Distinguished Alumni & James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service

Distinguished Alumni & James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service

These NMSU Alumni Association awards are presented annually during Homecoming week.

Brenda Joy Baca Alvarez, 2009 Distinguished Alumna. (Submitted photo)

2009: Brenda Joy Baca Alvarez (’81)

Brenda Alvarez was raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After graduating from high school, prompted by her parents, she moved to Las Cruces to attend New Mexico State University.

In 1981, Brenda earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a major in managerial accounting from the College of Business at New Mexico State University.

Upon graduation, Brenda began work in the accounting department at Mutual Building and Loan. After four years, she left the company to dedicate time to raising her son and began part-time employment at Energy Optics. She worked there until she and her husband, Joe Alvarez, made the decision to start their business. With the assistance and support of Joe’s family, EMI Technologies became a reality.

Their business, EMI Technologies, began as a small company but has grown to a $22 million-a-year enterprise. EMI Technologies’ product focus is in the engineering fabrication and delivery of custom mobile instrumentation systems. EMI has the resources to engineer and fabricate instrumentation trailers, vans and other custom mobile instrumentally systems. Since its inception, EMI Technologies has been awarded numerous small business awards. In the years 1990, 1993, and 1994, EMI Technologies received the Award of Excellence from the U.S. Small Business Administration, and in 1994 and 2001 were awarded the Regional 6 Prime Contractor of the year award presented to the company in Washington D.C.

Brenda Alvarez is very active in the community. She currently serves on the Wells Fargo Advisory Board, Arrowhead Center Advisory Board, and Las Cruces Country Club Board and in the past has served on the NMSU Alumni Association Board and the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce Board.

Brenda says “We feel blessed for everything and try to give back to the community through supporting various charitable organizations”.

In 2003, Brenda and Joe Alvarez funded the Hispanic Business Student’s Association, allowing them to compete and attend a national conference where they were recognized as one of the best chapters in the country. Brenda and Joe have been long supporters of NMSU  through the College of Business and College of Arts and Sciences. They have both contributed of their time, talent and treasure to help build excellence at NMSU.

Brenda is married to Joe Alvarez, a graduate of NMSU. Together, they have built a strong company and a family. Brenda and Joe have three children, Adam who earned both a Bachelors and Masters degree from the College of Business and is currently working in Washington D.C., Nicole who is currently a student in the College of Business, and Kaitlyn who started at NMSU this fall. Brenda comes from a long line of loyal Aggies; her three brothers are also graduates of New Mexico State University.

Shari Jones, 2009 James F. Cole Award honoree. (Submitted photo)

James F. Cole Award

Shari Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1980 and her master’s degree in business administration in 1981 from NMSU. In 2001, she joined the executive council of NMSU’s Alumni Association, which she served for four years including one year as president. She has also served in the association’s international board of directors. Jones is a member of the Aggie Athletics Fund Board and the President’s Associates Board. She received the NMSU Foundation’s Spirit of Service Award in October 2007 in recognition of her role as the co-chair of the Hospitality Committee for the 2007 WAC Basketball Tournament held in Las Cruces, a role she also undertook for the 2008 event.

Jones was a recipient of the 2009 NMSU College of Business Hall of Fame Award.

CEO, Juniper Networks, former Microsoft VP and NMSU alumnus Kevin Johnson. (Photo by Darren Phillips)

2008: Kevin Johnson (’81)

Kevin Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from NMSU in 1981.

Kevin Johnson joined Juniper Networks in September of 2008 in the roles of CEO and member of the Board. Prior to Juniper, Johnson spent 16 years at Microsoft, most recently leading the Platforms & Services Division, an organization of over 14,000 employees with responsibility for product development, marketing and strategy for the Windows and Online Services businesses.

Under his leadership, the division achieved record breaking results with over $20 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2008. In addition to leading the Windows business, Johnson focused on building Microsoft’s position as a leader in online advertising and evolving its “software + services” strategy. He also worked globally with consumer, small and medium-sized business, enterprise and service provider customers.

