Mays Impacts

Congratulations to JD Carter, Case Harris and Neha Deshmukh for receiving Texas A&M University Outstanding Student Awards. This is the 8th year in a row that Mays has had a student we nominate selected for one of these awards. This particular year is monumental because never before has Mays Business School had multiple students from the college win in the same year. Of the four awards given, three were given to these Mays Students. 

The Awards and Student Accomplishments

JD Carter – Business Honors major, Class of ’80 E. King Gill Award Winner

• The Class of ’80 E. King Gill Award was established in 2019 to honor the graduating senior who most exemplifies the core value of selfless service during the student’s undergraduate career at Texas A&M University. One E. King Gill awardee is selected at Texas A&M each year.
• JD serves as one of the founders (and only undergraduate) of Texas A&M’s first student-run free healthcare clinic to serve community members who struggle to have access to quality healthcare. He is involved extensively with The Reach Project where he has served as Director of the Monday Meal Distribution, Director for the Essential Aggie Gala, and Director of the REACH Halloween Festival. JD serves as the Service Chair for Aggie Men’s Club and is a member of the Executive Cabinet in SGA. He has participated in medical volunteerism in the community and interned with CASA of Brazos Valley. He has participated in service trips to the Dominican Republic, India, Rwanda, and Guatemala. He serves as a Texas A&M Foundation Maroon Coat and has been a part of the Gilbert Leadership Conference and Abbott Family Leadership Conference. He is a member of the Business Honors Program.

Case Harris – Business Honors & Finance Major, Brown Foundation-Earl Rudder Memorial Outstanding Student Award Winner

• The Brown Foundation-Earl Rudder Memorial Outstanding Student Award was established in 1970 as the highest honor bestowed upon a graduating senior at Texas A&M University. No more than two Brown-Rudder awardees are selected at Texas A&M each year. The award honors the outstanding senior student who exemplifies the leadership, patriotism, fortitude, courage, humility, love of Texas A&M University and willingness to uphold the principles for which Texas A&M stands as vividly exemplified by James Earl Rudder during his lifetime. 
• Case serves as the Student Body President for Texas A&M. In this role, he is the voice for over 72,000 students and oversees an executive branch consisting of over 500 students. As Student Body President, Case has placed on emphasis on addressing mental health issues at the university and has started several initiatives to address the issue. Case chairs the Student Regent Selections Committee, is a member of the Memorial Student Center Board of Directors, and is a member of the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council. He has served as a Director for Gilbert Leadership Conference and a peer leader for the Honors Freshmen Business Initiative. He is a member of the Business Honors Program.

Neha Deshmukh – Accounting & Business Honors major, Master of Financial Management, member of the PPA program, Brown Foundation-Earl Rudder Memorial Outstanding Student Award Winner

• The Brown Foundation-Earl Rudder Memorial Outstanding Student Award was established in 1970 as the highest honor bestowed upon a graduating senior at Texas A&M University. No more than two Brown-Rudder awardees are selected at Texas A&M each year. The award honors the outstanding senior student who exemplifies the leadership, patriotism, fortitude, courage, humility, love of Texas A&M University, and willingness to uphold the principles for which Texas A&M stands as vividly exemplified by James Earl Rudder during his lifetime. 
• Neha’s commitment to serving Texas A&M is most visibly represented by her role as president of one of the largest student unions in the United States. As MSC president, she oversees three executive vice presidents, 31 student leaders, 17 committees, and an annual budget of $1.7m. A primary goal of her leadership is to extend the reach of the MSC to at least 100,000 total program attendees this year. Neha has been involved in and held leadership roles in several MSC programs, including MSC Aggie Cinema (chair, vice chair) where she doubled streaming service views, MSC Stark Northeast Trip (director of business) where she planned an 11-day itinerary for her peers, MSC Finance Resource Team, and the Conway-Fitzhugh International Honors Leadership Seminar. Neha served on the Student Mental Health Task Force. She’s volunteered with the 12th Can and is a member of the Business Honors program and the Professional Program in Accounting at Mays Business School. 

