Honors Spring 2017

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THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF BETA GAMMA SIGMA

SPRING 2017

CREATING YOUR

CAREER PAGE 10 | OWNING YOUR STORY

PAGE 12 | A COUTURE CAREER

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Learn how member Abby Butkus’ self discovery led her to the farming communities of Rwanda.

PAGE 24 | LIFETIME OF LEADERSHIP

A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR IN THIS ISSUE

As the Chair of the Beta Gamma Sigma Board of Governors, I’d like to welcome all the new members from the 2016-2017 academic year. BGS recognizes only the top students from the top 5% of business schools (accredited by AACSB) around the world. That means only a small fraction of the world’s business students are eligible to be invited. That’s why our members are known as “the best in business.”

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Success in Business

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COVER STORY

Forging Your Own Path

One member is leading change in the farm communities of rural Rwanda

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A New Brave World

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A Couture Career

Induction into BGS is the first step of a lifetime membership that benefits you throughout your professional life. Membership also provides access to the people, programs, and services that support your development – global networking, learning from thought leaders, and certifications that give you an edge over your competition during your job search, to name a few.

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Job Searching Tips

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BGS Operations

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Lifetime of Leadership

We’re very proud of the programs for our collegiate and alumni members.

For example, the third annual Global Leadership Summit will be in Orlando, November 2-5, 2017. Two new programs were launched this year: Ethical Leadership Certification Program for students and the Master Class series for alumni that included a pilot program about Transformational Leadership.

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Donor Profile

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Chapter Highlights

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How To Find A Mentor

Later this year we are launching even more ways for our members to engage with each other and foster their career success – a brand new website and ConnectBGS, our enterprise social network. Both are designed to provide opportunities for learning, mentoring, recruiting, engaging, and networking.

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Leading With Integrity

In my capacity as Dean of the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University, I have had the privilege of working with BGS students as they prepare themselves for the future. That preparation provides a solid foundation on which to build their career. Beta Gamma Sigma gives them the tools to build it, including a name that many companies particularly look for when recruiting candidates. With this kind of support, our members are able to forge any path they desire as they create their own careers.

Charles H. Whiteman Chairman, BGS Board of Governors John and Becky Surma Dean, Smeal College of Business The Pennsylvania State University

How can you own your story

A story of entrepreneurialism in the United Arab Emirates

Peru Alumni Chapter

• • • • • IN EVERY ISSUE

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THE BGS SNAPSHOT

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MEET THE BOARD

Latha Ramchand, Dean and Professor of Finance at the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston

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MEET THE DEAN

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TRIBUTE GIFT PROGRAM

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DONOR HIGHLIGHTS

Thomas Cleff, Pforzheim University

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A MESSAGE F RO M T H E C E O

Beta Gamma Sigma is the global honor society serving higher education business programs throughout the world. BGS is the oldest international business honor society and the only honor society accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB–International). Since its founding in 1913, BGS has inducted more than 810,000 lifetime members, who reside in all 50 states and 190 countries. These members serve in management and leadership roles in academic, corporate, government, nonprofit, and professional service sectors.

Beta Gamma Sigma has over 575 collegiate chapters and 45 alumni chapters and networks around the world. For more information, please visit betagammasigma.org

• • • • • HONORS is published twice yearly in St. Louis, Missouri and distributed by Beta Gamma Sigma.

EDITORIAL

Andrea Stolzer astolzer@betagammasigma.org

CONTRIBUTORS

Alfonzo D. Alexander Teri Chadwick Christopher Gibbons Eugene Lee Alyssa Preston Liz Ryan Taylor Voss

ADVERTISING

Lakshmi Sanjay | lsanjay@betagammasigma.org

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

DeAmbra Crochrell dcrochrell@betagammasigma.org

Beta Gamma Sigma chapters across the globe are welcoming those of you who have distinguished yourselves academically and are now known as “the best in business.”

As each of your names are added to our esteemed ranks, it’s a pleasure to welcome you to the Society.

With each year – and there have been 104 of them – BGS strives to provide access to people, programs, and services that support your lifelong professional development. That’s what this issue of HONORS is about: Creating Your Career. To the inductees this year it means creating the career you launch as you graduate. To our members who are a few years into your career all the way though those of you considering retirement, you will find articles and advice to help you make decisions about what you want to do, too.

While there is much to be gained from BGS programs such as the Global Leadership Summit, Ethical Leadership Certification, and the Master Class leadership series, we offer a value far greater to our members: connection. Beta Gamma Sigma has members in 190 countries and we are honored to be with each of you as you define your professional paths. When we launch ConnectBGS later this year, you will be able to engage, learn from, teach, and connect with each other in ways that can be beneficial to your career.

Every step you take has the potential for self-discovery, resilience, and reinvention.

The pages of this magazine contain stories that repeat those themes as you learn from the careers of men and women around the world who are on their own paths.

Author and anthropologist Mary Catherin Bateson said: “The human species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories.” Join us as we share the stories and lessons from a few of our remarkable members. I trust you will see some of yourself in the pages of this issue, and feel inspired to create an even greater story out of your own life and career.

Chris Carosella Chief Executive Office, Beta Gamma Sigma

Extra Points for Success in Business

G R TIN EE EA AR CR R C U YO

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By Eugene T. Lee

RELATIONSHIPS ARE KEY.

NO FEAR.

Building genuine, meaningful relationships in your chosen industry (in any industry for that matter) is the key to success. Beyond technical expertise, experience or business acumen, a powerful network of relationships will ultimately be the catalyst for success in your professional career.

Fear is often the paralyzer of hope, the crippler of dreams. Whether it be fear of rejection, fear of failure or even fear of success, don’t allow your fears to prevent you from stepping out of your comfort zone in the pursuit of your dreams.

OPEN - HANDED LIFE. Always look to give more than you receive in your professional and personal relationships… with no expectation of receiving anything in return. Over time, living an openhanded life will return dividends to you one hundredfold.

GOOD CHARACTER IS GOOD BUSINESS. Don’t get caught up in the “do anything to get ahead” mentality. Integrity is the rock-solid foundation for success in any business endeavor.

You’ll allocate and utilize time and resources much more efficiently without having to continually look over your shoulder.

NEVER GIVE UP. You can hit a rock 999 times without a single crack appearing, but on the 1000th hit, the rock will split in two. It wasn’t the final strike that accomplished the goal. It was the 999 hits that preceded it. Tactful persistence wins in business.

POP ART. Create your own masterpiece when given a routine project or assignment. Have the courage, confidence and creativity to infuse your work with brilliance.

Add value whenever you can.

MOVE MOUNTAINS. Faith is my foundation. It empowers me to be greater and more successful than I could ever be on my own. I urge and challenge you to lean on your faith in business.

Eugene T. Lee, Esq., is the president of MBK Sports Management Group, LLC, an emerging player in the NFL player representation industry. He has represented over 50 NFL players over the past decade. Mr. Lee is a member of BGS and earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree, summa cum laude, in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame and his Juris Doctor degree from Notre Dame Law School.

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FORGING YOUR OWN PATH All across rural Rwanda, smallholder farmers struggle to get access to the resources they need to keep their farms productive and their families fed.

Fertilizer and seed are often half a day’s walk away, and it is a struggle surviving financially in between harvest seasons.

Abby Butkus is part of an organization working to change that. One Acre Fund helps farmers significantly boost their crop growth and build a path out of poverty. Serving Rwanda and five other East African countries, One Acre Fund has increased the average farmer’s income by 50%.

PHOTO CREDIT: ONEACREFUND.ORG

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“If you had told 18-yearold me that I’d end up in Rwanda working for a nonprofit, I probably would not believe that.”

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hen she first joined One Acre Fund, Butkus supported its Rwanda program as a Finance Operations Associate. There, she handled budgeting, payables, accounting, cash management, banking, and more. “Everything under the sun related to finance,” according to Butkus.

She managed a team of eight. After about a year, she transitioned into the role of Global Finance Operations Manager, consolidating finance functions across all countries into one global hub in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

“We opened a new office, hired a ton of new people, set up systems and processes

that were going to serve all of our staff in all of our countries, and also all of our farmers as our operations grew.”

While winding up in Rwanda was not what her younger self expected, in many ways she charted out every step that brought her to this position of leadership in the international nonprofit world. Each educational and career decision was a deliberate maneuver toward the goal of combining her talent for problem-solving with her passion for helping people.

Butkus grew up in the United States in a family that valued good works. “We

were always working at soup kitchens on Thanksgiving, or delivering gifts to families in need at Christmas, or I’d see my dad doing mentorships at the jail.”

She enrolled for her Bachelor of Accounting at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. Its emphasis on “provid[ing] public service to the community…with a special concern for the poor and compassion for the suffering” fit seamlessly with her own upbringing. She helped to launch a Net Impact chapter at Villanova called Business Without Borders, working to connect the school’s social values with the principles she and her peers were learning at the business school.

“We began international business service trips and I went on the first one to Kenya to launch a partnership with

PHOTO CREDIT: ONEACREFUND.ORG

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A One Acre Fund Field Director addresses a group of farmers.

a nonprofit there when I was a senior.

I knew then that I wanted to build my career into something that combined business principles with a positive end outcome for society.”

After a summer internship with KPMG, Butkus learned about GE’s prestigious Financial Management Program (FMP). FMP is an intensive two-year early career program spanning four rotational assignments. Four different roles, four different managers, four different teams, and four different locations. “It was music to my ears. I thought, ‘This is what I need to figure out what I’m good at and not good at.’”

