Crummer School Names Greg Turkanik SunTrust Distinguished Leader of Merit

(From left to right) SunTrust Bank's Tom Kuntz, Greg Turkanik, Dr. Susan Bach and Dean Craig McAllaster

Greg Turkanik is the first recipient of the SunTrust Distinguished Leader of Merit Award from the Center for Leadership Development at the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business. He was awarded this recognition by Crummer School Dean Craig McAllaster at a dinner in April 2006.

Turkanik, a 2006 graduate of the Crummer School's Early Advantage MBA program, distinguished himself through his active involvement in extracurricular activities, including founding the Crummer Consulting Club. His involvement in the Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization (CEO) was recognized in 2005 when Turkanik was a recipient of the Distinguished Student Entrepreneurship Award.

An international student from Poland, Turkanik earned a master's degree and worked for four years in sales marketing in Poland prior to coming to the Crummer School. He has traveled extensively, lived in several countries and speaks five languages. During the second year of his MBA program, along with four other MBA students, Turkanik founded Eximuse Global Group, a consulting company that advises businesses on international expansion.

The Center for Leadership Development provides leadership training and experiential opportunities to complement and augment what students learn in the MBA curriculum. Full-time MBA students who choose to participate in the leadership program are required to complete leadership activities and provide significant community service on and off campus. Students who meet these requirements are qualified to compete for the SunTrust Distinguished Leader of Merit award.

The Distinguished Leader of Merit competition, generously supported by SunTrust Bank, recognizes three students who have demonstrated exceptional development and leadership. The Distinguished Leader of Merit Award is the top honor given to a leadership student who best exemplifies the qualities of ethical and responsible leadership, and who has applied these characteristics and practices at the Crummer School and in the community. Additionally, two students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership development are recognized for the Leader of Merit awards; one is generally designated for a student with prior work experience and one for a student with limited or no work experience. This year's recipients were Jeffrey C. DeMott and Vanessa E. Sain, both Class of 2006 graduates. These recognitions are considered amongst the most prestigious awards given by the Crummer School.