Alumni Achievement Awards: Recipients

Dianne was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2020.

When visiting potential colleges during her senior year of high school, Dianne immediately felt that Drew would be the perfect choice for her. Although the number of required courses for a major in chemistry at Drew were extensive, she was still able to enjoy courses in French, German, literature and art. Her extracurricular activities included water ballet, Drew-Eds, Green Key, Oak Leaf art editor, Acorn staff, dormitory council, freshman orientation committee, Sigma Tau Sigma, Kappa Pi, Sigma Phi and social chair of her junior and senior classes. She held part time jobs as a life guard, library staffer and chemistry department student assistant, and gave 50 cent haircuts to dorm mates. These were four wonderful years!

As graduation approached, Dianne had to choose between applying to medical or graduate school. She finally decided to major in biochemistry at the Duke University Medical School. Dianne earned her PhD with a National Institute of Health fellowship. During her final semester, she took an elective course, taught by a team of biochemists and physicians that examined the biochemical basis of inborn errors of metabolism (IEM). This sparked an interest that informed the rest of her professional career.

Dianne accepted a two year post-doctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in pediatric biochemistry. Her laboratory work involved developing methodology and procedures for newborn screening for rare IEM. She was also assigned to re-design the biochemistry course taught to first year medical students. Dianne began using the pathology of rare IEM to illustrate biochemical pathways. Student evaluations of the revised course led to her first teaching award. As interest and experience with IEM grew, Dianne received her first large research grant, began recruiting graduate students, continued to develop newborn screening methodology and teach.

Dianne soon realized that the most rewarding aspect of studying IEM was direct patient contact so she enrolled in the MPH program at UNC School of Public Health. Eventually, Dianne was promoted to Professor of Pediatrics at the UNC Medical School where she had a patient load of approximately 300 children and adults with rare IEM treated via dietary/nutritional intervention. She continued to develop protocols for newborn screening for these IEM and helped North Carolina become the first state to implement a program for screening > 20 IEM. During her academic career, she authored more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and presented over 100 invited lectures, nationally and internationally. She was tapped for membership to the Drew University Silver Tower Society, honored by the Southeastern Genetics Group for her service, received the Lifetime Contribution Award by the Genetic Metabolic Dietitians International and was granted the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian recognition for service to the people of N.C, by the N.C. governor.

During these years, Dianne and her husband, Jim, raised two lovely daughters: Becky (deceased) and Jenny (Drew C’97). Jenny is now a senior vice president at Nielsen and has two lovely daughters of her own. Dianne has taught Sunday school, was a Girl Scout leader and volunteer, is a church volunteer, is trying to reach her goal of reading 100 books per year, and is finishing the course work for a certificate/master’s degree in botanical illustration. Antiquing, hiking and travelling have been Jim’s and Dianne’s favorite leisure time activities.

Dianne credits her wonderful training and experiences at Drew for her enthusiasm for seeking answers to life’s mysteries.

Robert was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during Reunion 2010.

Robert Drew Simpson has been involved with Drew for most of his life, but his roots here go even deeper—back to his great-great uncle, Daniel Drew.  Bob himself visited the campus with church groups, entered with the class of 1945, and has been engaged with Drew ever since.

After graduating with a religion major, Bob followed the call to Christian ministry.  He immediately went to nearby Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church, where he led the congregation in constructing their first church building.  Fourteen years later, after earning a B.D. degree and a Ph.D. from Drew, he moved to Nutley, N.J., again leading a congregation in church-building. In 1965 he began a 25-year ministry at the Chatham United Methodist Church, even closer to Drew.

His Chatham congregation named him Pastor Emeritus upon his retirement in 1990, and named their Christian education building for Bob and his wife, Megan; in 2008 they created the Simpson Christian Education Fund to assist church members who attend theological seminary.  Members of the congregation have created two named scholarships at Drew Theological School to honor the Simpsons:  the Robert Drew Simpson Scholarship, and the Dr. Robert Drew Simpson and Dr. Megan Demarest Simpson Scholarship.  Bob assisted a third member in initiating the Betty H. Welsh Scholarship here.

