Spring 2021
What's New
Exciting changes for Texas Woman’s College of Business are underway with the selection of Rama Yelkur, DBA, as the next dean. She begins her duties on June 1, and you can read more about her impressive background below.

The faculty and staff of the college extend their gratitude to inaugural dean James Lumpkin, PhD, who has been a vigorous advocate for the needs of the college. Dr. Lumpkin’s experienced direction has helped the college to expand enrollment, develop needed infrastructure, hire talented faculty in crucial areas, foster scholarship excellence and create significant progress toward AACSB accreditation. We wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.

In keeping with our reputation for excellence, TWU ranked #10 on the Master’s in Healthcare Administration: The Top 15 Schools in 2021 list by Best Value Schools.
News
TWU taps NY faculty leader as College of Business dean
Texas Woman’s University has selected Rama Yelkur, a longtime faculty leader, professor, accomplished marketing and international business expert and board member — with a strong background in long-range planning, community outreach and fundraising — to head the College of Business.
TWU celebrates graduates with drive-thru ceremonies
Texas Woman’s held several unique drive-thru commencement ceremonies May 1 at Heavy Construction Systems Specialists in Sugar Land and May 7-8 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for its 2021 May graduates. It was a great way to safely celebrate and honor this important milestone for all students.
Students will learn the importance of money management through new initiatives
With 7 in 10 Americans having less than $1,000 in their savings accounts and the average household credit card debt totaling $16,883, it is no wonder that money consistently ranks as one of the top sources of individual stress. TWU has plans to change those statistics, starting with providing financial education programs and services to teach students money management skills they can use now and in the future.
Student Spotlight
Business graduate develops leadership skills and finds mentorship at TWU
May 2021 graduate Jokabeth Castañeda believes that the key to leadership is connecting with others. That is exactly what she has done with the leadership opportunities the university provided, giving her the insight and skills needed to start her career.
Faculty and Staff Accomplishments


Alumni Spotlight
TWU alumna’s booming business venture grew out of class project
A sweet business idea that first earned TWU alumna Merrilee Kick an “A” on her Executive MBA capstone project has led to a highly successful venture, BuzzBallz/Southern Champion, which has become the only woman-owned Distillery/Winery/Brewery combo in the United States.
Alumni Successes
As the vice president and community development officer at Veritex Community Bank, College of Business alumna Courtney Taylor, EMBA ’11, is putting the knowledge she developed at TWU to work and leading groups of employee volunteers.
College of Business alumna Shakar Soltani, BBA ’17, has always been fascinated with flying and the airlines and is now on her way to taking flight while bringing much-needed representation to her chosen field.
Do you have alumni news to share? Submit it here.
Support the College of Business
The programs offered by the TWU College of Business are in high demand, but we need the support of alumni, friends and partners to elevate them to the next level.

Join us by investing in the college through our College of Business Support Fund and College of Business Scholarship Fund. With your help, we can have a major impact on the region, offer incredible opportunities for students and become a true national leader on some of the most pressing and underrepresented topics in business today.
TWU Business Insider is published quarterly by the university's College of Business.