Established in 1985, the Department of Economics Distinguished Alumni award recognizes an alumnus or alumna whose professional achievements and cumulative contributions have brought personal distinction, enhanced the profession, improved the welfare of the general public, and brought honor to their alma mater.
The award is presented each June at the economics undergraduate graduation celebration, at which time the awardee delivers the commencement address. The selection committee, comprised of Department leadership and members of the Economics Visiting Committee, strive to distribute the award equally between academic and industry leaders.
The Department is proud to have many distinguished alumni among its thousands of graduates. Collectively, our alumni have had a profound impact in the public and private sectors of the state, the nation, and the world. Indeed, the following list includes leaders from all walks of life representing the breadth and depth of a liberal arts education in training future trailblazers.
Economics Distinguished Alumnus
2024 Brian Langstraat
UW Economics BA '90
CEO, Parametric (retired)
2023 Wing Suen
UW Economics PhD '88
Chair of Economics and Henry G. Leong Professor, University of Hong Kong School of Business
2022 Tom Gonser
UW Economics BA '85
Founder and Former Chief Strategy Officer, DocuSign
2021 The Honorable Charles W. Johnson
UW Economics BA '73
JD, Seattle University '76
Associate Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court
2020 Ramanan Laxminarayan
UW Economics PhD '99
Founder and Director, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP)
Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer, Princeton Environmental Institute at Princeton University
2019 Jeffrey Smith
UW Economics BA '85
Paul T. Heyne Distinguished Chair in Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2018 Jeff Roe
UW Economics BA '88
President and Chief Executive Officer at Premera Blue Cross
2017 Gita Gopinath,
UW Economics MA '96
Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University
2016 Timothy Jenkins,
UW Economics BA '86
Co-Founder, Point B
2015 Dr. Richard Sutch (deceased)
UW Economics BA ’63
Edward A. Dickson Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Economics University of California, Riverside and Berkeley
2014 Dr. George N. Carlson
UW Economics BA ’64
Former Director, Deloitte Tax LLP
2013 Dr. Suzanne Scotchmer (deceased)
UW Economics BA ’70
Professor of Economics, Law, and Public Policy, UC Berkeley
2012 Dr. Charles C. Cox, BA ’67
Senior Vice President, Compass Lexecon
2011 Dr. Curtis R. Taylor, BA ’86
Professor of Economics, Duke University
2010 Robert M. McKenna, BA ’85
Former Attorney General, Washington State
2009 Dr. Robert J. Willis, PhD ’71
Professor of Economics, University of Michigan
2008 Haruyuki Niimi (deceased), BA ’59
Chairman & President, Showa Shell Sekiyu, Tokyo
2007 Alan D. Frazier, BA ’75
Managing Partner, Frazier Healthcare
2006 Stanley Savage, BA ’67
Chairman, President, & CEO, The Commerce Bank
Founding member, Economics Visiting Committee
2005 Dr. Robert L. Joss, BA ’63
Former Dean, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University
2004, Kathy Gehrt (deceased), MA ’77, BA ’75
Executive, AT&T
2003 Dr. Thomas E. MaCurdy, BA ’73
Professor of Economics, Stanford University
2002 Bryan C. Cressey, BA ’72
President, Cressey & Co.
2001 Gary L. Waterman, MA ’68, BA ’65
President, Waterman Limited
2000 Stanley H. Barer, BA ’61, JD ’63
Chairman Emeritus, Saltchuk Resources Inc.
1999 Robert R. Richards, BA ’61
Founder, President, and CEO of The Commerce Bank
1998 Stanley G. Freimuth, BA ’70
Executive Officer, Ragen Mackenzie Group (retired)
1997 Hon. R. B. Hutchinson, BA ’63
Justice, Supreme Court of British Columbia
1996, Dr. Andrew F. Brimmer (deceased), MA ’51, BA ’50
Governor, U.S. Federal Reserve Board
1995 Hon. Helen Sommers, MA ’70, BA ’69
House Representative, Washington State Legislature
1994 Dr. Douglass C. North, Faculty
Professor of Economics, Nobel Prize in Economics
1993, J. Parker Sroufe, BA ’64
Chairman, WebSea Group
1992 Dr. Grover W. Ensley, BA ’37
United States Senate
1991 David Williams, BA ’64
Vice-chairman, Security Pacific Bank Washington
1990 Norman K. Maleng (deceased), BA ’60
Seattle City Prosecutor
1989 James O. York (deceased), MA ’50, BA ’49
Real Estate Developer
1988 H. Jon Runstad, BA ’65
Co-founder, Chairman & CEO, Wright Runstad and Co
1987 Bruce A. Nordstrom, BA ’55
Chairman, Nordstrom Inc. (retired)
1986 Robert J. Behnke (deceased), BA ’43
Chairman, R.E.B. Enterprises
1985 John D. Mangels, BA ’50
Former Chairman & CEO, Security Pacific Bank Washington
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