Tag: Distinguished Alumni

The annual Distinguished Alumni Dinner will be held Friday, April 15 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The following awards will be presented.

Distinguished Alumni Awards

ANNE (COOK) ANDERSON, MBA ’02
Vice President, Aviation / Shell International Petroleum Company / London
Working from the company’s London offices, she focuses on supplying high-quality fuel and lubricants to airports, airlines, corporate jet operators, and flying clubs around the world. A Florida native, she started her career as a chemical engineer at Monsanto and Solutia. One thing she would advise business students to do is take chances. “Many of us have the opportunity to be very safe in our careers,” she says, “but what has made the difference for me is to go to those places where you can really make a difference if you have a bit of risk tolerance.”

ROBERT W. BECK, BSBA ’86
Chief Operating Officer–US Retail Bank / Citigroup Inc. / New York City
Upon graduating, he worked for the May Company at its St. Louis corporate headquarters. Eventually, he moved to New York and earned his MBA at NYU’s Stern School of Business. Beck has been with Citi for nearly three decades. In his current role, he’s responsible for product development, pricing, and profitability in checking, debit, savings, and retail lending products. He also leads Mergers and Acquisitions, Distribution Strategy, and the Business Transformation office. Previously, he served as head of Corporate Finance for Citigroup.

DONALD IMHOLZ, TI ’78, MBA ’91
Executive Vice President, Operations, Chief Information Officer (retired) / Centene Corporation / St. Louis
During his tenure at Centene, a Fortune 500 company providing various services to government-sponsored healthcare programs, annual revenues grew from $3 billion to more than $21 billion. Thanks in part to his IT oversight, it became an award-winning leader in digital engagement, business analytics, and cyber security. As a result, Imholz was named a Top 100 CIO by CIO Magazine and served as a member of The Wall Street Journal CIO 100 Network.

LORI (MASON) LEE, BSBA ’88, MBA ’89
Senior Executive Vice President and Global Marketing Officer / AT&T Inc. / Dallas
“I’m really passionate about business operations and about people,” says Lee, who was named one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Tech by the National Diversity Council in 2015 and one of Fortune’s 2014 Most Powerful Women in Business. In her current position, Lee oversees brand strategy, advertising, corporate communications, events, and sponsorships worldwide, with responsibility for AT&T’s global brand and reputation. She also leads the company’s It Can Wait program, aimed at eliminating distracted driving.

Dean’s Medal

JAMES T. LITTLE, PhD
Donald Danforth Jr. Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Business

Emerging Leaders

DREW CAYLOR, MBA ’14
Partner / Louis York Capital / St. Louis

ALICIA HERALD, LA ’05, MBA ’11
Founder / myEDmatch / St. Louis

VINITA KUMAR, BSBA ’01
Senior Manager / Deloitte Consulting LLP / Chicago

HUGH TYCHSEN, LA ’05, MBA ’11
Director, Sales and Account Management Operations / Express Scripts, Inc. / St. Louis

JASON WANG, BSBA ’09
CEO / Xi’an Famous Foods / New York City

The Olin Award for research that impacts business will also be presented to professors Radhadrishnan Gopalan and Todd Milbourn. See related blog post.

Link to Olin Celebration Weekend schedule.

Images: by Jerry Naunheim

Your favorite WashU events – from class reunions to Thurtene Carnival – are taking place on campus on the same action-packed weekend. Make your reservations today, bring the family, and plan to celebrate with your Olin graduate classmates and college friends!

10. You may look the same, but campus has changed!

9. Reconnect with classmates, friends, and professors.

Liana D’Anjon, Judy Cheng, Nicole Lindenbaum, Francie Wasser, Kirstin Mailman at the Olin Graduate Reunion Gala in 2012. Photo by: Jerry Naunheim Jr.

8. The BBQ & Beer Garden in Brookings Quad (better than WILD!)

Dean Mahendra Gupta dishes out barbecue to students at the 2013 Welcome Back barbecue.

7.  Meet the 2016 Emerging Leader Awardees.

6.  Network during the Distinguished Alumni Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton.

Dean Mahendra Gupta speaks at the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Photo by: Jerry Naunheim Jr.

5. Bring the kids! Childcare available!

4. Learn the latest about Lessons in Leadership at the symposium discussion.

Valerie Toothman, Jonathan Kaufman, David Brown, and Lauren Herring lead a discussion on leadership at the inaugural 2015 Emerging Leaders reception.

3. It’s Thurtene Carnival weekend! Fun for the whole family.

2. This will be Dean Mahendra Gupta’s last reunion as dean.

1. And the Number 1 reason to attend Olin Celebration Weekend is…

This is going to be the biggest and best alumni event of the year. You don’t want to miss it!

Make history this year at the first-ever Olin Celebration Weekend. Your favorite Wash U events – from class reunions to Thurtene Carnival – are taking place on campus on the same action-packed weekend. (more…)

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 4, 2014  — Nestle Purina PetCare today announced that effective January 1, 2015, W. Patrick McGinnis will transition from his position as Chief Executive Officer, Nestle Purina PetCare for the Americas, and will be appointed as Non-Executive Chairman.  Succeeding McGinnis as CEO will be Joseph R. Sivewright, currently President, Nestle Purina PetCare North America.

Editor’s Note: W. Patrick McGinnis, MBA’72, is a long time member of Washington University’s Board of Trustees and Olin’s National Council. Mr. McGinnis has made significant gifts to the school that have supported scholarships and the establishment of the W. Patrick McGinnis Professorship in Business. He received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the university in 1999.

