Earl McVicker is Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Central Financial Corporation of Hutchinson, Kan. Central Financial Corporation is a private venture capital and bank holding company.

Mr. McVicker began his banking career in 1971, after his graduation from Kansas State University. He has been a bank president and CEO since 1983, and chairman and majority owner since 1992. McVicker has been instrumental in chartering numerous new community banks in Kansas and throughout the south and southwest United States. He has served as chairman of four different community banks in three states, and has served as director or advisory director of eleven community banks in six states. Mr. McVicker was Chairman of the American Bankers Association (ABA) in 2006-2007, the largest world-wide financial trade association. He served as Chairman of the ABA Community Bankers Council in 2002, and has served on or chaired several ABA committees. Mr. McVicker is also past president and Chairman of the Kansas Bankers Association. McVicker was President of the K-State Alumni Association in 1989, and also served as a trustee and on the Executive Committee of the KSU Foundation. He is a member of the K-State Business Administration Advisory Council and was honored by the college as the Distinguished Lecturer in spring of 2008 and served as the fall 2012 commencement speaker. McVicker holds a bachelor’s from K-State, and a graduate degree in banking from the University of Colorado. He is a native of Ness City, Kan., and is still actively involved in the family farming and ranching operation. McVicker and his wife, Molly, have three adult children and two granddaughters.

John Buser is the Executive Vice Chairman of NB Alternatives and a Managing Director of Neuberger Berman. He is also a member of the Private Investment Portfolios, Co-Investment, Northbound and Secondary Investment Committees. He is Head of Private Market Client Initiatives and previously Mr. Buser was Global Head of Private Investment Portfolios for 13 years. Before joining Neuberger Berman in 1999, Mr. Buser was a partner at the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P., where he had extensive experience in the practice of domestic and international income taxation and complex partnership negotiation during his 17 year tenure. Mr. Buser was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1982 after receiving his J.D. from Harvard Law School. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Buser graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in accounting from Kansas State University.

Charlie Morrison is President and Chief Executive Officer of Wingstop Inc., where he is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the Company and its worldwide operations. Morrison is an industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience with various companies including Pizza Hut®, Steak and Ale® Restaurants, Kinko’s®, and Boston Market®.

He joined Wingstop in June, 2012. In June of 2015, Morrison led Wingstop into a new era with the completion of its initial public offering, listing the company on the NASDAQ stock market under the ticker symbol WING. During the process, Morrison led Wingstop’s executive team and financial experts to launch one of the most successful IPO’s in the history of the restaurant industry.

Prior to joining Wingstop, Morrison served as President and CEO of Rave Restaurant Group where he created and led the development of the Hot Concept Award winner, Pie Five Pizza Company, as one of the industry’s first fast-casual pizza concepts. Charlie was the recipient of the 2015 Golden Chain Award from Nation’s Restaurant News and was also awarded the prestigious 2016 Silver Plate award for the limited service category by the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association.

Charlie is a graduate of Kansas State University and currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Parent and Family Association at Kansas State. He and his wife Debbie and their four children reside in Keller, TX.

Kevin worked for several years at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a $2 billion private foundation consulting nationwide to advance education and entrepreneurship. In joining KBA, he saw the opportunity to advance the entrepreneurial mission within an organization that provided both consulting and investment.

Kevin currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer. He previously served as CFO and COO and was responsible for KBA’s financial management and reporting. He also participated in the review of candidate companies’ financial models as they went through the due diligence process. Kevin also previously served as chief operations officer for the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership Inc. (UEP) at the Kauffman Foundation. Joining the Foundation in 2004 as an entrepreneur-in-residence, Kevin worked to raise angel investment funds for Kansas City businesses and served as a UEP business coach assisting clients with accounting, financial analysis, operations management and project management.

A former professional football player, Kevin owned and operated a business during his National Football League career. In 1998, he and his family formed a nonprofit organization that encourages academic achievement in public schools.

