HOWARD HAWKS
It’s probably an understatement to say that Howard Hawks has put his UNO master of business administration degree to good use. A 1971 UNO graduate, Hawks in 1987 co-founded Tenaska, today one of the largest private, independent energy companies in the United States. Hawks is chairman and CEO, continuing a career that began in the energy field with InterNorth (later Enron) in 1966. Over the years he was president of three Enron subsidiary groups, Northern Plains Natural Gas Co., Northern Liquid Fuels Group and Northern Natural Resources and Enron Development. The company started small but is anything but now. It is headquartered in Omaha and includes seven regional office. Forbes Magazine ranks it as among the top 50 privately held companies in the United States. Hawks has been a generous supporter of the University of Nebraska system in time, talent and treasure. That includes a current 16-year run as a University of Nebraska Board of Regent with two terms as chairman.