Kenneth W. Coquillette '82
Ken is chairman of the Midwest region for Investment Banking and vice chairman of the Global Financial Institutions Group (FIG) at Goldman Sachs. Previously, he was co-head of the Banks and Specialty Finance team within FIG and prior to that, he was co-head of Midwest Investment Banking in Chicago.
Ken joined Goldman Sachs in 1988 as an associate in Mortgage Securities and moved to FIG in 1998. He was named managing director in 2002 and partner in 2010.
Ken is a member of the DePauw University Board of Trustees and a former trustee of the Field Museum of Chicago.
Ken earned a BA in Economics from DePauw University in 1982 and an MBA in Finance from Indiana University in 1988.
Justin Dye '94
Justin brings more than 25 years of entrepreneurship, operations, strategy, corporate finance, and M&A experience. Currently, Justin serves as the general partner of Dye Capital & Company, a family office anchored private equity firm. He serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Schwazze, Colorado’s leading vertically integrated cannabis company. Justin is focused on leading day-to-day operations, creating a culture and environment that promotes performance, purpose, and innovation for all employees, and driving growth through acquisitions and core operations. He also co-founded ripKurrent, an energy services firm that designs and deploys climate-friendly technologies that reduce emissions, electricity, and water use for large commercial customers. Justin was an integral part of a private equity consortium that acquired and created Albertsons Companies, the second largest supermarket chain in the US. He served as Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Administration Officer during his 11-year tenure. Albertsons LLC grew sales from approximately $10 billion to over $60 billion with over 2,300 stores and 285,000 employees creating one of the largest privately held companies in the U.S. Prior to Albertsons, Justin was an operating executive for Cerberus Capital Management and held general management and corporate development roles at General Electric. He received a B.A., from DePauw University with academic honors and was a member of the men’s tennis team. In the past, Justin has served as the lead director for New Seasons Market, an organic, food-forward grocery chain located in Oregon and California. He has served on the executive committee of the Food Marketing Institute. Justin is currently a member of DePauw’s Board of Trustees, and a board member of the National Cannabis Roundtable.
Phyllis Barkman Ferrell '94
Phyllis Ferrell is the Global Head of External Engagement for Alzheimer’s disease and Neurodegeneration at Eli Lilly & Company, where she previously served as the leader of the Global Alzheimer’s disease development team. Ferrell’s most recent prior position was Vice President of the Chief Commercial Services Officer for Eli Lilly and Company.
Ferrell has been with Lilly for more than 25 years and has held many leadership roles throughout the organization. She has led efforts in medical affairs, medical development, commercial capabilities, sales, marketing, recruiting, business development, strategy, transformation, Six Sigma, and corporate financial planning.
Ferrell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and management with minors in computational mathematics and Asian studies from DePauw University. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with Magna Cum Laude honors in 1994. She received an MBA in general management and a certificate in public management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2001 and graduated with both Arjay Miller Scholar honors and as the Arbuckle Award recipient.
Phyllis was recognized with the Rising Star Award from the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and the Indianapolis Star Top 40 Under 40. Phyllis is a current member of the World Dementia Council, a steering committee member of the Milken Institute Center for Aging Alliance for Dementia Care and NMQF Alzheimer’s Disease Index working groups, and a strategic reviewer for the Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery Foundation and Gates Ventures Diagnostics Accelerator. She is also a member of the Indiana Chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association; on the Boards of Directors for Alzheimer’s Research UK EDoN, the Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, Stanford Associate Board of Governors, Indianapolis 500 Festival, and the Lebanon Area Boys & Girls Club. Phyllis is a founding member of Women Against Alzheimer’s and Women of Impact Boone County; co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Council; the alumna sponsor of the Women in Economics and Business Program at DePauw University; a member of the Washington C. DePauw Society; a Tocqueville donor to United Way; an active supporter of Boone County Special Olympics and the Boone County Community Foundation; and a coach’s wife and mother of two very active boys (ages 18 and 14).
Jon Fortt ’98
Jon Fortt is an anchor at CNBC, and focuses on technology and innovation. He is also creator and executive producer of Fortt Knox, a digital brand featuring entrepreneurs and leaders. In 2020, he designed The Black Experience in America: The Course, an online resource for exploring race and culture.
Fortt joined CNBC as technology correspondent in July 2010, working from CNBC’s Silicon Valley bureau where he covered the companies, start-ups, and trends that are driving innovation in the industry. Prior to CNBC, Fortt was a senior writer at Fortune magazine, where he covered both large technology companies— such as Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft—and trends, including cloud computing and the smartphone revolution.
Fortt graduated from DePauw University as a Media Fellow, with a B.A. in English.
Brent St. John '89
Brent St. John is Chairman and CEO of WPC Technologies, the leading American- owned manufacturer and developer of corrosion-inhibiting pigments and stain inhibitors for aerospace and industrial industries globally.
Prior to founding WPC Technologies in 2000, Brent started his career spending eight years with The Pillsbury Company in plant operations and brand management.
Brent earned a Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Engineering from DePauw University in 1989, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and MBA from Washington University in St. Louis in 1991.
Brent joined the DePauw University Board of Trustees in 2013 and has served DePauw as an alumnus in other capacities such as President of the Alumni Association, Alumni Board, Chair of the DePauw Greek Leadership Commission, and advisor to the Sigma Nu fraternity house corporation.
Brent serves currently as an Advisor to the Board of Friends of Sweet Jordan’s Foundation assisting adults with special needs.
Brent and his wife Katherine (Casey) Cornelsen ’90 and their four children reside in St. Louis, MO. Three of his children, Elizabeth (’17), Andrew (’20), Emma (’23) graduated or attend DePauw.
Anne Spolyar Sellers '83
Anne’s professional experience includes accounting positions with several firms including Ernst and Young’s tax staff, which led her to spearhead the financial aspects of Sensory Technologies. Her interest has been in the entrepreneurial arena as she has created and managed several companies, is a director of Merchants Bankcorp (Nasdaq: MBIN), served on several industry boards, and given time to charitable organizations focusing on patterns of success and failure with each organization.
Anne earned a bachelor's degree in Economics from DePauw University in 1983.
