SMU announces 2026 distinguished alumni, emerging leader honoree

SMU will honor four outstanding leaders in philanthropy, business and civic life at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at SMU’s Distinguished Alumni Award presentation and dinner. 

Hosted by SMU’s president and the SMU Alumni Board, the annual event recognizes leaders for extraordinary achievement, outstanding character and good citizenship. It is the highest honor the University can bestow upon its graduates. The 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are Gerald B. Alley ’75, founder and CEO of Con-Real, LP; Donde Plowman ’74, chancellor at the University of Tennessee; and Pat S. Bolin ’73, co-founder and CEO of Eagle Oil & Gas Co.

Courtland Sutton ’17, wide receiver for the NFL’s Denver Broncos, will receive the University’s Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of an alumnus or alumna who has graduated in the last 15 years.

Gerald Alley

A native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Gerald B. Alley ’75 completed an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas before heading to the Hilltop for his MBA from SMU’s Cox School of Business.

Alley worked full-time while pursuing his MBA, earning a scholarship and grant that would help lay the foundation for his construction and real estate services firm, Con-Real, which he and his brother Troy Alley ’76 founded in 1979. His involvement with the Dallas Alliance of Minority Business Enterprise inspired him to focus his burgeoning company on the Dallas community and economic development.

Today, the company – which has offices in Arlington, Dallas, Houston, Little Rock, Northwest Arkansas, Atlanta and San Francisco – performs construction and related services for Fortune 500 corporations including JPMorgan Chase, American Airlines, Loews Hotels, Walmart and CBRE. Con-Real has successfully completed more than 3,000 projects. Alley also launched The Alley Group, a division of Con-Real, and Bravado LP, a real estate and hospitality development firm. He is the managing partner of A-Squared Global, a development investment entity.

Alley, who credits his parents for instilling in him the values of education, hard work and resilience, is the first African American entrepreneur to serve on SMU’s Board of Trustees and chair the Buildings and Grounds Committee. In 2013, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus by SMU’s Cox School of Business.

He’s a co-founder of the Gerald and Candace Alley Family Foundation, which supports organizations addressing the needs of underprivileged students, and is a major sponsor of the Alley Scholars program, which has provided scholarships for more than 300 students. He is the only non-Houston board member of the Houston Fund for Social Justice and Economic Equity, which supports Houston-based African American businesses and nonprofits.

Learn more about Alley.

Donde Plowman

Coming from a family of several SMU alumni, Donde Plowman ’74 seemed destined for the Hilltop. An English major, she served in leadership roles through cocurricular activities, including as the secretary of Student Senate, a resident assistant and a member of United Campus Ministries. For her academic achievements, she became a member of Kirkos and Mortar Board honor societies and received the prestigious “M” Award.

A lifelong proponent of higher education, Plowman launched her career teaching management at institutions including The University of Texas at San Antonio, the Helsinki School of Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she now serves as chancellor.

Shortly after becoming the chancellor of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2019, Plowman created the Division of Student Success. Since then, student retention and graduation rates, new student applications, enrollment, research expenditures and annual fundraising have all increased. The university is home to 41,000 students and includes a budget of $2.4 billion.

Outside of faculty positions, Plowman has served as UTSA’s associate dean of Graduate Studies and Research; Tennessee’s head of the Department of Management; the James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Business; and UNL’s executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer.

She is the first woman to chair the Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors. She also chairs the Council of Presidents for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. Plowman serves on the College Sports Commission Board of Directors, the University of Tennessee-Battelle Board of Governors, the University Health System Inc. Board of Directors, and is a dedicated supporter of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and Bryan Health System.
 
Among her many honors, she received the Lincoln Woman of the Year Award in 2015; the Don Clifton Hall of Fame Award in 2025; and the James A. Haslam, II Leadership Award from the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce in 2026.

Learn more about Plowman.

Pat Bolin 

When Pat S. Bolin ’73 arrived on the Hilltop, he quickly became involved on campus. A psychology major, he joined Phi Gamma Delta, participated in intramural sports, and spent his summers working in the oil fields – an experience that helped spark the entrepreneurial ambitions that would shape his career.

After graduation, Bolin began his career as a landman before co-founding Eagle Oil & Gas Co. with his father, D. Phil Bolin, and Warren Ayres, continuing three generations of the Bolin family’s involvement in the oil and gas industry. Today, Eagle and its private investment holding company, EagleCorp Inc., have operations across 10 states. Throughout his career, he has pursued ventures in minerals and royalties, energy investment and family-owned enterprises, reflecting a broad interest in building and supporting businesses across the energy sector.
 
A devoted alumnus, Bolin has served on the Cox School of Business Executive Board since 2007 and established the Pat and Jane Bolin B.B.A Scholars Endowment Fund in 2008. He served on the steering committee for SMU Unbridled: The Second Century Campaign and supports the Jane and Pat Bolin Endowed Director of the Maguire Energy Institute. He is also an investment committee member of the Mustang Spindletop Investment Fund and a longtime supporter of the Mustang Club and Meadows Museum.

Bolin received the Cox School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010 and the Texas Top Producer CEO Award from the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association.

Learn more about Bolin.

Courtland Sutton

For Courtland Sutton ’17, the path from Brenham, Texas, to the NFL began with family, hard work and a standout career on the Hilltop. Sutton learned the value of discipline at an early age. Growing up, he helped build barbed-wire fences and clear bushes and trees by hand – demanding work that helped shape the perseverance, toughness and approach to preparation he would later bring to football. Sutton arrived at SMU as a two-way high school standout and developed into one of the most accomplished wide receivers in Mustang history. He earned his degree in sport management in 2017 before taking the next step toward the NFL.

Over his collegiate career, he started 37 of 39 games and recorded 195 receptions for 3,220 yards and 31 touchdowns. By the time he left the Hilltop, Sutton ranked second in SMU history in receiving touchdowns, third in receiving yards and sixth in receptions. As a redshirt junior in 2017, he earned Associated Press second-team All-America and first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors after recording 68 catches for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns. 
 
Post-graduation, the Denver Broncos selected Sutton in the second round with the 40th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, beginning a professional career that has established him among the most productive receivers in franchise history. A two-time Pro Bowler, Sutton has become a cornerstone of the Broncos offense and ranks fifth in franchise history in receiving yards.

His impact, however, reaches well beyond the football field. Through the Sutton Family Foundation, Sutton has focused on creating opportunities for young people and helping athletes prepare for success beyond their playing careers. He and the foundation made a major contribution to SMU Athletics’ Life After Ball program, supporting career preparation and networking opportunities for Mustang student-athletes and establishing The Sutton Family Foundation Professional Development Series. Sutton has also supported organizations including the Boys & Girls Club, AP Ranch and Shoes That Fit, extending his commitment to young people and underserved communities beyond the Hilltop.
 
Learn more about Sutton.