Introducing the following twelve alumni and friends of the Weatherhead School of Management who have been recognized for their outstanding professional, personal achievements and societal contributions, bringing honor and distinction to the entire ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝ community and the world at large.
They represent the foundational class of Hall of Fame honorees in what will become an annual recognition of individuals who are innovative change agents, respected thought-leaders, powerful role models, and community engagers. They are a true reflection of Weatherhead’s core values and the spirit of unpretentious excellence that has long been a pillar of the
university.
Meet the 2024 Foundational Class Honorees:
Darlyne Bailey, PhD (GRS ’88, Organizational Behavior)
Professor and Dean Emeritus, Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, Bryn Mawr College
Darlyne Bailey has made remarkable contributions as a distinguished leader in higher education for more than 30 years. In addition to her role as Professor and Dean Emeritus at Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, she has significantly impacted the field through her roles as an educator and administrator at several prestigious institutions, including ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝, University of Minnesota and Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she also served as acting president.
Bailey’s work is characterized by a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach, focusing on health and human services, leadership development, organizational behavior, inter-organizational strategic alliances, and social justice.
Her commitment to participatory action research and her active involvement in professional associations highlight her dedication to advancing these fields.
Her service extends beyond academia, with leadership roles on national and community-based boards, advisory committees, and editorial boards. Bailey’s numerous accolades include the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s National Leadership Fellowship and the National Association of Social Workers Pioneer Award.
As a first-generation college graduate, she has paved the way for future generations, earning a Bachelor of Arts from Lafayette College, a Master of Science from Columbia University, and a PhD from ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝ in organizational behavior.
John C. Dannemiller Jr. (CIT ’60, MGT ’64)
Retired Chairman & CEO, Applied Industrial Technologies
John “Jack” C. Dannemiller is a visionary leader and innovator who has made exceptional contributions to business and education. His life philosophy of “Discovery is seeing what everyone else is seeing, but thinking what no one else thinks,” has guided his impactful career.
For his MBA thesis at ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝, Dannemiller developed the Professional Selling Skills training program, which has been widely adopted across various industries for over 50 years. As chairman and CEO of Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT), he implemented innovative practices that tripled the company’s product offerings and
expanded its global presence.
Prior to joining AIT, he was an executive at Diamond Shamrock, SDS Biotech, and president and COO of Leaseway Transportation. He has been a lecturer at Weatherhead on the topics of leadership, ethics, and core values, as well as an executive-in-residence at George Fox University in Oregon.
A 1960 graduate of Case Institute of Technology and 1964 graduate of the Weatherhead School of Management, Dannemiller’s dedication to his alma mater is evident through his involvement with ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝â€™s Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box] innovation center and the scholarship fund he established with his late wife, Jean, for engineering and MBA students.
Even in retirement, Dannemiller remains active, serving on nonprofit boards and co-authoring a Christian book series. His extensive service on various boards and his leadership in Christian ministries further highlight his commitment to community and faith.
Charles “Chuck” D. Fowler (MGT ’90)
Retired President and CEO, Fairmount Santrol
Charles “Chuck” D. Fowler is a distinguished leader in the industrial minerals sector, co-founding Fairmount Minerals in 1986. Under his leadership as president and CEO, Fairmount Minerals, later known as Fairmount Santrol, became a leading provider of high-performance sand products for the oil and gas industry, achieving annual revenues of $960 million in 2017.
In 2018, Fairmount Santrol merged with Unimin Corp. to form Covia Holdings Corp., where Fowler served on the board until his retirement in 2019. His impact extends well beyond his corporate achievements. He has been a dedicated trustee of University Hospitals and the Cleveland Museum of Art, as well as director of the Cleveland Water Alliance and Aqua Clara
International, just to name a few.
His philanthropic efforts are evident through the Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, which is committed to helping create an equitable Northeast Ohio through transformative programs in education, healthcare, and the arts.
Fowler is a 1990 graduate of the Weatherhead’s Executive Master of Business Administration and has been a ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝ trustee since 2007, including serving as board chair. He has also contributed significantly to the school as a member of the Weatherhead Visiting Committee and the Advisory Board for the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. The Fowler Center was established in 2009 with the generous support of Chuck and Char Fowler.
