David Spalding, the Raisbeck Endowed Dean at the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business, will present four awards at the 92nd Annual Honors & Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Iowa State University Alumni Association during Homecoming Week. The awards ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, November 3. The event, which is free and open to the public, is held at Stephens Auditorium at the Iowa State Center.
“This is one of my favorite events each year as we celebrate some of the most distinguished alumni and friends of the Ivy College of Business,” Spalding said. “Deb and David Kingland, who received the Ivy Award, are not able to join us during Homecoming, so we held a previous event where we presented their award to them. We are proud of all of our awardees and congratulate them for their success and dedication to the Ivy College of Business.”
The following includes a description of each award and the recipient.
Ivy Award
Established in 2018, the Ivy Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Ivy College of Business. Honoring our namesake donors, it is presented to an individual, family, or organization in recognition of their exceptional career achievements and service to the college.
David Kingland (’80 industrial administration) and Deb Kingland (’80 child development)
Clear Lake, Iowa
David and Deb Kingland are serial entrepreneurs who have founded and built successful companies in media, music, software, real estate, and financial services. Their two main areas of focus today are Kingland Systems Corporation and Renovo Media Group.
The Kinglands have been devoted alumni of Iowa State University and the Ivy College of Business. David is a member of the ISU Foundation Board of Governors and a member of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Directors. As a member and past chair of the Ivy College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, David provides valuable business advice and leadership for the college. The couple co-chaired the recent Forever True capital campaign for the Ivy College of Business. Deb is also a member of the Iowa State University Foundation Board of Governors. They are known for their outstanding support of students, including gifts to help fund the $28 million addition to the Gerdin Business Building. Kingland Systems also supports scholarships in data analytics, entrepreneurship, and named faculty chairs in the Ivy College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the College of Engineering. “Many of our management and technical employees in our Clear Lake and Ames offices are Iowa State graduates. Not only do we want to show our gratitude, but we also want our employees to share in the pleasure of giving back to Iowa State,” David Kingland said.
David and Deb are life members of the Iowa State University Alumni Association and belong to the Order of the Knoll W.M. Beardshear Society and Campanile Society, and they are Cyclone Club members.
Citation of Achievement
Established in 1985, this award honors distinguished alumni who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in life beyond the campus.
Keith Kreuer (’81 industrial administration)
Houston, Texas
Keith Kreuer has over 35 years of experience starting and building innovative, customer-oriented information technology companies. As a principal with RedHouse Associates, he specializes in helping early-stage companies create their business plans, define product roadmaps, and build processes that scale. In his role as a co-founder or investor, Kreuer has assisted startup teams in achieving a dozen positive exits with positive returns to their founders and investors. He is an active angel investor in the Houston and Austin startup ecosystems and has participated in over 100 private investments.
Kreuer’s support for students and entrepreneurship is strong. He is a mentor and advisor at the Iowa State Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship and comes to Ames each summer to work with students in the CYstarters accelerator program. In 2022, he was the Reiman Entrepreneurial Speaker Series keynote speaker. This year at CYstarters Demo Day, he was recognized with the Ted Bair CYstarters Supporter Award. He established a scholarship program at Ivy for entrepreneurship majors. In addition to supporting students, Kreuer also works with Startup Factory companies through the Venture Mentoring Service. He mentors entrepreneurship students at other institutions, too, including Rice University.
He currently serves on the board of directors for Goodwill Industries Houston and the board of directors of Lemonade Day, a national organization that teaches youth the power of entrepreneurship.
John D. DeVries Service award
Established in 1985 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the Ivy College of Business.
Craig Hansen (’80 industrial administration)
Urbandale, Iowa
Craig Hansen, senior vice president at Holmes Murphy & Associates, has enjoyed a 35-year career after graduating with a focus in accounting. Early in his career, he was a bond underwriter with USF&G Insurance and a bond manager with St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance. He served on the Holmes Murphy Executive Committee and Board of Directors, which contributed to the growth of the company from $75,000,000 in revenue to $225,000,000 in revenue. He was part of a team that expanded ownership in Holmes Murphy from six to 150 individuals, leading them to become one of the largest privately held, employee-owned insurance brokers in the United States. From 2004-2005, Hansen served as president of the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP), an association of and resource for surety bond producers and allied professionals throughout the United States. He has served on several professional boards and nonprofit organizations.
Hansen is especially proud to support students at Iowa State through two scholarships: the Craig Hansen and Judith Ralston-Hansen Business Scholarship and the Judith Ralston-Hansen and Craig Hansen Liberal Arts and Sciences Scholarship. Since 2010, Hansen has volunteered his time as a member of the Ivy College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council. In that position, he provides valuable business advice and leadership for the college.
His service to Iowa State and the Ivy College of Business is also visible through his work as an Iowa State Foundation Governor, his memberships with the Iowa State Alumni Association, the Iowa State University Gridiron Club, and the Forever True campaign for the Ivy College of Business. He has been a valuable partner in helping to grow the Ivy Sales Forum and was a champion for Holmes Murphy’s involvement in the sales forum.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Established in 2021 to honor alumni age 40 and younger who have distinguished themselves early in their career for their remarkable achievements.
Amanda Matchett (’08 marketing, international business)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
As senior corporate counsel of commercial technology transactions at Workday, Matchett reviews and negotiates contracts. She also provides legal guidance to the company sales team on a variety of regulatory issues, like privacy laws, and regularly interacts with lawyers across the country.
While at Iowa State, Matchett was a member of the Kappa Delta sorority, the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity, was a four-year recipient of the George Washington Carver Scholarship, and studied abroad in Thessaloniki, Greece. Having a foundation in marketing and international business has been instrumental in her work with a large company such as Workday.
This year, she co-chaired the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers scholarship gala, raising and distributing historic funds for the organization. She has been involved in several civic organizations, including the Iowa State Alumni Association Board of Directors, and the ISUAA Young Alumni Council, served as treasurer of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, and is a Minnesota Women Lawyers Foundation board member. She received the In-House Counsel Rising Star Award—Minnesota Lawyer and NBA Women’s Lawyer Division—Outstanding Corporate In-House Counsel Nominee.
Michael Fleisher (’05 accounting, finance)
New York, New York
Michael Fleisher is treasurer and head of internal tax at EisnerAmper in New York, New York. EisnerAmper is one of the largest business consulting firms in the world. It offers business organizations and individuals a comprehensive set of accounting and audit, tax, and advisory services to help them respond quickly to urgent issues, anticipate opportunities and risks, and grow profitably. In his role as treasurer, he oversees the management of cash and debt, banking relationships, and client receipts. He also supports M&A activity and implements technology to support a rapidly scaling firm. Prior to his career at EisnerAmper, he held accounting and finance roles at Marsh and Principal Financial Group.
He was part of the EisnerAmper team, which executed the first private equity transaction in the accounting industry in decades, challenging and changing the corporate and capital structure for the entire industry. His support for Iowa State and the Ivy College of Business is strong. He created the Stephen and Patricia Fleisher Family Scholarship, which is awarded to a freshman from Newton, Iowa, entering the Ivy College of Business. He is the youngest alumnus to establish an endowed scholarship at Ivy. He served as the president of the New York City chapter of the Iowa State Alumni Association for several years. “Iowa State shaped who I am as a person, I am extremely proud both my sister and I are alumni of Iowa State!” he said.
He lives with his wife and two children in New York and New Jersey and is a lifetime member of the Iowa State Alumni Association.
October 24, 2023