Thank you to the students for their hard work and for their representation of our school. 

By: Lara Robertson

It’s been a busy and exciting few years for Bryton Praslicka ’19 and his startup, FluxWorks, most recently with his participation in and top tier success at the Rice Business Plan Competition. The competition, hosted annually by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, was held May 13-15 in Houston.

After three days of competition, Praslicka and FluxWorks walked away with the Grand Prize Investment Award of $350,000, sponsored by GOOSE Capital. Additionally, FluxWorks was named the overall winner of the Mercury Elevator Pitch Competition with a $1,000 prize, along with a $6,667 Baker Botts Legal Services In-Kind Prize and a $10,000 New York Technology Capital CFO Consulting In-Kind Prize.

Forty-two student-led startups from around the world, representing 35 universities and five countries, were invited to the 2023 competition, described as the world’s largest and richest intercollegiate student startup competition, where $3.4 million in prizes was awarded.

FluxWorks’ success has been rapid, but with an Aggie origin story full of Good Bull.

Founded in 2021 by Praslicka while pursuing his doctorate in electrical engineering, FluxWorks creates self-healing magnetic gearboxes that offer >99% proven efficiency, four-times quieter operation and unprecedented reliability. Their protected lubrication-free gear technology unlocks unparalleled performance everywhere from outer space, subsea, to the inside of the body. Their HUBZone-certified venture offers exclusive access to a range of defense and space opportunities.

As founder and CEO, Praslicka realized early on he was on to something with his initial idea and technology. He brought his idea, then simply named “Magnetic Gears,” to the Raymond Ideas Challenge hosted by the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship in November 2021.

The challenge is designed to encourage students from across the university, representing a variety of colleges and majors, to explore entrepreneurship and foster development of an entrepreneurial mindset by way of their big idea, with no business plan or prototype required.

Up against 40 other ideas, Praslicka’s five-minute presentation and five minutes of Q&A showed the judges he was on to something with his idea. “Magnetic Gears” earned top honors and a cash prize of $2,500.

“I was interested in Raymond Ideas because I knew we got the judging forms back, and I was only looking forward to getting great feedback from the experienced judges to learn how to refine my presentation,” Praslicka said after the challenge. “I began my Ph.D. journey because I dreamt of developing technologies that would enable the transition to emission-free energy generation and transportation. This winning opportunity allowed my dreams to come true, and I’m continuing to seek more opportunities to grow. Winning with my idea meant that my work is bearing fruit!”

Fast forward just a few months to March 2022, and Praslicka would once again find himself as a finalist in a McFerrin Center-hosted competition — this time, Aggie PITCH. But rather than competing as “Magnetic Gears,” Praslicka had officially dubbed his startup “FluxWorks.”

Aggie PITCH aims to display the exceptional startups being developed by current and former students of Texas A&M. Originally launched in 2018, Aggie PITCH is the only university-wide business pitch competition and provides competing ventures the opportunity to pitch in front of possible investors, mentors, partners and judges with more than $35,000 awarded in prize funding. With full pitch divisions for both current students and former students, as well as a division specifically for elevator pitching, FluxWorks was up against five other current student teams in the full pitch division.

Prior to the competition, Praslicka noted, “A&M first gave us the education to develop the technology and business plan, which is a gift already. Receiving prize money for the business to purchase back our IP and begin product development would be stunning to us… showing that A&M would go above and beyond, supporting our new venture financially. We look forward to the valuable feedback and the people we get the chance to meet, regardless of the competition outcome.”  

Praslicka’s hopes came true, and once again following a five-minute pitch and five minutes of Q&A, the judges voted in favor of FluxWorks, awarding them first place and $7,500.

“Winning to us means that people are excited about our technology,” Praslicka said immediately following the win. “People believe in our technology. And winning this demonstrates that, and that’s really incredible.”

Later that spring, Praslicka would go on to receive the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship’s Future Texas Business Legend Award from the Texas Business Hall of Fame.

