2026 Alumni Awards recipients reflect on those who shaped their success

By Margaret Farnham
Fisher College of Business

Behind every highly successful business leader is a professor, mentor or classmate who planted a seed, ignited a passion or presented an unexpected opportunity.

That was certainly the case for Fisher’s 2026 Alumni Awards honorees.

Recipients of this year’s awards recounted the people who led them to their careers and, ultimately, this moment of recognition for their contributions to their organizations, community and alma mater. Fisher celebrated these six extraordinary alumni and one outstanding corporate partner during a ceremony and reception in the Longaberger Alumni House on The Ohio State University Campus.

While family influences and support laid the foundation for their academic journeys, most recalled the Fisher professors and courses that influenced their path forward and the choices they made throughout their career.

“Fisher introduced me to the wonderful world of brand management and showed me that analytical thinking and creativity could coexist harmoniously,” said Ciare L. James (MBA ’07), as she accepted the Professional Achievement Award.

James is the senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Bob Evans Farms. Prior to that, she served as brand director for Conagra Brands and senior assistant brand manager at Procter & Gamble. 

A case competition led to her meeting a Fisher alum, which led to an internship and full-time employment at P&G and eventually a 20-year career that continues to flourish. 

“That journey taught me that growth rarely follows a perfect plan,” said James, who also serves on Fisher’s Alumni Board and as an Executive in Residence, a new program that brings executives into the classrooms to share practical insights and lessons with students.

Craig Baldwin (BSBA ’10), co-founding partner of the digital-first accounting firm Upsourced, also understands the need to be open to the unexpected. He credits his career in public accounting to Marc Smith, a senior lecturer in Accounting and Management Information Systems.

“He hired me as a teaching assistant many years ago while I was at Fisher, and that led to a career I probably wouldn’t have attained if it wasn’t for him,” said Baldwin, recipient of the Entrepreneurship Alumni Award. 

He also shared the story of a childhood friend and fellow Fisher graduate who worked for him part time before losing a battle with cancer. His friend’s dedication during his illness taught Baldwin the importance of focusing on the people within his organization and the ability to provide them with personal fulfillment and professional growth.

“Since that moment, Upsourced has increased in size…It really changed a lot for me,” he said, accepting the award in his friend’s honor.

Stories of life-changing and career-affirming mentors highlighted acceptance speeches throughout the presentation.

“Mentors like Germaine Simpson and David Harrison helped open doors and shaped my path,” said Mae Smitherman-Smith (BSBA ’90, MBA ’95), recipient of the Empowering Excellence Award. 

Simpson was Smitherman-Smith’s advisor; Harrison advised the Council of Black Students in Administration and the Black MBA Association when Smitherman-Smith served as both organizations' president as an undergraduate and graduate student.

“From my undergraduate years to my return as an MBA student, their guidance showed me the power of an advocate, the importance of showing up, asking questions and building relationships,” said Smitherman-Smith, executive director of Global Supply Chain Finance for the Ford Motor Company. “Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my entire career.”

Smitherman-Smith has spent 31 years with Ford, where she also leads Finance Recruiting, is a member of the Women of Ford Board and a fierce advocate for employees. At Fisher, she serves on the Alumni Board and frequently mentors students in the classroom.

“These awards are really a thank you and gratitude for our amazing faculty,” said Amy Werner Chronis (BSBA ’83), who received the Excellence in Service Award.

Chronis retired from Deloitte and her role as Vice Chair and U.S. Energy & Chemicals Leader after more than two decades with the company. Throughout her career, she also provided expertise and support to numerous nonprofit boards and her alma mater. She is a former member of The Ohio State University’s Audit and Finance related Committees and a current Charter (Nonresident) Trustee. She continues to serve Fisher as a guest lecturer and mentor.

“It would be an understatement for me to say that my experience at Ohio State, and Fisher in particular, was nothing less than transformational,” she said. “Truly, the experiences I had here and the amazing professors and the academic excellence that I got to benefit from was foundational in giving me the platform to carry on the rest of my life and my career journey.”

Steven Trulaske, Sr. (MBA ’82) shared similar sentiments about his alma mater upon receiving the Global Business Excellence Award.

He credits Fisher’s MBA program, along with a semester abroad during his undergraduate years, for his ability to grow True Manufacturing, a maker of commercial refrigeration, into international markets. He ultimately expanded the company’s reach from St. Louis to 100 countries.

“My last quarter of our [MBA] program had us running a computer-simulated business in competition with fellow MBA students,” he said. “The experience of working with students from Iraq, Nigeria and Japan was great preparation for the position I was about to embark on.”

Like the other honorees, Trulaske spoke of his deep appreciation for a faculty mentor. That gratitude ultimately led to his establishing the Dr. H. Lee “Buck” Matthews Professorship in Marketing. 

This desire to pay forward, especially to the next generation of Business Buckeyes, was a common theme among the honorees. They have returned to Fisher time and again to sit on boards, speak in classrooms and participate in special events.

R.H. “Ric” Dillon (BSBA ’77, MA ’86), recipient of this year’s Distinguished Leadership Award, spoke of the importance of building something that lasts longer than all of us. 

He has spent more than four decades in the investment industry, and six years ago co-founded VELA Investment Management LLC, where he serves as CEO. His history in investing includes leadership at Diamond Hill Investment Group, an organization he helped raise to the top 1 percent of public companies during his tenure.

He has brought real-world investing to the classroom as a guest lecturer, supported hands-on finance programming and established the Ric Dillon Endowed Professorship in Investments.

Collectively, this year’s honorees have logged more than 180 years of professional experience, community service and dedication to generations of Fisher students.

“Their stories remind us of the impact one person — one Buckeye — can make on the world,” said Interim Dean Aravind Chandrasekaran.

In addition to the six individual honorees, Fisher recognized Columbus-based Battelle with the 2026 Corporate Partner Award for the organization’s ongoing support of the college’s programs, students and faculty. 

“When you think about Battelle and Ohio State, there’s a long history here — a shared commitment to innovation, discovery and, perhaps most importantly, developing the people who will help solve the challenges of tomorrow,” said Chandrasekaran.

The world’s largest independent, nonprofit applied science and technology organization, Battelle regularly participates in case competitions, career fairs and classroom programming. They also open doors to Business Buckeyes through internships and career opportunities, with many Fisher graduates counted among the more than 500 Ohio State alumni employed there.

Matt Vaughan, president of Battelle’s Applied Science and Technology Group, accepted the award on his company’s behalf.

“The partnership is about a shared belief that interaction and interpersonal relationships drive results. For us, that often means hosting interns and then hiring and keeping them,” he said. “We hope to keep them all, but we hope when they leave they leave with a real-world experience that ties their academic experience to what their future will be, a sense of purpose in emerging technology.” 

In accepting her award, James reminded students in the room that their future doesn’t have to be determined at graduation.

“You don’t need to have everything planned out,” she said. “All you need to do is take the next right step and then another. Those steps can lead to somewhere more wonderful than you ever imagined and, for me, it led to being here with you this evening. And for that, I am deeply grateful.”

Hover over the photo below to view the 2026 Alumni Awards photo gallery.