What does it take to lead when things don’t go according to plan?
For Bud Denker ’80, those moments are often where the greatest lessons are found.
A 1980 graduate of Lake Superior State University and President of Penske Corporation, a global transportation services company with over 74,000 employees and $45 Billion in revenue, Denker has spent his career navigating the high-stakes worlds of business and motorsports. This fall, he will return to campus during Great Lake State Weekend, where he will receive LSSU’s 2026 Outstanding Alumnus Award and share his perspective on leadership in today’s rapidly changing environment.
Denker’s experience with Team Penske provides plenty of lessons in both success and adversity. The organization has competed in more than 6,600 races and won approximately 10% of them, making it the winningest team in motorsports history. But even the most successful teams experience disappointment.
At this year’s Indianapolis 500, just .0233 seconds separated first from second in the closest finish in race history. Team Penske narrowly missed victory.
For Denker, the lesson isn’t to dwell on the loss. It’s to understand it.
That approach—remaining composed, evaluating what happened and using the experience to improve—is one of the principles Denker brings to his leadership. In racing, as in business, setbacks are inevitable. What matters is how a leader and a team respond to them.
Denker will explore those ideas during his presentation, “Leadership in Today’s Environment,” at Great Lake State Weekend.
Join us Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m. in the Shouldice Library as Denker draws on his experiences in business and motorsports to discuss leadership, navigating challenges and guiding organizations through uncertainty and change.
His recent experience with the Freedom 250 Grand Prix offers another example of leadership in action. The first IndyCar race held on the streets of Washington, D.C., the event took place August 22–23 as part of the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, bringing racing to the nation’s capital.
Bud Denker
What began as an idea at Denker’s dinner table became a complex undertaking that required 81 meetings in 93 days on Capitol Hill, coordination with six security agencies and a presidential executive order.
The scale of the project—and the obstacles involved—illustrate another side of Denker’s leadership philosophy: Big ideas require persistence, collaboration and the willingness to keep moving forward when the path isn’t straightforward.
Reflecting on the significance of the Freedom 250, Denker offered a sentiment that captures his enthusiasm for taking on challenges and creating something lasting: “How lucky are we to leave a fingerprint on something you will tell your grandkids.”
That same perspective will shape his conversation with the Laker community during Great Lake State Weekend. Whether the challenge comes in the final seconds of a championship race or in bringing an unprecedented event to the nation’s capital, Denker’s career demonstrates that leadership isn’t about avoiding difficult moments. It’s about learning from them, adapting and finding a way forward.
For LSSU, Denker’s return to campus is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of one of its alumni while learning from the experiences that helped shape his approach to leadership.
LSSU alumni and friends will have two opportunities to hear from and celebrate Denker during Great Lake State Weekend. His presentation, “Leadership in Today’s Environment,” is free and open to the public on Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m. in the Shouldice Library. On Saturday, October 24, Denker will be honored as LSSU’s 2026 Outstanding Alumnus during the university’s annual Alumni Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony on the LSSU campus. The awards ceremony is a ticketed event, and tickets are expected to sell out.
