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 the people moves tied to innovation and technology in the region.

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Collective 54 selects Fisk as its new chief executive officer

Linda Fisk

Consumer experience veteran Linda Fisk has been named chief executive officer of Collective 54, a Dallas-based national peer advisory network focused on accelerating the success of professional services firms by helping owners grow, scale, and exit their firms.

The announcement completes a national search facilitated by Alexander Enterprise, a national advisory and investment firm focused on boutique professional services firms.

Fisk will assume day-to-day leadership of Collective 54 and will be responsible for its strategy execution, business development, and talent management, according to a statement. She has served as the chief marketing officer of several other consumer-focused companies, crafting product offerings, value propositions, and consumer experiences.

Opendoor names Hiltz as the senior general manager in its Dallas office

Greg Hiltz

Real estate company Opendoor has named Greg Hiltz as the senior general manager of Opendoor Dallas, a position that essentially makes him CEO of the local market.

Hiltz comes to Dallas after serving in the same capacity for Opendoor in Jacksonville, Florida. He plans to focus on growing his team and customer base, while building relationships with local homebuilders.

Before Opendoor, Hiltz ran operations at Tim Hortons and served as vice president at PIMCO, a global investment management firm.

Opendoor Dallas launched in February 2015, soon after the company’s founding in Phoenix. Opendoor was an early player in the real estate iBuyer category, which now includes both startup and legacy real estate companies like Zillow, Keller Williams, and Redfin. Dallas currently makes up Opendoor’s second-largest U.S. market, the company told Dallas Innovates.

McGhee rejoins American Heart Association as EVP

Katrina McGhee

Nonprofit marketing strategist and executive consultant Katrina McGhee has joined the American Heart Association’s nationwide leadership team as its executive vice president of marketing and communications at the organization’s Dallas headquarters.

McGhee previously worked for the association and returns following career success in marketing and executive consultation, according to a statement. 

McGhee is expected to serve as the association’s chief brand ambassador and be responsible for enhancing brand relevance, promoting the organization’s mission, and communicating its content to consumers and stakeholders both nationwide and globally. She is a global marketing executive with over two decades of experience in leading brand building for social purpose organizations.

McGhee started her career with the American Heart Association as a marketing director and created national social marketing programs such as Take Wellness to Heart, Cholesterol Low Down, Covering the Bases, and Choose to Move—a 13-week physical activity program that more than 100,000 women completed to go from sedentary to active lifestyles, according to a statement.

Comerica taps Carr as EVP of wealth management

Greg Carr

Greg Carr has been named executive vice president of wealth management by Dallas-based Comerica Inc. 

Carr comes to Comerica from Wells Fargo Private Bank, where he was a senior managing director for the Southeast region. There, he led a team that provided investment management, private banking, trust, estate, credit, and integrated wealth management services through Wells Fargo Bank N.A., as well as insurance and brokerage services through Wells Fargo Advisors LLC. Carr will report to Comerica’s chairman and CEO Curt Farmer.

North Texas Angel Network names Gathmann as executive director

Aaron Gathmann

Early-stage investment organization North Texas Angel Network (NTAN) has selected Aaron Gathmann as its executive director. Gathmann is an existing member of the ten-year-old nonprofit, member-led organization and is a seasoned angel investor.

As executive director, Gathmann plans to lead NTAN’s mission of presenting quality early-stage investment opportunities to its members as well as nurture angel investing across North Texas. For both angel investors and entrepreneurs, that means Gathmann is tasked with enhancing the deal flow experience with technological efficiency, communication, and process improvements.

NTAN founder and former executive director Chuck McCoy will stay on with the group as a board member.

Gathmann told Dallas Innovates his team wants the organization to be viewed as a “worthwhile stop in the fundraising process where there’s truly a high degree of interest in your deal if invited to present.”

Southwest Airlines makes Air and Flight Operations leadership moves

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. has announced three leadership changes in its Air and Flight Operations teams.

Craig Drew, who was previously the senior vice president of Air Operations, has transitioned to a consultant role

Craig Drew

Bob Waltz

Alan Kasher

after announcing his intention late last year to retire to spend more time with his family. He joined Southwest Airlines as a first officer in 1990 and subsequently served as a captain, check airman, chief pilot for the LAS Flight Ops Base, and vice president of flight operations.

The company noted that with Drew’s transition, Alan Kasher has been promoted to senior vice president of Air Operations. Previously, he was vice president of Flight Operations.

And, Southwest promoted Bob Waltz to vice president of flight operations. Previously, Waltz was Flight Operations’ senior director of compliance and operations and a Part 119 Certificate chief pilot.

Eggleston joins Sundt as a business development manager

Jeff Eggleston

Jeff Eggleston has joined Sundt Construction’s DFW office as a business development manager, according to a statement.

“Jeff is going to be an important asset to our team in North Texas,” Bob Aniol, vice president and Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Director for Sundt’s Building Group, said in a statement. “He brings diverse experience that will help us in building and maintaining relationships across the Metroplex.”

In his previous roles as a business development representative, Eggleston developed and maintained relationships with clients. He also developed strategic growth plans to align with company goals, managed proposal writing, and led preconstruction meetings and interviews.

Sundt has 50 years and nearly $3 billion of project work throughout Texas, and has offices in Fort Worth, Irving, San Antonio, and El Paso.

Hilltop Securities makes three leadership announcements

AJ Maggio

David Holleran

Jason Lisec

Dallas-based Hilltop Securities Inc. has promoted Jason Lisec and A.J. Maggio to co-heads of its Fixed Income Capital Markets division. It also announced David Holleran has joined the firm as managing director and head of finance and strategy for its Public Finance division.

Lisec and Maggio are expected to focus on building fixed income institutional sales, trading, underwriting and structuring efforts.

Holleran will work with Hilltop’s Public Finance division to develop its core growth strategy and align its regional offices and municipal products, according to a statement.

David Kirkpatrick contributed to this report.

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