Impact Awards 2024 Recent Winners
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2024 INDIVIDUAL IMPACT AWARD WINNERS:
Colin Davis
Senior Director, Admissions Marketing and Operations
Admissions
Colin has been with Chicago Booth for 14 years. His leadership was critical during times of major change in the Admissions team. Colin worked tirelessly to strategize workflow, rethink efficiencies, and interpret unfamiliar markets that suddenly impacted the day-to-day processes and output of the team.
With the launch of the Specialized Master’s Program application and admissions cycles, he dedicated his time and energy to becoming a subject-matter expert so he could be a resource to his teams and empower them to produce quality work with lasting impact. Throughout the many new demands, Colin focused on the strengths of his team and trusted their expertise in their respective areas to come together and make crucial strides for the school’s advancement.
Jose Diaz
Desktop Support Technician
Information Technology
Jose has been with Booth for nearly 5 years. He shows excellence in the work he does as he always finds solutions to IT-related issues experienced by all. Jose has gone above and beyond to help solve IT challenges related to teaching, helping to implement solutions to respond to student suggestions about digital whiteboard projections, and research, by solving laptop issues patiently and effectively. Whenever colleagues see Jose at Harper or Gleacher Center, he's always engaged with others, improving their days by finding solutions to issues that would otherwise halt their task at hand.
Suzi Jones
Program Director, Joint Degree Programs
Student Life
Suzi has been with Booth for over 5 years. She has had an extraordinary impact on the student experience and career outcomes of dual degree students. For several programs, Suzi has collaborated closely with members of the Career Services team to proactively communicate student needs, understand the career objectives of the students, and conduct programs that would help students navigate the timeline appropriate to their career goals. Her colleagues describe her as enthusiastic, collaborative, and a great team player. Suzi has built trust and demonstrated a commitment to excellence through her responsiveness, attention to detail, and ability to build relationships across Booth and UChicago.
Jason Kowalsky
Senior Associate Director, Payment Operations and Data Analytics
Accounting and Budget
Jason has been with Booth for 15 years. He has supported faculty members’ research in many significant ways by dedicating his time and effort to resolve numerous financial challenges. Jason is described as having a great attitude and being a team player. Though often working behind the scenes, his contributions are instrumental to many teams’ success. During the financial systems transformation, Jason worked tirelessly to resolve a major GEMS card issue, navigating complex procedures and working with multiple individuals across the university, ensuring the seamless execution of a custom program. He has been an invaluable resource for many individuals and teams, consistently providing expert support on GEMs-related queries. If he doesn’t have the answer, Jason will go the extra mile to find it.
Stephenie Lazarus
Senior Associate Director, Major Gifts
Advancement
Stephenie has been with Booth for nearly 4 years. She empowers her colleagues to be the best version of themselves. Stephenie genuinely takes the time to get to know each person on a personal and professional level, fostering a supportive and collaborative environment. Her willingness to help, offer insights, and step in when needed makes her an invaluable asset to the team. What distinguishes Stephenie as a gift officer is her dedication to building meaningful connections with donors. Through thoughtful gestures like handwritten thank-you notes and personalized communications, she ensures that each alum feels appreciated for their contributions. Stephenie’s efforts go beyond transactional interactions; she fosters relationships that reflect the heart of our community.
Sona Margaryan
Director, Institutional Research and Strategic Insights
Marketing & Communications
Sona has been with Booth for just over 7 years. She has shown remarkable leadership during times of change, seamlessly taking on new tasks (special committees), roles (operations), and responsibilities. Sona is known for her compassion and tireless work ethic, consistently going above and beyond what is required. She is described as “a forward-thinker who consistently introduces new improvements and allows time for research and development.” Sona integrated the Market research and Data Science team into the digital advertising teams, allowing ideas/data to be shared and to build out the new tools to support the new specialized master's programs. Sona’s innovative mindset and strategic insights drive her team towards continuous improvement and achieving their goals.
