Two Gies College of Business alumni have been honored by the Gies Business Alumni Association for their contributions to business and to the College. Donald J. Edwards ’88 was chosen for the Distinguished Alumnus Award and Jane Romweber Santogrossi ’75 is this year’s recipient of the Alumni Impact Award. Their awards will be presented at the 2026 Gies College of Business Spring Luncheon.
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Donald J. Edwards ‘88
Donald J. Edwards founded Flexpoint Ford LLC, a private equity investment firm with $8 billion of assets under management, in 2005 and served as its Chief Executive Officer until 2025. He began his private equity career in 1994 at GTCR, a leading Chicago-based private equity firm, where he was a Principal and Chairman of the Investment Committee. Prior to joining GTCR, Don was an investment banker at Lazard, Ltd. where he focused on mergers and acquisitions in financial institutions and other industries.
Don served on the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois from 2017 to 2025 and as Chairman of the Board for six years from 2019 to 2025. He is a trustee of the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), a director of Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committees of the Board of the PGA of America. He previously served 10 years as a Commissioner of the Chicago Park District, and as a Director of World Business Chicago. Don and his wife Anne (Gies ’88) have endowed scholarships for Gies College of Business, the men’s golf team at the University of Illinois, and Harvard Business School.
In 2020, Don and Anne gave a $10 million gift to the University, the largest ever by a trustee, to provide support to Gies Business, Discovery Partners Institute, the Ubben Basketball Practice Facility, and the Men’s Golf program.
Don earned a bachelor's degree in finance, with University Honors (Bronze Tablet), from Gies College of Business in 1988. He was a four-year letter winner on the men’s golf team, winning a Big Ten Team Championship in 1988. Don received his MBA from Harvard Business School, with Baker Scholar distinction, in 1994.
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Jane Romweber Santogrossi ‘75
After graduating from Gies Business in 1975 with a degree in accountancy, and the CPA exam in the rearview mirror for good, (thanks to Professor Perry), Jane Romweber Santogrossi began her career as a tax accountant in the Chicago office of Arthur Andersen & Co. While working there she earned a master’s in tax degree from DePaul University.
In 1984, she moved to Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire, specializing in executive compensation. In 1987 she was transferred to Atlanta and spent the final 32 years of her career there. She retired as a partner at Meridian Compensation Partners, an executive compensation spinoff from Hewitt. As a partner at both Hewitt and Meridian, Jane led the Southeast Region’s consulting efforts and was the lead partner on engagements for multi-billion dollar clients.
While in Atlanta, Jane and her husband, John, became members of the Illinois President’s Council and attended Foundation Weekend annually for decades. They have provided tremendous support to Illinois, and are recipients of the Honorary Varsity I Award and the Krannert Award.
Jane served on the Gies Dean’s Business Council for eight years and had a ringside seat to the metamorphosis of the College under Dean Brown. She served as chair of the DBC when Wymer Hall was being planned and funded, and led the effort to raise money from within the DBC to name a broadcasting studio in Wymer for Dean Brown.
After a 44-year career Jane retired to Urbana-Champaign with her husband, where they attend every Illinois home football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball game. In her retirement, Jane is president of the League of Women Voters of Champaign County, Treasurer of the Krannert Art Museum Council, and president of her condo association in Chicago.