Selection Committee
Our selection committee for these awards is an independent group from local businesses and academia. These highly respected leaders bring critical judgement, enthusiasm and wisdom to this event.
Marie Graul
Selection Committee Chair
Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, MV Transportation, Inc.
Marie is an Audit Committee Financial Expert (as defined under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Rules regarding the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act) with a background in consumer products, manufacturing, technology and distribution. Marie has been both a public and private equity operating Chief Financial Officer and has led an IPO, 20+ acquisitions and 5 sale transactions.
Ray Young
Vice Chairman, Former Chief Financial Officer, Archer Daniels Midland
Ray G. Young recently retired from the Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE: ADM), a global leader in human and animal nutrition and the world’s premier agricultural origination and processing company. Ray last served as its vice chairman, and prior to that, Ray was ADM’s chief financial officer for over 11 years. Prior to ADM, he lived and worked on four continents, serving in various senior executive roles at General Motors (GM), including as its president of the Mercosur Region of South America from 2004-2007, its chief financial officer from 2008-2009 and as vice president of International Operations, based in China, in 2010.
Kristie Paskvan
Former CFO and COO at Mesirow Financial
Kristie was the CFO and COO at Mesirow Financial, a global diversified financial services company with concentrations in investment management, capital markets, insurance, and real estate. She worked closely with merger and acquisition teams during due diligence and led post-merger integration efforts. Kristie also spent four years as president of the Retirement Planning & Advisory business, leading a team of advisors managing corporate qualified and non-qualified plans.
Kelly Richmond Pope
Professor School of Accountancy and MIS at DePaul University
Kelly Richmond Pope is a professor in the School of Accountancy and MIS at DePaul University. She received her doctorate in accounting from Virginia Tech and she is licensed certified public accountant. She worked in the forensic accounting practice at KPMG, LLP on anti-money laundering engagements, insurance fraud investigations and fraud risk management projects.
