2022 MaineMBA Alumni Award Winners

Pictured from left: Michael Kuhn, Ryan Curry, Chris Treister, Josh Rosen

The Graduate School of Business at the University of Maine held its inaugural MaineMBA Alumni Awards event on Thursday, January 20, 2022. This virtual event recording welcomed speakers and honorees from across the state. 

“The inaugural MaineMBA Alumni Awards event was an important landmark for the Graduate School of Business. We were pleased to honor alumni of the MaineMBA as well as those who graduated from our founding programs, the University of Maine MBA and the University of Southern Maine MBA,” says Dr. Norm O’Reilly, Dean of the Graduate School of Business. “Although the GSB was formally launched in 2019, we have alumni extending back more than a half-century, all of whom are members of our GSB family. To our four inaugural winners, I congratulate you, and to all the nominees and nominators, I thank you.”

As the keynote address, Kate Snyder, Mayor of Portland, sat down with Dean O’Reilly, to talk business, Portland and management education. Other speakers included UMS Chancellor, Dannel P. Malloy; President of the University of Maine and the University of Maine at Machias, and Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation for the University of Maine System, Joan Ferrini-Mundy; Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost of the University of Maine, John Volin; and Chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation and Chief Executive Officer and President of Dexter Enterprises, Greg Powell.

Our honored alumni are as follows:

Distinguished Alumni Award
Michael Kuhn, Class of 2014
UMaine MBA with a Concentration in Management
Manager, Global Strategic Marketing, Johnson & Johnson
Boston, MA
Mike is a subject matter expert in orthopedic robotics, having clinically aided the launch of both spine and brain robotic programs throughout the U.S., Europe, and China. Early in his career, Mike helped build the first orthopedic spine robotic organization and personally managed hundreds of early procedures with leading orthopedic and neurosurgeons throughout the U.S. The technology’s capability was then leveraged and sold to Medtronic, the largest medical device manufacturer in the world, wrapped in the strategic framework to further lower the cost of healthcare through standardization and continues to be a major driver of growth and innovation within the industry.

After a successful leadership stint with Medtronic, Mike moved to Johnson & Johnson to help build the foundation of digital healthcare in a more strategic corporate capacity. Mike’s published research on servitization and systems thinking has raised awareness of the shifting competitive needs in healthcare and has been recognized by the industry worldwide.

Mike is a former member of the UMaine football team, recipient of the Correll Graduate Fellow’s Award, and holds an additional M.S. degree in organizational behavior from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently participating in the Stanford University Graduate School of Business’s Executive Development Program.

Outstanding Accounting MBA Alumni 
Ryan Curry, CPA, Class of 2012
UMaine MBA with a Concentration in Accounting
Financial Reporting Manager, IDEXX
Gorham, ME
Ryan is an incredibly talented professional who is always willing to share his knowledge and expertise with others. He serves on the MECPA board, regularly contributing to improvement and advancement efforts. He also serves on the IDEXX Analyst Community Steering Committee where he helps analysts learn, grow, and connect.
 
Ryan personifies the concept of life-long learning as he has numerous degrees and certifications (MBA, CPA, SAS Base Programming Specialist). He has an interesting professional background with experience in public accounting and private industry. This experience provides him with a valuable perspective on the accounting profession, which he volunteers to share in conversations and presentations. This type of career path storytelling has become increasingly important to expand the pipeline of students entering the accounting profession.
 
Ryan served eight years in the Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan. He is devoted to both his profession and service to others.

U40 Award
Chris Treister, PMP Class of 2013
UMaine MBA with a Concentration in Management
Project Manager, THOST Project Management GmbH
Germany
Chris is a 2013 alumni, a native Mainer, a former UMaine Football player, and currently lives and works in Germany as a Project Manager at THOST Projektmanagement GmbH. Upon completing his MBA in 2013, Chris signed contracts to play football professionally in Italy in 2014 and in Germany in 2015, the latter being where he began working within project management. He truly took his MBA internationally and has lived and worked in many countries throughout Europe. He managed to learn German at a rapid pace and speaks it both at home and at work.

He started a successful multinational sports business (d1theory.com), and currently holds a leadership role within a well-established project management firm spanning multiple industries including Healthcare, Energy, Mobility, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals, and Real Estate.

Chris is also listed in the Portland High School Hall of Fame and owns multiple passing records as a quarterback of the UMaine football team.

Dean’s Award
Josh Rosen, Class of 2021 and 2022
UMaine MBA and Maine Law
Portland, ME
Not only was Josh an outstanding MBA student, but he is also the first graduate of the joint MaineMBA and J.D. program between the University of Maine and Maine Law. During his time as a student, he helped to organize a cross-divisional webinar on environmental and climate justice that attracted more than 400 participants; served as a consultant to several cities and towns in Maine on sustainability and climate policy; served as a subject matter expert on offshore wind energy and supply chain development policy for the Maine International Trade Center; and maintained the highest standard of academic excellence. He will join one of Boston’s most prominent law firms, Foley Hoag, as an associate attorney specializing in energy and climate law after completing his bar exam in summer 2022. 
 
In addition to his outstanding academic, professional, and co-curricular record, Josh is an outspoken advocate for diversity and equity initiatives both on campus and off.