Kevin currently serves as a board member of the Kansas State University Foundation and on several foundation board committees addressing investments, accounting, real estate and risk management. He also serves on the board of trustees of the United Way of Greater Kansas City, KSU’s advisory board for the Center of Advancement and Entrepreneurship and recently retired as the President of the Kansas City Chiefs Ambassadors. He recently completed his term on Kansas State University’s President’s Advisory Council on Intercollegiate Athletics, including the Fiscal Integrity and Long-Range Planning Subcommittees.

Kevin earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Kansas State University. He and wife Cheryl have been married 13 years and have four boys -- Tyler, Sterling, and twins, Jacob and Jordan. Kevin coaches son Sterling’s baseball, basketball and football teams and with Cheryl, he coaches Jacob's and Jordan’s basketball and flag football teams. Somehow he finds time to be an avid golfer and yet, when they have all worn themselves to a stub, his favorite pastime is family movie nights at home.

Dennis von Waaden is a 1962 graduate of Kansas State University. He spent 33 years with American Century Companies before retiring in 1997. He remains on the American Century Board of Directors. He and his wife, Sally, reside in Austin, Texas and spend summers in Colorado.

Mr. von Waaden is a member and past chair of the Kansas State University College of Business Administration Dean's Advisory Council and has also been a member of the college's Department of Finance Advisory Board. He was a member of the KSU Foundation's executive committee for three terms, serving as chair of the Investment Committee and as chairman of the Board of Trustees. Mr. von Waaden was the College of Business Administration Alumni Fellow in 1994 and is the recipient of the university's Medal of Excellence.

Throughout the years, the von Waadens have given their time and money to various K-State colleges, departments, and activities including numerous scholarships, professorships, excellence funds, and projects.

Among their main contributions are the von Waaden Chair for Investment Management, the von Waaden Investment Management Scholarhsip, the Dean's Discretionary Fund for the College of Business Administration, the Debra von Waaden Women's Athletics Scholarship, and the Dennis and Sally von Waaden Nationally and Internationally Competitive Scholars Program Fund. They have also provided funds for the successful implementation of the unique student-managed Integrated Investment Management Initiative in the Department of Finance.

Terry Matlack was born in Clearwater, Kansas. He attended Kansas State University, receiving a degree in Business Administration. He then attended the University of Kansas, receiving both a Masters of Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate. After graduating, Terry worked for approximately 8 years as a Corporate Finance specialist in investment banking, first with George K. Baum & Company and then B.C. Christopher, (currently named Oppenheimer). During this period he advised corporations on debt and equity offerings, buyouts and mergers. He then, along with a long time investment banking client, took part in a series of entrepreneurial ventures in the communications sector, forming and financing a cellular company and a cable company, and the purchase and operation of a landline telephone company. Upon the sale of those companies in the mid to late 1990s, Terry became the President of Greenstreet Capital and its primary majority held investment, Ameritel, which became a large provider of telephone services for correctional facilities. After the sale of Ameritel and its merger with another company in the same business, Terry served as its CEO for a transitional period. He then began a career in the investment advisory business with which he has been involved for the last eleven years. He and four others co-founded Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C. ("Tortoise Capital") where he presently remains employed on a full time basis. Tortoise Capital is an investment manager specializing in publicly traded energy infrastructure investments, such as pipeline and energy production companies. Tortoise Capital manages approximately $15.5 billion in assets, including seven publicly traded closed end funds and three open end mutual funds, which it formed. Tortoise Capital is a registered investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Terry currently serves on several Boards including the KSU Business Council, US Bank Kansas City Market Board, Kansas Public Employees Retirement System and the Association for Corporate Growth - Kansas City Chapter (past President); he was formerly on the KSU Alumni Association Board. He has his Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the Kansas Bar Association. Terry has three grown children and three grandchildren. He is involved in his local church and in his free time, enjoys snow and water skiing, travel, bicycling and supporting the Wildcats.

Kent Gasaway earned a bachelor's degree in Business administration at Kansas State University in 1982 with a dual major in Accounting and Finance. He received the CFA designation in 1985.

