College of Business Hall of Fame 2023 Alumni Inductees
From senior-level executives at top corporations to highly successful entrepreneurs, we are proud to welcome our 2023 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.
Michael C. Foltz JD, CPA, CFP, '79
Retired Principal - CI BDF LLC
Mike is a retired principal of CI BDF LLC, a private wealth management firm in Itasca, Illinois. After graduating from ISU and passing the CPA exam in 1979, he obtained his law degree from IIT Chicago Kent College of Law in 1982 and began his professional career in the tax department of Price Waterhouse.
In 1984, Mike and a Price Waterhouse colleague began their entrepreneurial career by starting a law firm in Oak Brook, Illinois and a wealth management firm in 1986. After merging their wealth management firm with another in 2001, the new, combined firm grew steadily and became part of CI Private Wealth in 2020.
Mike developed extensive experience in income tax and estate planning and was a member of his Firm’s Wealth Management committee. He authored several articles including “The Best States to Retire in From a Tax Perspective,” which is used extensively by the Firm today. Mike has been quoted in several national publications, including BusinessWeek, Commerce Clearing House and the Wall Street Journal. He served on the Board of Trustees of Rosalind Franklin University for thirteen years.
Prior to retiring in 2021, Mike and his wife, Kim (an ISU alum), moved to Naples, Florida. Mike is grateful for Kim’s support and is most proud that his three children, Matt, Joe and Laura are current professionals of the Firm.
They contribute their success to the great staff they have in both businesses and of course, the support of family and many friends.
They have 4 grown children and 3 handsome grandsons, Michael, Bryce and Dean that are the love of their lives.
Constance Gully '86
President and CEO - Parents as Teachers National Center
Constance Gully is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Parents as Teachers National Center, a leading parent education and early childhood professional development organization serving professionals that work annually with 200,000+ families in all 50 states, 115 tribal communities, and seven other countries. Parents as Teachers works in partnership with child and family serving organizations to improve early development, learning and health outcomes for children and families.
Parents as Teachers transforms the science of home visiting, early development and family engagement into real life resources and tools for professionals that help parents, focusing on the earliest years of life because those years hold the most vulnerability and opportunity.
The Parents as Teachers evidence-based model is supported by 35 plus years of evidence of effectiveness in: early detection of delays and health issues; increased child cognition, language, and executive functions; increased parenting knowledge and practice; increased school readiness and success; and reduced child maltreatment.
In response to COVID-19, Parents as Teachers leads the Rapid Response Virtual Home Visiting collaborative (RR-VHV) in collaboration with the Institute for Family Support Professionals and the National Alliance of Home Visiting Models (of which PAT is a member model). RR-VHV provides best practice principles and strategies to support all home visiting professionals in maintaining meaningful connection with families during this time of increased anxiety and need.
Through collaboration, the RR-VHV is leveraging the extensive resources and expertise that exists across home visiting organizations to support the development and distribution of cross model, cross system approaches and guidance.
Prior to joining Parents as Teachers, Constance practiced public accounting for 10 years and later held several leadership roles over a 16-year period at Harris Stowe University in St. Louis, MO, including interim President and Executive Vice President for business and financial affairs. Constance is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a Master of Business Administration from Lindenwood University, and Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Illinois State University.
A former Parents as Teachers parent herself, Constance is the proud mother of Nicholas Bowman and wife of Andre’ Gully.
Major General Richard R. Neely, '89
40th Adjutant General - State of Illinois
Major General Rich Neely is the 40th Adjutant General of the State of Illinois and serves on the Governor’s cabinet as the Director of the Illinois Department of Military Affairs. General Neely is the Commander for both the Illinois Army and Air National Guard where he is responsible for daily operations and oversees approximately 13,000 military members, 2,200 fulltime military/federal employees and 230 civilian state employees.
As the Commander of the Illinois National Guard, he is responsible for the training, preparation and deployment of Soldiers and Airmen in support of combat operations worldwide. General Neely led the 2019 response to historic flooding in Illinois along with the unprecedented 2020/2021 COVID19 pandemic response and multiple deployments of the National Guard in response to civil unrest across the state and in support of the National Capitol Response mission.
During his 38 years of service as a military service, General Neely has served in numerous command, staff, and operational positions, including in the Pentagon for the National Guard Bureau as the Principal Deputy Director for Air Operations where he oversaw Intelligence, Air, Nuclear, Cyber and Space Operations (A2/3/6/10) and the Air National Guard’s Chief Information Officer. Also at the National Guard Bureau, he served as the Chief of Current Operations (NG J33) where he was the focal point for National Guard Domestic Operations/Defense Support to Civil Authorities, and crisis management for federal interagency partners in support of the 54 States and Territories.
General Neely has a Master of Science in Public Administration, Policy, and Leadership (CIO concentration) from the National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. He also is a Master Cyberspace Officer with other specialties in operations, logistics and finance.
General Neely is joint qualified officer, a certified dual status commander and has two overseas deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. General Neely is a national leader in cybersecurity and critical infrastructure as it applies to emergency management. He routinely speaks on the topic to include regular engagements at US Northern Command, National Governors Association, the National Guard Cyber Law course, and other emergency management conferences. General Neely serves as a member of the Atlantic Council GeoTech Committee, is the Chairman for the Army National Guard’s Cyber Readiness Advisory Council, and member of the National Guard’s Cyber General Officer Advisory Council, Business Executives for National Security, and IL Joining Forces. General Neely was awarded the Polish Commanders Cross with Silver Star Order of Merit by the President of Poland and the Distinguished Service Medal (IL) by the Governor of Illinois in 2022. General Neely’s top three awards include: the Legion of Merit Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster and the Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters.
R. Andrew Watts, ’91
Executive Vice President and CFO, Brown & Brown Insurance
Andy Watts’ style of high-impact financial leadership at Brown & Brown has delivered a heightened focus on financial discipline, capital allocation and decision support for the business.
Andy is responsible for all financial aspects of the organization, including treasury and investor relations. He also supports strategy, acquisitions and the board of directors. Before joining Brown & Brown, Andy spent 12 years at Thomson Reuters, where he held several positions, including global head of customer administration and CFO of the Investment and Advisory Division of Thomson Reuters Markets.
He currently sits on the board of directors for New Planet Energy Development, an organization focused on recycling, manufacturing of alternative renewable fuels and bio-refinery technology, as well as the advisory board for Illinois State University College of Business.
Andy previously held the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University. He resides in Daytona Beach, Florida, is married with two daughters and enjoys golf, basketball, skiing and traveling.