FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Sam M. Walton College of Business recognized three outstanding alumni for their achievements in business and more than 40 students for outstanding work in the classroom at its annual awards banquet.

Walton College presented these alumni awards:

• Lifetime Achievement Award – Mary Ann Greenwood, chair, Greenwood Gearhart Inc., Fayetteville; Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in banking and finance, Master of Arts in economics and doctorate in economics and finance.
• Outstanding Service Award – William Kennedy, senior vice president and general counsel, Cooper Communities Inc., Rogers; Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and banking.
• Entrepreneur Award – Steve Clark, owner and president, Propak Logistics Inc., Fort Smith; Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in finance and banking.

The 22nd annual banquet was held April 16 at the Fayetteville Town Center.

Mary Ann Greenwood

Mary Ann Greenwood is chair of Greenwood Gearhart Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor and president of Greenwood Group Ltd.

She currently serves on the executive committee for the University of Arkansas Foundation, the Investment Subcommittee for the NCAA, the Walton Arts Center Foundation Board and the Northwest Arkansas Council. She also served as chair of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis - Little Rock Branch.

A founding member of the Towers of Old Main, she also serves on the Campaign Arkansas committee for the Fayetteville campus, and the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board for the Walton College.

She and her husband have established two named scholarships at the U of A. Greenwood received the university’s 2013 Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award, presented the 2011 commencement address to the Walton College, was the 2004 chapter honoree for Beta Gamma Sigma honor society and received the 2002 Walton College Alumni Outstanding Service Award.

Bill Kennedy

William Kennedy, a native of Pine Bluff, graduated with high honors and was valedictorian of his Walton College class, winning the Wall Street Journal Award for the outstanding student in finance. He also played football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, lettering in 1970 and 1971.

 Kennedy received a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1976. He held positions with the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, then chaired by Sen. John L. McClellan, and as chief legislative assistant to Sen. Kaneaster Hodges. After two years in Washington, he returned to the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock.

 In 1993, Kennedy returned to Washington and served in the White House as associate counsel to President Bill Clinton. He then rejoined the Rose Law Firm where he remained until becoming senior vice president and general counsel for Cooper Communities Inc. in 2006.

 Kennedy is a long-standing member of the Walton College Dean’s Executive Advisory Board, on which he chairs the Student Recruitment and Career Development Committee.

Steve Clark

Steve Clark is a serial entrepreneur and startup investor and adviser. In 1999, he founded Propak Corp., a transportation and supply chain management company that employs more than 1,500 people.

In the Arkansas business community, he is probably better known for co-founding Rockfish, a globally recognized digital innovation firm.

Most recently, Clark founded Noble Impact, an education venture in partnership with the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. Noble Impact teaches entrepreneurship and public service to empower the next generation of problem solvers.

Clark serves on the boards of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Foundation, U.S. Marshall Museum, Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce and the Central Business Improvement District.

outstanding students recognized

Walton College recognized these undergraduates:

• Accounting – David Bauer, Megan Frohardt, Philip Meek, Andrew Pisechko
• Economics – Sebastian Soroeta
• Economics, Arts and Sciences – Cicely Shannon
• Finance – Benjamin Allen, Nicholas Boyle, Brett Doyel, John Robert Hill, Omar Meson Espaillat, Jordan Sooter
• Information Systems – Michael Ma, Emmanuel Ruiz
• International Business – Brooke Atwell
• Management – Madeline Johnson, Omar Kasim
• Marketing – Holden Chavis, Nicole Daniels, Candace Gooding, Monica Miller, Nikki Munro
• Retail – Kara Nelson
• Supply Chain Management – Rachael Booyer, Timothy Rzeznik, Emily Smythe
• Ralph Treat Outstanding Cooperative Education Student Award – Andrew Carter
• Presidential Scholar Award – Hannah Birch
• Sam M. Walton College of Business Student Leadership Award – Jordan Sooter
• Doyle Z. Williams Student Leadership Award – Quan Feng
• Beta Gamma Sigma Award – Kelly Hudnall
• Outstanding Graduating Senior – Brooke Atwell
• Senior Scholars – Rachael Booyer, Samuel Brehm, Jonathan Miller, Dung Nguyen, Xuesi Ren, Yingshi Zhou
• First-ranked Senior Scholars – Amanda Abernathy, Brooke Atwell, David Bauer, Caroline Chen, Connor Crumblish, Jessica Darby, Megan Frohardt, Kelly Hudnall, Philip Meek, Monica Miller, Quinn Robertson, Elizabeth Scheffler, Addison Scott

graduate student awards

Walton College presented these graduate student awards:

• Master of Business Administration – Michael Chown, EMBA; Sara Leritte, EMBA; James Leu, MBA
• Master of Accountancy – Ashleigh Alecusan
• Master of Arts in Economics – Fellipe Raymundo
• Master of Information Systems – Ashvin Someshwar
• Professional Master of Information Systems – Scott Williams

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio of 19:1 that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.