Kim Cameron awarded new values-driven leadership award, Benedictine University

May 2, 2016


Benedictine University’s Center for Values-Driven Leadership (CVDL) announced May 2nd the first winners of three new awards in values-driven leadership, to be granted biennially by the CVDL.

“These awards are an important way of recognizing exceptional, values-driven leaders who have a transformative impact on business and society,” says Dr. Jim Ludema, director of the Center for Values-Driven Leadership.

Faculty, students, and alumni of the CVDL’s executive PhD/DBA Program in Values-Driven Leadership made nominations and helped to select the honorees. The three new awards are:

  • Distinguished Alumni Award: Presented to a graduate of the executive PhD/DBA Program who exemplifies the mission of the CVDL: “to develop themselves and others, build flourishing companies, and transform business and society.”
  • Outstanding Dissertation Award: Awarded for each cohort of students, to the author of a dissertation notable for its outstanding quality and contribution to the field.
  • Values-Driven Leadership Award: Awarded to an external scholar or practitioner, associated with the CVDL, who has exemplified values-driven leadership throughout his or her career.

The 2016 honorees are as follows:

Distinguished Alumni Award: Dr. Lee DeRemer (2014 graduate). DeRemer, a former Colonel with the U.S. Air Force and executive with Booze Allen Hamilton, launched the nonprofit Lifecycles to support and mentor teenage boys from challenging environments through the sport of cycling. In their nominations, fellow graduates of the doctoral program note DeRemer’s lifetime commitment to values-driven leadership and service, through his military, corporate, and nonprofit work.

Outstanding Dissertation Award: “Constructing Positive Organization Identity with Virtuous Positive Practices” by Dr. Basil Chen (2014 graduate). “This dissertation is extremely well-crafted and written,” says Dr. Mike Manning, Chen’s dissertation chair and a professor with Benedictine University. “It helps us understand how virtuous practices such as sharing inspiring organizational stories and people-centered acts of organizing, are building blocks to create a flourishing, sustainable organization.” Manning notes that both practitioners and academics can benefit from reading Chen’s work.

Values-Driven Leadership Award: CVDL students and graduates honored two distinguished visiting scholars who taught courses in the university’s executive PhD/DBA Program in Values-Driven Leadership. The honorees are Dr. Kim Cameron of the University of Michigan and Dr. Anjan Chakravartty of the University of Notre Dame.

Cameron is the William Russell Kelly Professor of Management and Organizations at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and co-founder of the Center for Positive Organizations. He is globally recognized for his pioneering work in the areas of leadership, organizational culture, and organizational virtuousness. In recognizing Cameron, students celebrated his approach to values and culture that creates an environment for all to flourish, along with the humble and respectful ways he invites others to participate.

Chakravartty is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He has been the Editor of Studies in History and Philosophy of Science since 2012, and Director of the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values since 2014. In honoring Chakravartty, students noted his ability to clearly explain complicated philosophical perspectives, incorporating values-driven approaches into all he does.

The awards were presented at a May 14 brunch honoring graduating students of the PhD/DBA Program in Values-Driven Leadership, for senior executives. In addition to the honor, award winners will receive a plaque, and their photo will be displayed as part of a Values-Driven Leadership Hall of Fame, to open in November 2016.