Butkus was selected by GE and entered the program with the intention of discovering the right course for herself. She learned the basics of financial management, how to work productively and efficiently, and got an early introduction to working with global teams. She was able to learn from some of the top corporate finance professionals in the world. But she knew she was not done learning. She had reached a major fork in the road to creating her career: should she take a coveted role with GE, or continue searching for something more? Whereas many graduates of the FMP enter the

fast track in GE, Butkus evaluated her options both inside and outside the organization. That evaluation brought her to the realization that most social enterprises, nonprofits, and development organizations prefer candidates with MBAs or master’s degrees. “I wanted to give myself every opportunity possible,” said Butkus.

“So I applied to grad school.”

At the Institut d’Etudes Politiques at Sciences Po in Paris, Butkus earned a Master of International Affairs and International Development. During her program, she worked at CGAP, an independent policy and research center

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“I knew I wanted to build my career into something that combined business principles with a positive One Acre Fund’s Global Finance Team in Kigali, Rwanda. Abby Butkus is fifth from the left, wearing green.

dedicated to advancing financial access for the world’s poor. While at CGAP, Butkus briefly met economist Dean Karlan, author of a number of books, including More Than Good Intentions: How a New Economics is Helping to Solve Global Poverty. The book, which emphasizes putting concrete skills to use to create meaningful change, struck a chord.

“There are all these people who want to go out in the world and do good, and that’s extremely important, but to actually make a change, you need professional skills to bring to the sectors that need it. That really resonated with me.”

So Butkus searched for an organization with an inspiring and important mission, where her rigorous private sector development would be put to good use. “I liked the idea of working at a social enterprise that would operate like a business.”

Enter One Acre Fund. Butkus has spent nearly three years in Rwanda working to support those farmers in their efforts to support themselves. They share their stories on the One Acre Fund website.

These farmers have used their increased profits to feed their families, send their children to school, invest more in their farms, and develop other enterprises.

end outcome for society.”

While her younger self would be surprised at the distance Butkus has traveled to change the world, Butkus believes she might also have thought, “Thank goodness I did something worthwhile.” Her foresight and dedication are, of course, to thank for her success in charting this fulfilling course. Butkus also credits the power of discomfort in creating growth.

“Be uncomfortable as much as possible, especially early on in your career, and you’ll learn more than you could ever imagine.”

Learn more about One Acre Fund at www.oneacrefund.org.

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A New Brave World: owning your story

By S. Alyssa Preston, Ph.D.

d own n a y r o t s r u o y inside lk a w r e h it e u o Y ustle h d n a y r o t s r u side yo t u o d n a t s u o y it or rown B é n e r B . s s e for your worthin

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When Dr. Brené Brown gave her TED talk on “The Power of Vulnerability,” a steady rebellion ensued. People from all walks of life and professional backgrounds began to take stock.

Investment portfolios and resumes were weighed. Authenticity buoyed to the surface as a pivotal evaluative measure of a person and their relationships.

Priorities were challenged. Vulnerability became chic. People came unglued.

The idea of being vulnerable and unapologetically owning “your story” created a groundswell of conversations from board rooms to churches to yoga studios. Amidst the Instagram quotables and memorable hashtags, book clubs and interviews, a new bravery emerged.

This bravery is not the stuff of epic novels or films. Instead, it’s the nuanced bravery borne in the often uncomfortable space of owning the choices that define a life rather than excusing them. This real-life bravery is not only forged in the crucible of cubicles and classrooms, but also in adventures, relationships, and the moments that imprint a soul. It’s the bravery of becoming who you are meant to be and it can only come from walking inside your story and owning it.

So, if “your story” were a category on your resume, could you write it today?

Alyssa Preston is one of Beta Gamma Sigma’s highest-rated speakers at the annual Global Leadership Summit, where she guides participants through leadership development activities focused on helping them “own” their values and vision.

Would you be found within your story or on the outside looking in?

The key to your story is owning yourself well enough to know what you want. Shakespeare wrote in Act 1 of “Hamlet”: This above all—to thine own self be true. A more recent example of this challenge comes from Rafiki in Disney’s “The Lion King” as he says to Simba, The question is: Who are you?

If you have considered Shakespeare’s words or Rafiki’s question, you are not alone. Owning your story is a process that begins with the uncomfortable posture of inward reflection. In other words, you have to come clean with yourself and own the person you are today. Forward movement can only begin with the present action of knowing where you are in your own story.

As you evaluate your place in your story, here are five practical starting points to guide you:

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Survey your past. What stands out?

2. Talk to your people. What do others have to say?

3. Observe the pattern. What “themes” keep emerging?

4. Rank your priorities. What matters most?

5. Yoke to a purpose. What compels you?

Remember, it’s never too late to be brave. Becoming brave isn’t comfortable; it’s courageous. To walk inside your story is to join the rebellion of those who have embraced a new brave world.

Dr. S. Alyssa Preston is Founder and Principal Communication Architect for SAGE, LLC. Her work focuses on values-based identity and brand development, organizational strategy, and consultation in the area of professional and organizational leadership. Dr. Preston was inducted as a BGS Chapter Honoree by The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

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t u r e e r u r oCCuotueetru r a CCareer A Story of Entrepreneurialism in the United Arab Emirates

When Huda Al Shamsi completed secondary school, she jumped right into her professional career. She spent some time working as a project manager for a real estate development company before switching to a position with the Tourism and Culture Authority.

Then in 2010, two of Al Shamsi’s friends convinced her to take a leap.

Itaf Adnan and Fatima Kadass wanted to create a business to sell couture gowns. Al Shamsi would handle branding, communications, and promotional activities, while Kadass handled HR & Accounts and Adnan

took the role of Creative Director. The concept was novel: no other company in the region was (or is) selling custom couture abayas, jalabiyas, wedding gowns, and party dresses with inhouse design and tailoring. Only 25 years old at the time, Al Shamsi was initially apprehensive about the risks

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involved in opening a business. The couture industry was totally unlike her experience in real estate or tourism, and the group had decided to start up using no outside loans or funding.

“It was scary at first,” said Al Shamsi.

“A lot of endless nights, thinking about whether we would be able to break even in the first year. It’s a huge responsibility. But because I had two other partners with me, we shared the risks equally and that really encouraged me to start the business.”

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So Trio Couture was born. Al Shamsi threw herself into the business while maintaining her position with the Tourism and Culture Authority. Ever resourceful, Al Shamsi drew upon her experiences from within the workplace to inform the way she managed Trio Couture. She knew the fundamentals of business and built upon the networking connections she made in that role.

“I met fellow entrepreneurs who had businesses and wanted to work in creating joint exposure in terms of events, logistics, printing, digital, and various other areas.”

Before long, however, Al Shamsi realized that in order to take Trio Couture to the next level, she would need to go back to school.

An education would empower her with knowledge of business theory and strategy to better structure how she ran her business. She enrolled at Abu Dhabi University, earning first her Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and then a Master of Business Administration. Her

The co-founders of Trio Couture are photographed participating in breast cancer awareness event Pink Polo. From left: Huda Al Shamsi, Fatima Kadass, and Itaf Adnan. career and her formal education now combined to allow her to approach Trio Couture in a more coordinated and informed way.

“My work experience empowered me to understand the fundamentals of business. Schooling gave me the tools and concepts to think about things in a more structured way with measurables in place. Both combined gave me a great advantage in stepping forward with confidence, knowing my future aspirations and how I was going to achieve them.”

Today, seven years after the inception of Trio Couture and three years after Al Shamsi completed her first degree, Trio Couture is more successful than ever.

Its flagship boutique in Abu Dhabi employs nine team members. Orders pour in online, in-store, and through participation at major exhibitions, such as the Bride Abu Dhabi show. Al Shamsi aspires to franchise and expand the business internationally, growing

first throughout the Arabian Gulf region and then into Europe.

Al Shamsi herself has changed alongside the business. “I’ve become wiser in my approach when faced with obstacles and how I should deal with issues. I’ve learned that you have to pick and choose your battles rather than fighting each and every one. I tend not to judge so much and I try to analyze the whole situation before taking action.”

Throughout Al Shamsi’s process of charting a unique but successful career path, she has made a priority of working both as an entrepreneur and inside an organization as an employee. She believes that keeping one foot in each door keeps her tuned into the rapidly changing economic environment so she can prepare for it.

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“If you’re not passionate about what you do, then you’re in the wrong business. You have to feel passionate about how you’re contributing.”

Trio Couture gowns have been featured in Bride Abu Dhabi, the region’s leading wedding and lifestyle event.

As she tells her story, Al Shamsi again and again returns to the concept of giving back. When she first decided to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, it was her former boss who believed in her enough to grant her a scholarship to pursue this education.

“H.E Saeed Eid Al Ghafli believed in my capabilities, encouraged my growth at work, and gave me a platform to develop myself into areas that were new to me. So for me now, I strongly believe in giving back, sharing my experiences, and leading by example.”

For this reason, Al Shamsi—while she runs Trio Couture and holds a fulltime position as Head of Marketing and Communications at Baynounah TV—teaches at her alma mater, the Abu Dhabi University. There, she also coordinates an undergrad exchange business program that sends students to the USA to learn from Fortune 500 companies, attend university lectures, and participate in charity projects. Last

year, the group visited a food bank to pack food and feed the homeless.

This philanthropic mindset extends to Trio Couture as well. The company has participated in Corporate Social Responsibility opportunities such as the breast cancer awareness event Pink Polo, by donating dresses for prizes.

