Andy Hannah Selected as 2009 Katz School of Business Distinguished Alumni

Andy Hannah, president and CEO of Plextronics, Inc., was honored last night by the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz School of Business as one of its 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award winners. Hannah and four other individuals were recognized for their outstanding business leadership as well as the contributions they have made in community service.

Jim Waite, director of alumni and constituent relations at the University of Pittsburgh, said, “Other alumni have told me that when Andy was a student, everyone knew he was going to be successful in whatever he chose to do.The selection committee was impressed with how much Andy accomplished in a short amount of time since graduating from Katz in 1992.”

“I’m honored and humbled by this recognition” said Hannah. “I’ve been fortunate to have had tremendous support throughout my careerand I’m tremendously grateful to all of people who have helped guide and encourage me over the years.I feel like I am only at the beginning of my career and accept this award as an obligation of achieving great things over the next couple of decades to make the Katz School proud.”

The awards program held last evening at the Heinz History Center honored three Distinguished Alumni, two Distinguished Service Award winners and one company.More than 160 alumni, faculty, staff and students celebrated the award winners’ achievements.

Hannah is active in the printed electronics industry and other entrepreneurial organizations. He is the vice chairman of the Organic Electronics Association (a global organization focused on the commercialization of printed electronics) and a professor of entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University (on leave of absence beginning in 2009). He is also a member of the National Renewable Energy Lab’s Solar Technology Review Panel (TRP).

Hannah spent the first six years of his professional career at Deloitte & Touche, LLP, a global consulting and accounting firm, working with technology and middle market manufacturing organizations. Driven by his passion for entrepreneurial ventures, he spent the next seven years in senior management positions with three early stage companies in Boston and Pittsburgh: ISI Emerging Markets, STORM, LLC and Internet Venture Works, Inc.

He has been involved in a series of community-building activities for many years and was recognized for his achievements by Penn State in 2003 as a Pittsburgh Fast Tracker and was awarded the 2001 Smeal College of Business Emerging Professional Award.

Hannah earned his MBA in 1992 from the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz School of Business with an emphasis in marketing and finance, and received his BS in accounting from Penn State in 1987.