The 2024 McCombs Business Outlook focuses on the near- and longer-term intersection of business and geopolitical risk, healthcare, and defense.
Join us as we bring together experts in industry, the economy, and academia for a look at future risks and opportunities. The McCombs School is happy to partner with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas once again for this annual event.
Dean Lillian Mills will host three “Focus on the Future” events at the Fed Bank’s branches in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
Jan. 18 in Dallas: Geopolitical Risk
Feb. 7 in Houston: Healthcare
Feb. 28 in San Antonio: Defense
Register today! Space is limited at each venue, so please register early. For information about purchasing a table, contact alumni@mccombs.utexas.edu.
Jan. 18 | 7:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
7:30 – 8 a.m. Breakfast and networking
8 – 9:30 a.m. Panel discussion
Nearshoring, the Chips Act, and global conflicts were among the top headlines of 2023. Looking ahead to 2024, businesses are making short- and long-term decisions to help address these challenges.
At the first of the three-series Business Outlook events, economic, academic, and industry experts will consider several key questions related to businesses navigating geopolitical risk, as well as where we are in the economic cycle, the 2024 prospects for Texas’ economy, and how businesses are forecasting industry fluctuations and gaining competitive advantage.
George Seay is a seventh-generation Texan from Dallas, married to Gretchen Seay and with six children between them. He attended Highland Park High School, then The University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in history. He earned a J.D., cum laude, from the Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he was president of the SMU Law Review Association and a member of the Order of Barristers. Seay earned an MBA, with a Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence, from the McCombs School of Business. He is also a CFA charterholder.
Seay started his career as a staff aide to Texas Gov. William P. Clements Jr. while in college. He subsequently worked as a staff aide for then-Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger in the George H.W. Bush administration. Following government service, Seay worked for the law firm of Locke Purnell Rain Harrell during the mid-1990s. After a short stint practicing law, he founded the global investment firm Seay Stewardship & Investment Company in 1998, which seven years later became known as Annandale Capital. Annandale provides investment counsel and management to a wide variety of institutional and individual clients, with a focus on global stocks and bonds, as well as all forms of private equity.
Seay has served on many philanthropic and civic boards, including the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum Foundation (as member and president), the Clements Center for National Security at The University of Texas at Austin (chairman), the Texas-Israel Alliance (chairman), the McCombs School of Business Board of Advisors (member and chairman), the Clements Foundation, the Gill Foundation, the New Covenant Foundation, the 7th Generation Foundation (chairman), the Trinity Forum Europe, CAIL, Sky Ranch Ute Trail (founder), Anago Partners (chairman), UTSWMC Foundation Board of Trustees and PAC (chairman), Texas Exes, and many others.
Seay enjoys reading, history, travel, fishing, hunting, and leisure time in Texas and in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado.
Rachel L. Wellhausen is an associate professor of government at The University of Texas at Austin. Her primary field of interest is international political economy, including work on the political economy of international investment, finance, and trade. Wellhausen’s research agenda speaks to developing nations' policy flexibility given economic globalization, and the ways in which international market actors understand and manage resulting political risks.
She has published in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, International Organization, Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, International Studies Quarterly, Quarterly Journal of Political Science, Economics & Politics, Review of International Organizations, Business and Politics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, AEA Papers and Proceedings, and other outlets. She has received research support from the National Science Foundation, the Federal Reserve, the Research Council of Norway, and other sources. Wellhausen received the Best Book Award (2015-2017) from the International Political Economy Society for The Shield of Nationality: When Governments Break Contracts with Foreign Firms (Cambridge University Press 2015). She also received the Michael Wallerstein award for the best paper in political economy (American Political Science Association 2016) and the Mancur Olson award for the best dissertation in political economy (American Political Science Association 2011-2012). You can find her Google Scholar profile here.
At UT, Wellhausen is a faculty affiliate with Innovations for Peace and Development, an interdisciplinary lab that provides mentored research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. She has an appointment in the Business, Government, and Society Department at the McCombs School of Business. She is also an affiliate of the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies and the Center for European Studies.
Externally, she is a researcher with PluriCourts at the University of Oslo on the Project on Compliance Politics and International Investment Disputes. She collaborates with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Center for Indian Country Development and Native partners to address inequitable access to financial services in Native communities. In 2021-2022 she was a visitor at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business in the Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy group. Previously, she was a postdoctoral research associate at the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University.
Wellhausen received a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and holds an M.Sc. with distinction in European political economy transition from the London School of Economics. She is a graduate of the Honors College at the University of Arizona with a B.A. in economics, a B.A. in English with honors, and a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies (Russian studies, German studies, and political science).
Mark A. Wynne is a vice president, associate director of research and director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ Globalization Institute.
