Ilitch School Board of Visitor member Ronia Kruse ‘92, MSA ‘94 inducted into Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hall of Fame
The Mike Ilitch School of Business recognizes the achievements of alumni who have shown a long-standing demonstrated commitment to vision, innovation, and perseverance within the Detroit business community through induction into the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hall of Fame. Ronia Kruse ‘92, MSA ‘94 became the latest inductee into this prestigious group on Friday, March 28 at the Startup Technology Pitch Competition.
Kruse is a certified public accountant, who began her career working in finance before launching OpTech, a professional services firm providing niche talent in information technology, engineering, healthcare, financial and accounting services, in 2001. She joined the Ilitch School Board of Visitors in 2025.
Under her leadership, OpTech became one of the 50 fastest growing women-owned companies worldwide, as stated by the Women’s President Organization, and has been included on Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest Growing Private Companies for the last 9 years. Forbs has also named them one of the best professional recruiting firms in the nation.
Virginia Kleist, Dean of the Ilitch School, was extraordinarily pleased to add Kruse to this distinguished list, commenting that “Ronia’s remarkable career—from a proud Ilitch School alumna to founding and leading OpTech to her impact on talent development and emerging technologies—exemplifies the spirit of innovation and leadership we strive to instill in our students. Her dedication to mentorship and diversity has created lasting opportunities for others, making her a truly deserving recipient of this honor.”
Head to the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hall of Fame webpage to learn more about Kruse’s career and view previous winners of this award.
The Wayne State University Mike Ilitch School of Business prepares students for challenging and rewarding careers, advances the boundaries of scholarly and practitioner knowledge, and enhances the economic vitality of the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan and beyond through its programs, research and community engagement. Established in 1946, the business school was renamed in 2015 in recognition of a $40 million gift from Mike and Marian Ilitch. Thanks to this lead investment, the school moved to a new state-of-the-art building in the heart of the District Detroit in 2018, and academic programming and collaboration with city businesses are expanding. For more information, visit ilitchbusiness.wayne.edu.