Class of 2011/12 | College of Business

From senior-level executives at top corporations to highly successful entrepreneurs, we are proud to welcome our 2012-2013 College of Business Hall of Fame inductees back to Illinois State University to interact with students, faculty, alumni and industry partners. Their accomplishments and commitment to excellence not only reflect their professional dedication and service to others, but also add value to our programs and the Illinois State brand for all of our graduates. For past inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame and Service Hall of Fame [Read More...]

2012-2013 Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees

Steve Hagge

Steve Hagge '73

Steve Hagge is President and CEO of AptarGroup, Inc., the global leader in consumer product dispensing systems. Hagge has been instrumental in the company's growth and success over the past 30 years. Since joining the company in 1981, he has held various senior executive positions including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Group Vice President of Finance. He has also been serving as a member of AptarGroup's Board of Directors since 2001.
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol ATR, AptarGroup is a member of the S&P Midcap 400 and had annual revenue in excess of $2.3 billion in 2011. With over 10,000 employees and facilities in 19 different countries, AptarGroup provides dispensing solutions for wide variety of fragrance, personal care, household, food, beverage and pharmaceutical products used by millions of consumers every day. Customers include Procter & Gamble, Heinz, Unilever, Kraft Foods, GlaxoSmithKline, Pepsi Co., L'Oreal, and Estee Lauder. AptarGroup is headquartered in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Hagge is Chairman of the AptarGroup Charitable Foundation, which funds an employee matching gift program and provides grants for health and human service organizations as well as cultural programs in the communities in which AptarGroup's employees live and work. He also serves on the Board of Directors of CF Industries, a global leader in fertilizer manufacturing and distribution. Prior to joining AptarGroup, Hagge obtained his CPA license and worked for Arthur Andersen in Chicago.

Born in Galesburg, Illinois, Hagge attended Illinois State University and currently resides in Crystal Lake with his wife Sharon (ISU '73). They have three children and eight grandchildren.

William Hallinan

William J. Hallinan ‘66

Bill Hallinan, ’66, is a co-owner, President and Chief Operating Officer of a privately owned multi-national group of affiliated industrial and service entities comprising approximately 25 companies doing business throughout the world and having either or both manufacturing and service facilities in 12 countries.

The affiliated group, generally referred to as Cryogenic Industries, is a premier provider of process equipment and services to the industrial gas and hydrocarbon industries selling, fabricating and servicing cryogenic equipment and collateral products such as air separation plants, gas liquefaction units, heat transfer equipment, radical inflow turbines and a variety of cryogenic pumps.

Prior to joining Cryogenic Industries Hallinan was CEO of a public corporate finance company which was sold to Berkshire Hathaway in 2001 and, for approximately 30 years prior, was a corporate attorney representing large public corporations in securities, financial and merger and acquisition transactions.

After graduating ISU, Hallinan attended The John Marshall Law School in Chicago where he practiced corporate law for approximately five years before relocating to Phoenix, AZ.
Hallinan resides in Scottsdale, AZ and maintains offices in Scottsdale and Murrieta, CA where Cryogenic Industries is headquartered.

Karen Jensen

Karen Jensen, M.B.A. '86

Farnsworth Group, Inc. is a full-service engineering, architecture and survey firm with more than 300 employees located throughout a nationwide network of offices. In addition to traditional services, the firm provides cutting edge technologies, including LEED consulting and Building Commissioning. Farnsworth Group is ranked as one of Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 Design Firms, with an in-depth portfolio of projects and a client base that includes farm communities, Fortune 500 companies and the Federal Government.

Jensen earned her degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska and an M.B.A. from Illinois State University. Prior to joining Farnsworth Group in 2002, Jensen served in various senior management roles, including president and COO for Environmental Science & Engineering, Inc. (ESE), a national environmental and engineering consulting firm.

As an active community leader, Jensen serves in board positions for a number of organizations including American Red Cross – Central Illinois Chapter, McLean County Chamber of Commerce, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, Commissioner on the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria, OSF Saint Francis Community Advisory Board, and serves on the Society of Military engineers National Senior Executive Group.

Mike Kasaba

Mike Kasaba ‘88

As Chairman and CEO of Artisan Vehicle Systems (formerly known as CalMotors) for the past ten years, Mike has guided the company’s product development through a diverse collection of hybrid and electric vehicle programs. Mike’s early recognition of the rise of hybrid technology has given Artisan a competitive advantage, a deep understanding of the needs of vehicle manufacturers, and key intellectual property for its clean vehicle programs.

