2026
BIG TEN BUSINESS SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE ®
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, ILLINOIS
MONDAY, JUNE 15 – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2026
GIES COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides a world-class educational experience for the next generation of business leaders. For more than 100 years, the College has delivered on the promise of innovation in business education, with a commitment to cutting-edge curriculum design and delivery, exceptional experiential learning opportunities, and unparalleled academic excellence.
“Business on Purpose” is the mindset that guides the College’s actions and decisions. Faculty and staff design everything with intention to teach learners how to make an impact, helping them connect the dots from their passions and interests to their purpose and the impact they can make now – and long after they graduate.
Today Gies faculty prepare more than 11,000 on-campus and online learners to be at the forefront of innovation and leadership in the global economy.
MONDAY, JUNE 15
5:00-7:00pm | Welcome Reception
Hotel Royer | 210 S. Race Street, Urbana, IL 61801
Welcome from Gies Business Dean Brooke Elliott, dinner buffet, networking
TUESDAY, JUNE 16
7:30am-8:00am | Shuttles from Hotel Royer to Wymer Hall
8:00am-8:45am | Breakfast & Registration
Wymer Hall, 3047
Susan & Charles Fish Executive Conference Room and Shebik Family Terrace
8:45am-9:00am | Welcome Remarks
Wymer Hall, 1010
Rebecca Pagels, Associate Dean for Advancement | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
9:00am-9:45am | Board & Volunteer Management: An Alumni Engagement Discussion Wymer Hall, 1010
Christine Beyers, Director of Alumni Engagement | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Brandi Host, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement | Kelley School of Business, Indiana University
Bryan Melvin, Executive Director, Office of Development and Engagement | Kelley School of Business, Indiana University
Rebecca Pagels, Associate Dean for Advancement | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Moderator: Carrie Ummel, Senior Director For Advancement Operations | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign
9:00am-9:45am | Parents as Partners: Starting the Conversation on Parent Philanthropy in Business Schools Wymer Hall, 1060
Andrew Hanson, Director of Development | Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Katy Hopp, Development Program Specialist | Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
9:45am | Break
10:00am-10:45am | More Than a Thank You Note, Humanizing Impact Through Student Voices Wymer Hall, 1010
Jennifer Alderete, Assistant Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations | USC Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California
Catherine Feathers, Assistant Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations | USC Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California
Lori Chan Velasco, Senior Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations | USC Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California
10:00am-10:45am | The Alumni Engagement Flywheel
Wymer Hall, 1060
Steve Hasbrook, Managing Director of Development | Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
10:45am | Break
11:00am-12:00pm | Transformational Gifts
1100 Wymer Hall, Richard D. & Anne Marie Irwin Auditorium
Fireside Chat with Gies Business Dean Brooke Elliott & Larry Gies
12:00pm-1:00pm | Lunch
Local Food Trucks will be parked along Sixth Street in front of the Business Instructional Facility
• Pastamania
• Burrito King
• Sidney Dairy Barn “Moo Mobile”
1:00pm|Break
1:15pm-2:00pm|TheAIMomentWon’tWait:APlaybookforRapidInnovationinAdvancement
Wymer Hall, 1060
EmilyMaltby,EnterpriseAccountExecutive|GiveCampus
BillyTabrizi,HeadofBusinessOperations|GiveCampus
KatieBlum,AssistantVicePresidentforStrategicInnovation|UniversityofIllinoisFoundation
1:15pm-2:00pm|BigGoals,BigGifts:FrontlineFundraisingAcrosstheB1G
Wymer Hall, 1010
AnthonyLehnertz,ExecutiveDirectorofDevelopment|TippieCollegeofBusiness,UniversityofIowa
JackieRichardson,DirectorofDevelopment|BroadCollegeofBusiness,MichiganStateUniversity
CourtneyVilla,SeniorAssociateDirector,MajorGifts|KelloggSchoolofManagement,NorthwesternUniversity
Moderator:AngiePrice,SeniorDirectorofDevelopment|GiesCollegeofBusiness,UniversityofIllinoisUrbana-Champaign
2:00pm|Break
2:15pm-3:00pm|OneSchoolThatWon’tSellItsName,OneThatGaveItAwayforFree:UniqueApproachesto NamingGifts
Wymer Hall, 1020
JeradMeyer,AssociateVicePresident&ManagingDirector|WisconsinSchoolofBusiness,UniversityofWisconsin-Madison
VincentMartino,ExecutiveDirectorofDevelopment|MitchDanielsSchoolofBusiness,PurdueUniversity
Moderator:RebeccaPagels,AssociateDeanforAdvancement|GiesCollegeofBusiness,UniversityofIllinoisUrbana-Champaign
3:00pm-3:20pm|TraveltoGiesMemorialStadium,77Club
Shuttle buses parked on Sixth Street in front of the Business Instructional Facility
3:30pm-4:30pm|TheDean-AdvancementPartnership:ADiscussionwithLeaders Gies Memorial Stadium - 77 Club
DeanW.BrookeElliott|GiesCollegeofBusiness,UniversityofIllinoisUrbana-Champaign
DeanAmyKristof-Brown|TippieCollegeofBusiness,UniversityofIowa
DeanKathyFarrell|NebraskaCollegeofBusiness,UniversityofNebraska-Lincoln
Moderator:NerissaBrown|ExecutiveAssociateDeanofAcademicPrograms,GiesCollegeofBusiness,UniversityofIllinois Urbana-Champaign
4:30pm-5:30pm|HappyHour|GiesMemorialStadiumTour|GroupPhoto Gies Memorial Stadium
