UD Announces 2019 Gupta Hall of Fame Inductees
Date published: Jan. 14, 2019
Executive Business Graduates Commended for Excellence
The University of Dallas’ Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business is proud to announce
its 2019 Hall of Fame inductees, including Irvin Ashford Jr. MBA '00, senior vice
president of corporate communications, director of community development and external
affairs and national director of Financial Education at Comerica Bank; Joe Gigler,
MBA '80, president of MetroTech Automotives Inc.; and Jane Mody, MBA '75, former managing
director of Green Courte Partners, LLC. New Hall of Fame members will be inducted
during the annual award ceremony on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, from 6-8 p.m.
Established in 2015, the Gupta Business Hall of Fame recognizes, honors and celebrates
outstanding business leaders who have achieved significant success in their chosen
fields and embody the spirit of the college of business.
Since graduating from UD, Irvin Ashford Jr. has built his career at Comerica Bank
on a foundation of service to his community by using business as a vehicle to drive
change. Ashford has helped thousands of individuals in Texas become financially literate
and more fiscally responsible. Through his work at Comerica Bank and with the Boys
and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, Ashford has been a role model to Dallas-area children
growing up in disenfranchised communities.
In 2016, Ashford became a two-time winner of the Dallas Business Journal’s Minority
Business Leader Award for his leadership in the business community. He serves on numerous
Boards of Directors including the University of Dallas’ Satish & Yasmin Gupta College
of Business Advisory Board. Ashford is a Woodrow Wilson International Studies and
Public Policy Fellow, a British America Project Fellow and also an American Marshall
Fellow. Prior to receiving his MBA from UD, Ashford received a bachelor’s degree in
religion from Oberlin College. He also holds a master’s degree in public affairs from
the University of Texas.
In 1987, Joseph H. Gigler founded MetroTech Automotive, which includes MetroTech Chemicals,
Inc. and MetroTech Detail Services, Inc. For more than 30 years, Gigler’s relationship-focused
leadership and dedication to integrity have helped both companies earn recognition
multiple times to Charlotte Business Journal’s list of the “50 Fastest-Growing Companies.”
He is a founding member of St. Matthew Catholic Church, a member of the Catholic Business
Guild, and has held volunteer leadership positions at the Diocese of Charlotte, which
included spearheading the first-ever diocesan-wide capital campaign that raised more
than $65 million. He serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for Crisis Assistance
Ministry, as well as on the Board of Directors for the Foundation of the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Charlotte.
Before earning his MBA from UD, Gigler graduated with a bachelors in psychology from
Washington and Jefferson College. From 1981 to 1986, Gigler worked for Frank B. Fuhrer
Holdings, Inc., including three years of service as president of Ridgeway Chemicals,
Inc., before founding MetroTech Automotive.
Prior to her retirement in March 2018, Jane E. Mody served as managing director of
Green Courte Partners, LLC, a real estate private equity firm. A lifelong learner,
Mody has used her passion and energy to co-found three companies during the span of
her career. She received her MBA from UD and a bachelor’s degree from Austin College.
While attending UD, Mody met her husband of more than 43 years, Haji, MBA ’74.
After beginning her business career at Interfirst Bank Dallas, Mody launched into
a successful real estate career that has included senior roles at companies such as
Silverstone Capital Group, LLC, Crescent Real Estate Equities Company, Pacific Retail
Trust and Rosewood Property Company. An instrumental leader, Moody has managed a variety
of teams over her tenure and served on the boards of directors of several privately
held companies.
To find out more about the 2019 Gupta College of Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony,
click here.