Published on Show Me Mizzou Dec. 19, 2024
Established in 2016, the Mizzou Hall of Fame celebrates alumni whose remarkable achievements exemplify excellence in their fields. Each inductee leaves a legacy, whether through groundbreaking innovation, dedicated public service or transformative philanthropy.
This year’s honorees, recognized during Mizzou Homecoming, include a visionary entrepreneur championing sustainable solutions, a trailblazing justice shaping Missouri’s legal landscape and a philanthropic leader whose impact spans investment management and neurodevelopment research. Congratulations to the 2024 inductees.
Hayes Barnard, BS BA ’95
Founder, Chairman and CEO,
GoodLeap and GivePower
Founder, GoodFinch
Hayes Barnard is the founder, chairman and CEO of GoodLeap, a technology company offering financing and software products for sustainable solutions. GoodLeap has been recognized as a top company by Forbes, Fortune, Fast Company and dozens of others for its innovative platform, which is used by tens of thousands of contractors and has helped more than one million people adopt sustainable solutions.
Barnard also is the founder, chairman and CEO of GivePower, a nonprofit that facilitates solar-powered projects to provide clean water and energy systems to underserved communities. Since GivePower launched in 2013, the organization has affected more than 1,600,000 people across 28 countries by building, installing and maintaining proprietary clean energy solutions.
Prior to GoodLeap, Barnard founded, scaled and sold multiple businesses in the sustainability and finance sectors, including Paramount Solar, which was acquired by SolarCity in 2013. Barnard served as SolarCity’s chief revenue officer from 2013 to 2017 and spearheaded the company’s growth into the U.S. solar industry leader.
Mary Rhodes Russell, JD ’83
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri
Mary Rhodes Russell is the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri. She has served on the state’s Supreme Court since 2004 and served a previous term as chief justice from 2013 to 2015. Prior to her Supreme Court appointment, she served on the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District from 1994 to 2004 and served as chief judge from 1999 to 2000.
Justice Russell has received numerous awards and accolades from her alma mater, including a Citation of Merit in 1997, a Faculty and Alumni Award in 2002 and the role of commencement speaker for the School of Law in 1997 and 2005, in addition to serving on the Law School Foundation Board. She has been both a role model and mentor for countless Tigers and has been a member of the Mizzou Alumni Association since receiving her juris doctor in 1983.
A seventh-generation Missourian, Justice Russell is one of five children raised on a dairy farm in Ralls County, just south of Hannibal, Mo. Her dedication to public service, the longevity of her career and her accomplishments as a respected lawyer and judge reflect her unwavering commitment to the legal profession.
William S. Thompson Jr., BS CiE ’68, LHD ’05
Chairman Emeritus, PIMCO
Principal, WST Partners
Founder, Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopment at Mizzou
Bill Thompson is the retired chief executive officer and chairman emeritus of PIMCO, one of the world’s largest investment management firms. Before joining PIMCO, he worked for 10 years at Salomon Brothers, where he became a partner in 6 years, managed the West Coast region from San Francisco and was named chairman of Salomon Brothers Asia in Tokyo.
As a student, Thompson served as president of Alpha Tau Omega’s Gamma Rho chapter, chair of the Homecoming Steering Committee, and president of the Missouri Student Association. He would go on to be named the youngest-ever member of the UM System Board of Curators at 27 years old.
He and his wife, Nancy, have made personal philanthropy an important part of their family’s commitment to helping others. In 2005, the Thompson Family Foundation made a transformational gift to Mizzou to establish the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. This comprehensive regional center incorporates teaching, research and clinical services to treat children and assist families faced with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions.
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