Looking back on the steps that brought him to the Rice Business Pitch Competition, Praslicka responded, “Beginning at Raymond Ideas years ago gave me access to real feedback that I could use for Aggie Pitch.  Feedback from Aggie Pitch took us into the next competition and the next. Before you know it, I was seeing some of the same judges I had seen before at Raymond Ideas, and they were thrilled to see how much we had grown!”

“Bryton’s journey with FluxWorks is exactly what the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship envisions for our students,” Blake Petty ’98, executive director for the McFerrin Center said. “Great businesses can begin with an idea, and that’s the intentional focus of our annual Ideas Challenge — just the idea. Then as their idea grows and develops and matures, they might move on to Aggie PITCH and other pitch competitions. It’s our goal and intent, that Aggies leverage those experiences, momentum, funding and feedback to strive to gain the next step on their entrepreneurial journey. We’re all extremely proud of Bryton and FluxWorks and look forward to seeing him back on McFerrin’s roster again — perhaps next time on the Aggie 100.”

About McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship

The McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship serves as the hub for entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University. The McFerrin Center’s goal is to enhance entrepreneurial education by providing training, networking and assistance to enterprising current students, faculty, veterans and former students.

The McFerrin Center enables the startup and growth of countless businesses and provides competitive opportunities, professional development and financial support to aspiring entrepreneurs in the Aggie community through the support of a robust volunteer mentor network, corporate supporters, faculty and staff.

The McFerrin Center defines entrepreneurship as an attitude that acts upon opportunity. In this spirit, the McFerrin Center strives to deliver programs and events that are inspiring, engaging, motivating and life-changing. This philosophy has resulted in the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship offering more than 30 unique programs each year that positively impact the lives of thousands of students, veterans and other professionals seeking to blaze their own trail as an entrepreneur.

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Media Contact: Lara Robertson, communications manager, McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship, lrobertson@tamu.edu

By Dorian Martin ‘06

Three distinguished Texas A&M University graduates—Shara Briggs McClure ’90, Gary J. Brauchle ’95, and Raja Jawad Akram ’97—were awarded Mays Business School’s top honor, the 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award. The trio were recognized during a celebratory dinner at Texas A&M’s Thomas G. Hildebrand, DVM ’56 Equine Complex on April 27, 2023.

This award spotlights former students who exemplify transformational leadership in their profession and community, as well as their service to Mays. “The reason I am so optimistic about our bright future at Mays is because of the great commitment of these individuals and the Mays community as a whole to the shared vision that our school can become the preeminent public business school in America,” said Mays Dean Nate Sharp. “This year’s recipients underscore the quality of Mays’ former students, who are a critical part of our past and our future. Their success elevates the stature of our school’s reputation. They challenge us to raise our standards, reach new heights, improve our offerings, and increase access to Mays for students across Texas.”  

Shara Briggs McClure ’90

McClure’s father, a high school counselor, played an influential role in her decision to attend Texas A&M. “Part of his job was to get students scholarships and help match students,” she said. “He had relationships with several universities, but he fell in love with A&M.”

The Dallas area resident, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business analysis, believes she benefited so much from her college experience—and she’s watched as her children and their spouses (Melinda ’15 and Ryan Haughey ’13, and Michael ’18 and Katie Morey ’18 McClure) reaped similar gains from becoming Aggies. “From student life to my role as an Aggie mom to volunteering for Mays and the Aggie Network—I cherish it all!” she said.

McClure’s extensive career in the healthcare industry and master’s degree in public health from The George Washington University positioned her as a thought leader who advocates for accessibility and affordability. She has held numerous leadership roles in healthcare organizations, including serving as Divisional Senior Vice President for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), the largest health insurer in the state. She has also worked with Texas Network Management, Houston Health Care Operations, and Humana’s Provider Contracting. Now the principal of McClure Consulting, Inc., she’s using her extensive knowledge and skills built during her 25-year career to assist healthcare clients. “There is no bigger business than healthcare and no greater economic challenge to our country,” she said. “Kudos to Mays Business School for identifying healthcare as a Grand Challenge.”

