March 28, 2016
Stuart Parker, CEO of USAA, will deliver the keynote address at the April 7 Forum on Entrepreneurship Breakfast Series event, held at the Pearl Stable and hosted by the Meadows Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at St. Mary’s University.
Parker, who earned an MBA in Finance from St. Mary’s University in 1995, leads one of America’s leading financial services companies. USAA has served military families since 1922, offering its 11.4 million members insurance, banking, investment products and financial advice and planning services. With its headquarters in San Antonio and offices throughout the United States and Europe, the association owns or manages assets of more than $222 billion.
“The Greehey School of Business is proud to have one of its own, Stuart Parker, cap this year’s Forum Breakfast Series,” said Dean Tanuja Singh, D.B.A. “It’s an inspiration to our current students, who see how far a St. Mary’s education can take them. All our speakers offer a wealth of knowledge and are well-respected thought-leaders in their fields.”
2015-16 Forum on Entrepreneurship Breakfast Series
April 7, 2016: Stuart Parker, CEO of USAA, St. Mary’s alumnus
– Oct. 8, 2015: Tom Kartsotis, founder of Fossil watches and Shinola handcrafted goods
– Nov. 5, 2015: Paula Gold-Williams, interim CEO of CPS Energy, St. Mary’s alumna
– Feb. 11, 2016: Daymond John, founder of FUBU, author, “Shark Tank” TV star
Each event is held at the Pearl Stable of the Historic Pearl Brewery. Registration, networking and breakfast begin at 7 a.m., followed by the program from 8 to 9 a.m.
The purpose of the Forum on Entrepreneurship Breakfast Series is to provide the larger San Antonio community and St. Mary’s University students a forum to hear from some of the most talented entrepreneurs and business leaders in the area as well as around the world. Funds generated from the series support student scholarships and encourage entrepreneurial activities in San Antonio and the region. These breakfasts focus on the interests, opportunities and problems of entrepreneurs, business leaders, researchers, scientists and venture financiers.
“The breakfast speaker series offers the business community an opportunity to hear from some of the most innovative and successful entrepreneurs and business executives in the community and around the country,” said Chris Edelen, St. Mary’s Executive in Residence and Chairman of the Breakfast Series. “This series not only benefits students with scholarship aid, but also gives them and business leaders right here in San Antonio real-life examples of the kinds of leaders they can become.”
The series’ 2015-16 title sponsor is PwC. For information on sponsorship opportunities and purchasing tables and individual tickets, please email Pamela Duffy, CAP-OM, or call 210-436-3124.
More about Stuart Parker
After joining USAA in 1998, Parker led the development of USAA’s financial planning practice and served as president of Financial Planning Services from 2004 to 2007. For the next five years, he led USAA’s Property and Casualty Insurance Group, frequently recognized as a leading insurer for customer service and advocacy. He served as chief financial officer from 2012 until May 2014, when he was named chief operating officer. He became CEO-elect in August 2014.
Before his civilian career, Parker served in the U.S. Air Force for nearly 10 years and flew combat missions during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He entered the EURO-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls. Upon receiving his wings, he was selected as an instructor pilot in the T-38 Talon and became a Wing Flight Examiner. He went on to fly the C-141 Starlifter as an instructor aircraft commander at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina. His final assignment was at the T-38 Pilot Instructor Training School in San Antonio, where he held various staff positions at the Air Training Command’s headquarters.
Parker graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Valdosta State University in Georgia, where he was a distinguished graduate from the Air Force ROTC program.
More about the Meadows Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
The Meadows Center for Entrepreneurial Studies fosters innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity with the intent of empowering executives and students to pave their road to success with an emphasis on the characteristics and values of a Marianist education.
Brother Paul Goelz, S.M., Ph.D., followed his passion for education and entrepreneurship by devoting his life to teaching free enterprise at St. Mary’s University and helping entrepreneurs succeed. He established the Algur H. Meadows Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in 1981 with a grant he obtained from the Meadows Foundation of Dallas, which later was supplemented by a gift from the Gulf Oil Foundation. The academic programs in entrepreneurship focus on the career preparation of students who plan to initiate and operate their own businesses.
Through the Meadows Center, Goelz built a strong relationship with South Texas business professionals who engaged in entrepreneurial activities. In 1986, he developed the Forum on Entrepreneurship Breakfast Series. Every year, four breakfast meetings feature prominent entrepreneurs who share their insights. Past speakers include Colleen Barrett, president emerita and corporate secretary of Southwest Airlines; Gregory J. Goff, president and CEO of Tesoro Corporation; Dick Evans, chairman and CEO of Frost Bank; and Bill Greehey, chairman of NuStar Energy, L.P., and many other local and nationally acclaimed speakers.