MBA Advisory Board Members
Abbey Davis
Chair
Abbey Davis is the Corporate Compensation Analyst for a family of underground construction companies at Charles Machines Works. Abbey joined Charles Machine Works in July of 2016 after spending five years in the oil and gas industry. Abbey has worked in many different areas of Human Resources including recruiting, compensation, employee relations and business services. She enjoys helping employers determine the most effective strategies to help attract, motivate and retain talent through effective talent management and total rewards programs.
Abbey received her Bachelors of Science in Business Management with a concentration in Human Resources in 2008 and received her MBA in 2011, both from Oklahoma State. While getting her MBA, Abbey worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Affirmative Action for OSU. Abbey is a certified Human Resources Professional and is also a member of RISE (ReMerge Individuals Supporting Empowerment). RISE supports the nonprofit ReMerge with their vision to provide women with children facing non-violent crimes an opportunity for treatment and rehabilitation to reduce the rate at which women are incarcerated in Oklahoma County and interrupt the cycle of intergenerational incarceration and poverty.
Dan Howard
Past Chair
Dan is the Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel for a start-up telecommunications software company, 46 Labs LLC, where he oversees day-to-day operations and is assisting the company in obtaining mezzanine level funding. In addition to his work with this new venture, Dan has been practicing law for over fifteen years, most recently at the firm Rubenstein & Pitts. Dan’s legal practice includes business formation, contracts, securities, and intellectual property issues. Dan holds a Bachelor of Science in Computing and Information Sciences, an MBA from Oklahoma State University and a Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University graduating Magna Cum Laude.
Dan began his legal career as an associate attorney in the business litigation department of McKinney & Stringer, a 100 attorney multi-specialty practice, where he worked for two years before opening his own firm and, subsequently, joining R&P. Before entering the practice of law, Dan was the co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of ThinkFast Enterprises Inc., a Kansas City consulting and marketing services firm. Prior to that, Dan pursued a career in the Information Technology field working for H&R Block as Group Manager and Cerner Corporation, the world’s largest supplier of electronic medical records technology, as Managing Director of their supply chain management division. Upon completing his undergraduate degree, Dan worked at the Oklahoma State University Foundation as the Coordinator of Computer Services.
Dan has served on multiple corporate and non-profit boards. He is active with the OSU College of Business MBA Advisory Board and is on the OSU Board of Governors.
In his free time, Dan enjoys hiking, mountain biking and spending time with his three children.
Shawn Hollopeter
Secretary
Shawn Hollopeter served as both MBA president and MBA Ambassador for the first graduating class from the Watson Graduate School of Management. Upon receiving his MBA in May 2013, Shawn accepted a position as the Procurement Lead for a $60M+ organization at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
After several years he transitioned back to Oklahoma City where he is currently a Certified Federal Contract Manager and Subcontracts Administrator for the KC-10 program at the Northrop Grumman Corporation. Shawn’s day-to-day activities include negotiating with national suppliers and collaborating with some of the nation’s top engineers. In his free time he enjoys being an active member of the National Contract Management Association, cooking, yoga, and playing racquetball.
Ann Dyer
Chair Elect
Ann Dyer is a Managing Director at Accenture, a global management consulting and professional services company which provides strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations services. She has responsibility for the Communications, Media & High Tech Industry - South Region Client Portfolio.
Ann has over 29 years’ experience in working with clients on strategic transformation programs. She has helped clients with strategic program planning, budgeting and execution of governance required to drive outcomes. She began her career in Tulsa with Arthur Andersen as a Business Analyst in their Consulting Division, which eventually spun off into what is now called Accenture. Ann spent the majority of her career focused on helping clients improve operations and systems capabilities in their Revenue Cycle, starting with Sales, through Order Fulfillment to Cash Receipt.
Ann serves on United Way’s Ground Floor Committee that screens and provides grant funding support to non-profit start up’s with a social purpose. She provides mentoring to the grant recipients on strategic launch planning, setting budgets, KPIs and definition of operational processes. Previously, Ann served on the Dallas Regional Chamber - Recruiting Committee to identify, assess and target companies for relocation to the DFW market.
Ann is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. During her undergraduate studies, Ann was also a student athlete and Big-8 Champion. She also received her MBA at Oklahoma State in Finance. Ann stays active with Oklahoma State and is on the Board of Governors for the OSU Foundation. She also serves on the MBA Advisory Board, Executive Committee.
