HSU Alumnus, Jeff Garrett, Promoted to SVP & CF/RO of Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Hardin-Simmons University is proud to be the alma mater to many successful alumni, and we celebrate with Class of 1999 graduate, Jeff Garrett. As of May 1, 2020, Jeff began a new role at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas as the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Risk Officer responsible for the Financial Management Group, the Financial Management Shared Services Center, and Facilities Management Planning.

Before Jeff began his journey at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, he started his college career in his hometown at Vernon College. One year later, Jeff transferred to HSU driven in part by the small college atmosphere and the university’s stated values he discovered while attending a Super Summer church camp in high school. While working towards his major in Management, Jeff served as a coordinator for the Kelley College of Business’s internship office, assisting students with resume writing and coordinating internship opportunities with business partners. He also worked as a teaching assistant both his junior and senior year, which allowed him the opportunity to work with Dr. Jimmie Monhollon, the dean of the Kelley College of Business at the time. When Jeff reached his senior year, Dr. Monhollon, who was also the former Vice President at the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank, encouraged Jeff to pursue opportunities with the Fed.

“I truly believe that the education I received at Hardin-Simmons was second to none,” Jeff said. “The faculty created high expectations and challenged you every step of the way. The smaller classes allowed a significant amount of engagement and a true cohort program with some amazing peers.”

For Jeff, the encouragement and mentorship from professors was invaluable when he entered the program, and it continued throughout.

“I can remember my earliest business classes where the Dean, Dr. Lynn Gillette regularly told us that we could be CEOs and said it with such passion that you started to believe it”, he said. “I was also truly appreciative of the mentor relationship I had with Mr. Jeff Turner who was the Associate Dean and oversaw the Management program. He pushed all of us hard, challenged us daily, and invested in each of us personally, which I still carry with me till this day. I feel like I was more prepared for the business world than many of my entry-level peers and owe so much to the faculty, especially people like Mr. Turner.”

After completing his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in May 1999, Jeff accepted a position in the human resources department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. He then took advantage of the bank’s tuition reimbursement program that allowed Jeff to work on his graduate degree at the University of Texas at Arlington while working full time. After many late nights, he completed the program in December 2001. Upon the completion of his master’s degree, Jeff held and transitioned into many roles within the Dallas Fed. Jeff spent five years in human resources before moving into a management role in the bank’s IT group, where he focused on the technology control environment. Three years later he moved into the bank’s financial management group as an Assistant Vice President, where he took on responsibility for the bank’s budget, strategic risk, cost accounting, and procurement functions.

In 2009, Jeff was asked to take on a three-month assignment at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to aid in the review of critical Fed actions following the financial crisis of 2008. In 2016, Jeff was promoted to Vice President, with responsibilities that included managing the bank’s facilities management and planning teams, including all onsite operations such as, data center management, architectural and engineering operations, and conference center operations. When Jeff was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Risk Officer, in addition to these existing responsibilities, he took on oversight of all the Bank’s financial and risk operations.

“I’ve truly been blessed to work at a great place like the Federal Reserve for such a long time,” he said.  “I’ve had multiple careers all within the same walls, and I am thankful for the growth opportunities that have been presented. The Fed plays such a central role in the economy and serving the public, which is a unique blend that provides a strong purpose behind the work we do. In my new role, among other responsibilities, I’ll be responsible for ensuring that we make the best financial decisions possible, ensuring that the bank’s strategy drives our spending portfolios, making tough tradeoff decisions where necessary.”

When Jeff is not working, he loves spending quality time with his family. Jeff married his wife Julie (HSU 2001 business management grad) on Sept. 28, 2002. Jeff and Julie currently live in Allen, where their daughter, Harper, will be going into her sophomore year of high school and son, Hayden, will be going into seventh grade. Throughout the last nine years, Jeff has coached both Harper and Hayden in softball and baseball, and they often travel all over the country for tournaments. When not on the diamond, you can find Jeff rooting for the hometown professional teams, especially the Dallas Cowboys.

If Jeff could relay any advice to the current and future students at Hardin-Simmons University, he would like to say, “Push yourself to always learn new things and never underestimate how important a strong work ethic and positive attitude will be for the rest of your life!”