College of Business Hall of Fame 2017 - 2018 Alumni Inductees
From senior-level executives at top corporations to highly successful entrepreneurs, we are proud to welcome our 2013-2014 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.
Holding this induction ceremony and luncheon during Business Week provides students, faculty, and other alumni the chance to interact with the inductees and learn from their experiences.
Corey Ferengul, '93
Chairman/CEO | Magnetic
Corey Ferengul is Executive Chairman and CEO of Magnetic, a leader in AI powered digital advertising. He is also a Board Member and active investor for Hyde Park Angels, a leading Midwest angel investment group. Additionally, he serves on Boards of Directors for Players Health, Tiz, Packback, and Quikly as well as advisory boards for several other companies.
Coreyl was CEO of Undertone, an New York based ad-tech company. The private equity owned company was successfully sold at the end of 2015. Previously he spent six years as an executive of Rovi Corporation (now Tivo) as Executive VP of Product responsible for corporate and product strategy, engineering, & global marketing helping more than triple revenue in that time. Earlier in his career he held many roles in large and small organizations such as Platinum Technology (acquired by CA) and Meta Group (acquired by Gartner Group).
Zack Fortsch, '83
Partner | RSM
Zack Fortsch graduated from Illinois State University in May of 1983 with a Bachelor’s in Accounting and later went on to get his Master’s in Taxation from DePaul University. He is currently a Tax Partner at the Fifth Largest Accounting, Tax & Consulting Firm in the US, RSM.
Zack has had many career achievements during his time at RSM including RSM National Achievement Award Winner and being promoted to Partner in October of 2000. He has also been recognized as the Campus Recruiting Leader at Illinois State University and has the privilege of annually presenting the Outstanding Accounting Professor of the Year award. Other career achievements include Tax Exempt Leader, Two Time Member of New Partner Selection Committee, Co Leader of New Hire & Tax Intern Orientation all within the Great Lakes Region. Zack spends his free time as a Frequent Speaker for Continuing Professional Education Seminars for the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and The Illinois CPA Society (ILCPA).
Zack currently resides in Aurora, IL with his wife, Lisa, and two children, Kyle and Rebecca.
Joe Reynolds, '03
Founder/CEO | Red Frog Events
Joe is the Founder and co-CEO of Red Frog Events, an event production company known for its innovative events and award-winning company culture. Since 2007, the company has developed a diverse platform of event brands including the Warrior Dash obstacle race series, Firefly Music Festival, Chicago Beer Classic, Red Frog Food and Beverage, Air Show Majors, and EventSprout.com.
Red Frog has been named one of Forbes’ “Most Promising Companies in America," has appeared consecutively on Inc. Magazine’s “Fastest Growing Companies” list, and was awarded Business of the Year by the US Chamber of Commerce, among other honors.
The company makes philanthropy a top priority. Red Frog donates 1% of its profits to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has raised over $14 million for the organization, and has been selected as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Corporate Partner of the Year.
Joe has been named one of Forbes' Most Promising CEOs Under 35, was an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Regional Winner, and has been named to Chicago Crain's 40 Under 40. Joe is also an active member of Young President's Organization (YPO) and the Tugboat Institute.
After growing up in Maple Park, IL (population 600) he now lives in Chicago with his wife and three kids. In his free time he enjoys traveling, scuba diving, and running.
Kelley Smith, '81
Principal/CPA | Kensingston Realty Advisors Inc.
Kelley Smith is Principal of Kensington Realty Advisors, a commercial real estate investment management company founded in 1991 and based in Chicago. Historically Kensington’s assets under management have averaged $1 billion and have included multifamily, industrial, retail, student and senior housing properties. Smith joined Kensington in 1992 and her main responsibilities are the asset and portfolio management activities of the firm, including property dispositions. She is also responsible for overseeing the financial management and accounting functions, and is the primary liaison with investors as to property operations and performance. Smith is an officer of Kensington and a member of its Investment Management Committee.
