Hosted by the TCU Neeley School of Business, the Tandy Executive Speaker Series brings to campus a broad mix of business professionals from across North Texas for networking and thought leadership. Attendees will gain new contacts while learning valuable insights from industry experts.

Join Craig Crossland, the John V. Roach Dean of the TCU Neeley School of Business, for a Q&A with some of our nation's most successful business leaders.

Location

Brown-Lupton University Union, TCU Campus

Time

     
7:00-7:30 a.m.   Coffee and networking
7:30-8:00 a.m.   Breakfast is served
8:00-9:00 a.m.   Conversation between Dean Craig Crossland and guest


Photo: Wendy Davidson

Wendy Davidson

President & CEO, Board Director, The Hain Celestial Group

February 12, 2025

Wendy Davidson is a global executive with over 25 years of expertise in CPG (branded & private label), retail, and away-from-home sectors. She has proven accomplishment in innovation, leading transformations, turnaround and profitable growth of mature businesses. As the CEO & Board Director of The Hain Celestial Group, Wendy is responsible for leading the $1.7B global health and wellness company whose purpose is to inspire healthier living for people, communities and the planet through better-for-you (BFY) brands.

Hain’s core focus categories- BFY snacks, baby/kids food, beverages, meal preparation and personal care include beloved brands such as Garden Veggie Snacks™, Terra® chips, Garden of Eatin'® snacks, Hartley’s® Jelly, Earth's Best® and Ella's Kitchen® baby and kids foods, Celestial Seasonings® teas, Joya® and Natumi® plant-based beverages, Greek Gods® yogurt, Cully & Sully®, Yorkshire Provender®, New Covent Garden® and Imagine® soups, Yves® and Linda McCartney's® meat-free, and Avalon Organics® personal care, among others. Headquartered in Hoboken, N.J., Hain Celestial’s products are marketed and sold in over 70 countries around the world, with a global footprint focused in five core geographies, U.S. Canada, UK, Ireland and Western Europe.

Prior to Hain, Ms. Davidson led the Americas for Glanbia Performance Nutrition, a $1.2B performance nutrition business across North America and Latin America for leading brands in sports nutrition and healthy lifestyle including Optimum Nutrition®, Slimfast®, think!®, Isopure®, and Amazing Grass®. Previously, Ms. Davidson was President of the $1.5B Away From Home (AFH) business for the Kellogg Company leading small format retail, foodservice, vending, e-commerce, unique business models and strategic ventures. Under Wendy’s leadership, AFH delivered 10 quarters of consecutive top and bottom line growth. Prior to Kellogg, she led the U.S. & Latin American business for McCormick & Company and spent over 15 years on the executive team at Tyson Foods, Inc.

A graduate of Luther College, Wendy is a past chair of the Board of Regents. She is a non-Executive Director on the Board of First Horizon National Corporation (NYSE: FHN) and serves on the Board of Directors for Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), Consumer Brands Association (CBA) and NextUp, a leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing all women in business. She is a Trustee of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Global Board and past Board Chair of Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF). Wendy is a member of the International Women’s Forum, The Chicago Network, Commercial Club of Chicago and the Economic Club of Chicago.

A frequent keynote speaker, Ms. Davidson is a member of Fortune’s World’s Most Powerful Women. In 2024, she received the Flex Leader Award by the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance for Hain’s innovative Agile Work model. She was named to the 2023 Most Influential Women of the Mid-Market list by CEO Connection. She was recognized as a 2021 Women of Influence Honoree by Chicago Business Journal, was among Crain’s 2020 list of Notable Women Executives over 50 and made the 2019 list of Most Influential Corporate Board Directors by WomenInc. Magazine. In 2017, she was awarded the National Diversity Council’s Top 15 Business Women in Illinois and received the Luminary Award in 2016 from Girl Scouts of Chicago & Northwest Indiana.

Photo: Eric Artz

Eric Artz

CEO, REI

"The Convergence of Values, Leadership and Revenue"

Eric Artz is president and chief executive officer for REI, a co-op known for providing top-quality outdoor gear, apparel and expert advice on experiencing nature since 1938. Artz joined REI in March 2012 as chief financial officer and became chief operating officer and executive vice president in August 2014. He was named the co-op’s chief executive in May of 2019.

