Since 1971, Leeds School of Business has honored alumni, faculty, and business school community members who have distinguished themselves with outstanding professional achievement, impact, leadership and/or exemplary service to the community.

The Leeds School of Business is proud to celebrate and give thanks to the people and corporate partners who are supporting the next generation of business leaders.

Leeds Alumni Awards 2018
Leeds Alumni Awards 2018
Leeds Alumni Awards 2018
Leeds Alumni Awards 2018
Leeds Alumni Awards 2018

2024 Winners

Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Service Award

Bill Mark (BS’72)

The Leeds Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Service Award is the highest award granted to alumni from the Leeds School of Business for a lifetime of support and philanthropy to the Leeds School of Business, and for exceptional achievement in the business community.

Bill Mark is a 1972 graduate from the Leeds School of Business and has remained connected to the community over the course of his professional career, aiding students in business and across the CU Boulder campus.

The Mark Family currently supports six educational Endowments, including two in Business, two in Athletics, one at Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, and one at Sacred Heart of Jesus School Foundation. Mr. Mark also served on the Leeds Real Estate International Advisory Board, the Board of Governors for the CU Real Estate Center, and as a mentor to students in the Professional Mentorship Program.

Bill is the President and COO of American Real Estate Advisors, LLC, which he founded in 2008 after 36 years of experience. His company has managed over 60 real estate receiverships for the District Courts of Colorado, developed and constructed $150 million in commercial properties, negotiated over $150 million in lease transitions, and coordinated more than $50 million in tenant finish and renovation contracts.

Cain Travel & Events logo

Corporate Partner Award

Cain Travel,accepted by Michael Cain ('93)

The Corporate Partner Service Award recognizes sustained commitment, support, and exceptional service to the Leeds School of Boulder, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the community.

Cain Travel is one the Leeds Career Development Team’s biggest investors and regularly engages in career related events. They model investing financial resources and time in support of Leeds.

For many companies, travel spending is their third highest expense. For the past 30 years, Cain Travel has helped companies manage, control, and leverage their travel spend through a combination of proprietary development and market-leading technologies. As a leading provider of travel management in the U.S., Cain has staff located across the country and has plans to expand the sales team to further grow the company.

Michael Cain, the President of Cain Travel, works in collaboration with each company division to chart future technology developments, craft sales strategies and refine financial plans. Michael served as Director of Marketing for Cain Travel, founded travel tech startup Enterprise Travel Systems in 1998, and assumed his current role at Cain Travel in 2003. Michael serves on advisory boards with Sabre, United Airlines, and SAP Concur, and mentored through the Leeds Professional Selling course and the Professional Mentorship Program.

Michael graduated from Leeds in 1993. He is married and has three adult children, all of whom are fellow Buffs. In his free time, Mike enjoys travel, skiing, hiking, and attending CU sporting events.

Luminary Award

Gary (PhD'77, MBA'74)and Melissa (Komisar)Porter('77)

Inspired by the University of Colorado Boulder motto, “Let Your Light Shine,” this award recognizes individuals who serve as guiding lights for our community through their leadership, ethics, commitment to social responsibility, philanthropy, and service to the Leeds School of Business.

The Porters are generous in their support of Leeds, establishing an endowed scholarship for undergraduate students and sponsoring the Komisar Porter Outpost in the Rustandy building. Melissa has shared her time and talent as a guest lecturer for the Women in Leadership seminar, while Gary has served as a tutor.

Gary graduated from Drake University and started his career as a staff accountant for Deloitte in Denver. He went on to earn his MBA and PhD from the University of Colorado where he met fellow business student, Melissa Komisar. She earned her marketing degree from CU and began a 32-year career with IBM in sales and business development where she managed global business partners.

The recipient of several teaching awards, Gary’s career in academia included service as Department Chair at Loyola University Chicago and University of Montana. His textbooks have been leaders in the field of introductory accounting education. Gary is a distinguished lecturer and member of the National Advisory Council for the Zimpleman College of Business at Drake. He lends his accounting and finance experience to boards of a nature and an arts center. Now retired from teaching, Gary has written three books, includingGriff: My Life as Drake’s Top Dog, a book about the loveable, live mascot. Melissa utilizes her sales and marketing skills to support Gary’s books. She also serves as a fundraiser and marketing consultant for several organizations in the couple’s Wisconsin community.The Porters are also a sponsor of Tinman Elite, a professional running team located in Boulder.

