Alumni in Residence
The primary purpose of the Alumni-in-Residence program is to provide opportunities for students to gain insights into the business world and into the thoughts and lives of successful College of Business graduates. This is a great opportunity during the spring semester when a graduate is invited to talk with students and faculty.
Next Presentation
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Lucas J. Yaeger,
MBA '07, alumni in residence for the USI College
of Business, will share life lessons learned during two presentations, one at 10
a.m. and the other at noon, on Wednesday, February 29, in Carter Hall of the
University Center at the University of Southern Indiana. The presentations are
free, and the public is invited to attend.
Yaeger is senior vice president for commercial lending at Evansville
Commerce Bank, a position he has held since 2008. He has more than 10 years of
experience in banking and civic involvement.
His presentation as alumnus in residence is titled “Running with the
Bulls, Flying with the Eagles, and Other Life Lessons.” The primary purpose of
the Alumni-in-Residence program is to provide opportunities for students to gain
insights into the business world and into the thoughts and lives of successful
College of Business graduates, according to Dr. Mohammed Khayum,
dean of the College of Business.
“I’m humbled and flattered that Dr. Khayum and the faculty would think of
me for this honor,” says Yaeger. “I’m looking forward to engaging the students
there, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to continue to be associated with
USI. I received my MBA there in 2007, and I couldn’t be more proud of what the
college continues to do.”
Yaeger holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from
Austin Peay State University, and a Master of Business Administration degree
from the University of Southern Indiana. He is currently enrolled at Louisiana
State University’s Graduate School of Banking.
He began his commercial banking career at Old National Bank in
Clarksville, Tennessee in 2003 and was promoted to commercial credit analyst
before graduating from college. He worked his way up to assistant vice president
and commercial portfolio analyst before helping to launch Evansville Commerce
Bank in 2006. In 2010, he was promoted to the bank’s executive management group
as senior vice president and senior lending officer.
Yaeger remains active in the Evansville community through a variety of
organizations including the Southern Indiana Small Business Development Center
and Congressman Larry Bucshon’s 8th District Small Business Advisory
Committee. He also chairs the Government Affairs Committee for the Chamber of
Commerce of Southwest Indiana.
He serves on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Southwest
Indiana, and he is the treasurer for Downtown Evansville Rotary Club and the
president of the Board of Trustees of the Eta Tau Alumni Association of the Pi
Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He is a graduate of Leadership Evansville and the Lilly
Endowment-funded Connect with Southern Indiana program. He also serves as board
president of the Wesselman Nature Society.
Questions about the Alumni in Residence Program or the upcoming
presentations can be directed to Nancy Bizal at 812/464-1801 or
by email at nbizal@usi.edu.
Archive of Presenters
2012: Luke Yaeger, MBA '07 , senior vice president for commercial
lending, Evansville Commerce Bank
2011: Trenton Christian '07, international sales representative, Red
Spot Paint & Varnish Co., Inc.
2010: Tracy Zeller '89, owner, Tracy Zeller Enterprises
2009: W. Kerry Jackson '84, executive vice presidenct, chief finanacial
officer, and treasurer, Shoe Carnival, Inc.
2008: Donna Harris '93, MBA '01, vice president and senior human resources
business partner, Fifth Third Bank Southern Indiana
2007: cancelled
2006: Derek Faughn '84, senior director for information management, Mead
Johnson, a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb
2005: Travis Hudak '00, finance manager, GE Plastics' Production Center
of Excellence in Mount Vernon
2004: Kelly Dillon '92, assistant manager of public relation, Toyota
Motor Manufacturing Indiana
2003: J. Edward Wicht '92, staff attorney, Securities and Exchange
Commission's Division of Enforcement
2002: Michael Head '80, president, First Federal Savings Bank
2001: Steve Lowrey '76, president and CEO, Texas-based Franchise Concepts Inc.
2000: Kenneth L. Sendelweck '76, president and chief executive
officer of German American Bank in Jasper
1999: Daniel S. Hermann '79, president, Black Beauty Coal Co.
1998: Tina Kern '86, president, Kern Brothers Office Environment
Products and Systems, Inc.
1996: Wilder Allen '89, president, Safety Management Corporation
1995: Randall Haaff '84, manager of finance, Total Audio Visual
Services, a unit of General Electric Capital Services
1994: Chris Melton '72, National City Bank
1993: Terry Hitch '73, central zone manager, Eastman Kodak
1992: Ron Bonger '81, co-founder, president, and CEO, Firehouse,
Inc.
1990: William Fisher '73, senior vice president and COO, Applied Communications,
Inc., Omaha, Nebraska