Artz has led teams in retail, digital, strategy, supply-chain and IT, and helped the business rise to $4 billion in sales and a growing community of more than 23 million lifetime members and more than 16,000 employees.

Photo: Robert Isom

Robert Isom

Chief Executive Officer, American Airlines

Robert Isom is Chief Executive Officer of American Airlines Group and American Airlines, its principal subsidiary company. He also serves on the airline’s board of directors. Robert assumed the role of CEO in March 2022.

Robert served as President of American from 2016 to 2022. In that role he oversaw the airline’s commercial and operations activities. Prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of American after holding those same positions at US Airways.

Prior to joining US Airways, Robert held senior executive finance, commercial, operations, strategy and international roles at GMAC, LLC, Northwest Airlines and America West Airlines. He started his career at The Procter & Gamble Company.

Robert is chairman of the oneworld® Governing Board, vice chair of the Airlines for America Board of Directors, and a member of the International Air Transport Association Board of Governors. He is also a member of the Airlink Governor’s Council.

Robert earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Notre Dame, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

Photo: Craig Crossland

Craig Crossland

John V. Roach Dean of the Neeley School of Business

Craig Crossland is the John V. Roach Dean and Professor of Management in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University. Craig received his Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University, and he also holds degrees from the University of Queensland (Australia) and University College Dublin (Ireland). His previous academic positions were at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Texas at Austin.

Craig's research is in the area of strategic management, with a focus on senior executives and their effects on organizational outcomes. His work has been published in a range of top-tier outlets in management and business. Craig has held a series of administrative and leadership roles, including department chair, associate dean, provost's fellow, conference program chair, and associate editor. He currently serves as treasurer and director of the Strategic Management Society. Before entering academia, Craig worked as a physical therapist and in product development within the medical device industry.

Photo: Daniel Pullin

Daniel Pullin

President, TCU

Daniel W. Pullin, an accomplished educator, leader and innovator, was conferred as Texas Christian University President during an Investiture ceremony November 2023. With an unwavering commitment to student success, President Pullin blends his higher education experience with an early foundation in world-renowned business organizations to support and advance TCU’s mission. Following a successful commemoration of its 150th anniversary in 2023, TCU stands ready to further enhance its excellence in academics and the student experience and build upon its national reputation as a world-class, values-centered university. As President Pullin leads the charge to develop the University’s next strategic plan, he is dedicated to fostering TCU’s community of connection and engagement as Horned Frogs envision the future together.

Working closely with Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. and other senior leadership at TCU, President Pullin infuses operational expertise and strategic planning with innovation to support TCU’s mission, vision and values. In addition to strategic planning and operational oversight, his executive leadership and experience support and expand TCU’s focus on academic excellence and reputation, student engagement and success, community engagement and culture of connection. President Pullin is an energetic leader committed to TCU's diverse body of students, faculty, staff, donors and alumni. In addition to serving as President, Pullin remains in the classroom as a professor of entrepreneurship and innovation.

In 2019, Pullin joined TCU as the John V. Roach Dean of the Neeley School of Business and over the next four years, Neeley experienced dynamic faculty and staff growth and curriculum innovation, earned increased national visibility and rankings, realized development success, built community and civic engagement; and implemented an unmistakable commitment to inclusive excellence. Prior to joining TCU, Pullin was the Dean of the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma, where he also served as university vice president. Before transitioning to higher education, Pullin worked for global consultancy McKinsey & Company and the private equity firm Hicks Muse Tate & Furst and its portfolio companies.

Honored as one of Fort Worth, lnc.’s 400 Most Influential People in Fort Worth and D CEO Magazine’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders in North Texas, President Pullin has won several awards for teaching, innovation in business and academic integrity. Pullin earned his undergraduate degrees from the University of Oklahoma and MBA from Harvard Business School before returning to OU to earn a Juris Doctor.