Robert W. Gillespie Jr. (MGT ’68)
Chairman Emeritus, KeyCorp
Robert “Bob” W. Gillespie Jr., a ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝ Emeriti Trustee and MBA graduate from Weatherhead, has been a transformative figure in the banking industry. Starting his career at Cleveland’s Society National Bank in 1968, Gillespie’s leadership saw the bank evolve into a national financial powerhouse.
By 1985, he became chairman and CEO of Society National Bank, and in 1987, he took the helm of Society Corp. His strategic vision was pivotal during the merger with KeyCorp in 1994, where he continued to lead as chairman and CEO until 2001.
Gillespie’s influence extends beyond banking. He has served as Chairman Emeritus of KeyCorp, on advisory boards such as CapGen Capital Advisors, and held leadership roles in the Financial Services Roundtable and the American Bankers Association.
His commitment to community service is evident through his roles at United Way of Greater Cleveland, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Orchestra.
In addition to his commitment to ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝, he is also a Lifetime Trustee of Ohio Wesleyan University, his undergraduate alma mater.
Recognized for his contributions, Gillespie has received numerous awards, including the Business Statesman Award from the Harvard Business Club of Northeast Ohio and the Community Leader of the Year Award from the Arthritis Foundation.
Vikram Gupta (MGT ’01)
Founder & Managing Partner, IvyCap Ventures
Vikram Gupta is the founder and managing partner of IvyCap Ventures. With a career spanning more than 30 years, Gupta has made significant contributions to the fields of venture capital, private equity, business consulting, mergers and acquisitions, strategy, and operations across various industries including healthcare, life sciences, education, consumer
goods and technology. He has held leadership positions across various well-known companies in India and abroad.
Under his leadership, IvyCap Ventures has grown into a formidable fund, supporting over fifty companies such as BlueStone, Purplle and BiryaniByKilo. Prior to founding IvyCap Ventures, Gupta worked in the U.S. with IBM Business Consulting Services in strategy and planning, business development, and project management.
Gupta has been co-chairman of the Private Equity and Venture Capital Association of India at Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India and is an active member of the Indian Venture Capital Association and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
His innovative spirit is also evident in his role in conceptualizing and launching India’s first endowment fund at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, inaugurated by the Honorable President of India in 2019. Gupta continues to serve on the board of this fund and is also helping quite a few other Indian educational institutes set up their endowment funds, furthering his commitment to educational advancement.
Gupta received his bachelor’s in chemical engineering from IIT Delhi and his MBA with a concentration in international finance from the Weatherhead School of Management. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Service Award from IIT Delhi in 2020 in the presence of the honorable Prime Minister of India.
Jennifer LaClair (MGT ’01)
Head of Merchant Solutions, Fiserv
Jennifer LaClair is a distinguished leader in the financial services industry and is the head of merchant solutions at Fiserv. She oversees global merchant-focused offerings, including the Clover point-of-sale and business management platform and the Carat global commerce platform. Her leadership ensures excellence for clients ranging from small businesses to
global enterprises.
LaClair joined Fiserv in 2023 as chief revenue officer, where she helped to improve sales execution and client satisfaction by integrating and aligning revenue-related functions across the organization. With more than 20 years of experience in strategy, finance, and operations, she has consistently delivered profitable growth across various sectors.
Before Fiserv, LaClair served as chief financial officer at Ally Financial, the largest digital-only bank and a leading national retail auto lender. There, she managed the CFO and accounting functions, supply chain management, and modeling and analytics. Her decade-long tenure at PNC Financial Services saw her in multiple leadership roles, including CFO for all business segments and head of PNC’s business bank.
LaClair’s career began in international development, working on economic programs in Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa. She also spent six years at McKinsey & Company, specializing in strategy and business transformation. LaClair serves on the boards of Whirlpool Corporation and the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank.
She graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo summa cum laude and received an MBA from ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝ where she is also a member of the Women in Finance Advisory Board.