In the fall of 1982 he Joined Waddell & Reed's Ivy Funds as a credit analyst and was promoted to the money market desk as a trader in 1983. In 1985 he promoted to the bond portfolio manager and became PM of the United Government Securities Fund from 1985-87. In 1987 he joined the Equity research team where he did industry reviews and made stock recommendations to PMs. He covered commodity and cyclical industries such as oil and gas, machinery, autos, metals and conglomerates.

Kent joined Kornitzer Capital Management in 1991. The firm, founded in 1989 by John Kornitzer, had approximately $150mm of AUM. He worked closely with John to form Great Plains Trust Company (GPTC) and the Buffalo Mutual funds in 1994. He started and was named lead PM on GPTC Small Cap in 1995 and later the Buffalo Small Cap fund in 1998. This fund went on to become the firm's flagship product with assets over $3.5 billion. Kent was named President of Buffalo Mutual Funds in 1994. Over the years he has been a PM or co-PM on numerous funds including Buffalo Micro-cap, Small cap, Mid-cap, Large-cap, Growth, Flexible Income and High Yield bond. Currently he is President of the funds, Head of Research, Co-PM on Buffalo Small, Mid and Growth funds, PM of many high net worth separate accounts and equity analyst. Kent has authored the firms quarterly newsletter the past 20 years. The firm currently has $9 billion of AUM and 48 employees (including 12 KSU grads).

2012 - Robert Knight Jr. was named chief financial officer of Union Pacific Corporation in February 2004. In his position, he is responsible for all financial activities of both the corporation and Union Pacific Railroad. Knight began his career with Union Pacific Corporation in 1980 and has held a variety of positions including serving as vice president and general manager - Energy and vice president and general manager - Automotive. In February 2002, Knight was named senior vice president - Finance of Union Pacific Corporation, the position he held until his election to his current position. In 2012, Knight was ranked No. 15 on the Wall Street Journal’s inaugural list of the Top 25 CFO’s in the S&P 500. He was also named the 2012 Kansas State Business School’s Outstanding Financial Executive of the Year from the school’s Finance Advisory Board. He is a member of the Grupo Ferroviario Mexicano and TTX Company boards of directors. Knight holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University. Knight and his wife Julie have three children: Kelli, an accountant at Sprint, Robbie, a CPA at Deloitte & Touche, and Danny, an investment banker at United Bank of Switzerland.

Jeffrey Gates is Founding Partner, President, and Portfolio Manager Officer, Gates Capital Management. Gates has more than 25 years experience identifying undervalued securities. He founded Gates Capital Management in 1996 after spending more than 10 years in distressed debt research and sales. The Fund opened with $6 billion of capital in 1996 and has delivered a 17.3% net annualized return to investors since inception. Assets under management are currently $800 million with a team of nine people. The last three, five, and ten year annualized net returns ended March 2011 have been 26.5%, 17.2% and 22.1%, which has earned the firm recognition in the Barrons 2011 ranking of the Top 100 Hedge Funds.

From 1990 to 1996, Gates was a distressed debt salesperson and from 1995, a Director at Schroder & Co. At Schroder, Gates specialized in delivering well-researched investment ideas in distressed debt and post-restructuring equities to mutual fund managers, hedge funds, and control investors. From 1988 to 1990 Mr. Gates worked as a research analyst in the high yield bond group at Schroder & Co. where he focused on identifying undervalued bonds of companies in financial restructurings. Gates began his career in 1984 as a research analyst in the high yield bond group at Kidder, Peabody & Company.

Jeff is active in several philanthropic pursuits, including being the Vice Chairperson of a $25 million capital campaign for God's Love We Deliver, an organization that delivers meals and nutritional counseling to people who are homebound with life threatening illnesses including AIDS, cancer, and Alzheimer's. He has been active in raising funds for immunology research at the Rockefeller University and currently is a member of the Rockefeller University Council. Jeff enjoys being involved at Kansas State University, where he is a Trustee of the Kansas State University Foundation, a member of Business Advisory Council, and a member of the Finance Advisory Board.

