Creating synergy between groups and making things happen between people who might not otherwise have an opportunity to connect, these are specialties of Anne Marie Levis, M.B.A. '96.

Levis received her bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University, Chico; it led to a variety of jobs, including European regional manager for U.S. software companies. "Working and living in the Netherlands gave me an understanding of people and business practices that I would never have had, staying in the United States," she said. But she chose to return home and pursue an M.B.A. from the Lundquist College of Business.

Today Levis is president and partner of Funk/Levis & Associates, a marketing agency with offices in Eugene and Portland serving clients throughout the world. The company is one of that largest design firms in the Northwest. Levis's role in the flourishing Eugene-based company places her in a position to strengthen the link between the Lundquist College of Business and the local business community.

"There's so much opportunity for cooperation if you have a person who is tapped into both entities," she said. Levis is engaged in a great deal more than that, including involvement on the boards of several Eugene nonprofits such as ShelterCare and Looking Glass, and several years' membership on the City of Eugene Planning Commission.

"My greatest source of accomplishment comes from my sons Dylan and Connor and husband Dana," she said. "But I have a hard time saying no to worthy causes. I love being involved in this close-knit community."