2018 graduate students recognized with Olin awards

Dean Mark Taylor shared the following message with the Olin community before the graduate recognition ceremony on May 18, 2018.

The Olin Graduate Programs Recognition Ceremony is special for many reasons. Certainly, we share and take great pride in the triumph of our exuberant graduates—now prepared and eager to step from the graduation stage into a new phase of their lives.

The ceremony is also special because it recognizes and celebrates a small number of outstanding faculty and students whose contributions truly helped define the Olin journey for this class. I am delighted and honoured to share with you this year’s awards and honors.

David Allston: Joseph W. Towle Prize. Awarded to the graduating MBA student who, in the judgment of the faculty, exhibits the strongest academic achievement and the most potential in the area of organizational leadership. This award is named in honor of Joseph W. Towle, who was a tenured Olin management professor from 1954 to 1975 and a leader among faculty. Well-known in his field, an author, and president of the Academy of Management, he established this prize to encourage excellence in the classroom.

Cole Anthony Donelson: John Wayne Latchum Memorial Award. Recognizes the graduating MBA student who best exemplifies the qualities of integrity, loyalty to friends and country, courage, intelligence, and high standards of personal conduct as judged by the faculty. This award is named in memory of John Wayne Latchum, a business student who died in 1971 while he was a senior at Washington University. It is made possible through the generosity of his parents. Hubert C. Moog Prize. Awarded to the graduating MBA student who, in the opinion of his or her fellow students, best exemplifies the qualities of character, leadership, and service and also enjoys the respect, admiration, and affection of his or her classmates. This award is named in honor of Hub Moog, who as chairman and president of Moog Automotive, transformed his family’s St. Louis-based business into a world-renowned corporation. He served on the Washington University Board of Trustees and the Olin Task Force in 1980 and 1981. He and his wife, Dorothy R. Moog, were strong supporters of Washington University.

Ross Alan Erickson: Professional Achievement Award. Awarded to the graduating Professional MBA student who best exemplifies the qualities of integrity, loyalty, intelligence, and high moral character as judged by the faculty.

Molly Goldstein: Center for Experiential Learning Impact Award. Recognizes graduating students who have delivered the highest level of impact to the business and nonprofit communities through The Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) and other Olin-sponsored experiential programs and activities. Awardees distinguished themselves with exceptional effort and leadership that advanced the missions and objectives of the organizations and individuals with which they engaged.

Christine Haverly: Outstanding Corporate Finance Student Award. Awarded to the graduating Master of Science in Corporate Finance and Investments student who, in the judgment of the faculty, exhibits the strongest academic achievement and the most potential in the field of finance.

Brenna Alexandria Humphries: Paul Cuffe MBA Award for Outstanding Leadership. Awarded to a graduating African-American MBA student for outstanding leadership, academic excellence, and involvement in Olin extracurricular activities. This award is named in honor of Paul Cuffe, who was one of the most financially successful black Americans at the end of the 18th century. A builder and maritime merchant in New England, Cuffe became a successful blockade runner during the Revolutionary War and an entrepreneur during the early years of American independence.

Youngho Kim: Dean’s Special Service Award. Awarded by the Dean to recognize MBA students who have rendered extraordinary service to Olin.

Ryan Lynch: Hiram and Mary Neuwoehner Prize. Awarded by the faculty to the graduating Professional MBA student who has been the most substantive addition to the evening program through contributions in the classroom and excellence in writing papers and taking examinations. This award was established by Mary Neuwoehner in the 1990s to honor her husband, Hiram Neuwoehner, BSBA ’41, a St. Louis advertising executive and founder of Batz-Hodgson-Neuwoehner Inc.

Roberto C. Ortiz: Center for Experiential Learning Impact Award. Recognizes graduating students who have delivered the highest level of impact to the business and nonprofit communities through The Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) and other Olin-sponsored experiential programs and activities. Awardees distinguished themselves with exceptional effort and leadership that advanced the missions and objectives of the organizations and individuals with which they engaged.