Jeff lives in New York City and East Hampton, New York with his partner Michael of twenty years and their eight year old son Skyler. He graduated from Kansas State University (BS-Finance) in 1984, and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (MBA) in 1988.

Dennis Leatherby is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Tyson Foods, Inc. He oversees the company's worldwide finance and accounting functions. This includes representing Tyson on financial matters involving investors, auditors and financial regulatory entities.

Leatherby has more than 26 years of finance experience, including more than 20 years with Tyson. After working in the banking industry for just over seven years, he joined Tyson Foods in 1990 as assistant treasurer. He has since held several other finance-related management positions in the company, including Tyson's senior vice president of finance and treasurer. He has played an active role in Tyson acquisitions, has been a lead contact with ratings agencies and banks and has also previously served as Tyson's interim chief financial officer. He was named to his current position in June 2008.

A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Leatherby has a degree in finance and accounting from Kansas State University. He has served on the local Salvation Army Advisory Board and currently holds several leadership positions at his church.

2009 - Michael W. Kramer is president and chief executive officer of Kellwood Company, a multidivisional apparel marketer based in St. Louis, Missouri, a post he has held since joining the company in August 2008. Kramer's focus at Kellwood is to provide the leadership and framework necessary to mold the Company into a brand focused marketing enterprise.

Prior to Kellwood, Kramer was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Abercrombie & Fitch where joined in August 2005. Kramer also served as Chief Financial Officer at Apple Retail for Apple Computer, Inc. for over four years. Prior thereto, he served as Vice President, Assistant Corporate Controller of Gateway, Inc. from April 2000 to March 2001. Kramer also held key financial leadership roles with The Limited, Pizza Hut, and Einstein Noah Bagel Corporation.

Kramer is a graduate of Kansas State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

2008 - Randall Stuewe has been Chairman and CEO of Darling International Inc. since February 2003. He was EVP at ConAgra Foods from 1996 to 1999; President of Gilroy Foods from 2000 to 2003; prior to that he spent 12 years in management, sales and trading positions at Cargill. Randall graduated from KSU Finance in 1984.

Darling International Inc. is America's leading provider of rendering, recycling, and recovery solutions to the nation's food industry.

In 1882, a Chicago family named Darling joined forces with the meatpacking firm of Swift & Co. to find markets for waste fat, bones, and other by-products. Three years later, the Darlings separated from the meatpacking part of the business to concentrate on rendering operations and expanding the company.

Darling operates a network of 44 facilities across the United States, where animal and food waste products are turned into useful commercial goods, including tallow, protein meals, and yellow grease. The company also contributes to the balance of trade by exporting approximately 30 percent of what it produces.

In business since 1882, Darling collects, transports, and transforms used cooking oil, trap waste, and animal by-products through our network of 44 facilities and 1,850 employees nationwide.

2007 - Greg Case is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Aon Corporation, a world leader in insurance and reinsurance brokerage, human capital management and specialty underwriting services. He is also a member of the company's Board of Directors.

Leading the efforts of more than 46,000 colleagues in 120 countries, Case has outlined a three-part strategy for building Aon. His vision centers on delivering distinctive value for clients, attracting the best talent and achieving operational excellence. Under Case's leadership, Aon has strengthened its position as a global organization offering integrated business solutions for its clients.

Case has said Aon's goal is to be recognized as the leading and most distinctive risk advisor in the world, not the biggest. Case has nearly two decades of experience in the insurance and financial services industries.

Before joining Aon, he served on the Governing Shareholder Council and headed the Global Insurance and Financial Services Practice at McKinsey & Company, a leading international management consultant. Prior to McKinsey, he worked for the investment banking firm of Piper, Jaffray and Hopwood as well as the Federal Reserve Bank.

