Citation of Achievement
College of Business
Established in 1985 to honor distinguished alumni who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in life beyond the campus

William D. Kalm

BS Industrial Administration ’73
MS Industrial Administrative Sciences ’77
Phoenix, Ariz.

William Kalm’s story is one of hard work and professional success. He began working full-time at age 14 and continued to do so right up until the day he retired – at age 51. Kalm’s successful 25-year career led him to a senior partner level in the financial services/healthcare practice of Accenture, the global management consulting and technology firm.
 
Kalm credits Dr. Charles Handy, his mentor and the ISU College of Business’ founding dean, with his career success. Handy agreed to admit Kalm into the graduate business program after an unremarkable undergraduate business degree. Kalm ran with the opportunity, earning straight As and launching his career.
 
That relationship spurred Kalm to help create opportunities for other graduate students in the College of Business. In 2005, he created an internal case competition for MBA students at Iowa State, providing scholarships for students on the top three teams. He returns to Ames each year to meet with students and oversee the event. He was also a donor in the naming of the graduate programs office in the Gerdin Business Building after Handy, and he has served on the college’s MIS Advisory Committee.
 
Kalm is a former president and board chair of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona. He is a lifetime member of the ISU Alumni Association and the Order of the Knoll President’s Circle.