Eric A. Logan (MGT ’01)
Chief Transformation Officer, KPMG US
Eric Logan, chief transformation officer at KPMG US, has more than 20 years of experience in the industrial manufacturing sector and has been instrumental in driving KPMG’s transformation initiatives. He heads the Transformation Enablement Office, overseeing business transformation, process excellence, automation, and organizational change management.
His leadership has been pivotal in aligning firmwide transformation initiatives with KPMG’s strategy, ensuring the delivery of expected outcomes. His expertise in supply chain optimization, manufacturing strategy, and operational effectiveness has significantly impacted the firm’s success.
Prior to joining KPMG, Logan held several positions at subsidiaries of Precision Castparts, including vice president and general manager of Special Metals Welding Products Company, vice president of commercial at the PCC Revert Group, general manager of McWilliams Forge Company and vice president of business strategy for PCC Forged Products.
Beyond his professional achievements, Logan is deeply committed to diversity and inclusion. In Cleveland, he sits on the boards of Team NEO and Esperanza and is board president of Journey Center for Safety and Healing. Nationally, he has served on the National Advisory Council of A Better Chance, a nonprofit that helps place high-performing students of color into top notch secondary schools.
He has previously been recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business as a member of the 2011 “40 under 40” class and holds a bachelor’s in materials science and engineering from Stanford University and an MBA in operations management from Weatherhead.
Shelly McNamara (GRS ’91, Organizational Development & Analysis)
Retired Chief of Equity & Inclusion Officer, Procter & Gamble
Shelly McNamara is a senior HR executive with deep expertise and experience driving sustainable and meaningful organization change. She recently retired as chief equality and inclusion officer and executive vice president of human resources at Procter & Gamble (P&G).
With more than 25 years in HR, Shelly has led transformative initiatives in organization development, employee relations and executive staffing. Her leadership has impacted P&G’s largest business units, managing brand portfolios worth up to $35 billion and overseeing more than 25,000 employees globally.
Described as a change agent and a champion for diversity and inclusion, Shelly has shaped P&G’s culture and policies to foster greater diversity. She has expanded LGBTQ+ employee groups worldwide and in 2016, she received P&G’s inaugural Diversity & Inclusion Inspirational Leadership Award.
In 2022, she was selected for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business’s (AACSB) 2022 Class of Influential Leaders for her work at P&G in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Outside of work, Shelly is a board member of The Trevor Project and an active participant in several prestigious organizations, including the World Economic Forum’s Community of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers and the Conference Board’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Executives Council.
She is an accomplished writer and speaker, passionate about building connections that promote individual and community growth. Shelly holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Behavior from the University of Michigan and a Master of Science in Organization Development and Analysis from the Weatherhead School of Management.
Shailesh Mehta, PhD (GRS ’73, GRS ’75 Operations Research)
Co-Founder and Managing General Partner, Granite Hill Capital Partners
Shailesh Mehta is the co-founder and managing general partner of Granite Hill Capital Partners, a venture capital firm focused on investments in Silicon Valley technology startups and select India-related opportunities. He is a distinguished alumnus of the Weatherhead School of Management, where he earned both his master’s degree and PhD in operations research.
Mehta’s illustrious career spans several decades and industries, marked by his leadership and innovation. Before founding Granite Hill, Mehta was chairman and CEO of Providian Financial Corporation, transforming it from a small company with eighty employees into a Fortune 300 giant with more than 12,000 employees and $30 billion in assets. His strategic vision also led him to roles such as operating general partner at Sequoia Capital, general partner with Invesco Funds, president of Capital Holding and executive vice president of KeyCorp.
His influence extends beyond corporate leadership. He serves as an operating advisor to WestBridge Capital Fund and an advisor to Madison India Capital Fund. His commitment to philanthropy is evident through the Shailesh J. Mehta and Kalpa S. Mehta Charitable Foundation, which has pledged millions of dollars in grants to support numerous educational and cultural initiatives.
He has also served as a board member on many philanthropic, business, education, and arts organizations. His legacy of excellence, leadership and philanthropy continues to inspire future generations of leaders.
