcome obstacles and push him to succeed. It was this passion and determination combined with his ability to turn what is “typical” upside down that has driven his success in creating companies. Browning’s first company founded was Phoebos Partners, a healthcare consulting firm that developed the nation’s most innovative marketing analytics software to determine the factors leading to success in healthcare marketing.

Having spent years as an entrepreneur, Browning leads the team with true insight into the challenges that new businesses face and he doggedly pushes the team to look for new ways to overcome obstacles and break down barriers to achieving success.

Connor Glass is the Founder & CEO of Phantom Neuro which enables life-like control of robotic prosthetic limbs and exoskeletons for individuals with limb difference. Glass received a Bachelor of Science from Texas Christian University. He then received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine followed by a research fellowship in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he studied surgical interventions for neuromuscular injury, and advanced prosthesis control.

Glass always had a profound passion for helping others. This started as a desire to join the military which later evolved into a desire to become a reconstructive surgeon. He originally planned to become a surgeon that physically merged humans and robots in order to help individuals regain control over lives following debilitating injuries. It was during his research fellowship that Glass further recognized an opportunity to amplify the potential impact on his chosen field through technological innovation. This transitioned his focus to the translation of scientific advancements into commercial products that can help people outside of the confines of a lab.

Ultimately, Glass and his collaborators invented a minimally invasive neural interface that could enable the merging of humans and robots so that individuals with limb loss can control robotic limbs the same as natural limbs. To that end, his company has raised over $11 million in venture capital and is approaching first-in-human clinical trials. Glass has multiple publications on nerve injury and neuromuscular reconstructive surgery, is a TEDx speaker, and is a recognized thought leader in human-machine interfacing. His work has been featured in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Axios, and STAT.

A superior strategic problem solver and proven innovator with a 35-year marketing consulting track record of driving profitable growth for large corporations and startups. A highlight of Dave’s career was as a Director of Keurig Green Mountain from the 1993 IPO to the 2016 sale. Dave is a frequent speaker about how a company-wide commitment to “Total Innovation” fueled explosive and disruptive growth at Keurig Green Mountain. It is an insider’s story on what Forbes called “one of the most successful acquisitions in the history of the US Food and Beverage Industry.”

Dave was a leader and growth driver of three successful marketing consulting organizations. He is a recognized expert in generating growth through consumer insight, market-driven strategy, superior communication and innovation. Dave has led innovation work for clients such as Disney, Nike, Gillette, Pepsi, Oscar Mayer, P&G, Ford, Nabisco, Whirlpool, Molson, Campbell Soup, Hershey, Bank of America, Frito-Lay, etc.

Dave received both a B.A. in Management and an MBA from the TCU Neeley School of Business. He was awarded the Tandy Marketing Fellowship for Graduate School and also earned Beta Gamma Sigma, National MBA Honor Society, honors. In recognition of his innovation expertise and results, Dave was selected by Tom Peters to facilitate his In Search of Excellence Global Innovation Leaders’ Summit.

Dave has been an engaged TCU Neeley alum as a coordinator for the Keurig Marketing Plan Competition, as a team sponsor and judge for the Values and Ventures Competition, as a guest lecturer on the Keurig Green Mountain HBS Case, and recently as team leader developing the new Neeley Strategic Plan. Dave is a member of both the TCU Neeley Board of Advisors (NBA) and the Dean’s Council.

Dave and his wife, Kem, have three adult sons and six grandchildren. They split their time between Greenwich, CT and Palm Beach, FL.

Anna Rinke is a dynamic business leader, recent startup co-founder, and tech enthusiast, recognized for her visionary approach and love of entrepreneurship. Currently serving as the Chief of Staff at Capital Factory, Anna is an essential catalyst behind the company's strategic vision and operational efficiency, providing instrumental support to the CEO.

Anna's professional journey reflects her unwavering commitment to innovation and growth. As the former co-founder and COO of Conclude.ai, Anna helped ideate and develop a compliant AI-driven SaaS platform that disrupted traditional sales and marketing paradigms, enabling scalable and personalized customer relationships to drive revenue and accelerate deals. Under her leadership, Conclude.ai emerged as a standout venture within IBM's inaugural internal incubator, Hyper Blue. The startup was chosen as one of only five potential companies from a global talent pool of 400,000 employees that eventually earned a patent for its revolutionary AI model.

Prior to her startup journey, Anna's professional foundation was laid during her tenure as a Solutions Engineer in Cybersecurity at IBM. Her strategic management of data security portfolios for major consumer and travel markets, coupled with her ability to cultivate strong customer relationships, underscored her commitment to innovation and exceptional results. At this time, Anna was also selected to be a market leader for IBM's internal culture committee, where she contributed her insights to shape a vibrant and inclusive work environment.

None of this would have been possible without Texas Christian University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and was a recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship. Anna's appreciation for TCU's exceptional education and nurturing environment continues to fuel her passion for success and innovation. With a career that embodies transformative innovation, strategic leadership, and relentless determination, Anna Rinke stands poised to make profound contributions as a member of TCU's ENT & Innovation Advisory Board.

Amy Aliz began her career in technology communications and has 25+ years of experience in communications, fundraising and management in both the high-tech world and the non-profit sector. Over this 25-year journey, she flourished in communications campaigns for Silicon Valley start-ups, project management in education administration, and fundraising for national and global non-profits.

She brings to her partnerships a strong skill set in development, communications, event fundraising, major gift strategies and execution, donor cultivation and relationship management developed during her roles as a major gifts officer for the US Ski & Snowboard Team Foundation, Director of Development for Ceil Folz Consulting, Executive Director for Teach with Africa, and Account Director for Interactive Public Relations.

Currently, Amy Aliz is a Co-Founder/Co-Owner of REVFIT Texas fitness studios in Fort Worth, where she is responsible for HR, PR and Strategy.

Amy Aliz grew up all over the Southern U.S., giving her a deep appreciation for humble beginnings, hard work, and collaboration. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a minor in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Presbyterian College in South Carolina and is a graduate student in the Masters of Liberal Arts program at TCU (May 2025). Amy Aliz lives in Fort Worth with her husband and enjoys travel, scuba diving, writing, and fitness.

Michael Stanley is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the CIS Group of Companies. Launched in 1994 out of a basement office in Chicago, CISGOC has grown into the largest outsourced supplier of combined field underwriting, claims, and appraisal services to the property and casualty insurance industry in the United States. Now headquartered in Southlake, TX, with regional service centers through the U.S, CISGOC counts all the major P&C carriers as partners and patrons.

Since 2009, Michael has guided CISGOC’s corporate M&A activity, completing 8 strategic acquisitions including Advanced Field Services, Cornerstone Appraisal Services, Alamo CS, & GPL solutions, the original developer of the Navigator operating system, the enterprise resource platform that revolutionized the underwriting field service sector.

Michael has a BS from the University of Houston, an MBA from Texas Christian University, and a PhD in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University.