Outstanding alumni from the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics will be recognized for their achievements at a ceremony Friday morning in Morgantown. WVU’s business school will induct seven highly successful individuals into its second annual Roll of Distinguished Alumni.
Inductees will include W. Marston Becker, president and CEO of Alterra Capital Holdings Ltd. and chairman of West Virginia Media Holdings; John Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems Inc.; Karen S. Evans, former presidential appointee as administrator for e-government and information technology at the Office of Management and Budget for the Executive Office of the President; William F. “Bill” Kennedy, former executive vice president of U.B.S., Switzerland’s largest bank; Parry Petroplus, president of Petroplus and Associates, Inc.; Douglas Van Scoy, former deputy director and senior executive vice president of Smith Barney, and owner and partner of Pit Partners, a hospitality business in South Carolina; and Henry C. “Hank” Wagner III, former president and CEO of Jewish Hospital Healthcare Services, in Louisville, Ky.
“The Roll of Distinguished Alumni was developed to celebrate the successes of our graduates,” said Dr. Jose Sartarelli, Milan Puskar Dean, WVU College of Business and Economics. “These seven individuals are honored through this induction by their alma mater because of their highly successful careers in the U.S. and around the world. They are representative of the countless careers B&E has molded in areas such as business, academia and government, and the impact they have had on our state, our region, the country and the world is significant. We are happy to recognize their great achievements.”
Becker has led insurance, reinsurance and insurance brokerage organizations both publicly traded and privately held, leading to his current appointment as chairman and CEO of Alterra Capital and its predecessor, Max Capital, which he has held since October 2006. Becker also serves as chairman of West Virginia Media Holdings, a statewide media company he co-founded in 2001. WVMH has eight television stations and a newspaper that reach 90 percent of West Virginia’s population.
Chambers joined Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, in 1991. He has been commended by government leaders for his visionary strategy, ability to drive an entrepreneurial culture, and his warm hearted, straight talk approach. He has served former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, twice received the ACE award, which is the U.S. State Department’s top honor for corporate social responsibility, and the first-ever Clinton Global Citizen Award. Since his arrival at Cisco, he has helped grow the company from a $70 million enterprise to a global company of more than $40 billion.
Evans’ Master of Business Administration degree led her to 28 years of federal government service. She finished out her government career as the administrator for e-government and information technology at the Office of Management and Budget within the Executive Office of the President under President George W. Bush, where she oversaw the federal IT budget of nearly $71 billion. She now serves as the national director for the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a nationwide skills development program focused specifically on the cyber workforce, and as a Voice of Authority for Safegov.org, an online forum focused on cloud computing policy issues.
Kennedy joined Kidder, Peabody & Co. in 1980 and moved up the ranks to chief operating officer. The company later merged with Paine Webber, where he was appointed executive vice president, a position he continued to hold after the company’s purchase by Union Bank of Switzerland in 2000. Upon his retirement, UBS renamed their management training program the William F. Kennedy Leadership and Development Program in honor of his commitment to the development of future leaders. Along with his wife Mary, Kennedy has given generously to a number of philanthropic projects.
After receiving his degree in business administration, Parry Petroplus founded his company, Petroplus & Associates, Inc., in 1976. He has won many awards, including the 2003 U.S. Small Business Administration’s Business Person of the Year for the State of West Virginia and the 2001 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Petroplus has served in a number of organizations including the WVU Board of Governors, West Virginia Roundtable, CentraBank and United Bank Board of Directors and the Foundation for Mon General Hospital, and has been a driving force behind the development along the Monongahela River in the Wharf District of Morgantown.
Van Scoy finished a nearly 30-year career with investment firm Smith Barney as deputy director and senior executive vice president in 2001. He has served as a board member and chairman of the WVU Alumni Association and currently serves on the WVU Foundation Board. Van Scoy is also owner and partner of Pit Partners, a hospitality business in South Carolina and serves on the Board of Directors of Sterling Asset Management. He and his wife Pam have contributed generously to the College, kicking off WVU’s State of Minds capital campaign. He also serves as B&E’s national capital campaign chairman.
Wagner, a Charleston, W.Va., native, served in the Medical Service Corps before becoming president and CEO of the Jewish Hospital Healthcare Services . During his 32 years there, he grew the organization from a single medical center to a regional network. The organization pioneered 75 medical firsts in the state of Kentucky, as well as the world’s first artificial heart implant and cadaveric hand transplant. He helped establish the Kentucky “Bucks for Brains” Professorships, which have created more than 75 endowed professorships to date. Wagner currently serves on the WVU Medical Center National Advisory Board and is a visiting professor for Sullivan University in Louisville, Ky.
“These alumni are perfect examples that hard work coupled with a quality degree can propel a person into a successful career, both locally and nationally,” said Bonnie Anderson, Director of Alumni Relations at B&E.
“The inductees into the Roll of Distinguished Alumni are fantastic role models for our students,” Sartarelli said. “I continually remind students that they are the future inductees into this honored and cherished group.”
For more on the 2012 Roll of Distinguished Alumni and to view current and past inductees, visit www.be.wvu.edu.
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CONTACT: Bonnie Anderson
bonnie.anderson@mail.wvu.edu; 304.293.7812