Prior to that role, Johnson served as group vice president of Microsoft’s worldwide sales, marketing and services and oversaw corporate operations and IT functions that supported the work of Microsoft employees around the world. Previous to Microsoft, Johnson worked in IBM’s systems integration and consulting business and started his career as a software developer.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from New Mexico State University and served as a founding member of the board of directors of NPower, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help other nonprofits use technology to expand the reach and impact of their work. Johnson also served as a member of the Western Region Board of Advisors of Catalyst, a non-profit organization dedicated to women’s career advancement.

In 2001, he was the recipient of the NMSU College of Business Hall of Fame Award.

Greg Maxwell (submitted photo)

2007: Greg Maxwell (’78)

Senior vice president/chief financial officer and controller for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company located in The Woodlands, Texas, Greg Maxwell graduated from New Mexico State University in 1978 with a bachelor of accountancy degree.

He became a certified public accountant in Oklahoma in 1981 and a certified internal auditor in 1998. Maxwell also served as chairman of the college’s Business Advisory Council from 2007-2008.

James F. Cole Award

E. Larry Lujan received the 2007 NMSU James Cole Award. Lujan serves as President and CEO of Manual Lujan Insurance, Inc., and Lujan Enterprises, Inc. He graduated from NMSU in 1977 with a Bachelor of Business Administration–Management.

Bradley Gordon (submitted photo)

2006: Bradley Gordon (’78)

Brad Gordon earned a degree in marketing from NMSU in 1978, graduating near the top of his class in business.

After finishing school, he worked in venture capital and then turned to launching several companies in tandem with other entrepreneurs.Since 1981 Gordon has been involved in the startup of eleven companies, mostly in the biotech field.

In 2005, in appreciation for what he gained at New Mexico State, Gordon donated 10,000 shares of Celgene stock, which had a current market value of close to $500,000, to the College of Business.

Joseph Semprevivo

2005: Joseph Semprevivo (’98)

Joseph Semprevivo has been an innovator since childhood. Joseph was diagnosed with diabetes at age nine, and at age 12 developed the first sugar-free ice cream in the world. To share it with other diabetics, he sold it in 197 stores in New Mexico.

At age 15, he asked his parents to develop a sugarfree cookie which he could enjoy. This was the first sugar-free cookie in America. Joseph’s Lite Cookies was born in 1986 in Deming, New Mexico, out of this need for a good tasting cookie that a young diabetic could enjoy and share.

This enterprise remains in Deming and is now at 125,000 retailers and in 35 countries with a plant of 52,000 square feet providing lifetime employment to team members.

At age 17, Joseph was presented the American Success Award by President George Bush in a White House ceremony.

Under CEO/President Semprevivo’s leadership, in 2004 alone, Joseph’s Lite Cookies received the New Mexico Governor’s VIVA (Vision, Investment, Vitality Action) award presented to the company Oct. 28, 2004, and the American Tasting Institute Award, Quality Hero Award, and the Superior Product Award.

In, 1997, Joseph received his bachelor’s degree in Marketing and in Management from New Mexico State University and he now provides full-ride scholarships each semester to two NMSU students.

Linda Doubrava

2004: Linda Doubrava (’83)

Linda received her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from New Mexico State University where she graduated with honors in 1983.

Currently Ms. Doubrava is the KPMG LLP federal tax partner in charge of the Rio Grande Business Unit tax practices, which includes El Paso and Albuquerque. She joined the firm in 1984, and was admitted into the partnership in 2002.

She is a member of the Texas Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. She is active in the community and currently serves on the board of directors of the Children’s’ Grief Center, the El Paso Rehabilitation Center for Children, the El Paso Del Norte Group, the Advanced Retraining and Redevelopment in Border Areas Organization (ARRIBA) and Junior Achievement. Recently she decided to join other El Paso professionals to assist in revitalizing VIVA El Paso. Linda is active in fundraising for the Ronald McDonald House, AVANCE, participates as a Chair Captain for the Annual YWCA Luncheon, and is an annual team member of the United Way Allocations Committee.

