Assistant Vice President, Business Development, Texas Capital Bank
In Reagan’s role at Texas Capital Bank, she leans on both degrees she earned at Jindal School – a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a bachelor’s degree in marketing. “I connect with business leaders in the Dallas community to hear their stories and see if Texas Capital Bank can help them achieve their company’s goals,” she says. “In school, I had no idea how accounting and marketing would fit together and if I could even find a role that would allow me to utilize both my degrees. I wanted accounting for the job security and marketing for the creativity. My role at Texas Capital Bank is perfect because I get to use knowledge from both accounting and marketing. I use my marketing skills to put together campaigns, host events and sell the bank. When I’m visiting with a prospective client, I use my accounting degree to understand their financials.”
Any other Jindal School experiences that have proved beneficial to you?
Getting certified via the University Sales Center Alliance certification in professional sales, a concentration offered within the marketing degree program, was really what tied everything together for me. I couldn’t be happier about my non-traditional combination of majors.
What do you enjoy about your current position/profession?
One of my favorite things about my position is how it enables me to connect with people. I’ve gotten to meet so many interesting people with fascinating stories. Most of the people that I’m meeting with are individuals who had a great idea, started a company and now are experiencing fast-paced growth. No two days are the same for me.
What unexpected experience or event has shaped and/or influenced your current professional life?
I moved around a bunch growing up and attended 10 schools prior to graduating from high school. At the time, I hated being uprooted and forced to start over. I was painfully shy and had trouble making new friends. I now consider all of the new beginnings one of my biggest blessings. I’m not scared to walk into a room full of strangers and strike up a conversation. I find cultivating relationships comes pretty naturally, which is super important in my job.
Why did you come to UT Dallas?
This is kind of a funny story. I didn’t want to go to UT Dallas. I thought it was lame that the university didn’t have a football team. I thought the mascot was goofy. And I didn’t like that the campus seemed to completely die down after the commuters drove back home for the evening. UT Dallas was just a place holder until I could transfer to UT Austin. I couldn’t have been more wrong. As soon as I got settled in my dorm room, UTD felt like home. I am still best friends with my two potluck roommates from freshman year. I loved that the teachers had real-world experience and taught beyond reading out of textbooks. I loved that the campus is small enough to be familiar, but large enough to be interesting and exciting. After my first semester at UT Dallas, you could not have paid me to transfer to another school.
What is your favorite UT Dallas memory?
In my junior year I decided to enroll in classes offered through the Center for Professional Sales. The sales program travels to a few national and international competitions every year, and I was lucky enough to have been selected as a competitor for the International Collegiate Sales Competition. My classmate, Laura Su, and I competed in the Sales Management Case Competition against 30 other top-tier universities. We were locked in a room together for over 40 hours analyzing two cases and brainstorming potential solutions to sales management problems. For the final round of competition, we had from 8 p.m. on Friday until 8 a.m. on Saturday to put together a presentation and then present in front of a panel of sales executives. Thankfully, our hard work paid off and we won first place in the competition. Laura and I developed an amazing bond throughout the process and still remain incredibly close today.
What advice do you have for college students hoping to succeed professionally?
I am such a strong believer in the power of emotional intelligence. Skills can be taught, demeanor can’t. If you go to work every day with a smile on your face, communicate well, have empathy for others, and do what you say you will when you say you will, there is absolutely no way that you won’t succeed. Also, spend time getting to know leaders in your respective industries and building your professional network. I am a LinkedIn advocate and have had the opportunity to sit down with so many great people as a result of a simple cold LinkedIn message.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Thankfully, my family is close by so I spend a lot of time with them. I also enjoy working out (I am recently addicted to BODYPUMP class), cooking, spending time outdoors (preferably in a hammock), reading and hanging out with friends. I also am philanthropy chair for the Women’s Finance Exchange Dallas. The WFE, originally established in 1990 in Atlanta, is a network for professional women with careers in or supporting the financial services industry that assists with professional development and networking. The Dallas chapter was established in 1998 and has more than 100 members.
