The Purdue University Northwest College of Business recently hosted an alumni reception and recognized five alumni for their outstanding professional accomplishments while raising more than $20,000 for student scholarships.
The awards and honorees are as follows:
Outstanding Alumni Award, presented to a graduate who has achieved significant, sustained career success for more than 10 years. Recipient - Jeff Strack, Chicago, President and CEO of Strack & Van Til
Outstanding Alumni Award in Hospitality & Tourism Management, presented to a Hospitality & Tourism Management Program graduate who has achieved significant, sustained HTM career success for more than 10 years. Recipient - Jokima Hiller, Brookline, Mo., Instructor at Missouri State University
Entrepreneurial Success Award, presented to an individual who has achieved success in an entrepreneurial venture. Recipient - Dimitri Kourkouvis, Glenview Ill., Co-founder and President, Athens Construction Co.
Young Alumni Award, presented to an individual who graduated within the past five years and has been notably successful in his/her career over a short period of time. Recipient - Benjamin Oprinovich, Chesterton, IS Security Lead Analyst, Stryker
Community Involvement Award, presented to an individual involved in activities that have significantly and positively impacted Northwest Indiana communities. Recipient - Katie Eaton, La Porte, Economic Development Manager at the Economic Development Corp., Michigan City. Eaton also serves as President of the Purdue Northwest Alumni Organization.
Anthony R. Gonzalez Scholarship Fund A new scholarship has been established in honor of Anthony R. Gonzalez, who died shortly after receiving his degree from the Executive MBA program in 2012. He earned his undergraduate degree in History from the PNW Hammond campus in 2009.
Gonzalez’s classmates recently established the scholarship to recognize his dedication to education and to honor his belief that completing his MBA was a singular opportunity to optimize his chances for success in business.
Donations to the Anthony R. Gonzalez Scholarship Fund can be made by contacting the PNW Office of Advancement Operations at 219-989-2323 or by visiting the PNW online giving page at http://www.pnw.edu/giving/.
Purdue University Northwest Purdue University Northwest (PNW), a comprehensive regional university within the Purdue University system, has two Northwest Indiana campuses in Hammond and Westville in Northwest Indiana. The university was formed by the unification in 2016 of the former Purdue University Calumet and Purdue University North Central. With more than 15,000 students and nearly 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, Purdue Northwest is believed to be Indiana’s fifth largest public university. For more information about PNW, visit www.pnw.edu.
