Tara Stoinski

About The Diane and Hal Brierley Lecture

Diane and Hal Brierley moved to Dallas in 1985 where they launched Brierley+Partners, a marketing firm focused on the design and management of customer loyalty programs. A lifelong entrepreneur, Hal co-founded Epsilon, a pioneer in customer database management and helped design American Airlines’ AAdvantage program, later serving as vice president of Pan Am and senior vice president of marketing for Continental Airlines. In 1999, he launched e-Rewards, a leading online market research panel. As CEO of The Brierley Group, Hal advises clients and serves as Executive in Residence at the SMU Cox School of Business, where Diane and Hal underwrote the Brierley Institute for Customer Engagement.

Diane serves on the Executive Board of SMU Meadows School of the Arts and SMU DataArts Advisory Board. She is a life trustee of the Dallas Theater Center and a member of the Board Executive Committee at both the Dallas Zoological Society and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Hal is a member of the Executive Board of SMU Cox School, Harvard Business School’s Dean’s Advisory Board, the NPR Foundation Board, the Smithsonian National Advisory Board and the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Board Executive Committee. Diane earned an A.B. in English from Regis College in Boston. Hal earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Tara Stoinski

Species-saving scientist

Rescuing mountain gorillas from extinction is the mission of primatologist Tara Stoinski, who serves as president, CEO and chief scientific officer for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Earlier this year, she led the opening of the organization’s state-of-the-art research and education center in Rwanda that focuses on training the next generation of conservationists in Africa and beyond. Stoinski has studied gorillas for more than 25 years and is the author of over 100 scientific publications and books.

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