In the UAE, supporting female entrepreneurship is one of the government’s top initiatives, as well as women’s leadership. Eight women now hold seats on its newly-formed Cabinet—more than in the US. Organizations like the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development offer business counseling and funding. Nongovernmental organizations such as the Abu Dhabi Business Women Council create opportunities and platforms for businesswomen to contribute to the national economy. Al Shamsi, too, believes in supporting female entrepreneurs, “whether in giving them advice on how to enhance their

business, or simply purchasing their goods and services. It’s all part of giving back to the community and creating opportunities to benefit everyone.”

When asked what traits she believes young entrepreneurs must have to succeed, she says it is important to be determined, committed, and innovative. However, passion is what makes the biggest difference.

“If you’re not passionate about what you do, then you’re in the wrong business.

You have to feel passionate about how you’re contributing. I’ve been faced with a lot of obstacles throughout my career and it’s the passion that drives me. Money is an added bonus but it’s the passion that makes you say, ‘Look, I want to get out of bed, I want to give back, I want to contribute towards society and make a difference.’ That’s the sense of fulfillment that keeps me going.”

Trio Couture can be found at www.triocouture.ae.

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Job Search Going Nowhere?

Here Are Ten Ideas to Try It’s beyond frustrating to sit in front of your computer pounding out job applications and then waiting for weeks to hear a word back from employers.

After a few weeks of typing so much that your arms get sore without a single encouraging reply, you might start to think that your online job applications are going straight from your keyboard into the depths of nowhere!

You are right. You cannot conduct a 2017 job search by applying for jobs online and waiting for employers to respond. You have to take matters into your own hands!

Here are 10 ideas to try when your job search comes to a frustrating standstill:

1. Re-brand yourself with a human

voice. Read about Human-Voiced Resumes at forbes.com and one of their key elements, Dragon-Slaying Stories, at humanworkplace.com.

2. Make a Target Employer List and

let that list drive your job search, rather than whatever job ads happen to be posted right now.

3. Use LinkedIn to research employers and to find your specific, individual

hiring manager (your possible future boss) in each of your target employers.

4. Write a compelling Pain Letter

and send it with your Human-Voiced Resume directly to your hiring manager’s desk.

5. Network like crazy -- have coffee,

lunch or breakfast with at least one person a week and attend at least two larger networking gatherings every month. Networking is uncomfortable for a lot of people at first but the more they do it, the easier it gets!

6. Get a consulting business card -- if

you were not a consultant before, you are one now! As you network with new acquaintances and old friends and colleagues, give out your consulting business card. You are not a needy job-seeker -- you are a consultant and a problem-solver!

7. Learn about Business Pain and its

central role in hiring and in your job search. Your key question to answer is “What kinds of Business Pain do I solve in my work?” You need to know what kind of pain you solve in order to approach hiring managers with your Pain Letters.

By Liz Ryan

8. Don’t sit at your computer for more

than a couple of hours at a time. Don’t talk yourself into the false belief that filling out lots of online job applications will get you a new job faster. Activities that give you time and space to reflect are much more high-impact than another hour of clerical work -activities like walking, cycling, dancing, painting, reading or listening to your favorite tunes!

9. Spend as much time as possible with people who build you up, and as little time as possible with people who bring you down. If you’re working with a recruiter (or more than one) in your job search, be choosy. Follow the energy! Uplifting people deserve your time and attention -- people who deflate you do not.

10. Finally, remember that you are

powerful, brilliant and talented when you’re working and when you’re not working. You don’t need a business card or a job title to be significant. The minute it hits you that you have already accomplished a great deal on this planet and have much more to contribute, other people (including hiring managers) will see your flame, too!

Liz is the CEO and Founder of Human Workplace, a publishing and consulting firm whose mission is to reinvent work for people. www.humanworkplace.com

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MORE THAN JUST

OPERATIONS

From left: Lynn Zoellner, Paul Dohearty, Debi Galloway, Christina Allrich, Brandon Taylor, Olivia Young.

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All across the globe, BGS Chapter deans, advisors, and admins are working so that their students can have the best opportunities for growth and development. They do this by establishing, maintaining, and promoting the best BGS chapters possible. Their duties in this capacity are broad and sometimes highly technical. At many points in their BGS work, they turn to the Global Headquarters for assistance.

Before a chapter is even established, our chapter contacts need help learning the invitation requirements and ordering BGS materials. Sometimes they need CMS training. When they want to take their chapter’s promotion and growth to the next level, they need to know best practices and which programs are available to them. Alumni networks, too, request guidance with questions like how to increase interaction.

These things keep BGS running smoothly, from South Asia to the United States to the Netherlands and everywhere in between. It’s the backstage workings that bring value to BGS members at all stages of their education and career. But keeping the Society functioning at the highest level is only part of who Brandon, Lynn and the rest of the BGS Chapter Operations team are.

Most of our members don’t know that Brandon’s passion is stand-up comedy,

and he aspires to launch a career as a full-time comedian one day. Brandon pulls material from his own life, and at present he has been featured in three shows. Needless to say, Brandon is a highly-entertaining source of laughter at the BGS Global Headquarters.

When the days get long and the work gets challenging, Brandon is unfailingly ready with a joke and a positive perspective.

If Brandon is the funny bone of the Chapter Operations team, Lynn is its kind heart. She brings a sense of patience and optimism to the team, considerate of all. Dependable and quietly hard-working, she is often the first one in the door in the morning.

This sense of fortitude serves her well in her hobby of hiking. Not long ago, Lynn hiked to the summit of Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado— a staggering 14,400 feet in elevation.

Paul is the newest member of Chapter Operations. He is excellent with customer service and problem solving.

Cheerful and naturally curious, Paul is ready for anything this new position throws at him. He has no shortage of offbeat collections that he adds to in his spare time. Paul collects old silverware, World’s Fair memorabilia, and Mexican pottery.

Olivia is also a relatively new member of this growing team, although she’s quickly become an irreplaceable part of the group dynamic. This Milwaukeeborn free spirit is open-minded, creative, and compassionate. It was just these

qualities (along with her fluency in Spanish) that led her to Ecuador to volunteer with underprivileged youths, teaching English, art, and computer education. She brought back to the United States a wealth of interesting stories as well as a deepened sense of empathy for the lives of those less fortunate.

Working immeasurable behindthe-scenes magic is Debi. This BGS veteran of nearly a decade holds vast knowledge of the inner workings of the organization. She manages shipping and inventory, membership database management, chapter supplies, and approximately 97 other critical tasks.

Her team members describe her as warm-hearted, hard-working, and adaptable, with a unique blend of modesty and wit. Debi dreams of one day moving her family to rural Montana and building a cabin in the quiet country.

No team would be complete without a fearless leader. Christina is a master of strategy and organization, constantly elevating the team to higher levels of service for Beta Gamma Sigma members. With her door-always-open policy, her team knows they can come to her for wisdom and support at any time. Recently married, Christina aspires to be an Iron Chef and is also a wouldbe sommelier. Her specialties are Cajun shrimp and Bibimbap, which, of course, she would pair with a tempranillo and a dry Riesling, respectively.

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embers in cities around the world have been clicking their cameras, phones, and video recorders to bring you a snapshot of Beta Gamma Sigma in this issue of HONORS. We’re delighted to share with you their inductions, service projects and networking events, and look forward to sharing your stories in the next issue!

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From top: Bushra Khalaf receives her induction at Abu Dhabi University; tapping ceremony at Rutgers University-New Brunswick; SUNY Oneonta chapter participates in an ice cream social to raise awareness for BGS

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From top: Dr. Vic Schriefer, BGS donor and honoree at University of Southern Indiana; the Hong Kong Alumni Chapter holds its Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Elections in January 2017; the BGS Chapter of Rutgers University-New Brunswick holds a General Body meeting; students participate in an ice-breaker activity at the Global Leadership Summit

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NEOMA Business School holds its installation ceremony; students participate in a group project at the Global Leadership Summit; students participate in final presentations at the Global Leadership Summit

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Students pose for a photo at the 2016 Global Leadership Summit; Abu Dhabi University’s key gathering with Dr. Fauzia Jabeen, Chapter Advisor and Dr. Mohammed Razik Parakandi; Dallas/Ft. Worth Area Alumni Chapter holds a re-activation event in February 2017; Tom Robinson, AACSB CEO, is inducted as a BGS member by BGS Board of Governors Chair Betty Jo Licata and three students at the Global Leadership Summit

22 | HONORS Spring 2017

MEET THE BOARD She has been a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Board of Governors since 2016.

ON BUILDING YOUR OWN CAREER: Forty years, at the rate of about 50 hours a week. This translates to more than 100,000 hours spent on the pursuit of a chosen career! Hence, it is important that you build your career doing something you enjoy and find engaging. A plan to make this happen:

Latha Ramchand Dean and Professor of Finance at the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston

Latha Ramchand is Dean and

Professor of Finance at the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, and specializes in the areas of international and corporate finance and leadership development.

She has delivered programs in business development, energy education, and diversity in the workplace for clients in industries ranging from energy and banking to business performance and human resource optimization.

Her work has been recognized through awards from the Financial Management Association. She is a recipient of the 2012 Executive MBA Mid Con Excellence Award and the UH Faculty Excellence Proclamation, awarded by the Houston City Council in 1995. Prior to joining academia, Dean Ramchand worked in the banking industry. She is a CFA charter holder and a member of the Houston Society for Financial Analysts.

Dean Ramchand received her Ph.D. in finance from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a gold medalist in Economics from Bombay University where she graduated with a Master’s degree in Economics. She has lectured at programs offered at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, the Indian School of Business and the University of Houston.