Since joining the Dallas Fed in 1989, he has had a variety of responsibilities, including advising the bank’s president on national and international economic conditions prior to meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee, briefing the bank’s board of directors, and leading its international economics group. He has conducted research on the effects of fiscal policy, the drivers of business cycles, inflation measurement, the regional impact of global shocks, the natural rate of interest, and the workings of monetary unions, among other topics. His research has appeared in many of the leading peer-reviewed academic journals and Federal Reserve publications. He co-edited the volume “The Federal Reserve’s Role in the Global Economy: A Historical Perspective” with Michael D. Bordo, which was published by Cambridge University Press in 2016.
Wynne has taught at University College Dublin, the University of Rochester, Southern Methodist University, and The University of Texas at Dallas.
He is a member of the American Economic Association, the European Economic Association, the Econometric Society, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations.
He earned first-class-honors B.A. and M.A. degrees from the National University of Ireland–University College, Dublin, and holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from the University of Rochester.
Feb. 7 | 7:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas - Houston Branch
7:30 – 8 a.m. Breakfast and networking
8 – 9:30 a.m. Panel discussion
Recessionary pressure, high inflation rates, labor shortages, escalating salaries, and continuing COVID-19 repercussions were among the top headlines of 2023. Looking ahead to 2024, businesses are making short- and long-term improvements to help the healthcare industry address these challenges.
At the second of the three-series Business Outlook events, economic, academic, and industry experts will consider several key questions related to the business of healthcare and where we are in the economic cycle, the 2024 prospects for Texas’ economy, and how businesses are forecasting industry fluctuations and gaining competitive advantage.
Ayse McCracken brings a unique combination of business credentials, healthcare industry knowledge, a proven record of success for driving results, and a transformative mindset to companies aspiring to challenge the healthcare status quo.
After serving for three decades as a senior executive in some of the country’s most prominent healthcare systems, McCracken focused her knowledge and energy on businesses seeking to revolutionize the delivery of healthcare, and in 2016 she incorporated eNNOVATE Health Ventures LLC. Today, her company serves as a business adviser to CEOs and executive teams in healthcare systems, medical group practices, and digital health startups positioning for growth in this very dynamic and innovative environment. Supporting her client’s growth strategies in both domestic and international markets, McCracken has gained deep expertise in the digital health space, including technologies using artificial intelligence and natural language processing.
Her past roles include senior vice president of Texas Children’s Hospital and president of Texas Children’s Pediatrics, senior vice president of The Methodist Hospital and COO of The Methodist Hospital Physician Organization, and CEO of Memorial Hermann Medical Group. She has also served as a senior executive at multiple venture-backed companies.
In 2017, McCracken founded IGNITE Healthcare Network, a nonprofit organization that brings together dynamic women executives interested in shaping the future of healthcare. IGNITE’s Annual Fire Pitch Competition is one of a few national events supporting women leading startup companies poised to transform the industry. McCracken is an adviser at TMCx and a board member of the nonprofit BakerRipley. She has previously served on the boards of the YMCA of Greater Houston and Texas Children’s Insurance Company, and as a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners.
McCracken received an MBA from the McCombs School of Business. She received a bachelor’s degree in business/accounting from Louisiana State University. A lifelong student, McCracken has attended programs at Harvard University’s School of Public Health and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, leveraging her learning to make greater contributions to her clients and employers.
Indranil Bardhan is the Foster Parker Centennial Professor of Management for the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He teaches courses in the MBA program and the M.S. at UT’s Dell Medical School.
Bardhan is a distinguished fellow of the INFORMS Information Systems Society. His work focuses on healthcare analytics, digital health innovation, and the economic impact of information technology, and it involves close collaboration with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Dell Medical School.
His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the UT Health system and has won seven best paper or runner-up awards. He currently serves as senior editor at Information Systems Research and associate editor at Management Science. He previously served as senior editor at MIS Quarterly and co-editor of a special issue on “The Role of Information Systems and Analytics in Chronic Disease Management."
Luis Torres joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in March 2022 as a senior business economist. Based at the San Antonio Branch, Torres performs research and analysis on issues affecting Texas, Mexico, and the U.S.-Mexico border.
Torres received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico. He received a master’s in economics from The University of Texas at El Paso, where his dissertation received honors. He later earned a scholarship to participate in the American Economic Association’s Ph.D. Summer Minority Program. His Ph.D. is from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he specialized in international economics and econometrics. During his doctoral studies, he worked at the El Paso Branch of the Dallas Fed. From 1995 to 2012, he was with Banco de México in the research and institutional liaison departments. Prior to joining the Fed, he served as a research economist at the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University, studying regional economies, developing economic indicators, and researching real estate markets.
Torres has taught classes and seminars at U.S. and Mexican universities, as well as in national and international forums. He has published articles in academic and nonacademic publications about regional economies, international economics, real estate, trade, and applied econometrics.
Feb. 28 | 7:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas - San Antonio Branch
7:30 – 8 a.m. Breakfast and networking
8 – 9:30 a.m. Panel discussion
At the third of the three-series Business Outlook events, economic, academic, and industry experts will consider several key questions related to the business of defense as well as where are we in the economic cycle, the 2024 prospects for Texas’ economy, and how businesses are forecasting industry fluctuations and gaining competitive advantage.
