University Announces Interim Provost for Coming Academic Year
Economics Chair, Accomplished Scholar, Community Leader, Devoted Teacher Takes Leading Role at UD
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The Satish & Yasmin Gupta Hall of Fame is celebrated each year with an evening of reconnecting, embracing and reminiscing for the inductees. Each inductee is presented with an award to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to celebrate the many accomplishments of our alumni and supporters.
The ceremony is a place for friends, family and colleagues to celebrate the accomplishments of the award recipients.
Former President & CEO of Atco Rubber Products, Fort Worth
Founder of The Ramesh and Kalpana Bhatia Family Foundation
In 1978, Ramesh Bhatia, Manager of Special Projects, led the move of Atco Rubber Products and its 50 employees from Grand Haven, Michigan, to Fort Worth, Texas. While he would call it a calculated risk, the years proved the wisdom of the decision. When he retired as CEO 40 years later, Bhatia was proud of the journey to success. Today, Atco boasts nearly 1,500 employees and sells products in more than 35 countries. While pursuing his MBA at the University of Dallas, Bhatia learned strategies to develop Atco’s supply chain management system and rapid response with an overnight delivery network, leading the company to become the largest flexible duct manufacturer in the world.
Ramesh immigrated to New York from India with a degree in mechanical engineering and little money. Surviving on $1 per day, he ultimately found a job in an engineering consulting firm that valued his potential and loyalty. By recognizing his enthusiasm and motivation, the company provided him with project management opportunities in countries around the globe. Shortly after, he was recruited by Atco.
Today, he and his wife dedicate their time to The Ramesh and Kalpana Bhatia Family Foundation, which they founded in 2006 and is dedicated to making an impactful change around the world, funding innovative solutions and programs that enrich communities and serve the common good.
Professor Emeritus of Management
Professor Bruce Evans came to the University of Dallas when the Graduate School of Management was newly formed and has served the university longer than any other business faculty. With the support of Dean Robert Lynch, Evans created the Capstone Experience, which provides MBA student teams with real-life opportunities to examine significant strategic problems posed by chief executives of major and mid-sized companies. With 192 capstones taught, Evans has proven to be a genuinely formational leader, impacting hundreds of students’ lives as they took what they learned in the classroom into their professional careers, remembering him to this day. A supporter of the UD community, Evans took part in life on campus, engaging students in tennis competitions, table tennis or entertaining with his clarinet. His band, Sound Judgment, has played at the President’s Reception, Cotillion Ball, staff Christmas lunch, and Alumni and Family Weekend. Prior to his UD career, Evans worked as a reinsurance underwriter at CIGNA, followed by a position as vice president of reinsurance at Transport Insurance. He earned his MBA from the University of Michigan and his undergraduate degree from Kent State University.
Chief Executive Officer, PediaPlex
Sonia Kirkpatrick is the founder and CEO of PediaPlex LLC, “an all-inclusive diagnostic and therapeutic clinic offering speech therapy, occupational therapy, feeding therapy and ABA therapy.” Their mission is to help children and families affected by a variety of disorders, including ADHD, autism, and communication, sensory-motor, mental health and learning disabilities. With centers around the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Kirkpatrick has created “a supportive community for children on the autism spectrum and their families.” She is also the CEO of VanDMC LLC, a full-service digital marketing agency based in Dallas/Fort Worth. Endorsed by her colleagues and members of her network, her skills include strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and accounting. The University of Dallas awarded her the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013. She also serves on the Gupta College of Business Advisory Board and has been an alumna speaker at several of UD’s commencement events as well as a panelist on the Women in Business Leadership Panel. In the wider community, Kirkpatrick serves on the board for the Hill School of Fort Worth, the advisory committee for Parker University’s American Occupational Therapy Association program, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History Advisory ASD Board. In 2017, she was the keynote commencement speaker for Parker University Health Sciences.
Learn about our past Hall of Fame Inductees.
Economics Chair, Accomplished Scholar, Community Leader, Devoted Teacher Takes Leading Role at UD
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