Business & Government

Mays Announces 2017 Outstanding Alumni

February 16, 2017

Mays sign spotlight

By Grant Vassar, Mays School of Business

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School has named three of its most distinguished former students as 2017 Outstanding Alumni. The honorees are Gregory M. Cokinos ’79, Cydney Collier Donnell ’81 and Carri Baker ’84. They will be honored at the 25th-Year Outstanding Alumni Awards Dinner on April 6.

Mays Business School honors graduates who have led lives of distinction and who embody the Aggie core values – loyalty, integrity, excellence, leadership, selfless service and respect – with the Mays Outstanding Alumni Award. Recipients come from all industries, have been active in their communities and continue to serve their alma mater. The recipients learned of their honor when surprised in their places of business and other locations by a group of Mays Business School representatives, including Dean Eli Jones.

“Mays Business School’s 2017 Outstanding Alumni are great examples of Mays Transformational Leaders: Responsible, ethical leaders with entrepreneurial mindsets and vision, who have strong business competencies and personify selfless service,” Jones said. “Here at Mays, we have no shortage of leaders who have excelled beyond their college careers and who help advance the world’s prosperity. We are pleased to recognize and celebrate them at our annual awards dinner.”

To date, the school has honored 79 former students who have made outstanding contributions in their chosen fields with significant impact, innovation and influence at the school, in their community and beyond.

  • Gregory M. Cokinos ’79 is co-founder of Houston-based Cokinos, Bosien & Young, the largest law firm in Texas focusing on construction and engineering law. He has been named as one of The Top 100 Super Lawyers in the State of Texas by Texas Monthly every year since 2007. He was instrumental in the creation of the Construction Law Journal and has been the Journal’s editor since its inception. He is also an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. He is a graduate of the Department of Management.
  • Cydney Collier Donnell ’81 is the Julio S. LaGuarta Professor in Real Estate, executive professor and associate department head of finance at Mays where she teaches graduate level classes in real estate capital markets. She is also the present Director of Real Estate Programs overseeing the Master of Real Estate Program and undergraduate real estate finance classes. Prior to this, she was the Managing Director for European Investors, Inc. in New York City, where she managed more than $3 billion in real estate securities on behalf of U.S. pension funds, foundations, endowments and high-net-worth clients. She is a graduate of the Department of Finance.
  • Carri Baker ’84 has served for 32 years as a key executive and chief operations officer for San Antonio-based Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, a nationally recognized law firm representing governments and school districts throughout the U.S. Her civic leadership has made a significant impact in the education, health and economic development of San Antonio. She currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for Mays, and the Chancellor’s Century Council and the President’s Advisory Board for Texas A&M San Antonio. She is a graduate of the Department of Marketing.

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This story by Grant Vassar was originally posted on the Mays Impacts Website.

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