Valerie L. Newell '75

Senior Partner, Mariner Wealth Advisors

Valerie L. Newell has spent more than four decades breaking barriers and setting the standard for excellence in the investment management industry. A nationally recognized wealth advisor, she has built a distinguished career helping individuals navigate complex investment management and financial planning.

Newell began her career with Arthur Andersen, where she became the first woman promoted to manager in the firm's Cincinnati office. She later joined Scudder Stevens & Clark, becoming its first female managing director, before co-founding RiverPoint Capital Management. As chairman, senior wealth advisor and portfolio manager, she helped grow the firm into one of the region's premier investment management firms before its acquisition by Mariner Wealth Advisors, where she continues to serve as a senior partner. Barron's has ranked Newell Ohio's No. 1 financial advisor for nine consecutive years and recognized her among the nation's top financial advisors.

A 1975 magna cum laude graduate of Bowling Green State University with a degree in accounting, Newell was named the Outstanding Woman Graduate of her class. One of only a handful of women studying business and accounting at the time, she distinguished herself as a student leader while also becoming the first woman admitted to the University on an athletic card, becoming captain of the swim team and one of BGSU's first women All-Americans. In 2025, she was inducted into the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

A dedicated University supporter, Newell served 11 years on the BGSU Board of Trustees, including as chair, and twice on the BGSU Foundation Board, where she served as treasurer and chair of the Finance Affairs Committee. She is also the recipient of the BGSU College of Business Dallas Hamilton Entrepreneurship Award. 

Beyond BGSU, Newell has served as the first female board chair of both the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Museum Center and has contributed to the leadership of numerous nonprofit and community organizations. She and her husband, Tim Smith, have two sons and enjoy spending time with their family in Cincinnati.

Geoffrey H. Radbill '68  (Awarded posthumously)

Geoff Radbill was one of Bowling Green State University’s most dedicated and committed supporters – an alumnus, generous donor and former member of both the BGSU Board of Trustees and the Foundation Board of Directors.

Geoff divided his time between philanthropic work, traveling and cycling. Geoff came to Bowling Green as an undergraduate student after growing up on the East Coast. Geoff was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from BGSU in 1968. He attended the MBA program at the College of Insurance (later a part of St. John’s University) and the marketing and financial development graduate programs at Columbia University.

Geoff went on to lead an incredibly successful career in finance, from his first job – filing paperwork – to ultimately retiring in 2004 as the senior vice president and chief operating officer after 36 years with Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company.

For decades, Geoff was a near constant presence in our Bowling Green learning community, generously giving back to his alma mater. Geoff lectured in business classes, established scholarships and served as a national trustee for the BGSU Board of Trustees, leading several committees on the board.

He was instrumental in driving engagement and support among fellow alumni, serving as a director of the BGSU Foundation and on the Steering Committee for Building Dreams: The Centennial Campaign. He also served on the Leadership Council of the Schmidthorst College of Business. Geoff was a deeply philanthropic individual, not only with Bowling Green State University, but with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Hillel419.

Geoff was a true visionary in career and life, yet always focused his work at Bowling Green on the true purpose of any university: to support students in their education, opening the doors of opportunity.

Geoff played a pivotal role in the growth and evolution of Bowling Green’s innovative Life Design program, driven by a desire to pay forward the support he received at BGSU to future generations. With Geoff and his partner Jan Kohn’s support, Life Design has become an integral part of the undergraduate student experience at Bowling Green.

Today, thanks to Geoff’s vision, thousands of students have already been part of our Life Design initiative, gaining transformational skills for both career and life in the Geoffrey H. Radbill Center for College and Life Design. In this, Geoff changed our University – and, perhaps even more importantly, changed an immeasurable number of lives, impacting generations of future students.

William J. Shelt ’81, ’83

William J. Shelt has more than 35 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry, leading organizations that provide aviation maintenance, operations, logistical and technical support for the U.S. military and other government agencies. Throughout his career, he has helped organizations use technology, industrial engineering and disciplined business practices to support complex aerospace and defense missions around the world.

Shelt is the co-founder of M1 Support Services, a leading provider of aircraft maintenance, logistics and mission support services with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. Since launching the company in 2003 with two employees, he has helped grow M1 to a workforce of more than 7,000 employees operating worldwide. He has led the company's business development, operations, finance, security and regulatory compliance efforts, helping secure more than $7 billion in government contracts while building a reputation for operational excellence.

Before co-founding M1 Support Services, Shelt helped launch a flight training software company while attending an FAA Part 61 flight school. He went on to hold leadership positions with FlightSafety International, E-Systems, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, DynCorp International and Computer Sciences Corp., supporting both defense and commercial aerospace sectors.

Shelt earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1981 and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in international business in 1983 from Bowling Green State University. During his time at BGSU, he also studied at École Supérieure de Commerce et d'Entreprises in Nantes, France, and was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society.

Shelt and his wife, Mary, have demonstrated their commitment to BGSU through transformational philanthropy. They established the William J. and Mary A. Shelt Scholarship, a $1.5 million endowment supporting high-achieving incoming students in the Allen W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business, as well as a $1 million endowment for the LTG (Ret.) Douglas M. Gabram Aviation Scholarship in the College of Engineering and Innovation, the largest gift in the aviation program's history.