Daniel Owings
Senior Assistant Director, Faculty Support
Faculty and Academic Services
Daniel has been with Booth for over 2 years. As a Designated Departmental Administrator (DDA), the FST departmental contact with Booth Accounting, he has brainstormed ideas, collaborated on strategic solutions, and managed the distribution of knowledge and training to faculty assistants and other staff. Daniel asked incredibly insightful questions during the DDA meetings, which led to excellent discussions. These conversations aided the group in connecting the dots of understanding and the absorption of oftentimes confusing concepts. He is also able to digest knowledge quickly and hit the ground running in applying new concepts. Through many of his actions, Daniel contributes greatly to an optimal environment to find solutions.
Mario Perez
Service Worker
Facilities & Operations
Mario has been with Booth for 35 years. He has been an essential part of the University and the Booth facilities team, showing his commitment to his work and the entire community daily. Mario’s warm and friendly demeanor lifts everyone around him, as he greets each person with a smile. Mario is always ready to lend a hand, treating his colleagues and the students he interacts with great respect. He’s quick to offer assistance to anyone who looks lost. On busy event days, Mario is there anticipating any issues and making sure everything runs smoothly. He works tirelessly behind the scenes to make every day better for everyone. Mario quietly creates welcoming, organized spaces that support our success.
Andrew Shi
Deputy Managing Editor, ProMarket
Stigler Center
Andy has been with Booth for 2 years. In his role he helps the world's most influential academics refine their writing for our audience so that their important ideas on improving economies can reach a broader audience. Andy's excellence and integrity in his work constantly garner the respect of academia's most lauded and authoritative professors. Despite their positions of authority, he pushes the faculty contributors to clarify and strengthen their ideas. The result is an unmatched level of quality and professors who are grateful to have had their writing significantly improved by Andy. He applies the same treatment to undergraduate students that he gives to Nobel Laureates. Everyone that Andy works with receives the same level of thoughtful, thorough, and uncompromising assistance with their intellectual contributions.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2024 TEAM IMPACT AWARD WINNERS:
Specialized Masters Programs Planning Team
Colin Davis – Admissions – Senior Director, Admissions Marketing and Operations
Joshua Denee – Admissions – Director, Admissions Operations
Kara Northcutt – Admissions – Senior Director, Partnership Outreach and Admissions
Lizzie Seidenstricker – Admissions – Senior Associate Director, Admissions Marketing
Kate Spencer – Admissions – Director, Admissions Marketing
Daniel Beyman – Advancement – Director, Major Gifts, East Coast
Casey Reid – Advancement – Director, Communications
Alyson Schumacher – Advancement – Senior Project Manager
Annie White – Advancement – Senior Director, Alumni Engagement
Nirvana Chapman – Specialized Master Programs, Careers – Senior Associate Director, Careers, Specialized Programs
Sierra Cameron – Career Services – Assistant Director, Employer Relations
Melissa Jacobsen – Career Services – Senior Associate Director, Employer Programs and Events
Lucy Lu – Career Services – Associate Director, Career Management
Stefan Olofsson – Career Services – Assistant Director, Employer Programs and Events
Mandy Petersen – Career Services – Associate Director, Relationship Management
Erin Rossi – Career Services – Senior Associate Director, Career Management
Andrea Sanchez – Career Services – Associate Director, Career Management
Mike Schaefer – Career Services – Senior Director, Employer Relations
Paul Steven – Career Services – Senior Associate Director, Data Analysis and Research
Katie Ward-Mytinger – Career Services – Senior Associate Director, Career Management Projects and Events
Ting Liu – Dean’s Office – Executive Assistant to Deputy Dean Starr Marcello
Jason Coleman – Facilities & Operations – Associate Director, Facilities and Event Services
Bill Daly – Facilities & Operations – Chief Engineer
Kari McDonough – Facilities & Operations – Director, Facilities
Kevin Ryan – Facilities & Operations – Assistant Chief Engineer
Beth Daily – Faculty & Academic Services – Registrar
Ilknur Gonul – Faculty & Academic Services – Director, Learning Strategies