Prior to Artisan, Mike founded Quiet Energy, an electric utility company offering clean energy alternatives such as solar and wind to businesses. Mike set up Quiet Energy as a certified utility company with the California Public Utility Commission and competed with Southern California Edison for large industrial accounts. Mike built one of the largest solar arrays in California as a demonstration of economic and technical feasibility. Mike testified to the California Power Authority proposing widespread and economically competitive use of alternative power throughout in California.

In 1995, Mike founded NewLink Communications, an Internet consulting firm building sophisticated E-Commerce and business process systems for large corporations and well-funded start-ups. Mike merged his company with similar firms and went public in 1997 under the name USWeb becoming a technology consulting firm with world-wide reach and over 300 million in annual revenue.

Mike started his career at Andersen Consulting (now called Accenture) building customer care and billing systems in the telecommunications industry. Mike’s clients included Sprint, Pacific Bell, and AT&T. Engagements included customer service and billing system design, IT strategy, and Internet deployment.

Mike holds a B.S. from Illinois State University with a double major in Organizational Management and Management Information Systems.

Duane Miller

Duane L. Miller ‘72

Duane L. Miller of Estes Park, Colorado, served as chief executive officer (CEO) of COUNTRY Financial from 1974-2001.

As CEO, Miller was chairman of COUNTRY Management committee and a member of the Investment Committee for the insurance companies and COUNTRY Trust Bank. Miller also served as president and chairman of the board of Middlesex Mutual Assurance Company of Middletown, Conn., Chairman of Holyoke Mutual Insurance Company of Salem, Mass., and MSI Preferred Insurance Company of St. Paul, Minn. He joined COUNTRY in 1959 as an actuary in COUNTRY Life Insurance Company. Miller also served as vice president-finance and treasurer of both the Illinois Agricultural Association (IAA) and COUNTRY.

Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and a master’s degree in business administration from Illinois State University, Normal. He also is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

Miller served on the board of governors of the National Association of Independent Insurers and is past president and director of the Illinois Insurance Association, formerly the Illinois Insurance Information Service.
Miller also served on the Illinois State University (ISU) Foundation Board of Directors, and was a founding member of the Insurance Advisory Board of the Katie Insurance School at Illinois State University.

Miller was president and director of BroMenn Healthcare in Normal, and president and director of the United Way of McLean County. He also has served as president of the board of trustees and elder of the Second Presbyterian Church of Bloomington, and president and member of the Dean's Advisory Council at Illinois State University.

Erick Miner ‘78

Erick W. Miner is President and CEO of CIT Group, Inc., a group of 15 retail heavy and medium-duty truck dealerships representing franchises for Kenworth Truck Company, Volvo Trucks North America, Mack Trucks, Isuzu Commercial Trucks of America, and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation in sales territories throughout all of Illinois, half of Missouri, and northwestern Indiana. The company also owns a finance company, CIT Equipment Finance, Inc. and a truck leasing company, CIT Group Leasing, Inc. The company was founded in 1975 in Normal, Illinois.

Miner graduated from Illinois State University in 1978 with a degree in accounting. He obtained his CPA certification and worked in public accounting until joining CIT Group, Inc. as Controller in 1984. He became President of the company in 1991, purchasing the company in 1992. In the past two decades, CIT has grown from two dealership locations generating $12 million in annual sales to its present size, becoming a consistent market share leader with annual sales in excess of $300 million and employing over 500 people. The company has received a number of industry awards over the years, most recently winning three Kenworth Truck Company North American Dealer of the Year awards in the past four years.

In addition to serving on the boards of several community organizations and industry groups over the years, Miner has held positions on the Volvo Trucks North America Dealer Advisory Board, and the Kenworth Truck Company North American Dealer Council, ultimately serving as Chairman of the Kenworth Truck Company North American Dealer Council in 2003. In 2011, Miner was a finalist for the American Truck Dealers Association Dealer of the Year, the industry’s top dealer award. CIT has worked closely over the years with Illinois State University’s Professional Sales Institute and is proud to be a Platinum Partner with the Institute. Miner is on the Institutes advisory board and enjoys speaking to sales, marketing, and business administration classes at the university. CIT employs a number of Illinois State University graduates.

Miner and his wife Jada have six children and live in Bloomington, Illinois. Two of their children are Illinois State University graduates.