Priya Taneja
Austinite of the Year & People and Operations
CEO, DHR Global
Priya Taneja is the CEO of DHR Global, a leading talent advisory firm operating in more than 22 countries. A first-generation American, she credits her immigrant upbringing with shaping her resilience, work ethic, and belief in the power of opportunity.
As a leader, Priya focuses on creating cultures where people feel seen, valued, and inspired to do their best work. Under her leadership, DHR has achieved record performance, exceptional employee engagement, and national recognition as a top workplace. She has also earned notable accolades, including a recent Stevie Award for Women in Business.
Priya is deeply committed to giving back in Austin, believing leadership is defined not only by organizational success but by the impact you have beyond it. She invests her time, energy, and resources in hands-on efforts that expand opportunity and strengthen the city’s future, and she is intentional about modeling service, generosity, and purpose for her two young sons.
Angel Leverett
Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations
VP of Marketing & Communications, Austin Habitat for Humanity
Angel is VP of Marketing & Communications at Austin Habitat for Humanity. Her leadership has been recognized through honors, including Women Communicators of Austin’s Gladys Whitley Hearst Outstanding Member Award, Ad2Austin’s 32 Under 32, El Paso in Austin’s Trailblazer Award, and Austin Woman Magazine’s Change Maker Award. She is also a graduate of Leadership Austin and currently serve as President of Women Communicators of Austin, where she founded the Communicators of Color Affinity Group to expand access to mentorship, representation, and professional growth. Whether building brands or strengthening communities, she strives to lead with purpose by opening doors for others just as others once opened doors for her.
Ashley Wainscott
Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Design
CEO, Simply HOme
Founder and CEO of Simply Home, Ashley has redefined the home renovation experience while breaking barriers as a female leader in a male-dominated industry. A St. Edward’s grad, she’s led Simply Home for nearly 13 years, impacting 2,000+ homes, earning awards, and championing community causes.
Ashley’s leadership has earned widespread recognition, including Entrepreneur of the Year from St. Edward’s University, Profiles in Power nominee by the Austin Business Journal, Austin Woman Magazine’s “Woman to Watch,” and the Excellence in Opportunity Award from the Austin Young Chamber. Dedicated to giving back, Ashley has supported organizations such as Dress for Success Austin and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, served with the Junior League, and held a board role with the Austin Young Chamber, while also raising her family in Austin.
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Cassandra Shankman
Arts, Music, and Entertainment
DJ | Composer + Founder @ Sounds by Cassandra
Cassandra Shankman, aka DJ Cassandra, is an award-winning DJ, composer, and classically trained pianist known for creating transformative musical experiences. Raised between Austin and London, she blends global influences with her open-format style. A UT music composition graduate with training from the Royal Academy of Music, she has performed for clients including Formula 1, Gucci, Google, Apple TV+, Hulu, SXSW, and ACL Music Festival (where she is a 2024 and 2025 official artist). She has opened for artists like Willie Nelson, Passion Pit, and Trixie Mattel and her playlists have supported brands such as Tito's, Lululemon, and Hulu.
Beyond the stage, she is a pioneer in Biomedical Music™, creating therapeutic compositions used by over 3 million patients worldwide. A Governor and Secretary of The Recording Academy Texas Chapter, she leads education, advocacy, and community initiatives while championing music’s power to connect and heal.
Bart Davis
Capital, Financial, and Insurance Services
CEO, 512Financial
Bart Davis is the Founder and CEO of 512Financial, a fractional services firm providing senior-level financial and organizational leadership to investor-backed companies. Since its founding in 2022, he has grown the firm to 50 employees and supported over $325M in raises and liquidity events.
Bart is deeply connected to the Austin community. In addition to his role, at The First Tee, he also mentors early-career finance leaders and first-time founders, sharing guidance shaped by both startup and finance experience.
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Robert Smiley McCray
Civics, Government, and Public Affairs
Lieutenant, Austin Fire
Robert “Smiley” McCray is a Lieutenant with the Austin Fire Department and a 17-year veteran of the fire service. He entered his first fire academy at age 20 and later became the first African American full-time firefighter hired by ESD # 1 North Lake Travis Fire Rescue, as well as the first Black firefighter on the Travis County ESD 1 Rescue Boat Team. He is officially trained and cleared to respond to aviation incidents at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport under TSA and FAA emergency response standards.
