Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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photography by randal ford Eugene Sepulveda (left) and Steven Tomlinson share a passion for community, family, and philanthropy. Eugene Sepulveda and Steven Tomlinson are glad they gave each other a second chance—and undoubt- edly so are the many Austinites they've inspired and worked with over the years. "We were set up on a bad date," Tomlinson says. They were in their late 30s when they met, and their paths were already established: Sepulveda, the first technology banker in Austin, worked with a tech start-up in the semiconductor industry. In addition to being a professor at the University of Texas Acton School of Business, Tomlinson had a side gig as a playwright and performer. What they were both missing was someone with whom to share their mutual passion for community and family. So they tried again, met for a second date, and things took off. The couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniver- sary last year, and professionally, they're engaged in work they believe in. Sepulveda is CEO of the Entrepreneurs Foundation, a director for Capital Factory, vice chair of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, and a senior advisor to Mayor Steve Adler. Tomlinson teaches in the Acton MBA pro- gram and serves as a consultant to Wall Street, and Fortune 500 and tech companies; he's also an adjunct professor of pastoral ministry at the Seminary of the Southwest. "We got together with the ambition of making community and family the center of our lives," Sepulveda says. "That's what we've been work- ing on ever since." The two are godparents to 11 children and uncles to six, and their Central Austin home plays host to a variety of activities, such as the Young African Leadership Initiative, which pairs African entrepreneurs with American counterparts; a din- ner for East Austin's St. James Church, of which they are members; and a dinner for patrons of a Testsite Gallery exhibit featuring Tomlinson's notebooks. If it were up to Sepulveda, he says, "This house would be full all the time." The men balance their busy lives with trips to Santa Barbara, California, and London (where they'll kick off the theater season in March). When in Austin, they focus on business and phil- anthropic pursuits, with the latter taking priority. They've also been involved in politics—Sepulveda helped introduce Julian Castro to President Obama—and the events at their home include fund- raisers for the Castro brothers and Leticia Van De Putte during her candidacy for lieutenant governor. So how do they go from talking business to pro- moting philanthropy? According to Sepulveda, "It's easy for me to ask people for money for something I think is really important for the community. If I know that you care about this city and you want something done differently, I don't consider it a favor for you to invest in that . [It's] a favor to [your] grand- children, maybe." AW Community EngagEmEnt Honored tHis montH by tHe Human rigHts Commission, EugEnE SEpulvEda and StEvEn tomlinSon Have built a life balanCed on friends, family, and tHe future. by dan solomon INSIGHT: RECENT RECOGNITION Eugene Sepulveda was honored by the MexNet Alliance at the Authentic Mexico Gourmet Gala and was presented an award by Senator Judith Zaffarini for his contributions to Austin's Hispanic community. On February 21, the couple received the Human Rights Commission's Bettie Naylor Visibility Award. Two decades ago, the HRC gave Sepulveda its Lifetime Achievement Award, but he says: "This is even more special; it recognizes the work Steven and I do together." 52 AUSTINWAY.com PEOPLE Dynamic Duo