Academy of Achievement Honorees

The SMEI Academy of Achievement has inducted honorees since 1990. Here you will find a listing of each honoree arranged in alphabetical order (Click on link for brief biography and photo):

Hall of Fame Index

Ray Ackerman
Chairman Emeritus | Ackerman McQueen
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

Rocky Aoki
Founder and Chairman | Benihana of Tokyo, Inc.
Miami | FL | USA

Ron Barbaro
Chairman and CEO | Ontario Casino Corporation
Toronto | ON | Canada

Herbert Baum
Chairman & CEO | Quaker State
USA

Raymond Bill*
Publisher and Founder | Bill Communications/Sales and Marketing Management Mag.
New York | NY | USA

Henry Bloch
Founder and Chairman | H&R Block Company
Kansas City | MO | USA

Johnnie Cordell Breed
Breed Technologies, Inc.
Lakeland | FL | USA

Edward Brennan
Chairman Emeritus | Sears, Roebuck & Company
Chicago | IL | USA

Norman Brinker
Chairman and CEO | Brinker International
Dallas | TX | USA

Tony Brown
Host and Executive Producer | Tony Brown’s Journal
New York | NY | USA

Dean Buntrock
Co-Founder | Waste Management, Inc.
Hinsdale | IL | USA

Stephen J. Burrows
Chief Executive Officer and President
Anheuser-Busch International, Inc
St Louis | MO | USA

John Casey
Founder | CEO Netweavers
Dallas | Texas | USA

S. Truett Cathy
Founder and Chairman | Chick-Fil-A, Inc.
Atlanta | GA | USA

Jerome Chazen
Co-Founder | Chazen Capital Partners, Liz Claiborne, Inc.
New York | NY | USA

Jerry Choate
Chairman Emeritus | Allstate Insurance Company
Northbrook | IL | USA

Maxine Clark
Founder and Chief Executive Bear
Build-A-Bear Workshop
St Louis | MO | USA

A.W. Tom Claussen
Chairman and CEO (Ret) | Bank of America
Hillsborough | CA | USA

W.W. Clements* CME
Chairman Emeritus & Founder Dr. Pepper Museum | Dr. Pepper Co.
Plano | TX | USA

Stephen Covey*
Co-Founder and Vice Chairman | Franklin Covey Company
Provo | UT | USA

Rance Crain
President | Crain Communications
Windermere | FL | USA

William E Davis
Founder & Chairman | U.S. Foodservice

Robert Dedman Sr.*
Founder and Chairman | ClubCorp, Inc.
Dallas | TX | USA

Scott DeGarmo
Editor & Publisher | Success Magazine
USA

Dick DeVos
Co-Founder and President | Amway Corporation
Ada | MI | USA

William Dillard
Founder and Chairman | Dillard’s Department Stores
Little Rock | AR | USA

Mark Dixon
Founder and Chief Executive
The Regus Group
London | England

Harvey Firestone*
Founder | Bridgestone/Firestone
Chicago | IL | USA

Zachary Fisher
Founder and Builder | Intrepid Museum
New York | NY | USA

Henry Ford*
Founder | Ford Motor Company
USA

Angélica Fuentes Téllez
CEO | Grupo Omnilife-Chivas
Guadalajara | Jalisco | Mexico

Robert Funk
Founder | Express Personnel Services
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

John Fuqua
Developer, Founder and Chairman | Fuqua Companies, Inc.
Atlanta | GA | USA

B. Thomas Golisano
President, Chairman and CEO | Paychex, Inc.
Rochester | NY | USA

Earl Graves
Publisher | Earl G. Graves Publishing Co., Inc.
New York | NY | USA

Barbara & David Green
Co-Founder | Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
Bethany | OK | USA

Gerhard Gschwandtner
Founder & CEO | Selling Power Inc.
Fredericksburg | Virginia | USA

Tom Haggai
Chairman and CEO | IGA, Inc.
High Point | NC | USA

Joe J. M. Haggar, Jr.
Haggar Apparel Company
Dallas | TX | USA

Joyce Hall*
Founder | Hallmark Cards
Kansas City | MO | USA

Bud Haney
President & Chief Financial Officer | Profiles International
Waco | TX | USA

Mark Victor Hansen
President | Mark Victor Hansen Enterprises

Jeffrey Hayzlett
Global Business Celebrity, Author
New York | NY | USA

Frank Hickingbotham
Founder and Chairman | TCBY, Inc.
Little Rock | AR | USA

H. Wayne Huizenga
Co-Founder/Chairman | Blockbuster Entertainment, Inc./Waste Management, Inc.
New York | NY | USA

Stanley Hupfeld
President & CEO | Integris Health

Clark Johnson
Chairman and CEO (retired) | Pier 1 Imports
N Palm Beach | FL | USA

Edward Joullion III
President and Chairman | Mustang Fuel Corporation
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

John Justin
Chairman | Justin Industries, Inc.
Fort Worth | TX | USA

Herbert Kelleher
Co-Founder and CEO | Southwest Airlines
Dallas | TX | USA

Danielle Kennedy
Consultant | Danielle Kennedy Productions
Sun Valley | ID | USA

Robert Koski
Founder and Chairman | Sun Hydraulics Corp.
Sarasota | FL | USA

Ray Kroc*
Founder | McDonald’s Corporation
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