Paul Edgar is the executive director of the Clements Center for National Security at The University of Texas at Austin. He holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern languages and cultures from The University of Texas and studies the historical origins of diplomacy, war, and strategy in pre-classical antiquity. He is also a philologist of several ancient languages. As a graduate student, he was a fellow in the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Engaged Scholar Program and also with the Clements Center. Prior to beginning work on his Ph.D., Edgar had been an Olmsted Foundation scholar at Tel Aviv University, where he studied for a master’s degree, focusing on early Israelite and Jewish literature from the Iron Age through the Crusades. Previously, Edgar earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Saint Mary’s University. His public writing has appeared in Foreign Policy, Task & Purpose, and Capital Commentary. He is currently finishing his first book, an international diplomatic history of the Late Bronze Age.
Before entering academia, Edgar served for more than 22 years as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, beginning as a platoon leader in South Korea and then in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He commanded an airborne company in Vicenza, Italy, deploying in support of numerous contingency and training operations throughout Europe and North Africa. He first deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom I as a security adviser to Vice Adm. John Scott Redd in the Coalition Provisional Authority. Edgar returned to Iraq during the 2006-2007 surge, serving as an infantry battalion operations and executive officer, conducting counterinsurgency and combat operations in Fallujah and South Babil Province. In 2008-2009, as an infantry brigade operations officer, he deployed to Afghanistan and conducted counterinsurgency operations in Paktika, Paktia, and Khost provinces.
After returning from Afghanistan, Edgar served as the executive assistant to the commander of the Kingdom of Jordan’s Special Operations Command. He then commanded 4th Battalion, 3rd Infantry in The Old Guard, where he supported official ceremonies and provided security for the president of the United States and other senior civilian, military, and foreign officials. In that capacity, Edgar also supervised the Sentinel Platoon that guards the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. In his final assignment for the Army, Edgar was the political adviser for Israeli affairs to the United States Security Coordinator in Jerusalem. He served as a liaison with senior Israeli civilian and military officials to ensure that the government of Israel was aware of all U.S. efforts to train and equip the Palestinian Security Forces.
Edgar is fluent in modern Israeli Hebrew and is trained to read and conduct research in Akkadian, Hittite, Middle Egyptian, Classical Hebrew, Ugaritic, Aramaic, Syriac, Sumerian, and German.
Luis Torres joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in March 2022 as a senior business economist. Based at the San Antonio Branch, Torres performs research and analysis on issues affecting Texas, Mexico, and the U.S.-Mexico border.
Torres received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico. He received a master’s in economics from The University of Texas at El Paso, where his dissertation received honors. He later earned a scholarship to participate in the American Economic Association’s Ph.D. Summer Minority Program. His Ph.D. is from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he specialized in international economics and econometrics. During his doctoral studies, he worked at the El Paso Branch of the Dallas Fed. From 1995 to 2012, he was with Banco de México in the research and institutional liaison departments. Prior to joining the Fed, he served as a research economist at the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University, studying regional economies, developing economic indicators, and researching real estate markets.
Torres has taught classes and seminars at U.S. and Mexican universities, as well as in national and international forums. He has published articles in academic and nonacademic publications about regional economies, international economics, real estate, trade, and applied econometrics.
Colonel (Retired) Dennis McGowan serves as the Chief of Acquisition and Contracting to U.S. Army North. Dennis, retired from the Army in 2017, started and ran Federal Procurement Consulting for three years, and returned to government service as an Army Civilian in 2021. He is responsible for ensuring commercial solutions effectively and efficiently meet the requirements of Army North as the command carries out Homeland Defense and Support of Civil Authorities missions from the Arctic to the southern tip of Mexico. As an Army officer, Dennis commanded at numerous levels, culminating with Army Contracting Command Afghanistan, where he was ultimately responsible for the performance of 35,000 contractors. Dennis earned an MA from the National War College in Resourcing National Strategy, an MBA from Naval Postgraduate School and BA in Psychology from UMASS Dartmouth.
Dean Lillian Mills joined the McCombs School of Business in 2006, and during the past 15 years, she has been a top-ranked researcher and a nationally renowned and award-winning classroom educator. She garnered the prestigious Outstanding Accounting Educator Award from the American Accounting Association in 2023.
In 2019, Mills was the first recipient of the McCombs Undergraduate Amplify Award, a student-managed award designed to recognize faculty members who foster highly inclusive classrooms and improve learning outcomes. From 2011 to 2015, she served as chair of the Accounting Department, which has been ranked the No. 1 program in the country by U.S. News & World Report for the past 17 years. Since 2014, she has held the Beverly H. and William P. O’Hara Chair in Business.
Mills served as the Stanley Surrey senior research fellow at the U.S. Treasury Department in the Office of Tax Analysis and as an assistant and associate professor of accounting at the University of Arizona from 1997 to 2005. She also practiced professionally with two national CPA firms from 1981 to 1989.