12-17-2024
The Daniels School and its just-launched Business Fellow Program welcome the first two Fellows. One has C-level experience in family office and related financial services fields in the U.S. and Europe, and the other is a business school alum with more than two decades in top roles in supply chain and operations.
Charles Stucke will help prepare Daniels School students for the competitive financial services sector. Stucke is a CFA and adjunct lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School, where he teaches hedge fund strategies, wealth and family office management, and real estate finance to master’s students. As a chartered financial analyst with SBB LLC in St. Louis, he consults clients on strategy, governance and business catalysts.
“His academic experience at both public and private universities will allow Charles to offer advice about academic programs, business partnerships and employment opportunities for students,” says Richard Ryffel, professor of practice and executive director of business leadership at the Daniels School who heads the Fellows program. “He’s also a gifted instructor and has already been in our classrooms.” Stucke is slated to teach an undergraduate economics course in fall 2025.
Stucke ran what was, at the time, one of the largest multi-family offices globally — Guggenheim Investment Advisors (part of Guggenheim Partners) — and, following that, one of the oldest, Lepercq de Neuflize (today called Lepercq Group). He has also served as the chief investment officer of Subtext, a diversified real estate development company. Now retired from full-time work, he has carved out time to help prepare future leaders, mostly by working with universities in different capacities.
As a Fellow in global family office and wealth management, Stucke will bring a practitioner’s view and connectivity to the Daniels School. “I’ll call on that collective experience to make the Fellow role a meaningful one for Purdue, its students and its faculty,” he says.
He was drawn to the Business Fellows Program by Purdue’s legacy and reputation. “My father was an aerospace engineer at McDonnell Douglas during its heyday. He always respected the engineers who came down to St. Louis from Purdue," he says. “Purdue’s incredible legacy in engineering, its national role in technology research and education, and the Daniels School’s leadership under James Bullard – all position the school right at the intersection of business and tech.
“This intersection is the future of American business, whether it’s banking, industry, real estate or venture capital. I want to be a part of that. One opportunity to do so is to bring my experience on Wall Street and in the family office world to the Daniels School.”
Stucke has a Master of Legal Studies from Washington University’s School of Law; a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University; and a Master of Business Administration and an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Missouri.
The school’s supply chain Business Fellow, Dustin Smith, has insights from a more than two-decade career in finance and operations to share with students and faculty.
Smith earned his undergraduate degree in accounting and his MBA at the Daniels School. After time with the Ford Motor Company, Smith joined Wabash, where he held increasingly large roles over nearly 18 years, including director of finance, senior vice president of global operations, chief strategy officer and chief operations officer.
“Coming off of a 24-year career in corporate America, I have a very fresh perspective on putting the Purdue education to use in industry practice,” Smith says. “Starting off in finance in a large global company and eventually shifting to a smaller manufacturing company later in my career, I have seen both ‘mega business’ as well as ‘mid-size business,’ and the tools required are very different to succeed.”
Smith also navigated a career transition from finance to operations, which he says gives him insights on a nonlinear approach to building a fulfilling career.
“From the functional aspects of core finance, to the leadership demands of leading a 5,000-person global operations organization, to the dynamics of being in the board room of a public company, I have experienced the many adventures that go into becoming a senior executive leader,” he says.
Smith is excited to further give back to his alma mater as a Business Fellow. He has already spoken to students as part of the Daniels School’s Executive Forum and served as a keynote speaker for a business school global supply chain conference. As a Business Fellow, he’ll be able to mentor, do executive coaching, and provide faculty feedback on how academic material can be infused with real life industry challenges. He looks forward to describing his interesting career path to students.
“Exciting paths tend to be nonlinear, and it’s hard to envision that when you are just getting started,” Smith says.
“Dustin is an amazing resource for the school,” Ryffel says. “As an alumnus, he understands the school and its vision. As a senior executive in supply chain, he has a body of industry knowledge — and active contacts — in a rapidly growing sector.”
Future Business Fellows will be enlisted in a broad array of industry sectors, Ryffel notes, including investment banking, manufacturing, asset management and more. Senior executives interested in serving as a Fellow can learn more about the program here.
