Fisher Alumni Awards

This award is presented to an alumna or alumnus in recognition of their outstanding career accomplishments and leadership, positive community impact and unrivaled passion for The Ohio State University. The award is a testament to the incredible ways Ohio State business alumni are creatively shaping industries and organizations worldwide.

Archie Griffin (BSBA ’76)
Former President and CEO, The Ohio State University Alumni Association

Born at University Hospital nearly in the shadow of Ohio Stadium, Archie Griffin has been a Buckeye his whole life.

After serving 11 years as president and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association (OSUAA), Archie stepped back in 2015 to a consultant role as senior advisor in the Office of Advancement at Ohio State. During his tenure leading the OSUAA, he led an expanded effort to embrace young alumni and began initiatives focusing on career assistance and establishing an Office of Volunteer Relations.

The only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, Archie is also one of a select group of Buckeyes to be named a three-time All American. After graduating from Ohio State in 1976, Archie was a first-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals, where he served as co-captain and played for seven seasons. 

At Ohio State, he created the Archie Griffin Scholarship Fund, which benefits the university’s Olympic sports programs. Locally, the Archie and Bonita Griffin Foundation Fund helps develop sports, educational and travel programs for youth. 

Archie is a former director of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., and he serves as a director at Encova Insurance Company, member of the board of directors for The Columbus Youth Foundation and is a member of the board of directors for AAA Club Alliance.

Archie and his spouse, Bonita, are parents to three children, Anthony, Andre and Adam, as well as three grandchildren.

Inspired by Max M. Fisher’s legacy of leadership and dedication to others, this award is presented to an alumna or alumnus who has served as a principled leader in their company and their community. They are service-oriented catalysts who affect positive change in their profession and seek to advance the common good.
 

Mark Johnson (MBA ’80)
Partner, TTV Capital

Mark Johnson currently serves as a Partner at TTV Capital. Prior to joining TTV, Mark was the vice chairman of CheckFree, where he led its corporate development and M&A with more than 20 acquisitions during his tenure. He was one of the initial executives at CheckFree, one of the world’s most successful bill payment systems. 

He was instrumental in CheckFree’s growth from a pre-revenue startup to a public corporation with over $1 billion in annual revenue. From 2000 to 2003, he worked at e-RM Ventures, a private investing consultancy he founded that focused on early-stage, payments-related companies. Prior to joining CheckFree, Mark worked for the Federal Reserve Bank and Bank One.

Today, he supports young and emerging entrepreneurs. He is currently on the Board of Directors at DefenseStorm, Onward, Micronotes, Monit, SmartAsset, Foro and Flossy. His previous board experience includes FleerCor, Cardlytics and Bill.com.

He earned his MBA from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree at Miami University.

This award is presented to an alumna or alumnus in their early to mid-career who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in business, civic involvement and service to the college. Must be 45 years of age or younger.
 

Elicia Azali (BSBA ’05)

Chief Marketing Officer, Beazer Homes

Elicia Azali is a dynamic executive renowned for steering the success of billion-dollar brands across diverse industries. Currently, she serves as chief marketing officer for Beazer Homes, one of the country’s largest homebuilders. In this role, she is accountable for national brand strategy, digital customer experience and customer insights, analytics and technology.

Prior to Beazer, she served as the enterprise chief marketing officer at American Family Insurance Group, where she defined the enterprise purpose and crafted winning marketing strategies for a portfolio generating $14 billion in revenue. 

Elicia serves on the boards of the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, Morehouse College Division of Economics and Business, and as a founding advisory board member of Color Vision.

Elicia was honored in the American Advertising Federation 2023 Hall of Achievement and was a member of Ad Age’s 40 under 40 Class of 2021. A two-time Pace Setters Award winner at Fisher, Elicia is a mother to four young men and a supportive wife to Nathaniel Azali Sr.

This award is presented to an alumna or alumnus recognized for significant contributions to the entrepreneurship community through the development, launch and investment in successful new ventures. This award also recognizes outstanding commitment to the next generation of entrepreneurs.
 

Michael Ritenour (BSBA ’91)
President/CEO, Ritenour Group

Mike Ritenour is president and CEO of Ritenour Group in Twinsburg, Ohio, a specialty trades construction contractor for some of the largest construction projects in Northeast Ohio.  

Mike is also a developer and owner of commercial real estate in Northeast Ohio and has been involved in dozens of development projects in the last 25 years.

