Davis College of Business and Economics honors excellence at spring awards ceremony
Radford University’s Davis College of Business and Economics honored students, faculty and alumni during its annual spring Honors Banquet, held virtually April 23, 2021.
“Tonight, we celebrate excellence and honor achievement,” Davis College Dean Joy Bhadury, Ph.D., said in his opening remarks, welcoming those, including family and friends, who were attending on Zoom. “Thank you for joining us as we recognize those among us who have given extra and are to be rewarded for a job well done.”
A number of students were recognized during the ceremony for their extraordinary work throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, a year marked with challenges stemming from the COVID-19 global health pandemic. The college recognized student achievement in each of its majors – accounting, economics, finance, management and marketing – as well as those in the professional and full-time MBA programs.
Kevin Bloomfield ’93, a managing partner at Bloomfield Partners, received the Davis College Alumni of the Year award, and Associate Professor of Management Danylle Kunkel, Ph.D., was presented with the college’s Outstanding Faculty Award.
Bloomfield is the managing partner at Bloomfield Partners, which makes equity investments in software, technology and life sciences companies. He has received rising star and entrepreneur of the year honors from various groups and organizations and has been recognized by the Center for Innovative Technology Gap Fund as one of the 50 entrepreneurs who are most likely to build Virginia’s next-generation technology companies. Bloomfield has been listed in the Blue Ridge Journal’s 20 under 40 and has been nominated for numerous Chamber of Commerce and civic awards.
Kunkel teaches leadership and social entrepreneurship at Radford University and serves as the Davis College Truist Leadership scholar. In that role, she has certified more than 200 students in the Truist Emerging Leadership certificate program. Kunkel, whose research centers on workplace incivility and employment treatment, annually develops the Davis College leadership symposium, bringing campus and community together for conversations about ethical leadership.
Kunkel also started the Davis College Women’s Network as an opportunity for development, mentoring and connection for female students.
“Dr. Kunkel would tell you that developing students is her passion and focus,” Bhadury said. “She is highly engaged with our students and works hard to have them experience their education.”
As the ceremony transitioned to student awards, Bhadury announced Travis Hawley ’10 and Rebecca Thompson as recipients of the Professional MBA and Full-time MBA awards, respectively.
Hawley, of Christiansburg, Virginia, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and finance from Radford University in 2010. After graduating from Radford, he earned a CPA and also the designation as a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Hawley recently was promoted to program finance manager at BAE Systems, where he has worked since 2017. At Radford, he was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society in both his undergraduate and graduate programs and earned the graduate certificate in Business Analytics while completing the Business Analytics Concentration in the MBA program.
Thompson earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Virginia. Before enrolling in the Radford MBA program, she worked as a registered nurse in the emergency department at LewisGale Montgomery Hospital and as an urgent care manager at Carilion Clinic VelocityCare. Thompson is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, a graduate teaching assistant for the Davis College Department of Economics and a member of the Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad.
Undergraduate Outstanding Student Awards were presented to:
- Accounting, Jamie Underwood ’21 of Dublin, Virginia
- Economics, Christopher Davis ’21 of Chester, Virginia
- Finance, Chase Spangler ’21 of Buchanan, Virginia
- Management, Daniel Walker ’21 of Lorton, Virginia
- Marketing, Anthony Galati ’21 of Sparks, Nevada
Davis also received the Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key, which is awarded to the student with the highest GPA with the most hours completed at the University.
Spangler received the Davis College Outstanding Student Award for his leadership, strong GPA and citizenship. “Radford University is noted for students who work hard to achieve goals in life, and Chase Spangler is no different,” Bhadury said.
The dean also presented the Davis College Fellow Leadership Excellence awards to Gabrielle Paupst ’21, an accounting major from Grimsby, Ontario, Canada, and Jessica Smart ’21, an accounting and finance double major from Stafford, Virginia. These awards recognize student leaders in the Davis College Fellows program.
The Davis College Student Service Award was presented to Chase Arrington ’21, a marketing and management double major from Bassett, Virginia. The award is given each semester to the Davis College student who provides a positive image for prospective students and their families.
William Floyd ’21, an economics major from Christiansburg, Virginia, was presented with the Davis College Citizen/Scholar Award, which goes to the student “who takes their knowledge into the world to make a difference,” Bhadury explained.
The Davis College Dean’s Award was presented to Katherine McKenzie ’21, a management major from Centreville, Virginia. The honor is given each semester to the student who exhibits leadership and contributes to the needs of student organizations and maintains a high GPA.
“I hope in our own way, we have marked this moment for you and said ‘thank you’ in a way that has an impact,” Bhadury said in concluding the ceremony.”