Case holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He graduated summa cum laude from Kansas State University. He holds many professional memberships including the Executive Club of Chicago and serves on the boards of the International Insurance Society, Inc., the Financial Services Roundtable, the Economic Club of Chicago, and St. John's University School of Risk Management.

2006 - John Allen earned his bachelor's degree at Kansas State University. He began his baseball career in 1990 as an intern with the Columbus Clippers, the Class AAA minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees while earning a master's degree in sport management at The Ohio State University. He was subsequently named the club's director of business operations, a position he held for five years.

He joined the Cincinnati Reds in 1995 as controller. In August 1996, he was named managing executive and in 1999, he was named chief operating officer. John was involved in all aspects of the development and construction of Great American Ball Park. Under Allen's tutelage, special efforts recognizing the organization's rich history culminated in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum with memorabilia dating back to the team's origin in 1869.

He currently serves on the Finance Advisory Board at KSU, is a member of the KSU Foundation Presidents Club, and in 2005 provided a gift to equip and furnish the John L. Allen strength center at Tointon Family Stadium.

Allen has been honored with the Certificate of Friendship from the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission and the Community Service Award from the Talbert House. Cincinnati Magazine also has honored him in its annual "Best of Cincinnati" issue. He is a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans organizations. He serves on the board of directors of the Cincinnati Reds Community Fund, The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, MLB Enterprises, Inc., and is on the Kid Glove Committee.

He also serves on the advisory board for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. John and his wife, Anna, reside in Newport, Kentucky.

2005 - Jim Haymaker was elected Corporate Vice President of Strategy and Business Development in January 2000. He is a member of Cargill's Corporate Center and participates in all Corporate Leadership Team discussion on corporate and business unit strategy. He also supervises the corporate development activity that coordinates significant mergers, divestures, and acquisitions. He is a director of AGRI Grain Marketing (AGM), a grain handling and marketing joint venture between Cargill and AGRI Industries, an Iowa farm-owned cooperative.

Haymaker joined Cargill as a financial analyst in 1973 and in 1976 joined the Consumer Marketing Department as a project manager. He transferred to Monheim, West Germany, in 1978 as associate manager of DuFrit Food BMBH & Co., a producer of potato products, and was named general manager in 1980.

In 1981 Haymaker was named executive supervisor of swine operations and a director for Pienosos Hens, S.A., a producer of animal nutrition products, in Barcelona, Spain. He returned to Minneapolis in early 1985 as worldwide poultry administrative manager and later that year was appointed assistant vice president of the Poultry Products Division.

Haymaker was named vice president and general manager of the division's Sunny Fresh Foods in 1987, a national producer and marketer of shell eggs. He was appointed vice president and manager of Cargill's Financial Information Services Department in 1988. The department's name was changed to Strategy and Business Development in January 1997.

He graduated from Kansas State University in 1969 after studying at the Sorbonne University of Paris with a bachelor's degree in French and a bachelor's degree in economics. He earned an MBA in Finance/International Business from the University of Chicago in 1971 and obtained an advanced degree in Applied Economics from the University of Louvain in Belgium in 1972.

2004 - Willie Davis received his BS from Grambling State University in 1956 where he captained the football team for two seasons and received his MBA in 1968 from the University of Chicago.

Davis spent 12 years in the National Football League: 10 years with the Green Bay Packers and two years with the Cleveland Browns.

He spent 27 years in the beer/wine beverage distribution business, including 18 years as owner and president of West Coast Beverage Company.

Davis is President and owner of All Pro Broadcasting, Inc., which owns radio stations in Riverside/San Bernardino, California, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

He was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1981, the Green Bay Packer's Hall of Fame in 1975 and was selected to the NFL All Pro Team for six seasons. He is the recipient of numerous football awards and never missed a game in 10 seasons.

He was the West Coast Father's Council Father of the Year in 1990, University of Southern California Entrepreneur's Program Entrepreneur of the Year in 1988, and received the March of Dimes Lifetime Achievement Award in Broadcasting.

