College of Business Honors 2026 Outstanding Alumni
MISSOULA – The University of Montana College of Business will recognize Mary and Joe Monahan for their exceptional career achievements during its fall Business Advisory Council (BAC) Meetings. The Monahans will be honored as the 2026 UM College of Business Outstanding Alum following the BAC Meeting on Oct. 2 at 3:30 p.m. in the Gianchetta Piazza of the Gallagher Business Building. The event is free and open to the public.
The college has named outstanding alumni since 1990 and has celebrated graduates such as IBM executive Mary Olson, former D.A. Davidson chair Ian Davidson, KPMG audit partner Kayreen Handley, and most recently Arleen and Steve Winslow.
Mary ('90) and Joe ('89) Monahan
Joe was born in Missoula and spent his early years on the UM campus with his parents in married student housing. His family later moved back home to Butte. Mary was born in Chicago, Illinois and her family relocated to Butte when she was two years old. Joe graduated from Butte High School in 1985 and Mary graduated from Butte Central High School in 1986. Joe and Mary have lived in the Portland, Oregon area since completing their studies at UM. They’ve been married for 36 years and have three grown children - a daughter and son-in-law residing in London, England and two sons residing in Salt Lake City, Utah. They return to Montana often to see family and friends and always look forward to coming home.
Joe graduated from the UM College of Business in 1989 with a B.S. in Accounting. He then started his career at Moss Adams where he spent seven years serving a diverse set of clients, including some that brought him back to Montana periodically. He left Moss Adams to work at Nike where he spent nearly 20 years serving in various roles including GM of Team Sports and VP of North American Sales. He then went to Carhartt and served as SVP of Sales before settling into his current role for the last eight years as Chief Revenue Officer at gearUP Sports.
Mary graduated from the UM College of Education in 1990 with a B.A in Education. She then taught kindergarten for seven years in the greater Portland area. When their kids reached school age, she remained very active in their schools focusing on board work, fund raising and assisting in the classroom. In the last several years she has re-focused on her love of the culinary arts. A lifelong learner, she went back to school to get a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and now operates her own food business. Her volunteer work with the Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) has also been very important to her for the last 20 years.
Joe and Mary have been ardent supporters of UM students and programs since graduating. Joe served on the UM Foundation Board of Trustees from 2018-2024. He’s also hosted College of Business students on their annual Spring Break trip while at Nike and now at gearUP. Mary currently serves on the College of Education Advisory Board. Joe and Mary have Endowed Scholarships in both the College of Business and the College of Education. In addition, they have endowed a Memorial Scholarship in the Law School in memory of Joe’s stepfather R.D. Corette. They care deeply about UM and are committed to continuing to provide UM students with the support and resources they need to thrive in their college experience and beyond.