Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
The SJU and CSB Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, sponsored by the McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship, recognize the achievements of a Johnnie and a Bennie who best exemplify the ideals of entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more businesses in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and in their lives.
The CSB/SJU Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes the achievements and qualities of a Johnnie or Bennie who best exemplifies the ideals of social entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more ventures that enrich humanity or address a social issue in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and in their lives.
2023 Awardees
SJU Entrepreneur of the Year
Dusan Kosic '07 - President, HTEC Group
Dušan is a co-founder and the President of HTEC Group, a premium software engineering and digital product development company. He is responsible for the company’s corporate organization and development, while also taking an active role in its M&A activities.
Before joining HTEC as a partner in 2010, Dušan was a Foreign Direct Investment Advisor at SIEPA (Serbian Investment and Export Promotion Agency) and a fund manager at the Innovation Fund in Serbia. Dušan graduated from Saint John’s University in Minnesota, where he served as a member of the Board of Trustees from 2017 through 2021, making him the youngest board member in the university’s more than 160-year history. Dušan holds an EMBA from Cotrugli Business School and he has invested in several technology startups.
As a leader, he is a true believer in continuous education and his main objective is to keep evolving HTEC into being the best possible partner for our clients as well as being the best platform for the growth of its people, supporting them to reach their full potential.
CSB and SJU Social Entrepreneur of the Year
Paul Williams '78 - President and CEO, Project for Pride in Living
Paul Williams, President and CEO, is deeply rooted in our community. Raised in the heart of Saint Paul, his strong connection to the Twin Cities region, its neighborhoods and its people, fuels his work. PPL’s fourth executive director in its history, he managed all city operations as Deputy Mayor of his native city before joining PPL in April 2014.
Paul has spent his career creating partnerships and building community. While spearheading community development locally and directing operations in 30 cities nationwide for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), he developed an unparalleled understanding of the opportunities and challenges around affordable housing and community development. With compassion and a sense of what works, Paul has served as a grantmaker for The Minneapolis Foundation, The Saint Paul Foundation and the United Way of the St. Paul Area. He has also contributed to the leadership of a wide range of community boards. His spirit of collaboration, connection to our communities and commitment to amplifying PPL’s impact energize our work.