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2007 Distinguished Alumni and Service Awards
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- 2006 Distinguished Awardees
Five business executives were honored May 4 as the Moore School's 2007 Distinguished Award recipients.
The awards were presented at the school's 12th annual Business Leadership Dinner and Awards Program, held at The Zone at the University of South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium. This was the 22nd anniversary of the awards themselves.
Recipients of this year's Distinguished Alumni Awards are William R. Horton (BS '73), and D. Roger Nanney (BS '80, MACC '82). The Distinguished Young Alumni are Kellie Cooper Johnson (MBA '91) and J. Chad Odom (BS '92). M. Edward Sellers received the Distinguished Service Award.
William R.
Horton is president and chief operating officer, Government Programs Division, BlueCross
BlueShield of South Carolina, the state's largest private-sector employer. Under his
leadership, BlueCross's government sector businesses have grown tenfold since 1993, generating
nearly $1 billion in revenue in 2006. Horton is the senior executive responsible for four
BlueCross subsidiary companies that are nationally recognized for expertise in administering the
Medicare and Tricare federal health benefit programs. A licensed certified public accountant,
he heads up the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina internal fundraising campaign for the Moore
School of Business. Horton joined the company as a financial auditor in 1974. He held
several professional and management positions prior to his executive appointment in 1985.
D. Roger
Nanney is vice chairman and regional managing partner, Mid-America, for Deloitte &
Touche USA LLP. He also has leadership responsibility for the organization's marketing
and business development function, including its operations in India. A member of the first class
to complete the Moore School's professional accountancy program in 1982, Nanney has 25 years of
experience in professional services. He is a certified public accountant and a member of the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Texas Society of Certified Public
Accountants, and the Institute of Management Accountants. He recently served as a member of
the leadership team responsible for developing Deloitte & Touche's "refreshed people
strategy" and related initiatives. He recently led a trade delegation to China sponsored by
the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Dallas
Asian-American Chamber of Commerce.
Kellie Cooper
Johnson is senior product manager for GlaxoSmithKline. Based in Research Triangle
Park, N.C., she is responsible for the strategy group on the Boniva brand team. (Boniva is a
prescription product for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal
women.) Johnson has also led the direct-to-consumer efforts for Flonase nasal spray and
Advair. Previously, she worked for Bayer Consumer Care; she has also worked for an
advertising agency and as a finance manager for several magazines.
J. Chad Odom is
CEO for Innovative Container, Palmetto Restorations, and Pickwick Pharmacy - all based in
Greenville, S.C. A member of the Board of Advisors for the Moore School's Business
Partnership Foundation, Odom in 2001 started his own company, Innovative Container, which
manufactures and reconditions industrial containers. The company was named the
fastest-growing company in South Carolina in 2003; in 2004, Odom was named Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year for manufacturing and services. In 2005, Odom started another
company, Palmetto Restorations, which specializes in automotive restorations, particularly on
"muscle" and classic cars. His third business is the family business, Pickwick Pharmacy. Odom
and his brother Kelly are the third generation of the Odom family to own and manage The Pickwick,
where they are bringing back the soda foundation that was a popular fixture in the 1940s and
'50s.
M. Edward
Sellers is chairman and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and The Companion
Group of Companies, positions he has held since 1987. He is responsible for general
management of the various businesses of BlueCross BlueShield and Companion, including health
insurance, administrative services contracting, Medicare intermediary functions, Department of
Defense TRICARE intermediary functions, a life insurance company, a property and casualty insurance
company, computer technology businesses, and an HMO. The company has more than $3.5 billion
in revenues and more than 13,000 employees in 11 states. Before coming to BlueCross
BlueShield of South Carolina, Sellers worked for The Boston Consulting Group and Westinghouse
Electric Corporation. He is chairman of the South Carolina Council on
Competitiveness, former chairman of The Palmetto Business Forum, vice-chairman of The Palmetto
Institute, a member of the S.C. State Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, a trustee of the ETV
Endowment of South Carolina, a board member of the National Institute for HealthCare Management,
and a director of The National Bank of South Carolina. He was named 2002 Business Leader of
the Year by the S.C. State Chamber of Commerce.
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Distinguished Alumni and Service awardees with Dean Joel Smith |
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