Brownwood native Roy M. Spence is one of the newest inductees to the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame and was honored along with three others at a celebration gala Friday, November 9, at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center. The four newest members are University of Texas at Austin alumni R. Steven Hicks, Bobby R. Inman, John H. Massey, and Roy M. Spence.
The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made outstanding professional contributions to the business community and who, by their exemplary civic, philanthropic, and educational activities, have advanced humanity.
Roy M. Spence is co-founder and chairman of GSD&M, a national and leading marketing communications and advertising company. Under Spence’s leadership, his agency has helped grow some of the world’s most successful brands, such as “Don’t Mess with Texas,” Southwest Airlines, WalMart, DreamWorks, the PGA tour, BMW, the U.S. Air Force, LLBean, and the Clinton Global Initiative. He and his agency also created The University of Texas branding campaign “We’re Texas,” narrated by UT legend Walter Cronkite, and the current “What Starts Here Changes the World” campaign. Spence has been a trusted advisor to legendary leaders, including Sam Walton and Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher. His counsel has also been sought by U.S. presidents and leaders in the State Department and Department of Defense. He has been named Ad Man of the Year and Idea Man of the Century.
Spence is also co-founder and CEO of The Purpose Institute, a consulting firm whose purpose is to help people and organizations discover and live their purpose. He co-authored the Wall Street Journal bestselling book, “It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business is Driven by Purpose.” Roy has been married for 35 years and has three children. He is a member of the board of directors of the Conscious Capitalism Institute, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, and is a Distinguished Alumnus of UT.
“Roy Spence has dedicated his life to The University of Texas since he was a teenager,” says Red McCombs, owner of McCombs Enterprises. “Nothing is too big or too small. He breathes orange air and he is just as available to an unknown freshman as he is to the Regents. With his talent, I doubt we will ever see another like Roy Spence.”
Spence is pictured above with Charlene McCombs during the award ceremony.
