PACCAR Award: A Tradition of Excellence

Since 1998, the PACCAR Award has been the University of Washington Foster School of Business’s highest teaching honor. The award was established by PACCAR Inc., the Fortune 200 global technology company based in Bellevue, Washington, and is unique in that  Foster MBA students select the recipient.

“PACCAR has grown over the last 119 years due to the dedication and ingenuity of our talented employees worldwide. Education is important in all aspects of our lives,” says Mark Charles Pigott, Executive Chairman of PACCAR. “The PACCAR Teaching Award was started 25 years ago to identify and reward teachers in the University of Washington Graduate School of Business who motivate and inspire their students to achieve the very best.”

A trio of PACCAR winners: Thomas Gilbert, Elizabeth Stearns and Mark Hillier.

Dean Frank Hodge considers the PACCAR Award especially prestigious because it is chosen by the Foster students, the people best qualified to judge what is happening in the classroom on a day-to-day basis.

“The PACCAR Award honors exceptional faculty who teach in our highly ranked MBA Program,” says Hodge, who won the award himself in 2014. “These faculty not only excel at teaching the fundamentals of their discipline, but have a gift for inspiring and enabling students to achieve more than they ever thought possible.”

Dean Frank Hodge and the most PACCAR award winner, Professor Jennifer Graves.

The most recent recipient of the PACCAR Award is student favorite Professor Jennifer Graves. She epitomizes the value of professors forging bonds with students to further their advancement.

“I’ve found there is no substitute for true, personal connection.” Graves said. “I’ve made a point of memorizing the name of every student I teach. I walk around class while they’re working on problems to ask, one at a time, how they’re doing and where they’re stuck.”

Graves joins a distinguished list of Foster professors to receive the honor. Recipients include:

Karma Hadjimichalakis1998

The late economics professor was at the University of Washington for over 40 years and held positions at the Federal Reserve. Read more at Karma Hadjimichalakis, revered UW lecturer | Obituary | The Seattle Times

Stephan Sefcik1999

Professor Emeritus of Accounting, Stephan (Steve) Sefcik also served as an Associate Dean. You can spot him on the cover of the 2024 print magazine.

Elizabeth Stearns2000

Professor Stearns currently teaches some of the most talked-about MBA classes, which drill down on advertising and managing customer relations.

Jennifer Koski2001, 2008, 2015

A Professor of Finance, Koski is one of two professors who have won the PACCAR Award three times. She currently serves as the Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs. Read more at Jennifer Koski Wins Third PACCAR Award. 

Ali Tarhouni2002

Professor Tarhouni is a remarkable figure. In addition to being a popular professor, he served as Libya’s finance minister, leading resistance efforts against Moammar Gadhafi. Read more at Ali Tarhouni reflects on decision to leave UW, help lead Libyan opposition | UW News.

Robert Higgins2003

Professor Emeritus of Finance Higgins had a long and distinguished tenure at the University of Washington dating back to 1967. We were honored to welcome him back to campus for our 2024 print magazine photoshoot.

Jane Jollineau Kennedy2004

Professor Kennedy is a prolific and oft-published researcher.

Daniel Turner2005

Now the Associate Dean of Master’s Programs at Foster, Professor Turner works with faculty to set program portfolio strategies and deliver inclusive excellence in accelerating student growth.

Mark Forehand2006

Professor Forehand currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Marketing and International Business at Foster and is a leading authority on production line optimization.

Mark Hillier2007, 2013, 2021

Professor Hillier is a three-time PACCAR Award winner. “As a teacher, my biggest hope is that I’ve had some kind of an impact on my students,” said Hillier. “I can think of no greater honor.” Read more at Triple Crown! Mark Hillier Wins His Third PACCAR Award.

Shailendra Pratap Jain2009

Professor Jain recently joined forces with his wife, UW Tacoma professor Shalini Sarin Jain, to co-author Managing Brand Transgressions: 8 Principles to Transform Your Brand. Read more at Brand Transgressions: What to Do When Brands Make Mistakes.

Thomas Gilbert2010, 2017

Two-time PACCAR award winner Professor Gilbert’s current research focuses on asset pricing, business valuation, and university endowments. He is an annual panelist at Foster’s State of the Economy forum, which welcomes hundreds of alumni back to campus. Read more at Thomas Gilbert wins second PACCAR Award.

Lance Young2011

“To be recognized among this elite group, and alongside all the other outstanding recipients, is humbling, gratifying, and exhilarating,” said Professor Young of the PACCAR award.

Erich Studer-Ellis2012

Professor Studer-Ellis is a preeminent expert on the history of women’s colleges.

Frank Hodge2014

Frank Hodge recently began his second term as the Dean of the Foster School of Business. Read more at Frankly Speaking: Dean Frank Hodge.

Kathy Dewenter2016

The late Professor Dewenter served as faculty director of the Global Business Center from 2000-2006. Read more at Kathy Dewenter wins 2016 PACCAR Award.

Ed deHaan2018

Professor deHaan won the PACAAR award in only his second year as a Foster faculty member. Read more at Ed deHaan wins the 2018 PACCAR Award.

Crystal Farh2019

Professor Farh currently serves as the Faculty Director of the Foster PhD Program. She is a nationally-recognized expert on leadership and organizational behavior. Read more at Crystal Farh wins the 2019 PACCAR Award.

Masha Shunko2020

Professor Shunko won the PACCAR award at the height of the pandemic, during which she adeptly pivoted to teaching online. Read more at Masha Shunko wins the 2020 PACCAR Award.

Darren Bernard2022

Professor Bernard’s classes are distinguished by the way he weaves diversity, equity, and inclusion into financial topics. Read more at Darren Bernard PACCAR Award.

Simha Mummalaneni2023

Professor Mummalaneni is a former data scientist at Twitter. Read more at Simha Mummalaneni Wins 2023 PACCAR Award.

Jennifer Graves2024

In addition to teaching and mentoring MBA students, Professor Graves also authored a children’s book. Read more at Jennifer Graves Wins PACCAR Award.

Read about a reunion of many of these PACCAR award winners.