Beyond emergency operations, Robert has led inclusive policy reform within AFD, supported hundreds of patients as a mental health technician, and contributed to youth mentorship, scholarship, and civic engagement initiatives. He serves in leadership roles with the Austin African American Firefighters Association and the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters, and is the founder of Team 5Twelve Day, an Austin-based civic engagement initiative launching in 2026.
Matthew Loszak
Energy, Sustainability, and Transportation
CEO, Aalo Atomics
Matt is the Co-Founder and CEO of Aalo Atomics - a company building factory mass-manufactured nuclear power plants, purpose built for AI data centers. With Aalo, Matt is excited to help usher in a Second Atomic Age, unlocking a future of abundance for humanity while minimizing our impact on Earth. Aalo was founded 2 years ago and has raised $136M to-date, with plans to start construction on its first nuclear reactor in under 12 months. Prior to Aalo, Matt studied Engineering and Physics, and started a B2B SaaS company which grew to over 150 employees and achieved a 9-figure exit.
Jhonatan Aldama
Food, Events, and Hospitality
Founder and CEO, Kesos Tacos
Jhonatan is the founder of Kesos Tacos, an Austin-based restaurant brand built on bold Mexican flavors, queso-forward tacos, and hospitality-first values. Since launching in 2014, he's focused on building a business rooted in strong values, meaningful career growth, and community connection.
Alongside Kesos Tacos, Jhonatan also leads a financial advisory firm supporting restaurant owners and entrepreneurs through growth and complexity. Today, as a business owner and new father, he's driven by building organizations that create opportunity, bring people together, and leave a positive, lasting impact on Austin.
John-Carlos Estrada
Journalism, Media, and Content Creation
News Anchor | Filmmaker | Author, CBS Austin & UT Press
John-Carlos Estrada is a first-generation Mexican American journalist, filmmaker, & author. He's a CBS Austin anchor and previously worked as a network producer in NYC & DC. His work includes the award-winning documentary Barbette + Fontaine, This Is Texas, and a forthcoming book with UT Press. He's a graduate of GW & Columbia Journalism School.
His work is driven by gratitude for those who lifted him up and a promise to make that path wider for the next generation.
Sarah Harp
Legal
Assistant Attorney General, Texas Attorney General
Sarah is a first generation attorney who has spent the past decade giving back to the Austin community she so dearly loves. She is the Secretary of the Austin Bar Association, Communications Chair of the Texas Young Lawyers, Past President of the Austin Young Lawyers, and on the Texas Bar Foundation district nominating committee.
Kevin K. Kumar, MD, PhD
Medicine and Healthcare
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery | Surgical Director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, The University of Texas at Austin - Dell Medical School / Dell Children's Medical Center
Kevin is a pediatric neurosurgeon scientist at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. He leads a translational research program developing novel therapies for pediatric brain tumors and provides advanced neurosurgical care at Dell Children’s Medical Center.
His focus is on building programs that translate rigorous science into meaningful clinical impact while expanding opportunity for the next generation of physicians and scientists.
Dr. Eboni L. Ceasar
Mentor of the Year
Director of Social Work, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin
Eboni is a licensed clinical social worker, healthcare leader, and community board chair committed to mentorship, equity, and systems-level impact. She is an Assistant Professor at Dell Medical School at UT Austin, where she serves as Director of Social Work. She is a nonprofit board chair, founder of Elixir Austin, and a committed mentor advancing equity in the behavioral health workforce.
Whether through supervision, teaching, or board leadership, she believes strong communities are built through intentional mentorship, ethical leadership, and collective responsibility. She is deeply invested in Austin’s future and the people who make its institutions stronger.
Kaitlin Mauro
Nonprofit Service
Executive Director, 4ATX Foundation
As the club's founding Vice President of Community Impact, Kaitlin built an award-winning CSR platform that defined Austin’s "Soccer City" identity through a lens of social equity. Today, Kaitlin serves as Executive Director of 4ATX Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Austin FC.