5:30pm-7:00pm|Dinner
Gies Memorial Stadium, 77 Club
7:00pm-8:00pm|ShuttlestoHotelRoyer
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17
7:30am-8:00am | Shuttles from Hotel Royer to Business Instructional Facility
8:00am-8:45am | Breakfast
Business Instructional Facility, Lincoln International Atrium
Special Visit from U of I Police Department K-9 Therapy Dogs
8:45am | Break
9:00am-10:00am | Developing the Leader Within 1100 Wymer Hall, Richard D. & Anne Marie Irwin Auditorium
Sparkle Sanders, Certified Leadership Trainer + Coach + Speaker
10:00am | Break
10:15am-11:00am | Leading with Purpose in a Changing Landscape 1100 Wymer Hall, Richard D. & Anne Marie Irwin Auditorium
A Fireside Chat with Josh Whitman, University of Illinois Athletics Director and Dean Brooke Elliott
11:00am-11:15am | Closing Remarks
11:15am-12:00pm | Boxed Lunches and Shuttles Available
Business Instructional Facility, Lincoln International Atrium
TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFTS
Fireside Chat with Gies Business Dean Brooke Elliott & Larry Gies
Larry Gies
Founder
and CEO, Madison Industries
Larry Gies (ACCY ’88) is the founder and CEO of Madison Industries, an international manufacturing firm based in Chicago. Madison builds entrepreneurially driven, branded market leaders that are dedicated to making the world safer, healthier, and more productive through innovations in a wide range of industries, including filtration, medical, process improvement, energy, and safety.
In October 2017, Larry Gies invested an unprecedented $150 million in the College, launching Gies College of Business into a new era. The generous donation did more than give the College a new name and stronger identity – it strengthened the culture, expanded life-changing access, made new initiatives possible, and inspired others to give.
In September 2025, Gies made a $100 million gift to the Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) – the largest in its history. In recognition of this support, the University’s football stadium was named Gies Memorial Stadium to honor his late father, Larry Gies, Sr., a US Army veteran.
Gies regularly returns to campus to speak with students, teach courses, and inspire faculty, staff, and leadership. He gives generously of his time to show students and student-athletes what real engagement looks like and how to make a lasting impact beyond financial investment.
W.Brooke Elliott
Dean
Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
W. Brooke Elliott is the Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business and Dean of Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She leads the College in developing a compelling, strategic vision while continuing to build upon its distinctive brand and identity. Prior to her current role, Brooke served as Executive Associate Dean of Academic Programs and EY Professor in Gies College of Business where she was responsible for providing strategic oversight of the Gies portfolio of academic degree and non-degree programs. Brooke also served as Associate Dean of Online where she was responsible for the development and execution of Gies’ strategy in online education and Head of the Department of Accountancy in Gies, leading one of the most innovative and high ranked accounting departments in the world.
Brooke holds a BS in accounting and an MBA with an accounting focus from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She earned her PhD in accounting from the University of Washington and joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a faculty member in 2003.
Amy Kristof-Brown
Dean
Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa
Amy Kristof-Brown has served as dean of the Tippie College of Business since 2020. She joined the Tippie College after receiving her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from the University of Maryland in 1997.
Her research interests focus on the compatibility or fit between individuals and their work environments. She is the co-editor of the book Organizational Fit: Key Issues and New Directions and has published more than 25 articles in academic journals as well as several book chapters. As a mentor, she has served on 30 doctoral and master’s thesis committees.
Professionally, she served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology and of the Journal of Business and Psychology. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Association.
Kathy Farrell
Dean
University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business
Kathy Farrell became the James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business on Dec. 1, 2017, after serving nearly a year as interim dean.
Under her leadership, the college launched a business analytics major, a business and law major, the Integrity in Business Leadership program and several new online MS and graduate certificate programs. She also increased donor support to double the number of endowed faculty chairs and expand student services, including providing free tutoring, more scholarships and retention-focused initiatives.
Farrell joined the College of Business faculty in 1993 and taught corporate finance and banking for more than 20 years. Farrell’s research focuses on executive compensation, executive turnover and succession, and other corporate governance issues. An experienced academic and business leader, Farrell serves on multiple boards of directors including Nelnet, Inc., a NYSE publicly traded company.