Ann lives in Dallas, Texas and loves the outdoors. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, camping and growing vegetables & herbs.
Jai Rajendran
Vice President
Roger Lumley
Vice President
Roger Lumley, of Kansas City, MO, is a Senior Vice President – Commercial Banking Team Leader for Citizens Bank & Trust. “My role at Citizen’s Bank involves client development and offering a broad range of banking services to middle-market companies with annual revenues of $25 million or more located in the lower Midwest. As I manage a team of relationship managers engaged in new business development, I will supervise and act as a catalyst for growth of the core commercial and industrial business of the bank. Our focus is on developing client trust, long-lasting business relationships and partnerships, and delivering superior performance because of our local senior management decision making capabilities.”
Roger’s career spans 37-years in commercial banking, leveraged lending/structured finance and M&A, energy finance, and providing other banking solutions to clients in the Midwest and Southwest regions of the U.S. He has a solid history of building and managing commercial banking teams and business units from the ground up. His banking career involves successful terms at Bank of Boston in Dallas (acquired by Bank of America), Mercantile Bank (acquired by Firstar Bank/US Bank), M&I Bank in Kansas City, and Bank of the West in Kansas City. Business experience outside of banking also included JE Dunn Construction and BKD, LLP in Kansas City.
A Tulsa, OK native, Roger earned both his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Degree and his MBA from Oklahoma State University. He was selected as a “distinguished MBA Alumnus” of the Spears School of Business and featured in the book: MBA Preferred – Celebrating 50-Years, Profiles of Distinguished MBA Alumni at Oklahoma State University in April 2011. He also served as a member of the Spears School of Business Alumni Society Board and is a member of the OSU Watson Graduate School of Management MBA Advisory Board.
His civic involvements in the Kansas City area include: serving as a Director of Hope House, a domestic violence shelter; a sponsor and past event co-chair for Parkinson Foundation-Heartland; and a sponsor for Dramatic Truth School of the Arts Ballet Academy. He is also a member and involved in the Kansas City Chapters of Association for Corporate Growth and Financial Executives International.
Sarah Burwell
Vice President
BS in Journalism Broadcasting (Advertising) from Oklahoma State, 2009
MBA from Oklahoma State, 2011
Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
Jennifer Slatnick (Stith)
Vice President
David Burwell
Vice President
Business Management Professional, Sandia National Laboratories
BS in Accounting from Oklahoma State, 2008
MBA from Oklahoma State, 2010
Oklahoma natives, Sarah and David Burwell moved to New Mexico to work for Sandia National Laboratories in 2011. Sarah has found and pursued a passion for project management, primarily in support of the Homeland Security mission, while David focuses his efforts supporting the Nuclear Weapons program. Both are committed to the Labs’ mission to solve complex national security problems and in doing so, are able to find a balance between work, home, and community life. Outside of work, Sarah and David are avid travelers, outdoor adventurers, and equestrians (well, David watches from the sideline). They spend most of their free time exploring as much of New Mexico as possible with their two dogs, Myrtle and Truman.
Nick Kila
Matt Clifton
Matt Clifton is Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Senior Star Management Company. In this role, Mr. Clifton serves as a member of the Executive Committee and oversees the Company’s Finance, Accounting and Business Development functions.
Prior to joining Senior Star in 2012, Mr. Clifton spent 8 years in commercial banking as a Senior Vice President with MidFirst Bank and JPMorgan Chase focusing on manufacturing, real estate, debt syndications, and portfolio management. Additionally, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Victory Energy Operations, an industrial equipment manufacture, for 6 years.
Mr. Clifton earned both a B.S. in Finance and an MBA from Oklahoma State University. He currently serves as a founding Board member of the Green Country Treasury Management Association. Additionally, he is active in the Boy Scouts of America, the Tulsa Area United Way, and his family’s church. Mr. Clifton is a graduate of Leadership Tulsa, and he was previously selected by the Tulsa Business Journal for the Tulsa 40 under 40.
Matt is a native Oklahoman and currently lives in the Owasso area with his wife and their three children.
