In 2008, Chambliss Law established an endowment that would fund the annual Gary W. Rollins College of Business Student Recognition Ceremony. We are grateful for Chambliss’ ongoing support and recognition of our top business students as they become professional leaders in our community. With the changes in campus operations due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, we aren’t able to celebrate as we normally would. But we do want to recognize your hard work and all that you’ve accomplished in the 2019-20 academic year.
As current students and soon-to-be graduates of the Rollins College of Business, we are honored to be a part of each student’s life journey. Years from now, we hope you all look back and recognize that the end of this semester was the start of groundbreaking change for you. As we wrap up the end of this virtual semester, we could not go without recognizing the resiliency of our top-performing students. Continue reading to view listings of award recipients below.
Award Recipients: If you do not see your image included below, please email the image you would like to have listed to Jessica-Bodet@utc.edu and it will be added to this post.
Student Organizations and Leaders
We are fortunate to have a wide variety of professionally-focused student organizations within the Rollins College of Business. While these groups have dedicated faculty advisors, the students manage the day-to-day work of the organizations. See the listing of each club and its leadership below:
American Marketing Association: Haylee Wycoff (President), Emily Gaylor (Vice President), Aaron Henry (Treasurer)
Beta Alpha Psi: Caroline Campbell (President), Ross Dillard (Vice President), Abigail Neely (Secretary), Jordan Barnes (Tutoring Coordinator), Noah Sykes (Treasurer)
Entrepreneurship Club: Jenelle Pierce (President), Mia Lawrence (Vice President), Luke McPherson (Marketing Officer), Dustin Holmes (Treasurer)
Financial Management Association: Daniel Smith (President), Angela Onan (Vice President), Rhett Heinemeyer (Vice President), Shannon Rice (Treasurer)
Institute of Management Accountants: Charles Leiviska (President), Matt Curtis (Vice President), Ireland Burch (Secretary), Katelyn Alexander (Treasurer), Caroline Campbell (Communication Officer)
Society for Human Resource Management: Mia Myers (President), Jason Gaddy (Vice President & Director of Communication), Kendra Masterson (Secretary & Director of Community Service), Emily Rogers (Treasurer), Allen Towry (Program Director), Denny Pan (Director of Recruitment)
Trading and Investment Club: Mickey Crump (President), Chris Stinnett (Vice President), Caleb Starnes (Vice President), Jacob Ervin (Treasurer)
Dean’s Student Advisory Council
The Dean’s Student Advisory Council is a group that the Rollins College of Business has come to rely on. These students support the college by helping with events, providing Dean Robert Dooley with honest feedback about programming and renovations, and even giving tours of Fletcher Hall to future business students before it went under construction. This year’s Dean’s Student Advisory Council is made up by the following students:
Officers: Jordan Camp (President), Rachel Ruano (Vice President), McKenzi Morgan (Events Chair), Sarah Scott (Training), Varsha Kommireddi (Secretary)
Members: Katelyn Alexander, Allysyn Bates, Miriam Blanton, Jannia Bowden, Sal DiGiacomo, Blake Garren, Sawyer Kelley, Meera Lala, Mia Myers, Anna Pate, Alexander Shipley, Jacob Snook, Alisa Sobol, Colby Terrell, Isaac Williams, Noah Wood, Dilynn Wray
Rollins Scholars Class of 2023
The Rollins Scholars program in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business at UTC offers students the opportunity to become a high-impact leader and business student while making lasting connections with other business majors, UTC faculty, and Chattanooga-area business leaders. The program provides up to 20 outstanding incoming freshmen students with $4,000 annual scholarships for up to four consecutive years of study. To view bios of the Class of 2023, click here.
Andy Walker Jr. Finance Award
The Andy Walker Jr. Finance Award was established in 2005 by the family of Andy Walker, Jr. to honor his legacy as a UTC distinguished business school alumnus and former bank executive. This annual award goes to academically outstanding graduating seniors majoring in finance.
Collegiate Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award
This award honors a student who demonstrated entrepreneurial leadership and achievement throughout the academic year. This year’s recipient is Grant Stafford. “Grant has been actively pursuing his startup, Loop Transportation, for the past few years,” says Dr. Thomas Lyons, Clarence E. Harris Chair of Excellence in Entrepreneurship. “He has been an active participant in our on-campus pitch competitions and recently won third place in the Southeast Entrepreneurship Conference pitch competition. He has gained traction with his startup while still finding time to pursue a double major in entrepreneurship and management.”
Outstanding Marketing Students
The Department of Marketing & Entrepreneurship would like to recognize its top performing marketing students:
Abigail Bateman, Allysyn Bates, Kaelese Carrette, Addison Cowan, Asia Dean, Kara Drago, Emily Gaylor, Rae Gullett, Mallory Hale, Carter Kilpatrick, Kelley Kindle, Lauren Leboeuf, Hailey Massey, Sara McMahan, Bethany Milsom, Claire Monar, Christina Myers, Elnaz Nourabadi, Anna Pate, Nemet Selman, Morgan Steedley, Derek Walker, Emily Wilson, Haylee Wycoff
SGA Outstanding Senior Awards
Each year, the UTC Student Government Association presents awards to seniors who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and made significant contributions in their respective majors.
