by Rice Business
Owl Have You Know is Rice Business’ podcast created to share the experiences of alumni, faculty, students and other members of our business community – real stories of belonging, failing, rebounding and, ultimately, succeeding. During meaningful conversations, we dive deep into how each guest has built success through troubles and triumphs before, during and after they set foot in McNair Hall. The Owl Have You Know Podcast is a production of the business school at Rice University (Rice Business) and is produced by University FM.
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April 9, 2025
<p>In this special live episode of Owl Have You Know, James Weston, the senior associate dean for degree programs and Harmon Whittington Professor of Finance, reflects on his 25 years at Rice University.</p><p><br>Join James and host Maya Pomroy ’22 as they explore his journey from the Federal Reserve to Rice Business, the evolution of the school over the past two and a half decades, and his vision for the future of the university. They also dive deep into his groundbreaking research on racial disparities in auto loan pricing — a study that uncovered significant biases against minority borrowers. </p><p>Plus, get the inside scoop on his experience running a bar in Rice Village.</p><p><strong>Episode Guide:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>01:20 James Weston's Career Journey</p><p>04:25 Early Career and Mentorship</p><p>08:56 Teaching Philosophy and Student Relationships</p><p>13:52 Research on Auto Loans and Discrimination</p><p>18:58 Linking Mortgage and Experian Data</p><p>20:14 Evidence of Discrimination in Auto Lending</p><p>22:48 Challenges in Passing Auto Lending Regulations</p><p>24:00 The Realities of Owning and Operating a Bar</p><p>30:24 Transition to Administration at Rice Business</p><p>33:47 Reflections on a Diverse Career</p><p><br></p><p>Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by <a href="https://university.fm/">University FM.</a></p><p><strong><br>Episode Quotes:</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>How Dean James pursues scientific rigor</strong></p>34:50: [James Weston] I sort of view the thing that ties together all my papers as a foundational social scientist trying to measure things that are hard to measure. And so when I see things that I think have a lot of social import or a research question that I think has either a practical application or some large social question that I think needs answering, the fun for me is trying to figure out how to measure it and trying to come up with a clever way of identifying the research question in a way that's unambiguous and in a way that we can solidify and say, like, that's the answer. And I know it with as near scientific certainty as I can — you know, the existence of the Higgs boson particle.<p>35:19: [Maya Pomroy] We can't get into that right now. Yeah. </p><p>35:33: [James Weston] But, but you know, but I'm saying, like, to treat it like a scientist.</p><p>35:36: [Maya Pomroy] Yes.</p><p>35:37: [James Weston] And study it like it's a real causal question. Yeah. And you attack it with the scientific method, and you attack it with the scrutiny and the scientific rigor that they use across campus.</p><p><strong><br>On pushing for transparency in auto lending</strong></p>23:20: My hope is that the Senate Banking Committee continues to take action on it, and we see more—just something similar to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, where auto dealers just have to report. They have a spreadsheet, and you just have to send it to the Fed the way every bank does with every mortgage application. And hopefully that transparency attenuates the discrimination the way it largely did in home mortgages. It took time. It was a 10-year process. It'll probably take that long on auto lending. And we're not the only voice in this choir. There's lots of other people now that are sort of jumping on the bandwagon.<p><br></p><p><strong>How Dean James views his new job role</strong></p>30:48: Moving into administration means, in my mind at least, it means I'm not working anymore. In the sense that I'm not executing the primary missions of the school, which are teaching and scholarship. And so I'm not teaching as much anymore, and I'm not doing as much scholarship anymore, which means I'd better be doing something to collect the paycheck. And the way I genuinely view it is that now I'm trying to enable the rest of my faculty to do better teaching and better scholarship. My role is as a service leader, which is how I view this job—as a tour of service, not a career pivot. I didn't take this job to then become dean someplace, to then become provost someplace, to then become Supreme Commander of University somewhere. But, like, it was someone else's turn to do this very important role, which is to coordinate all the programs, get the teaching schedules done, make sure I'm protecting junior faculty and their teaching loads, make sure I'm putting the right people into the right classes, making sure we're keeping track of it.<p><br></p><p><strong><br>Show Links: </strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f57AVwURsWB3tjqC1ptYqVOHiam7g2TxLG_hNue4Do0/edit?usp=sharing">Transcript</a></li><li><a href="https://business.rice.edu/wisdom/hidden-inequality-auto-lending">The Hidden Inequality in Auto-Lending | Rice Business Wisdom</a></li></ul><p><strong>Guest Profiles:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://business.rice.edu/person/james-p-weston">James Weston | Rice University</a></li></ul>
March 26, 2025