Last year, Linda was asked to be one of six judges for the University Case Study Competition during the 2003 National Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (”ALPFA”) Conference. She was so inspired by the commitment of the students and the enthusiasm of the business professionals involved with ALPFA that she was instrumental in starting the first Rio Grande ALPFA Business Chapter which includes Las Cruces and El Paso.

James F. Cole Award

Gary Cataldo.

2003: Mike Rogers

Mike is currently running his own company Rogers Media Ventures which includes a portfolio of publications including Government West magazine and other custom publishing clients. Under the umbrella of RMV, he also works with a network of resources to assist companies in their marketing efforts. Recent engagements are with a diverse set of clients businesses including CNET Networks, DevX, Telesuite Corporation, as well as, co-founding of the first tribally owned, Native American advertising agency: Talon (www.talonadvertising.com).

Prior to forming his own company, Mike worked on the media side of the advertising world where he held the position of Corporate Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Knight Ridder – the nation’s second largest newspaper company with revenues of $2.9B. At Knight Ridder, he was responsible for marketing, branding and sales of its 30 newspaper products and its 80+ web sites. These included the Ft.Worth Star Telegram, Kansas City Star, Wichita Eagle, Detroit Free Press, St. Paul Pioneer Press, San Jose Mercury News, Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Charlotte Observer among others.

At Knight Ridder Digital, he led marketing, sales and branding for their national network of local Real Cities branded sites across the country including the first newspaper web site: Mercury Center of the San Jose Mercury News, as well as vertically targeted national web sites such as www.thatsracin.com – the unauthorized No. 2 NASCAR site; www.auto.com – the definitive site for the automotive industry; www.siliconvalley.com – the information source for people, companies, industry and trends in Silicon Valley; Yaks Corner (www.yakscorner) – a site devoted to kids providing activities in art and games; www.virtualtexan.com – a resource site for Lone Star State lovers about the history, culture, literature, food, and people of Texas.

Mike was previously Publisher and President of Computerworld, the leading computer industry newspaper focused on information technology professionals worldwide. He was promoted to Computerworld from the position of Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for International Data Group (IDG) its corporate owner. In this position, Mike’s responsibility included national account sales to leading technology marketers including IBM, Sun, Microsoft, Intel, Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Oracle, Apple and Cisco among others. IDG is the largest worldwide media and research company devoted exclusively to information on technology. It owns and operates over 270 publications worldwide in over 80+ countries. Its U.S. titles include: CIO, PCWorld, Computerworld, MacWorld, Infoworld and Gamepro magazines.

Rogers also has many years of experience on the advertising agency side of the business world having worked at three agencies during his career: Tallant Yates (Denver), Campbell-Ewald (Detroit) and Lowe Lintas (New York). His experience was focused to the account management and strategic planning role at these agencies. He has stewarded brands for such well known companies as: Walt Disney World, National Car Rental, Eastern Airlines, Greater Miami Tourism Bureau, Princess Cruise Lines, Howard Johnson, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Storage Tek, Lipton and Kmart among others.

Notably, Mike was responsible for the strategic planning, positioning and naming of the IBM Thinkpad product line. He led the effort at Unilever’s Lipton Division to create an aggressive brand extension effort including Lipton Herbal Teas and their Cup of Soup products. He has been the recipient of a Gold EFFIE recognizing marketing programs for effectiveness from the American Marketing Association for his work on KMART. In addition, he won two additional EFFIES for new product launch marketing on behalf of his IBM client. He was responsible for the highly successful spin off of the Lexmark brand from within IBM.

Mike resides in Northern California where he resides with his wife Carol and their black Labrador, Sadie.

James F. Cole Award

Tomas Chavez.

Dr. Lisa Donnini

2002: Lisa Donnini (’78)

Dr. Lisa Donnini graduated in 1978 with a Masters of Arts degree in Economics from the College of Business Administration and Economics at NMSU. She also received her Bachelor of Science degree from Home Economics in 1976 at NMSU. She later earned her PhD in 1984 from Oklahoma State University.

