Davidson, Distinguished Alumni, Advocates Celebrated at Gala
By: Daniel Steele | April 16, 2025
The University of Texas at Dallas recognized some of its most renowned alumni and supporters during the Awards Gala on April 5 highlighted by the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Charles D. Davidson MS’80.
The Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by UT Dallas upon its alumni, had only previously been awarded twice — to Aziz Sancar, MD, PhD’77 in 2018 and to Naveen Jindal MBA’92 in 2023.
“There are few members of our community who could join such an esteemed group,” said Dr. Richard C. Benson, president of UT Dallas and the Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair of Leadership. “UT Dallas has unlimited possibilities, but we can’t realize these possibilities on our own. It takes true vision, a genuine commitment to our mission and outstanding generosity to make this university everything it can be. That is exactly what Chuck brought to UT Dallas.”
Davidson, a Naveen Jindal School of Management graduate and longtime supporter of UT Dallas, forged a pioneering career in the energy industry and has made transformative contributions to education and the arts, both at UT Dallas and in his home community of Houston.
During his career, Davidson served as chairman, president and CEO of Vastar Resources Inc.; and as chairman and CEO of Noble Energy. He is currently a partner at Quantum Capital Group. In 2014, Davidson was included in the Harvard Business Review’s list of the top 100 best-performing CEOs in the world. Last year, he was inducted into the Hart Energy Hall of Fame.
Davidson and his wife, Nancy Gundy Davidson BS’80, were named Jindal School Distinguished Alumni in 2002 and received UT Dallas Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2008. Their contributions have accelerated both the Jindal School’s and UT Dallas’ rise to prominence.
In 2011, the couple joined with Jindal to donate $30 million to the school after other Davidsons’ gifts established four endowed faculty research positions in 2006 and supported the construction of the school’s first building in 2001. The Davidson Management Honors Program is named in honor of the couple’s contributions. In 2016, the Davidsons also contributed $15 million toward the construction of the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center, which opened in 2017.
“It’s been a true honor to partner with the University over these many years as it’s evolved and grown, especially the Jindal School,” Davidson said. “Also, Nancy and I knew almost instantly that an alumni center was the perfect opportunity to connect UT Dallas to our fabulous alumni community. We see this at this gala. It’s incredible to be with these distinguished alumni, to celebrate what they’ve achieved, their contributions to UTD and their communities. It also tells current students that they will not be forgotten when they graduate. They will have a home and be appreciated by this university, and I’m confident that they will then in turn support UT Dallas when they leave.”
Gifford K. Johnson Community Leadership Award
State Farm received the Gifford K. Johnson Leadership Award for its service to the University.
Since 2014, State Farm has contributed over $2.7 million to support programs that foster student success, eliminate educational barriers, and prepare future leaders in engineering and management. Its investments and employee engagement have benefited UTD through the State Farm Scholarship in the Jindal School, the Undergraduate Success Scholars program, the Comet Cupboard and the Military and Veteran Center.
“We love the partnership that we have with UTD — to impact students and to impact the workforce of the future,” said Jae Lynn Akin, human resources and development executive at State Farm. “We have to be here to support our customers, and we need a quality workforce to do that. The University of Texas at Dallas, being in our backyard, helps us do that.”
Green and Orange Award
Fern Yoon BS’07, MS’08, vice president of worldwide quality at Texas Instruments (TI), received the Green and Orange Award for her service to UT Dallas. Yoon, who was a Eugene McDermott Scholar as an undergraduate, transformed a passion for math and science into a career at TI in business and executive management roles, and spearheaded programs that expose young North Texas women to careers in science, technology and engineering.
At UT Dallas, Yoon helped create Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. For 10 years, this program brought industry leaders to campus to mentor future generations of women and invite them to explore career paths in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“I’ve been really spending my time across different organizations and programs to try to show the next generation of females what engineering could look like,” Yoon said. “I see a lot of young women saying, ‘I want to help people,’ and they gravitate toward being a doctor or a teacher. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’d love for them to also consider engineering. That’s also a great way to help people and make the world a better place.”
Distinguished Alumni Awards
The Distinguished Alumni Award is given to graduates who have achieved distinction in their careers. The work of this year’s recipients spanned the fields of management, sustainability and financial technology.
Unilever Chaired Professor of Marketing, INSEAD
Senior client partner for utilities, renewable energy and infrastructure; and global co-lead for environmental, social and governance and sustainability, Korn Ferry
Co-founder and CEO, FalconX
Media Contact: Daniel Steele, UT Dallas, 972-883-5485, daniel.steele@utdallas.edu, or the Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, newscenter@utdallas.edu.