The award recipient remains actively involved at Texas A&M, including serving on the Mays Advisory Board. “I love staying engaged with Mays because who wouldn’t want to hang out with Aggies all the time?” she said, adding that she enjoys connecting Mays to her extensive business network.

Additionally, McClure is an active contributor across Texas A&M’s campus. She was at the forefront of BCBSTX’s $10 million investment in the Texas A&M Health Science Center’s work to address rural health issues. She also serves on The Association of Former Students’ Board of Directors and chairs that organization’s Fundraising Committee. The Dallas area resident is an Endowed Century Club member, a lifetime member of the Dallas A&M Club, and a member of the Chancellor’s Century Council.

She also remains passionate about inspiring young professionals. McClure is the current board chair for the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, serves on the board for CareerSpring, and was previously on the board for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Dallas. She also is an alumnus of the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Leadership Class of 2017, a Senior Fellow of Houston’s American Leadership Forum, and a graduate of the Leading Women Executives Program, developed by the Corporate Leadership Center of Chicago. McClure was named one of the Top 30 Influential Women of Houston in 2013.

Gary J. Brauchle ’95 

Brauchle did his homework before making his college decision. “I chose Texas A&M after having visited a number of other colleges and universities,” said the honoree, who graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1995, followed by a master’s degree in accounting in 1996. “I couldn’t think of a better place for me than Mays and Texas A&M, and how they prepared me for my career.” 

His career started with a bang—being selected as one of four graduates nationally to participate in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s internship program in Norwalk, Connecticut.

He went on to work in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ energy audit practice in Houston from 1997-2003. Then he continued being promoted to roles of increasing responsibility, including Director of Internal Audit, and Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer at Houston-based McDermott International, a NYSE-listed global engineering and construction company. He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tallgrass Energy, a Kansas-based NYSE-listed multi-billion-dollar midstream energy infrastructure partnership from its inception in 2012 until 2020, when he and his family returned to Texas. Brauchle currently is President and member of the Board of Directors of PERENfra, a private water infrastructure company. 

Professionally, he believes in empowering others. “Thinking back on my career, I’d say there are a few highlights that I look back on with gratitude and pride,” he said. “All of those opportunities involved the ability to assemble and work with high-performing teams. I gave deserving team members opportunities to succeed—and that was more rewarding than any individual title of mine.”

He maintains strong ties with Texas A&M. Brauchle is one of the longest serving members of the Advisory Council to the James Benjamin Department of Accounting and was a frequent guest speaker in accounting classes after graduation.  He was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the James Benjamin Department of Accounting in 2016 and was a Hall of Honor inductee in 2020.

Brauchle and his wife, Maren ’01,–who have two young sons–also support Mays financially. They established the Brauchle Family Scholarship in 2012 and then in 2019 they endowed a named full scholarship benefiting Professional Program in Accounting students who demonstrate academic excellence and financial need. “Giving back to Mays and Texas A&M is a true pleasure for my wife and me. We have a very passionate view that education is a life-changing experience and in many cases, can be a cycle-breaking opportunity,” he said. “The college and the university have a keen ability to develop students into high character individuals and educate students to be successful business professionals. We are happy to support those transformational changes for people in any way possible.”

Raja Jawad Akram ’97

Akram credits his guidance counselor in Pakistan for influencing his decision to come to Texas A&M. “He told me ‘It’s the MIT of the Southwest,’” Akram remembered. “At Texas A&M, I wasn’t the smartest guy in the room ever. What I learned was that I couldn’t outsmart everyone, but I could outlearn everyone. I also made the deepest friendships here and had the best faculty.”

That tenacity has served him well. After earning his bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance and a master’s degree in accounting, Akram joined KPMG where he served clients in the financial services industry and in the national office. In 2006, he joined Citigroup and spent 14 years in a variety of senior roles, including CFO of Treasury and Trade Solutions, CFO for Brazil, and Global Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. He currently is the Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer at Morgan Stanley and sits on the firm’s management committee and Morgan Stanley Europe’s board. He also is very involved in the firm’s environmental social and governance (ESG) efforts and co-chairs Morgan Stanley’s Emissions Oversight Committee and ESG Disclosure Committee. “I’ve been working since 1997 so it’s been a long career,” he said. “My time at Texas A&M really prepared me for my career in multiple ways.”