2020 SGA Outstanding Senior in Marketing, Emily Wilson: “Emily is a junior in the Brock Scholars program majoring in marketing and minoring in communications,” says Professor Ryan Russell. “She currently serves on multiple committees and is the website chair for Kappa Delta Sorority, and she is on the UTC Student Engagement Events Staff. She has interned at the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs since Fall 2017, where she is helping revamp the UC Foundation website and is the campus-wide coordinator of the ThankView program.”
2020 SGA Outstanding Senior in Entrepreneurship, Jenelle Pierce: “Jenelle is a self-described extrovert and optimist,” says Dr. Thomas Lyons. “She is passionate about the unique entrepreneurial ecosystem we have in Chattanooga and the way the community supports and looks out for each other. She plans to stay in Chattanooga after graduation and wanted me to mention that she is available for hire and would love to give you her card.”
2020 SGA Outstanding Senior in Human Resources Management, Mia Myers: “Mia is a senior from Maryville, TN. While at UTC, she has been heavily involved in the Society for Human Resource Management, where she currently serves as chapter president,” says Dr. Katherine Karl, faculty advisor for SHRM. “She is also an Innovations in Honors scholar within the Honors College, having served as Vice President of Honors Council. Future plans for Mia include sitting for the SHRM-CP exam and pursuing an MBA after a few years of work experience.”
2020 SGA Outstanding Senior in Management, Brian Vilayphanh: Brian is a student who has excelled during his tenure at UTC, which is easily recognized by his consistent placement on the dean’s list,” says Dr. Frank Butler, UC Foundation Associate Professor of Management. “One faculty member noted that he did earn an A and stated ‘that’s excellent as I typically only have 10-20% earn A’s’. It is apparent that even his work place values his skills as he wears many hats there, yet still manages to excel in his classes.”
2020 SGA Outstanding Senior in Business Analytics, Alexander Shipley: “Alex is a great learner as well as a hardworking team member and leader,” says Dr. Kelly McNamara, Associate Professor of Practice. “While excelling in his courses, he also found the time to be involved as the Men’s Captain/Member of UTC Crew, a member of the Dean’s Student Advisor Council, served as an RA and performed alumni relations for Mortar Board. Alex has held positions at both TVA and Unum working with vendors and building financial models.”
2020 SGA Outstanding Senior in Business Finance, Christopher Jackson
2020 SGA Outstanding Senior in Business Investments, Stephen Zurlo
2020 SGA Outstanding Senior in Accounting, Madeline Wade: Madeline has been active in numerous clubs and events throughout her undergraduate career including the SMILE Fund, Beta Alpha Psi, and the Fly! Pitch Competition. She will graduate Magna Cum Laude holding a 3.9 GPA. Upon graduation, Madeline plans to work as a full time staff accountant with Henderson, Hutcherson & McCullough CPA firm. She plans to continue her education at UTC in pursuit of a MAcc degree, and will sit for the CPA exam.
SMILE Fund Awards
The Student Managed Investment Learning Experience or SMILE Fund is an equity fund of over $500,000 managed entirely by students for the UC Foundation. This is an invaluable learning opportunity that many universities do not offer.
Officers:
Melissa Mueller, President & Chief Investment Strategist
Michael Copland Butler, Vice President of Fundamental Analysis
Jacob Snook, Vice President of Market Analysis
Ross Chambers, Vice President of Operations
Cecilia Treanor, Vice President of Marketing
Dawood Khan, Vice President of Communications
Shaw Daverson, Vice President of Risk Management
Liam Christensen, Vice President of Sector Analysis
Analysts:
Ross Chambers, Best Chief Analyst
Jacob Snook, Best Lead Analyst
Shaw Daverson, Best Junior Analyst
Michael Copland Butler, Most Improved Analyst
CFA Society of East Tennessee – Outstanding Finance Student
The CFA Society of East Tennessee presents the Outstanding Finance Student award to a Finance student who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and is nominated by a faculty member. This year’s award recipient is Benjamin Trussel, nominated by Dr. Hunter Holzhauer.
Departmental Honor Societies
Sigma Iota Epsilon is the honor society for management majors:
Angela Baldwin, Ryan Blackstone, Matthew Bryant, Gabrielle Lowe, Caitlin Yager
John C. Stophel Distinguished Scholars Awards
The John C. Stophel Distinguished Scholars awards are endowed by the Chambliss law firm, in honor of Mr. John C. Stophel, founder and former managing partner of Chambliss. John C. Stophel was admired by business and community leaders throughout the Chattanooga area for his solid business acumen, leadership style, and service to his community, including UTC. The Stophel Scholars are high potential students at the senior or graduate level who, like Mr. Stophel, have made significant and meaningful civic contributions to UTC and the Rollins College of Business while maintaining a strong academic record.
