J. Lee Whittington Named Dean of Gupta College of Business
Professor of Management J. Lee Whittington, Ph.D., has taught at the college since 2000.
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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.
Professor of Management J. Lee Whittington, Ph.D., has taught at the college since 2000.
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