Our Team
Meet The Team
Doric Earle: SMU Meadows – Corporate Communication and Public Affairs
Co-Director
After 30 years managing large technology consultancies, Dr. Doric Earle reinvented himself to help communities, social enterprises and entrepreneurs achieve collaborative, engaging and sustainable solutions. A Ph.D. in Public Affairs focused on Urban Planning drives an emphasis on economic development, communication and community engagement as a catalyst to unlock potential in underserved communities, help communities, social enterprises and entrepreneurs achieve collaborative, engaging and sustainable solutions. Social impact drives his work including joining the boards or consulting for NPs such as: Frazier Revitalization, Bridge Lacrosse, Green Careers Dallas and Miles of Freedom. His consultancy Forward Planning LLC is developing support for local entrepreneurs. Earle is also a co-founder of Restorative Farms Hatcher Station Garden and Training Farm project. These efforts will drive collaboration between the community, SMU and like-minded partners. Earle currently is working both in economic development and place-building, focusing on entrepreneurship, through the creation of an incubator for entrepreneurs in the Fair Park Area of Dallas. He strives to help students and clients: individuals, corporations, and municipalities maximize their innate capabilities, grow their capacity and exceed their assumed potential. Earle has a B.S. Management: Syracuse University, MBA UConn, and Ph.D. Public Affairs UTD. At SMU, he teaches various courses depending on the semester; Social Innovation/NP Leadership, Applied Comm Theory, Financial Comm, and Group/Team Communication Leadership.
Jim Hart: SMU Meadows – Corporate Communication and Public Affairs
Co-Director
A pioneering educator and entrepreneur, Hart’s book (Edward Elgar Publishing, Ltd, 2018.), is used by educators worldwide. Often recognized for pedagogical innovation, Hart has won five national pedagogical innovation awards over the past six years. Examples include the USASBE Excellence in Pedagogical Innovation (2022), USASBE Special Recognition in Entrepreneurship Education Innovation Award, the Sharon T. Alpi Award for Innovative Arts Entrepreneurship Pedagogy, and one of SMU’s highest teaching honors, the Provost Teaching Recognition Award (2018). A serial entrepreneur, Hart is the founder of the world's first accredited conservatory for arts entrepreneurship, The International Theatre Academy Norway (TITAN) in Oslo Norway. He co-founded the (SAEE) and other organizations. Hart's artistic work has been seen in America, Russia, Norway, Taiwan, Iran, Denmark and Turkey. Outside of SMU, Hart has taught at Yale University (graduate and undergraduate), New York University, the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Tufts University, Fu Jen University in Taipei, Taiwan, the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the U.S. State Department, the Dallas World Affairs Council and others. He is a multi-time keynote speaker, a TEDx speaker, regularly consults other university programs, and has written popular articles for Americans for the Arts, Theatre Communications Group and others. Hart holds an M.F.A. in acting from the Yale School of Drama and graduated from SMU with a B.F.A. in theatre.
Carlos Martinez: Cox School of Business
Fund Manager
Carlos Martinez is a visionary leader and serial entrepreneur with a track record of creating and growing business ventures in technology and consulting. During his career with EDS and PriceWaterhouse, Martinez performed various consulting roles including systems engineer, management consultant and Principal Consultant. As an entrepreneur, he was the Founder and President of Strategic Systems & Products (SSP), where he developed and executed the vision, and achieved SAP ERP solution certification for the READYUpstream All-In-One solution. In 2014, he became the North America upstream oil and gas practice leader at Capgemini LLC after their acquisition of SSP, where he performed as vice president. He is currently the founding partner of Clement Capital Partners LP, an impact venture fund that invests in innovative startups utilizing technology, film and media to improve the lives of underrepresented communities and protect the environment. He is also the President and CEO of Clement Business Advisors, an advisory consulting firm that provides business consulting and training services to startups and portfolio companies of investment firms. Martinez has taught undergraduate and graduate technology courses at the University of Texas at Dallas and Entrepreneurship as an Adjunct Professor at the SMU COX School of Business. He is currently a member of the SMU Cox Associate Board as a mentor to Cox MBA students, a Fellow at the SMU Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity, the Fund Manager for the SMU Impact Lab and advisor for the SMU Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Club. He also serves as a mentor at the Dallas Entrepreneurship Center and the Founder Institute where he mentors startups in the development of entrepreneurial concepts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Marissa Heyl – Program Manager, Arts Innovation & Social Impact
Marissa Heyl is a pioneering social entrepreneur who has dedicated her career to transforming the intersection of art, design and social impact. Named a Top Creative Entrepreneur in Dallas-Fort Worth, she has spent the past 15 years working with underrepresented artisan partners through sustainable fashion and design ventures. As a neurodesigner and founder of Inclusive Wellness Design, Heyl creates innovative "flourishing zones" that encourage brain-healthy habits and build environments of belonging and representation.
With a dual degree in Journalism and Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a certification in Design Thinking from IDEO, Heyl has founded groundbreaking initiatives like Symbology, a fair-trade fashion label, and Etico, the first women-owned sustainable collective in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For over a decade, she has been a passionate mentor to university students, fostering creative entrepreneurship through unique programs that bridge traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design. Her approach seamlessly combines social entrepreneurship, design innovation and community empowerment to support and elevate underrepresented artists and makers.
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board will be comprised of community members with expertise, insight and a passion to make positive change in our world. We are currently working through our nomination process. Stay tuned.
We are working to invite over a dozen candidates presently.