Dr. Aelred J. Kurtenbach
Founder & Chairman | Daktronics
Brookings | SD | USA

Buck Laird
Principal | Laguna Pacific Advisors
Co-founder | Laird Christianson Advertising
Honolulu | Hawaii | USA

Tom Love
Founder | Love’s Country Stores, Inc.
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

Don Lowe
CEO | Franchise Services Inc.
Mission Viejo | CA | USA

Harvey Mackay
Founder Chairman, and CEO | MacKay Envelope Co.
Minneapolis | MN | USA

Edwin Malzahn
President | Charles Machine Works (Ditch Witch)
Perry | OK | USA

Paula Marshall-Chapman
President and CEO | The Bama Companies, Inc.
Tulsa | OK | USA

Phillip Martin
Tribal Chief | Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
Choctaw | MS | USA

James Maynard
Chairman | Investors Management Corp.,
Raleigh | NC | USA

H. Harrison McCain*
Chairman | McCain Foods Limited
Florenceville | NB | Canada

Wendy B. McDonald
Chairman | The BC Bearing Group
Vancouver | BC | Canada

Frank McPherson
Chairman (retired) | Kerr-McGee Corporation
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

Herman Meinders
Chairman Emeritus | American Floral Services, Inc.
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

Ed Mirvish*
Founder | Honest Ed’s Limited
Toronto | ON | Canada

Jack Mitchell
Chairman | Mitchells/Richards/Marshs
Westport | CT | USA

Catherine Monson
Chief Executive Officer & President | FASTSigns International, Inc
Dallas | TX | USA

Steven Moore
Chairman and CEO, President | OGE Energy Corp
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

Ralph Mosley
Chairman and CEO | Southwestern/Great America, Inc.
Nashville | TN | USA

David Neeleman
Founder and Chairman | JetBlue Airways
Forest Hills | NY | USA

Stanford J. Newman
J.C. Newman Cigar Co
Tampa | FL | USA

J. Larry Nichols
President, Chairman and CEO | Devon Energy Corporation
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

Paul Orfalea
Founder and CEO | Kinko’s, Inc., World Headquarters
Ventura | CA | USA

John H Patterson*
Founder | NCR (Formerly National Cash Register)
Dayton | OH | USA

Jim Pattison
Chairman | The Pattison Group
Vancouver | BC | Canada

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale*
Pastor, Author | Marble Collegiate
Pawling | NY | USA

J.C. Penney*
Founder | J.C. Penney Company
Dallas | TX | USA

Tom Peters
Chairman and CEO | Tom Peters Group
Palo Alto | CA | USA

Carl Pohlad
President | Marquette Bank of Minneapolis,
Minneapolis | MN | USA

Nido Qubein SCP CPAE
Chairman | Creative Services Inc./Great Harvest Bread Co.
High Point | NC | USA

Richard J. (Dick) Resch
CEO | KI
Green Bay | WI | USA

Florence Roberts
Founder | Flori Roberts, Inc. & Dermablend Cosmetics
Lakewood | NJ | USA

O. Wayne Rollins*
Founder | Rollins Company
Atlanta | GA | USA

Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE
President | Sanborn & Associates
Highlands Ranch | CO | USA

Charles Sammons*
Founder | Sammons Entertainment, Inc.
Dallas | TX | USA

Dr. Robert Schuller
Pastor, Speaker, Motivator | Crystal Cathedral
Garden Grove | CA | USA

James Sirbasku CME
CEO & COO | Profiles International
Waco | TX | USA

Frederick Smith
President, Chairman and CEO | FedEx Corporation
Memphis | TN | USA

Lee Allan Smith
Ackerman McQueen
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

Gary Story
President and COO | Premier Parks
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

Chris Sullivan
Chairman and CEO | Outback Steakhouse, Inc.
Tampa | FL | USA

G.W. “Bill” Swisher
Founder and Chairman | CMI Corporation
Oklahoma City | OK | USA

John Sykes
CEO & Chairman of the Board | Sykes Enterprises, Inc
Tampa | FL | USA

Charles Tandy*
Founder | Radio Shack and Pier One
Fort Worth | TX | USA

David Tandy*
Founder | Radio Shack and Pier One
Fort Worth | TX | USA

Clifton Taulbert
President | The Building Community Institute
Tulsa | OK | USA

William Tillinghast*
Chairman of the Board Emeritus | Senco Corporation
Newport | KY | USA

Jay Van Andel*
Founder and Chairman | Amway Corporation
Ada | MI | USA

Scott Walker
President and CEO
BillMatrix Corporation
Dallas |
TX | USA

F. Willard Wall*
Founder and CEO | Walco International
Porterville | CA | USA

Thomas J. Watson*
Founder | IBM Corporation
Westport | CT | USA

Kemmons Wilson
Founder/Chairman | Holiday Inn/Kemmons Wilson Co.
Memphis | TN | USA

Larry Wilson
Chairman & CEO | Wilson Learning Corporation
Eden Prairie | MN | USA

General Robert Wood*
Founder | Allstate Insurance
Northbrook | IL | USA

Zig Ziglar
Founder | Zig Ziglar Corporation
Carrollton | TX | USA

Korczak* & Ruth Ziolkowski
Crazy Horse Memorial
Crazy Horse | SD | USA

Edward Zore
President & CEO | Northwestern Mutual
Milwaukee | Wl | USA
*Deceased member