The SMU Cox School of Business celebrated four exceptional alumni at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Luncheon last week. The event recognized two Distinguished Alumni Award recipients and two Outstanding Young Alumni Award honorees, each nominated by the SMU Cox Alumni Association and chosen by a selection committee.
This year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are:
James Landen, Sr., executive chairman of Security National Bank (B.B.A. ’82)
Bill Shaddock owner/partner at The Shaddock Companies (MBA ’74)
The 2025 Outstanding Young Alumni honorees are:
Gloria Salinas, senior vice president at Frisco Economic Development Corporation (B.A. ’10, EMBA ’23)
Amrita Vir, senior program officer at the Gates Foundation (B.B.A. ’12)
Each honoree shared heartfelt speeches, reflecting on how their careers and lives were shaped by their experiences at SMU Cox:
🌟 James Landen, Sr.: “I want to express my thanks to SMU and the Cox Business School for providing me all the tools I needed to do a great job of helping lead our company and moving forward in our business. Receiving this award is one of the great honors of my life and I want to thank you very much.”
🌟 William Shaddock: “This school and my DNA get along really well… I have a sense of belonging here. What I give to this university, whether it is my time or treasure, is really just repayment because SMU made an investment in me.”
🌟 Gloria Salinas: “…the education, the opportunity, and most of all belief, I will carry it with me in every room I walk into and into every decision I make. I am completely humbled by this recognition, and I will be doing my best to live up to both words – outstanding and young – for as long as I can.”
🌟 Amrita Vir: “SMU is where I found my calling… I am so grateful for the opportunities and community that I found at SMU. I am truly honored to receive this alumni award.”
