Olin celebrates its third and final diploma and awards ceremony of the month Dec. 20 at 10:30 a.m. in honor of graduates of the Professional MBA program. The keynote speaker will be Shelley Lavender, president of Boeing Military Aircraft. Eric Charles Schrenker will be the student speaker at the ceremony to be held in Emerson Auditorium.
Shelley Lavender is president of Boeing Military Aircraft, one of four Defense, Space & Security businesses. BMA operates three divisions: Mobility, Surveillance and Engagement; Global Strike; and Vertical Lift.
BMA employs more than 20,000 people at 11 major domestic locations and offices around the world. It is one of the world’s largest providers of military airpower.
Shelley Lavender
Lavender began her aerospace engineering career at Hughes Aircraft Company in 1986, as an engineer on the F-15 APG-70 Radar Program. She joined Boeing in 1988 as an avionics engineer. Over the years she has held a variety of positions including program manager for the T-38 Avionics Upgrade Program and director of Tactical Aircraft Mission Systems in St. Louis.
Lavender earned an MBA from Olin Business School and holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois. She is currently a member of the board of directors of The United Way of Greater St. Louis, and also serves on the National Council for Olin.
PMBA Awards
Hiram and Mary Neuwoehner Prize
Awarded by the faculty to the graduating Professional MBA student who has been the most substantive addition to the evening program by way of contributions in the classroom and excellence in writing papers and taking examinations. This award was established by Mary Neuwoehner in the 1990s to honor her husband, Hiram Neuwoehner, BSBA ’41, a St. Louis advertising executive and founder of Batz-Hodgson-Neuwoehner Inc.
E. Katarina Vermann
Professional Achievement Award
Awarded to the graduating Professional MBA student who best exemplifies the qualities of integrity, loyalty, intelligence, and high moral character as judged by the faculty.
Benjamin Dean Burke
Peer Recognition Award
Awarded to the graduating Professional MBA student who, in the opinion of his or her fellow students, best exemplifies the qualities of character, leadership, and service; and also enjoys the respect, admiration, and affection of his or her classmates.
Gabriel Lane Watson
Taylor Outstanding Service Award
Awarded to the graduating Professional MBA student who has participated in multiple Taylor Community Consulting projects to enable positive change in the St. Louis community. The Taylor Community Consulting Program provides students the opportunity to impact the local nonprofit sector through team-based, applied learning projects.
E. Katarina Vermann
Reid Teaching Awards
Awarded by the graduating Professional MBA students to the professor whose enthusiasm and exceptional teaching most inspire, energize, and transform our students. A longtime benefactor of Olin Business School, James W. Reid, BSBA ’28, with his wife, Marcile, established these awards in 1994. The impact of the Reids’ benevolence and commitment to Olin will continue to be felt by generations of students, faculty, alumni, and friends.
Sergio Chayet
Director of the Master of Science in Supply Chain Management Program;
Director of the Operations & Supply Chain Management MBA Platform; and
Senior Lecturer in Operations & Manufacturing Management
John Horn
Senior Lecturer in Economics
