College of Management and Business

Denis Antoine '92 | Former Grenadine Ambassador to the U.S.

Age:  64 | Degree:  M.S. Management
When Hurricane Ivan slammed into the island nation of Grenada in 2004, NLU alumnus Denis Antoine was far removed from the violent winds that lashed the beach shores of the Caribbean country. But as calm settled over the besieged lands, Antoine found himself in the eye of the recovery efforts when the British Royal Navy called him for permission to dock their fleet on Grenada's shores.  Today, he is leveraging his diplomatic experience as a board member with the Young Americans Business Trust.
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George Babcoke '94 | VP, Global Operations Services, U.S. Steel

Age:  55 | Degree:  M.S. in Management  '94
As senior vice president, Europe and global operations services, with United States Steel Corporation, George oversees a diverse swath of functions for the multi-national steel producer. He has executive responsibility for its operations in Slovakia and global oversight of safety, marketing, research and development, engineering, procurement, raw materials, materials management, real estate development and process excellence functions.  George believes U.S. Steel is well positioned in 2013 to make big gains.
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Diana Sorfleet ‘89 | VP & Chief HR and Diversity Officer at CSX Corp.

Age:  49 | Degree:  M.S. Human Resources Development
Leading human resources allows for Diana Sorfleet to retain impressive and diverse talent for CSX Corp., but that is just the beginning. “At CSX we believe that our responsibility is not just simply connecting people, products and places,” Diana said. “Our employees strive to make life safer, greener, healthier and more rewarding for the cities, towns and neighborhoods throughout our 21,000 miles of track.” Diana is supported by a husband and three sons and has used her family’s encouragement to move to a new industry and new city to work for CSX. She is excited to grow surrounded by employees who take pride in their company.

Felipe Romo ‘06 | NASA Contractor

Age:  34 | Degree:  M.B.A.
Felipe Romo’s work is certainly of this world—working with contractors and subcontractors to obtain research and development services—but the project he’s supporting is headed for the stars. Romo’s work is supporting the launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope successor when it launches in 2018. Felipe says his job “creates multiple jobs not only around my workplace but throughout the nation.” Felipe’s goal for 2013 is to become familiar with the Earned Value Management System as he and the NASA team push towards the 2018 launch goal.

Kayne Grau ’09 | VP and Chief Technical Officer, Apartments.com

Age:  39 | Degree:  B.S. Management
Kayne Grau manages the websites of Apartments.com, Apartmenthomelving.com and Auto.com. Formerly the Chief Technical Officer for Cars.com, Kayne is examining how the customer experience evolves as consumers use mobile devices to shop for apartments and cars.  In particular, he is examining how consumer behavior differs across mobile platforms and building new customer relationship models.  “To a degree, technology bores me…I’m not excited by the shiny object,” Kayne said. “I’m way more passionate about pulling together really good teams and being able to overcome very complex business challenges.” | Audio

Kevin Scanlan ‘84 | President & CEO, Metro. Chicago Healthcare Council

Age:  63 | Degree:  M.S. Management and Development of Human Resources
Being a part of an organization that allows him to go back to his roots as a high school teacher, Kevin Scanlan is proud to work for the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC), an organization that provides high quality, accessible health care to the 90 metropolitan hospitals it serves. Between launching the Land of Lincoln Health Co-op, a consumer operated health plant, and opening the Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy, a charter school in CPS in its third year, Kevin enjoys his work. “Whenever the phone rings, I never know what challenge or opportunity is going to be on the other side,” Kevin said.

Robert Lammie ’92 | VP, Sales North America and Export, Ampacet Corp.

Age:  67 | Degree:  B.A. Management
Bob Lammie knows plastics. Having spent more than 43 years in the plastics business with experience in sales, marketing and management, Bob has kept himself busy with his work nationally and internationally. Though planning to retire in mid-2013, Bob won’t let that slow him down. He plans to open a consulting firm on international business and stay active with the Plastics Pioneers Association and many of the organizations in the area. “I always proudly put my fellow man or woman before me,” said Bob, who is also an active community member with nine organizations including the American Legion and the Umbrella Club.

Gary Birkland ’00 | President of Craig Wireless Systems, Ltd.

Age:  58 | Degree:  B.S. Management
Spending over 35 years at Motorola gave Gary Birkland the experience he needed to take on both the Director of Operations and Vice President of Operations position at Craig Wireless Systems Ltd. Little over a year later, Gary has been appointed to the role of president of Craig Wireless, a company that offers internet access, hosting, security and telecommunications services to locations internationally, and manages over 200 employees. “The key is to be creative, aware of the market, keep an open mind, flexibility and be able to execute efficiently,” Gary said.

Jim Croft ‘83 | Executive Vice President and CFO at the Field Museum

Age:  65 | Degree:  M.S. Management and Development of Human Resources
Having joined The Field Museum in 1984, Dr. Jim Croft has taken responsibility for finance, protection services and facilities planning and operations. Jim’s skills also cover budgeting, accounting, grants administration, investments, and debt compliance. Jim is an active member of the Chicagoland community and has not only taught courses at many local universities, but also serves on multiple boards including those of The Salvation Army, The Chicago Sunday Evening Club, and Illinois Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities.