Chairperson of the Board

2021 - 2027

Dr. Garrett Sonnier is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He received his Ph.D. in marketing from the UCLA Anderson School of ManagementHis current research interests include product management, product and brand perceptions, pricing, Bayesian economics, and multivariate Bayesian statistics.His research has been published in Quantitative Marketing and Economics, Marketing Science and the Journal of Marketing Research. Before earning his Ph.D., Dr. Sonnier was a strategic planning manager for Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc.

University Director
2024 - 2028

Ben Bentzin is an Associate Professor of Instruction in Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. As a McCombs Teaching Fellow Ben is focused on helping faculty integrate AI into the classroom. He is also a marketing practitioner as the previous co-founder and Chairman of Interactive Health Technologies, LLC. Ben’s wife, Dalya is a winegrower in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma, California.

In his previous ten-year career at Dell Inc., Ben had various responsibilities in marketing, product development, and e-commerce. His roles included heading marketing for Dell's consumer/small business division, product marketing for Dell Dimension and Latitude brand computers, and the development of business-to-business e-commerce.

Ben has been appointed by the President of the University of Texas as a faculty board member of the University Co-Op non-profit and is the immediate past President of the Board of Trustees of The Austin Symphony Orchestra. His past volunteer leadership includes Chairman of the Board for the Long Center for the Performing Arts, Board President of the Travis County Center for Child Protection, Campaign Chairman for the United Way of the Capital Area, Committee Chair for Boy Scout Troop 990, and board positions with Austin public radio stations KUT/KUTX, and Ballet Austin.

Ben holds an MBA in marketing and strategic management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Finance from Arizona State University.

Independent Director
2026 - 2028

Luke Dunn is the Associate General Manager of Longhorn Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holder for The University of Texas Athletics. A 30-year veteran of the sports marketing and media industry, Luke oversees strategic brand partnerships and sponsorship initiatives connecting global and regional brands with Texas Athletics, the University as a whole, to the passionate Longhorn fan base. He was originally hired in 2011 to help launch Longhorn Network.A Texas graduate and a Life Member of the Texas Exes, Luke has spent much of his career building innovative partnerships across collegiate athletics, media, and entertainment while helping position Texas Athletics as the premier brand in college sports. A 2025 University of Texas RecSports Hall of Honor inductee, he has also played an active role in advancing student-focused initiatives and university engagement efforts throughout his time on the Forty Acres.

Student Director
2025 - 2027

Cody, from Argyle, Texas, is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Analytics and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at The University of Texas at Austin, with a Minor in Entrepreneurship.

He is set to work as a Capital Management Intern this summer. After graduation, he aims to leverage his analytical and quantitative skills in the financial services industry, focusing on strategic advisory roles.

On campus, Cody is involved as the Alumni Relations Chairman of Delta Tau Delta, the Interfraternity Council Cabinet Board Director of Academics, and an Analyst for Longhorn Macro Investors. Beyond academics, he enjoys reading, cooking, snow skiing, and golf.

Student Director
2026-2028

Alexis Klugo is studying in the Plan II Honors program with a Business minor in Risk Management. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she is interested in exploring how business, law, and public policy intersect to shape organizations and drive meaningful change. She currently serves as a legislative aide in the Texas Senate, where she supports policy research and constituent services. On campus, Alexis is involved in Alpha Epsilon Phi, Honors Consulting Association, Longhorn Finance, and the Plan II Student Association. In her free time, Director Klugo enjoys exploring Austin on long walks and trying new restaurants.

University Director

2026-2030

Howard Nirken joins the Co-op board as three-time-graduate of the University of Texas having earned his BBA, MPAff, and JD throughout his time on the forty acres. In addition to being an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas School of Law where he teaches a class focused on transactional drafting, he is also an attorney at DuBois Bryant & Campbell.