1. The first step to doing this is to be honest about your interests and talents. What would you do, if you did not have to worry about failure? What would you do, if you did not need the money? What can you offer that few others can? The answers to these questions are starting points for a conversation on career choices. BGS membership allows you to access leadership and development opportunities that can help you think effectively about career choices.

2. The next step is to create a plan that will focus on developing expertise. Create a plan of study, grow your work experience in the area, and create a Personal Board of Directors (PBOD) that can provide counsel, mentorship and sponsorship. Tap into the powerful BGS network to create your PBOD. 3. Finally, be prepared to pivot as things change and new opportunities arise. Keep an open mind and periodically review your career goals and progress, making changes as you see fit. Seek out a BGS mentor and/or peer who you can rely on to help you think through forks in the road.

ON THE BOARD’S VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF BETA GAMMA SIGMA: The board works to expand the brand value of BGS both within the U.S. and across the globe. Our vision is to grow membership in BGS even as we sharpen the quality of the network. We work to increase awareness of BGS among industry and business leaders so they have access to the crème de la crème of business graduates. Likewise, we work to increase awareness of BGS among business school students and graduates so we can attract the best talent that business schools offer.

Beta Gamma Sigma | 23

MEET THE DEAN

Thomas Cleff has had various roles

since joining Pforzheim University: he spearheaded the development of an international double-degree program, was named Vice Dean in 2012 and was appointed Dean of the Business School in 2014. He is an expert in international accreditation and partnership programs between institutions of higher education. In 2013, he became a board member of the Network of International Business and Economic Schools (NIBES), and in 2016 joined the AACSB Initial Accreditation Committee.

Dean Cleff holds degrees in Economics and in Management Sciences from Pantheon-Sorbonne University (France) and the University of Wuppertal (Germany), and earned his doctorate at the University of Wuppertal (Germany). His main research interests are international marketing, white-collar crime, brand research, innovation research and industry studies. Part of his research is carried out at Centre of European Economic Research (ZEW), where he is a research associate.

ON THE VALUE OF BETA GAMMA SIGMA FOR YOUR STUDENTS: The biggest value of Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) for our students lies in the field of international activities of our graduates. When students apply for master programs in foreign countries, they often benefit from their BGS membership. In Europe, BGS membership sometimes is one of the selection criteria within the admission process for master programs. And for the students seeking an international career, BGS membership provides graduates with an outstanding distinctiveness.

ON THE TRANSITION FROM STUDENT TO PROFESSIONAL: Again, BGS membership provides graduates with a unique advantage. Pforzheim students enclose their BGS certificates in their application documents, so that companies recognize his or her outstanding performance. This is especially true if future employers are global players, which is frequently the case for our graduates. Furthermore, BGS membership is an outstanding way to deepen the relationship between our alumni and their alma mater. At the beginning of each semester, outstanding Pforzheim alumni and BGS

Thomas Cleff Dean of the Business School at Pforzheim University

members welcome our new students, report about their experience at our school and during their career, and discuss with the freshman students about their future.

ON THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION: Regarding Pforzheim Business School, we set our distinct missionfocus on practice and applied research. Very early in their study period we bring students in personal contact with business executives. It is in our DNA to guarantee highquality business education based on a balance of academic and professional engagement from faculty and students. We are convinced that these strategic orientations are two key pillars of future business education. A third important pillar is the internationalization of business education. Pforzheim University was the first German university allowed to grant an (international) MBA degree. Currently, Pforzheim Business School holds exchange partnerships with more than 80 international accredited universities worldwide. More than 200 international exchange students come to Pforzheim for a full study semester each year, where they take part in a well-structured program of courses taught in English, sometimes followed by an internship semester. The close links to companies in the region and the internationalization are key elements in our mission.

YO CRE U R AT CA ING RE ER

24 | HONORS Spring 2017

A Lifetime of Leadership From an early age, Joshua Szarek was a driven and passionate young man. As an adolescent, he began what would become a lifetime commitment to giving back. He also volunteered with Boy Scouts of America, Habitat for Humanity, and the YMCA.

S

zarek attended Wright State University, where he worked his way through rigorous coursework to earn a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Art in Business, graduating with honors. During his time at Wright State, Szarek became involved in ROTC, where he performed well. Over summer breaks, while most of his peers went home, he launched himself into training.

His experiences there led him to join the U.S. Army.

“I really wanted to serve my country, lead people in combat, and help save lives,” said Szarek. “I wanted to grow teams and be a mentor and coach of men in the military.”

Commissioned in 2003, Szarek was accepted into infantry school, graduating in the top five of his 500-person class. He then completed Ranger School training, after which he was almost immediately deployed to Iraq. At age 21, he took over his first unit as a leader. The unit was in need of steady leadership.

“I wanted to work, number one, to earn the trust and the respect of those young men and senior enlisted folks.

Young officers fail because they don’t do a good enough job listening to their senior enlisted men. But I didn’t pretend to know things I didn’t know, and I was open to listening and learning. We came together to form a good team together so we could take our unit to the next level.”

After the tour in Iraq came the Ranger Battalion course, followed by a position in Special Operations Command.

Szarek excelled, and redeployed as a Ranger working with the CIA, running ground command overseas. He traveled the world, visiting 34 countries.

Then in 2008, Szarek sustained a severe injury in combat, requiring complete shoulder reconstruction and six months of physical therapy.

“I said to myself, ‘Well, maybe I’ve tested my luck one too many times’. You can only go to battle so many times before you don’t come back.”

With his military career cut short so unexpectedly, Szarek needed to decide what would come next for him. He took on a number of new challenges simultaneously. Szarek threw himself into the Oil and Gas industry as passionately as he had taken on his military career, quickly rising through the ranks of Matheson while completing Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, earning an MBA in Marketing and Finance, and gaining PMP certification, all within a four-year span.

He moved on to spend five years in the healthcare industry. The culture he experienced at DaVita, in particular, inspired him.

“It’s built on values and compassion and they really do believe it. They don’t call each other employees—they call each other teammates. It was very special to be a part of that.”

Despite enjoying the challenging work he found in healthcare, Szarek found himself returning to the idea that he needed to

Beta Gamma Sigma | 25

be doing something more. Something that would more directly help people.

He wanted to put his passion to use in helping people and growing teams on a larger scale, the way he’d done as a youth through his volunteerism, and during his twenties through his military service.

When a friend who worked at KellerWilliams Realty offered him a job in 2016, he was skeptical. Then he spoke to John C. Maxwell, a relative of his, and author of over 20 leadership books, including The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Through Maxwell, Szarek learned that Keller Williams was unlike any other brokerage.

“John told me that I wouldn’t meet a more trustworthy, respectful and honest person

than Gary Keller. Keller Williams was the only brokerage that is built on values: faith, family, and then business. I told my friend I would be honored to grow a team and lead it here.”

A year later, Szarek leads a successful team of five, with plans to double or triple his staff by the end of 2017. His biggest passion, however, is in his role as a PMA and leadership coach. PMA, or “Positive Mental Attitude”, is a concept developed in the 1930s, based on the philosophy that optimism attracts positive change and increases achievement. Szarek’s leadership methodology combines this philosophy with his military and corporate background.

“I’m a firm believer that leaders learn and develop like anybody else. It’s not something you were innately born with.”

Szarek is invited to speak at organizations hoping to learn from his experiences and expertise. According to one testimonial: “Joshua is the real deal. It was his personality, his professionalism, his presentation style that made me convinced that he is an expert in his field.”

Szarek acknowledges that his path has been an unusual one. His drive has led him to explore one new opportunity after the next. His comfort with discomfort has continually pushed him forward.

“Take some risks. Be okay with failing.

Because when you fail, you learn how to succeed.”

26 | HONORS Spring 2017

S AY I N G THA N K Y U • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

TO A LEADER IN YOUR LIFE

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Beta Gamma Sigma is pleased to introduce

When you make a Tribute Gift to BGS, we will send your honoree a lovely card notifying them of your thoughtful gift and including your message of thanks. And with your gift, you demonstrate your commitment to Beta Gamma Sigma and its standards of academic and business excellence.

• The professor or boss who took a special interest in you.

Your gift will support programs like the Global Leadership Summit, Ethical Leadership Certification, and more. All gifts to BGS are tax-deductible.

our new Tribute Gift Program that provides an easy way to honor the professors, mentors, students and leaders who have meant the most to you! It’s a wonderful way to say ‘thank you’ to someone who has made a difference in your life:

• The Dean or mentor who inspired you.

• The fellow student or colleague who encouraged you.

• The business leader who opened a door for you.

• The friend or family member who has supported you on your journey.

Use the enclosed envelope or make your gift online at www.betagammasigma.org/donate. You can also mail your gift and notification instructions to us at Beta Gamma Sigma, 125 Weldon Parkway, Maryland Heights, MO 63043.

Beta Gamma Sigma | 27 DONOR

PROFILE

BGS Member James R. Weldon: B.S. Business Administration, Fordham University Gabelli School of Business MBA Marketing, University of Chicago

What began as a challenge has turned into a 40-plus year career with academic excellence as its foundation.

It took James R. Weldon of New York City a year to fully realize that neither Rutgers University nor a career in Food Science were a good match for him. So, over a Labor Day Weekend, he managed to persuade the Dean of General Studies at Fordham University to allow him to transfer in even though the Dean had grave misgivings at allowing him to do so. Four years later, he graduated with twin majors, twin minors, the Gold Medal of the University and, of course, an election to Beta Gamma Sigma!

