Financial Symposium 2015

Sherrie Young serves as the Executive Director of the Credit Coalition, a HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency, whose membership includes Houston area financial institutions, community organizations, community leaders and other related businesses and organizations. She is the Credit Coalition’s lead instructor and foreclosure intervention, credit, homebuyer and reverse mortgage counselor. Aside from counseling and conducting Credit Coalition classes, Sherrie participates in many community events to help spread the word about financial education, Individual Development Accounts, free VITA site tax preparation assistance, and other programs that can help families build and retain their assets. She is the Chair of the Counseling Committee of the Greater Houston Housing Coalition and Co-Chair of the Counseling Committee of the Texas Foreclosure prevention Task Force.

Sherrie is a certified homebuyer education provider under the Texas Statewide Homebuyer Education Program and a HUD Certified Reverse Mortgage Counselor. She completed her Accredited Financial Counselor Certification in 2007 and holds NCHEC Certifications in Housing Counseling, Pre-purchase Homeownership Education and Foreclosure Intervention and Default Counseling.

Susan is the Economic Education Coordinator for the Houston Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Her work focuses on professional development for high school and college educators throughout the district. Innovative programs including Freedom Riders, Student Board of Directors, History Through an Economic Lens, and 100 Teens have been the hallmark of her work at the Houston Fed. Susan has a MA in Education and a BS in Economics. Prior to coming to the Bank, she taught AP Economics at Kingwood High School. While at Kingwood she was recognized as Teacher of the Year, served as District Coordinator for AP Economics and sponsored the Model United Nations, UIL Current Issues and Events, and UIL Social Studies Teams.

Since his undergraduate days at the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business, John Lopez has had an interest in personal finance savings, money management, investing, and making smart decisions when it came to money. Upon graduation, he attended Texas A&M where he earned an MBA in Finance. He entered "Corporate America" and worked for several major international firms (learn more at LinkedIn). Later in life he continued his education in personal finance by attending Rice University’s Certified Financial Planner Program and then successfully completing the CFP Certification Exam. After early retirement and a two-year sabbatical to travel and explore, he began teaching Financial Planning at Bauer. He is passionate about teaching students the fundamentals needed to become financially secure and ultimately financially independent.

Donald Bowers, a native Houstonian, received his bachelors’ degree from Rice University in 1991. He joined the Federal Reserve Bank in 1990 as a Research Assistant and joined the Bank’s Management Development Program in 1991. In 2004, he was promoted to Assistant Vice President. He currently serves as secretary to the Houston Branch Board of Directors and maintains responsibility of the Bank’s human resources, public affairs, law enforcement, and business continuity functions. Donald and his wife, Shawn, are the proud parents of two outstanding young men. Their older son is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and is a newly commissioned Ensign in the United States Navy. Their younger son is a student at Texas State University. Donald is a member of the Rice University Alumni Board, and has served on the board of the Houston Area Urban League. He is also active with Greater Houston Partnership, World Affairs Council of Houston, Center for Houston’s Future, Youth About Business, Discovery Youth Foundation and the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation. Donald and his family are members of the Fifth Ward Church of Christ. Donald earned an M.B.A. from Sam Houston State University with a concentration in Banking and Finance. He is also a senior fellow member of the 29th Class of American Leadership Forum Houston Gulf Coast Chapter.

Dr. Guez is a graduate of The Ecole Superieure de Commerce, Rouen, France. He obtained his MBA and Ph.D. from Penn State University. Dr. Guez joined the Faculty of the University of Houston in 1976 to establish the International Finance Program. He also taught in the Executive Development Program.

After several years of teaching, Dr. Guez joined the business community and obtained valuable experience in the fields of International Banking (First International Bank in Houston), Oil Field Supplies (Trouvay & Cauvin), Investment Real Estate (Grubb & Ellis), and Brokerage and Portfolio Management (Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter and Banc One Securities). Dr. Guez was also an Auditor with KPMG in Paris, France.

