Economics Department Distinguished Alumni Award Winners
Here is a list of the department's Distinguished Alumni Award winners since 1999.
2008- Dr. Happy Siphambe
Happy Siphambe received his M.A. in Economics from Western Michigan
University in 1989. He was the recipient of the Elias Harik Award for
the best graduate student in Economics at WMU. He later received his PhD
in1997 from University of Manitoba, Canada, in economics with specialization
in Development and Labor Economics. Dr. Siphambe is currently associate
professor in the Department of Economics of University of Botswana, where
he served as the Head of Department from 2001 to 2007. He has numerous
publications including an edited book on Economic Development of Botswana
(2005), and his publications have appeared in refereed journals such as
Southern African Journal of Economics (2007), Indian Journal
of Social and Economic Policy (2004), Botswana Journal of Economics
(2003), Journal of African Economies (2001) and Economics
of Education Review (2000). He is a member of the Board of Directors
of Bank of Botswana, and his work has also nvolved numerous technical
consultancy reports and monographs for organizations such as UNCTAD, Barclays
Bank Botswana Economic Review, Government of Botswana, the International
Labor Organization (ILO), the World Bank, and the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP). Most recently, Dr. Siphambe received a Fulbright Research
Grant to study the Impact of HIV/AIDs on Labor Markets in Botswana, where
he will spend his grant period at WMU as a Visiting Scholar at the Department
of Economics during 2008-2009 Academic Year.
2007 - Glenn Gross
Glenn (B.A. ‘67,M.A. ‘68) recently retired from a 16- year
career with Camelbak Inc. where he served as its CEO. Camelbak is the
world’s leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of hands-free
hydration systems. Founded in 1988 when a paramedic, using an IV bag and
surgical tubing, devised the first hands-freehydration system. The company
now produces more than 50 lines of customized backpacks with built-in
water storage and delivery systems and hold several utility patents on
the key product features. Camelbak’s products have technologically
advanced reservoirs and fluid systems that are very popular with cyclists,
hikers, skiers, skate boarders and runners. In addition more specialized
systems and features are currently in use by the US military in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Glenn and his wife were able to join us last October to meet
with the faculty and the Economic Student Association. Glenn was honored
at a luncheon sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences to recognize
all of the College’s Alumni Award recipients.
2006 - John E. Anderson
John received his B.A. in Mathematics and Economics at Western Michigan University in 1973. He went on to get his M.A. (1976) and Ph.D. (1977) degrees in economics at the Claremont Graduate School. John worked a number of years at Eastern Michigan University before taking a position at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1991. He is currently the Baird Family Professor of Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and has been the Chairman of the Economics Department there since 2002. Recently, John was appointed as Senior Economist of the Council of Economic Advisors for 2005-2006. Dr. Anderson advises on public finance matters and on tax policy issues, two of his areas of expertise. He has published widely on these subject matters in numerous highly regarded academic journals as well as other outlets. Dr. Anderson's webpage can be found here.
2005 – Daniel Bitzer
Daniel received his MA in Economics from WMU in 1984. Prior to that he
earned his BS in Mathematics from Ferris State. Bitzer entered the banking
business in 1984 and he has worked in corporate banking with various lending
and management responsibilities for the last 20 years. Daniel is currently
Senior Vice President and Divisional Manager of Investment Real Estate
with National City Bank, servicing the west and mid-Michigan markets and
managing an $800 million loan portfolio. Bitzer is also active with various
community organizations.
2004 – Daniel Arce
Daniel recived is MA in Economics from us in 1985. He earned a BA in Mathematics
and Spanish from Olivet College in 1984 and he received his PhD from the
University of Illinois in 1992. Dr. Arce was a faculty member at the University
of Alabama for about 10 years. He has held the Robert D. McCallum Dinstingished
Professor of Economics and Business position at Rhodes College (Memphis,
TN) since 2000. Daniel has approximately 30 publications in various journals
including Public Choice, Land Economics, Journal of Public Economic Theory,
Oxford Economic Papers, Journal of International Money and Finance, and
Journal of Conflict Resolution. Dr. Arce has received numerous grants,
honors, and scholarships including the WMU Economics Department’s
Floyd Moore Award in 1985. Dr. Arce's has a webpage at http://www.rhodes.edu/Rhodes/EconomicsandBusiness/FacultyandStaff/arce.cfm.
2003 – Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes
Catalina earned her Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Western Michigan University
in 1998. She came to Western with B.A.degrees in Economics and French
(1992) from Universidad de Sevilla, and a Licence et Maîtrise és
Sciences Economiques (1991) from Université de Poitiers. While
studying for the Ph.D. she concurrently earned a J.D. 1996) from Universidad
Nacional de Educación a Distancia. After graduating from WMU, Dr.
