Former telecom industry executive Sharilyn Smith Gasaway, who shares ownership of 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, will serve as Louisiana Tech University’s commencement speaker ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, November 16, in the Thomas Assembly Center.

A licensed CPA, Gasaway earned her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech in accounting in 1989 and attended the executive development program at The Wharton School.

Only four months removed from the winner’s circle at the Derby last May, Gasaway returned to campus to share her leadership and entrepreneurial experience by delivering the academic year’s first “Inside the C-Suite” lecture for Tech’s College of Business in mid-September.

Now, less than three months later, Gasaway returns in a role that’s both new and, for her, unexpected.

“Honestly, I was shocked when asked to give the commencement address; it certainly is a special once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—and at my alma mater,” Gasaway said. “What an honor. Mystik Dan has certainly provided a number of firsts for us, this being just one example.”

The highly accomplished Gasaway was Tech’s College of Business Distinguished Alumna of the Year in 2008—long before Mystik Dan.

She served as executive vice president and CFO of Alltel Corp., the Arkansas-based Fortune 500 wireless carrier, from 2006 – 2009. She was part of the executive team that spearheaded Alltel’s transition through the largest private equity buyout in the telecom sector and was an integral part of the successful combination of Alltel and Verizon.

Today, she serves on the Boards of Directors for HanesBrands, J.B. Hunt, and Genesis Energy, LP. She is also a member of Tech’s College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board and the Louisiana Tech Foundation Board.

A Shreveport native, Gasaway now lives in Little Rock with her husband Brent, who shared in the celebration in May in Louisville, Kentucky, as Mystik Dan won the 150th Run for the Roses.