The University of Tulsa’s Collins College of Business recognized outstanding students, faculty, staff and alumni during its 2026 Honors and Awards Ceremony, celebrating academic excellence, leadership, research and service across the college.
The evening’s highest undergraduate honors, the David R. Lawson Outstanding Senior Awards, were presented to Anna Boevers, Anna Lackner, Zach Payne and Adam Sparger. Named in honor of the late David R. Lawson (B.S. ’70), the award is the most prestigious undergraduate honor awarded by the Collins College of Business.
Boevers, a finance and business information systems major from Oklahoma City, participated in the Honors Program, studied abroad in Rome and held leadership roles in organizations including the Student Investment Fund and Kappa Alpha Theta. She also served as a peer mentor, university ambassador and Friends of Finance Scholar.
Lackner, from Tomball, Texas, was a double major in chemical engineering and energy management with minors in economics and math. Alongside her academic work, she conducted research related to carbon capture and sequestration while serving as president of Omega Chi Epsilon and the Tulsa Energy Management Student Association.
Payne, a Tulsa native and former small business owner, maintained a 4.0 grade-point average while completing internships with EY and CCK Strategies and working as a certified financial counselor with Tulsa Responds. He currently works full time as an audit associate at Conklin, Gilpin & Wertz.
Sparger, an accounting and finance double major from Broken Arrow, served as president of the Student Finance Association and held leadership roles in the Student Government Association and the Student Investment Fund. He was recognized as a Presidential Scholar and Friends of Finance Scholar.
The college also recognized Outstanding Seniors from each academic discipline:
- Accounting: Grayson Tempest
- Business Information Systems: Monica Martinez
- Economics: Selina Jiang
- Finance: Mackenna Gardner
- Energy Business: Michael Cintron
- International Business & Language: Kamree Dye
- Management: Nooria Noori
- Marketing: Honor Plumlee
Fast Track Alumni Awards, which recognize recent graduates who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievement and leadership, were presented to Sarah Otto and Chuck Tack.
Faculty honors included the 2026 Mayo Research Excellence Award presented to Langtao Chen for research published in the Journal of the Association of Information Systems, a top journal in the field. Toby Joplin received the 2026 Mayo Teaching Excellence Award, which recognizes faculty members who excel in teaching and are recognized by students and fellow faculty members.
The Collins College of Business Outstanding Staff Award was presented to Ashley Warren, Director of Professional Relations and Program Economics, for her dedication and service to the college community.