Dr. Guez served as an adjunct faculty at the Bauer College of Business for several years while working in the Brokerage Industry. He joined the Bauer College of Business full time in 2002 and contributed to setting up the Cougar Fund. He is currently the NASDAQ Executive Professor of Finance, and Director of the Commercial Banking Program in the Bauer College of Business. He teaches Commercial Banking, Financial Markets, Financial Systems and Principles of Financial Management in the Honors Program. Dr. Guez has developed the Commercial Banking Certificate for undergraduate students. This Certificate is supported by an Advisory Board comprising twenty three Banks operating in the Houston market.

Prior to joining the University of Houston faculty in 2002, Professor George served on the faculties of Ohio State University, the University of Iowa, and Northwestern University as a visitor. Professor George's teaching interests include equity and fixed-income investment management, project valuation and corporate finance. He has won several awards for excellence in teaching in MBA and Executive MBA programs.

Professor George has done research in the areas of market microstructure, asset pricing and behavioral finance. His publications have appeared in leading academic journals among them the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of Financial Intermediation, and the Journal of Financial Markets. Professor George has been winner and runner-up of the Best Paper Prize from the Journal of Financial Intermediation, and nominated for the Smith-Breeden Prize for the best paper on Investments in the Journal of Finance.

Professor George is currently the C.T. Bauer Professor of Finance and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. He also serves as the Director of the AIM Center for Investment Management at the Bauer College, and as instructor for the securities analysis course that manages the Cougar Investment Fund. He co-developed the Graduate Certificate in Financial Services Management, and has also taught in Bauer's Executive MBA program. Professor George has consulted with companies in designing and delivering educational programs in areas such as project valuation, hedging, and performance evaluation.

Tedric Breed is a recent graduate and proud alum of the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business, with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Finance and a minor in accounting; he was also a part of the University’s Honor’s College. Tedric was an active member of the Program for Financial Literacy while attending Bauer, speaking to various audiences on the topics of money management, college funding solutions, investing, and more. Today, Tedric is a consultant for Ryan LLC here in Houston, assisting oil & gas companies globally in identifying tax and royalty savings.

Elizabeth Knapp is the Finance and Management Information Systems Career Development Specialist at the Rockwell Career Center in the Bauer College of Business. Prior to this role, she was Career Development Curriculum Manager and co-instructor for the undergraduate career development course. She has also worked at Texas A&M in the Department of Student Life and in Aggie Access Learning Communities where she aided in student programming and student retention efforts.

She is a current member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the National Career Development Association and the National Association of Women MBAs. Elizabeth has presented on a variety of career topics at several national conferences and has written for the Career Developments Magazine, the national publication for the National Career Development Association, in conjunction with colleagues in career services across the U.S. on international student employment.

Elizabeth received a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and a Master of Science in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University.

Jeff Dunn, a native Houstonian, received his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in 1984, his MBA from the University of Baltimore in 1991, and his Graduate Banking Degree from Southern Methodist University in 1999. Jeff originally joined BOK Financial Corporation in 1986 as the Assistant Vice President—Commercial Real Estate Development at the Bank of Oklahoma, managing a loan portfolio of $105 million, developing new business, and solving problem loans. He returned to the Bank of Oklahoma in 1992 after working as Vice President—Commercial Real Estate at Signet Bank of Maryland from 1989 to 1992. At the Bank of Oklahoma, Jeff was Vice President—Commercial Real Estate and later Vice President—National/Regional Department. In 1995 Jeff became Senior Vice President/Senior Commercial Lender of Bank of Arkansas and then President and CEO of Bank of Arkansas in 1998. Since 2011 Jeff has been acting as Executive Vice President—Corporate Banking at the Bank of Texas in Houston. Jeff is currently a Board Member and Treasurer of the Humane Society, a member of the Houston Zoo Finance Committee, and a Board Member of the Clayton Dabney Foundation (Houston Chapter).