President Pullin’s two sons, Halsey and Parker, are avid TCU fans and enjoy attending athletic and campus events with their dad.

Photo: Randy Parker

Randy Parker

Chief Executive Officer, Hyundai Motor America

Randy Parker is the chief executive officer of Hyundai Motor America. In this role, Parker is responsible for Hyundai’s commercial automotive operations in the United States. Parker is one of the first African Americans to be CEO of a major automotive company regional market. Parker became CEO in August 2022 and reports to José Muñoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America.

In May 2019, Parker joined Hyundai Motor America as the vice president of national sales and was promoted to senior vice president in February 2021. During his tenure as the head of sales, Hyundai became one of the fastest growing mainstream brands in the U.S., setting an all-time retail sales record in 2021 and growing retail market share 31% since 2020.

Prior to joining Hyundai, Parker had more than three decades of automotive industry experience and leadership roles at both Nissan and General Motors. He served as division vice president, Global Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sales and marketing at Nissan Motor Company where he was responsible for the automaker’s LCV business unit based in Yokohama, Japan.

At Nissan, he was also vice president of Infiniti North America, where he was in charge of the brand’s overall performance in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and previous to that the regional vice president of Nissan USA’s western region. Prior to Nissan, Parker spent nearly 25 years at General Motors, working in a variety of sales, marketing and finance roles.

Parker holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Christian University. He also completed Executive Management Programs at Harvard and Penn State. In 2021, Parker was named to the Automotive News All-Star list and was also recognized by the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2022 in their prestigious list of industry influencers.

Parker was born in Nuremburg, Germany, but considers himself a native of Texas. He gives much of the credit for his success to the examples of tough, compassionate, and ethical decision making provided by his parents.

Photo: Grant Moise

Grant Moise

CEO, DallasNews Corporation

"Facing the Evolution of Media in the Age of Technology Distribution"

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Grant S. Moise is currently chief executive officer of DallasNews Corporation and president and publisher of The Dallas Morning News, one of the leading daily newspapers in the United States. In his role, Grant is responsible for both The Dallas Morning News and Medium Giant which is one of Texas’ largest marketing agencies serving clients nationwide.

Previously, Grant served as general manager of The Dallas Morning News and senior vice president of Business Development for DallasNews Corporation. He managed mergers and acquisitions for DallasNews Corporation and oversaw the integration of new companies into the Company’s marketing solutions ecosystem – including The Dallas Morning News core assets, as well as six new businesses that were built or acquired during the past five years. Prior to that, Grant served as the vice president of digital for The Dallas Morning News where he was responsible for the monetization of all digital assets.

In addition to Grant’s direct responsibilities, he also sits on the boards of the News Media Alliance, the Dallas Citizens Council, the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility at SMU, and the Neeley School of Business Board of Advisors at TCU. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Texas Christian University.

A native of New Mexico, Moise currently resides in Dallas with his wife, Katie, and their three children, Macy, Lyle and Reid.

Photo: Elaine Paul

Elaine Paul

Former CFO of Lyft, Amazon Studios andn Hulu

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Elaine Paul is the former CFO of Lyft where she served as Chief Financial Officer from January 2022 through May 2023. Prior to her role at Lyft, Elaine was the CFO at Amazon Studios, a division of Amazon, from 2019-2021 and the CFO of digital streaming service Hulu from 2013-2019.

Prior to Hulu, Elaine spent 22 years at The Walt Disney Company in Corporate Strategy and M&A.

Photo: Sandra Taylor

Sandra Taylor

Former SVP of Corporate Responsibility at Starbucks and CEO of Sustainable Business International
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Photo: Cynt Marshall

Cynt Marshall

CEO, Dallas Mavericks

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Photo: Nina Vaca

Nina Vaca

Chairman and CEO, Pinnacle Group

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Cancellation Policy

You may request to cancel your ticket for a full refund up to 7 days prior to the event. Cancellations 3-6 days prior to the event may include a request for tickets to be transferred to an alternate Tandy Executive Speaker Series event date within the same academic school year (based on availability). Cancellations within 48 hours of the event and no-shows may not receive a refund or a transfer.