Four Business Leaders Honored with Provost Alumni Awards at Colorado State University

Four business leaders and Colorado State University alumni will be honored with the Provost Alumni Award at the university’s annual Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner on Feb. 17, hosted by the Alumni Association.

Bruce D. Given, president and chief executive officer of Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in Houston, Texas, is one of the recipients of the Provost Alumni Award.

Given graduated from Colorado State in 1976 with a bachelor’s in physical sciences. He attended the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, graduating with honors in 1980. After graduation, Given was a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School.

Before joining Encysive Pharmaceuticals in 2002, Given worked for Johnson and Johnson, serving as the international president of Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, general manager of Transfusion Medicine Worldwide Ortho-Clinical Diagnostic and other positions within the company. Given also held numerous executive and senior management positions with Sandoz Pharma Ltd., Sandoz Research Institute and Schering-Plough Corp.

Throughout his career, Given has received numerous awards including the Young Investigator’s Research Award from the Northern Illinois Affiliate of the American Diabetes Association, the Research and Development Award from the American Diabetes Association and the Illinois Resident of the Year Award from the Upjohn Corp.

While he’s in town receiving his award, Given will present a lecture to students and faculty at Colorado State on Feb. 17 on pharmaceuticals and the pharmaceutical industry, including careers and opportunities for both medical and basic science professionals and challenges and current issues within the industry. The lecture will be at 1 p.m. in Room 202 of the Louis R. Weber Building.

Golden resident Stephen C. Hillard, president and CEO of Council Tree Communications, also will be honored with the Provost Alumni Award.

Hillard founded Council Tree Communications in 1998, a $1 billion communications investment fund based on the commitment to enhance diversity of ownership in the communications industry and to give back to the community. He recently established the Council Tree Endowment for the Philosophy Department at Colorado State.

Prior to founding Council Tree Communications, Hillard held a variety of senior management positions with Cook Inlet Corp., working up to his tenure as the chief operating officer.

Hillard supports many educational and social institutions including the Denver Public Schools Foundation, the Colorado Children’s Campaign, the Juan Diego Center for Hispanic Families, the Museo de las Americas, Escuela Tiatailoco and the Women’s Center at the University of Denver.

Hillard graduated from Colorado State in 1970 with a degree in political science. He received a master’s in philosophy from Columbia University in 1974 and a law degree from the University of Colorado in 1976.

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ennis and Mary Peery of Loveland also share the honor of the Provost Alumni Award.

Dennis Peery graduated from Colorado State with a bachelor’s in electrical and computer engineering in 1971. Mary Peery graduated with a bachelor’s degree in the same subject in 1984.

After graduation, Dennis Peery worked for Hewlett Packard in positions ranging from research and development engineer to project manufacturing engineering, quality, consumer satisfaction and regional facilities management. He retired in 2000 after 35 years of service.

Mary Peery also worked at Hewlett Packard after graduation. In her career, her positions have focused on mass storage, digital imaging and other leading edge technologies. She was general manager of Hewlett Packard’s hardcopy scanner division in Greeley in 1998 and became the company’s vice president of Digital Imaging in 2000. In 2002, she was promoted to Hewlett Packard’s senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Publishing.  Currently, she works as the senior vice president of Strategic Change Management for the company’s imaging and printing group.

The couple also takes time to volunteer and serve their community. Dennis Peery was a volunteer for the 2002 Olympics and now assists with Habitat for Humanity and his local church. Mary Peery also volunteers at church and is a member of the Larimer County Hospice board of directors.

The Provost Alumni Award is a special recognition at the Distinguished Alumni Award dinner this year. Bestowed by the Office of the Provost, the Provost Alumni Award recognizes distinguished alumni achievement, both professionally and civically, as well as extraordinary service and support to Colorado State University. The Provost Alumni Award is the only Distinguished Alumni Award approved through the Office of the Provost.

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