Daniel Noel Tamasi: Dean’s Special Service Award. Awarded by the Dean to recognize MBA students who have rendered extraordinary service to Olin.

Raj Krishen Thapar: Milford Bohm Prize in Marketing. Awarded to the graduating MBA student who, in the judgment of the faculty, exhibits the strongest academic achievement and the most potential in the field of marketing. This award was established in honor of Milford Bohm―founder, chairman, and CEO of CPI (formerly Rembrandt Studio) from 1942 to 1973―by his wife, Lee Bohm, and their children, Mimi (MBA ’79), David (LA ’78/JD ’84), Rob (MBA ’90), and the late Vicki (EN ’84/SI ’85). Olin MBA Finance Award. Awarded to a graduating MBA student for achievement in finance.

Neelam Himansu Vyas: Dean’s Special Service Award. Awarded by the Dean to recognize MBA students who have rendered extraordinary service to Olin.

Wei Xie: Outstanding Wealth and Asset Management Finance Student Award. Awarded to the graduating Master of Science in Finance Wealth and Asset Management student who, in the judgment of the faculty, exhibits the strongest academic achievement and the most potential in the field of wealth and asset management.

Jessica Lynn Youngblood: CEL’s Taylor Outstanding Service Award. Awarded to the graduate or graduates who delivered the highest level of impact to the St. Louis local nonprofit community through the Center for Experiential Learning’s Taylor Community Consulting program. Awardees distinguished themselves with exceptional effort and leadership that resulted in demonstrated advancement of the missions and objectives of the organizations and communities with which they engaged. Peer Recognition Award. Awarded to the graduating Professional MBA student who, in the opinion of his or her fellow students, best exemplifies the qualities of character, leadership, and service and also enjoys the respect, admiration, and affection of his or her classmates.

Fan Zhang: Powell Niland Prize. Awarded to the graduating MBA student with the strongest academic achievement in the areas of operations and manufacturing management. This award is named in honor of Powell Niland, who was a tenured Olin operations and manufacturing management professor from 1957 to 1989 and an Olin professor emeritus from 1989 until 2009.

Charles F. Knight Scholars: Awarded to the graduate students who have earned the highest academic achievement in their program. This award was established by the Emerson Company to honor its then distinguished chairman and great benefactor to Olin Business School, who died in September 2017.

Full-Time MBA

• Cole Anthony Donelson
• Robert James Garwitz
• Ramin Matthew Lalezari
• Fengjia Brian Liu
• Naohisa Matsumoto
• Phuong Huyen Nguyen
• Daniel Henry Nordin
• Daniel Noel Tamasi
• Raj Krishen Thapar
• Jeffrey Donald Wertenberger

Professional MBA

• Ross Owen Barthold
• Rachel Ann Broadbear
• Ryan David Brockman
• Daniel Matthew Gilmore
• David Edward Kekec
• Daniel Robert Kohnen
• Sean Michael Loughran
• Kirsten McCain
• Richard John Payton
• Charles Robert Whitmer

Master of Accounting

• Rebecca Marianne Brody
• Feiyang Gao
• Xinyi Huang

Master of Science in Customer Analytics

• Jianan Chen
• Qian Sun
• Yang Yu

Master of Science in Finance—Corporate Finance and Investments

• Shahzeb Khan Ghani
• Christine Haverly
• Yuchen Liu

Master of Science in Finance—Quantitative Finance

• Xiangji Chen
• Qi Li
• Yuming Lou

Master of Science in Finance—Wealth and Asset Management

• Hao Sha
• Jingya Wu
• Wei Xie
• Yun Peng Zhao

Master of Science in Supply Chain Management

• Yingyi Bao
• Patrick Cauthen Mordente

Pictured above: A scene from the 2017 graduate student programs graduation recognition ceremony.