Six Iowa State University alumni will be honored by the College of Business at this fall’s Honors and Awards Ceremony to be held Oct. 29 at Cornerstone Church in Ames. The Citation of Achievement Award will be presented to:

• Dan Houston (Class of 1984, Marketing), president of retirement, insurance and financial services for Principal Financial Group Inc.;
• Allan Landon (’70, Industrial Administration), recently retired chairman and CEO of Bank of Hawaii Corp., which was named “America’s Best Bank” by Forbes magazine in December 2009; and
• Frank Ross (’84, Accounting), who was vice president of global commercial business with Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. He passed away from a heart attack on June 7.

The John D. DeVries Service Award will be presented to Denise Essman (’73, Industrial Administration), president and CEO of Essman/Associates in Des Moines. Essman served on the ISU Alumni Association board of directors for four years and spent 11 years on the Iowa State University Foundation board of governors. The award was established in 1985 to recognize an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service to the college.

Mark and Julie Blake are the 2010 recipients of the Russ and Ann Gerdin Award, established to honor contributions from individuals who are not College of Business graduates. Mark is a 1977 Iowa State graduate with a degree in agricultural business. Julie earned her ISU degree in physical education in 1978. The Blakes, who reside in Eden Prairie, Minn., have made a commitment to current and future undergraduates in the College of Business by funding the Mark and Julie Blake Scholarship, which is given to deserving students in need.