Richard L. Osborne (MGT ’73) *
Former Professor, Marketing and Policy Studies, Weatherhead School of Management
The late Richard L. Osborne, affectionately known as the “Gorilla,” made remarkable contributions to ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝ during his more than 45-year tenure at the university. Osborne’s profound impact on students, colleagues and business leaders is legendary. His courses were often cited as the most valuable by alumni, who admired his deep commitment to their personal and professional growth.
Osborne’s influence extended beyond the classroom. In 1990, he founded Promise Partners, a nonprofit for Weatherhead alumni with entrepreneurial aspirations, which later led to Promise One, a group supporting business acquisitions.
His innovative teaching methods and dedication earned him numerous accolades, including being named one of Bloomberg Businessweek’s top twelve entrepreneurship professors in the 1990s, and receiving ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝â€™s top undergraduate teaching award in 2008 – just two years after he first began working with students at that level.
Students and colleagues praised Osborne for his engaging teaching style and genuine care for their development. His “Gorilla Guarantee” promised unlimited support to ensure student satisfaction. Osborne’s legacy includes his extensive involvement in academic writing and serving on more than two dozen boards, demonstrating his commitment to the Northeast Ohio
community.
Osborne’s enduring legacy is reflected in the countless lives he touched, inspiring many to reach for the stars. His wisdom, devotion and generosity of spirit will be remembered and celebrated by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
W. Aubrey Webson, DM (MGT ’04)
Ambassador – Antigua and Barbuda, United Nations
Aubrey Webson is the esteemed ambassador to the United Nations for Antigua and Barbuda. His illustrious career spans several decades, marked by significant contributions to the fields of management, leadership training and policy formulation.
Beginning his journey as chief executive of the Caribbean Council for the Blind from 1981 to 1987, Webson has been a pivotal figure in advocating for the visually impaired. His expertise was further honed through his roles at Sight Savers International and Helen Keller International, where he advised on development programs across Africa and the Caribbean.
Since 1992, Webson has served as an institutional development consultant for the Perkins School for the Blind. His academic contributions are equally impressive, having lectured at prestigious institutions such as Boston University, Boston College, and the University of South Africa.
Webson’s influence extends to the global stage, where he has been a prominent speaker at the United Nations General Assembly and the World Blind Union General Assembly. He is credited with developing the Africa Forum, a significant conference on services for the blind.
His scholarly works include “NGOs and Ethics” and “NGO Corruption and Democracy.” He holds a Doctorate in Management from ĐÇżŐ´«Ă˝, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in management of non-profit organizations and a post-graduate certificate in organizational development from the New School of Research.
Bertram “Bart” L. Wolstein*
Former Real Estate Developer, Heritage Development Company
The late Bertram “Bart” L. Wolstein was an American real estate developer, sports team owner and philanthropist. He founded Developers Diversified Realty Corporation (now SITE Centers) and later Heritage Development.
Together with his wife, Iris, they worked on many exceptional projects including Barrington Estates and Golf Club, Glenmoor Estates and Country Club, the Bertram Hotel and Conference Center, and the Renaissance Office Building, which was the first new office building to be built in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square in 60 years.
He retired from active business in 1997 and became one of the most generous donors in the United States in his final years. Iris Wolstein carries on her husband’s legacy in many aspects, primarily through her involvement in several charitable organizations and through the couple’s
ongoing philanthropy.
Cleveland State University named the building housing the Cleveland Marshall College of Law the Bert L. Wolstein Hall. Other notable gifts made by the Wolstein’s include $25 million to University Hospitals of Cleveland, $2.5 million to the Weatherhead School of Management and $750,000 to United Cerebral Palsy to establish the Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein Center.
Before his passing in May of 2004, Wolstein completed the final manuscript for his memoir, Crossing the Road to Entrepreneurship, which he dedicated to his wife, saying “My partner, my guide, my love since 1946.” With her well-known tenacity for completing projects, Iris Wolstein succeeded in having the book published both to honor her husband’s memory, and so others would have the opportunity to gain experience from one of the nation’s leading real estate developers and philanthropists.
*Posthumous