Gies College of Business Spring Luncheon 2026

SPRING LUNCHEON

April 23, 2026 | Chicago

Gies College of Business Alumni Association

Dear Alumni and Friends,

On behalf of the students, faculty, and staff of Gies College of Business, welcome to our annual Spring Luncheon. This is one of my favorite events of the year. It’s a great chance to reconnect and celebrate our College with so many of our alumni.

It’s been an exciting year for our College and university. On the sports side, we’ve all enjoyed cheering on our Illinois football and basketball teams through their incredible seasons. This has been a fun year!

Academically, there’s a lot to be proud of as well. We dedicated Steven S. Wymer Hall this past October, and it’s already a hub of activity. From new classrooms to state-of-the-art recording studios, it’s helping us enhance our ability to reach learners around the world.

Our success continues to be recognized on a national level. This year, Poets&Quants has ranked our business programs #4 among public universities, and we ranked #5 overall in the academic experience category. I’m proud that we continue to be a highly sought-after school for future business professionals.

And today is an opportunity to honor some of the people who have been so important to our ongoing program successes. We will recognize some of our outstanding faculty who work tirelessly to create meaningful learning experiences. We will also honor dedicated alumni who have generously given their time and support to our College.

And of course, we’re here to celebrate all of you. Your support is key to our continuing success. Keep sharing the Gies Business story with your colleagues and friends. Let them see your Gies Business pride. You are our best ambassadors, and we’re tremendously grateful for your support as we continue to succeed and grow.

Best wishes,

W. Brooke Elliott

Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor of Business and Dean Gies College of Business

Registration & Networking

Dean’s Remarks

Awards Presentation

Keynote Remarks

Concluding Remarks

Printing Sponsor:

Stay Connected

Gies Business

Alumni engagement

Give to the College

University of Illinois Alumni Association

GiesBusiness.illinois.edu

GiesBusiness.illinois.edu/alumni

GiesBusiness.illinois.edu/support-gies/giving

uiaa.org

Office of Advancement

P: 217-244-6669

BusinessAlumni@illinois.edu

430 Wohlers Hall, 1206 S. Sixth Street Champaign, IL 61820

Spring Luncheon 2026 Host

Gabe Ramirez

Gabe Ramirez is a Chicago media host and sports personality with experience across radio, television, and live events. A former morning show host on B96, he can now be heard on 670 The Score, seen on Chicago Sports Network as host of the Chicago Lead, and hosting Hulu’s LIVE Lollapalooza broadcast. With an engaging, relatable style and deep roots in Chicago culture, Gabe brings energy and professionalism to every event he hosts.

Keynote Speaker

Steven N. Miller, BADM ’87

Founding Partners, Origin Ventures

Steven N. Miller is a Founding Partner of Origin Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in early stage technology companies. He was instrumental in growing the firm from zero to over $300 Million in assets under management, and served in the boardrooms of portfolio companies GrubHub, Backlot Cars, DialogTech, and Shoutlet. Prior to starting Origin in 1999, he spent 10 years at Quill Corporation, his family’s office products business. He grew the company’s first website from zero to $15 million in annual revenue. In 1998, the Miller family sold Quill to Staples.

Steve has dedicated himself to many varied causes across education, civics, medical research, the arts, and the Jewish community. He has held board roles at Boys Hope Girls Hope, OneGoal, Better Government Association, Victory Gardens Theater, and the Jewish United Fund. Since 2018, Steve and his wife Diane’s philanthropic focus has been on medical research through the Misophonia Research Fund, which they founded.

Steve received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Gies College of Business in 1987. He was on the Dean’s Business Council for almost 20 years, serving a term as its chair. He is a longtime trustee and benefactor of Illini Hillel. He served on the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life from 2021-2023. He and Diane provide funding for the Steven N. Miller Entrepreneurial Scholarships, the Diane N. and Steven N. Miller Centennial Chair in Business, and the Origin Ventures Office of Entrepreneurship. He is also a major donor to the Fighting Illini athletics program.

In 2014, Steve received the Richard J. Daley Medal from the Illinois Venture Capital Association. In 2017 he received the Goodwin Watchdog Award from the Better Government Association, as well as the Alumni Appreciation Award from the Gies Business Alumni Association.

Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipient

Donald J. Edwards, FIN ’88

Founder, Executive Chairman, Flexpoint Ford LLC

Donald J. Edwards founded Flexpoint Ford LLC, a private equity investment firm with $8 billion of assets under management, in 2005 and served as its Chief Executive Officer until 2025. He began his private equity career in 1994 at GTCR, a leading Chicago-based private equity firm, where he was a Principal and Chairman of the Investment Committee. Prior to joining GTCR, Don was an investment banker at Lazard, Ltd. where he focused on mergers and acquisitions in financial institutions and other industries.

Don served on the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois from 2017 to 2025 and as Chairman of the Board for six years from 2019 to 2025. He is a trustee of the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), a director of Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committees of the Board of the PGA of America. He previously served 10 years as a Commissioner of the Chicago Park District, and as a Director of World Business Chicago. Don and his wife Anne (Gies ’88) have endowed scholarships for Gies College of Business, the men’s golf team at the University of Illinois, and Harvard Business School.

In 2020, Don and Anne gave a $10 million gift to the University, the largest ever by a trustee, to provide support to Gies Business, Discovery Partners Institute, the Ubben Basketball Practice Facility, and the Men’s Golf program.

Don earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, with University Honors (Bronze Tablet), from Gies College of Business in 1988. He was a four-year letter winner on the men’s golf team, winning a Big Ten Team Championship in 1988. Don received his MBA from Harvard Business School, with Baker Scholar distinction, in 1994.

Alumni Impact Award Recipient

Jane Romweber Santogrossi, ACCY ’75

Partner, Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC, Retired

After graduating from Gies Business in 1975 with a degree in accountancy, and the CPA exam in the rearview mirror for good, (thanks to Professor Perry), Jane Romweber Santogrossi began her career as a tax accountant in the Chicago office of Arthur Andersen & Co. While working there she earned a master’s in tax degree from DePaul University.

In 1984, she moved to Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire, specializing in executive compensation. In 1987 she was transferred to Atlanta and spent the final 32 years of her career there. She retired as a partner at Meridian Compensation Partners, an executive compensation spinoff from Hewitt. As a partner at both Hewitt and Meridian, Jane led the Southeast Region’s consulting efforts and was the lead partner on engagements for multibillion dollar clients.

While in Atlanta, Jane and her husband, John, became members of the Illinois President’s Council and attended Foundation Weekend annually for decades. They have provided tremendous support to Illinois, and are recipients of the Honorary Varsity I Award and the Krannert Award.

Jane served on the Gies Dean’s Business Council for eight years and had a ringside seat to the metamorphosis of the College under Dean Brown. She served as chair of the DBC when Wymer Hall was being planned and funded, and led the effort to raise money from within the DBC to name a broadcasting studio in Wymer for Dean Brown.

After a 44-year career Jane retired to Urbana-Champaign with her husband, where they attend every Illinois home football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball game. In her retirement, Jane is president of the League of Women Voters of Champaign County, Treasurer of the Krannert Art Museum Council, and president of her condo association in Chicago.

Excellence-in-Teaching Award Graduate Teaching

Xing Gao

Teaching Associate Professor of Finance and Academic Director of MSF

Xing Gao joined Gies College of Business in 2019. She teaches courses in financial data analytics that cover finance theory and statistical modelling. She also serves as the academic director of the Master of Science in Finance program. She is well-known among her students for building a strong foundation of essential knowledge and for taking difficult topics and making them feel accessible. Her name regularly appears on the “List of Students Ranked as Excellent by Their Students.”

Excellence-in-Teaching Award Undergraduate Teaching

Sandra Corredor

Teaching Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Associate Head of Business Administration

Sandra Corredor joined Gies College of Business in 2020. Her research explores the role of innovation in corporate and international strategy, and the design of technology-enabled learning methods to build professional skills at scale. She teaches courses in Strategic Management, Innovation Management, and Purpose in Business. In 2022, she received the Departmental Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Department of Business Administration; in 2023, she received a Dean’s Impact Award from Gies College of Business; and in 2024, she was named one of the Best Undergraduate Professors by Poets & Quants.

