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2011 Capstone Project Award Recipients

The George P. Doherty Award is presented annually in memory of George Doherty, who in 1974, while president of DeVry Institutes, joined Keller Graduate School of Management's board of directors and advisory council. Doherty served on the board until his death in 1982. This prestigious national award is presented to the outstanding graduate who best represents the qualities of leadership, strength of character, and pursuit of excellence exemplified by Mr. Doherty.

The 2011 George P. Doherty Outstanding Student Award recipient is Kimberly Sushil of Orlando. By successfully integrating what she does with who she is, Kimberly exhibits a record of excellence, leadership and strength of character. As the first person in her family on either side to receive a Bachelor's Degree and the only member to also receive a Master's Degree, Kimberly recognizes the importance of removing the barriers to literacy for both adults and children and is devoting her career to that end. As a Melungeon Indian, Kimberly's maternal great-great grandmother was not legally allowed to receive an education - nor were her children. Her grandmother was the first to pursue an education beyond eighth grade, and her mother was the first to graduate from high school and receive an Associate degree.

Kimberly finds it personally meaningful to continue a lineage of women that have achieved greater educational accomplishments with each generation. Kimberly's passion for books and literacy are evident in her outstanding work in the Orlando area in promoting adult literacy in English for students of other languages. As an advisory board member of First Book-Orlando, which provides books to children living in poverty, Kimberly restructured the organization to rekindle member enthusiasm, and her efforts impacted the community's local literacy issues. Kimberly volunteers many hours in service learning internships to assist young students with reading and writing skill difficulties. She led a family literacy book club program for Miami Valley Child Development Centers (MVCDC) Head Start program. Kimberly volunteers through the Adult Literacy League as an Adult ESOL (English for Students of Other Languages) Literacy Tutor. She is also a member of the Orlando Chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, a group of young leaders within the nonprofit industry. Kimberly also successfully started and operated Fuzzy McButterbooks, an Internet bookstore.

Kimberly is a proud Keller graduate who stands out among our many students. Kimberly recognizes the role of those who helped her with pursuit of an advanced degree, and understands the legacy she is contributing to within her family and community.

Kagan-Rollhaus MBA Capstone Award (GM600)

The Kagan-Rollhaus Award is presented annually to the School's MBA student team that has developed the most outstanding business plan of the year. The award, provided by Sholly Kagan and Philip E. Rollhaus Jr., founding directors of Keller Graduate School of Management and successful entrepreneurs, recognizes high achievement in business and encourages entrepreneurship.

The 2011 award is presented to a team from Seattle that includes Enrique Urrieta, Stephanie Randall, Nathaniel Kenison and Emily Cueto. Their iCar Entertainment Project looked at Apple (iPod Touch and iPhone) technology and applied it to the automotive world by creating a new product (interface) that has above-average market potential. The result was recognition that such a product line offering from Apple would be a strong competitor in the market. Reviewers concluded that this creative project was extremely well thought out yet grounded in reality. The professor was Stacy Passey.

Becker Accounting and Financial Management Award (AC600)

The Becker Accounting and Financial Management award is presented annually to the School's MAFM students who develop the most outstanding accounting project of the year. The award, provided by Becker Professional Education, encourages strategic and critical thinking, and recognizes high achievement in accounting.

The 2011 award is presented to Mark Rose, a student from the Norfolk Center. In this Project, Mr. Rose, as Chief Financial Officer of a fictitious company, analyzed the John Deere Company, and, with expertly detailed and documented explanations, recommended whether Deere should be an acquisition target. The Due Diligence Report comprehensively considered the industry, specific corporate organization and culture, and general corporate issues specific to Deere. Mark succinctly summarized key performance measurements and accurately analyzed results of available financial statements, including capitalization, significant subsidiaries, assets and liabilities. The professor was Ron DeWitt.

HR Management Award (HR600)

The Human Resource Management Capstone award is presented annually to the School's MHRM student or student team that, in a comprehensive plan, best demonstrates the ability to integrate various dimensions of the human resource management function to meet an organization's human resource strategic goals and objectives.

The 2011 award is presented to the team of Renata Isom and Cynthia Maldonado from the Orlando Center. They developed a comprehensive Human Resources Strategic Plan for Bush Enterprises, Inc. located in Orlando, FL. Renata and Cynthia worked closely with senior management to understand and define the firm's strategic objectives. With approved access to internal company plans, Renata and Cynthia worked diligently to formulate a human resources strategy that would support the firm's strategic business plan and provide a roadmap to drive business objectives. Their project was professional, critical and creative in analyzing the company and preparing an outstanding plan to move the organization into a high performing work culture. The professor was Roderick S. Kiser.

Project Management Award (PM600)

The Project Management Award is presented annually to the School's MPM student team that, in a comprehensive plan, best demonstrates the ability to apply project management tools and techniques to situations representative of those in the real world, as well as skills and knowledge that would merit recognition on the job.

The 2011 award is presented to a team of students from Tampa, including Corey Humphreys, Martha Greer, and Amy Nestler. Their project was based on an actual proposal that one of the team members was working on. The parent organization was a top-ranked technology provider to the payment industry, and its "BillPay" process provided payment solutions for a wide range of companies. One client requested a new feature to be added to the current "BillPay" product involving a multi-user login that would allow multiple users to register on the web interface using a common identifier. Using the PMBOK, textbooks and web research as a guide, the team set up a project process plan and made excellent use of configuration management to create project documentation. The team's custom development project solved the customer's issues and added significant potential market growth for the client organization. The professor was Sharon Wells.

Information Systems Management Award (IS600)

The Information Systems Management Award is presented annually to the School's MISM student team that, in a comprehensive plan, best demonstrates the ability to integrate various dimensions of an information systems management function simulating a real-world situation.

The 2011 award is presented to a team from the Online Center that includes Martha Jimenez, Benjamin Lunn, Tavon Reid and Nicola Robinson. At a time when our economy has made the Tourism industry more competitive than ever before, in their project, 'Helicopter Tour Reservation System', the team leveraged information technology to analyze and design specialized systems to better serve the needs of their clients. They achieved this by developing a web application to attract new customers, reduce costs, increase revenue and improve operations. The project plan is well thought out, and the database design and succeeding documents are complete and professional. The professor was Darrell Kreckel.

Network and Communications Management Award (TM600)

The Network and Communications Management Award is presented annually to the School's MNCM student or student team that, in a comprehensive plan, best demonstrates the ability to apply technical and management skills to implement a network and communications solution in a real-world situation to meet strategic business goals.

The 2011 award is presented to a team from the Online Center that includes David Degenhart, Maryanne Devine, Scott Dziwulski and Dave Samler. The scope of the winning capstone project involved creating a comprehensive telecommunications network plan for a nationwide travel agency as a result of merger. The solution combined latest technologies to enhance voice, video, data and the infrastructure to facilitate telecommuters in the travel agency's service region. Their project plan accomplished this goal in a superior way. The plan was detailed in the critical components of human and material resources management, budgeting, implementation, training, risk assessment and maintenance. The professor was Joe Thomas.

Request more information about a capstone project can help you demonstrate your skills and apply your knowledge in practical and innovative ways.