Monfort Executive Professor Program
The Monfort Executive Professor Program brings national and international business executives to campus in three formats: Monfort Executive Professors teach a full class schedule for a year or more as an executive-in-residence. Selected on the basis of business experience, reputation, and the ability to communicate with students, these high-level business leaders teach both existing courses, and courses specifically designed to match their expertise. Monfort Executive Professors have included Walter Gray, former Director of Marketing for U.S. Sprint and Thomas Ries, former Director of Logistics for ITT Europe, Africa, and Asia, as well as Lee Korins, former CEO of the Pacific Stock Exchange and Jay Peake, former governor and vice chair, N.A.S.D. Among those currently on board are Roger Maddocks, former vice president of global manufacturing, Eastman Kodak; Richard Turley, PhD, former vice president with Hewlett Packard; and Cynthia Evans, former state vice president (Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona) for regional utility Xcel Energy.
Visiting Monfort Executive Professors teach either a full course concentrated into one week, a series of classes as part of a symposium with other business leaders, or serve as a visiting lecturer in existing classes taught by faculty. Recent lecturers have included Sam Ginn, Pioneer, Wireless Communications Industry and form CEO, Vadaphone, Inc. (Verizon Wireless); Henrietta Holsman Fore, Director of the U.S. Mint; and Bill Pearse, Chairman, Soundtrack (Ultimate Electronics, Inc.). Monfort Executive Professor Speaker Series address the university and business community on a variety of topics. Students and faculty are each given separate opportunities to meet with the speaker.
Past Speakers have included Mo Siegel, Retired CEO, Celestial Seasonings; Tami Heim, President, Borders Books and Music; Teruaki Aoki, President and COO, Sony Electronics; Richard Kovacevich, President and CEO, Wells Fargo & Company; Bill Coors, Chairman of the Board, Coors Brewing Company; and Sam Rovit, CEO of Swift & Company. Business Plus Speakers during the 2006-07 academic year include John Timmerman, vice president of quality and productivity for Ritz Carlton; Jack J. Pelton, CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company (Feb. 23) and Kai Ryssdal, editor of Marketplace from American Public Radio (March 29).