2021-2022 Leadership Team

President

Valecia Harris ’23

Valecia Harris serves as the President of the Cox Graduate Entrepreneurship Club. She is an Online MBA program candidate class of December 2022 at SMU Cox, concentrating in Strategy and Entrepreneurship.  Before enrolling at Cox, Valecia served 19 years in the captive lending financial service industry. She held several leadership roles at GM Financial Service, where she advanced to Assistant Vice President overseeing dealer compliance operations.  Valecia’s career pivoted into the entrepreneurship field. She is a new business owner of a faith-based direct-to-consumer retail business that focuses on fashion and lifestyle products. Valecia is also an incoming program consultant at the SMU Hunt Institute, working to develop and scale Social Enterprise Program to address key barriers early-stage social entrepreneurs face, including capacity constraints and a need for strategic guidance, by connecting social entrepreneurs to critical resources.Valecia is excited to support her fellow entrepreneurs with resources, networking, and mentorship opportunities to help them to achieve their goals of starting and launching a viable business venture.

Contact: valeciah@smu.edu

VP of Community Outreach

Matt Hauck ’22

Matt Hauck is the VP of Community Outreach for the Cox Graduate Entrepreneurship Club. Matt attended Trinity College – CT for undergraduate studies, majoring in Political Science and International Relations. Before attending SMU Cox’s Full-time MBA program, Matt worked as an internal wholesaler for State Street Global Advisors and Lazard Asset Management for the past 5 years. At SMU Cox, second-year MBA candidate concentrating in Strategy and Entrepreneurship and is currently interning at Techstars Sports Accelerator helping sports tech startups scale their businesses.

Contact: matth@smu.edu

Treasurer

Jingru Huang ’22

Jingru Huang is the Treasurer for the Cox Graduate Entrepreneurship Club Entrepreneurship Club. She is a Professional MBA 87 candidate at SMU Cox, concentrating in Strategy and Finance. Jingru graduated from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville majored in Accounting. Currently, she is a CPA working as the accounting manager for a Christian Non-for-profit organization in Plano, TX. She is excited to help student entrepreneurs grow together and succeed.

Contact: jingruh@smu.edu

VP of Fundraising and Sponsorship Development

Annabel Reeves ’22

Annabel Reeves is the VP of Fundraising and Sponsorship Development for the Cox Graduate Entrepreneurship Club. After graduating with a degree in Psychology and Business from UT Austin, she spent nearly 5 years working in San Francisco as a commercial lender, serving companies in the early-stage technology and venture capital ecosystem. Since returning to her hometown of Dallas in 2020, she has been involved in a number of projects focused on helping Dallas become a better city for startups, including supporting Mayor Eric Johnson’s Task Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and most recently joining the local nonprofit Venture Dallas as Chief of Staff. She is currently in her second year as a Full-Time MBA student at SMU Cox, concentrating in Investment Finance and Strategy and Entrepreneurship.

Contact: annabelr@smu.edu

VP of Social Engagement

Tanner LaRocque ’22

Tanner LaRocque serving as the VP of Social Engagement for the Cox Graduate Entrepreneurship Club. Born in San Antonio, Tanner attended Texas A&M for my undergraduate studies in Organizational Leadership. Before attending SMU Cox School of Business, he began working for a high-tech startup in Dallas in 2018 and has seen major growth and M&A activity. Tanner is a second-year Professional MBA candidate concentrating in Marketing and Strategy. “My lifetime goal is to create high-value brands and excite loyalty in customers.” I love fitness, food, and music. 

Contact: tlarocque@smu.edu

VP of Marketing

Cresencio Cantu ’23

Cresencio Cantu is a graduate student in the Cox School of Business Online MBA program, and he currently serves as the VP of Marketing for the Cox Graduate Entrepreneurship Club. Cresencio is a digital marketer with over ten years of experience in website development, email marketing, and content management software. Cresencio was born and raised in Dallas, TX, and lived there until he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After completing his service, he attended and graduated from the University of Texas – Arlington with a BA in Communication Technology. Cresencio is inspired by his wife and three daughters. In his free time, Cresencio is a horticulture enthusiast who enjoys planting vegetables, flowers, and trees.

Contact: cresencioc@smu.edu

VP of Operations

Myriam Setra ’22

Myriam Setra is a graduate student in the Cox School of Business Online MBA program serving as the VP of Operations for the Cox Graduate Entrepreneurship Club. Myriam lives in Lewisville, TX, and previously relocated from Las Vegas, NV where she had worked at H&M’s flagship location.  Myriam has worked in the retail industry for 14 years, with 8 having been in a managerial capacity. “As your VP of Operations, you will mostly find me in the background helping plan, book, coordinate, and support any other officer that may need assistance.”

Contact: msetra@smu.edu