Owl Have You Know

As the first figure skater to play Elsa in Disney On Ice’s Frozen and now a pioneer in the private security industry, Becky Jackson knows a thing or two about creating something from scratch.  Before earning an MBA at Rice and becoming an entrepreneur, Becky had an illustrious figure skating career with Team USA and Disney. Now, she’s revolutionizing the way private security contractors reach clie...

Retail executive Ramon Marquez can point to virtually every store in a shopping mall and explain how he helped that brand grow.  With a passion for retail dating back to his childhood, he’s built a career as a leader in merchandising, product management and retail operations for major retailers like JCPenney, Abercrombie & Fitch, Old Navy, and is now shaping the future of Kmart and Sears.  As...

Despite entering college as a pre-med major, Corey Layne Crouch ’13 found her calling in the classroom after working as a teacher’s aide for a kindergarten class. Switching majors, she set out on a path to transform the education system from within.  Corey’s entrepreneurial mindset in her work as a high school English teacher and school principal led her to Rice’s Professional MBA program. Now, sh...

As a seasoned entrepreneur, investor and mentor, Ben Mayberry ’76 has seen a lot of change in the Houston business sector over the last 50 years. Beginning his career in the technology sector, Ben went on to co-found companies like BSG and Winston Sage, and has been deeply involved in the Rice Business community through mentorship and recruiting. Ben has also served as the president of the Rice Al...

With a Ph. D. in computational and applied mathematics from Rice, Summer Husband ’02 has been at the forefront of AI and data innovation for years. From transforming how the U.S. Navy uses machine learning to now leading data products and applied intelligence at Worley, her career bridges complex tech and real-world impact. Following her workshop, Unleashing Your Inner Cyborg, at this year’s Women...

What’s worse than failing in your career? For Michelle Lewis ’05, it’s not trying at all. That fearless mindset propelled her from a fine arts degree to a global career as a C-suite leader, board director, and private equity principal. Over the years, Michelle has helped drive $10 billion in acquisitions across 30 countries and guided companies through complex strategic transitions in the energy a...

In this special live episode of Owl Have You Know, James Weston, the senior associate dean for degree programs and Harmon Whittington Professor of Finance, reflects on his 25 years at Rice Business. Join James and host Maya Pomroy ’22 as they explore his journey from the Federal Reserve to Rice Business, the evolution of the school over the past two and a half decades, and his vision for the futur...

Rice Executive MBA student Shai Littlejohn is no stranger to reinvention. From law to music — and now, corporate counsel for one of the world’s most recognizable brands — she has built a career on embracing challenges and following her passions. As director and corporate counsel for global supply chain & innovation at Starbucks, Shai recently spoke at Rice Business' annual Women in Leadership...

A great idea is just the beginning. How do you turn it into something bigger? Dr. Paul Cherukuri, Rice University's first vice president for innovation and chief innovation officer, works with academics and industry titans to remove roadblocks for budding entrepreneurs and help cement Houston and Rice as top hubs for innovation. Paul joins Owl Have You Know host Maya Pomroy ’22 to chat about how t...

Have you ever wondered why the wait times in emergency rooms are so long? Or what dictates the cost of healthcare and it seems so high?   Professor Tolga Tezcan has studied healthcare systems around the globe, collaborating with hospitals and researching questions involving access and business operations. He has continued that work at Rice University and teaches courses on operations management, b...

Tanu Grewal ’05 knows that you can learn a lot about a person’s buying habits based on what brands are in their cabinets at home.  Tanu is a global marketing leader. In her roles at Coca-Cola, Whirlpool, and Kohler, she helped revolutionize iconic products used by millions of consumers in their homes everyday. She has continued this work as the Vice President of Marketing at AlEn, a Proctor &...

In this episode, we pay tribute to our dear friend, colleague and co-host of the Owl Have You Know podcast, Scott Gale '19.  Join us as we revisit some of Scott’s favorite episodes and hear from the Rice community about Scott’s lasting impact.  Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM. Show Links:  Transcript Episodes mentioned in the show: Corporate Inno...

Andrea Edmundson Bryan wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do with her liberal arts undergrad degree. But one thing she did know? She had a strong curiosity to learn more about the business world.  To Andrea's surprise, this curiosity led her to a career in oil and gas and an MBA at Rice University. Andrea is now the Chief Administrative Officer at Race Rock, a Houston-based manufacturer of cri...

