Entrepreneur of the Year

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Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award is presented by the Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship. Their webite describes the award as a “celebration of the most influentual and successful Entrepreneur alumni/ae of Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict.”

Separate awards are given each year for one CSB and one SJU graduate “who best exemplifies the ideals of entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more businesses in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and their lives.”

There is also one Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, given to either a CSB or an SJU graduate “who best exemplifies the ideals of social entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more ventures that enriches humanity or addresses a social issue in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and in their lives.”

The awards have been given since 2011.

2024
CSB: Lacie Gerhardson ’00
SJU: Anthony Schmidt ’09
Social: Katie Kalkman ’06

2023
CSB: Shannon Wiger ’04
SJU: Dusan Kosic ’07
Social: Paul Williams ’84

2022
CSB: Hudda Ibrahim ’13
SJU: Pat Lynch ’88
Social: Mary Lenard ’82

2021
CSB: Gina Shields Armada ’97
SJU: Chris Coborn ’81
Social: Kurt Vickman ’94

2020
SJU: Dennis Carlson ’86
CSB: Jennifer Dugan Roth ’91
Social: Angela Untiedt Jerabek ’90

2019
CSB: Sandy Pfefferle Forster ‘82
SJU: Russ Sherlock ‘83
Social:
Tim Wensman ’79
John Bodette ’72
Steve Bresnahan ’75
Bill Maney [no year given]

2018
CSB: Teresa Mazzitelli ‘72
SJU: Steve Cummings ‘83
Social: Elizabeth Madden Ogren ‘85

2017 
CSB: Megan Junius ‘99
SJU: Scott Becker ‘77
Social: Peter Rothstein ‘88

2016
SJU:Brian Kueppers ’89 
Br. Paul Richards ’78

2015
CSB: Janet Dryer ’83
SJU: Rick Bauerly ’91
Social: Krista Carroll ’00

2014
CSB: Kate Huebusch ’84
SJU: Dan Bastian ’90
Social: Greg Lais ’78

2013
CSB: Lisa Spoden ’83
SJU: Mike Wethington ’79
Social: William Kling ’64

2012
CSB: Margaret Murphy ’90
SJU: Cary Muesch ’80
Social: Joe Cavanaugh ’81

2011
CSB: Judith Sitarz ’71
SJU: Bill Jeatran ’82
Timothy M. Fleming ’82
Social: Denise DeVaan ’75

For further information please visit one of these pages:

http://www.csbsju.edu/center-for-entrepreneurship
https://www.csbsju.edu/center-for-entrepreneurship/nomination-form/
http://www.csbsju.edu/center-for-entrepreneurship/entrepreneur-of-the-year-awards/past-winners