Excellence-in-Teaching Award Teaching Assistant

Nicko (Chengyuan) Wei PhD Student in Accountancy

Nicko is pursuing a PhD in the Department of Accountancy. During his career at Gies Business, he has served as a teaching assistant for ACCY 302: Decision Making for Accounting, ACCY 570: Data Analytics Foundations, and ACCY 575: Data Analytics for Accounting. His name appeared on the “List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students” every course that he taught. He was known for consistently exemplifying the qualities of an outstanding teaching assistant. For his scholarly work, he received an Outstanding Reviewer Award from the American Accounting Association/Management Accounting Section.

Why Gies Business?

Gies Business shapes purposeful leaders through lifechanging access to education, research, and innovation.

Increasing access to include more learners

• Total learning population: 3,000+ undergrads; 950+ residential grad students; 5,000+ online grad students.

• 9 academies and centers for additional learning and programming.

• Stackable online graduate certificates allow professionals to gain new skills at different stages in their careers.

Innovating for the future

• 150+ published research articles, papers, and conference presentations by Gies Business faculty each year since 2015.

Raising the bar of excellence

• 96% of undergrad students secure a job or go to graduate school within six months of graduation.

• #5 best public undergraduate business school by Poets&Quants.

• #12 best undergraduate business program by U.S. News & World Report.

• #1 undergraduate accounting program in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

• 178 Gies Business faculty members rated “excellent” or “outstanding” by their students in Fall 2025.

• 2022 MBA Program of the Year by Poets&Quants.

• #1 Biggest Business School Innovation of the Decade by Poets&Quants.

• 100% of undergrad students complete an action learning course before they graduate.

• Disruption Lab, iVenture, Magelli Office of Experiential Learning, and Illinois MakerLab foster creative problem-solving and innovative thinking.

Gies College of Business Distinguished Alumnus Award

Established in 1984, this award recognizes graduates of Gies College of Business for outstanding career achievement. Recipients hold a degree from Gies College of Business at Illinois. The title and company listed with each honoree were accurate at the time the award was presented.

1984 Kenneth W. Perry ’53, Professor of Accountancy, Illinois

1985 Jerome S. Gore ’41, Chairman Emeritus, Hartmarx Corporation

1986 Arthur R. Wyatt ’49, ’50, ’53, Principal, Arthur Andersen

1987 Gerald E. Schultz ’63, President & COO, Bell & Howell

1988 Neil G. Bluhm ’59, President, JMB Realty Corporation

1988 Judd D. Malkin ’59, Chairman, JMB Realty Corporation

1989 Charles A. Bowsher ’53, U.S. Comptroller General

1990 Richard H. Frank ’65, President, The Walt Disney Studios

1991 Samuel K. Skinner ’60, Secretary, Department of Transportation

1993 Richard L. Wellek ’60, President & CEO, Varlen Corporation

1994 William G. Karnes ’33, Chairman of the Board, Beatrice, Retired

1995 Sybil C. Mobley ’64, Dean of School of Business, Florida A&M

1996 Lester H. McKeever, Jr. ’55, Managing Partner, Washington, Pittman and McKeever

1997 John Brogan ’36, Chairman, Ryan Insurance Group, Retired

1998 Stanley C. Golder ’51, General Partner, Golder, Thoma, Cressey, Rauner, Inc., Retired

1999

2000

2001

Leonard C. Hoeft ’47, Chairman of the Board, Wm. H. Ziegler Co., Inc., Retired

Thomas A. Murphy ’38, Chairman of the Board & CEO, General Motors Corporation, Retired

Michael Krasny ’75, Founder & Chairman, CDW Computer Centers

2002 Conrad Hewitt ’58, Superintendent of Banks, State of California, Former

2003 Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught ’52, USAF, Retired

2004

2005

2006

Avy H. Stein ’77, Co-Chairman & Co-CEO, Willis & Stein Partners

Albert Wohlers ’39, Founder, Albert H. Wohlers & Co., Retired

Michael Tokarz ’73, Chairman, MVC Capital

2007 John D. Zeglis ’69, Chairman & CEO, AT&T Wireless Service, Retired

2008 Douglas C. Mills ’62, Chairman of the Board, First Busey Corporation

2009 Melvin L. Katten ’58, Founding Partner & Senior Counsel, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

2010 Jill Smart ’81, Chief Human Resources Officer, Accenture

Distinguished Alumnus Award

2011 Thomas D. Vogelsinger ’73, ’74, Partner, Ernst & Young, Retired

2012 Howard S. Engle ’72, Partner, Deloitte

2013 Larry Field ’61, CEO, Field Holdings, Inc.

2014 Stephen Van Arsdell ’72, ’73, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte, Retired

2015 John Ruth ’59, President and Founder, Century Group 100

2016 Chris Perry ’77, ’82 Partner, CIVC Partners

2017 Karen Golz ’76, Global Vice Chair, Ernst & Young Global Limited

2018 Stephanie Cohen ’99, Chief Strategy Officer, Goldman Sachs

2019 Kelly Loeffler ’92, Chief Executive Officer, Bakkt

2020 Alan D. Feldman ’74, ’76, Chairman, President & CEO, Midas, Inc., Retired

2021 James R. Elsesser, ’66, ’67, CEO, Interstate Bakeries, and CFO, Ralston Purina, Retired

2022 Virginia Wilson, ’76, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, TIAA, Retired

2023 Steven M. Taslitz, ’81, Chairman and Co-Founder, Sterling Partners

2024 Quintin Anderson ’94, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Granite River Labs

2025 Doniel Sutton ’96, ’97, Chief People Officer, Pinterest

Gies College of Business Alumni Impact Award

The Alumni Impact Award is presented annually to friends of the College and its alumni association in recognition of outstanding service to the organization. Formerly known as the Appreciation Award until 2025, the Alumni Impact Award was established in 1979. Recipients need not be graduates of the College to earn this recognition but are always Illini at heart.