Davis served as Director of Kauffman Foundations, Director of 1984 Olympic Committee, was elected to Boards of Trustees at the University of Chicago, Marquette University, Occidental College, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Winston-Salem University, was appointed by President Reagan to the President's Commission of Executive Exchange, appointed to the Los Angeles County Special Task Force, served as Chairman and Director of Los Angeles Festival in Black Bicentennial Black Achievement Exhibit, was on the Board of Directors National Association of Broadcasters, NCAA Select Committee Director Foundation for People, and served on the Advisory Board of Daniel Freeman Hospital.

Davis was drafted into the army in 1956 and spent two years in Missiles and Special Service with an honorable discharge in 1958.

2003 - Richard R. Pivirotto had an outstanding career in varsity football, basketball, and baseball he graduated from Shady Side Academy in 1948 and entered Princeton University where he majored in economics. Upon graduation, he turned down an offer to play professional football and earned his MBA from Harvard Busines School in 1954.

He joined Joseph Horne Company as an executive trainee and worked his way up to the presidency in 1961 where he served until 1970. In 1970, he joined the corporate staff of Associated Dry Good Corporation in New York as Vice Chairman, moved to President in 1973, and then to Chairman in 1976.

In 1981 Pivirotto took an early retirement and organized his own company, Richard R. Pivirotto Co., Inc., to engage in corporate directorships and consulting. He served on the boards of Gillette Company, New York Life Insurance Company, General American Investors Co., Inc., the Greenwich Bank and Trust Co., and Immunomedics, Inc.

He was a director of CBS and Infinity Broadcasting Co. until its merger with Viacom. He was a former director of the Bowery Savings Bank from 1972–83, Turner Equity Investors, Inc. from 1966-86, and Chemical Bank from 1975-85. He was a Charter Trustee of Princeton University from 1971-89 and is currently Trustee Emeritus. He has been a Trustee of Greenwich Hospital since 1971 and served as Vice Chairman from 1983–85 and Chairman from 1985-88 and 1991-93. He has been a Trustee of the General Theological Seminary since 1989.

2002 - Douglas E. Hill has spent his entire professional career with Edward Jones. He joined the firm in 1968 and began working in the Trading Department. Later that year, Hill moved to Kansas, where he established the firm's Dodge City office, which became a top-producing branch. In 1974, Hill was named a principal in the firm and became a regional leader. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the activities of the firm's investment representatives in Kansas and Oklahoma, in addition to continuing to serve investors in Dodge City.

Hill moved to St. Louis in December 1978 to help develop and implement a formalized training program for Edward Jones investment representatives. In 1981, he was called upon to establish the firm's Marketing Department, and he headed the firm's Sales and Marketing division for the next 16 years.

In 1998, Hill became Chief Operating Officer (COO) with responsibility for achieving the firm's aggressive growth objectives. In this capacity, he also is responsible for the firm's entire sales force and for all the firm's products and services.

A graduate of Kansas State University, Hill received his bachelor's degree in 1968. He also is a 1984 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School's Securities Industry Institute. Hill serves on the Business Advisory Council for Bradley University in Peoria, IL, is a member of the board of directors of Webster University in St. Louis and is the chair of Webster's Governance Committee. He sits on the advisory board for the college of Business Administration at Kansas State University and belongs to the Kansas State University Alumni Association.

In addition, Hill is a board member for Missouri Goodwill Industries, Central Institute for the Deaf, and the Saint Louis Zoo. Hill is a past member of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) Marketing Committee. He is serving for the second term on the board of directors of the Securities Industry Association and served in the past on the SIA's Sales and Marketing Committee.

2001 - Ronald Lutz after graduating from KSU with a BS in Business Administration in 1960, he began his career in banking at the Kansas State Bank in Holton, Kansas.

Lutz's experience touring and speaking to Rotarian clubs after being selected as a member of a Rotary International Young Businessmen's Exchange Tour to South Africa in 1972 was instrumental in his decision to pursue ownership in his own business upon his return to Kansas.

