Summer / Fall 2026 | Texas Leader

Carla and Arthur Mills IV provide MBA students hope and a deep sense of belonging.

Arthur and Carla Mills in front of Rowling Hall, home of Texas McCombs MBA

When Arthur Mills IV, BBA ’96, MBA ’04, and his wife, Carla, created the Carla and Arthur Mills IV MBA Scholarship, they did so with a simple but powerful conviction.

“When you have the opportunity to bless others, you should,” Arthur says. “Carla and I want to help ensure that UT remains a place where everyone can feel at home and empowered to reach their potential. I’m deeply honored to be part of the UT family, and I’m dedicated to helping UT be the best that it can be.”

Arthur knew from an early age that he wanted to attend a large university — a place that would challenge him to compete at the highest level. When UT offered him a scholarship, he found his home.

“It was affirming to know there were folks who believed in my potential and that I belonged on the Forty Acres,” he says.

As a young man still finding his way, Arthur was grateful when a faculty member took notice and interest. Associate Professor Herbert Miller became a lifelong mentor, making the connection one of Arthur’s most meaningful experiences on campus.

“Being part of the Black community — less than 5% of the student population — taught me that I’d need to move differently in many spaces,” Arthur says. “Professor Miller said, ‘Hey, come to my office. There is some refuge here.’”

After Professor Miller connected him with the business school’s mentorship program, Arthur began working with other students there, sharing lessons he had learned and encouraging them to avoid the same mistakes he had made. 

After one community meeting, a woman who had long been a pillar of the neighborhood approached him. 

“She had this syrupy Southern drawl,” Arthur recalls,” and she said, ‘Honey, I don’t know exactly everything you said or what it all meant, but I get it, and I thank you for being here. Don’t stop doing this. It matters.’

“That was when I started to feel like I could make a difference,” he says. “I could use the skills I gained in business school, with an MBA, and actually have a heart that goes along with it.”

That balance has defined his career ever since. Though he describes himself as a finance guy at his core, Arthur has always led with heart. After years in the private sector, he channeled his expertise into mission-driven work, launching Mills Management Group, an Atlanta-based boutique consultancy focused on supporting nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations. His MBA, complemented by coursework at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, gave him the fluency to work across both spaces.

Recently, in an amazing full-circle moment in his career, Arthur joined PNC Institutional Asset Management’s Nonprofit Strategy & Solutions Group, where he will lead engagements with local markets across the Southeast and the Midwest. In this new role, he will guide and develop collaborative solutions for nonprofit clients from Canada to Cuba, addressing critical financial strategy, governance and fundraising challenges with his signature human touch.

“Nonprofits are still businesses,” he says. “If an organization can’t stay open, it can’t have impact.”

The scholarship he and Carla created reflects that same philosophy, offering practical support paired with a deeper sense of purpose.

“One of the things that my parents taught me is that I belong in every room. My time at UT was living proof,” says Arthur. “I want future students to feel that same affirmation — that from day one, they know they have potential and that their time at UT can help change the world.”