The 1911 Group

The 1911 Group is a curated community of accomplished SMU alumni driving business and leadership across Dallas–Fort Worth. Members gain access to exclusive luncheons featuring prominent speakers from business and sports, private dinners at top Park Cities restaurants, and a 300+ member alumni directory to expand both personal and professional networks. With monthly gatherings and over fifteen signature luncheons each year, The 1911 Group fosters genuine connections, collaboration, and idea exchange among SMU’s most driven alumni.

The 1911 Group is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 70 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The 1911 Group, a business show with 70 episodes published.

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  The 1911 Group

  Building a School from Scratch with Shelly Sender

  Sep 16, 202641 min

  This week on SMU Stories, we sat down with Shelly Sender, founding Head of School at The Compass School of Texas, to talk about 45 years in education and what it takes to build a school from scratch. Shelly Sender is the founding Head of School at The Compass School of Texas, with more than 45 years in education. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Southern Methodist University and holds master's degrees from The University of Texas at Dallas and Grand Canyon University. From 2007 to 2023, Shelly served as Early Childhood Education Director at Temple Emanu-El in Dallas. Guided by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, she led the school through its third cycle of NAEYC accreditation, supported the implementation of the International Baccalaureate program, and reinstated its kindergarten. She has also held leadership positions on local and national child-advocacy boards. At Compass, Shelly is building a school grounded in five core values, Family, Community, Leadership, Purpose, and Resilience, that pairs academic rigor with outdoor education, nature-based learning, and purposeful exploration. Her belief is that education should do more than prepare children for the future. It should help them discover who they are, understand how they can contribute, and build the character to lead lives of meaning.

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  The 1911 Group

  How Layne Tenenbaum Built Le Bloom in Dallas

  Aug 27, 202629 min

  This week on SMU Stories, we sat down with Layne Tenenbaum (’21), founder and creative director of Dallas’s go-to floral studio, coffee, and matcha concept, Le Bloom. An SMU Cox graduate with a background in marketing and digital content strategy, Layne drew inspiration from California farmers markets to bring a fresh, elevated flower-stand experience to Texas. What began on Mother’s Day weekend in 2023 with a signature custom blue flower cart on Knox Street quickly blossomed into high-profile brand installations, mobile coffee catering, and a permanent brick-and-mortar storefront. Today, Layne leads creative direction and daily operations as Le Bloom continues to grow—blending modern floral design, curated beverages, and community-centered hospitality across Dallas–Fort Worth. Tune in to hear her journey, key lessons in young entrepreneurship, and what’s next for the brand.

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  The 1911 Group

  Michael S. Harris | Dean, Simmons School of Education

  Aug 20, 202625 minS1

  This week on SMU Stories, we sat down with Michael Harris, Leon Simmons Endowed Dean of the Simmons School of Education and Human Development. Simmons offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs spanning education, sport management, applied physiology and health, counseling, educational leadership, liberal studies, and more. As dean, he leads one of the nation’s top-ranked private schools of education, providing strategic leadership for the school’s academic programs, research enterprise, enrollment growth, and philanthropic initiatives. Harris also serves as SMU’s Faculty Athletics Representative, representing the University to the Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA. A member of the SMU faculty since 2012, Harris has held numerous leadership roles across the University and has championed academic excellence, shared governance, strategic investment, and organizational capacity-building to advance institutional success.

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  The 1911 Group

  The Brand Builder | Caroline Wright Turnipseed

  Aug 6, 202640 min

  This week on SMU Stories, we sat down with Caroline Turnipseed, Founder of CWT Consulting Group, a boutique marketing agency that partners with retail and lifestyle brands to create strategic marketing initiatives that drive measurable growth. Since launching the firm in 2020, Caroline has helped brands acquire new customers, strengthen customer loyalty, and increase sales through thoughtfully executed brand partnerships, influencer marketing, email campaigns, product launches, and experiential events. CWT Consulting Group's past and present clients include Hunter Bell, MacKenzie-Childs, Tuckernuck, Addison Bay, Oliphant, Vineyard Vines, and Look Linen Co., among others. The agency is nationally recognized for developing creative, results-driven campaigns that blend strategic thinking with authentic brand storytelling. Before founding CWT Consulting Group, Caroline held in-house marketing roles at Lilly Pulitzer, Victoria's Secret, and Julia Berolzheimer's Gal Meets Glam, where she gained extensive experience building and scaling consumer brands. Caroline lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, with her husband, Mitchener, and their two children, Wright and Annie.

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  The 1911 Group

  25 Years of Raising Capital: What's Changed | Michael Romo, ACORE Capital

  Jul 21, 202634 min

  This week on SMU Stories, we sat down with Mike Romo. Mike is Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Capital Raising and Investor Relations at ACORE Capital, where he oversees the firm's global investor relations and product development efforts. He brings more than 25 years of experience across business development, marketing and fundraising.Before joining ACORE, Mike spent nearly nine years as a Partner at Torchlight Investors, leading marketing for the firm. Earlier in his career, he worked at Hawkeye Partners — where he sat on both the Management and Investment Committees while heading new manager sourcing and marketing — and at Giuliani Partners.Mike holds a BBA in Finance from Southern Methodist University.

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