Two Baylor MBA Graduates Make Dallas Business Journals’ ‘40 Under 40’ List
Dallas Business Journal released its 16th annual “40 Under 40” list this summer, which included two Baylor MBA graduates, Amber Roy and Ryan Gebhart.
Two Baylor MBA Graduates Make Dallas Business Journals’ ‘40 Under 40’ List
Amber Roy, EMBA ’14, and Ryan Gebhart, MBA ’14, were honored by the journal as two “rising stars across various industries in the North Texas business ecosystem.”
Amber Roy
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer: Triumph Business Capital
Amber Roy
Before receiving her EMBA, Roy worked at Bank of America, where she took on various positions and continued to excel. After discussing her career with her mentor, she realized pursuing her EMBA would open doors to additional leadership roles.
“Everything lined up, so I applied to the EMBA program, and I have obtained so much more out of the program than I ever thought I could have,” Roy said. “A big thing about being a COO is connecting the dots. The coursework helped me level set my understanding of how the different departments work within a business. I’ve definitely been able to leverage the coursework and conversations throughout my career.”
With her natural-born leadership skills—fine-tuned by the EMBA program—Roy went on to work at Caliber Home Loans, Inc. until she came into her role as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Triumph Business Capital in 2021.
Amongst the numerous skills it takes to effectively lead a team, Roy said communication and managing relationships are the most important aspects of her job.
“I work well with people, ensuring to communicate the vision and strategy and helping the team understand their role within it allows me to build and maintain the relationships,” Roy said. “Making sure you know how to work with people, collaborate, lead and influence are keys to achieve the objective.”
Reflecting on her current role in a male-dominated industry, Roy never thought she would know so much about diesel fuel or trucks – but her willingness to learn and raise her hand for the projects nobody else wants to do are what allows her to hold leadership roles across varying industries.
“I want to continue to hone my leadership skills and see what other industries I can apply my expertise in,” she said. “Throughout my career, there has been the project nobody wanted to do, I was willing to raise my hand because I wanted to learn, grow and develop. Regardless of the level you’re at, you always have an opportunity to learn.”
Roy hopes the 40 Under 40 honor continues to serve as an inspiration to other women pursuing their careers. “I hope it continues to open doors for other women in their careers and show them they can have it all--- have a family, career and give back to others.”
Ryan Gebhart
President; Baylor Scott & White Medical Center
Ryan Gebart
Similar to Roy’s pursuit of furthering her professional skills, Gebhart decided to get his MBA in Healthcare Administration because he had a passion for leading and wanted to deepen this ability. When it came to choosing where to pursue this degree, Baylor’s well-rounded education, extensive network and emphasis on faith were his deciding factors.
“Going to a university that emphasizes faith first allows you as a student to grow in that while you learn. To this day, I keep those values in order and make sure they take priority,” Gebhart said. “Baylor gave me such a well-rounded education, which included working through case studies that helped me practice real-world situations and develop solutions to those issues. Lastly, the Baylor University network allowed me to surround myself with people that I continue to be connected to afterward.”
As a leader in healthcare, Gebhart said being able to impact people’s lives on a larger scale brings him great joy. Gebhart’s “3 P’s” and “3 L’s” are the principles guiding his everyday life as a leader, father and husband.
“Every day when I leave the house, I center myself in prayer,” he said. “It’s also important to be present with your family, coworkers, and the community. Lastly, you only have 1440 minutes every day to do something meaningful with your life that God has given you, so be purposeful.”
Gebhart’s “3 L’s”—love, listen, lead—also play a crucial role in his personal and professional life. “It’s hard to lead if you don’t love and listen well,” he said.
While Gebhart was honored by this achievement, he attributed his greatest accomplishments to being able to love and serve others to make an impact on peoples’ lives with his work at Baylor Scott & White Health.
“The Dallas Business Journal accomplishment does mean a lot to me, but it’s not everything,” he said. “It’s an external validation that I’m doing some of the right things, but at the end of the day, it’s not about recognitions or accolades – it’s about the impact we get to make as leaders on peoples’ lives.”
Looking forward, Gebhart hopes to continue to learn and prepare himself to help the organization and its customers win. Through “being a sponge” and following his two guiding principles, Gebhart actively prepares himself to help his team in a way that glorifies God.
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