The SW Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University (SWGSB) has announced its highest honors of the year. Michael G. O’Rourke, president and CEO of TIB, will be honored with the 2026 Distinguished Service Award and J. Carter Tolleson, CEO of Tolleson Wealth Management, will be honored with the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award. The awards will be presented during the next session of the SW Graduate School of Banking, May 26–June 5.
O’Rourke joined TIB in 1984 as senior vice president and chief credit officer. In 1991, he was named executive vice president and chief lending officer, overseeing one of the largest correspondent lending divisions in the U.S. In 1999, he transitioned to the investments division of the bank and was named president of TIB Capital Markets. In 2005, O’Rourke was elevated to his current position as president and CEO of what is today the nation’s largest bankers’ bank, providing correspondent banking products and services to more than 1,400 independent community banks of every size from coast to coast.
O’Rourke graduated with a BBA degree in finance from Texas Tech University and attended the BAI Graduate School of Executive Bank Management at Emory University. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Bank Investments and Financial Management at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, as well as of the Buckley School of Public Speaking in Camden, South Carolina. In 2023, the Independent Bankers Association of Texas honored O’Rourke with its Chairman’s Award. In 2026, he will be inducted into the Texas Bankers Hall of Fame, presented by Sam Houston State University’s Smith-Hutson Endowed Chair of Banking. O’Rourke is an advisory director for the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, a former trustee of SWGSB and a longtime supporter of the institution and programs.
The youngest recipient in the history of the SWGSB Distinguished Alumnus Award, Tolleson is CEO of Tolleson Wealth Management, a company dedicated to a mission of high-touch, comprehensive financial solutions anchored in trust, integrity and long-term stewardship. With an emphasis on coordinated planning and personalized client experience, Carter guides the organization in serving as a central resource for all things financial and helping families navigate complexity with clarity and confidence.
Carter serves as chairman of Tolleson Wealth Management’s CEO committee and sits on the firm’s investment committee. He has been a member of the board of directors since the company’s inception. Carter is also CEO of Tolleson Wealth Management’s subsidiaries—Tolleson Private Wealth Management, Tolleson Private Bank and Tolleson Trust Co. He chairs the bank’s trust committee, asset liability management committee and credit committee.
Carter earned a BS degree in finance from the University of Arkansas and currently serves on the dean’s advisory board of the Walton College of Business at the university. He is a graduate of SWGSB and holds a certificate in financial planning from Southern Methodist University. Carter has been an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization since 2008. He currently serves as chair of the Tate board of directors of the Southern Methodist University Tate Lecture Series. He is a member of the executive committee at Highland Park United Methodist Church, The Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs and St. Philip’s School and Community Center. He is also a member of the finance committee at the Dallas Museum of Art. Past board service includes Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, the 21st Century Council at SMU, the Texas Bankers Association and the Senior Source.
In 2012, Carter was named as a member of the “40 Under 40” by the Dallas Business Journal. He was named “Most Admired CEO” by the Dallas Business Journal in 2022 and is listed annually as one of D CEO’s “Top 500 Most Influential Business Leaders.”
“We are proud to recognize these award recipients for their extraordinary dedication of time and talent to strengthening their communities, institutions and SWGSB,” says William T. Chittenden, Ph.D., president and CEO of SWGSB. “They exemplify the very best of SWGSB, and we are honored to present them with these awards.”
