About the Series
The Meadows Center for Entrepreneurial Studies promotes and encourages entrepreneurial thought, business and activities locally, regionally and nationally.
The purpose of the Forum on Entrepreneurship Series is to offer the larger San Antonio community, high school students, and students of St. Mary’s University a forum to hear from some of the most talented individuals in industry and government. Funds generated from the series support student scholarships and encourage entrepreneurial activities in San Antonio and the region. The Forum on Entrepreneurship Series attracts two to three hundred attendees to its bi-monthly events.
Great leaders who have served as speakers include:
- Mark Medici, Publisher and CEO, San Antonio Express-News, Hearst Central Texas Media
- Linda Ratner, President of Ratner consulting group
- April Ancira, Vice President of Ancira Auto Group
- Graham Weston, Entrepreneur, Former Founder, CEO and Chairman of Rackspace Hosting, Inc.
- Preston Woolfolk, CEO, DOCUmation
- Hunter Woolfolk, CEO, DOCUmation
- Brigadier General Laura L. Lenderman, United States Air Force
- Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, President and CEO, greater:SATX
- Jim Sinegal, co-founder, Costco Wholesale
- Lanham Napier, co-founder and CEO, BuildGroup
- Chad McNair, CEO, McNair Java Partners, LLC
- Kellie Fischer, executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club
- Robert Kaplan, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
- Lynda Ellis, owner, president and CEO of Capital Concierge
- James Garvin, Ph.D., CEO, president and director of CytoBioScience, Inc.
- Dennis Noll, CEO of San Antonio Area Foundation
- Bryant Ambelang, president and CEO of NatureSweet Brands LTD
- Mike Howard, chairman and CEO of Howard Midstream Energy Partners, LLC
- Shannon Schuyler, principal, chief purpose officer and corporate responsibility leader of PwC and president of PwC Charitable Foundation
- Adam L. Hamilton, P.E., president of Southwest Research Institute
- Stuart Parker (M.B.A. ’95), CEO of USAA
- Daymond John, founder and CEO of FUBU apparel, author and marketing and branding judge for ABC’s Shark Tank
- Paula Gold-Williams (B.B.A. ’84), CEO of CPS Energy
- Tom Kartsotis, founder of Fossil and Shinola
- Bill Greehey, chairman of NuStar Energy, L.P.
- Kelly S. King, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Truist Financial Corporation
- Randy Harig, CEO of Texas Research & Technology Foundation and VelocityTX
- Brad Barron, President and CEO, NuStar Energy, L.P.
- Angela Yochem, EVP and Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Novant Health
- Andrew Endicott, Co-founder and General Partner, Gilgamesh Ventures
- Lorenzo Gomez III, community builder, author and public speaker, former director of Rackspace
- Jacqueline Darna, CEO and medical inventor of the NoMo Nausea, NoMo Migraine and NoMo Sleepless Nights
- Craig Boyan, President of H-E-B
- Anna M. Alvarado, Managing Director, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, Texas Capital Bank
- Randy Smith, Co-Founder and CEO, Weston Urban
- Cat Dizon, Co-founder and COO, Active Capital
- Kate Rogers, Executive Director of Alamo Trust
- Michael Kiolbassa, CEO of Kiolbassa Provision Company
Past Speakers
Forum Speakers
Kasey Vanacek
President and Franchisee Owner, Alamo Restaurants, Inc., Salata Salad Kitchen
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Witte Museum, Dawson Family Hall
7 to 8 a.m., Networking
8 to 9 a.m., Program
Registration coming soon.
Kasey Vanacek is the President of Alamo Restaurants, Inc., leading two hospitality brands across San Antonio and Austin: Alamo Cafe, a 45 year family-owned San Antonio institution and eight Salata Salad Kitchen franchise locations, with their ninth location opening in New Braunfels later this year.
A second-generation operator, Vanacek is carrying a legacy forward while building the people, systems and standards that allow a brand to grow without losing what made it special in the first place.
Vanacek’s leadership philosophy is simple: You don’t build a business, you build people and people build the business. She’s committed to creating an environment where it’s safe to learn, where teams can own mistakes without fear, get coached with respect and keep moving forward. She believes the job of a leader is to raise people up through their strengths, not punish them for their weaknesses, so accountability and encouragement can coexist and to progress stays the goal, not perfection.
A proud San Antonian and a graduate of Oklahoma State University’s Hotel and Restaurant Administration program, Vanacek shares candidly about leading in real time through growth, pressure and the dynamics of family business grounded in integrity and the belief that when the leader gets better, everyone gets better.
About Vanacek
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Sponsorship Opportunities
To renew your sponsorship, become a new Forum on Entrepreneurship Sponsor, or for additional information about attending, contact forum@stmarytx.edu or 210-436-3124.
Forum Sponsors
Title Sponsorship
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Friends of the Forum
- Jon and Kathy Crumley
- Paul Hensley
- Beth Hair and Scott Dickinson
Venue Sponsor
Board of Directors
President
Paul Hensley, HOLT CAT
Chairman
Sergio Palacios, Ph.D., St. Mary’s University
Vice President-Speakers
Hector Hernandez, Hernandez Financial Strategies, LLC
Vice President-Sponsors
Beth Hair, Vaco
Treasurer
TBA
Secretary
Pamela A. Luna, St. Mary’s University
Members
- Lane Allen, Encore Bank
- Rhonda Calvert, Community Volunteer
- Jon Crumley, Retired, PwC
- Violeta Diaz, Ph.D., St. Mary’s University
- Tres Doran, KPMG LLP
- Chris C. Edelen, Advisor, Consultant and Investor
- Tamra Farris, Comerica Bank
- Paul Garro, St. Therese Province of the Discalced Carmelite Friars
- Collette Kernaghan, Calvetti Ferguson
- Jeffrey Landers, Third Coast Bank
- Shari Mao, Jackson Walker
- Clint Munsell, Forvis Mazars
- Rowena Ortiz-Walters, Ph.D., St. Mary’s University