Tonight the Walton College is holding its annual Awards Banquet, and four of our outstanding alumni will be honored. Congratulations to the recipients! We are proud to be your alma mater.
Alumni Lifetime Achievement AwardLee Bodenhamer, BSBA ’57, MBA ’61
FounderMeridian Management CompanyLittle Rock, ArkansasIn 1957, Bodenhamer went to work as an investment analyst for Walton College finance professor Harold Dulan’s Participating Annuity Life Insurance Company, the first U.S. commercial variable annuity company. After earning a doctorate and joining the faculty at
Harvard University, Bodenhamer returned to Arkansas in the 1970s to build First Variable Life Insurance Company, the first company in the United States to sell a variable life insurance policy.
He founded
Meridian Management Co. in 1977 as an investment management division of First Variable. Through his financial expertise, Meridian grew to almost $500 million in managed assets. Bodenhamer was inducted into the
Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2008.
In 1998, Bodenhamer established a fellowship program at the
University of Arkansas for freshmen entering the
Honors College. He served on the University’s Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee and on the Walton College Dean’s Executive Advisory Board. He received the Walton College’s Outstanding Service Award in 1999 and was the
Beta Gamma Sigma chapter honoree in 2005. He contributed to the Harold A. Dulan Finance Chair in Capital Formation and the Robert E. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Finance. The
Arkansas Alumni Association presented Bodenhamer with the 1994 Outstanding Volunteer Award and the Citation of Distinguished Alumni in 2003.
Alumni Entrepreneur of the YearTobi Wells Fairley, ASID, BSBA ’99, MBA ’00
President Tobi Fairley Interior DesignLittle Rock, ArkansasSince establishing her interior design firm a decade ago, Fairley’s projects have spanned the southern region and the nation from Charleston to Los Angeles. She was recently selected as one of the “Top 20 Young Designers in America” for 2009 by
Traditional Home magazine. Her award-winning designs have been published in
Traditional Home,
Better Homes and Gardens and
At Home in Arkansas Magazine.
She was chosen as one of
Arkansas Business “Forty Under 40” in 2005 which recognizes the up-and-coming business and community leaders in Little Rock. Fairley’s design
blog, which chronicles the happenings at her firm, was featured on several of the world’s most popular design blogs. Fairley is currently working on product designs for several companies that will be introduced in early 2010.
Fairley was named lead-designer for the Susan G. Komen Build for the Cure Idea House Traditional Condo in October 2004. She is a member of the boards of the
Central Bank and the
Arkansas Repertory Theatre. She serves on the Walton College Business Alumni Advisory Council and the University of Arkansas Interior Design Advisory Board. In 2008 Governor Mike Beebe appointed Fairley to serve on the Arkansas State Board of Registered Interior Designers for a five-year term.
Alumni Outstanding Service AwardSteven R. Hinds, BSBA ’89, M.Ed. ’92
PresidentHinds Consulting, LLCFayetteville, ArkansasHinds has been a long-time champion of the Walton College and served it in many ways. He is the current chair of the College’s Business Alumni Advisory Council and was a founding board member of the
Walton College Alumni Society. He was president of the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the
Arkansas Alumni Association.
As president of Hinds Consulting, he provides marketing and communications services for a range of clients. He is a partner in
Gameday Suite Supply.com, LLC, a service that provides food and beverages to suites in Razorback stadium. He is also a partner in
Healthy Greeks.com, LLC, a service that provides healthy choices for Greek organizations. Hinds was previously president of
Paschall Strategic Communications. He was vice president of marketing and public relations for
Arvest Bank. He has also worked for the
University of Arkansas as assistant director of admissions and of orientation. He was selected to
“Forty under 40” by the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal in 2001.
Hinds serves as president of the
Lambda Chi Alpha House Corporation. He was inducted in the Order of Omega Greek Hall of Fame for 2006-2007. He was a member of the Campaign for the 21st Century Student Affairs Committee.
Walton College Alumni Society “Pay It Forward” AwardMatt Schupp, BSBA ’94
Regional Director of Human Resources – Western RegionThe Sherwin-Williams CompanyRichardson, TexasSchupp has given back to the Walton College through his efforts to mentor students and help them find jobs. He has been actively involved in the recruiting on-campus since he became a recruiter for
Sherwin-Williams. He has participated in on-campus training sessions and facilicated donations to support the
Leadership Walton program. Schupp served as chair of the Walton College Career Development Center’s Business Advisory Council. He recently provided an undergraduate business student with the opportunity to job shadow him in Dallas.
He has been regional director for human resources for the Western Regional of Sherwin-Williams Paint and Coatings Division since October 2008. He is responsible for directing and leading successful human resource performance for 12 manufacturing/distribution facilities in the Western United States. This includes union relations, positive employee relations, training and development, strategic planning/initiatives and employee safety. He is a member of the
Society of Human Resource Management.
Schupp is co-leader of W.O.R.C, an outreach mission of his church, to help those that are unemployed or underemployed by providing them with tools and resources to help them meet their career goals. He is also a member of the employer advisory board at
Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Walton College Alumni Society President, Chuck Dudley, and his son, Robert, on the University of Arkansas campus.
