Alumni Spotlight: Michael Waite, BBA 2001

November 12, 2013

Michael Waite, winner of a Columbus State University Young Alumnus Award in 2013, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from CSU in 2001 before going on to Emory University for an MBA. Since 2012, he's been a vice president of finance at Bentall Kennedy, one of North America’s largest real estate investment advisers. In his current job, he's responsible for all aspects of Bentall Kennedy’s portfolio accounting and client reporting in the U.S. Earlier, Waite spent four years with Cascade Investment, LLC, the private investment holding company of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, where he supervised accounting for an investment portfolio worth more than $60 billion. Waite, who lives in the Seattle area, is an active board member of the local King County United Way.

We thought his acceptance remarks at the annual Alumni Recognition Luncheon that was part of Alumni Weekend i2013 in October were worth sharing:

hank you very much for this award. I am very grateful for it, and I am forever grateful for my experience at Columbus State University.
 
The intensity of experience at CSU provided an incredible foundation for me. This experience came in the classroom with small class sizes and passionate and accessible professors. And outside the classroom through the Honors Program, tennis and various other extension opportunities.
 
Whenever you attend a school, you always want the classes that follow to be smarter, brighter and higher achieving.

From seeing everyone today, seeing how the campus looks, and of course following the success through the various channels, it is with absolute satisfaction and confidence that I am glad this has and continues to occur at CSU.

Thank you to everyone who is working so hard every day to continue to build the CSU brand and experience. 
 
I am grateful for the opportunity I had to come here.   Thank you again for this recognition and I wish you all every success.  Thank you.