Prior to joining Kensington, Smith was associated for nearly ten years with Catellus Development Corporation in Southern California. Catellus was spun off from Santa Fe Industries to become one of the first publicly-traded, NYSE-listed real estate firms in the country. Smith was very involved in that process and most recently had been the Director of Asset Management for the southwest region. In that capacity she was responsible for 10 million square feet of properties in Southern California and Arizona. Catellus was ultimately merged into Prologis, the world’s largest owner of industrial real estate. Prior to Catellus, Smith was an auditor with KPMG in Chicago for two years.
Smith earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1981 from Illinois State University and received designation as Certified Public Accountant. She is an active member in the Urban Land Institute (ULI) as a Trustee and Governor as well as previously serving in key leadership roles as Chair of the Chicago District Council and Chair of the Industrial and Office Park Council. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the ULI Chicago Women’s Leadership Initiative. Smith is past president of the Chicago Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Executive Women and serves on the College of Business Advisory Council at Illinois State University. Smith and her husband, Jim, also established a scholarship for a deserving first year student woman majoring in accounting at Illinois State University.
Nancy Svoboda, ’86
Executive Vice President Human Resources | Denver Broncos Football Club
Nancy Svoboda, SPHR, SHRM-SCP has over 25 years of Human Resources experience in the sports and entertainment, marketing services, retail, and daycare industries. In July, 2013, Nancy joined the Denver Broncos Football Club as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, and in May, 2017 she was promoted to Executive Vice President, Human Resources. In this role, she is responsible for the overall leadership of the HR function for the front office staff and stadium employees.
Before joining the Broncos, Nancy served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources for The Integer Group, a company she was associated with for nearly 20 years.
Nancy received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in education, human resources and organizational development from Colorado State University. She received certification as a senior professional in human resources (SPHR) from the Human Resources Certification Institute as well as a senior certified professional (SHRM-SCP) from the Society for Human Resource Management. Nancy is also a certified True Colors® Personal Success Facilitator, a TalentSmart® Emotional Intelligence Certified Trainer as well as a contributing author of The Praeger Handbook of Human Resource Management. She has spoken on numerous topics including recruitment, employee engagement, employee recognition, and performance management.
Originally from Illinois, she now resides in Castle Rock, Colorado. She is married to Greg and has two sons (Kyle and Dillon), both who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Army. Needless to say, she is passionate about giving back to the military community and mentoring service members as they transition from military to civilian life.
Jeff Wilson, ’88
SVP/Head of Global Total Rewards | Toronto-Dominion Bank
Jeff Wilson is Senior Vice President, Head of Total Rewards for The Toronto-Dominion Bank Group (TDBG) based in Toronto, Ontario.
Jeff joined TDBG in October 2017 and leads the continuing development and delivery of TDBG’s total rewards vision and strategy. He is responsible for leadership and oversight of the company’s total rewards, including executive compensation, broad-based and sales compensation, retirement, benefits, wellness, global mobility and enterprise recognition programs and practices. He reports to the EVP, Human Resources.
Prior to TDBG, Jeff served for nearly four years as SVP, Global Total Rewards for The Western Union Company, where he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s rewards, as well as HR information systems and payroll. He led the strategic review, design, development, implementation and communication of total rewards for employees located in more than fifty countries.
Jeff also served as VP – Compensation, for Walmart U.S. prior to joining Western Union. At Walmart, he was responsible for leading the strategy, development, design and administration of compensation programs for the company’s largest business unit, which included the strategies to attract, retain and motivate more than 1.3 million associates.
Prior to his two and one-half years at Walmart, Jeff served as VP, Global Compensation and Mobility Group Manager at United Parcel Service (UPS). As a member of the Corporate Human Resources Group, Jeff was the head of executive compensation, global compensation and mobility, as well as international benefits for the world’s largest transportation and logistics company.
Throughout more than 25 years with UPS, Jeff progressed through various assignments including nine years in operations; followed by more than 16 years in progressive H.R. leadership roles including an international assignment in Singapore as Asia Pacific Region Compensation & Benefits Director for nearly three years. During his UPS career, Jeff led H.R. for four business units and international compensation and benefits, before being promoted to the company’s top compensation role.
Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Illinois State University. He is a member of World at Work, The Conference Board and the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).