WKU News

Two WKU Gordon Ford College of Business alumni have recently provided substantial investments that will support the future of business education.

Marc Satterthwaite, a 1987 finance graduate who resides in Louisville, has provided a $150,000 gift to support the Center for Financial Success while Michelle Wells, a 1982 Information Systems graduate from Louisville, has provided a $150,000 gift to support the Center for Advanced Business Analytics.

“We are honored to accept these generous gifts that will directly contribute to excellence in the Gordon Ford College of Business,” said Dean Jeffrey Katz. “These gifts ensure that students are able to engage in innovative programs that link them from the classroom to the practice community.”

Satterthwaite currently serves as Vice President, Chief of Staff Americas, India/Africa/Middle East and Global Travel Retail for the Brown-Forman Corporation. He has served at Brown-Forman for 27 years in a variety of leadership positions. He and his wife, Vicki, expressed an interest in and concern for the knowledge gap they have seen when it comes to a general understanding of personal finance issues.

“The financial decisions that individuals and families make have huge consequences, both good and bad, and we felt compelled to help educate more people,” Satterthwaite said. “Our support of the Center for Financial Success seemed like a logical way to give back and assist others.”

Dr. Chris Brown, Finance Department Chair, said the gift will directly assist students studying financial planning and will also sustain the Center for Financial Success.

“We are thankful for the generous gift provided by Marc to help us promote our financial literacy efforts,” Brown said. The Center for Financial Success operates an on-campus counseling clinic to assist individuals with financial questions. It also provides services and programs for community-based entities such as the Barren River Area Safe Space (BRASS).

Wells is Vice President of Corporate IT & Finance for Yum! Brands Inc. She is senior Information Technology executive for Yum with 33 years of broad IT experience ranging from a software programmer to leading large multi-tower IT functions supporting both U.S. and international markets. Along with her IT role, Wells also has led Yum’s U.S. Shared Service functions for accounting and payroll for the last 10 years.

“I am excited for what the gift Ms. Wells has given to the department will do for our students and business community,” said Dr. Ray Blankenship, Department Chair for Information Systems. “It’s a source of pride to have a business leader believe in our faculty and students.”

He said that Wells’ gift will help students pursue internships and participate in other experiential learning opportunities as well as allow the department to offer data analytics services and programs to the business community.

The Gordon Ford College of Business is one of 182 collegiate schools of business, from more than 13,000 worldwide, accredited in business and accounting programs by AACSB International.  The College offers nine undergraduate majors and three graduate programs.