Distinguished Alumni Awards

Vice President - Client Service & Strategy, Bruton Chisnell Advisors Founder, InSight Consulting, LLC

Liz Blystone is a lifelong, Akron-area resident and proud alumna of The University of Akron, graduating from the Drs. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Honors College with a B.S. in Marketing Management and E-Marketing and Advertising (’06) and an MBA in Strategic Marketing (’11). Liz’s personal purpose and passion is to help others become the best versions of themselves. She has dedicated her energy to this purpose by partnering with individuals, teams, and organizations as a change maker to help others identify opportunities and achieve their goals. As an undergraduate student, Liz was a Buckingham scholar and was highly involved in many student organizations, including serving as a Student Trustee on the Board of Trustees, Honors Delegates, Honors Business Group, Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, and Alpha Delta Pi sorority. As an alumna, Liz is passionate about mentoring students to hone their professional development and career-readiness. She has been a member of the Executive Advisory Board for the Marketing Department for over 15 years, serving as Board Chair for the past 6 years. During her tenure, she has helped formalize the internship requirement for marketing students, lead the creation of professional development programs such as Prepped, Polished & Ready, and helped establish the Junior Advisory Board for the department. She participates in Coach and Connect, Women in Business, and was a mentor during the launch of the Institute for Leadership Advancement. Also, she has served as an adjunct professor, where she developed and taught an MBA-level Brand Management course in the College of Business. Liz is Vice President, Client Service & Strategy at Bruton Chisnell Advisors, where she has been integral in the leadership, strategic planning, and growth of the firm. Liz focuses on partnering with business owner clients on retirement plans and their strategic business and personal planning needs. Prior to joining Bruton Chisnell Advisors, she founded InSight Consulting, where she applies her personal purpose by working with local companies and non-profits on strategy, marketing, and other special projects. Liz is especially proud of the work she’s done with Ignite Brewing Company, an award-winning craft brewery in Barberton and Brunswick, where she leads strategy and marketing to help bring to life their purpose of Making Beer Make a Difference®. She started her professional career at The J. M. Smucker Company, where she spent 12 years in roles in brand marketing and helped lead the development of the Smucker Innovation Center, which was a recipient of the company’s Innovation Award in 2016. She also helped establish the formal marketing internship program and was the key liaison between Smucker and the Marketing Department at UA. In addition to her involvement with UA, Liz is the Treasurer and Board member at Heart to Heart Leadership, a non-profit organization focused on enriching lives by helping individuals and organizations strengthen and live their values through leadership development. She is also a proud graduate of Our Lady of the Elms High School. Liz and her husband John, a 2005 graduate from the College of Engineering, have one daughter and reside in Akron.

Keith A. Cline, Jr. ’92, ’02

President & CEO, CorePoint Lodging Inc.

Keith A. Cline Jr. served as President & CEO of CorePoint Lodging Inc. (NYSE:CPLG) from May 2018 through its sale, to a joint venture of affiliates of Cerberus Capital Management and Highgate, in March 2022. CorePoint Lodging was the only public U.S. lodging real estate investment trust (REIT) strategically focused on midscale and upper-midscale select-service segments and was the largest franchisee of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. CorePoint owned a geographically diverse portfolio in attractive locations primarily around employment centers, airports, and major travel thoroughfares. Cline served as President & CEO of La Quinta (NYSE:LQ) from February 2016 to the May 2018 sale of its brand and management company to Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Prior to becoming President & CEO of La Quinta, Cline served as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer and lead the company through its initial public offering in 2014. Before joining La Quinta, Cline served as Chief Administrative Officer & Chief Financial Officer at Charming Charlie, Inc., Senior Vice President of Finance at Express, Inc. and held various leadership roles at L Brands, FedEx Custom Critical, and The J.M. Smucker Company. Cline serves on the Texas FFA Foundation Board and is a summa cum laude graduate of The University of Akron with a B.S. in Accounting and a M.B.A. in Finance.

Monty C. Leonard '82, ’83

Senior Vice President & Controller, The Howard Hughes Corporation

Monty C. Leonard hails from Dunbar, West Virginia, and is a Certified Public Accountant. He holds an M.B.A. and B.A. in Accounting from The University of Akron and lives in Reisterstown, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. Monty is Senior Vice President and Development Controller for The Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC), which develops and operates masterplanned communities and mixed-use properties across the U.S. Monty oversees the financial and accounting matters for all of Howard Hughes’ Strategic Development projects, and he established the Development Accounting Team at Howard Hughes in 2011. Monty was previously Vice President and Controller of Land Development at The Rouse Company, developer of the country’s first planned community— Columbia, Maryland—Class-A shopping malls, and festival centers including Boston’s Faneuil Hall and Baltimore’s Harborplace. From his first post as a Senior Accountant at Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouse Coopers), Monty now has over 35 years of real estate accounting and finance experience. Monty currently serves his community as Director and Finance Committee Member of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Board of Directors of National Senior Communities. He has also served on several community boards, ranging from roles as president (and coach) of little league baseball in Baltimore County, Vice President of Tri-Churches Housing in Baltimore City, and the Board of Trustees at his church. While a student at The University of Akron, he served as a resident assistant, was Vice-President of Black United Students, and was selected for membership to the business and accounting honorary societies Beta Gamma Sigma and Beta Alpha Psi. Monty met his wife, Tori (Ingram ’83) Leonard on UA’s campus. They have been married for 37 years and are the parents of Joshua (a graduate student at the University of Iowa) and Michael (a graduate of Harvard University and a program director at a Boston healthcare non-profit).

