2014-15 Student Leadership Awards

6/9/2015 - As convocation approaches, students and faculty took one last Friday to celebrate Kellogg’s emerging leaders.

Tyler Wanke, Thiago Pinto, Yajur Kapoor and Lexie Smith, all ’15, were recognized June 5 at the Kellogg Leadership Awards, receiving the school’s highest student honors for making lasting contributions to the Kellogg community, says Fran Langewisch '95, assistant dean and director of student life.

“It was a special evening highlighting two of the most important pieces of the Kellogg culture — impactful student leadership and inspiring teaching by our outstanding faculty,” Langewisch said.

The recipients excelled in each of their chosen areas. Wanke, who won the Innovation Award, was named a 2015 Zell Scholar earlier this year. The MD-MMM student also led the Innoblative team that won a slew of case competitions last year, taking home 11 awards and nearly $200,000 in funding and prizes. The team also raised nearly $500,000 of a $1 million angel-financing round, which they hope to close in the next few months.

Innoblative first joined Insight Accelerator Labs, followed by med tech incubator MATTER to develop its radiofrequency ablation (RFA) probe, which uses thermal energy to eliminate the remaining cancer cells from a cavity following the surgical removal of a tumor, with Wanke serving as CEO.

“This award is an appreciated culmination of my Kellogg journey – one that I dreamed up in my Kellogg application when I left medical school to start Innoblative two years ago,” said Wanke. “It is proof of what can be accomplished as an inspired member of the growing Kellogg and greater Northwestern entrepreneurial community.”

For Kapoor, winning the Brand Ambassador Award caps off a successful second year at Kellogg that included three first-place case competition wins: the Allstate Business Challenge, the Adobe Digital Analytics Competition, and the Wake Forest University Marketing Analytics Summit. With those wins, Kapoor earned more than $55,000 this year.

Pinto, who received the Social Entrepreneurship Award, was named to the second-ever cohort of Youn Impact Scholars this year. His latest project is New Hope Ecotech, a Brazil-based program that would connect waste pickers’ services with manufacturers’ regulatory needs via tradable environmental securities (think carbon credits, but for recyclables). New Hope recently received a $70,000 prize from the Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (KIEI) to continue its work.

“The Kellogg Social Entrepreneurship Award not only allows us to realize personal dreams of becoming entrepreneurs, but also proves that it’s possible for triple-bottom-line companies to unleash huge environmental impact while transforming the lives of millions,” said Pinto.

Personifying the Leadership Excellence Award, Smith led many organizations and programs during her tenure. To highlight, Smith helped lead Kellogg’s dual-degree MMM program transition as Student President, working tirelessly with faculty, administrators and students and co-created “The Good Life Sessions,” a three-part workshop series that focuses on helping students develop a balanced, fulfilling life.

“Receiving this award is an honor, especially since this recognition comes from my peers, who are the most inspiring, eclectic, intelligent, fun and thoughtful group of people I've ever met,” Smith said. “Together, we are a community that supports, challenges and inspires each other to be our best selves. I will always be motivated by this community to give back to Kellogg in any way I can.”

Allon named L.G. Lavengood Professor of the Year

It’s been a good year for Gad Allon.

Allon, a professor in the Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences department, received the 2015 L. G. Lavengood Outstanding Professor of the Year Award.

This is the second award for Allon in as many months. In May, he received his second alumni Professor of the Year Award during Reunion. He also won the alumni award in 2014.

This is also the second time Allon has received the Lavengood award; he first won it in 2009.

"I was amazed and humbled by the level of support,” said Allon. “We dedicate our time and efforts to teaching because we believe in the importance of the topics we teach and love to share it with our students. We derive great satisfaction from their success, both in the classroom and outside it. Such gestures make the entire experience all the more rewarding."

The award, named in honor of former Kellogg Professor Lawrence G. Lavengood, is voted on by graduating students of Kellogg’s Full-Time and Part-Time programs.