Erik Halloway – Faculty & Academic Services – Senior Associate Director, Academic Services
Leigh Hartley – Faculty & Academic Services – Senior Director, Faculty Services
Jessica Hing – Faculty & Academic Services – Assistant Director, Academic Services
William Kuhn – Faculty & Academic Services – Assistant Director, Academic Services
Stephen Lamb – Faculty & Academic Services – Director, Faculty and Research Support
Mao Vang – Faculty & Academic Services – Associate Registrar
Gina Vinci – Faculty & Academic Services – Associate Registrar
Amy Wright – Faculty & Academic Services – Senior Director, Faculty and Academic Services
David Zupko – Faculty & Academic Services – Director, Academic Services
Nour Arab – Information Technology – Application Architect
Veletta Bell – Information Technology – Director, Project Management Office
Joanna Gorka – Information Technology – Senior Business Analyst
Nicholaus Gurrola – Information Technology – Application Support Lead
Rick Hoffer – Information Technology – Software Engineer
Shabbir Hussain – Information Technology – Business Analyst
Utkarsh Jaiswal – Information Technology – Project Manager
Matt Leigh – Information Technology – Team Lead
Bill Manley – Information Technology – Software Engineer
Inas Sarraj – Information Technology – Application Developer
Tom Schrader – Information Technology – Senior Application Developer
James Spangler – Information Technology – Senior Application Developer
Chris Trojniar – Information Technology – Senior Application Developer
Matt Vogel – Information Technology – Associate Director, Service Desk and Applications
Jonathan Wilson – Information Technology – Application Developer
Wenbo Zhang – Information Technology – Senior Application Developer
Meghan Burns – Leadership Development – Director, Co-Curricular Learning
Lindsay Atkinson – Marketing & Communications – Senior Director, Global Marketing
Melissa Brooks – Marketing & Communications – Senior Associate Director, Content
Grant Cheney – Marketing & Communications – Associate Director, Market Research Analyst
John Falzone – Marketing & Communications – Front End Developer
Sheldon Gray – Marketing & Communications – Chief Marketing Officer
Caleb Harshman – Marketing & Communications – Front End Developer
Paul Heintz – Marketing & Communications – Director, Interactive Marketing
Peter Kim – Marketing & Communications – Senior Associate Director, Multimedia
Kelsey Magilton – Marketing & Communications – Associate Director, Digital Engagement
Sona Margaryan – Marketing & Communications – Director, Marketing & Communications
Joshua Oaks – Marketing & Communications – Associate Director, Digital Marketing
Joe Przybylski – Marketing & Communications – Senior Creative Director
Kimberly Stroz – Marketing & Communications – Associate Director, Social Media
Jake Wallach – Marketing & Communications – Associate Director, Design and Multimedia
Kyle Weiner – Marketing & Communications – Associate Director, Brand Strategy
Brent White – Marketing & Communications – Senior Associate Director, Content Strategy
Kayla Anderson – Student Life – Associate Director, Student Life
Benjamin Bedley – Student Life – Assistant Director, Events and Operations
Anna Chalfin – Student Life – Associate Director, Student Life
Stacey Ergang – Student Life – Senior Director, Student Life
Anne Garrity – Student Life – Assistant Director, Student Life Projects and Events
Micaela O’Halloran – Student Life – Director, Student Life
This initiative began when a faculty committee convened in early 2023 to consider the future of Booth’s degree programs and incorporate trends that were emerging. The end result was the development of two new proposals: a Master in Management degree and a Master in Finance degree. The work to then plan and create two new degreed programs has been a monumental effort across Booth with 75 team members contributing from 11 different teams and departments. From determining the curriculum to pivoting Admissions operations enabling Booth to attract a new market; from creating a digital presence and all new marketing materials to building out a new space within Gleacher; from creating new programs to support the students to having many conversations with recruiters to gauge interest in hiring the students; from creating academic support policies and programs to developing new IT systems to support the programs, these Booth teams and individuals stepped up to create the infrastructure for the Specialized Masters Programs, which will change the trajectory of the school in meaningful ways for years to come.