The presentation at the 2017 reunion weekend includes the first group award for volunteers.
Left to right: Scott Duncan, MBA ‘77, Andy Cowherd, MBA ‘77, Dean Jonathan Levin, Susie Phillips, MBA ‘72, Bill Duhamel, MBA ‘87. Not pictured: John Morgridge, MBA ‘57 and the ‘67, ‘82, and ‘87 Class Ambassadors
At a reunion weekend that broke attendance records, Stanford Graduate School of Business honored alumni volunteers and a longtime faculty member for their service to the school. On Friday, Oct. 27, Dean Jonathan Levin and Raphe Beck, director of alumni relations, presented the John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Awards and the Robert K. Jaedicke Silver Apple Award.
The Gardner awards honor alumni volunteers who graduated at least 20 years ago and whose volunteer service has had a significant impact on the school. They are named for the late John Gardner, a past faculty member, a member of the school’s first Advisory Council, a recipient of the Ernest C. Arbuckle Award for excellence in the field of management leadership, and a lifelong advocate of volunteer service.
This year’s individual Gardner awards went to:
- Andy Cowherd, MBA ’77
- Bill Duhamel, MBA ’87
- Scott Duncan, MBA ’77
- John Morgridge, MBA ’57
- Susie Phillips, MBA ’72
For the first time, a Gardner award also went to a group: all the members of the Classes of 1967, 1982, and 1987 who have served as class ambassadors. The class ambassador role was created almost five years ago by Jon Richards, MBA ’67; Victoria Chang, MBA ’82; and Pam Brewster, MBA ’87, to keep Stanford GSB class members engaged in between reunions. These three leaders recruited 30 of their classmates to join them as class ambassadors, and they were collectively honored with the Gardner award.
Paul Oyer, the Fred H. Merrill Professor of Economics, was presented with the 2017 Jaedicke award. The award, named for Dean Emeritus Robert Jaedicke, is given annually to a member of the Stanford GSB faculty for service to the school’s alumni.
The 2017 reunion weekend also broke records for attendance, with every class that celebrated a reunion setting an attendance record for that reunion year.
Andy Cowherd, MBA ’77 ( left, with Jonathan Levin), was recognized with a John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award for his years of service to Stanford GSB. He has been a planning and fundraising chair for class reunions and has served as a class agent. He is on the Business School Fund Council, where he played a leadership role in launching Stanford GSB Legacy Partners to celebrate alumni who make planned gifts to the school. | Stacy Geiken
Bill Duhamel, MBA ’87 (center, flanked by Raphe Beck, left, and Jonathan Levin), received a John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award for his wide-ranging volunteer work with Stanford GSB. He was a leader of the fundraising effort to name the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in honor of faculty members Irv Grousbeck and Charles Holloway. He serves as vice chair of the Stanford GSB Trust, a board responsible for investing a portion of the school’s endowment. He has volunteered to assist with numerous reunions, including serving as chair. He has also been a class speaker and a panelist for current students.| Stacy Geiken
Scott Duncan, MBA ’77 (center, flanked by Raphe Beck, left, and Jonathan Levin), received a John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award for the longevity and depth of his service to Stanford GSB. In addition to serving on both the planning and fundraising committees for his reunions over the years, he has been the Class of 1977’s class secretary continuously for the 40 years since graduation. | Stacy Geiken
John Morgridge, MBA ’57 (left, with Jonathan Levin), received a John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award, which was presented to him at a dinner at his home. Morgridge has spent nearly 25 years on Stanford GSB’s Advisory Council. He is a classroom speaker and mentor for current students and has helped keep the members of the Class of 1957 connected to one another.
Susie Phillips, MBA ’72 (left, with Jonathan Levin), received a John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award for her years of service to Stanford GSB, including acting as co-chair for her class reunion this year. She has been a class agent, and she is a member of the Business School Fund Council. | Stacy Geiken
For the first time, a John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award went to a group of people: all the members of the Classes of 1967, 1982, and 1987 who have served as class ambassadors. This role was created almost five years ago by Jon Richards, MBA ’67; Victoria Chang, MBA ’82; and Pam Brewster, MBA ’87. As the class ambassadors travel the globe, they reach out to distant classmates, encouraging them to engage with Stanford GSB. | Stacy Geiken
Professor Paul Oyer (center, flanked by Raphe Beck, left, and Jonathan Levin) received the 2017 Robert K. Jaedicke Silver Apple Award. Oyer is the Fred H. Merrill Professor of Economics and co-director of Stanford GSB’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. He is also a Senior Fellow at SIEPR, the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. During his 17 years at Stanford GSB, he has given tirelessly of his time to alumni, speaking at chapter events and reunion classes to demystify economic trends. | Stacy Geiken
— Margaret Steen
For media inquiries, visit the Newsroom.
Explore More
