Deep in the Heart of Dallas Special Guests
Meet our Deep in the Heart of Dallas featured alumni!
We’re excited to host them and share their knowledge, experiences, and interesting life paths with you at our centennial celebration, Deep in the Heart of Dallas, on April 12, 2026 at Happiest Hour!
Vince Young
2005 Maxwell, Davey O’Brien
2005 Manning Award Winner
2006 Rose Bowl National Championship
Youth and Community Studies, College of Education (2013)
2019 College Football Hall of Fame
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Vince Young is one of the most prolific dual-threat quarterbacks in NCAA history. A consensus first-team All-American, he won the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, and Manning Awards in 2005, finishing as the Heisman Trophy runner-up. Young holds a 30-2 record as a starter, the highest winning percentage in UT history (93.8%).
Statistical Milestones:
Total Offense: 9,167 yards and 81 touchdowns (both UT records).
Historic Rose Bowl: The only player in NCAA history to pass for over 230 yards and rush for over 250 in a single game (2006 Rose Bowl vs. USC).
Ground Game: Holds the UT record for rushing yards by a quarterback (3,127) and rushing TDs (37).
Efficiency: Led Texas to points on over 50% of all career drives he directed.
Beyond his athleticism, Young was a member of the AFCA Good Works Team for his community service. After leading Texas to the 2005 National Championship, he was selected third overall in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
Bobby Burton
Founder @ OnTexasFootball
BBA Business, McCombs (1992)
Bobby Burton is a pioneer in the college sports media industry and a leading authority on Texas Longhorns football. A 1992 graduate of the University of Texas, Burton began his career as a student assistant under Coach David McWilliams, where he specialized in film breakdown for recruits. He later became a foundational figure in the digital recruiting era as a founding partner of both Rivals.com and 247Sports, serving as the long-time publisher of Horns247 and once being ranked among the most powerful people in sports by Sporting News.
In 2022, Burton launched On Texas Football (OTF), a premier multimedia platform providing deep-dive analysis and insider news on the Longhorn program. As the site’s founder and lead host, he has built one of the largest Texas-focused media brands in the world, amassing over 50,000 subscribers on YouTube. Today, he remains a staple of the Austin sports scene, combining his decades of executive experience with a specialized focus on roster construction and high-level recruiting strategy.
Bonnie-Jill Laflin
Sports Broadcaster, TV Host, Author, Philanthropist
Broadcast Journalism (2000)
Bonnie-Jill Laflin is a trailblazing sports broadcaster, TV host, author, and philanthropist. A University of Texas alumna, she made history as the first and only female NBA scout with the Los Angeles Lakers, later becoming the first female Assistant General Manager in the NBA G League. She has achieved numerous “firsts,” including being the first woman to dance professionally for three teams across two major leagues…the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys — and the first woman to earn six championship rings across two sports (one Super Bowl ring and five NBA championship rings).
In broadcasting, Bonnie-Jill has worked with major networks including ESPN, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, and CBS, and has served as a longtime host and ambassador for Michael Jordan’s Jordan Brand. She is the bestselling author of In a League of Her Own, celebrating female pioneers in sports.
She is also the founder of the nonprofit Hounds & Heroes, dedicated to pairing rescue animals with wounded veterans and first responders to support healing and recovery. Bonnie-Jill currently serves as a TV and radio host and reporter covering the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, and Texas Longhorns, while also working nationally across MMA, boxing, rodeo, and horse racing. She is the host of Beyond the Game on ReachTV and hosts shows on American Country Network, including Lady Legends of Country Music and Smoke Show.
Author : In a League of Her Own: Celebrating Female Firsts in Sports
@BJLaflin | Facebook | Instagram | Personal Website | Hounds and Heroes | In A League of Her Own Book
Pre-Festival Session: UT Admissions and Scholarships
Carl Tippen
College Counselor @ Westlake Academy
Sociology, Natural Sciences (1995)
Carl Tippen, a native of Corpus Christi, TX, has spent over twenty-five years working in the fields of higher education and human resources for various organizations throughout his career. Carl worked in the undergraduate office of admissions for the University of Texas at Austin and Arlington. Carl left the UT System and became a faculty member at St. Mark’s School of Texas, where he spent four years as a college counselor, teacher, coach and an advisor on campus. After leaving St. Mark’s, Carl began a career in human resources.
Carl worked for Raytheon, Dallas ISD, and RSM (Formerly Known as McGladrey) in several human resources roles throughout the US and internationally. Carl decided to leave the human resources field to return to the career that he truly loved. Carl is in his 11th year at Westlake Academy Charter School as the Diploma Programme College Counselor and in his 2nd year as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Southern New Hampshire University. He has an unrelenting passion helping students and families navigate the college admissions process.
Carl holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Education from Dallas Baptist University. Carl is involved with a number of organizations such as the Texas Association for College Admissions Counseling, Texas Exes Black Alumni Network, the Dallas Texas Exes, and is a charter member of the Frisco Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Currently, Carl resides in Plano, Texas and has three children – Julia, Stafford, and Griffin.
Carl Tippen served as the Dallas Texas Exes president in 2023, and previously served as the VP of Scholarships. We are excited to have him present with the UT Admissions Center at the Deep in the Heart of Dallas pre-festival session to help high schoolers in DFW learn more about what it takes to apply to UT Austin and how to compete in today’s university admissions landscape.
Carl will lead the 10 AM Pre-Festival UT Admissions and Scholarships session for high school students and their families.