Director Nirken concentrates his practice in corporation and securities law, with particular emphasis on representation of private emerging growth companies and public corporations in public and private financings (equity and debt), negotiation of acquisitions and mergers (involving both public and private companies), negotiation of venture capital transactions and advising clients on intellectual property protection (including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets) and the licensing of such rights.

Student Director
2025 - 2027

Matthew was raised in Dallas, Texas before arriving at The University of Texas to pursue a degree in Finance and Mathematics. He is very interested in the application of complex algorithms to the business world.

This past year, Matthew interned with Capital Creek Partners in Austin, and he is looking forward to summer 2026 where he will be interning at Evercore. After graduation, Matthew hopes to establish a career in finance.

On campus, Matthew is a member of Delta Tau Delta, Phi Chi Theta, and the University Securities Investment Team. Additionally, he enjoys boxing, running, watching movies, and trying new foods.

President & CEO

On February 1, 2016, Cheryl Phifer was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the University Co-operative Society and serves on the University Co-op Board of Directors. Cheryl Phifer brings extensive senior executive leadership experience from her long and successful tenure at Barnes & Noble and other national retailers. Prior to joining the Co-op, she held the position of Regional Vice President at Barnes & Noble Inc., and was responsible for a region with 135 stores with $730M annual sales volume within 13 states.

A highly accomplished and forward-thinking retail executive with consistent track record of exceeding expectations, Cheryl Phifer brings to the role, among other talents, an extensive knowledge of store operations, positive “people first” leadership style and philosophy and more importantly - strong passion to serve her alma mater. She is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance and has been a Life Member of the Texas Exes since 1987.

Independent Director and Vice Chair
2023-2027

Tony Rogers brings the Co-op Board of Director decades of marketing and digital leadership experience having joined Dollar General in July of 2024 as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. With more than 25 years of experience, Rogers served in several senior executive roles prior to joining Dollar General, including Chief Member officer at Sam’s Club, Chief Marketing Officer at Walmart, and Chief Marketing Officer at Signet Jewelers. Director Rogers earned both his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and Master of Business Administration in marketing from The University of Texas at Austin. He remains deeply involved in the McCombs community working with students and serving on the McCombs Marketing Advisory Council.

University Director
2025 - 2029

Sara’s journey to teaching began in the women's fitness apparel retail industry, where she fell in love with garments utilized for physical movement. She transitioned into academia through gaining her MS in Textiles at UT - and since then - she has been teaching retail classes in the Division of Textiles Apparel.

Recently transitioning to higher education leadership (and soon completing her EdD in Higher Education), Sara’s moving forward with her career at the intersection of higher education innovation and the overarching textiles and retail industries. As both a Texas Ex and a faculty member, is honored to serve in this role to support student success at The University at Texas.

University Director
2023 - 2027

Professor Thompson is Associate Professor of American Studies. She currently serves as the Associate Director of the John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies. She received her Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization (2001) and her A.M. in History (2000) from Harvard University. She received her A.B. degree in History (1992) from Harvard College.

She is currently researching a book project entitled "No More Auction Block for Me: African Americans and the Problem of Property" which traces out some of the legacies of slavery for African American encounters with property and ownership. The project draws on the methodologies of cultural history, literary criticism, performance studies, ethnography, and critical theory. Her first book, Exiles at Home: The Struggle to Become American in Creole New Orleans is a cultural history of New Orleans' French-speaking free people of color over the middle decades of the nineteenth century. The dissertation on which it is based was awarded the Ralph Henry Gabriel Dissertation Prize by the American Studies Association in 2001. Her work has been supported by fellowships from the Ford Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the American Association of University Women.

Student Director
2026 - 2028

Austin Wood is a Dallas native studying Economics at The University of Texas with a minor in Real Estate. He join’s the Co-op Board of Directors bringing some business insights from prior internship experience at Cafe Brazil and G&B Property Management. Director Wood also stays active in the University community as a member of Delta Tau Delta, the Texas FinTech Collective, and Longhorn Macro Investors.