University of Texas - Arlington

2012 Honorees

2012 Distinguished Alumni

Shirlee J. Gandy, BA ‘70
President/Owner
RPM Commercial

Shirlee J. Gandy is a real estate investor, developer, and community leader with a passion for public service and historic preservation. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from UT Arlington, she became a political consultant. She later shifted focus to work with nonprofits on behalf of women, children, and those with mental health issues. A former president of the Mental Health Association of Texas, Gandy has devoted many hours to volunteer leadership and served on the boards of numerous organizations. Her revitalization of two historic properties in downtown Fort Worth—now the Ashton Hotel and the Ashton Depot—earned her many awards in the community, including Downtown Fort Worth Inc.’s Trailblazer Award and Safe Haven’s 2010 Legacy of Women in Business. She also received the J.C. Penney Golden Deed Award for her work as founding director of the Infant Formula Program at the First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth.

Charles H. Goodman, BS ‘64
Senior Vice President, Research and Environmental Policy – Retired
Southern Company, Atlanta Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama

Charles Goodman had a long career in electric utility research and development at Southern Company before retiring in 2007. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Arlington State College (now UT Arlington), he went on to earn advanced degrees at Tulane University. He began his career as a senior research engineer in 1971 with Southern Company, which owns electric utilities in four southeastern states and is one of the country’s largest producers of electricity. Advancing through leadership positions, Dr. Goodman retired as senior vice president of research and environmental policy. He is a former member of the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences Board on Energy and Environmental Systems. In 2006 he received the Pitt Award, an international honor for innovation in coal conversion. He served many years on the Electric Power Research Institute’s Research Advisory Committee and was chair of its Environment Sector Council. He is a member of the College of Engineering board of advisers.

David L. Hunn, BS ‘78, MS ‘80, Ph.D. ‘92
Chief Scientist and Director, Technical Staff
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control

David Hunn is the chief scientist and director of the technical staff at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, he received his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering, all from UT Arlington. The West Texas Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers named him its Engineer of the Year in 2001. For the past several years, his research has focused on development of lightweight armor and novel blast mitigation strategies for military vehicles. In 2009 Dr. Hunn was selected Inventor of the Year by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, and he received the Technical Innovation Award from Lockheed Martin Corp. In 2011 he won the Louis and Edith Zernow Award presented by the International Ballistic Society. In 2012 he received Lockheed Martin’s Nova award for outstanding team performance for the Warrior Armed Fighting Vehicle capture activity. He has received 12 patents, with seven pending.

Curtis R. Kayem, BA ‘66
President
Tex-Isle Supply, Inc. Houston

Curtis Kayem is president of Tex-Isle Supply, Inc., a third-generation oilfield supply and manufacturing company founded in 1959. He is also president of Diamond K Production, LLC, an oil and gas production company. After earning his bachelor’s degree in political science, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1967 to 1971. He then joined his father in the family business, eventually becoming president in 1980. Under his leadership, Tex-Isle Supply has expanded dramatically with locations throughout the United States and continues to be an industry leader. Kayem has served on numerous boards, including Park National Bank, Sunbelt National Bank, the UT Arlington Alumni Association board, and the Endowment Board of The Kinkaid School in Houston. A noted philanthropist, he supports Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, UT Austin’s Visual and Fine Arts Center, and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. He and his wife, Kelly, were founding members of Northwood Montessori School.

Wayne Watts, BBA ‘76
Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel
AT&T

Wayne Watts, senior executive vice president and general counsel at AT&T since 2007, is responsible for all of the corporation’s legal matters. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at UT Arlington before receiving his law degree at SMU. He joined Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. in 1983 as an attorney in Dallas. In 1986 he became general attorney for Southwestern Bell Publications in St. Louis, and two years later he transferred to the mergers and acquisitions staff of SBC’s legal department in St. Louis. In 1989 Watts was named vice president-general attorney and secretary for Southwestern Mobile Systems in Dallas. Throughout his tenure, he has helped lead a series of mergers and acquisitions and wireless operations. He eventually became vice president and assistant general counsel for SBC and moved to a similar position with AT&T when the companies merged. He is a member of the UT Arlington Development Board.

Distinguished Alumni Service Award

E. Dale Martin, BA ‘78
Pediatric Dentist

Dale Martin earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UT Arlington. He went on to earn a dental degree at the UT Dental Branch in Houston and a master’s degree in pediatric specialty at Baylor College of Dentistry. He has practiced pediatric dentistry in the Fort Worth area for more than 25 years. He also received a law degree from SMU, serving as assistant regional counsel for the Social Security Administration and later in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service. Dr. Martin is on staff at Cook Children’s Medical Center, USMD-Fort Worth, Harris HEB, and the Texas Pediatric Surgery Center. He volunteers with the Children’s Oral Health Coalition for Tarrant County and with Arlington’s Boy Scout Troop 380. He has served on the College of Science Advisory Council and the Alumni Association Board of Directors. He and his wife, Julia, established a scholarship for UT Arlington chemistry majors pursuing dentistry careers.

Distinguished International Alumni Award

Pan (Baker) Jiang, EMBA ‘12
Vice President of Hypermarket Operations
Walmart (China) Investment, Co., Ltd.

Baker Jiang earned an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from UT Arlington after working with Walmart China for more than 15 years. As vice president of hypermarket operations for the corporation, he oversees all 369 Walmart and Trustmart stores in 170 Chinese cities. The stores employ more than 80,000 people serving about 700 million customers a year and generate more than $8billion annually in sales. A China native, Jiang is recognized as a pioneer in corporate social responsibility in the retail industry. Since becoming vicepresident, he has been recognized for performance improvement and for rebuilding the human resources promotion procedure. He credits his UT Arlington EMBA professors for providing timely courses about how to lead a team, run a business, maintain ethics, and contribute to the community. He has led more than 20 U.S. delegations on visits to Walmart China. Jiang traveled from China to attend the College of Business commencement ceremony at UT Arlington last spring.

Honorary Distinguished Alumni Award

James D. Spaniolo
President
The University of Texas at Arlington

James D. Spaniolo took office as UT Arlington’s seventh president in February 2004. Under his leadership, the University has been transformed into a vibrant residential campus that forms the nucleus of a growing college town. His administration is widely credited with significantly lifting and improving the profile of the University—boosting enrollment, increasing research expenditures and private philanthropic support, strengthening academic programs, recruiting new faculty, assembling a strong executive team, and constructing major new facilities. Perhaps the most visible evidence of his impact on UT Arlington is the development of the College Park District, a 20-acre, mixed-use community that includes the 7,000-seat College Park Center, a four-acre park, a residence hall, student apartments, retail space, parking facilities, and a welcome center. President Spaniolo also spearheaded efforts to build the expansive Engineering Research Complex, which is anchored by the 234,000-square-foot Engineering Research Building.