An MBA from the University of Chicago and a robust career spanning

the corporate, academic and consulting sectors followed, including entrepreneurial positions in the North American, European and Asian markets for Kraft/ General Foods, where he was awarded four U.S. government process and design patents, and then leadership positions at Chock full o’Nuts and Sara Lee. Since 2004, Weldon has headed his own business-building consultancy serving the packaged goods and foodservice sectors.

tobacco, commercial restaurant operations, or consulting with clients or fellow board members. Beyond any functional specialty it’s important to learn to think critically,” he says. “You’ll make mistakes – we all do.

But learning from them is grounded in getting a good education.”

But what makes this story interesting is his giving back by concurrently navigating a 36 year “2nd career” as an award-winning faculty member at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and serving on the boards of the Culinary Institute of America as well as the Healthcare Chaplaincy Network.

Beta Gamma Sigma’s focus on academic achievement is why Weldon has been a regular donor to BGS for more than 20 years. “I believe that education - more than anything else - is the ticket to a good life, and being in BGS means that you are devoted to and focused on excellence in education, which then sets the standard for what you can achieve professionally.”

His advice for building a successful career?

Hone in on one thing: the ability to think.

“My ability to think on my feet was what cut me apart regardless of whether I was working in packaged goods, international

It’s that recognition of academic excellence that Weldon chooses to support with his gifts to Beta Gamma Sigma. “In every BGS member, there’s another future leader. It’s my pleasure to support that.”

28 | HONORS Spring 2017 Sigma Circle

Beta Gamma Sigma gratefully acknowledges the many donors and friends who provide financial support for the Society with gifts to THE HONORS FUND, which supports vital programming at BGS like the Global Leadership Summit, Ethical Leadership Certification, and more. The following list reflects gifts received between January 1 and December 31, 2016. Thank you for your support!

Every effort was made to ensure accurate information. If you discover an error or omission, please send an email to bgshonors@betagammasigma.org.

Chairman’s Council $20,000+ KPMG

President’s Council $5,000 - $19,999 AACSB Geico University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Dean’s Council $1,000 - $4,999 Arizona State University Award Concepts Brandeis International Business School Educational Testing Service Fidelity Charitable Fund Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) Marielle Heijltjes Jacksonville University Joe & Mary Moeller Foundation John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation Rice University Schwab Charitable Fund Southern Methodist University Texas A&M University – Commerce The Pennsylvania State University University of Missouri – Columbia University of North Carolina – Kenan Flagler University of Tampa University of Texas – Arlington University of Tulsa University of Virginia – McIntire Vanderbilt University Baruch College - The City University of New York Anthony D. Clemente

California State University, Sacramento Michael J. Poulos Drake University John Pappajohn Indiana University Thomas F. Veldman Christopher T. Winkler Kent State University George E. Stevens Marquette University Theodore C. Rogers Miami University Robert J. Kamerschen Sanford Jacobs North Carolin AT&T State University Bernard J. Milano Saint Louis University Rex A. Sinquefield Southern University and A&M College Donald R. Andrews Texas Christian University Gordon R. England The University of Georgia Ogden O. Allsbrook University at Buffalo, State University of New York Paul F. Eckel University of Chicago James R. Sanger Jeanne C. Sinquefield University of Miami Saundra Kaplan University of Notre Dame Emil Peter University of Southern California Doreen L. Gee Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University James A. Hixon Youngstown State University Christina Carosella

All gifts reflect donations received between January 1 and December 31, 2016.

$500 - $999 Robert, Martha and John Atherton Foundation Fidelity Charitable Fund First Hawaiian Bank Foundation Highline Capital Corp James Investment Research, Inc. Fund of the Dayton Foundation Latha Ramchand Reutzel Foundation Schwab Charitable Fund Texas State University McCoy Western Kentucky University Aston University Tim Watts Baruch College - The City University of New York Samuel G. Ryan California State University, Sacramento Margo Murray Case Western Reserve University Franklin T. Kudo Clemson University John P. Harman Colorado State University Michael S. Grunwald Columbia University-MBA Barratt H. Jaruzelski Elon University Mary A. Gowan Fordham University Kevin J. McKenna Indiana University Martha A. Atherton Kimberley K. McCullough Loyola University Chicago Gail A. Marmol McNeese State University Joe T. Miller Michigan State University Bruce D. Bottomley James T. Morton Ronald J. Patten New Mexico State University M. D. Kidd New York University Gerald A. Leboff North Carolina A&T State University James N. Smith San Diego State University Debra A. Ernst Cheryl J. Stanislawski San Jose State University Constance B. Moore Susquehanna University James App Temple University John J. Mehalchin Stephen H. Morris The Florida State University Ivan A. Morales The University of Alabama Marinda J. Wood The University of Michigan Norma G. Heller John W. Madigan

University of Arkansas David E. Reutzel University of Cincinnati Hugh H. Hoffman University of Connecticut Dolores J. Katzenberger James Nuttall University of Florida Jeffrey P. Katz University of Massachusetts George P. Shea University of Richmond Robert S. Jepson University of WisconsinMilwaukee Lea E. O’Day Valdosta State University Jerry J. Jennett Wayne State University Paul A. Glantz Western Carolina University James A. Valkenaar Wright State University Frank James Youngstown State University Betty Jo Licata Amber M. Nicholson

Gamma Circle $250 - $499 Robert & Christine Emmons Foundation Fidelity Charitable Fund Madison Community Foundation John & Ruth Moyer Charitable Fund O’Connell Electric Company Schwab Charitable Fund Arizona State University Heidi Choy Baylor University Tim D. Brewer Boston College Mary G. Desimone Bennett S. Yee Boston University Simeon Chow California State University, Fresno Linda J. Wojciechowski Canisius College David C. Wachowiak Clark Atlanta University Hubert D. Glover Clark University Dawn Murphy Colorado State University Steven J. Vander Wal Columbia University-MBA Rajan Dev DePaul University Brian Campbell Drexel University Kathleen M. Kiernan Duquesne University Steven R. Berlin East Tennessee State University Allan D. Spritzer Emory University William L. Westbrook Fordham University James R. Weldon

Georgia State University Frank L. West Indiana University Harley R. Mohr Lehigh University Paul Caster Edwin Hallberg Marquette University Steven J. Borkenhagen Lois A. Smith Miami University Scott D. Schweinfurth Michigan State University Craig D. Brown Philip E. Lippincott New York University Alice R. Buedden William A. Heineman North Carolina A&T State University Quiester Craig Northwestern University John R. Hannah Oregon State University George K. Austin Roosevelt University Rosemary G. Mack San Diego State University George G. Callaway San Francisco State University Wesley R. Petit Santa Clara University Robert J. Emmons Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Deborah L. Johnston Southern Methodist University Chad S. Plotkin St. John Fisher College Victor Salerno St. John’s University Anne R. Wennington Stephen F. Austin State University Christopher Simard Craig G. Townsend Syracuse University Walter W. Hemming Temple University Charles J. Davidson Texas State University C. P. Oles The Ohio State University Steven M. Katko The University of Akron Michael J. Berthelot The University of Arizona David P. McElvain The University of Michigan Juyoung Kim Philip L. Smith Joel D. Tauber The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill William K. Rollins The University of Texas at Tyler Joseph Z. Ornelas University at Buffalo, State University of New York Kenneth P. Ferris

University of Arkansas Marlena S. Bond Gene Cogbill Nancy K. Quinn Bryan A. Speed University of Baltimore Barry A. Benz University of California-Los Angeles J. K. Clancy C. William Winkler University of Chicago Thomas V. Banfield University of Cincinnati Robert E. Dobbs University of Dayton Anthony J. Ballmann University of Detroit Mercy Francis Westmeyer University of Florida Louis F. Morr Walter J. Smith University of Hawaii at Manoa Arlene Cabalce-Yamakawa University of Houston Christopher D. Wheat University of Illinois at Chicago Daniel J. Phillips University of Miami Scott A. Voorhees University of Minnesota Norman P. Bjornnes University of MissouriSt. Louis John E. Jacob University of New Orleans Charles E. Price University of Pennsylvania Robert C. Nevin University of Portland Craig Christenson Sandra A. Suran University of Rochester Ramachandra Bhagavatula University of San Francisco Linda R. Jones Louise C. Wong University of South Carolina James M. Mancini Ruth A. Moyer University of South Dakota Denise T. Smart University of Southern California Shuhui Peng University of Tulsa James W. Middleton University of Virginia Brian S. Roberts University of Washington Seattle Robert E. Hallowell University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Sharon F. Alferi Lawrence C. Bittner Daniel A. Bollom University of WisconsinMadison Bruce R. Ellig Thomas G. Ragatz Anton T. Vanek *Deceased

Beta Gamma Sigma | 29 Villanova University Jeff P. Evans Washington University John P. Wareham West Virginia University Thomas J. Krzys Wichita State University Arthur A. Winquist

Beta Circle $100 - $249 Alfonzo Alexander Barbara Bealer Denise Bickerstaff Carver/Delaney Families Foundation, Inc. Communities Foundation of Texas Fidelity Charitable Fund Fox Family Foundation Jed C. Goodall Howard & Roberta Goss Charitable Foundation B. D. Fischer Hoover-Lenox Family Trust Number 10E13 JD Foundation The Lippey Company Mycom LLC Network for Good Pellot Family Fund Quantum Associates, Inc Schwab Charitable Fund Henry & June Seifert Trust Adele M. Thomas Charitable Foundation Hays T Watkins Marital Trust The Weiler Family Foundation Deborah Wenkert Winfield Consulting, LLC Alfred University Jarrod L. Rywolt American University Francis D. Tuggle Appalachian State University Brian W. Lund Sallie O. Simpson Arizona State University Donald K. Ellis John D. Farrell William K. Rapp Harold C. White Ball State University Carl S. Booth Kara Y. Lenox Baruch College - The City University of New York Jon S. Adler Mary S. Cheng Swee-Lim L. Chia Lee A. Feldman John Karabec Edwin B. Morris William E. Oakley Anna Santana-Ensmenger Henry B. Schram Jerome A. Seidman Saul H. Wadowski Baylor University Robert A. Fitz Bentley University David P. DeMarco Omer D. Lizotte Karen C. Watkins Matthew R. Wizeman

