The Texas Tech Alumni Association will honor Jeff D. Morris, Dunia A. Shive and
Dale V. Swinburn as Distinguished Alumni at their annual reception and dinner, beginning
at 6:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 7) at the Merket Alumni Center, located at 17th and University,
Lubbock.
Jeff D. Morris
Jeff D. Morris's background in chemical engineering and leadership has well prepared
him to serve in his current position as the president and CEO of ALON USA, a refining
and marketing company based in Dallas, Texas.
After graduating from Texas Tech in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering,
Morris worked developing processing operations. During this time, he earned 10 U.S.
and six foreign patents in polymer processing and production. He also published on
polystyrene in the "Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and Design." As a result of
his research and development efforts, he was able to help design and build the world's
largest polystyrene plant in Baton Rouge, La.
In 1989, Morris began working in the refining field. He held senior management roles
at FINA refineries in Port Arthur and Big Spring, Texas. With his efforts, the Big
Spring Refinery is one of the most reliable in the country, processing 50,000 barrels
of crude oil daily. As a result of his success, Morris was made responsible for all
of FINA's downstream operations.
In 2000, Morris joined ALON USA, which formed when Alon Israel Oil Co. Ltd. purchased
FINA Inc.'s downstream operations. Under his leadership, ALON USA has flourished,
doubling its size with the acquisition of the Paramount and Edgington refineries and
associated asphalt business in California in 2006. His concern for energy and environmental
policy is exhibited by Alon's plans in California to improve these refineries by doubling
their fuels production while at the same time reducing the greenhouse emissions for
the plants. Alon intends to convert these plants to the lowest emissions refineries
in the U.S., per barrel of fuel produced.
Although he has a very busy career, Morris is also actively involved in the communities
that Alon serves. He is a board member for the Dallas Region of Communities in Schools,
the Dallas Center for Performing Arts and the Trinity Trust. He works with numerous
charitable organizations in Dallas and California.
Texas Tech recognized Morris's accomplishments with prestigious honors. He was named
a Distinguished Engineer by the College of Engineering in 1997. The college also honored
him with induction into the Chemical Engineering Academy in 2004.
Morris and his wife, Karen, have two sons, Justin and Matthew.
Dunia A. Shive
Dunia A. Shive has put her background in accounting to good use in the business world.
She is the president and chief executive officer of Belo Corp., one of the nation's
largest pure-play, publicly traded television companies. Belo owns 20 television stations
and their associated Web sites and two regional cable news channels.
Shive earned her bachelor's degree in accounting from Texas Tech in 1982. She also
has completed exectuve education courses in strategic marketing management at the
Harvard Business School and in leading change and organizational renewal at the Stanford
Graduate School of Business.
After Shive graduated from Texas Tech, she joined Arthur Young & Co. She was an audit
manager when she left the firm to become assistant controller for Tyler Corp. in 1989.
She is a past recipient of a regional Ernst & Young Outstanding Alumni Award.
In 1993, Shive joined Belo Corp., where she began a successful and steady climb up
the corporate ladder. Her first position with the company was corporate controller.
Within two years, she was promoted to vice president/controller, and in 1996, she
became vice president/finance. She then served in several senior positions, including
chief financial officer, executive vice president/media operations and presidential/chief
operation officer.
Shive was named president and chief executive officer of Belo Corp. in November 2007.
Shive is a member of the Television Operators Caucus and the Board of Directors of
the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.
She and her husband, Robert, have three children. They live in Dallas.
Dale V. Swinburn
Agriculture has been a driving force in Dale V. Swinburn's life. Since earning a bachelor's
degree in agronomy in 1965 from Texas Tech, he has been involved in numerous activities
and organizations related to farming.
After graduating from college, he began farming a variety of crops, including cotton,
corn, sorghum and wheat. He also runs stocker calves on wheat pastures. In addition
to owning Dale Swinburn Farms in Tulia, Texas, he is a partner and director of Windstar
Inc., a cotton ginning and investment company. He also is an advisory director for
Happy State Bank in Plainview.
Swinburn remains involved with his alma mater, serving on the Texas Tech College of
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Advisory Board and the Texas Tech Plan
and Soil Science Advisory Council. He is an honorary member of the Texas Tech Agronomy
Club. He also is a member of the Texas Tech Alumni Association, the Red Raider Club
and the Chancellor's Council.
The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources has honored Swinburn as
a Distinguished Alumnus. He has received the Gerald W. Thomas Award for Outstanding
Agriculturalist in 2002 from the college. He also has received the Southwest High
Cotton Award.
For the agriculture community, Swinburn contributes his expertise by serving several
organizations. He has been on the Board of Directors for Cotton Inc. He serves as
chairman for Plains Cotton Growers Cotton Improvement Committee and has been a member
of that group since 1992. He is on the Texas State Support committee and is a director
for the Food and Fiber Research Council, a division of the Texas Department of Agriculture.
He has been a member of the TAES Advanced Technologies Advisory Committee and the
TAMU Cotton Strategic Plan Planning Committee.
Swinburn has been a member of the Swisher County Appraisal District, the Tulia Independent
School District and West Texas Federal Land Bank. He has been a member of the Swisher
County Hospital board and the Swisher County Memorial. He has been a board member
of the First United Methodist Church. He also serves on the Ceta Canyon Methodist
Camp Board of Trustees.
He and his wife, Cheryl Culwell Swinburn, have three sons, Chad, Scot and Dane
For more information regarding the Distinguished Alumni Dinner, please contact the
Texas Tech Alumni Association at (806) 742-3641.