Amuedo-Dorantes spent a year as Research Associate at the Center for Human
Resource Research, Ohio State University. Since 1999 she has been with
the Economics department at San Diego State University. She has an international
reputation and is widely sought out for her expertise in the areas of
immigration, informal work and workers' remittances. Her publications
have appeared in American Economic Review, Industrial Labor Relations
Review, Journal of International Money and Finance, Economic Development
and Cultural Change, among others. She currently is IZA Research
Fellow at the Institute for Research on Labor (Bonn, Germany) and Research
Associate at Fundación Centro de Estudios Andaluces (Sevilla, Spain).
Dr. Amuedo-Dorantes' has a webpage at http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~camuedod/.
2002 – Vinod Thomas
Vinod earned his M.A. in Economics at Western Michigan University in 1971
and his Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Chicago in 1974. Dr. Thomas
has been with the World Bank since 1976 where he has served in several
capacities. As of November 2001, he has held the position of Country Director,
Brazil. He is responsible for one of the World Bank’s largest portfolios
of lending, policy and analytical work. Prior to his current appointment,
he was Vice President of the World Bank Institute (WBI), the training
arm of the World Bank. Dr. Thomas was responsible for the Bank’s
principal vehicle for delivering timely knowledge in member countries
through seminars, conferences, and a variety of print, broadcast, and
multi-media products. Dr. Thomas’ expertise includes knowledge sharing
and training, trade policy, macroeconomic adjustment, macro-sectoral links,
environmental policy, agricultural policy, urban economics, and poverty
measures.
Prior to heading the WBI, Dr. Thomas held positions as chief economist
for the World Bank in the East Asia and Pacific region, chief economist
for Asia, staff director for the 1991 World Development Report, chief
of trade policy, and principal economist for Colombia. From 1979 to 1981,
Dr. Thomas was a Visiting Professor and Advisor of Urban Studies at the
University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
2001 – Tony Tan
Anthony (Tony) Tan founder of ZCorum, Inc., has served as its Chairman
and CEO since its inception in May 1997 and also served as President up
until October 2000. Prior to his tenure with ZCorum, Mr. Tan served as
the President and CEO of America net, the assets of which were purchased
by ZCorum. Mr. Tan has a diverse background with extensive experience
in financial management, marketing, human resource and business management.
Prior to joining America net, Mr. Tan was Direct in the Structured Finance
Group at First Chicago-NBD Corportation, one of the largest banks in the
United States with more than 34,000 employees and $120billion in assets.
Prior to First Chicago-NBD he held several senior management and consulting
positions, including serving as the General Manager and Deputy Executive
Director of the Metropolitan YMCA. Mr. Tan, who is a Certified Financial
Planner, received an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University
of Chicago, and an MA in Economics with honors from Western Michigan University
in 1989.
2000 – Charles Zhang
Charles Zhang, CFP, ChFC, CLU, CMFC, graduated from Western Michigan University in June 1991 with an M.A. in Economics and immediately joined American Express Financial Advisors. At age 29 he was already the top advisor, besting 8500 competitors nationwide, and earned the Alex M. Alexander award. He remains the number one advisor among American Express's 11,000 financial advisors; clients have rated him best in areas of trust, performance, satisfaction, and quality of advice. In recent years, Mr. Zhang has also taught at the College of Financial Planning and the Haworth College of Business, has become a member of WMU's McKee society in The President's Circle, and has founded the Charles and Lynn Zhang Foundation, which benefits WMU's Department of Economics. Mr. Zhang as also received an MBA in 2004 from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
1999 – Louis Hellerman
Louis Hellerman majored in Economics and Political Science as a member
of the Western Michigan University Honors College, and when he graduated
with a B.A., Magna Cum Laude, in the early 1960s he was awarded "best
student" of both departments. After earning his J.D. from the law
school at the University of Michigan in 1967, he spent three years in
the U.S. Marine Corps. After being promoted to Captain in Vietnam and
serving as the youngest Staff Judge Advocate in the Marine Corps and later
as a Federal Military Judge, Mr. Hellerman attended Harvard University,
where he received an MBA with Honors; later he received his CPA. Mr. Hellerman
has taught accounting at Cleveland State University, done consulting for
Ernst and Young, and served in a succession of increasingly responsible
financial positions for several corporations, including Chief Financial
Officer for two 100+ million-dollar organizations. In 1989 he founded
Argo Associates, which provides financial advice to small and medium-sized
firms.
Department of Economics, College of Arts
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Administrator Updated:09/22/2005