Boise State University Pieter M. Ytsma Boise State University Sharon E. Nielsen Boston College Philip A. Bertolo Mary Ann L. Hart James R. Kearnan Henry K. Kelly Hector Reichard Gary R. Siegel Boston University Donna Carty Harvey A. Creem Thomas A. Greenquist Richard W. Hills Alan J. Rosenblum Denise Wakim Bowling Green State University Richard L. Foran Michael W. Hoffman Henry J. Merce Bruce C. Webster Brigham Young University Randy K. Cox California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Edwin E. Gibson California State University, Bakersfield David F. Glossbrenner Donna J. Goins Nancy F. Pollard Paul J. Sippel California State University, Chico Frank Pangburn Juan J. Raigoza William A. Spooner California State University, Fullerton James C. Pieschel California State University, Long Beach Michael D. Achterberg Rosa N. McDonald Beate M. Morrow Robert L. Pitts Susan L. Volmer Thomas W. Wilson California State University, Los Angeles Beverly A. Hood Gerald A. Minter California State University, Northridge Chris J. Curry Karen L. Harlan California State UniversitySan Bernardino Kim J. Hales Canisius College Reginald B. Newman Nicholas F. Urbanski Carnegie Mellon University Chris R. Albani Peter M. Lively Case Western Reserve University Eugene A. Demonet Henry Ott-Hansen Claremont Graduate University John W. Bachmann

Clayton State University Victoria L. Williams Clemson University Ronnie L. Jowers Joerg Sellerbeck Cleveland State University Linda H. Rogalski College of William & Mary Rosemary L. Spell Hays T. Watkins Colorado State University Richard L. Robinson Colorado State University Thomas M. Smith Columbia University-MBA Robert Davidow Robert L. Hoguet Richard T. Lebuhn John E. Meyer Paul P. Morimanno William W. Morris James A. Northrop John T. Quinn Diana M. Sattelberger Washington SyCip Bartholomew J. Tortella DePaul University David Bouvier Howard S. Goss Scott F. Maxson Ellen Miller Drake University Anne E. Hilton Frederick N. Peters Daniel E. Prall Drexel University Michael A. Bray Edward K. Klees Duquesne University Billy R. Church Kevin P. Prykull William H. White East Carolina University August F. Malson William H. Powell James K. Weeks Eastern Michigan University Randall R. Cooper Michael W. Krell Emory University Ernest E. Ferguson John Redding Homer E. Smith Fairleigh Dickinson University John R. Goll William C. Kulkens Florida Atlantic University Carlene R. Walker Fordham University Margaret Duffy Michael A. Fortini Philip M. Halpern David Rosner John-Charles Van Essche George Mason University Xiaoming Zhang Georgetown University Robert J. Almerini Georgia Southern University Ralph M. Andrews Chenzira Q. Bohannon Georgia State University William D. Barker Jack J. Edwards

Walter R. Henderson Barry J. Hurford Larry F. Miller Richard S. Novack Eleanor B. Schwartz Richard E. Thompson Scott G. Thompson Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main Jochen Woelpert Hofstra University Janet R. Cordano Charles J. Mulhern Dorothy Safranek Karl Weiler Indiana University Frances H. Applegate Mary S. Bonhomme Clarence H. Doninger Jean Drevenstedt David T. Fronek James M. Goff John D. Grant David E. Greene Gloria G. Guman Jolaine L. Hill Thomas S. Hoelle William C. Jewell Howard Kahlenbeck Gollakota S. Kumar Richard L. Lesher Blair W. Macdermid William W. McCutchen Gail E. Mullin Robert G. Nettles H. T. Noell David B. Pearson Stanley R. Pearson Michael Pierce George W. Rohe Brian J. Shapiro Patricia M. Taylor John V. Thomas Marilyn L. Vale Richard A. Warne Indiana University South Bend Janet A. Barnhill Iona College Devlin L. Lansburg James Madison University Kenneth R. Bartee Ann H. Shawver Kansas State University Robert C. Salem Kennesaw State University Thomas A. George Kent State University Dallas P. Lutz Aspy P. Palia Robert W. Smith Terry D. Specht Robert A. Vincent La Salle University Susan C. Borkowski Michele J. Gray Todd J. Warner Lamar University Joe D. Koshkin Lehigh University Joan B. Cole Murray H. Goodman Christopher F. Farrell Michael E. Kroboth Philip R. Peller

Robert A. Roth Wendy M. Stevens Long Island University Leon M. Burns Louisiana State University Bruce W. Berry Ralph Byington Susie S. Cox Virginia J. Kahnt James E. Taussig Loyola Marymount University Kathleen Denney Loyola University Chicago Nelia D. Castillo Vivian G. Chiu Craig G. Musgrave Scott A. Schaefer Gerard A. Swick Maria Tabrizi Kenneth R. Weigand Loyola University Maryland Michael B. Adams Jennifer M. Buckstein Kenneth M. Eyler Donald W. Hughes Loyola University New Orleans Brandt J. Dufrene Marilyn D. Franson Marquette University David J. Hushek Richard J. Kneiser Paul M. Neylon Vincent S. Polkus Richard A. Romano Robert A. Schneider Miami University James W. Pellot William W. Pulley Laura J. Rockenberger Michigan State University Richard W. Bergson Peter P. Butala Dennis W. Duquette John S. Flintosh Lawrence D. Fredendall Edward E. Hagenlocker Douglas M. Klein E. Craig Lesley Alexander C. McKeen Andrew G. Sall Middle Tennessee State University Tracey Hoover Mississippi State University Ronnie G. Michaels Missouri State University John E. Wanamaker Montclair State University Betty R. Nolan Naval Postgraduate School Antonio L. Scinicariello New Mexico State University Daniel J. Rundgren New York University Joseph E. Adiletta Joyce Albers-Schonberg Mara E. Baror Mario P. Borini Calvin R. Carver Anne L. Chamberlain Lori L. Chan Marvin A. Chatinover Daniel E. Davies

Joel E. Ewan Matthew T. Feldman Stuart S. Flamberg Donald E. Foley Alan P. Gallo Miles M. Glantz Richard A. Leibner David M. Levine Peter C. Luppino Hiroshi Maenami Joseph P. Martori Richard C. Nerod Samuel H. Owens David K. Owens Sr. Gregory S. Patrick Margaret A. Shergalis Ralph Todaro Steven B. Wolitzer Kinne S. Yon Michael D. Yon Northeastern University Thomas P. Brady Richard C. Cloran Charles J. Crockett James M. Fowler Stephen P. Schultz Baker A. Smith Gary H. Stein Northern Arizona University James O. Carnes Northern Illinois University Denis M. Desmond Northwestern University Rudolf Carl Charles R. Enever Rudolph E. Farber James L. Kaboski Gordon G. Rockafellow Kenneth C. Sanders John S. Thode Oakland University Mark D. Guthrie C. S. “Bud” B. Kulesza Patricia J. O’Donnell George H. Seifert Linda I. Voss Ohio University Clark V. Crabill Oklahoma State University Cathy J. Wilton Old Dominion University George K. Williams Oregon State University Lea A. Hart-Chambers Pace University Paul J. McKeon Portland State University Barbara A. Barge Purdue University Robert G. Gibson Quinnipiac University Teri Chadwick Ramapo College of New Jersey Rip L. Reeves Rider University Michele Kelley Robert Morris University Patrick J. Litzinger Rollins College Rex V. McPherson Roosevelt University Willie Carter Jacqueline J. Goldberg James F. O’Bert Robert A. Sperl

30 | HONORS Spring 2017 Rowan University Anthony J. Galvin Rutgers-State University of New Jersey-Newark Michael T. Bucci Gary F. Dornbush Richard D. Whitehead Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey-Camden John Marino-Deabler Sacred Heart University Christine Lange Saint Louis University Gary M. Gaertner David A. Gardiner Sam Houston State University Charles E. Amato San Diego State University Victoria E. Condos Carla M. Kuhns Charles M. Medvitz San Francisco State University Carol S. Randall Catherine A. Sousa San Jose State University Charles Q. Bulygo Dave L. Coles Santa Clara University William W. Allman Theodore J. Biagini Robert T. Burson David W. Gervais Mary D. Niemiller Jose Torres-Fentances Linda F. Winkle Seattle University Terrence C. Kabanuck Shenandoah University Catherine E. Russell Sonoma State University Wallace M. Lowry Southern Illinois University Carbondale Roy A. Causey Southern Illinois University Edwardsville James A. Morrell Southern Methodist University Laura C. Baldwin Zola L. George James H. Keet Christopher C. Loy St. John’s University Diane M. Palumbo Christopher A. Pappas Suffolk University Oluwaseun Akapo Susquehanna University Raymond C. Lauver Syracuse University Robert J. Grider Temple University Daniel R. Burkus Mary T. Conran Arnold Glaberson Donald P. Mitrane Marvin E. Stonberg Texas A&M University Karen W. Currie David G. Eller