Outstanding Young Alumni Panel
Brittany Johnson
Director of Social Media @ Dallas Cowboys
Canfield Business Honors Program and Marketing, McCombs (2012)
Brittany Johnson oversees the social media strategy and execution across the organization’s expansive digital ecosystem, including @DallasCowboys, @DCCheerleaders, @ATTStadium, @TheStarinFrisco, @CowboysintheCommunity, and more.
Brittany began her career with an internship at ESPN in New York, followed by roles at world‑renowned advertising agencies Publicis and Grey New York, where she produced digital content for high‑profile clients, including P&G and the National Football League. Her work led to a multi‑year tenure at the NFL, where she ultimately served as Executive Content Producer, managing national fan campaigns tied to the league’s 100th season. Brittany has also held leadership roles at AT&T and LEARFIELD, overseeing integrated social and digital content for major brands and collegiate partners.
Jenny Li
Finance Director @ Texas Instruments
BBA Supply Chain Management, McCombs (2015), MBA, McCombs (2025)
Jenny Li is Finance Director for the Embedded Processing Division at Texas Instruments. She has served in a variety of finance and operations roles across TI and other companies.
As someone who has built a career in STEM and believes in the power of representation, Jenny also serves on the Board of High Tech High Heels North Texas, whose mission is to advance STEM education for girls. She is a Dallas native and earned both her BBA in Supply Chain Management (’15) and MBA (’25) from UT Austin.
Distinguished Alumni Panel
Moderator: Doug Rice
Founder, Walk Your Talk
Broadcast Journalism (1988)
Dallas Texas Exes Board Member
Doug has built a career in health, fitness, and human performance, helping individuals and organizations improve their physical energy, mental clarity, and overall resilience. He is a professional emcee, keynote speaker, and the creator of Walk Your Talk™, an immersive leadership experience that blends guided walking, cinematic audio storytelling, and reflective leadership prompts to help participants take meaningful action in their personal and professional lives.
During his time on the Forty Acres, Doug contributed to The Cactus and energized Longhorn fans as a member of the UT Cheerleading squad. In 2022, Doug founded the now-signature Beat OU Pep Rally, which has grown into one of the Dallas Chapter’s most spirited and well-attended annual traditions. He also serves as the official “UT Hype Man” for the Game Watching Committee, where his high-energy presence helps create a game-day atmosphere at every Longhorn Icehouse watch party.
In addition, Doug is widely known for his parody character, Fake McConaughey, an entertaining and unmistakably biased Longhorn superfan who has delighted fans through personalized videos and live appearances.
Derek Eagleton
Senior Vice President of Media and Programming @ Dallas Cowboys
Management Information Systems, McCombs (1997)
Derek’s career began with Andersen Consulting (later named Accenture) where he built software applications and websites. He joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1999 to help build their website strategy.
Throughout his tenure with the Cowboys, he has earned opportunities to grow his responsibilities leading other parts of their media business. In his current role, Derek manages all content produced for web, television, radio, mobile apps, social media and publications.
Derek is originally from Crosby, Texas, and currently resides in Plano, Texas. He met his wife, Suneese, while attending the University of Texas, and they recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They have two children, Kennedy (21) and DJ (18).
Derek is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. In his downtime, he enjoys playing drums and training for half marathons.
Amy Lewis Hofland
Director @ Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas
Visual Arts, College of Fine Arts (1994)
Director Amy Lewis Hofland leads the Crow Museum of Asian Art in Dallas, Texas, the preeminent museum dedicated to the arts and cultures of Asia in the southern United States. On staff since the museum’s inception in 1998, Hofland’s footprint can be found throughout the museum, including her recruitment and hire of leading Asian art scholars; launching the Crow Museum as the first “wellness museum” in the United States; and molding the museum’s award-winning education programs to emphasize collaboration and collective learning; helping to draw over 100,000 museum visitors a year.
Amy is pursuing a doctorate at Southwestern College in Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership exploring the relationship between art and compassion. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts degree in art education from the University of North Texas, where she was part of the distinguished Marcus Fellow program. In addition to her work at the Crow Museum, Hofland is a noted author, speaker and community leader serving on various board leadership positions in the Dallas-Fort Worth community. She is also working to create Dallas as a City of Compassion and recently formed and co-chairs The Compassion Council for the Dallas Arts District.
Dr. Binh-Minh “Jade” Le
Infectious Diseases Service Line Chief @ Access Physicians
Biology, Natural Sciences (1996)
Dr. Le is the Infectious Diseases Service Line Chief for Access Physicians, and was part of the Clinical Faculty in Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) in Dallas, Texas. While at UTSW, she provided clinical consultations as a Transplant Infectious Diseases Faculty and provided clinical expertise for the Transplant Services Center at UTSW. She was involved in UTSW’s Special Pathogens Team during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and provided weekly COVID-19 updates to thousands of physicians worldwide in 2020. She has received numerous teaching awards and has received D Magazine’s “Best Doctors” Award for Infectious Diseases for seven straight years.
Dr. Le is board-certified in infectious diseases, and is a former Peace Corps volunteer who participated in Ebola containment efforts and vaccination drives in Gabon (1996-1998). She completed residency and chief residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. Jade Le leads Access TeleCare’s growing infectious disease service line and runs a busy house of four kids, two dogs, and a host of backyard chickens. She also delivers life-saving care to patients with complex infections all over the country. Watch her discuss how telemedicine gave her back work-life balance and allows her to fulfill her role as a parent and physician leader.