Matthew O’Brien
Matthew O'Brien is Vice President Emeritus and former Chief Financial Officer for Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Corporation subsidiary which operates Sandia National Laboratories. He is Owner & President of M.J. O’Brien and Associates LLC, a Business Consulting Firm. He serves the federal and private sectors, focusing on financial analysis and business process improvement. His clientele includes: Deloitte Consulting, Lockheed Martin, Sandia National Laboratories, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Before joining Sandia National Laboratories as CFO, Matt held numerous executive positions in business and finance at Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Matt previously served as a Board Member and Treasurer for both Leadership New Mexico, Inc. and The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. He was an Executive Advisor to the Corporate Cornerstone Council of United Way and Executive Sponsor for the American Indian Outreach Council at Sandia. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Pines Condominium Association in Keystone, Colorado and as Chairman of the Oklahoma State University MBA Advisory Board. He is a member of the OSU Spears School of Business Associates and is a Charter Member of the Spears School Mentor Protégé Program.
Matt has been recognized by Oklahoma State University Spears School of Business as a top 100 graduate of the last 100 years and by the Oklahoma State University Watson Graduate School of Management as a Top 50 Graduate for the past 50 years.
A resident of Littleton, Colorado, Mr. O’Brien holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Missouri, and a B.S. in Management and an MBA from Oklahoma State University.
Dag Yemenu
Dag Yemenu is a Senior Vice President at ISN - a leading contractor and supplier management company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Dag’s role includes leading strategic initiatives at ISN to enhance operational risk management for customers in capital intensive industries.
Prior to his current role, he held leadership positions in the company’s various operational groups in the U.S. and abroad, including ISN’s Review and Verification Services, Analytics and Contractor Operations groups. Before joining ISN, Dag held engineering positions in the power generation and aviation industries.
Dag has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and obtained a master’s degree in industrial engineering & management and an MBA, both from Oklahoma State University.
Dag lives with his wife and three children in Dallas, Texas.
Matt Fedick
Matt Fedick joined Canvas Technology as the Operations Manager in February of 2017. Canvas Technology is a tech startup that designs and manufactures vision-based autonomous robots used in warehouse and production environments.
Mr. Fedick’s operational portfolio for the last six years since finishing his MBA consists of over 565,000 square feet of indoor warehousing, 700 acres of outdoor laydown space, 100+ team members, and $20 million in revenue annually at multiple sites nationwide. He has proven his ability to innovate, create, develop, and sustain both in new ventures and established organizations. These efforts have led to industry wide process changes producing dramatic cost savings, safer practices, and customer satisfaction.
Mr. Fedick brings seven years of experience in supply chain logistics, inventory, and transloading to the Canvas Technology team. His experience prior to joining Canvas Technology includes work with Schenker Logistics and the Commercial Resins Co. (CRC) and Innovative Distribution Services (IDS) group.
Shannon Boynton
Matt Hull
Matt Hull is a 2003 MBA Graduate from Oklahoma State University. He started his career with Edward Jones in January of 2000. During his tenure with Edward Jones Matt has served in different leadership roles within the firm focusing on the recruiting and training of new financial advisors. He currently serves his customers from his office in Stillwater. In 2009 he received the CFP® certification.
From 2005 until 2017 Matt taught an Investments course as an adjunct lecturer for the department of finance for the Spears School of Business.
Over the last decade, Matt has been active in Stillwater community by volunteering and serving on several boards, some of which include Stillwater Medical Center Foundation, The Saville Center, Stillwater Public Library Finance Committee, Arts and Humanities Council, Stillwater Activity Foundation Endowment (S.A.F.E.) and the Stillwater Rotary Club.
Matt is pleased to be a part of the MBA advisory board for one main reason. Matt feels that his MBA education at OSU combined with faculty interaction and a strong group of peers was one of the most influential periods of his life. From that experience he feels it important to give back and share the experience with future students.
Chris Davis
Chris Davis is VP Operations at The Burgess Companies – the controlling arm of several businesses within the Housing and Development sector. Prior to this role, Chris led the Marketing and Special Projects group for Burgess before transitioning into Operations.
Chris received a BS Marketing and a BA Psychology in 2008 and later went on to receive his MBA from Oklahoma State University in 2010.
Chris resides in Plano, TX with his wife Jordan, an OSU Alumna of the Accounting Program and current Senior Manager of International Tax at KPMG. Together they have a young daughter, Hazel, and two fur-children named Razz and Segen. In his free time, Chris enjoys chasing down pars on the golf course and enjoying the outdoors in every way.
Scott Tierney