Alumni Association Recognizes Howse, Hall for Leadership

Woody Howse, MBA ‘70, and Debbie Hall, MBA ‘81, who have both been leaders in alumni chapter activities and maintain an active connection to current students, are the 2004 John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award winners, honored by the Stanford GSB Alumni Association.

Howse has been involved in the Puget Sound alumni chapter as both an officer and an active participant and has served as an advisor to current students through the mentor program. “Over the years, Woody has definitely been the alumni association’s ‘go-to guy’ in the Seattle area,” said Dean Robert Joss in announcing the awards during October’s Alumni Weekend program.

Howse served six years on the Stanford GSB Alumni Association board, including a term as president his final year. He also has served on both the social and fundraising committees of all his class reunions and acted as chairman of his 25^th class reunion in 1995.

“Debbie has actively participated in the [alumni association’s] student mentor program since its inception,” said Joss. Hall has been active in San Francisco Peninsula chapter activities, including a year as chapter president. She served as chair of the reunion development committee for the past three reunions and has been an active member of the Business School Development Fund.

The award is named for the late John Gardner, an author and scholar who taught at the business school. He played a central role in the creation of Medicare and coined the term “independent sector” to capture the idea of the latent potential within America’s nonprofit institutions.