KU School of Business to honor distinguished alumni

LAWRENCE — Roger Davis and Chris Lynch are recipients of the University of Kansas School of Business 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Davis and Lynch join an elite group of business alumni who have been recognized for their dedication to business excellence, community service and commitment to KU. They will be honored Thursday, April 18, at a private reception at The Oread Hotel.

Roger Davis, who resides in Chicago, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from KU in 1972. He credits KU’s business faculty with making the single biggest difference in his career.

He is the majority owner and chief executive officer of Paxton/Patterson LLC in Chicago, having first joined the company in 1980 as its general manager.

Davis served on the School of Business dean’s advisory board for nearly 20 years, serving as board chair from 1996 through 1999. He and his wife, Julie, live in a “house divided,” as Julie is a graduate of Kansas State University.

Chris Lynch graduated from KU in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration. He currently sits on the boards of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (Freddie Mac) and American International Group (AIG).

Lynch spent most of his career at KPMG LLP in the Denver, New York City and San Francisco offices. He retired in May 2007 as the national managing partner of the firm’s largest industry division, Financial Services. As its leader, he oversaw the division’s banking and finance, insurance, funds management and real estate practices.

He and his wife, Jill, reside in San Francisco with their three sons, the eldest of which is currently a business student at KU.

The School of Business established the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998 to honor outstanding graduates. To date, 46 alumni have been recognized with the award. Past recipients include investor David Booth, entrepreneur Philip Anschutz, former Goldman Sachs executive Robert Kaplan, Cerner Corp. co-founder Clifford Illig and Emprise Bank chairman Mike Michaelis.