The AB consists of junior and senior level members in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As part of the AB, the organization hosts a semiannual Speaker Series and invites prominent businessmen and women to speak about their respective industries.

Ryan Rogers, Chief Investment Officer for Mary Kay Inc. and grandson of company founder Mary Kay Ash, spoke to the AB members in attendance on a range of topics, including the Mary Kay brand, the company's entrepreneurial identity and its current expansion into emerging global economies.

As CIO, Rogers is responsible for strategy alignment and resource allocation decisions across all of Mary Kay's 35-plus global subsidiaries. He is a favorite speaker at company conferences and seminars around the world, including China, Russia, Mexico and Brazil.

"We're very thankful for Ryan taking the time to share details about the company and his personal relationship with his grandmother," Executive Director Joshua Hernandez said. "It was great to hear more about Mary Kay and the tremendous legacy she left behind."

Mary Kay Inc. was founded by Mary Kay Ash in 1963 with only a “dream” marketing plan, her life savings of $5,000 and a handful of independent beauty consultants. Since that time, the company has grown into a global brand with premium product in more than 35 countries, over 3 million independent beauty consultants and sales reaching $3.5 billion. In 2003, Baylor University named Mary Kay as the “Greatest Female Entrepreneur in American History.”