Join us for a memorable evening of recognition, connection, and celebration. The 2026 Celebration of Distinction at Rutgers School of Business–Camden (RSBC) recognizes alumni and partners who have positively impacted the School’s reputation and community. These awards celebrate their meaningful contributions, leadership, and commitment to creating lasting change.
The paths forged by our honorees—through perseverance, innovation, and purpose—reflect the values we aspire for every RSBC graduate to uphold. We are proud to celebrate our entire RSBC family as we honor the 2026 class and strengthen connections within our community.
Event Details
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
5:00 pm – 8:00 PM
Rutgers–Camden Campus Center
326 Penn Street
Camden, NJ 08102
Your $25 ticket includes heavy appetizers, beer, wine, soft drinks, desserts, networking opportunities, and access to the awards program and panel discussion.
Dress Code: Business Casual
2026 Honorees of the Celebration of Distinction
Honorees of the Celebration of Distinction
Class of 2026
Congratulations to our Honorees! We look forward to celebrating the 2nd class of honorees while fostering connections across our Rutgers–Camden community. Don’t miss this evening of celebration, connection, and inspiration!
Distinguished Alum Award
Dr. Lisa J. Hou GSBC'22
Major General and the Special Assistant to the Director, Army National Guard for Surgeon General Matters, National Guard Bureau
Dr. Lisa J. Hou is a Major General and the Special Assistant to the Director, Army National Guard for Surgeon General Matters, National Guard Bureau. In this role, she provides senior medical leadership, strategic advice, and operational oversight for the Army National Guard's medical readiness, health care, and personnel matters.
In her prior position, she served as Director of the Office of the Joint Surgeon General, NGB, overseeing the development, coordination, communication and implementation of National Guard medical policies, procedures and operational responses in collaboration with state and federal interagency and international medical partners, as well as guidance for operations conducted by the National Guard CBRN Response Enterprise medical elements.
From 2020 to 2024, MG Hou served as the Adjutant General of New Jersey, commanding more than 8,400 Soldiers and Airmen of the NJ National Guard, while also serving as Commissioner of the NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, overseeing all state veterans' programs and facilities. She was the first woman and first Asian American to hold the position. Earlier in her career, she served as Deputy Adjutant General and as the first Joint Surgeon of the NJ National Guard. As State Surgeon and commander of the New Jersey Medical Command, she was responsible for the medical readiness of more than 6,000 Soldiers. Dr. Hou is a physician trained in otolaryngology and specialized in sleep surgery. She deployed as a senior field surgeon to Iraq in 2005 and to Afghanistan in 2011, where she provided routine and emergent medical care for U.S. and coalition servicemembers.
Dr. Hou joined the NJ National Guard in 1994 while a medical student at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, NJ. She received her doctoral degree in Osteopathic Medicine in 1996 and completed a residency in Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery at Union Hospital, NJ in 2001 and a Sleep Surgery fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center, CA in 2002. She also earned a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College in 2019 and a Master of Business Administration from Rutgers School of Business–Camden in 2022.
Emerging Alum Award
Madhoo Dev GSBC'18
Senior Analyst, Business Intelligence, Oncourse Home Solutions
Madhoo Dev is the Senior Analyst in the Business Intelligence group at Oncourse Home Solutions, a leading provider of home protection warranties and repair services across the country. In this role, Madhoo drives data-informed decision-making by overseeing dashboard automations and reporting standardization for both internal and external partners. Backed by a strong foundation in consumer insights, she sharpened her expertise in marketing campaign operations, cross-functional project execution, system optimization, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
Madhoo earned her MBA from Rutgers University–Camden where she also led MBA Association. She is also a published co-author of an academic paper in the Journal of International Consumer Marketing. Passionate about mentorship, she frequently leads career-focused speaking sessions to guide emerging professionals.
Entrepreneurial Trailblazer Excellence Award
Katie Loesch SBC'12
Multi-Unit Franchisee, Rita’s Italian Ice | Speaker & Small Business Consultant
Katie is a multi-unit franchisee with Rita’s Italian Ice, small business consultant, corporate trainer, and speaker with more than a decade of experience building businesses and developing high-performing teams.
While attending Rutgers University–Camden as an NJ STARS scholarship recipient, Katie managed three Rita’s Italian Ice locations in South Jersey. Shortly after graduating, she had the opportunity to purchase the businesses at just 24 years old. Over the past 12 years, she has grown her businesses while expanding her impact within the Rita’s brand, serving as a contracted store turnaround consultant, supporting new shop openings and team development in a new market, and spending six years on the Greater Philadelphia Co-op Board, helping oversee regional advertising initiatives. Along the way, she built a parallel career as a small business consultant and corporate trainer, with more than a decade of experience facilitating DISC-based training, team building, and leadership development sessions. She has facilitated for various organizations, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Wharton, Princeton University, Johnson & Johnson, NBC, L’Oréal, Verizon, Chanel, and many others.
In 2024, a high-risk pregnancy and prolonged hospitalization unexpectedly took Katie physically out of her businesses for nearly seven months. During that time, her team (made up primarily of teenagers and young adults) successfully carried the businesses through the season and increased sales. The experience became a defining moment in Katie’s career and sharpened the focus of her consulting and speaking work. Today, Katie leads a seasonal team of approximately 50 employees across her three Rita’s locations while helping organizations make success sustainable by moving from leader-dependent to team-led and system-supported.
