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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Haworth College of Business 30 Under 30 program has received the Council for Advancement and Support of Education Gold Award for Best New Alumni Program. The awards program recognizes outstanding work in the areas of alumni relations, communications, marketing, fundraising and events. The Pride of CASE V competition includes public and private institutions from Illinois, Indiana, ��һ�鶹��Ƭ��, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Winners of the annual competition were announced in November, and awards will be presented at the CASE V Conference in Chicago in mid-December. Experts from disciplines outside of District V judge the entries.

Contributing to the project were Stacey Markin, project leader and editor; Liz Haskin, graphic and web designer; Cindy Wagner, web designer; Ashlie Harper Perry, writer; and Samantha Hooker, copy editor.

30 Under 30

The Haworth College of Business 30 Under 30 is an annual recognition program that features outstanding recent alumni in a digital publication. The format is inspired by similar publications, familiar to business professionals. Each business graduate featured must have a minimum of two years of professional experience. Potential candidates can self-nominate or be nominated by someone else—a fellow alum, an employer, a friend, a community member, or a WMU faculty or staff member. Alumni are selected for inclusion in the publication by a committee of faculty, staff and members of the college’s Young Alumni Advisory Board.

Goals of the project

• Highlighting alumni success through an attractive and modern website, with a look and page length that appeals to recent alumni.
• Identification of emerging leaders in the alumni population.
• Collaboration with Young Alumni Advisory Board members on an impactful project.
• Outreach to alumni through an additional publication beyond the college’s magazine and alumni newsletter.
• Cultivation of pride on the part of all alumni and stakeholders, and volunteers and ambassadors among the 30 alumni being honored.

Results

“The results of this program surpassed our expectations,” says Dr. Satish Deshpande, dean of Haworth College of Business. “Our marketing team in the college did a great job coordinating all the elements of the program and the communications, and our alumni have been very enthusiastic about the program and publication.”

The website for 30 Under 30 received more than 37,105 views, with 26,596 unique views. In addition, 131,069 people have been reached across Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram with engagement of 9,565 individuals.

Kameron Kampen, a sales account manager at Stryker and 2013 business graduate, was chosen for the publication’s inaugural class. Having worked in both sales and marketing for Stryker, Kampen was recognized for leading product launches, growing Stryker EMS social media platforms to nearly 100,000 followers, and amassing an incredible $12.5 million in sales in just three years.

“This was a special recognition because it was based on a broad range of inputs including career success, social impact, philanthropy and post-graduation involvement at WMU,” Kampen says. “I have been a Bronco since birth, so being placed in a category with top performers gives me a sense of pride. The value of a degree from WMU is based on the success of its alumni, so we all have a personal responsibility to succeed.” 

Kampen adds that the recognition provides WMU graduates with a competitive edge on resumes and in interviews, and also helps broaden the professional network of up and coming WMU alumni. “This exposure helps us to utilize the strength of the Bronco alumni network through awareness of our peers’ accomplishments,” he says. “It also motivates students to succeed and be selected into this group in the years ahead.” 

Brianna Amat, an associate manager at SC Johnson and 2016 business graduate, is also an honoree. Since her time as a student in the Haworth College of Business, Amat has had a history of working for organizations such as Red Bull, the J.M. Smucker Company and Kraft Heinz. She now brings this experience to SC Johnson, where she holds the position of category and shopper leadership advisor for several household department categories at Family Dollar.

Amat, a 2016 graduate, speaks about the benefits being named to the program can have on both recent alumni and students. “The recognition gave me a boost of confidence early in my career and a great opportunity to network with other WMU alumni,” she says. “My LinkedIn profile received a significant increase in activity after the publication was released—especially from alumni within my same field, which was absolutely awesome.”

The 30

For 2020, the program is getting a new name—the 30—and will now include students. The 30 will honor 20 alumni and 10 students through both the digital publication and events over March 12-13.

For more information on applying for inclusion in the 2021 publication and program, visit wmich.edu/business/the30nominations.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.