Currently she is the Assistant Vice President of the Securities Industry Association and Deputy Director of the Securities Industry Foundation for Economic Education located in New York City. She is married and commutes from Laingsburg, Michigan. Dr. Donnini is a native of Las Cruces.

Dorothy Hughes, NMSU’s Stockmarket Game Coordinator, nominated Lisa and Economics Department Head, Mike Ellis, forwarded her nomination to the College Executive Committee where a unanimous vote was taken to send her name forward to the Alumni Association for their deliberation. Their decision was announced July 21, 2002.

The Stock Market Game reaches 700,000 students annually. Under the direction of Dr. Donnini, this program reaches teachers and students in classrooms across the country and internationally. New Mexico State University plays a vital role in delivery of this program. Dorothy Hughes is directly involved in many aspects of the national program. This significant program partnership provides for distribution of literature and program materials, which contain the NMSU logo and address, to schools nationwide . . . a tremendous visibility and recruiting tool for NMSU.

Dr. Donnini will address the Homecoming Scholarship Luncheon group on Friday, October 11, 2002. Congratulations Dr. Donnini!

Chris Knackstedt

2001: Chris Knackstedt (’91)

Chris Knackstedt of El Paso is the 2001 Distinguished Alum of the New Mexico State University College of Business Administration and Economics.

Knackstedt is a 1991 honors graduate of NMSU with a Bachelor of Accountancy degree with a minor in Economics. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1996 and is a Certified Public Accountant.

He currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for the Sierra Providence Health Network, a for-profit network of two acute care hospitals, a physical rehabilitation hospital, an ambulatory surgical center, a 500 physician PHO, and multiple outpatient service centers.

Prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer, Knackstedt served as Director of Contract Compliance for Sierra. Before joining the Sierra Providence Health Network, he was a Senior Auditor for KPMG Peat Marwick with responsibility for planning and coordination of annual financial audits and preparation of audit reports.

His clients included publicly traded entities, manufacturing entities with multi-national operations, and several hospitals. Knackstedt is a former member of the NMSU College of Business Alumni Advisory Counsel and currently serves on the NMSU College of Business Advisory Board.

2000: Philip Cook (’84)

Philip W. Cook of Houston, Texas, is the 2000 Distinguished Alum of the New Mexico State University College of Business. Cook is a 1984 graduate with a Bachelor of Accountancy degree.

He spent nine years with the international public accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand, L.L.P., before joining Burlington Resources in 1993 as Vice President of Audit. He was named Vice President and Chief Information Officer in 1995 and currently serves as Vice President and Controller with responsibility for accounting and information systems.

Cook is a member of the Financial Executives Institute, the American Institute of CPAs, the Texas Society of CPAs, and the Washington Society of CPAs. He is also a member of the Business Advisory Council of the NMSU College of Business Administration and Economics.

He and his wife, Sandy, live in Houston with their two daughters, Laurel and Alexandra.

James F. Cole Award

John “Jack” Oestreicher.

Laura Mathers Conniff

1999: Laura Mathers Conniff (’74)

The 1999 CBAE Distinguished Alumna is Laura Mathers Conniff. Laura is a 1974 graduate of New Mexico State University earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with honors.

She is currently a co-broker at Mathers Realty, Inc., in Las Cruces, and co-owner of Leveldale Farms. She previously worked as a Credit Analyst at First National Bank of Doña Ana County and as a Financial Analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas.

Laura was named as one of the Outstanding Young Women in America in 1978 and has received numerous awards for her service to New Mexico State University including the NMSU Foundation’s Branding Iron Award and the James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service.

She is a past president of the NMSU Foundation and of the Mil Gracias Society, a member of the Aggie Sports Association, member of the Board of Directors of the President’s Association, and a member of the Advisory Council of the College of Business Administration and Economics.

She has also served on the Board of Directors of Western Bank and the Mesilla Valley Hospice and as a member of the Investment Committee of the Memorial Medical Center Foundation.