The Spears School of Business is inducting two new members into its Hall of Fame including Donald D. Humphreys (’71 OSU Industrial Engineering and Management) and Connie N. Mitchell (’72). They will be honored Friday, Nov. 9, along with three others who have been named this year’s Outstanding Young Alumni. The Outstanding Young Alumni include Karl Bovee ('91), Ernest W. "Trip" Kuehne, III  (’95) and Heather A. Wallace ('96).

Distinguished Alumni

Donald D. Humphreys (1971 B.S. Industrial Engineering and Management) is senior vice president and treasurer of ExxonMobil Corporation. As a member of ExxonMobil’s Management Committee, Humphreys plays a key role in guiding one of the world’s largest corporations. He has enjoyed a long and distinguished career at ExxonMobil with a wide range of roles and responsibilities throughout the years. A native of Tulsa, Humphreys graduated from OSU then served in the U.S. Army. He later earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Humphreys joined Exxon Chemical Company in 1976 as a systems analyst, and after assignments in Houston, Baton Rouge and Baytown, Texas, he transferred to corporate headquarters in New York as senior financial advisor in the Controller’s Department. From there, he was named to several financial management posts of increasing responsibility until being named vice president and controller in July 1997. In 2004, he was named vice president and treasurer of ExxonMobil Corporation, which formed after the merger of Exxon and Mobil in 1999. He joined ExxonMobil’s Management Committee in 2006. During Humphreys’ time with the company, ExxonMobil has distinguished itself as an industry leader, expanding its global operations, maintaining strong safety standards, developing new energy technologies, delivering needed oil and natural gas supplies to millions of consumers and achieving record financial performance.

Formerly involved in the telecommunications industry, Connie N. Mitchell (1972 B.S., business education) currently operates the 10XXX Ranch with her husband, Joe (1974 B.S., architecture). The ranch, located in Glen Rose, Texas, houses the nation’s foremost show-cattle operation, breeding champion show calves for customers across the country. The ranch is also home to wildlife and is a corporate recreational facility for tourists to enjoy the best of the outdoors.

Connie was born in Enid, Oklahoma and married her next door neighbor and high school sweetheart, Joe, in 1969. After graduating from OSU, she taught at Pawnee, Newkirk, Ponca Vocation School, VOE Houston Spring Branch and Midland College.

After 15 years of teaching business, Connie and her husband started their business, VarTec Telecom, Inc., at their kitchen table with five friends. Joe served as president and Connie served as chief administrative officer, managing purchasing, human resources and administrative operations. VarTec Telecom grew to about 8,500 employees in multiple companies and countries. Both retired in 2004 and returned to their ranching roots.

Education has always been very important to the Mitchells. Over the years, they have sponsored more than 100 students pursuing higher education. As Connie likes to say, “We strongly support the old adage that education is something that can never be taken away from someone and can continue to open doors and passageways.”

Outstanding Young Alumni

Karl G. Bovee is a senior vice president with Bank of America, one of the world's largest financial institutions, with over $1.5 trillion in assets. He currently serves as a credit products senior manager for the Government Banking group with responsibility for the Southeast U.S., representing approximately $10 billion in committed capital. Bovee, who graduated from OSU with a B.S. in 1991, has been with Bank of America for 13 years, serving in various roles in the commercial banking group, including relationship manager, credit products officer and community market president, having worked with a wide variety of corporate, governmental and not-for-profit clients. Prior to joining Bank of America, he began his career with the Farm Credit System as a lending officer. Bovee and his wife, Carol, reside in Charlotte, N.C.

Ernest W. "Trip" Kuehne, III is the president and senior managing partner of Double Eagle Capital Management, LP as well as the general partner of Double Eagle Capital, LLC. Prior to forming Double Eagle, Kuehne worked for Legg Mason Wood Walker and White Rock Capital. During his 11-plus-year career on Wall Street, Kuehne provided ideas for and developed relationships with several of the best performing fund managers on the Street. Kuehne has guided his firm’s Ace Fund to annualized returns in the top four percent of its peer group since inception. He is a proud alumnus of OSU and is the eldest sibling in a family dubbed by several media outlets as “The First Family of Golf.” The six United States Golf Association championships won by Kuehne, brother Hank and sister Kelli are the most garnered by any family in the history of the USGA.

Heather A. Wallace serves as manager of the Checks Services Department for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. She manages the technical support and software maintenance for the 4th District Check Processing Offices that process over $200 billion in payments monthly ($2.4 trillion in payments annually). Wallace earned her B.S. in business administration in 1996 and included in her many honors was the Raymond D. Thomas Award for top business senior. She continued her education at the University of Oklahoma where she completed her M.B.A. She started her career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Oklahoma City Office. In her current position, Wallace serves the 4th District as project manager on various projects, including the 4th District’s Role in the National Check Restructuring Initiative.