BLA 2023 Awardees stand for a group photo on stage
2023 Business Leadership Awardees Group Photo

The Milgard School of Business Celebrates Leaders Making a Difference in the South Sound

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The 21st annual Milgard School Business Leadership Awards honored outstanding local business leaders for their contributions to the South Puget Sound region. Folks joined for a gala dinner celebrating excellence in education, finance, real estate, culture, and non-profit support.

May 10th 2023 marked the 21st annual Milgard School Business Leadership awards, held on the University of Washington Tacoma Campus, in what has been over two decades of honoring excellence and vision in the South Puget Sound and beyond. 

Longstanding and impactful recipients: Don Clark, Lua Pritchard, Joe Le Roy, Pamela Transue, Herb Simon and Tafona Ervin, gathered with many area civic members to celebrate a legacy of serving this region in areas of education, the financial sector, real estate, culture, and non-profit support services. 



“Each of them has made a terrific contribution to the South Sound’s economy and cultural ethos,” said Altaf Merchant, dean of the Milgard School of Business.

“The candidates were selected from a pool of 27 nominations by a rigorous selection process involving a total of 10 jurors comprising Puget Sound community and business leaders, UW faculty, and staff. The selection parameters included social impact and leadership, engagement, and mission.”



The event was hosted by Jen Mueller of ROOT sports at a gala dinner that was attended by nearly 180 individuals. Milgard School partners and sponsors included: Propel Insurance, Sound Credit Union, MultiCare, Moss Adams and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. 

For more news coverage on the awardees visit here

Visit Here for more information on the event and honorees
Photos by Noah Carr
Written by Kevin Dugan
Milgard School of Business

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Contact Information

Milgard School of Business (website)
1900 Commerce Street, Tacoma, WA 98402-3100