EmilyGrace Mate  ’04, ’08

Management & Advisory Consultant

EmilyGrace Mate grew up in Ohio and holds an M.B.A. in Strategic Marketing Management and a B.S. in Finance from The University of Akron. She is also a graduate of the University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program. She started her career at Lockheed Martin in Akron. EmilyGrace has guided business model transformations in both the private and public sectors, assisting the highest levels of leadership for consulting firms (FCM, Deloitte) and as the founder of her own independent firm. She has also directly implemented change management in the Department of the Navy, the National Guard Bureau, and Army National Guard. She currently helps clients identify and drive cost productivity through optimization of an organization’s operational design, global talent strategy, technology and procurement optimization, and real estate rationalization. Previously, EmilyGrace served as Chief of Staff and advisor to the Secretary of the Navy, where she worked across the national security arena on the Secretary’s behalf to shape policies, programs, and outcomes specifically in readiness, safety, cybersecurity, education, and operations management. In her National Guard capacity, she continues to serve as a strategic advisor to state (CO) and national Army National Guard leaders. EmilyGrace has over 21 years in the Army National Guard as an aviator and intelligence officer. She commanded an observation helicopter (OH-58A/C) Detachment and deployed and flew transport helicopters (CH-47D) in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. She created the National Guard Innovation Team, served on the Chief of the National Guard Bureau’s (CNGB) transition team, and as the CNBG’s Aide-de-Camp and strategic planner. EmilyGrace was previously an affiliate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and was selected for and participated in the Center for a New American Security’s (CNAS) Next Generation National Leaders Fellowship. EmilyGrace currently volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Colorado, helping disadvantaged youth navigate the legal system to maintain opportunities for the future. She is an avid runner and recently adopted a German Shepherd; together, they are training to become certified for search and rescue.

Jessica L. McCoy ’96

Chief Solutions Officer, GOJO, Makers of PURELL

Jessica McCoy is the Chief Solutions Officer at GOJO, Makers of PURELL®. She thrives on understanding important human problems and bringing well-being solutions to customers and their patrons, patients, and team members. She has more than 20 years of leadership in business development, product management, innovation management, and client services. Her experience extends from expanding the PURELL® product portfolio, to the design of the GOJO Innovation Management System, to launching the PURELL® brand into the surface disinfection category. Currently, Jessica leads the GOJO Insights and Innovation Center, comprised of Market and Business Development, PURELL SMARTLINK and Internet of Things business, Product and Project Management, Sustainable Value, Market Research, Innovation Management, and Social and Behavioral Science. These integrated teams serve as a center of excellence for uncovering actionable insights, driving innovation, and building powerful communication and activation plans. Prior to her roles at GOJO, she held escalating account management positions at Cole Managed Vision, a division of Cole National, where she played a critical role in implementing nationally managed vision care programs for AARP and CIGNA Healthcare. Jessica received her bachelor’s degree in Marketing and International Business from The University of Akron and her MBA from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Business. Jessica fully embraced her collegiate career at The University of Akron. She participated in a range of organizations and leadership positions, including the Williams Honors College, President of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, University Ambassadors program, member of Beta Gamma Sigma, Mortar Board honoree, and represented the University as the ’96 Homecoming Queen. As a Northeast Ohio resident, Jessica is happy to work, live, and serve in the community. She is on the Executive Board of Directors for the American Cleaning Institute, member and Board member for In Counsel with Women, and Board of Directors Vice President for the Schnee Learning Center, a second chance high school in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. She has also enjoyed participating in UA alumni/ student events where she’s been impressed by the bright, engaging UA business students. Jessica and her husband, Dan (also a proud Zip and UA Marketing Advisory Board member), and their two daughters, Ellie (Indiana University sophomore) and Addie (Stow Munroe-Falls High School senior), reside in Stow. They affectionately call their family unit “McCoy, Inc.” and are always ready for their next travel adventure.

Jon R. Stefanik ’04, '07

Partner, Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC

Jon Stefanik is a business attorney and partner at Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC, chairing the firm’s Business Practice Group. His practice is focused on mergers & acquisitions, tax, and general business matters. Jon graduated summa cum laude from The University of Akron College of Business in 2004 with a B.S. in Accountancy. Three years later he graduated at the top of his class at Akron Law, while simultaneously earning a Master of Taxation from the College of Business. Jon is a graduate of Leadership Akron, Class 27, and has served on several area non-profit boards, including Project Learn of Summit County, ACCESS, Akron Roundtable, and the Greater Akron and Mahoning Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. Jon was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and currently resides in Copley, Ohio with his wife, Kathy, and their two teenagers, Jack and Carmen.

Ralph Trecaso ’83

Managing Director, Wells Trecaso Financial Group

Ralph applies his more than 36 years of experience in the financial services industry and his experience as a former CPA to help his clients implement sound wealth management strategies and comprehensive financial planning. As a family wealth advisor, Ralph gains a good understanding of each client’s goals, values, and concerns, and then provides trusted guidance as their needs evolve, from college planning, to retirement planning, to estate planning. Before co-founding Wells Trecaso Financial Group, his registered independent advisory firm, in November 2017, Ralph was a Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley, where he worked for nine years. Earlier in his career, he was a Senior Vice President at UBS/Paine Webber, where he began working in 1985. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Akron in 1983. Ralph is a member of The University of Akron Estate Planning Professionals, The Bluecoats, and the Northern Ohio Italian Association. He is the current Chairman of the Executive Board at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and a current board member and past president of the Italian American Professional & Business Club, where he serves as co-chair of the annual Viva La Panza fundraising and networking event. Ralph grew up in Akron and today lives in Cuyahoga Falls. He has three children, Samuel, Lauren, and Andrew. In his free time, he enjoys boating, traveling, skiing, food, and Cleveland professional sports.