McGinnis’ career at Purina has spanned more than 42 years. He joined Ralston Purina in the Corporate Management Training Program and was promoted through a range of marketing assignments, becoming Head of Marketing.  He was appointed VP of Grocery Products for Canada, then CEO of Grocery Products North America and finally President and CEO of Ralston Purina in 1999.

Under McGinnis’ leadership, the company transformed itself to an industry leader known for best practices in Marketing, Supply Chain, Sales, R&D and other disciplines.  During the 2001 acquisition of Ralston Purina by Swiss-based Nestle S.A., he played an instrumental role in integrating the two organizations.   All of the initial targets set in terms of efficiency were met and exceeded, making the acquisition one of the most successful in the history of Nestle.

In announcing the news to employees, Nestle Zone Americas Head Laurent Freixe said, “Pat has had a truly outstanding career with Ralston Purina and Nestle.  Pat’s experience, judgment and wisdom have provided stability and credibility in an increasingly volatile competitive environment.”   He added that McGinnis has presided over dozens of new innovations in the PetCare business, including the introductions of Beneful, Fancy Feast Appetizers and Broths, Shredded forms in dry dog food, and most recently Tidy Cats LightWeight Litter.

McGinnis has also been heavily involved in the community, supporting numerous charities and Washington University in St. Louis.

Incoming CEO Joe Sivewright has also been a major part of the Ralston Purina and Nestle Purina success story.  Since joining the company in 1985, he has held progressively more senior roles in Marketing on PetCare, Cereals and New Products.  He was appointed Vice President in 1995 with roles in Extended Enterprise, Worldwide Marketing, and in the Global Strategic Business Unit after the acquisition by Nestle.  He took on leadership of NPP Latin America in 2004 and turned the business around from a net loss operation to high growth and profitability, before taking the lead role for North America in 2011. Freixe added, “Joe’s exceptional leadership and communication skills, and focus on people development, make him the ideal candidate to succeed Pat and continue the Nestle Purina journey.”

About Nestle Purina PetCare

Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. A premiere global manufacturer of pet products, Nestle Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestle S.A., a global leader in nutrition, health and wellness.

SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare

The Annual Olin Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner is Thursday, April 4 at the Ritz-Carlton. We hope to see you there!  To RSVP or arrange for corporate table sponsorship, please contact Cynthia Vanaman at (314) 935-5872 or Cynthia.Vanaman@wustl.edu. Below is a list of the extraordinary alumni we will be celebrating at this year’s event.

Dean’s Medalist:  Roger L. Weston, MBA ’67, Chairman–GreatBanc, Inc.
Entrepreneur, investor, art collector, and philanthropist are just a few of the facets of Roger Weston’s long and successful career since graduating from Washington University. In 1986, he founded GreatBanc, Inc., a multi-bank holding company that was acquired by Citizens Financial Group Inc. in 2007. Weston’s involvement in the business school has contributed to Olin’s growth and reputation. He played a key role in the creation of the Hatchery entrepreneurship course and the founding of the Olin Cup business plan competition. With his support, the Weston Career Center was established in the 1980s and will expand in the new facilities in 2014. Weston is a member of Olin’s National Council and a life trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Paulino Do Rego Barros Jr., EMBA ’91, President–Equifax International
Looking back on his career, Barros says that his EMBA experience gave him the foundation to understand how strategy, innovation and execution drive market leadership. “The program’s financial and leadership development training has been valuable in aligning business priorities with the right talent and managing change,” said Barros. Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine named Mr. Barros one of the most important Hispanics in technology in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

John Dains, BSBA ’68, CEO Emeritus–Helm Financial Corporation
A Washington University Trustee, John Dains recently worked as CEO, President and Chief Operating Officer for San Francisco-based Helm Financial Corporation, North America’s largest privately held rail car and locomotive leasing company. A Benton, Ark., native, John began his business career at Petrolite Corporation in St. Louis. In 1977 he joined IC Industries in Chicago, his entrée into the railroad business, where he served as Vice President of Finance for subsidiary Abex Corporation’s Railroad Products Group. He moved to Helm in 1987 as Chief Financial Officer, assumed President and Chief Operating Officer duties in 2000, and added CEO responsibilities in 2005.

Mary Jo Gorman, EMBA ’96, Founder & Chief Executive Officer–Advanced ICU Care
Mary Jo Gorman is a nationally recognized leader in hospital and intensive care medicine. In 2005 she founded her third company, Advanced ICU Care, now the nation’s largest tele-ICU program provider. The company works to standardize and deliver to hospitals high quality intensive care previously available only in larger, regional hospital systems. Gorman was cited by Modern Healthcare magazine as one of the “Top 25 Women in Healthcare” and named one of ten winners of the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women competition.

Steven G. Segal, BSBA ’82, Co-founder and Special Limited Partner–J.W. Childs Associates L.P.
Steve Segal co-founded the Boston-based private equity firm J.W. Childs Associates in 1995. Since then the company has made $3 billion in controlling investments in more than 40 companies, including NutraSweet, Mattress Firm, Brookstone and Joseph Abboud.  In recent years Segal has divided his time between the firm and Boston University’s School of Management, where he teaches a graduate course in private equity and leveraged buyouts, and oversees a student organization that actively manages a portion of the university’s endowment.