{"id":228426,"date":"2025-04-14T16:27:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T20:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=228426"},"modified":"2025-04-17T11:34:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T15:34:16","slug":"five-outstanding-business-leaders-inducted-into-the-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/04\/five-outstanding-business-leaders-inducted-into-the-hall-of-fame\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Outstanding Business Leaders Inducted into the Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The School of Business inducted five extraordinary business leaders into its Alumni Hall of Fame on Friday night, at a joyful ceremony that included a sold-out crowd of 400 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_228524\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-228524\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-228524 size-large img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-89-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"UConn President Radenka Maric address the attendees of Hall of Fame 2025 (Nathan Oldham \/ UConn School of Business)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-89-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-89-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-89-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-89-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-89-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-89-998x665.jpg 998w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-89.jpg 1500w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-228524\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UConn President Radenka Maric addresses the attendees of Hall of Fame 2025 (Nathan Oldham \/ UConn School of Business)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The new inductees included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Trisha M. Bailey<\/strong>, Ph.D. \u201999, \u201923 H, a serial entrepreneur and owner and CEO of Bailey\u2019s Pharmacy &amp; Medical Equipment &amp; Supplies;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Laurie A. Havanec<\/strong> \u201982, \u201994 JD, the retired Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at CVS Health;<\/li>\n<li><strong>John Hodson<\/strong> \u201985 President of True Benefit;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gregory P. Lewis<\/strong> \u201991 retired Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Honeywell International; and<\/li>\n<li><strong>Robert J. Skinner<\/strong> \u201993, Founding Partner &amp; Co-CEO of IEQ Capital.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each of the inductees, all alumni who have had remarkable careers and made significant contributions to society, shared their personal stories about their journeys, their passion for helping others and their love of UConn.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_228525\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-228525\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-228525 size-large img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-241-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Van Sambeck, Associate Vice President at the UConn Foundation, sits amongst the capacity crowd at the Hartford Marriott during Hall of Fame 2025 (Nathan Oldham \/ UConn School of Business)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-241-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-241-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-241-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-241-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-241-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-241-998x665.jpg 998w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-241.jpg 1500w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-228525\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Van Sambeck, Associate Vice President at the UConn Foundation, sits amongst the capacity crowd at the Hartford Marriott during Hall of Fame 2025 (Nathan Oldham \/ UConn School of Business)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Bailey: UConn Saw the Light in Her When Others Didn\u2019t<\/h2>\n<p>Bailey is a serial entrepreneur who, in addition to running her flagship company, oversees 15 other businesses. She has been named the JP Morgan Chase Woman of the Year. She made the largest single donation in history to UConn Athletics, and is involved in numerous philanthropic endeavors in the U.S. and Jamaica. Bailey, a mother of five, is also the author of the book \u201cUNBROKEN\u2019\u2019 about her life\u2019s journey and her unwavering values of compassion, excellence, and empowerment.<\/p>\n<p>She told the audience that in 1990 she left behind a life of poverty of Jamaica to relocate to Hartford. A high school counselor had once told her she wasn\u2019t \u201ccollege material,\u2019\u2019 she recalled. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t know what she\u2019s talking about!\u2019\u2019 Bailey remembered thinking that day. The UConn audience cheered at her response. UConn, she said, saw the light in her when others didn\u2019t, and gave her a full scholarship.<\/p>\n<p>She hopes that her success inspires many other girls and women.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMake sure your excellence is so profound it cannot be denied,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cI want young girls across the globe to see that this honor is for you. Keep striving. You are amazing!\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<h2>Havanec Astonished by Today\u2019s UConn Students<\/h2>\n<p>Havanec, who recently retired from CVS Health, oversaw 300,000 employees in her role in talent development and acquisition, compensation and benefits, and diversity, equity and inclusion. She earned her bachelor\u2019s degree in marketing from UConn, and six weeks after the birth of her second child, she returned to earn her JD degree from UConn Law. In 2019, she endowed a need-based scholarship to help other women attend law school. She is a two-time cancer survivor who advocates for early detection and prevention.<\/p>\n<p>She returned to Storrs last week, for the first time in 20 years, and said the experience was exhilarating. She was impressed by the sophistication, real-life decision-making, and leadership she found in the students. She said the student investors at the School of Business\u2019 Hillside Ventures are exceptional.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen they leave UConn, they\u2019ll be amazing sponsors for the university,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cI know it is scary leaving college. Be courageous. Go out there and show the world what you have!\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Havanec, a passionate UConn basketball fan, also gave a shout-out to the UConn women\u2019s basketball team, just days after they won the national championship. \u201cThey overcame so much adversity,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cThey are role models for all of us!