About the Hunt Institute

 

 

The Hunt Institute at the SMU Lyle School of Engineering is training a new generation of engineers in modern engineering applications—along with providing a deep exposure to global economics, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership and principles of sustainability.  Through the power of engineering—steeped in practical solutions, collaboration with partners, and a commitment to the principles of humanity—we will meet the challenges of the developing world. Your presence at the Hunt Institute Engineering & Humanity Week 2013 is vital to achieving the goal of ending global poverty through action.

 

 

Founders Hunter & Stephanie Hunt

 


Hunter L. Hunt

Hunter Hunt is Chairman and CEO of Hunt Consolidated Energy, Inc., the holding company for Hunt Oil Company, Hunt Refining Company, and Hunt Power. Hunt Oil Company was founded in 1934 by H.L. Hunt and is one of the largest privately-owned energy companies in the world. Hunt Power was established in 1998 to seek opportunities in the utility industry. Hunt Power created Sharyland Utilities, L.P., a Texas-based transmission and distribution electric utility, which was the first new regulated electric utility created in the U.S. in over 30 years. Sharyland Utilities is currently developing a 300-mile electric transmission project to bring wind power from the Panhandle region of Texas into the major metropolitan areas.  In now has operations in over 20 counties in Texas. Hunter serves as President of Sharyland Utilities.

Prior to joining Hunt Consolidated, Hunter worked with the investment bank Morgan Stanley from 1990 to 1998, both in corporate finance and commodity trading. In 1999, he took a leave of absence from the Hunt organization in to work for the George W. Bush Campaign for President, where he served in the Policy Group focusing on energy, taxes, and the budget. Hunter graduated from SMU summa cum laude with degrees in both economics and political science.  He serves in several capacities at SMU, including serving on the Engineering School's Executive Board, the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies, and was the recent Chair of the 21st Century Council, a group reporting to SMU's president that consults on a variety of university issues.  He co-founded the Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity, which is focused on bringing innovative technological and business solutions to the global poor.  Hunter also serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the All Stars Project, a nationwide charity based in New York that focuses on developing underprivileged youth through performance and career training.

Stephanie Erwin Hunt

A native of Dallas, Texas, Stephanie Hunt attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1990 with a BBA in Finance. After graduation, Hunt  studied at Sotheby's in London and subsequently worked in the Dallas office. Two years later, Stephanie joined the energy research group of the investment bank Wasserstein Perella, continuing her financial work until 1997.  She then moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming as co-owner of The Gun Barrel Steakhouse. 

In 2009, Stephanie and her husband Hunter, co-founded the Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity within SMU's Lyle School of Engineering. The Hunt Institute is dedicated to bringing technology-driven solutions to improve the lives of those in extreme poverty, and to developing a new generation of engineers who will apply their talents to the challenges facing the global poor.  

Stephanie currently serves on the boards of the USA for UNHCR (the UN Agency for Refugees); the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas providing free legal representation and social services to asylum seekers; and The da Vinci School, specializing in early childhood education. Stephanie is a past chair of the AFI DALLAS International Film Festival and continues her support of film preservation through the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Stephanie attended NYU's summer filmmaking boot camp in 1999 and is a passionate supporter of documentary filmmaking. Stephanie resides in Dallas with her husband, Hunter, and their eight year-old triplets.

 

 

 

 

 

Hunt Institute Advisory Board

 

Lucy Billingsley, Founder of the Billingsley Company, Dallas, Texas

Lori Feehan, Former tax partner with Deloitte and Touche and presently consultant for high net worth individuals and private foundations, Denver, Colorado

Richard A. Freling, Of Counsel to Jones Day, Dallas, Texas

Hunter HuntCo-Founder, Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity, Dallas, Texas

Stephanie Hunt, Co-Founder, Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity, Dallas, Texas

Thomas E. Lovejoy, Heinz Center Biodiversity Chair, Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment and former Asst. Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

Amory Lovins, Chairman and Chief Scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute, Boulder, Colorado

Tom Luce, CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative and former United States Assistant Secretary of Education for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Dallas, Texas

Bobby B. Lyle, Chairman and CEO, Lyco Holdings Incorporated, Dallas, Texas

Alfonso Montiel, Founder, Alsis Funds, Dallas, Texas

William T. Solomon, Former Chairman and CEO of Austin Industries, 
Dallas, Texas

Gay F. Solomon, Civic Leader, Dallas, Texas

Jonathan Trichel, Principal, Deloitte Consulting, Austin, Texas

R. James Woolsey, Jr., Former Director of the CIA and Senior Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton, Washington, D.C.

Ray Zahab, Ultra-marathoner and founder of impossible2Possible (i2P), Chelsea, Quebec