Celebrating Our 2021 Student and Teacher Award Honorees

The UC Davis Graduate School of Management—with its nationally ranked programs, internationally ranked faculty, and caring and collaborative community—is uniquely positioned to create the leaders and workforce our society needs and deserves. Every year our community recognizes outstanding teachers, students and graduates who embrace the School’s core values of passionate and energetic leadership, and who demonstrate a commitment to team building and service.

Please join us in congratulating the achievements of our student and teacher award honorees for the 2020-21 academic year.

Teacher of the Year Awards

• Full-Time MBA – Assistant Professor Paul Wong
• Sacramento Part-Time MBA – Lecturer Sorin Maruster
• Bay Area Part-Time MBA – Professor Prasad Naik
• Online MBA – Lecturer Justin Virrey MBA 20
• Master of Professional Accountancy – Professor Hollis Skaife
• Master of Science in Business Analytics – Assistant Professor Jörn Boehnke

Leadership Awards

James F. Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service to the School

Established in James F. Sullivan’s honor upon his retirement as Vice-Chancellor of Business and Finance at UC Davis. One award is presented at commencement to an MBA student in recognition of outstanding service (est. 1991).

• Kalina Springer, Full-Time MBA 21

Robert H. Smiley Leadership Award

The Robert H. Smiley Leadership Award recognizes students who have shown outstanding leadership in activities and enterprises at the Graduate School of Management, in the name of a former dean and emeritus professor, Robert Smiley. These students have shown leadership and initiative in starting new programs or taking existing programs to new and improved levels of operation and success.

• Jonathan Pan, Full-Time MBA 21
• Gatha Sehgal, Bay Area Part-Time MBA 21
• Samantha Contreras, Sacramento Part-Time MBA 21
• Scott Doig, Online MBA 21

Will Snyder Award for MPAc Excellence in Leadership

Established by the Executive Director of the Masters of Professional Accountancy Program, Will Snyder and his wife Helena, the Leadership Award recognizes a graduating MPAc student who demonstrates outstanding leadership in activities and enterprise in the MPAc program (est. 2016). 

• Jaspreet Bola MPAc 21

MSBA Leadership Award

The MSBA Leadership Award recognizes a student who has shown outstanding leadership in activities and enterprises at the School. This student has shown leadership and initiative in taking programs to new and improved levels of operation and success.

• Jessica Marie Padolina MSBA 21

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Academic Excellence Awards

Richard C. Dorf Award for Academic Excellence for MBA Students

The Dorf Award for Academic Excellence recognizes outstanding academic achievement in the MBA curriculum in each of our programs. Endowed by Richard and Joy Dorf, the award honors MBA students with the highest grade-point average.

• Vaibhav Gupta, Full-Time MBA 21
• Qirui Xu, Bay Area Part-Time MBA 21
• Kyle Sutton Gayman, Sacramento Part-Time MBA 21
• Robin James Johnston, Online MBA 21
• Chelsea Lynn Sallstrom, Online MBA 21

Will Snyder Award for MPAc Excellence in Academic Achievement

Established by the Executive Director of the Masters of Professional Accountancy Program, Will Snyder and his wife Helena, the Academic Achievement Award recognizes a graduating MPAc student with the highest cumulative GPA (est. 2016).

• Oscar Halliwell MPAc 21

MSBA Award for Academic Excellence

The MSBA Award for Academic Excellence was established by faculty to recognize outstanding academic achievement in the MSBA program. It is awarded to the student with the highest grade-point average.

• Letian Ma MSBA 21

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MSBA Founding Faculty Award 

• Animesh Danayak, MSBA

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GSM Alumni Association Awards

The GSM Alumni Association awards annual fellowships to deserving students from each program. Nominees exemplify the core values of the association. They are passionate, energetic student leaders who help to improve our community.

• Jonathan Pan, Full-Time MBA 21
• Meagan Travlos, Bay Area Part-Time MBA 21
• Rebecca "Becca" Litman, Sacramento Part-Time MBA 21
• Meredith Roberts, Online MBA 21
• Chloe Zabrek, MPAc 21
• Animesh Danayak, MSBA 21

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Stephen and Shelley Newberry Distinguished Fellowship Award

The Newberry Distinguished Fellowship Award is the School’s largest privately funded fellowship award and was established by Lam Research Chairman Stephen Newberry and his wife Shelley Newberry. Awardees have a broad base of experience and indicators that they will be successful team leaders in business; they can make difficult decisions that are not popular, take responsibility and are accountable; and they also demonstrate great potential for leadership and long-term CEO or COO roles. 

• Stephen Perry, Full Time MBA 21
• Samantha Brill, Full Time MBA 21

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Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society Candidates

The mission of Beta Gamma Sigma is to encourage and honor academic achievement and personal excellence in the study and practice of business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest national recognition a business student can receive at an AACSB school.