
Bert F. Wertman Alumni Service Award
Established in 1989, this award recognizes an alumnus or alumna of the business school for outstanding service to the school and/or to the university. The award was established in honor of Bert F. Wertman, who served for more than 60 years as president of the Class of 1928. Through his leadership and caring, the class remained a cohesive and vital group and held a record number of continuous reunions.
2025 Winner
Karn Chopra, BBA ‘01
Partner | Centerview Partners

Karn Chopra has 25 years of experience advising and executing restructuring, liability management, financing and M&A transactions across a wide range of industries.
Company-Side Experience: Alkegen, American Commercial Lines, Castleton Resources, Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I), Confluence, CTI Foods, Danimer, Dhanani Group, ERA Group, Exactech, Eyecare Partners, FORMA Brands, GE Capital, Gopher Resources, JOANN Stores, JUUL, Li-Cycle, MagnaChip Semiconductor, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation/Foxwoods, McDermott International, Methanex Corp., Neovia Logistics, Northland Cranberries, Permian Holdings, PHH Corporation, Prime Clerk, Rayonier Advanced Materials, Residential Capital (ResCap), Sears Corp., Simmons Bedding, Springs Window Fashion, St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers, Superior Industries, Syncora Holding, The Palisades Center, THQ, Trinseo, Tronair, Ultra Petroleum, Ventas and Vonage.
Creditor-Side Experience: AccentCare, Anthology, Atlas Resource Partners, Avaya, Brazos, Cobalt International Energy, Covia Holdings, Cubic, Diamond Sports Group, Ditech, DS Waters of America, EagleView Technologies, EchoStar Corp, Endeavour International, Energy & Exploration Partners, Exela Technologies, Garrett Motion, GTT Communications, Intelsat, IPC, Kerzner Resorts, Learfield, Magenta Buyer, Magnum Hunter, McDermott International, McGraw Hill, Midstates Petroleum, National CinMedia, Pluralsight, PG&E, Rackspace, Radiology Partners, Revlon, Riverbed, SandRidge Energy, Serta Simmons Bedding, Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village., Tosca Services, Transworld Systems, Vanguard Natural Resources, Walter Investment and Zohar Funds.
Mr. Chopra joined Centerview Partners in 2011 to help establish its debt advisory and restructuring practice. Mr. Chopra was formerly a Vice President at Miller Buckfire & Co., and before that was a Vice President at AlixPartners LLC.
Mr. Chopra is an active board member of two charitable organizations, Friends of the Children New York and Her Justice. He also developed and teaches a Corporate Restructuring class to BBA students at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.
Mr. Chopra has an M.B.A. with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management, a B.B.A. with distinction from the University of Michigan and is a CFA charterholder. He lives in Westchester with his wife and three children.
2024 Tamika Curry Smith
2023 No Award Given
2022 No Award Given
2021 Edward T. Hightower, MBA 1995
2020 Chris Adelsbach, BBA 1995
2019 Mark Petroff, MBA 1998
2018 Cathy Bessant, BBA 1982
2017 Robert Neary, BBA 1955
2016 David Carson, BBA 1955
2015 David Parent MBA 1995
2014 Michael & Nancy McLelland MBA 1979, BS 1975 & MBA 1979
2013 Jeffrey Gelfand BBA 1988
2012 Yehuda Cohen MBA 1983
2011 Ralph Johnson MBA 1992
2010 Elizabeth D. Black MBA 1987
2009 Philippe Prufer MBA 1988
2008 John C. Morley MBA 1958
2007 Daniel Hennessy MBA 1981
2006 William Hall MBA 1967, PhD 1969
2005 Tom Jones BBA 1968, MBA 1971
2004 Cecil Shepherd MBA 2000
2003 Roslyn Braeman Payne BBA 1968
2002 Michael R. Hallman BBA 1966, MBA 1967
2001 Thomas Porter MBA 1967
2001 Mary Campbell MBA 1979
2000 Richard H. Rogel BBA 1970
1999 Eva Chang MBA 1993
1998 Bonnie R. Proctor AB 1970, MBA 1974
1997 Bruce L. Cook BBA 1950, MBA 1951
1996 John F. McCarthy ABED 1949, MBA 1951
1995 Frank T. Westover BBA 1961, MBA 1962
1994 No Award Given
1993 Sharon Reed Walker BBA 1974, MBA 1981
1992 William T. Dobson AB 1942, MBA 1948
1991 Gary T. Walther BSE 1960, MBA 1963
1990 Wilbur K. Pierpont MBA 1938, PhD 1942
1989 John R. Edman BBA 1950, MBA 1951