Akram has actively supported Texas A&M with both his time and treasure. He currently serves on the James Benjamin Department of Accounting Advisory Council and recently joined the Dean’s Advisory Board. He also is a visiting professor at Mays, teaching a class called “CFOs and Financial Leadership.” Additionally, the 2019 recipient of the James Benjamin Department of Accounting’s Lifetime Achievement Award is a strong advocate for creating a pipeline to help Mays students join Wall Street banks. Explaining his commitment to his alma mater, Akram said, “My motivation to stay involved in Texas A&M is to make sure that Texas A&M becomes the destination of choice for Wall Street, just like it is for employers in the Southwest.”

To that end, he established the Raja Akram ’97 Department of Accounting Excellence Endowment in 2018 and the Begum Akhtar Akram Endowed Scholarship for Pakistani Students at Mays Business School to honor his grandmother in 2022. He is also a member of the Texas A&M Legacy Society.

Akram also contributes to causes and charities related to children’s education both in the United States and Pakistan. He and his family live in New York City. Additionally, Akram’s two brothers—Fawad Akram ’01 and Faraz Akram ’08—are also Mays alumni, and his eight-year-old daughter aspires of playing Aggie soccer and his son wants to be an Aggie as well. “What I’ve found at Texas A&M is an unparalleled network of Aggies,” he said. “People in my office may not know where I’m from, but they will always know that I went to Texas A&M.”

Out of 36 finalists, ten teams were given top honors and awarded cash prizes for their innovative and entrepreneurial ideas.

By Lara Robertson, McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS May 4, 2023 – The McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship hosted its third annual and second in-person Texas High School Ideas Challenge today, with competitive presentations held at Texas A&M University’s Memorial Student Center and The Crowd Fund Showcase and Awards Reception (sponsored by Education Advanced) held at the McFerrin Center. Open to high school students across the state of Texas, the challenge, designed to encourage students to explore entrepreneurship and foster development of an entrepreneurial mindset, awarded $13,000 in cash prizes to the top ideas.

Due to restrictions in place, the inaugural event in 2021 was held exclusively in a virtual format, but the 2022 and 2023 events were held in person at Texas A&M, giving high school students from across the state the opportunity to visit campus and be introduced to Texas A&M, the McFerrin Center and the Aggie entrepreneurial ecosystem.

In addition to prize money for the top idea winners, this year’s challenge also awarded $3,750 in prizes based on “investments” from “The Crowd Fund,” with showcase guests having the opportunity to visit each of the ideas to meet the student teams and learn about their service or product concept and “invest” in their favorites via “McFerrin Money.”

For the 2023 event, Texas high school students were invited to apply beginning in late 2022, submitting their idea as a team or individual, via a compelling application demonstrating creative, careful and methodical planning. Following a screening process, a total of 40 finalist teams, composed of more than 100 students from 26 high schools in 14 Texas cities, were selected as finalists and invited to compete in person on the campus of Texas A&M.

Throughout the day, each team presented their idea twice, each time to a different panel of judges. The presentations consisted of a 5-minute pitch of the idea, followed by a 5-minute “Q&A” with the panel. Judges, selected from the McFerrin Center’s network of mentors, successful entrepreneurs and Texas A&M faculty, were looking for competitors who have an outstanding idea and clearly indicate that their idea creates values, can defend their idea against other ideas in the competition, and demonstrate to the judges that the idea is viable in the marketplace with clear evidence that the idea is attractive to a customer. Ideas were scored based on idea uniqueness, target market, competitive advantage, resources, goals and presentation content.

This year’s first place honor went to Slap Daddy Koozies from Vandegrift High School in Austin. Although the competition focuses only on students pitching their ideas, some students are further along with their concept and business. Alex M., Christian L. and Vincent C., all seniors, launched their company after realizing most koozies are made for specific bottle and can sizes and aimed to create a universal koozie that wraps around the container, similar to slap bands/bracelets.