Melissa Okonski, a native Houstonian, received her bachelors' degree from the University of Houston, C. T. Bauer College of Business with a major in Finance in December 2012. She joined Amegy Bank of Texas in January 2013 as a Credit Analyst in the Officer Development Program. In September 2014, she was promoted to Officer and Commercial Lender in the International Division at Amegy Bank where she is responsible for underwriting and supporting the International Division's Portfolio and Lenders. In addition, Melissa serves the bank internally on the Diversity and Inclusion Council, as a Credit LEAD Training Subject Matter Expert, and she also helps with recruiting from University of Houston for the Officer Development Program. Prior to joining Amegy Bank Melissa interned with First Investors Corporation twice, became a senior teller at Bank of America and held various other positions in different industries while working her way through college. During her time at U of H, she was an active member in Bauer Women Society and went on to become the Community Service Director and later President of the student organization. Melissa was also an active member in the Finance Association and received the Ted Bauer Leadership Certificate. Melissa is a new member of The Professional Group - Houston Chapter and the World Affairs Council.

Charles Adi specializes in assisting individuals, families and business owners attain financial independence by doing the most with what they have. By matching individual situations with suitable financial strategies, Mr. Adi provides each client with their Financial Blueprint, a comprehensive report that integrates cash flow, tax, insurance and investment planning strategies, geared towards achieving each individual’s desired objectives.

Mr. Adi graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Accounting and concentrations in both Finance and Internal Auditing. He came to the firm in 2010 after spending several years in the audit practice of PwC and accounting departments of two Houston based Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Adi is also involved in several civic and nonprofit organizations including serving as a Regional Board Member of the National Association of Black Accountants; and members of the Financial Planning Association, Houston Young Professionals Endeavors (HYPE) of the Greater Houston Partnership, African Professional Organization (AfriPro) and Houston Minority Supplier Development Council.

Mr. Adi has over 6 years of experience in the financial services and accounting industries and is a speaker on numerous financial planning concepts and topics. He holds the Series 7 (General Securities Representative), the Series 66 (Uniform Investment Adviser) FINRA securities registrations along with the Texas Life, Accident and Health Insurance licenses. A member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., lover of the arts, and supporter of the youth, Mr. Adi routinely donates his time and resources to initiatives and organizations supporting their cause. In his spare time, Mr. Adi can be found spending time with family and friends and enjoys college and professional sports.

Al Coleman possesses more than 28 years of progressive experience working throughout the FDIC as a Bank Liquidation Specialist, Oversight Manager, Training and Recruitment Specialist, Assistant Compliance Examiner, Closing Manager, Liquidator-in-Charge, and Community and Government Public Relations Specialist. Currently, Mr. Coleman is a Community Affairs Specialist in the Community Affairs Branch of the Dallas Region and has oversight for Texas as it pertains to community development activities. Mr. Coleman has served as an Adjunct Faculty member in Economics and Finance for Prairie View A&M University and Lone Star College of Houston, Texas and is currently an Adjunct Faculty for University of Phoenix in the College of Humanities. He has also taught numerous financial literacy classes and conducted Train–the–Trainer sessions throughout the region.

Mr. Coleman has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Paul Quinn College and a Masters of Business Administration in Management from Amberton University. Mr. Coleman also holds a certification from Langevin Training Services as a Certified Training Director/Facilitator. Mr. Coleman is the recipient of several FDIC and industry awards and serves as a mentor and coach for several Youth Sporting Organizations in his spare time.

Justin Makris of Wealth Design Group has been working with business owners, attorneys, physicians and executives to help strategically balance their current lifestyle and financial needs with long term security and success. Justin and his firm provide clients with added value through innovative solutions, comprehensive financial service, and superior customer relations. Clients have access to products, specialists, and services tailored to fit their unique needs and specific goals.