Congratulating alumni and celebrating our Corporate Partner of the Year, the 2026 Chambers College Honors Induction Ceremony recognized many while introducing two new awards — the Lifetime Achievement Award and Chambers College Impact Award.
With two new additions for 2026, the ceremony featured five award categories:
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- Chambers College Impact Award
- Roll of Distinguished Alumni
- Early Career Achievement Award
- Corporate Partner of the Year
Lifetime Achievement
With 2026 as its inaugural debut, the Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to those who have demonstrated longtime commitment to WVU and shown exceptional performance in their career.
Robert “Bob” Reynolds is the 2026 recipient of the Chambers College Lifetime Achievement Award.
Since 2008, Reynolds has served as the President and CEO of Putnam Investments. Reynolds is recognized for his thought leadership on retirement and workplace savings. Under his leadership, Putnam was named Retirement Leader of the Year in 2011.
Reynolds also serves as Vice-Chair of the
WVU Board of Governors and was a former Chair of the WVU Foundation.
Reynolds graduated from WVU with a focus in finance in 1974. He has also received
an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration and was a 2016 inductee of the
Roll of Distinguished Alumni — another top Chambers College honor.
Chambers College Impact Award
The brand new
Chambers College Impact Award is given to individuals who have made an impact
on the Chambers College by supporting students, alumni and college endeavors.
Fred Tattersall, a 1970 graduate of WVU’s College of Business and Economics, is the inaugural recipient of the Chambers College Impact Award.
Tattersall is a longtime supporter of WVU and the Chambers College, having backed several efforts to improve student experiences, especially the Student Managed Investment Fund.
Tattersall has previously served on the WVU Foundation Board of Directors. He
is also a member of the inaugural inductees of the Roll of Distinguished Alumni.
Roll of Distinguished Alumni
Created in 2011, the Roll of Distinguished Alumni honors outstanding graduates of the Chambers College.
Alumni inducted into the Roll of Distinguished Alumni have at least 11 years of professional work experience and differentiate themselves through success on the regional, national or international level.
Five inductees were added to the Roll of Distinguished Alumni in 2026 and represent industries including logistics, consulting, retail, food manufacturing and more. A sixth inductee was also honored during the 2026 ceremony after being added to the Roll of Distinguished Alumni in 2025.
- Samuel Chico III: Chico Bakery - Owner
- Stephanie Long: Michael Baker - CFO
- Natasha Selzer: Nasdaq - Associate Vice President, Capital Access Platform
- Michael J. Stolarczyk: Locative Logistics, LLC - Cofounder and President
- Richard Symons: Specialist in Startup Funding and Consulting
- Dan Slipkovich
(2025 inductee): Senior Healthcare Executive
Early Career Achievement Award
Launched in 2023, the
Early Career Achievement Award highlights alumni who have 10 or fewer years
of full-time professional work experience and distinguish themselves through success
in their work.
Four alumni received the award in 2026.
-
Elizabeth Blemings: Bank of America Securities - Vice President, Investment
Grade Debt Capital Markets
- Chris Hickey: Chemours - Regional Communications Manager
- Morgan Hunt: Suttle & Stalnaker - Tax Manager
-
Vishnu Reddy: Ares Management Corporation - Principal, Healthcare Private
Equity
Corporate Partner of the Year
WesBanco is the 2026 recipient of the Corporate Partner of the Year Award,
given to organizations that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to student
development and partnership with the Chambers College across three dimensions:
experiential learning and curricular engagement, talent acquisition, and philanthropic
support.
A community-focused, regional financial services partner, WesBanco has been a long-time supporter of the Chambers College, including through Data Driven WV, an outreach center connecting students and faculty with real-world data and analytics work.
WesBanco has further demonstrated its commitment through hands-on student engagement,
serving as a core employer for the Chambers College Externship Program and sponsoring
the Inaugural Real Estate Trends Conference. Additionally, leaders from WesBanco
sit on the College’s Finance, Management Information Systems, and Real Estate Advisory
Councils.
Looking Forward
Do you know any exceptional alumni who qualify for the
Roll of Distinguished Alumni and
Early Career Achievement Award? Nominations for 2027 are now open!
Stay connected by signing up for the Chambers College alumni newsletter.
-WVU-
JC 4/17/26
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jacob Comer
Senior Communications Specialist
John Chambers College of Business and Economics