Ron and his wife, Joyce, purchased controlling interest in the Peoples State Bank in Rossville, Kansas in 1973. Assets grew from about seven million dollars to about one hundred million dollars under Ron's able leadership. Eventually Ron moved the bank charter to Topeka, Kansas leaving a branch in Rossville, purchased two branches of Peoples Heritage Savings and Loan and opened a third branch in North Topeka.

In 1995 Peoples State Bank merged with Mercantile Bank of Topeka which later merged with Mercantile Bank of St. Louis, Missouri, which merged with Firstar Bank of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In 1984 Ron and Joyce purchased Citizens State Bank of Osage City, Kansas. After growing the assets of that bank from twenty million to thirty-five million dollars the bank was sold to a group of local investors.

Currently the couple owns a business holding company in Topeka that has major financial interest in five companies.

Ron and Joyce spend winters in Palm Desert, California, and summers in Beaver Creek, Colorado, with the remainder of their time spent in Topeka.

2000 - William A. Barbe graduated from Kansas State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. After graduation he spent two years working in the Treasury Department of Phillips Petroleum before entering Columbia Business School where he earned an MBA with honors in 1983.

In 1984, he joined Mellon Bank as Assistant Vice President in the Corporate Finance group. He joined Drexel Burnham Lambert, Inc., in 1987 as an Associate and was later promoted to Vice President.

After Drexel he moved to Smith Barney & Co. as Vice President in the Corporate Finance Department, working on restructuring for clients such as Wang Laboratories and Triangle Pacific.

In 1992 Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, lured him away from Smith Barney and made him a partner in 1994.

He served on the board of WESCO Distribution from 1994 to 1998 and has been a director of Kinko's, Inc., since 1996 and Schulte since 1998.

Mr. Barbe served on the Advisory Board of Kansas State University Foundation. He was a chalice bearer and Sunday school teacher at his church and for the last five years has coached entry-level soccer teams.

Mr. Barbe passed away on October 27, 2001.

1999 - Jonathan E. Baum received his BS in Finance from Kansas State University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Baum began his career with Salomon Brothers, Inc., in New York where he served as a Vice President in the Merger and Acquisitions Department before returning to Kansas City to join George K. Baum & Company in 1991 as a Vice President in the Investment Banking Division. He later took on responsibilities as Executive Vice President of the firm and assumed the responsibilities of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1994.

Baum serves on the board of directors for several Kansas City-based companies and also serves on the board of directors for many civic organizations.

He is a trustee of the Kansas State University Foundation and a member of the Business Advisory Council of the KSU College of Business Administration.

1998 - John R. Graham is Executive Vice President of Kansas Farm Bureau and its Affiliated Companies. He completed his BS degree in Accounting at Kansas State University and continued his graduate work in accounting, finance, and management at the University of Arkansas receiving his PhD in 1971.

Returning to Kansas State University, he served as a professor in the College of Business Administration until 1975 when he was named Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Students. In 1978 he was promoted to Full Professor of Business Administration.

In 1979, he joined the Kansas Farm Bureau and its affiliated companies. Dr. Graham has written over 30 professional papers and publications, including a book.

He has participated in a variety of public service activities, serves on the boards of directors of several businesses, professional, and charitable organizations and currently represents Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee of the National Association of Independent Insurers.

1997 - Bill R. Sanford is Chairman, President, and CEO of STERIS Corporation, a leading provider of infection prevention, contamination control, and surgical support systems, products, services, and technologies to health care, scientific, research, and industrial customers around the world.

He holds a degree in biological sciences from Kansas State University and has devoted his business career to the successful commercialization of advances in health care and scientific industries.

He has served as senior executive in major multinational corporations and has been instrumental in starting numerous businesses.

Sanford is a business and technology development consultant to major health care companies, venture capital organizations, early stage ventures, hospitals, and universities throughout the United States.