Texas A&M UniversityCommerce Mano Mahadeva Linda P. Rhodes Texas Christian University Forrest H. Goodall Robert W. Oliver Texas Tech University Patrick J. Killman Ray L. Robbins The Florida State University Mark R. Arrigo William S. Curry Kee J. Eng John A. Lemine Michael J. Moloney Ivan A. Morales Dave C. Williams Calvin N. Willis The George Washington University Mary S. McDaniel Philip D. Reiff Doris R. Vail The Ohio State University Martin E. Batross Dale J. Hasson Stephen J. Hopkins Daniel T. Houchins William B. Patrick Carol N. Richards Sunil Sabharwal The Pennsylvania State University John T. Fogarty Douglas P. Henry James B. Miller Joseph L. Motz Jack W. Sharer The University of Akron David Leshner The University of Alabama Thomas W. Armstrong James F. Barger Herbert A. Barr Debra B. Cartwright John G. Foshee Margaret E. Hudson Christopher M. Krebs Rodney M. Kreps Edgar L. Reynolds Lynne D. Richardson James P. Tate The University of Arizona Robert Mylls The University of Iowa Jo K. Jones Jeffrey B. Warner Victor W. Wilson The University of Michigan John P. Byrne Gregory V. Dicenso Minoru Lino Michael J. Robison David C. Stumbaugh Richard C. Viinikainen Joseph D. Williamson The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lacy G. Baynes J. Allen Fine Rajib Ghosh Lisa J. Hendel Nannette E. McNally

All gifts reflect donations received between January 1 and December 31, 2016.

The University of Oklahoma Michael F. Farren Sandy H. Singleton Jack E. Turner Elizabeth K. Willard The University of Tampa Gregg M. Schoppman The University of Tennessee at Knoxville Cheryl A. Butler R. G. Manley Lynda L. Newton Kenneth W. Patton The University of Texas at Arlington Mark C. Hensel Pamela J. Zelbst The University of Texas at Austin Donelson M. Houseman The University of Texas at El Paso Woody L. Hunt The University of Texas at Tyler Laura Koenig Young Tulane University Stephen M. Berman Andrew J. Kimbrough Lance B. Young University at Albany, State University of New York Mark E. Fronk Edward J. Wehle University at Buffalo, State University of New York John A. Beltrami Sherman A. Cox George H. St. George Calvin J. Haller Kenneth I. Tuchman University of Alabama at Birmingham Jeffrey I. Stone Armin K. Tilley University of Arkansas James L. Ashmore Richard M. Bushkuhl Oneta C. Cox John W. Ingraham David R. Malone Julia P. Mobley Harry Shipley Albert G. Vasser Robert E. Wahlman University of Bridgeport Andrew M. Dolny University of California, Berkeley Leonard A. Aplet Joseph F. Brilando James A. Craft Diane M. Downend James F. Duggan Jennifer L. Eccles Leland E. Leisz Eric F. Li Gerhard G. Mueller Gerald E. Myers Kenji Tomita University of California, Irvine Mark Locascio Walter A. Meares

University of California-Los Angeles William H. Barbour Irwin S. Field Al A. Finci Gerald Lippey Ross E. Roeder University of Central Florida Monica S. Forbes Jacqueline E. Keith M. D. Reno University of Chicago John T. Baily Thomas W. Davis Denis E. Springer Richard J. Weiland Kuno A. Wyler University of Cincinnati Andrew M. Grant Raymond P. Neveu University of Colorado Boulder Thomas G. Brown Makoto Fletcher Robert S. Graham Katherine L. Hart Edward C. Mitchell University of Colorado Colorado Springs Monica E. Tucker University of Colorado Denver Kerstin B. Lynam University of Connecticut Robert C. Burrill W. David D. Dary Lindley M. Franklin John R. Harvey James M. Makuch James Nuttall Gregory K. Phelps Charles M. Shafran University of Dayton Terry D. Carder University of Delaware Thomas M. Overbaugh University of Denver Robert Z. Dalal Sylvester Houston Stacy A. Ruskin University of Detroit Mercy Kathleen D. Aznavorian Lynn Ellyn Jaime F. Encinas Jacob Rehmann Peter Tyszewicz University of Florida John C. Appel George M. Boger Frederick E. Fisher John F. Galvin John J. Slaboch University of Hartford Robyn J. Wahl University of Hawaii at Manoa Christopher B. Drake W. Garvie Hall Yih-Tsuen Huang Wallace S. Kam University of Houston Gary S. Brush Marilyn M. Falkenhagen Janet E. Lancon Suma H. Napper Jack H. Rooker Kathy J. Welch

University of Illinois Michael E. E. Fox Thomas W. Hough Robert D. Leach John D. Stein Lan Xia University of Illinois at Chicago Lorraine Marwick University of Kentucky John C. Talbott Allison A. Willoughby University of Maryland Larry E. Groves Margaret Hicks Richard L. Vogel University of Massachusetts Kenneth Kriedberg Timothy S. McCarthy University of Memphis Michael L. Burriello Thomas M. Parzinger University of Miami Zsolt T. Agardy Marianela J. Hernandez University of Minnesota Steven M. Bernstein James B. Dagnon Fred R. Friswold Douglas W. Kirk Robert H. Knoch Duane R. Kullberg Jed D. Larkin Hollis W. Rademacher James W. Rustad Dennis L. Senneseth Thomas R. Wagemaker University of Mississippi Lee W. Randall Ivy J. Weeden University of Missouri Kansas City Joan L. Hartung Robert P. Johnston Richard S. Loraine Nancy S. Milgram University of MissouriColumbia James M. Brakemeyer Steven P. Kuenzel Marilyn J. Pfefer Carl S. Quinn Howard G. Sholl University of Nebraska at Omaha Patricia L. Davis University of NebraskaLincoln Alan D. Chunka William S. Eastwood Aloysius P. Rieman Frank M. Svoboda University of New Orleans David J. Mumfrey Brenda A. Sterling University of North Texas Hugh D. Erskine Herbert A. Paul Gary M. Shultz University of Notre Dame Charles B. Ammann Daniel E. Fischer Dennis C. McInerney William J. Schmuhl Robert M. Tobben

University of Oregon Kevin W. O’Neill Thomas M. Swain University of Pennsylvania George Akel Michael F. Barry Michael S. Blechman Peter C. Brockett Anthony J. Deleon Libo B. Fineberg Paul C. Flattery Albert Greenbaum Charles F. Gross Frank M M. Hatheway Thomas L. Markl Mary V. Reynolds Norman Rosner University of Pittsburgh William H. Alexander Jeffrey R. Evans James J. Fasnacht Edward C. Jesteadt Jens T. Jung James A. Maochi Thomas J. Yogan University of Portland Craig Christenson University of Rhode Island Louise A. Bookman Sean P. McKenna University of Richmond Robert S. Ukrop University of Rochester Gary P. Johnson Paul R. Ratoff Bruce H. Watkins University of San Francisco David R. Dull George W. Parkerson University of South Carolina Travis A. Heneveld Louis R. Imbrogno University of South Dakota Charles A. Jacob University of South Florida Jay H. Calhoun Loretta S. Loftus Wondel Smith University of Southern California Robert S. Brezovec James F. Childs Steven D. Crowe Jennifer D. Ehrman Jay H. Grodin David E. Hale Teena M. Hostovich Terrence O. Hughes Stephen M. Mandich Mel P. Melsheimer Douglas D. Naylor Richard Phegley David M. Rich Toni S. Sepulveda Jason White University of Southern Mississippi Cecilia C. Hickman University of the Pacific James T. Beck University of Toledo Dennis C. Acuna Michael King William M. Ligibel Borge R. Reimer Susan A. Smotherman *Deceased

Beta Gamma Sigma | 31 University of Utah Anne L. Christensen Anupama Phene John G. Pickard Todd B. Schull University of Virginia Stephen C. Adams Amy P. Lampe W. F. Thompson Scott C. Withrow University of Washington Bothell Lisa M. Beal-Austin University of West Georgia J. Mark Miller University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Larry R. Koeppen John H. Mortensen James W. Rice

University of WisconsinMadison Merri B. Beckfield David Geraldson Daniel L. Goelzer Richard J. Howell Hiroshi Ichimura Robert Roemer James Schommer University of WisconsinMilwaukee Bradford A. Baumann Jeffrey G. Hilber University of Wyoming Randall W. Ludden Utah State University Gary D. Walker Vanderbilt University John A. Oman

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Villanova University John J. Brucato Richard P. Caporaso Virginia Commonwealth University John E. Ball Mayes D. Mathews Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Hermann Buerger Francis L. Leonard Cynthia L. Wright Washington and Lee University Reid T. Campbell Julian B. Mohr Washington University John F. Danahy William P. Donovan Sam Fox

Diane E. Harrison Howard E. Lovely Robert E. Markland Gail E. Meltzner Rowland Ricketts Maria W. Schweizer Henry L. Seifert Joe E. Strawn John K. Wallace Roger A. Young Wayne State University James C. Fyffe Larry A. Rose West Virginia University Patrick C. Mann Marie L. Prezioso Western Kentucky University Curtis L. Jorgenson

Western Michigan University Jeffrey S. Fecko Q. Terry Wilber Wichita State University Melvin L. Bird Wright State University Thomas E. Shaffer

Matching Gifts Adobe Amgen Foundation AMSTED Industries Incorporated AXA Foundation Bank of America Duke Energy Corporation GE Foundation Pfizer Foundation Phillips 66 UBS

In-Kind Donors Avis Becker Professional Education Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal Educational Testing Service Kaplan Schweser Kaplan Test Prep Life! Inc. Sage LLC Time Inc. University of Florida MBA Program

*Deceased

32 | HONORS Spring 2017

[

Custom Design: How Peru Maximized the Value of BGS by Building an Alumni Chapter Their Own Way

[

One of the primary ways members get value from their Beta Gamma Sigma membership is through vast networking opportunities. Beta Gamma Sigma has 45 alumni chapters and networks around the world, helping lifetime members network, learn, and achieve for decades after graduation. Alumni groups give members access to the highest level of professional networking and support throughout their careers.