“Two of us are future Aggies, so we thought [applying for and competing in the challenge] would be an incredible way to get to know the program,” Christian said. “We’ve been working super hard on this product, and we wanted to get it out there and get it in front of more people’s eyes to drive us toward more success.”

In addition to winning the top prize and $2,500 sponsored by High-Piled Permits, Alex and Christian noted other perks to competing in the challenge.

“It was really fun to be able to pitch again,” Alex said, “because we haven’t done that for a while, and it was good to really challenge ourselves and get out of our comfort zone.”

“And the culture of being around the other teams,” Christian added. “It’s been incredible to get to know some of the other teams and learn what their ideas are. It’s inspiring to see what other people are doing.”

Following high school graduation later this month, Christian and Alex both plan to attend Texas A&M, majoring in economics and society, ethics and law (S.E.A.L.), respectively, while Vincent plans to attend the University of Mississippi, majoring in entrepreneurship. They plan to continue running Slap Daddy Koozies.

“This year’s challenge proved that the future of entrepreneurship in Texas is brighter than ever,” said Blake Petty ’98, executive director of the McFerrin Center. “Each year we continue to be impressed by the high quality of innovation and enterprising ideas coming out of high school students in our state. Watching the challenge grow in only its first three years, now with students returning to compete in subsequent years, validates our vision and dream for this event. Not only have these young entrepreneurs identified important problems around them and in society, but they have the desire, drive and creativity to solve them.”

The McFerrin Center is currently planning its 2024 event, with applications opening Dec. 15, 2023. Updates and more information will be available at tx.ag/TexasHSIdeasChallenge.

2023 Texas High School Ideas Challenge Photos

2023 Texas High School Ideas Challenge Winners

Top Idea Winners
1^st Place ($2,500): Slap Daddy Koozies | Vandegrift HS | Austin
sponsored by High-Piled Permits, Active Industrial Fire Protection
2^nd Place ($2,000): Racquet Armor | Centennial HS & Frisco HS | Frisco
3^rd Place ($1,750): ReactGlove | DeBakey High School for Health Professions & The Awty International School | Houston
Honorable Mention ($750): Easy Hang | Samuel V. Champion HS & Boerne HS | Boerne
sponsored by Mays Family Foundation
Honorable Mention ($750): LivLive | Westlake HS | Austin
sponsored by Mays Family Foundation
Honorable Mention ($750): Pop Pop’s Dandy Dog | Lake Creek HS | Montgomery
sponsored by Mays Family Foundation
Honorable Mention ($750): SignHi | The Woodlands College Park HS | Spring
sponsored by Mays Family Foundation

The Crowd Fund Winners
1^st Place ($1,500): Easy Hang | Samuel V. Champion HS & Boerne HS | Boerne
sponsored by Education Advanced, Inc.
2^nd Place ($1,250): DIabeticsOnTheGo | Central HS | San Angelo
3^rd Place ($1,000): Infiniti Board | Centennial HS | Frisco
sponsored by Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets

2023 Texas High School Ideas Challenge Sponsors

Education Advanced, The Crowd Fund Showcase & Awards Reception sponsor
High-Piled Permits
Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets
Mays Family Foundation

About McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship

The McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship serves as the hub for entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University. The McFerrin Center’s goal is to enhance entrepreneurial education by providing training, networking and assistance to enterprising current students, faculty, veterans and former students.

The McFerrin Center enables the startup and growth of countless businesses and provides competitive opportunities, professional development and financial support to aspiring entrepreneurs in the Aggie community through the support of a robust volunteer mentor network, corporate supporters, faculty and staff.

The McFerrin Center defines entrepreneurship as an attitude that acts upon opportunity. In this spirit, the McFerrin Center strives to deliver programs and events that are inspiring, engaging, motivating and life-changing. This philosophy has resulted in the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship offering more than 30 unique programs each year that positively impact the lives of thousands of students, veterans and other professionals seeking to blaze their own trail as an entrepreneur.

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Media Contact: Lara Robertson, communications manager, McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship, lrobertson@tamu.edu