<p>Rice Executive MBA student Shai Littlejohn is no stranger to reinvention. From law to music — and now, corporate counsel for one of the world’s most recognizable brands — she has built a career on embracing challenges and following her passions.</p><p>As director and corporate counsel for global supply chain & innovation at Starbucks, Shai recently spoke at Rice Business' annual Women in Leadership Conference about the evolving legal landscape in Texas.</p><p>After the panel, she sat down with Owl Have You Know co-host Brian Jackson ’21 to talk about her dynamic career path, the lessons she’s learned across industries, why she chose to pursue an Executive MBA at Rice and how she’s already applying insights from the program in her career. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Guide:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>00:51 Shai Littlejohn's Career Journey</p><p>03:14 Navigating Law and Music</p><p>04:38 Pursuing Music and Personal Fulfillment</p><p>09:36 Transition to Starbucks</p><p>11:30 Balancing an Executive MBA</p><p>15:09 Empowering Women in Business</p><p>16:35 Conclusion and Favorite Starbucks Order</p><p><br></p><p>Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by <a href="https://university.fm/">University FM.</a></p><p><strong><br>Episode Quotes:</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>On deciding what you want and going for it</strong></p>[16:05] Brian Jackson: If you had a hope for one thing that the attendees today would take with them, what would that be?<br> <br>[16:12] Shai Littlejohn: That they have to decide what they want and just go for it. You know, it's like—if the law doesn't... You can't look for laws necessarily to help you all the time or wait for the environment or timing to be right. We have talent that we can bring to the table. We have ideas, and nothing can stop that. We just have to keep putting them out there. You're not always going to get the reception you want, but that can't stop you from trying and going for it.<p><strong><br>What Rice’s Women in Leadership Conference means to a woman in business</strong></p>15:43: Being a woman in business is exciting, and attending this conference is truly invigorating because opportunities are all around us. No matter what’s happening in the world, we as women have immense potential and endless opportunities to pursue. This group is ready to seize them, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.<p><strong><br>What’s the biggest difference in working between oil and gas and coffee? </strong></p>11:17: Corporate culture. Starbucks has a unique corporate culture, which I hope remains distinct because balancing culture with productivity is crucial. Many companies struggle to get that right, and striking that balance—work-life harmony alongside productivity—is very challenging.<p><br></p><p><strong><br>Show Links: </strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lkmVTiP6Teql9hSgM_U01TUq6Z5NGKpWCWrUwLXtDNc/edit?usp=sharing">Transcript</a></li></ul><p><strong>Guest Profiles:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.hereinthehighlands.com/">Shai Littlejohn’s website</a></li></ul>
March 12, 2025
<p>A great idea is just the beginning. How do you turn it into something bigger?</p><p>Dr. Paul Cherukuri, Rice University's first vice president for innovation and chief innovation officer, works with academics and industry titans to remove roadblocks for budding entrepreneurs and help cement Houston and Rice as top hubs for innovation. Paul joins Owl Have You Know host Maya Pomroy ’22 to chat about how the Office of Innovation is paving the way for cutting-edge, world-changing ideas.</p><p>They also discuss The Ion, Rice’s Midtown hub for entrepreneurship, why Paul chose to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry at Rice, and his path to leading innovation at the university.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Guide:</strong></p><p>01:10 Dr. Cherukuri’s Journey to Rice</p><p>04:47 The Impact of Rice University</p><p>06:03 Building the Office of Innovation</p><p>08:33 Challenges and Opportunities in Innovation</p><p>12:52 Fostering Entrepreneurship at Rice</p><p>16:05 Exciting Student Projects</p><p>17:59 Small Business Innovation and Nexus Launch</p><p>18:50 The Ion: Houston's Innovation Hub</p><p>19:43 Building an Innovation Ecosystem</p><p>23:45 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs</p><p>28:42 The Exciting and Future Prospects on Rice’s Horizon</p><p><br></p><p>Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by <a href="https://university.fm/">University FM.</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong><br>Episode Quotes:</strong></p><p><strong><br>On empowering the entrepreneurial spirit and taking calculated risks</strong></p>14:20: [Maya Pomroy] You've taken a lot of calculated risks in your life for things that you've done, and to translate that to others, how do you do that?<p>14:55:[Dr. Paul Cherukuri] There are some people who just naturally resonate with the idea of doing it, right? The entrepreneurial spirit is within them and it's active, right? Then there are some people who are sort of suppressed, repressed, who have always wanted to do it and weren't sure if that was allowed, right? Or if that was fostered for their career. And what we provide is the capability and also the inspiration that this is not only possible, it's welcomed. It's something that we actually want to promote, right?</p><p><br></p><p><strong>The Ion represents Rice's ability to create a community for innovators</strong></p>23:11: When you find your tribe, it's very, very different, and I think that The Ion represents that ability for us to concentrate people so they can meet each other. But then also provide resources, both with the corporates and the venture capitalists that are in the building.<br>And then we're bringing in government and others to really kind of subsidize things and help us grow these companies, and then not only the companies, but grow the community. And that's what The Ion represents, right? So it is, I think, a magical place in many ways. If you go in there, there is an energy. There's a buzz that has happened now.<p><br></p><p><strong>How Houston's lack of zoning laws fuels growth and connection</strong></p>21:41: One of the beautiful things I think about Houston is we get dinged for not having zoning laws, but I actually think it's a great thing. And it has allowed us to economically grow, thrive, and expand the city. The problem with the expansion of the city is people density, right? So how do you get people to be right next to each other? Because that's when things start to magically happen, right? You got to get close to others.<p><strong><br>Show Links: </strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RVTluPP4YcO09Wh8ficM4opr8T0XsY4AXylTAtyjkFc/edit?usp=sharing">Transcript<br></a><br></li></ul><p><strong>Guest Profiles:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/paul-cherukuri">Paul Cherukuri | Rice Business</a></li></ul>
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