OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARDS

With a fresh college degree in business administration, Joel joined Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC in 1987. The company practice concentrates on providing consulting services for closely-held companies and individuals. Services include tax and business planning, accounting system design and implementation, and business valuations.

In January 2000, Joel was made a partner in the firm. He is responsible for the growth of the Carlisle office into a key area for the company. His expertise was recognized by the Central Penn Business Journal in 2002 when he was named one of their "40 Under 40" award winners. In addition, he is a partner in various realty companies.

Joel is certified as a Certified Public Account and Certified Valuation Analyst.

Joel is active in his community, he is a board member and officer of the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County, the Carlisle Family YMCA, and a member of the Carlisle Rotary Club. Previously he served as treasurer for the Cumberland Valley Habitat for Humanity Capital Campaign 2002 and First Night Carlisle, was president of Carlisle Day Care Center, Inc. and was a committee member of CPARC.

After almost thirteen years in public accounting, Marsha switched to private industry this year, taking the position of chief financial officer for Kenworth of Pennsylvania. In addition to her fiscal responsibilities, she also manages payroll and employee benefit programs for the company.

Prior to making this move to Kenworth, Marsha was audit manager for Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz of Wormleysburg. She earned her bachelor of science in business administration degree from Shippensburg in 1989 with a major in accounting and a minor in economics. She is a member of the American and Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Marsha serves on the Shippensburg University Foundation Annual Fund Leadership Team and is a supporter of volunteer fire companies. This latter interest is inspired by her husband, David, who is an active member of the Paxtonia Fire Company. In 2000, the fire company presented her with a service award in recognition for her years as the company treasurer. Marsha has also held leadership positions with the St. Thomas United Church of Christ, Linglestown, and the West Shore Chamber of Commerce.

She and her husband live in Harrisburg.

Since February 1995, Michael Palm has served in various marketing positions with Berlitz International, Inc., of Princeton, New Jersey. Recognizing his talents and accomplishments, the company promoted him to director of worldwide marketing in 2001. Mike is charged with managing the Berlitz brand for the 125-year-old company, which is the world's leading supplier of language instruction, cross-cultural training, and self -teaching publishing materials.

Last year he conceptualized, designed and produced the company's first global branding campaign, which was rolled out in over sixty countries over a six-month period. In 1998 he received the company's Chairman's Award for exceeding sales goals. He also directed the redesign of the company's website resulting in a 30 percent increase of monthly site sessions.

At Shippensburg, Mike captained the men's basketball and track and field teams. He graduated in 1986 with a bachelor of science in business administration degree. He now coaches girls' AAU basketball and conducts basket ball clinics. In appreciation of his Shippensburg experience, he serves on the John L. Grove College of Business Advisory Board and returns to campus to speak with current business students. He also is a friend and supporter of the basketball and track and field programs.

In his community, Mike serves as secretary, director, and coach for the Upper Makefield Township Basketball League, and as board member for the East Grant Homeowners Association.

Mike lives in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, with his wife Donna (Hardwick) '85, and two children, Lindsay and jack. He enjoys fly-fishing with his two Labrador Retrievers.

In 1998, Van Buren, of Charlotte, N.C., joined First Union Securities (now Wachovia Securities) as an associate in corporate finance where he provided financing and advisory services for investment banking products, leveraged buy-outs, recapitalizations, and general corporate needs. At the beginning of 2002, he was named vice president for corporate and investment banking responsible for assisting clients with strategic planning, capital raising and value-added ideas.

Joe R. Grossnickel '83 B.S.B.A. and '87 M.S.

Born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland, Joe joined IBM in 1985 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as a sales assistant and worked for ten years serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 1995 he became the competitive marketing manager for IBM State and Local Government Marketing in the United States. Joe moved back to Maryland in 1997 to become the Large Systems Sales manager for IBM's federal sales unit. In 1998 he became client executive for the state of Maryland. In 2001 he assumed his current position as client unit executive for state and local government and healthcare. Increasing revenues and/or market share is a Grossnickel trademark. He has been recognized with honors and awards spanning ten years.

Joe recently earned his masters of business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the 2001 Class of Leadership Maryland. He volunteers with the Greater Washington Boys and Girls Club where he is a board member and serves as vice president for public relations, the United Way, and new Dimensions for Progress where he is a board member. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, wife, Christine, and son, Jared playing golf, and smoking cigars.

Gregory S. Horning '87 B.S.B.A.

Taking his degree and expertise in accounting seriously, Gregory built upon his first job and parlayed it into a growing business. Using tools he learned as manager of an accounting firm, Gregory became a founding partner of Stout, Causey & Horning, P.A. in 1991, four years after leaving Shippensburg. He added broker experience to his list of skills by working for a brokerage corporation in Minnesota. In 1999, he also became a broker/dealer with 1st Global Capital Corporation and is now an investment advisor with them. These positions were concurrent with his growing role with his original firm. Stout, Causey & Horning has grown from three individuals a decade ago to 85 employees today. It is one to the nation's fastest growing CPA firms and has been named one of the "25 Best of the Best" by Bowman's Accounting Report for three years running.

Gregory is involved with the professional organizations AICPA and MACPA-Management of an Accounting Practice Committee. In his free time he volunteers at the Cockeysville Recreation Council where he is a board member and chairman of the yourth baseball program. Gregory lives in Timonium, Maryland.