“It’s an opportunity to interact with other members, learn from them, and take advantage of the networking opportunities academically, in business, and in every part of your job,” says Victor Torres, President of the Peru Alumni Chapter.

Torres, a native of Peru, was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma in 2003 while completing his MBA at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

While working in London from 20112013, he attended his first few Alumni Chapter events. “I was keen to find that networking here in Peru.”

When Torres received an email in 2013 from Global Headquarters informing him of efforts to organize an alumni chapter in Peru, he jumped at the opportunity to get involved. Thirteen members attended the first gathering, and they resolved to become a BGS alumni network. As 2014 progressed,

the group instituted monthly meetings at a local coffee shop. BGS Global Headquarters helped broadcast each meeting to all Peru members, and participation gradually grew.

Since becoming an official alumni chapter in early 2015, the group has organized. The leadership council (Victor Torres, President; Jaime Romero Sanchez, Vice President; Diego Calvo Ibañez, Secretary; and Carlos Garcia Jeri, Treasurer) meet up monthly to plan for future events, communicating weekly via WhatsApp. The chapter has also established strategic volunteer-based committees to establish and work toward the goals of the members. The Membership committee welcomes new members and informs them of activities and committee opportunities, while staying connected to the Collegiate Chapters and keeping an eye on induction

ceremonies. The Events committee organizes networking events, academic and professional conferences, and after-office events and reunions. The Entrepreneurship committee connects members interested in exchanging information, sharing best practices, and developing new businesses. Perhaps most interesting is the Professional Development committee. In addition to posting employment opportunities for the members, these BGS ambassadors contact local recruiters to explain the benefits of hiring Beta Gamma Sigma members.

“Headhunters and HR managers are very interested to be in contact with our group, because we are an excellent pool of candidates, top in business, with outstanding professional experience.

A few recruiters have even attended our recent networking events, and are interested to be in regular contact.”

Beta Gamma Sigma | 33

The Peru Alumni Chapter celebrates its official transition from network to chapter in March 2015, gathering nearly 100 members and representatives from each of the three local collegiate chapters.

As the group expands the variety of events, attendance grows too. The leadership council has organized conferences and speaking engagements with major businesses owners. One particularly successful event was a Speed Networking evening. Over 60 members showed up to network one-on-one around small tables.

“It was 11 p.m. and people didn’t want to leave. We actually had to stop because we ran out of time and we had to head home at some point. We are trying to organize another one like that.”

The Peru Alumni Chapter is especially active in collaboration with the local BGS collegiate chapters. They have hosted events like technology workshops and speaking events from major companies like Uber.

Torres, the rest of the leadership council, and the committee members do this work because they see the value in being an active member of Beta

Gamma Sigma. “It’s recognition of your dedication, the excellence. It’s a constant reminder that you have to give your best in everything you do. You are a representative of a high society.”

Occasionally, members from other regions contact Torres for advice in creating their own chapters. Torres recently received an email from a member in Chile who hopes to transition their informal network into an alumni chapter. “I think they’re on the right track. The main idea is hosting events frequently. Just gather people to figure out what they’re doing.”

He also recommends identifying a small but dependable group of engaged members: “The Council talks to each other every single week, but I also have another group of people that I know are always willing to help.”

And, of course, BGS Global Headquarters is there to lend a hand.

Olivia Young, Manager of Chapter & Alumni Operations, offers assistance broadcasting interest messages, planning first meetings, transitioning networks to chapters, selecting chapter leadership, and fostering engagement.

Torres looks forward to continued growth within the Peru Alumni Chapter. He expects the chapter’s LinkedIn group to reach 1,000 members this year. He has plans for rotating committee responsibilities, and continuing to coordinate the types of events that draw the most attendance to facilitate networking. “[This group] has made me realize the power of what can be accomplished with many of us going in the same direction,” he says. “It has been a great experience to get to know so many people that are helping the alumni chapter in different ways. For me, it has been a very rewarding experience.”

YO CRE U R AT CA ING RE ER

34 | HONORS Spring 2017

HOW TO FIND A MENTOR: OR NOT?

By Taylor Voss

Beta Gamma Sigma | 35

Throughout college, I was obsessed with becoming successful.

It was my greatest desire to stand out from the crowd and set myself up for an extraordinary future.

To set myself on that path, I started studying people who had already achieved massive success. Most of their stories were very different, but one word seemed to come up again and again: mentors. I developed this perception that all successful people had mentors who helped them on their way to the top. At the time, I didn’t have a single mentor, so I started panicking. “How does one go about finding a mentor?”

I would ask myself. I had no idea. All I knew was I didn’t have one. And I was desperate.

During my sophomore year, as part of the President’s Leadership Program, I attended the Colorado Leadership Alliance Summit. That year, the keynote speaker happened to be an entrepreneur from Boulder. He gave a fantastic presentation, and I immediately knew this was the potential mentor I was looking for. I emailed him to introduce myself a few days after the conference, and he later got back to me. He agreed to speak with me over the phone for 20 minutes. In those 20 minutes I had one goal: convince him to agree to be my mentor.

About halfway through the conversation I awkwardly blurted out, “Would you be interested in being my mentor?” He kindly declined, saying he was focused on being a mentor for the companies in his accelerator program called the Unreasonable Institute. Looking back now, I realize how ridiculous of a question that was to ask. Here was this random guy, who I had absolutely no relationship with, and I was asking him to invest his time and energy into making me successful. Again, I found myself asking, “How does one go about finding a mentor?”

Two years later, I attended the Beta Gamma Sigma Global Leadership Summit. While listening to the CEO, Chris Carosella, speak, I discovered that she had experience working with startup companies in Colorado. Just as I was leaving the conference, I asked for her advice on how to get connected in the Boulder startup community. She gave me the email address of one of Boulder’s most influential venture capitalists. I was ecstatic. Finally, another chance to get my mentor! After I sent the initial email to him, I emailed Chris to let her know that I had reached out.

She asked, “What’s your strategy for connecting with him after he replies?”

I said I planned on asking him to be my mentor. To help me avoid making that mistake again, she encouraged me to simply ask him for advice; offer to meet up and buy him a cup of coffee.

And after enough of those interactions and a relationship had been developed, then maybe he would become a mentor.

That piece of advice is one I have never forgotten. I was recently reminded of it while reading Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. In her chapter on mentors, she commented, “We need to stop saying get a mentor and you will excel.

Instead, we need to say excel, and you will get a mentor.”

It took me a few years, but I can now say that I have several mentors. The best part is, I didn’t have to ask any of them.

They saw potential in me, and reached out to help me realize that potential. My advice then, is to focus on yourself in college, grow as a person, and build on the skills that are unique to you. Excel, first and foremost, and mentors will come to you.

Taylor Voss is an author, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Marketing, and a minor in Leadership Studies from Colorado State University - Pueblo. He is the founder of the Let’s March movement and co-founder of College Hindsight, the ultimate resource platform for college students. Mr. Voss was inducted as a member of BGS as a junior, in 2015.

36 | HONORS Spring 2017

Leading with

INTEGRITY

By Alfonzo D. Alexander

The NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT) has partnered with Beta Gamma Sigma to provide a platform for its members to explore, promote, and advance ethical practices in organizations through the BGS Ethical Leadership Certification Program.

With this in mind, The CPT offers 5 practical ways to lead with integrity:

1. Recognize When There’s a Problem It’s easy to find yourself pulled into ethical dilemmas because you don’t recognize them until it’s too late. Pay attention to your intuition. Take note of whether people’s words line up with what we believe to be ethically sound.

When in doubt, ask questions.

2. Travel the Uncommon Path Exceptional leaders follow the path of commitment, far exceeding the commitment levels of others. They typically have a strong, personal mission that is usually connected with what the leader feels is part of his or her purpose. Exceptional

leaders are also willing to sacrifice when others are not. Willingness to sacrifice is connected to belief in purpose.

3. Make Good Decisions Before implementing major decisions, pause and think about the people who will be affected by this decision. What action will be best and most fair to the greatest number of people? A leader’s decisions impact others.

4. Lead by Example We are all leading by example whether we intend to or not. When you are willing to work harder than anybody else, people take note. Ethical leaders create an environment for success when their followers know the leader is willing to put in the hard work.

5. Prepare Yourself for Ethical Dilemmas Over 80% of young professionals will face an ethical dilemma within their first two years in the workforce.

The NASBA Center for the Public Trust has partnered with Beta Gamma Sigma to develop the Ethical Leadership Certification Program, an online tool that helps college students identify ethical issues, learn how to respond to ethical dilemmas and enhance their ethical decision-making abilities.

Visit www.betagammasigma.org/ ethical-leadership-certification to register.

Alfonzo Alexander serves as Chief Relationship Officer of NASBA and President of NASBA’s Center for the Public Trust (CPT). He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Board of Directors. As a recognized expert in ethical leadership, Alexander is a regular speaker at the annual Global Leadership Summit.

Beta Gamma Sigma | 37

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