He participates in numerous programs and initiatives to promote technology transfer for profitable commercialization and job creation. He serves as a Board member and Advisor to numerous for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

1996 - Frank A. Lowman is president of Federal Home Loan Bank, Topeka, Kansas. Before joining the Bank in 1989, Lowman was President and Chief Operating Officer of Fourth Financial Corp., a holding company, and its flagship bank, Bank IV, in Wichita, Kansas. He also served as president and chief executive officer of Heritage Savings Association in Hays, Kansas.

He is a graduate of Kansas State University. He is a member of the Governor's Task Force on vision of Kansas and Chairman of the Kansas Legislature's Health Care Stabilization Oversight Committee.

Lowman serves as director for Mercy Housing, Inc., Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Hadley Foundation, and Kansas Health Institute. He is past Chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents and currently serves as trustee for the Kansas State University Foundation.

Some of Lowman's past memberships include the Governor's Commission on State Investment Practices, Kansas Consumer Credit Commission, Governor's Task Force on Capital Formation, and the Governor's Housing Task Force. He is also a past member and chairman of the Kansas Health Care Cost Commission.

1995 - Wendell J. Gardner is a Kansas native who graduated from KSU in 1961 with a B.S. in Accounting and Finance.

In 1969, he joined COBE Laboratories, Inc., and has been a leader in its tremendous growth ever since. When he first joined the team, they had sales of $2.4 million and 100 employees. They now have sales of over $500 million and 3500 employees.

He has served COBE in many different positions, but he currently serves in the position of Corporate Senior Vice President.

1994 - James E. Stowers, Jr. is Chairman and Founder of Twentieth Century Mutual Funds, a family of no-load mutual funds located in Kansas City. He started the company in an apartment in 1958, and today Twentieth Century's staff of 1,900 manages more than $26 billion in assets for 1.5 million shareholders.

He is known throughout the industry as a man in the corner of the small investor.

Stowers pioneered the use of computers in investment management. He designed the comprehensive portfolio analysis system and wrote the software programs used today by Twentieth Century's investment managers to track the earnings progress of more than 11,000 companies worldwide.

1993 - C.Q. (Chuck) Chandler is the chairman of the Board of INTRUST Bank, formerly called First National Bank of Wichita, and a 1949 graduate of KSU. He is also a graduate of the Wisconsin School of Banking and the Harvard Senior Bank Officers Seminar.

Chandler is involved with many business affiliations and participates in numerous civic activities. The Wichita Area Chamber of Commerce has honored Chandler as an Uncommon Citizen of the Year; its most prestigious award, given to citizens who are recognized not only for their role in business, but also for their participation in cultural, civic, social, and philanthropic activities.

Mr. Chandler has contributed to the University in many ways and has been recognized as an Alumni Fellow.

1992 - Lynn Markel graduated from K-State in 1962 with a BS in Business Administration and from Wichita State in 1969 with a Masters degree in Accounting.

He is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Koch Industries. Koch is the second largest privately held company in the U.S. Mr. Markel has been with Koch since 1976, when he began as an Assistant Controller. Due to the efforts of Markel, Koch Industries is considered an industry leader in cash management and credit systems.

K-State has benefited substantially from both Markel's personal contributions and numerous corporate contributions from Koch Industries.

1991 - Gary L. Millenbruch is executive vice president, chief financial officer, and a director of Bethlehem Steel Corp. He joined Bethlehem Steel in 1959 after graduating from KSU with a BS in Accounting.

In 1983 he completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.

Millenbruch continued to be involved with K-State. He was elected by the Finance Department faculty to serve as the first President of the Finance Advisory Board and at its inaugural meeting, the Board elected him as its President for a second term.

1990 - R.E. (Gene) Bonnell received his BS in Business Administration from K-State in 1956. He graduated from the Stanford Executive Program in 1974.

He served as Senior Vice President and CFO for Phillips Petroleum Company until his retirement. He was largely responsible for Phillips' success in fending off the takeover threats by I. Boone Pickens and Carl Icahn, and the financial restructuring which contributed to our program in many, many ways.

He has been extremely generous with his time, financial contributions, advice, and help.