SMU Celebrates Cox Distinguished Alumni

In May of 2016, the Southern Methodist University – Cox School of Business honored five alumni at the annual Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Young Alumni Awards.

The annual awards honor Cox alumni for their contributions to the SMU and local business community. This year, three distinguished alumni awards and two outstanding young alumni awards were handed out during a luncheon ceremony.

To qualify for one of these awards, the nominee must hold an undergraduate or graduate degree from SMU and hold an important position in the business community. It is also required for nominees to have demonstrated success in their career field, be active community partners, and maintain an involvement with SMU and Cox through contributions and activities. To be eligible for the young alumni award, a nominee must fulfill all of these requirements and be no more than 40 years of age. Nominees are submitted to the SMU Cox Alumni Association and chosen by a selection committee.

Winners this year included former MBA graduates John Anthony Santa Maria Otazua and Jason Signor, alongside undergraduate alumni Michael Merriman, BBA ‘79, Billie Ida Williamson, BBA ‘74, and Bryan Sheffield, BBA ‘01.

John Anthony Santa Maria Otazua, BBA ‘79 and MBA ‘81, currently serves as the CEO of Coca-Cola FEMSA, the world’s largest bottler of Coca-Cola products. In addition to overseeing franchise territories in 10 countries across Latin America and Asia, Otazua serves on several corporate boards, and represents Mexico on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council. Jason Signor, MBA ‘04, is a current partner and CEO of Caddis Healthcare Real Estate. President of his MBA class at Cox, Signor co-founded the school’s still-thriving Real Estate Club before developing Caddis, which has been named the ninth largest healthcare developer in the U.S. by Modern Healthcare.

regions: Dallas

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