3 outstanding ASU alumni named The College Leaders of 2024
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Kenro Kusumi speaks at the 2023 The College Leaders event. Photo by Meghan Finnerty
Three outstanding Arizona State University alumni from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will be named as this year’s slate of The College Leaders. The honor recognizes alumni for their business, research and community service achievements.
Established in 1997, The College Leaders program has honored over 85 alumni from across the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities divisions.
This year’s inductees — Edward “Bud” Cole, Carmen Heredia and Dimitri Hurt — have had a profound impact on their local communities, clients and companies.
Meet The College Leaders of 2024
Edward “Bud” Cole graduated in 2000 with his bachelor’s degree in English.
Cole is currently the president of the Asia Pacific division of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in Japan. Previously, he served in leadership roles for Ralph Lauren, QVC Japan, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Group and Pernod Ricard.
His journey to his degree is unlike many others. Originally finishing school in 1991, Cole discovered when moving to Japan that his degree was never officially completed due to six missing credit hours. In the summer of 2000, Cole returned to Tempe to finish what he started and, in the process, rekindled his passion for English and literature.
Cole explained how his degree not only set him up with a solid foundation going into his career but also helped him become a citizen of the world.
“It really taught me the essential skills for critical thinking, how to think, how to analyze and how to create,” Cole said. “Once you learn that, I felt that those studies really taught me how to effectively communicate ideas and concepts through speaking and writing, to really influence people and get them excited about whatever it was that we were doing.
“My time at ASU helped me, and the time that I returned there too, because by the time I returned, that gave me perspective to help build the foundation and discipline to be successful after living and working in 70 different countries.”
Carmen Heredia graduated with her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2005 and her master’s degree in social work in 2009.
Heredia serves as a Cabinet member for Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and is the director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS, where she helps manage the state’s Medicaid program and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), along with the State Mental Health Authority, which oversees behavioral health and long-term care services for Arizonans.
“My passion is advocating for underserved communities and trying to accomplish a higher quality of life through health care,” Heredia said. “With health care, we could address a lot of components, not just medically, but with health-related social needs too.”
She credits ASU for helping her gain experience that set her up for success later in her career. Specifically, she was grateful for the opportunity to become a research assistant, which enabled her to go out to the community and make meaningful changes.
“All of that hands-on exposure that I got in both of my programs really led me to find and develop the passion that I have and also find mentors in the community — mentors that also helped shape me and allowed my career to blossom through my work life,” Heredia said.
Dimitri Hurt graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in justice studies.
In 2015, Hurt co-founded O’Connor and Hurt PC, a law firm focused on servicing entertainers such as recording artists, producers and executives. He was recognized by the ASU Alumni Association’s Sun Devil 100 class of 2022 for his other business, MPM Partners. The program recognizes alumni leaders who are in prominent leadership roles or founders of businesses.
Throughout his adventures with recording artists and working on solving problems for others, Hurt was grateful for his time at ASU where he learned the professional side and humanistic side of business.
“ASU helped me learn how to interact with different walks of life,” Hurt said. “I learned how to raise money, how to speak to business owners, how to sell myself and how to make money.”
Hurt felt prepared to enter not only a career in law, but anything he set his mind to from his time in school.
“College is not the be-all, end-all, but it's definitely a foundation and people shouldn’t panic about their degree," he said. "Really focus on doing your best and carry it over to whatever that dream job may be, but the foundation is there. You learn everything that you possibly need to as a young adult.”
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