"The University of Dallas is positioned to reshape graduate business education," said Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business Dean Brett J. L. Landry. Aside from being the business college's chief academic officer since 2016, the information technology veteran is a professor of cybersecurity — and even a "certified ethical hacker."

His experience and credentials, according to D CEO magazine, are why Landry was recently named to the fourth annual 2019 edition of the Dallas 500, a listing of Dallas/Fort Worth's most powerful business leaders as determined by the publication's editors. Not only does the honor place him on a distinguished list of business deans, it also places Landry alongside the likes of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, retired energy giant T. Boone Pickens, former President George W. Bush and many others.

"What an honor it is to be named among the best business leaders in Dallas/Fort Worth," said Landry. "Within our business programs, students are equipped with the moral depth and intellectual intensity necessary to meet any future challenges across a breadth of industries. My nomination to the Dallas 500 is proof of the hard-earned success of our many business executives who have come out of the University of Dallas' Gupta College of Business."

University of Dallas alumna Ellen Barker, MBA '94, senior vice president and chief information officer of Texas Instruments, also earned recognition in the 2019 Dallas 500 listing, marking her third year to be featured in the publication. The honor places Barker among a notable list of chief information and technology executives working within Dallas/Fort Worth's technology sector at companies such as Toyota Motor North America, FedEx Services and American Airlines.

University of Dallas alumnus and former trustee as well as 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award winner Chris Bright, BA '78, was also featured in this year's Dallas 500. A recognized leader in real estate, Bright is CEO of the Dallas-based commercial firm Bright Realty. He has directed the firm’s real estate activities through hundreds of projects in which it has been a development, equity or lending partner. Bright’s civic engagement includes serving on the board of directors for A Weekend to Wipe Out Cancer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas and the McKinney Avenue Trolley Association.

Several other university alumni have been named to the Dallas 500 in recent years, including Gary Blankenship, MBA '83, chairman and CEO of the Bank of the West; Kyle Rogers, MBA '11, risk manager of HollyFrontier; and the late Margaret McDermott, university benefactor and former University of Dallas Board of Trustees member.

"For the past six months, the editors of D CEO magazine have been busy culling business data and reaching out to our extended networks to identify executives we believe to be at the top of their game in 57 prominent industries," said Brandon J. Call, managing editor. "In the end, 352 of last year's Dallas 500 were brought back. Meanwhile, 148 are new to this year's edition."

The Dallas 500 is a special annual publication produced by the editors of D CEO (the award-winning business title of D Magazine Partners). The annual listing features personal, insightful profiles of the 500 most influential leaders in North Texas. D CEO editors compile the list based on extensive contacts in local business circles, hundreds of interviews, and months of research.