When it comes to Portland Business Journal’s prestigious 40 under 40 award, it’s been a very big year for the University of Oregon. All told, the school saw a grand total of 12 alumni and future grads receive the honor for 2026.
Recognized around the region, the highly competitive award carries serious prestige, with more than 200 professionals vying for the 40 spots each year. For nearly three decades, the coveted prize distinguishes Oregon and Southern Washington business leaders age 40 and younger who have already seen significant career success. The award has also proved itself as a predictor for future achievement, with the majority of recipients going onto even greater accomplishments in their careers and in community service.
2026 was also a particularly notable 40 under 40 year for the Lundquist College of Business. Although typically well-represented each year’s awards ceremony, this year the college boasted an impressive nine winners. Three other UO schools—the College of Design, College of Education, and School of Law—each had a graduate in this year’s high-achieving cohort.
Within the Lundquist group, the college’s Portland-based Oregon Executive MBA also had a record-breaking year. The Portland-based MBA for working professionals added a 10th year to its ongoing streak, with six honorees, the most ever in a single year. Even more impressive, two of this year’s winners are current students—truly a testimony to the caliber of students the Oregon Executive MBA brings to the classroom.
On April 9, the twelve UO winners joined 28 other honorees to receive their honors and share their takes on life and business with an audience of more than 500 of the region’s professionals at Portland Business Journal’s awards luncheon.
Get To Know These Dazzling Ducks
Morgan Armstrong believes that HR is a business-critical function. At Bigleaf, she has overhauled expenditures, saving the company around $30,000 each month. Her volunteer work includes serving on the board of De La Salle North Catholic High School.
As co-chair of Tonkon Torp’s Real Estate Dispute Group,
Lauren Bernton resolves commercial disputes for regional and international clients. She recently played a key role in a legal win, which will see a well-known downtown Portland property stay in local hands. In addition to mentoring new lawyers, Bernton serves on the board of Chess for Success.
Emily Darchuk saw an opportunity to reduce waste by using the whey produced in the cheesemaking process to create a line of spirits. To gain the business savvy needed to bring her idea to market, she earned her graduate degree at the Lundquist College’s MBA program in Eugene. Launched during COVID, Wheyward Spirit has won gold medals and partnered on an ice cream with Ben & Jerry’s.
Sara Eanni has built a career serving a very specific sector of the insurance world: community associations, the umbrella term for a range of organizations that include condominiums, HOAs, and cooperative housing communities. After founding her firm Associs in 2024, Eanni is even better positioned to continue helping associations safeguard their assets and navigate evolving risks. Eanni has served for nearly a decade at the nonprofit Community Association Institute (CAI), including as its president, and currently chairs CAI’s national committee.
A key strategist and co-leader of Perkins & Co’s real estate sector,
Isaac Jones brought in more than $9.7 million in revenue in the last fiscal year. Committed to creating a supportive company culture, Jones implemented paid parental leave before it was a state mandate. He is a longtime board member of Hoyt Arboretum Friends and serves on a committee at the Urban Land Institute.
First-year Oregon Executive MBA student
Junghwa Kim has built a 15-year career at Kaiser Permanente, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and driving change that improves equity, access, and outcomes. Her work developing Kaiser’s Center for Black Health and Wellness—the organization’s first unit of this kind—resulted in an 8 percent increase in controlling hypertension for Black patients.
Since taking the helm of Coast Products, a fourth-generation family business that’s more than 100 years old,
Tyler Peterson has guided the global lighting and tools manufacturer through the pandemic and major trade disruptions while increasing revenue by more than 30 percent. Peterson also helped reduce single-use battery waste worldwide by spearheading a patented, carbon-neutral rechargeable battery line.
Daniel Silvey is a busy guy. In his role as cofounder of DBS Group, he’s helped develop more than 125 new housing units in Portland and is currently overseeing 116 additional units in development. This May, Silvey will open the Fremont Garage food-cart pod that will include a family-friendly seating area and children’s play space, along with a 3,000-square-foot indoor bar. And as if that wasn’t enough, he’s leading DBS’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity to build an eight-unit townhome community in Southeast Portland.
A melanoma diagnosis early in her career spurred
Katie Slavin to become involved in cancer awareness and research efforts, including organizing educational and fundraising events and as a speaker. Now cancer-free, Slavin credits these experiences with giving her the grant-reviewing skills that helped her build a career in nonprofit development. Giving back is a theme throughout Slavin’s life: in addition to her work at PSU’s foundation, she currently leads the Oregon Executive MBA Alumni Board and serves as president of Oregon Children’s Theatre.
Second-year Oregon Executive MBA student
Josh Smith started his professional career as an entry-level employee at Greenbrier and quickly rose in the ranks. Now leading a team of four, Smith works alongside senior management on projects including pricing strategy, production planning, sales, billing, and more. Recent achievements include developing a new, eco-friendly railcar design that is currently under research.
Paul Spies took on the full leadership of IronHead, the roofing company he co-founded, after his friend and business partner died in a rock-climbing accident in December 2024. Since then, the company has delivered consistent double-digit growth, including a 50 percent jump in 2025. One of the fastest-growing construction brands in the Northwest, the company has served more than 2,000 Oregon homeowners.
In her nearly two years at Open School,
Christine Toribio Pitts has served hundreds of young people through programs like Open School East, Step Up, and Literacy Liberators. The nonprofit leader got to work quickly, launching a turnaround that has already produced measurable results: 70 percent of Franklin High School’s Step Up students met attendance goals; 30 percent reached honor roll status; and 80 percent of Roosevelt High School participants passed six or more classes.