In his community, he has held several volunteer positions including past chairman of Seton Catholic School in Hudson, Ohio, and leadership positions for various trade organizations.

Mike resides with his wife, Karen, in Hudson, and together they have two daughters, Alison and Emily, both of whom are proud Buckeyes.

This award is presented to an alumna or alumnus recognized nationally and internationally for significant contributions to business — and for helping to advance the global learning of Fisher students.
 

Jerome Revish (BSBA ’98)
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Digital and Commercial Technologies, Cardinal Health

Jerome Revish provides strategic leadership and support for commercial technology development, enterprise architecture, data and analytics and eCommerce across Cardinal Health. In this role, he leads a diverse cross-functional team which includes data engineers, data scientists and artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities. In addition, he oversees Fuse, Cardinal Health’s innovation engine and product development center. 

Prior to his current role, Jerome was senior vice president of Cardinal’s Digital Transformation Office, a focused effort to enable growth through digital solutions aimed at core business processes, the customer experience and health care solutions. Prior to that, he was senior vice president of Customer Support Services. 

Jerome serves on the Columbus State Community College Board of Trustees, Cardinal Health Foundation Board and is a board member and treasurer for the Rebuild and Renew Community Development Corporation. He has been involved with several diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Cardinal Health, such as the Gender Partnership Committee and the BOLD network for Black and African American employees.

This award is presented to an extraordinary alumna or alumnus who has demonstrated a consummate commitment to service — to their alma mater, in their local community and to humankind.
 

Bruce Wimbish (MBA ’02, MEd ’08)

Sports Business Development Manager, Greater Columbus Convention Center/ASM Global

A sports executive with more than 20 years of experience in professional sports, college athletics and national sporting events, Bruce Wimbish joined the Greater Columbus Convention Center in February 2024. He leads the facility’s business development efforts for all event hosting opportunities in the sports industry locally, regionally and nationally.

Bruce’s previous sports experience includes a dual role as director of Pro Sports Partnerships for ADVANCE, a leading athlete development and engagement consulting firm, and the manager for the Sports Law Practice at Porter Wright. Prior to those, he held communications and marketing positions with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and corporate and basketball communications positions with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. His first opportunity in sports was as a corporate sales and service intern with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.

Bruce’s volunteer leadership includes founding and serving as president of the National Society of Black Sports Professionals, Inc. and the director of development and communications for the College Basketball Parents Association, which he helped start in 2020. 

Fisher’s corporate partners invest in the college through their time, talent and philanthropic support. They engage with the college by offering internships to students, hiring recent graduates, guiding students through mentorship programs, and creating avenues for students to enhance their leadership capabilities. These actions exemplify how these organizations actively invest in advancing business education at Fisher. 

This award acknowledges an organization that exhibist an exceptional dedication to fostering the achievement of Fisher's students, faculty and educational initiatives.
 

Nationwide
 

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified financial services and insurance organizations in the United States. As a longstanding provider of internships for students and full-time employment opportunities for new graduates, Nationwide ranks among the top supporters of The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business.

The company, which is rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s, also supports the college and university as a member of several prestigious centers of research excellence, including the Center for Operational Excellence, The Ohio State Center for Real Estate, The Risk Institute and the Center for Innovation Strategies.

Through a shared commitment to nurturing the next generation of business leaders, Nationwide’s ongoing partnership with Fisher has opened doors that have spurred creativity and industry-shaping research, created additional educational opportunities for business students and bolstered Fisher’s leadership development programs.

Jennifer Gardner (MLHR ’93)
Founder and CEO, Jen Gardner Leadership, LLC

 

Jennifer Gardner has 25 years of experience leading human resources and talent management across a variety of industries. She has held senior leadership roles at companies such as Deloitte, Highlights for Children and MedVet. Her experience in the C-suite uniquely positioned her to transition her focus and start her own business, a consulting practice that provides executive and team coaching and leadership development. Her mission is to help people and teams be their best. Her clients range from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups and includes her favorite, The Ohio State University. 

Her extensive background enables her to create deep and impactful changes within organizations. Using proven methodology and resources and leveraging a thorough understanding of the organization’s needs, Jennifer partners with her clients to get results. 

Jennifer is a certified executive coach. She received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University and a Master’s in Labor and Human Resource Management from The Ohio State University. She is past president of the Human Resources Association of Central Ohio, has served on the Governance Board for the Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio chapter for Make-A-Wish and also chaired the Central Ohio Board. She is an active member of the Fisher’s Alumni Board.