\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<h2>Hodson Spoke About The Deeper Meaning of Dreams<\/h2>\n<p>Hodson, founded his employee benefits company, True Benefit, to foster inclusivity, ethics, and community engagement. He has worked tirelessly to improve insurance policies for the transgender community. In addition, he has created scholarships for transgender students and has supported UConn\u2019s \u2018Name, Image and Likeness\u2019 initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>In his award acceptance speech, he spoke about a recurring dream that he was on the golf course and something\u2014a tree branch, an octogenarian, or a storm\u2014prevents him from completing his round.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know it was a metaphor for \u2018Am I good enough?,\u2019\u201d he said. As his company grew, so did his stress and the pressure to not disappoint his stakeholders. He was in his early 50s when he met his wife, who believed in him and pushed him to the next level. Now he dreams of standing on the fairway and \u201csmoking\u2019\u2019 the shot. He said he wouldn\u2019t be where he is today without help from great friends.<\/p>\n<p>His message to students is one of compassion. \u201cI think it is a lot harder to be a student today than it was when I was growing up,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cJust be yourself, be kind to yourself, and don\u2019t do it alone. Lean on others and you\u2019ll be OK.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<h2>Lewis: Push Past Fear; Don\u2019t Lose Your Humanity<\/h2>\n<p>Lewis has worked for Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company, since 2006. Most recently he was the Senior Vice President and CFO, providing leadership through corporate headquarter relocation, COVID-19, and economic and geo-political shifts. In February, he stepped down as CFO and became a special advisor to the CEO as the company separates into three.<\/p>\n<p>He praised his parents for showing him the pathway to success, teaching him care and compassion, and to strive to be the best every day. He told students and young alumni that he owes his success to doing hard things and doing them well; demonstrating leadership; and always caring about others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPush past fear and uncertainty, say yes a lot, and don\u2019t lose your humanity,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cNo one succeeds alone. Don\u2019t live with regret. Struggle and failure is a step toward growth.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Lewis, who met his wife Barbara (Reynolds \u201989) at UConn, and raised two daughters together, spoke of his love for his family and the 40 people there to support him. He is active in community organizations including serving as the Chair of the Charlotte (NC) Small Business Innovation Fund, as a member of an organization fighting homelessness, and on the Board of Medtronic.<\/p>\n<h2>Skinner: Play for the Name on the Front of the Jersey<\/h2>\n<p>Skinner\u2019s company, IEQ Capital, merges intellectual and emotional factors in investing. He has been named one of America\u2019s top wealth advisors by Forbes. He is active in the board of several golf charities including PGA REACH, the foundation associated with PGA of America.<\/p>\n<p>Planning to become a lawyer, Skinner instead found himself in the business world and wanted to build a company.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUConn is my family. I have great memories and great friendships from those years,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cAt UConn I found myself. I developed the grit, excellence, and the belief that I can do something really big.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>In accepting his award, he told the audience to \u201cplay for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>He praised former UConn men\u2019s basketball head coach Jim Calhoun, who was in attendance with current coach Dan Hurley and assistant coach Luke Murray, whom he met his freshman year. \u201cHe got my fire burning, got me to believe in winning and doing things that others don\u2019t think you can,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cI\u2019m beyond grateful for the recognition. Every day I think about being a Husky!\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_228527\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-228527\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-228527 size-medium img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-16-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"2025 Hall of Fame inductee Greg Lewis (right), with former UConn Men's Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun (left) \" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-16-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-16-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-16-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-16-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-16-998x665.jpg 998w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-16.jpg 1500w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-228527\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">2025 Hall of Fame inductee Greg Lewis (right), with former UConn Men&#8217;s Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun (left)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_228526\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-228526\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-228526 size-medium img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-21-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Laurissa Berk, Director, Student &amp; Faculty Services, STEM Business Programs (left) and Katherine Lorange, Project Coordinator for the Digital Frontiers Initiative, during the reception of Hall of Fame 2025 (Nathan Oldham \/ UConn School of Business)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-21-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-21-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-21-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-21-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-21-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-21-998x665.jpg 998w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/busn2025_04_11_HallofFame-21.jpg 1500w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-228526\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UConn staff members Laurissa Berk (left) and Katherine Lorange(right)during the reception of Hall of Fame 2025 (Nathan Oldham \/ UConn School of Business)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Their Advice to Students: Develop Confidence, Strive for Excellence, Have No Regrets <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":228435,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2105],"class_list":["post-228426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-29 17:05:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228426"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228571,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228426\/revisions\/228571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/228435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228426"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=228426"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=228426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}