1979 William F. Murray ’34

1979 Lawrence W. Nortrup ’49

1980 G. Preston Kendall ’31

1981 Russell V. Puzey ’33

1982 Lawrence W. Nortrup ’49

1983 Donald C. Miller ’42, ’43, ’48 PhD

1984 Lawrence W. Gougler ’41

1985 Vernon K. Zimmerman ’49, ’50, ’54 PhD

1986 T. Emerson Cammack

1987 Henry D. Strunk ’58

1988 Thomas D. Leddy ’63

1989 J. William Paquette

1990 William D. Engelbrecht ’66, ’72

1991 John D. Hogan

1992 David G. Siebert ’89 MBA

1993 John H. Judd ’71, ’84 MBA

1994 David J. Downey ’63, ’66 JD

1995 Albert H. Wohlers ’39

1996 Arthur R. Wyatt ’49, ’50, ’53 PhD

1997 Wilma J. Smelcer ’73 MBA

1998 Willard Bunn III

1999 Larry L. Austermiller ’63, ’65 MS

2000 Howard Thomas

2001 Frederick L. Neumann

2002 James Elsesser, Jr. ’66, ’67 MS

2003 Howard S. Engle ’72

2004 Jeffrey H. Margolis ’84

2005 Mary Kay Haben ’77, ’79 MBA

2006 Norma J. Lauder ’71

2007 James C. Cook ’71

2008 Avijit Ghosh

2009 Neel T. Kashkari ’95, ’98 MS

2010 Jerry Colangelo ’62

2011 Jon Corzine ’69

2012 Timothy J. Reierson ’81

2013 Charles Finn ’55

2014 Stephen V. King ’84

2015 Larry DeBrock

2016 Tony DiTommaso ’74 ’76 MS

2017 Steve Miller ’87

2018 Steven E. Shebik ’78

2019 Susan Lambert Fish ’79 ’80 MAS

2020 Edie Stotler ’68 LAS

2021 Cary D. McMillan ’80

2022 Cedric D. Thurman ’87

2023 Anthony J. Petullo ’61

2024 Julie Scott ’85

2025 Jean Regan ’76

Alumni Association 2025–2026 Board of Directors

Randy Abeles ’77

Hassen Al-Shawaf ’05, ’06

Mark Bernstein ’85

Tess Boland ’98

John Cochrane ’82

Steven Cohen ’82

David Engle ’97, ’99

Barry Federici ’99, ’00

Karen Fletcher ’88

Dan Frandsen ’99

Tim French ’04, ’06

David Gilmartin ’84

Jake Goldstein ’99

James Goss ’72

Andrew Grieve ’96

Tony Griglione ’09, ’10

Daniel Kardatzke ’96

Denise Kenny ’86

Sara Klein ’96

Rom Kosla ’18

Joanne Ladden ’03

Alan Lev ’82

David Light ’08

Mike Lombardo ’02

Amanda Massucci ’92

Kevin McDonnel ’80

Paul O’Connor ’81

Victor Palomino ’03

Frank Pellicori ’00

Jackie Price Osafo ’18

Joan Rockey ’93

Eric Ruzalski ’13

Ari Sagett ’01

Julie Scott ’85

Elizabeth Sloan ’03, ’04

Jeff Solak ’16

Warren Stippich ’90

Dean Stork ’83

Michael Sykes ’14

Susan Tjarksen ’82

Jandy Tomy ’95

Mary Weber ’08

Everett Westmeyer ’79

Ex-officio

W. Brooke Elliott Dean

Rebecca Pagels Associate Dean for Advancement

Christine Beyers Director of Alumni Engagement

Lauren Curtiss Senior Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement

Spring Luncheon Co-Chairs

Karen Fletcher ’88

Tim French ’04, ’06

Elizabeth Sloan ’03, ’04

GBAA Program Co-Chairs

Joanne Ladden ’03

Susan Tjarksen ’82

Jandy Tomy ’95

Alumni Association Presidents

1957–60 Walter Leck ’34

1960–61 Francis Bachman ’38

1961–62 George Catlett ’39

1962–63 Robert Humphrey ’40

1963–64 James Felt ’42

1964–68 Rexford Bruno ’40

1968–69 George Nelson ’41

1969–70 Kenneth Means ’40

1970–71 George Handtman, Jr. ’42

1971–72 Robert Hayes ’54

1972–73 Russell Puzey ’33

1973–74 Lawrence Nortrup ’49

1974–75 Joseph Antonello, Jr. ’43

1975–76 William Anderson ’49

1976–77 Selwin Price ’53

1977–78 John Lannon ’61

1978–79 William Ieuter ’60

1979–80 Wilma Smelcer ’73

1980–81 Henry Strunk ’58

1981–82 Carl Faust ’61

1982–83 Thomas Leddy ’63

1983–84 Gresham Brebach ’63

1984–85 John Ruth ’59

1985–86 James Cook ’71

1986–87 Richard Akin ’69

1987–89 Terry Hendrickson ’72

1989–91 Ron Hamelberg ’58

1991–93 Lester McKeever, Jr. ’55

1993–95 John Roszinsky ’60

1995–98 Howard Engle ’72

1999–00 John Lassiter, Jr. ’59

2000–01 Patrick Rea ’63, ’64

2001–03 Bruce Boruszak ’79

2003–05 David Gilmartin ’84

2005–07 Everett Westmeyer ’79

2007–09 Paul O’Connor ’81

2009–11 James Goss ’72

2011–13 Denise Maple ’90

2013–15 Steven Cohen ’82

2015–17 Julie Scott ’85

2017–19 Dana Armagno ’89

2019–21 Joan Rockey ’93

2021–23 Warren Stippich ’90

2023–25 Andrew Grieve ’96

2025– Hassen Al-Shawaf ’05, ’06

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Thank You!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following companies and organizations for helping to make the 2026 Spring Luncheon possible:

Silver Sponsors

Andersen

CTS Impact

Deloitte LLP

Grant Thornton LLP

Lincoln International

Floral Sponsor

Ernst and Young LLP

Gies Branded

Item Sponsor

William Blair

Printing Sponsor

Wintrust

Commercial Banking

Transportation

Sponsor

Associated Bank

Audio Visual Sponsors

KPMG LLP

PNC

Event Sponsor

Private Reception Sponsor

GCM Grosvenor

Table of 10

Akerman LLP

Altair Advisers

American Commercial Bank & Trust

Angkor Strategic Advisors

Ankura

Bain & Company

Belgravia Group

BMO Bank, N.A.

Brunswick Corporation

Busey Bank

CIBC

Cedric D. Thurman & Michelle Speller-Thurman

Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres

Crowe LLP

Cushman & Wakefield

Ellie Mental Health

FHLBank Chicago

Handler Law, LLP

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Invenergy

Northern Trust

Prairie Capital

Protiviti

PwC

University of Illinois Athletics

University of Illinois Foundation

Vivaldi Capital Management

October 2 & 3, 2026