The Kellogg Alumni Club of Dallas-Fort Worth Inspires Alumni to Get Involved

Five years ago, the Kellogg Alumni Club of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) embarked on a strategic directional study about what they could do to build up the infrastructure of the club and inspire different segments to renew their appreciation of the Kellogg brand. One of those initiatives was to tap senior leaders who were on the fringe of involvement with the club. It was during a conference call with 7-Eleven President and CEO Joe DePinto ’99, SVP of Regional Carriers at American Airlines Kenji Hashimoto ’97, EVP and CFO at Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Marty Ellen ’87, and Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO at AT&T Inc. José Gutiérrez ’90, that the idea for the Leadership Forum was born.

“We asked what would get them out of their busy cycle and intrigue them enough to get involved with the Kellogg brand again,” said Jeff King ’87, Vice President of Executive Alumni Engagement for the Kellogg Alumni Club of DFW. “One of the ideas was a quick-hitting lunch series with no more than 25-30 people that would allow Kellogg senior leaders from around the area to meet each other and establish connections.”

Once the idea was formed, the club had to consider how they would make these lunches happen with limited funds. A rotating lunch was proposed, with local companies taking turns as host. This would allow the companies to share the cost and the executives to experience a different office in the area with every lunch. “The opportunity to see and experience so many of these major company offices ended up being part of the allure for bringing some of the senior executives out to participate,” said King.

Today, the club holds quarterly lunch meetings centered around cutting-edge topics, like cyber security, global economic forecast and innovative new technologies like Smart IoT Business Platforms. The Leadership Forum has also provided an opportunity for executives to hear from Kellogg faculty and other alumni. So far, three Kellogg professors have spoken at the events: Harry Kraemer, Linda Darragh and, most recently, Michelle Buck. Buck’s Leadership Forum was just held at the Mary Kay headquarters, where several executives from Mary Kay attended the round table, participating in the discussion. “It’s all about Kellogg supporting Kellogg,” said King. “The companies that host the Forum feel great about providing lunch for the executives because of the exposure to their unique business approach. We really encourage that here. One of our best feedbacks was when a Kellogg Forum member says he followed up on one of the topics and started a project.”

Since its inception, the Leadership Forum has had a major impact on the Kellogg alumni community in Dallas. There are now more than 250 senior level executives in the area that are receiving targeted communications, generating excitement for the lunches. “It really keeps the Kellogg brand on their minds, which is important since we’re so far from Evanston,” said King. “The marketing and exposure to the Forum has reinforced the specialness of the Kellogg network.” King also takes the initiative to reach out whenever a new executive or senior level leader moves in to town, inviting them to the next lunch so they can become part of the community.

The Leadership Forum is only one example of the DFW Alumni Club’s successful alumni engagement, however. The club is heavily involved in community events for alumni at all career stages. One of those events, the Annual Kellogg Leadership Symposium, has been providing valuable business lessons and network connections to thousands of Dallas-based professionals for over a decade. As one of the most popular Kellogg events in the country, this day-long seminar at the University of Texas at Dallas brings together CEOs, Kellogg leadership professors, authors and several top career experts to speak to attendees about being a “Brave Leader”.

Another event widely received by alumni is the Annual Summer Soiree. “One of our missions is to give back to our community,” said Sean Lofgren, VP of Finance for the club. “With the Summer Soiree, 250 people get together for a fun night centered around a different theme each year, and part of the funds raised from it go to Big Brothers Big Sisters.” The Summer Soiree brings young alumni and senior alumni leaders together to organize and participate in a very special event.

Additional networking opportunities are offered through the DFW Alumni Club’s partnerships with Annual Giving to provide free seminars and lunches, as well as the Dallas Business Club, a 12,000-member association of other MBA alumni clubs, to put on monthly networking events.

With each event, the power of the alumni network within the Dallas-Fort Worth area grows exponentially. It’s a true testament to how the strength of collaboration within a Kellogg alumni club can impact not only the Kellogg community, but the community at large.