Outside of work, Katie is a mom to two young boys and a military spouse. She is honored to be recognized by Rutgers–Camden as the 2026 Entrepreneurial Trailblazer.
Community Partner Award
The Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) helps South Jersey residents harness the power of philanthropy to transform their community and the issues they care about most. The Foundation helps donors to create funds—both large and small—achieve positive results with their generosity in South Jersey and beyond. By working with the Community Foundation donors can engage in philanthropy that is innovative, visionary, and effective. For more information, go to: www.communityfoundationsj.org
Accepting the Award:
Emma Freedman
Community Impact Manager, Community Foundation of South Jersey
Emma Freedman is a community economic development professional with more than a decade of experience supporting community-led initiatives, small businesses, and efforts to expand economic opportunity. As Community Impact Manager at the Community Foundation of South Jersey, she leads the Camden Food Fund, a community-led impact investment initiative working to expand access to capital and business support for Camden entrepreneurs while strengthening the local food economy.
Emma managed the Fund’s first character-based lending pilot, co-designed with a Camden resident Community Advisory Board, and has helped grow the Fund from an initial concept into a place-based investment collaborative centered on community voice, trust, and shared decision-making. Previously, Emma worked with The Food Trust in Camden, where she supported corner store owners, the formation of a business association, and local food access efforts. She also spent several years in Peru leading community economic development and women’s entrepreneurship projects.
Emma holds a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies with a specialization in Community Organization from the University of Pittsburgh and is fluent in Spanish and English.
Valeria Galarza COOK'03
Board Secretary, Community Foundation of South Jersey | Founder and Principal Consultant of ALTA Impact Partners, LLC
Valeria Galarza, MS is the Founder and Principal Consultant of ALTA Impact Partners, LLC, where she helps organizations advance community health through strategy, partnerships, and systems change. With more than 20+ years of experience in public health and the nonprofit sector, she has led initiatives focused on health equity, community development, and cross-sector collaboration across New Jersey. Val previously directed the Get Healthy Camden initiative and has received numerous leadership and community impact awards. She holds degrees from Rutgers University and Saint Joseph's University. In addition to the CFSJ Board, she serves on the MLB Players Trust Board.
Austin Planer
Board Member, Community Foundation of South Jersey | Chief Operating Officer, Humanature
Austin Planer supports Humanature’s work through operations, consulting, and facilitation. As Chief Operating Officer, Austin works across projects to coordinate timelines, deliverables, and internal systems, helping teams and partners move work forward with clarity and care. In addition, Austin contributes to the design and facilitation of workshops and collaborative processes. Their work is dedicated to fostering democratic, cooperative spaces at the intersection of stakeholder engagement, systems change, and human development, supporting groups as they navigate strategy, learning, and collective decision-making.
Corporate Partner Award
For more than 155 years, The Campbell’s Company (Nasdaq: CPB) has been connecting people through food they love. Generations of consumers have trusted us to provide delicious and affordable food and beverages. We have two distinct divisions, Meals & Beverages and Snacks, concentrated in North America, each home to iconic and differentiated brands.For more information, visit www.thecampbellscompany.com.
Accepting the Award:
JoJo Cosman
Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition Operations and Early Careers Programs, The Campbell’s Company
JoJo Cosman is Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition Operations and Early Careers Programs at The Campbell’s Company, leading initiatives focused on continuous improvement and project management in Talent Acquisition programs, processes, and technology. She brings more than 25 years of experience in recruiting, project management, and leading teams across a diverse group of organizations and industries. Her career includes leadership roles with Campbell’s, Amazon Web Services, Lowe’s, General Motors, and Kelly Services, spanning consumer products, technology, automotive, retail, and workforce solutions. She is passionate about using technology, data, and strong partnerships to improve recruiting experiences, develop talent, and build sustainable workforce pipelines.
Christian Garon
Associate Vice President, People & Culture – Talent Acquisition, The Campbell’s Company
Chris Garon is Associate Vice President, People & Culture – Talent Acquisition at The Campbell’s Company, where he leads enterprise talent acquisition, executive recruiting, and early career programs. With leadership experience spanning the U.S. Air Force, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and Campbell’s, Chris is passionate about connecting talent with opportunity and building programs and partnerships that help people launch and grow meaningful careers. He brings a distinctive perspective on talent strategy, organizational transformation, and building high-performing teams—and is proud to support Campbell’s commitment to developing the next generation of talent and strengthening connections with the communities it serves.
Significance of the Feather
Throughout history, feathers have symbolized honor, strength, trust, wisdom, and a connection to the divine. In many traditions, particularly among Native American communities, feathers, such as those of the eagle, are earned through acts of courage and bestowed as marks of deep respect.
For the RSBC, the feather also carries a special connection to our mascot, the Scarlet Raptor. As Raptors, we embody advocacy, adventure, fearlessness, honesty, openness, and leadership. Raptors soar with confidence and embrace challenges with courage.
Our honorees tonight exemplify these very qualities. This award, adorned with a feather, signifies not only the recognition of their achievements, but also serves as a lasting “feather in the cap” of distinction they so richly deserve.