Don Oest

William H. Baughn Faculty Service Award

Don Oest

The William H. Baughn Award for Faculty is awarded to a Leeds faculty member forexceptional service to the Leeds School of Business, and for consistent and ongoing commitment to its students, faculty, and programs.

Don has been teaching at the Leeds School of Business since Fall 2008. During his time at Leeds, Don has taught a wide variety of courses including ethics, organizational behavior, management and leadership. More recently, he has been specializing in statistics and business analytics.

Prior to his teaching position at Leeds, Don earned an Associate Degree in Computer Science from SUNY Farmingdale, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Ramapo College, and an MBA in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Don was an executive at IBM with over 36 1/2 years of business experience in various management, operational and leadership positions. Don has also been very active in various community services on the board of directors of Junior Achievement/Rocky Mountain Inc., Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Inn Between of Longmont, Inc. He is a past board chair of the Ed & Ruth Lehman YMCA and served on the Advisory Board for Front Range Community College.

Don was born and raised in Long Island, New York and now lives in Longmont, Colorado with his wife, Cathy. Cathy also previously worked for IBM prior to her retirement. Their daughter, Kimberly, is a Colorado State University graduate.

Young Alumni Achievement Award

Jessica Yan('19)

The Young Alumni Achievement Award recognizes recognizes an alumnus or alumna for their exceptional achievements.

Jessica is a lifelong gender and racial justice advocate and strategist. She works at Pivotal Ventures, a company founded by Melinda French Gates that expands opportunity in equality for people in the U.S. and globally through high-impact investments and philanthropy. At Pivotal, Jessica built and implemented a philanthropic strategy to end gender-based violence and advance economic equity for Women of Color.

Previously, Jessica worked as an advisor to leading foundations at Redstone, consulting on philanthropic portfolios totaling $250M. There she founded the DEI Ongoing Learning committee and crafted a comprehensive racial and gender equity curriculum for the firm.

Beyond her professional work, Jessica served as a Board Director for the San Francisco Chapter of United Nations Women USA. She holds a Master’s in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University, where she was a Schwarzman Scholar and received the Outstanding Thesis Award. She graduated from the Leeds School of Business with recognition as Outstanding Graduate of the Year.

Previous Award Recipients

2023
Deloitte
J Braxton Carter
Anne Dupont
Yonca Ertimur
Mark Yabut

2022
The Bascom Group​
Peter B. Cushman
Walter A. (Buz) Koelbel, Jr.
Katherine Lewis
Lori Seward
Adam Warner

2021
Ball Corporation
Dr. Robert C. Hummel(in memoriam)
Dan Ivanoff '86
Stephen Katz '71
John Lynch
Axton Salim '02
Dr. Jerome D. Williams '86(in memoriam)

2019
Russell Cropanzano
Carol Frank
Mary Hunter Kimble '60
Eric Kramer '81
R. Jordan Papé '01
Zayo

2018
Richard M. Burridge Jr. '84
Michael A. Hitt '74
KPMG LLP
Katie Kramer '97
Manuel Laguna
Jane S. Miller
Al Olson '62 & Carol-Ann Olson '64

2017
Steve Bosley '68
Charles Schwab
Stratton R. Heath, III '87
Steve Rock
Chantal Veevaete

2016
Arrow Electronics
Cathleen S. Burns
Kile Morgan, Jr. '69
Lisa A. Pauley '87
Mary M. Sullivan and the late Sherman R. Miller, 4th '79
George S. Writer, Jr. '57

2015
Dan Caruso
Michael P.Huseby '76
Thomas G. Thibodeau
KeyBank
David J.Steiner '75
Melissa YoungBrownstein '94

2014
Larry Jones
Bill Marolt '67
Sharon F. Matusik
Phillips 66
William W. Reynolds '60
Mary K. Rhinehart '80
Tandean Rustandy '87

