1990s, cont.
MARC G. SWANSON (BS ’94) was recently appointed chief financial officer and treasurer at SeaWorld Entertainment. He previously served as SeaWorld’s chief accounting officer.
JENNIFER (POTTHOFF) HURFORD (BS ’97), Argos, IN, was promoted to senior vice president and treasurer at Lake City Bank.
MICHAEL SHULTZ (BS ’97), Cedar Lake, IN, joined BlackLine as the director of finance transformation and product expert.
ANTHONY HASLINGER (MS ’98) was promoted to senior vice president of construction at Phillips Edison & Co. (PECO). Haslinger joined PECO in 2013 as a project manager and was promoted in 2014 to vice president of construction. His relationships with local and national retailers, vendors and subcontractors have contributed to the significant economic efficiencies at the company’s properties nationwide.
PRASHANTH MAHENDRA-RAJAH (MS ’98) recently joined Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) as senior vice president, finance and chief financial officer. He oversees ADI’s global finance organization, with responsibility for financial management, reporting, controls, planning and strategy. Mahendra-Rajah previously served as chief financial officer of WABCO Holdings Inc.
ANDREW GETA (MS ’99) was recently named president of Illinois Financing Partners (IFP) Services LLC. Greta, who has over 20-years of experience in financial services including business development and general management roles at GE Capital and the CME Group, is responsible for growing and servicing IFP's more than $600 million in receivables by starting, staffing, and running a new Champaign, IL, based office.
2000s
STEFAN TRAEGER (MBA ’01) was appointed chair of the executive board for Jenoptik. Traeger has extensive management experience in a variety of executive positions in the photonics industry. Since 2013, he has been a member of the management board of the Swiss Tecan Group AG, where he manages the global end-customer business combined in the Division of Life Sciences.
MICHAEL M. BHASKARAN (EMBA ’02), chief supply chain officer of Staples Inc., has joined the board of directors of Walter Investment Management Corp. Prior to joining Staples in 2015, Bhaskaran served as chief operating officer and chief information officer of Beyondtherack.com, where he was responsible for global logistics, transportation, fulfillment and technology.
MATTHEW JACKSON (MBA ’02), Portland, OR, was named a vice president of Lease Crutcher Lewis.
LESLIE STREZO KEENER (BS ’02) completed the 121st Boston Marathon in April before taking a promotion and moving to Fort Worth, TX, as director of administration at BNSF Railway.
WEI-RU CHEN (PHD ’03) was appointed chief strategy officer at Cainiao Network Technology, the smart logistics company established by Chinese e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group. Chen previously served as associate professor of strategy at China Europe International Business School.
JONATHAN STANNER (BS ’03, MBA ’04) has joined Summit Hotel Properties in Austin, TX, as executive vice president and chief investment officer. He previously was chief executive officer of Strategic Hotels & Resorts.
TIMOTHY SWISS (BS ’04), Cleveland, OH, is now senior vice president and business development officer with the senior secured financing team of PNC Bank. A 13-year veteran of PNC, Swiss previously served as a group manager with the commercial banking team.
JAY WEIKER (EMBA ’04), Pulaski, WI, was named president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Animal Breeders and its subsidiary Certified Semen Services Inc. Prior to joining NAAB in 2014 as vice president, Weiker was based in Australia as the business director for ABS Asia.
KIM MCCONAHA (BS ’05), who played professional volleyball for five years before beginning her coaching career at American University, has returned home to Wayne County as an assistant coach for Indiana University East volleyball in Richmond, IN. McConaha played at Purdue from 2001-04, earning first-team All-Big Ten and honorable mention All-Mideast Region honors.
NICOLE MEWES (BS ’05) has joined YA, a professional marketing services company in Minneapolis, MN, as director of engineering. She brings a dozen years of experience in the software engineering industry, most recently with Abbott Laboratories as IT program manager.
MAMON POWERS III (MBA ’05) was appointed to the Indianapolis Airport Authority Board by Mayor Joe Hogsett. Powers grew up in the construction industry and has served in various capacities with Powers & Sons including laborer, carpenter apprentice, estimator, project engineer and project manager. He serves as executive vice president, as well as president, of the Indianapolis office.
LISA RILE (EMBA ’06), Purdue’s assistant director of financial affairs, was recognized with the 2017 Dreamer Award for her efforts to make the University more diverse and inclusive. The award presentation was part of Purdue’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in January.
MICHAEL FORTMAN (BS ’09), Zionsville, IN, was promoted to senior manager at BKD, a national CPA and advisory firm.
JEFFREY WILSON (MBA ’09), director of Corporate Audit Services at Eli Lilly and Co., was named to Indianapolis Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” Class of 2017.
2010s
AUGIE PENCE (BS ’10, MBA ’11) has joined Centerfield Capital Partners, a national provider of subordinated debt and equity investments, as a senior associate. His primary responsibilities include assisting with the evaluation, execution and monitoring of investments. Prior to joining Centerfield, Augie was an associate at Prospect Partners in Chicago, a lower middle-market private equity fund focused on leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations. Earlier, he was an analyst in the Chicago office of the Investment Banking Group at Stout, where he worked on middle-market mergers and acquisitions.
NICHOLE WILSON (MBA ’11), Indianapolis, IN, was promoted to vice president of retail services at Community Health Network. She started as a physical therapist and athletic trainer, and was then promoted to clinic manager and led the entire physical therapy and rehabilitation division. Wilson also spearheaded the launch of Community's first-ever sports medicine program.
In Memoriam
BRITTANY BANKS (MBA ’17) passed away unexpectedly on July 19, 2017. During her time at Purdue, she served as a Krannert Mentor, a peer counselor for the Krannert Professional Development Center, vice president of finance for the Krannert Graduate Society of Black Managers and president of K-Fit. She also organized the “Black Lives Matter” day for Purdue’s Black Graduate Student Association.
DENIS PICARD (MS ’84) passed away on July 24, 2017, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after a short but valiant fight against cancer. A former member of the Krannert School Alumni Association, Picard was managing director at Alvarez and Marsal in New York, NY. He is survived by his wife, Patrice Picard (MS ’84), whom he met during his time at Purdue.