How is AI enhancing our creativity and problem solving and how does that compare to other digital tools we use everyday, like search engines?  Through controlled lab experiments and field studies, William S. Mackey Jr. Distinguished Assistant Professor Jaeyeon (Jae) Chung spends her time at Rice Business researching questions just like that. Her recent work focuses on the groundbreaking innovation...

It takes grit for a history major to walk into a job fair for business students and convince the rep from Kraft Foods that she’s the right person for the position. But that’s exactly what our guest, Mindy Smith '13 did. Landing that job with Kraft spring-boarded Mindy into a marketing and sales career where she held positions with companies like Coke and now Shell. Currently, Mindy is a global str...

Owl Have You Know is pleased to welcome Twice-Rice grad Will Eldridge – a consultant at Bain & Company and the president-elect of the Rice Business Alumni Association Board. Will earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering at Rice in 2017. But after an unforgettable experience in MAcc program director Ben Lansford’s class, he decided to pivot to accounting. Will wen...

How do you take a business from bankruptcy to an $18 billion acquisition? Today’s guest is Dan Tinker, CEO and President of SRS Distribution and Rice Business alum. When Dan took over SRS, the company was bankrupt. But under his steadfast and visionary leadership, SRS profits grew rapidly over 16 years, culminating in an acquisition deal with Home Depot for $18.25 billion – the largest acquisition...

Today’s guests bring a unique blend of expertise and personal connection to the show. Lee Ann Butler and Alex Butler are not only esteemed faculty at Rice Business, but also a married couple!  Lee Ann Butler, a senior lecturer in management, has been teaching business law and related courses since 2001, joining Rice in 2010. She also served as the former academic director for the Online MBA progra...

In this episode, we welcome Shalini Yadav, a 2024 Executive MBA graduate and visionary leader in the field of synthetic biology. With over 22 years of research experience, including a decade in leadership, Shalini has a deep expertise in synthetic biology, immuno-oncology, and therapeutics. She now serves as the Executive Director of Rice's Synthetic Biology Institute, where she spearheads cutting...

Why do American voters support divisive misinformation? That’s the question driving our guests' latest research, and the focus of today's episode. Minjae Kim and Ezra Zuckerman Sivan are experts in sociology, and organizational behavior. In this episode, they dive into their latest collaboration, exploring moral flexibility and why some voters are drawn to divisive misinformation. Their new study,...

From Dubai to Houston, Pooja Talreja’s journey is one of resilience, growth, and discovery. Her story is about more than just crossing continents—it's about breaking through personal and professional barriers to find her true passion. After a pivot from accounting to HR, Pooja is now the senior vice president of people at Ironclad Environmental Solutions, with 15 years of experience leading global...

When it comes to alumni engagement, few Owls are as deeply connected as Tim Okabayashi. A proud Rice Business alum, Tim not only earned his MBA here but also served as president of the Rice Business Student Association, volunteered with the admissions office, and played a key role in the consulting club. In October 2020, Tim and fellow alum Karen Crofton ’10 launched the Owl Have You Know podcast,...

Interested in learning the key to a peaceful transition from military to civilian life? For many veterans, it's found in an unexpected place: beekeeping. Meet Steve Jimenez '22, a veteran and Rice Business alum, who discovered an unexpected passion when a friend introduced him to beekeeping. In 2018, this passion became a mission when he founded Hives for Heroes, a nonprofit that empowers veterans...

Krissy White '23 caught the hospitality bug after graduating from Northeastern University in 2006. She put her undergraduate degree in public & organizational communications to work immediately by joining the front office team of the St. Regis Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Krissy spent the next eight years living and breathing the luxury hospitality life, working at Forbes 5 Star and AAA 5 Dia...

Our guest is an Army veteran, a world-class boxer, a father, a strategic credit advisor at BP, and on top of all that, a Rice Business alum. DeRae Crane '22 was raised in Davenport, Iowa by a single father, and began boxing at the age of 9. He was awarded the Bart Stupak Scholarship to attend Northern Michigan University (NMU) for boxing, which is also home to the United States Olympic Education C...