2013
Ambassador David B. Bolen '50
John and Patrice Callies
EKS&H
Thomas Stix Guggenheim Family
Laura J. Kornish
Edward C. Mitchell, Jr. '69
Gordon Trafton '77

2012
Ellen M. Balaguer ‘82
Peter Behrendt
Peter M. Burridge ‘85
Jerry D. McMorris ’62 (in memoriam)
C. Page Moreau
Charles A. Parker ‘56
Dee J. Perry ’74, MS ‘81
George H. Solich ’83

2011
J. William Freytag
Jeanne Jackson ‘74
J. Chris Leach
Randy Nichols
Christy Bieber Orris ‘92
Lyal E. Quinby, Jr. ’55, MS ’58

2010
G. Chris Andersen ‘61
Richard Connor ‘71
Jo Marie Dancik
Walter A. Koelbel Jr. ‘74
Donald R. Lichtenstein
Michael S. Maurer ‘64
Mark Retzloff
Sarah Siegel-Magness ‘95

2009
Sanjai Bhagat
John Fischer
John E. Freyer ‘71
L. Calvin Fulenwider III ‘74
Richard Knowlton ’54 and
Nancy Van Derbur Knowlton ‘57
Sherri Leopard
C. Roderick O’Neil
Patrick Tierney ‘67
David Wolf JD/MBA ‘01

2008
F. Daryl Gatewood ‘70
Robert Gill
Marley Hodgson MBA ‘03
David Mallery JD/MBA ‘99
Bill Moore ‘54
Barbara Mowry
Blaine Rollins ‘89
Frank Selto

2006
Robert H. Deming ’56, MS ’59 andBeverly A. Deming
Larissa Herda ‘80
Walter A. Koelbel ‘47
Paul Larkins
Stephen Lawrence
Jeffrey Lovell ‘74
Storm Metzger ‘62
Joseph Piper MBA ‘98
Marcia Pryde ’66, MBA ‘72
John Shaw
Chris Wand

2005
Jerry Briggs ’63 (in memoriam)
Dick Burridge ’51
Ned Cooney
Dick Engebretson MBA ’72
John E. Freyer ‘71
Ann Heinz ‘80
Dan Japha ‘74
Ray Joyce ’49 and Dottie Joyce ’48
Steve Manaster
Lyal Quinby ’55, MS ‘58
Rod Slifer ’56 and Beth Slifer
George Writer ’57 andJudy Writer ’61

1998
Kevin J. Burns MBA ‘73
Larry D. Singell

1997
Ambassador David B. Bolen ‘50
Robert F. Charles Jr.
John “Ron” Moore ‘59

1996
Louis W. Menk
William W. Reynolds ‘60
Thomas M. Shane ‘70

1995
G. Chris Andersen ‘61
Richard Knowlton ‘54

1994
Jerry D. McMorris ‘62
Craig E. Weatherup

1993
John C. Crane ‘58
Duane C. Hansen ‘57
M. Ann Padilla

1992
Steven K. Bosley ‘68
Derek E. Faison ‘70
Roger V. Smith ‘64

1991
William H. Baughn
Barbara B. Grogan ‘69
D.D. “Dell” Hock ‘56

1990
G. Lee Thompson ‘57

1989
Henry E. Kates ‘60

1988
William R. Lennartz ‘63

1987
Dianne V. Ingels ‘63

1986
Roger L. Reisher ‘50

1985
Robert H. Deming ‘56

1984
Robert B. Decker ‘42

1983
William D. Johnson ‘42

1982
George B. McKinley ‘51

1981
Dwight L. Johnson ‘61

1980
Thomas M. Hallin ‘55

1978
Hank Brown ‘61

1977
Thomas S. Guggenheim ‘50

1976
Donald G. Brotzman ‘43

1974
Herschel R. Shwayder ‘31

1973
Robert G. Bonham ‘40

1972
Walter A. Koelbel ‘47

1971
Thomas S. Moon ‘44

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact LeedsAlumni@colorado.edu.