Across North Texas, companies are promoting and hiring people to take on leadership positions within their organizations. Dallas Innovates covers prominent personnel moves in Dallas-Fort Worth businesses and nonprofits—from the newest startups to well-established companies. Here are people moves tied to innovation and technology in the region.

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Notifyd hires Guthrie as chief technology officer

Josh Guthrie

After holding several leadership positions at Cox Automotive Group, Josh Guthrie has joined Plano-based Notifyd as chief technology officer.

Notifyd is a provider of a secure communication solution for home health.

At Cox, Guthrie managed multiple engineering teams, oversaw IT, and led the development of multiple software lines. 

The TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine appoints its first academic chair of surgery

Rohan Jeyarajah

Rohan Jeyarajah, M.D. has been appointed the first academic chair of surgery at the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, where he will lead the planning, operations, and oversight within the surgery department.

Currently, Jeyarajah is the director of Gastrointestinal Surgical Services at Methodist Richardson Medical Center, and is Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery Fellowship program director at Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

“Dr. Jeyarajah is an ideal addition in the critical department of surgery for our medical school. His surgical talents and knowledge about the complexities of surgery are a valuable asset to our faculty and students,” the school’s Dean, Stuart Flynn, M.D., said in a statement.

Retired Air Force general joins Hypergiant’s advisory board

Gen. Lance Lord

Retired Air Force Gen. Lance Lord has joined the advisory board of Hypergiant Industries, bringing with him extensive experience in space-related issues.

Lord, a four-star general, previously served as commander of the Air Force Space Command and assistant vice chief of staff of the Air Force.

He’s also a successful business executive, and serves as chairman and founder of L2 Aerospace and is on the board of several corporations.

The hiring of Lord coincides with Hypergiant Galactic Systems, a division of Hypergiant Industries focused on AI-driven aerospace and astronautic software for the space industry, announcing a partnership this week with the Arch Mission Foundation, a nonprofit that curates and maintains a “backup of planet Earth.” Together, the two companies plan to launch a series of satellites that would serve as the first relay points in the Interplanetary Internet (IPN).

Lincoln Property hires Broussard as vice president

Shelly Broussard

Shelly Broussard has been hired by Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co. as vice president of talent acquisition, a role in which she will support the continuous enhancement of Lincoln’s recruiting and training platforms for its residential division. 

She brings more than 13 years of experience to her new role.

“Attracting and retaining the best talent in the industry is paramount to Lincoln’s success and remains a top priority for the company,” Scott Wilder, executive vice president of residential management for Lincoln, said in a statement.

Tobin becomes president of SettlePou law firm

Allen Smith

Dan Tobin

Dallas’ SettlePou law firm announced that Dan Tobin will become its new president, succeeding Allen Smith, who takes on the role of chairman of the firm’s board of directors.

SettlePou said Smith led the firm to numerous honors and successes during his 13-year stint as president.

Tobin began his career at SettlePou in 2001 as part of a clerkship while a first-year law student at SMU’s Dedman School of Law. He joined the firm officially upon graduation in 2004.

Armondo to open and manage Rockefeller Capital’s first Dallas office

Michael Armondo

Michael Armondo will join Rockefeller Capital Management as managing director for the company’s first office in Dallas.

He will be responsible for recruitment and the management of private wealth in Texas, Colorado, and other Southern Plains states.

Most recently, Armondo was managing director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where for 16 years he was the greater Dallas market executive for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. 

Maclin and Shive nominated to Kimberly-Clark board of directors

S. Todd Maclin and Dunia A. Shive have been nominated for election to the Kimberly-Clark board of directors, set to take place at the company’s 2019 annual meeting of shareholders on May 2.

The board has two members retiring in 2019: John F. Bergstrom and James M. Jenness.

Maclin had a 37-year career at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its predecessor banks, where he rose to Chairman of Chase Commercial and Consumer Banking in 2013. He served on the company’s operating committee. 

From 2014 to 2017, Shive was senior vice president of TEGNA Inc., formerly Gannett Co., Inc., a broadcast and digital media company. From 2008 to 2013, she served as president and CEO of Belo Corp., which was acquired by Gannett in 2013.

Barker tapped as permanent CEO at Jewish Family Services Center

Cathy Barker

Jewish Family Service Center of Dallas announced that Cathy Barker was selected by the board as permanent chief executive officer after performing the job as interim CEO for the past six months.

“Our organization is committed to promoting lifelong self-sufficiency and well-being for anyone in need, and Cathy continuously carries the torch as an extraordinary leader,” JFS Board President Michael Kaufman said in a statement.

Previously, Barker served as chief operating officer and chief development officer at JFS. Throughout her career, she’s led strategic objectives to increase operational and program effectiveness, and has developed and implemented partnerships and strategies.

Wingstop names Lavelle to its board of directors

Dallas-headquartered Wingstop Inc. has announced the appointment of Kate S. Lavelle as a new independent director on its board, with her appointment expanding the board’s size to eight members.

Lavelle has also been appointed to the company’s audit committee.

Lavelle most recently served on the Sonic Corp. board from January 2012 to December 2018. Prior to that, she served as the executive vice president and CFO of Dunkin’ Brands Inc.

Sheikh joins JLL’s Dallas tenant representation team

Saadia Sheikh

Ten-year real estate veteran Saadia Sheikh has been added to JLL’s Dallas tenant representation team.

“Her experience and insight will be a tremendous benefit for our clients and our growing team,” said Brooke Armstrong, the office tenant representation lead of JLL Dallas, in a statement.

Sheikh is experienced at representing numerous national clients on renewals, expansions, site selections, general consultation assignments, and acquisitions. She is the third addition to the Dallas office tenant representation team in recent weeks. JLL announced the addition of industry veterans Bret Hefton and Taylor Dickerson at the end of February.

RETIREMENTS

Reid-Anderson to retire as chairman, president, and CEO of Six Flags Entertainment

James Reid-Anderson

James Reid-Anderson has announced his plans to retire as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Grand Prairie-based Six Flags Entertainment Corp. by the end of February 2020.

The company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commison that it has begun searching for a replacement, and has retained an outside search firm for the process being led by the company’s board of directors. 

Reid-Anderson first took the CEO position at Six Flags in 2010, and served in that role until CFO John Duffey was promoted to CEO in 2016. Duffey stepped down in 2017, and Reid-Anderson again took the reins.

 The company said it will evaluate candidates for chairman of the board after Reid-Anderson’s retirement.

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