Kaitlin is trained in Restorative Practices and is the recipient of Austin Woman's Rising Star award, the Harvard Leadership in Education and the Harvard Faculty Tribute awards.
Megan Etz
Real Estate
Principal & COO, Industry ATX
Megan Etz is a native Austinite and COO of Industry ATX, a real estate development firm focused on creating high-quality, attainable housing in neighborhoods where affordability is increasingly out of reach. Her work centers on innovative housing models that promote long-term community stability.
Through affordable homeownership projects like Industry SOMA and Willows Crossing, Megan is committed to building a more inclusive future for the city she calls home.
Sammy Lam
Retail, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain
Owner & Founder, Wanderlust Wine Co.
Sammy is the founder of Wanderlust Wine Co. and aspiring Master of Wine, scaling an experimental wine-on-tap concept into a multi-channel CPG brand serving hospitality, wholesale, and sports venues. Wanderlust has been recognized as one of Austin’s Fastest Growing Companies, a Top Family Business, and a Platinum Green Business Leader, and is now the official wine partner of the San Antonio Spurs and Austin FC.
Sammy serves on the board of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association and is pursuing the Master of Wine program to bring global perspective to Texas.
Tyler Parsons
Sports, Wellness, and Fitness
Owner & Founder, Vital Society
Tyler Parsons is a husband, father of three, and co-founder of Vital Society. In 2020 he bet on himself, founding Invictus Marketing, later merging it into Brotherdale, now recognized as one of the top creative agencies in the U.S.
In 2025, he and his wife of nearly 11 years, Cara—his business partner and greatest supporter—founded Vital Society, a modern wellness clinic serving over 2,000 Central Texas patients. Today, Tyler is committed to redefining healthcare through personalized wellness, community impact, and service, helping Central Texas families live healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Yasir Arafat
Technology
Chief Technology Officer, Aalo Atomics
Yasir is Co-founder and CTO of Aalo Atomics, building next-generation nuclear reactors in Austin. An pioneer of microreactors, he has led national reactor programs, built a nuclear factory, holds 14 patents, raised $160M private funding, and is the youngest recipient of the American Nuclear Society's Walter Zinn Medal.
Becoming a father recently has further sharpened his perspective, reinforcing his belief that leadership is about investing in people and building durable systems that create a safer, more resilient future for the next generation.
Troy Marcus
Trailblazer
Founder & CEO, Evergen Equity
Troy is the Founder & CEO of Evergen Equity, which runs the real estate allocation for some of the country’s largest family offices, whose operating businesses range from automotive and energy, to consumer packaged goods and technology. He has operated in varying capacities in the real estate industry over the last 19 years, investing in excess of $1 Billion in real estate from coast-to-coast.
He began his career out of his freshman year dorm room at The University of Texas at Austin, where he went on to graduate at the top of his class from the McCombs School of Business.
Outside of work, Troy has led a life focused on providing access to education, healthcare, and safety for those that have been deprived of these basic needs, and has done so through deep engagement across a myriad of local non-profits. His favorite titles are "husband" and "father."
Dr. Ashley Glover
Youth and Education
Owner, Dr. Ashley Glover' Wellness Center
Owner of Dr. Ashley Glover’s Wellness Therapy, Dr. Glover has over 15 years of experience in the Social Work Profession. Dr. Glover is credentialed through over 20 Employee Assistance Programs throughout Texas. Her purpose is to assist employers who are stressed, dealing with grief and loss, feeling stuck, anxiety, and depression.
She is a board Licensed Clinical Supervisor and supervises License Masters Social Workers in hope to obtain their Clinical License. Dr. Glover was named Social Worker of the year from National Association of Social Worker, Capital Area, Texas. She was named of “Ole miss Thomas Crowe, Outstanding Alumni, and Ole Miss 40 under 40. Dr. Glover is published in Ole Miss Alumni magazine article entitled, “Passion with Purpose.” Dr. Glover truly enjoys helping people live a healthier quality of life. She is a graduate of Leadership Austin. Dr. Glover is currently in African American Leadership Institute Program. She enjoys mentoring through Seedling Mentoring.