Katelyn Alexander, Accounting: Katelyn is a senior and will be graduating in December with a degree in Accounting. She was chosen as the 2017 recipient of Komatsu Chattanooga’s Ochi Full Academic Scholarship. She was a member of the Business Living Learning Community and was recognized with the Outstanding Leadership award for the 2017-2018 cohort. Katelyn has served as a student ambassador through the Dean’s Student Advisory Council for three years. After graduation, she intends to work on obtaining a Master’s of Accountancy while studying for both the CPA and the CMA.
Jordan Camp, Finance/Economics: Jordan is a junior majoring in Finance and minoring in Economics. He began his career at UTC with the Business Living Learning Community. Through the LLC, he was able to become the first freshman age student to be hired at Unum. He serves as the President of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council and was formerly a lead analyst for the SMILE Fund.
Morgan Kazerooni, Accounting/Finance: Morgan is a senior and will be graduating in May with a dual degree in Accounting and Finance. In her time at UTC, she has been a varsity member of the Women’s Softball team and is one of the softball representatives on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She has also been a part of the Mentoring Mocs program at Clifton Hills Elementary. She is currently interning at Henderson, Hutcherson & McCullough. In August, she will begin working as an Audit Associate for KPMG in Atlanta.
Mia Myers, Business Management/Human Resources Management: Mia is a senior and will be graduating in May with a dual degree in Business Management and Human Resources Management. She currently serves as chapter President of UTC’s Society for Human Resource Management. Mia is completing an undergraduate thesis examining the similarities in working adults’ use of job crafting, a form of employee-initiated job design. Her future plans include sitting for the SHRM-CP exam and pursuing an MBA.
Elena Nourabadi, Marketing: Elena is a senior and will be graduating in May with a degree in Marketing. During her time at UTC, she has been the treasurer of the Freshman Senate and was on the marketing and communications team for the Student Government Association. She has spent her senior year interning at WUTC doing rewarding media and marketing work that has come to shape her future. Combining her passions of music and marketing, she hopes to carry on what she learns here into a career within the entertainment marketing industry.
Myranda Westbrook, Business Analytics: Myranda is a senior and will graduate in December with a degree in Business Analytics. She has experienced international business through studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Cape Town, South Africa. She was also able to conduct geological and biological research in San Salvador Island, Bahamas with the Honors College. Myranda currently works as a financial services intern at TVA in their Commercial Energy Solutions group working with Interruptible Power. After graduation, Myrand hopes to work in data analytics in a greater capacity.
Outstanding MBA Student
Bethany Waters: “Bethany will graduate from UTC in May 2020 with a Master’s in Business Administration and concentration in Business Analytics,” says Dr. Sheena Murray, Assistant Professor of Economics. “Prior to that, she earned a BA in Accounting and a BA in Management, Summa Cum Laude, in May 2015 from Lee University. Bethany currently works for Komatsu as a Cost Accounting Manager after nearly six years at Gestamp as Assistant Controller.”
Outstanding MAcc Student
Richard Guiry: Richard was chosen as the accounting department’s Outstanding MAcc Student for his hard work and excellent dedication. He has always demonstrated professionalism while working as a graduate assistant for Professor Haun, Dr. Fayard, and Dr. Vincent over the 2019-2020 academic year. He has passed 3 parts of the CPA exam and has also passed both parts of the CMA exam demonstrating a strong commitment to success. Richard is set to graduate Summa Cum Laude holding a 4.0 GPA and, upon graduation, will be working for RSM in Nashville, TN.
Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society Induction
Students elected to membership in Beta Gamma Sigma are recognized with the highest national honor that a student in business at an accredited institution can obtain. They are truly “the best in business.” Only the top 10% of the senior class and the top 20% of graduate students are considered for membership (based on cumulative GPA). The principles of Beta Gamma Sigma, represented by the initials which form the name of the Society signify honor, wisdom and earnestness.
Graduate Student Inductees: Roger Anderson, Cameron Cook, William Disterdick, Patrick Forliti, Danity Hall, Brian Quist, Amanda Schafer, Grant Thimsen, Meara Whiteley
Graduating Senior Inductees: Faith Ada, Katelyn Alexander, Kaelese Carrette, Mikaela Gauthreaux, Mallory Hale, Morgan Kazerooni, Meera Lala, Alexandra Lamoree, Joel Liebert, Mia Myers, Angela Onan, Sarah Scott, Alexander Shipley, Dallas Sutter, Casey Szatkowski, Brian Vilayphanh, Madeline Wade, Trevor Whitley, Haylee Wycoff