Prior to earning her Ph.D. in finance from the University of Georgia, Farrell was an auditor for KPMG Peat Marwick in Baltimore and Atlanta and earned the designation of Certified Public Accountant (inactive). She received her bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in Ohio.
DEVELOPING THE LEADER WITHIN
Sparkle Sanders
Leadership Consultant & Coach
Sparkle Sanders is a Leadership Consultant, Coach & Speaker with Maxwell Leadership. She has 20+ years of experience in business and leadership and owns Addspark Consulting, Inc. where she helps businesses and organizations of all sizes with leadership development and training, executive coaching, workshop facilitation, strategic planning, visioning, workplace culture and more.
Sparkle spent seven years on Illinois’ campus overseeing Marketing for The Career Center and now provides Leadership Development and Executive Coaching/Consulting throughout various Colleges including Gies College of Business, Grainger College of Engineering, College of LAS, and the Division of Student Affairs, to name a few. In addition to Illinois, she has partnerships with organizations throughout the community and beyond including Parkland College, Carle Health, Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, Northwestern Mutual, The State of Illinois and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA).
LEADING WITH PURPOSE IN A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
Josh Whitman Director of Athletics
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Josh Whitman became the university’s 14th permanent director of athletics in 2016. He now has the third-longest tenure among current Big Ten athletic directors. He has led an impressive effort to establish Fighting Illini Athletics among the nation’s elite in both the competitive arena and the classroom.
Whitman is a prominent voice in college athletics. He is currently serving a four-year term as the Big Ten representative to the NCAA Division I Council. In April 2024, Whitman was elected chair of the Council, a position he concluded in the fall of 2025 with the implementation of the new NCAA Division I governance structure. As Council chair, Whitman also has been a voting member of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, comprised primarily of presidents and chancellors from Division I institutions, and an ex officio member of the NCAA Board of Governors, the highest governing body of the NCAA.
Whitman, a former Academic All-American at Illinois, emphasizes strong academic performance by Fighting Illini student-athletes in the classroom. In each year of his tenure, student-athletes have posted a combined GPA of above 3.12.
During his football career for Illinois from 1997-2000, he caught 52 career passes and scored seven touchdowns. He was a twotime First Team Academic All-American and earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors his senior season.
Whitman received his bachelor’s degree in finance, with Bronze Tablet honors, from Gies Business in 2001. In 2008, he graduated summa cum laude from the Illinois College of Law.
ATTENDEES
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
GIES BUSINESS
BrianAgnoletti
ChristineBeyers
SylviaBriscoe
NerissaBrown
KiaCline
LaurenCurtiss
RobDalhausIII
W.BrookeElliott
LuigiFabi
DawnHuizenga
KellyJanssen
JessicaKant
CindyKehoe
JimLukeman
De’JhayeMcGrew
ReneeMandelbaum
RachelMiller-Haughton
RebeccaPagels
BenjaminPeden
AngiePowers
AngiePrice
AlisonRodriguez
LaceySmith
CarrieUmmel
KellyWayne
SuzanneWoodward
KateYeazel
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Paula Besson
Katie Blum
Bobbi Busboom
Nikki Duge
Nathan Goebel
Jonathan Hill
Jenell Hironimus
Jerilyn Hutson
Cari James
Joshua Joines
Howard Milton
Reethika Padithala
Eilee Prillaman
Paula Santiago
Matthew Smith
Samantha Stokowski
Heather Vazquez
Maggie Wave
Heather Zorn
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Allie Deerr
Melissa Dickson
Jeni Donlon
Morgan Hicks
Brandi Host
Austin Lee
Bryan Melvin
Sam Orbaugh
Carmund White
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
Angela Byers
Amy Kristof-Brown
Anthony Lehnertz
McKayla Mix
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Ellen Kattler
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Evan Bahm
Jackie Richardson
Liz Rousseau
Amber Stairs
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Matt Woebke
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN
Kathy Farrell
Amy Kloefkorn
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
David Gillaspie
Courtney Villa
PENN STATE
Sean Miller
Kathleen Rider
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Cassidy Burrell
Vince Martino
Devin Rittenhouse
Tanner Watkins
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Drew Blon
Mallory DeTota
Lisa Faiello
Matthew Graves
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Jennifer Alderete
Catherine Feathers
Lori Chan Velasco
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Kara Hefley
Falesha Johnson
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
Caitlin Gates
Andrew Hanson
Steve Hasbrook
Jerad Meyer
David Pfaff
Will Wait
Ryan Weir
GIVECAMPUS
EmilyMaltby
ChelseaNelson
BenPauli
BillyTabrizi
Business Instructional Facility (BIF)
Steven S. Wymer Hall
Irwin Doctoral Study Hall
Armory Building
E Gregory Dr
E Gregory Dr
E Gregory Dr
Siebel Center for Design
Main Library Architecture Building
Harding Band Building
Wohle r s Hall
Thank you to our conference sponsors.