As Bob says, he has always been involved with Drew.  He served on the Advancement and Executive Committees of the Theological School Alumni Association, and remains a honorary member of the Executive Board.  He also served on the Theological Editorial Board, the Theological Planned Giving Committee, and the Dean’s Advisory Board, and was Honorary Grand Marshal at President Weisbuch’s inauguration.  A Drew Trustee from 1977 to 1997, he was chair of the Student Affairs and Campus Life Committee, and vice-chair of the Honorary Degrees Committee.  He is a 1994 recipient of the Drew Theological School Alumni Distinguished Service Award.

Bob also taught pastoral ministry in the Theological School, and was an archivist in the Methodist Archives on campus for 14 years after his retirement.  He and Megan have produced six books and numerous articles on history and biography.

Bob did not initially favor Drew’s admission of women in the 40s.  He remembers inveighing against coeducation, only to meet and fall in love with Megan Demarest C’46 a few days later.  They have now been married for 64 years, and have three children, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.  Bob and Megan, who received her Ph.D. from Drew in 1980 and taught English literature in the College, live in the United Methodist home, Bristol Glen, in Newton, New Jersey, still within reach of Drew.

John was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during Reunion 2008.

We all know that some of Drew’s most notable faculty members have become living legends.  Drew also has legendary alumni/ae, and one of them is John Cunningham, who has become a legend in his own time by bringing us the facts.

John has always seen himself as a journalist.  He began writing for the Morris County Daily Record as a Morristown High School student, continuing while he was at Drew, and later spent 23 years as a reporter for the Newark Sunday News.  He approaches history with a journalist’s quest for truth and a style that engages non-historians.  His accuracy, his knowledge of New Jersey, and his appealing style have earned him recognition as “New Jersey’s popular historian,” as he was named by the New Jersey Historical Association.

It is hard to imagine an aspect of New Jersey history untouched by John’s pen.  He is now preparing the fifth revision of his first book, This is New Jersey (1953), which has never gone out of print.  Other popular titles include New Jersey:  America’s Main Road; The New Jersey Sampler; NEWARK; and Railroads in New Jersey.  His magazine articles, including a cover story in National Geographic, have covered the state’s natural wonders.  Thousands of young people have learned their New Jersey history from You, New Jersey and the World and On the Go in New Jersey, written for third and fourth graders.  New Jersey:  A Mirror on America is widely used in secondary schools and colleges.  He has made over 20 documentary films, receiving an Emmy for his film on immigration, Dreams of Distant Shores, and he has been honored by the American Association for State and Local History, the New Jersey Audubon Society, and the Great Swamp Watershed Association.  He co-founded the New Jersey Historical Commission, and has served as its chair and as president of the New Jersey Historical Society.

John has not forgotten that Drew is an integral part of New Jersey.  His University in the Forest, first published in 1990, has been revised twice.  He and Regina Diverio G’96 published a pictorial survey of Drew in The College History Series (Arcadia, 2000). This past April he held a Drew audience spellbound on the subject of his 50th and latest book, The Uncertain Revolution:  Washington and the Continental Army at Morristown.  His planned gift to Drew will fund a College of Liberal Arts scholarship in his name and that of his late wife, Dorothy.

Nor has Drew been unaware of John.  This is his third Alumni/ae Achievement Award, following the Award in the Arts in 1955 and the Service Award in 1980.  He was the first alumnus to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and received one of his eight honorary degrees from Drew in 1976. Rutgers has called John “Mr. Jersey,” but as we present him with the Lifetime Achievement Award, we are proud to call him “Mr. Drew.”

Janet Marie Gorn C’73 is the 2023 recipient of the Alumni Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award. Originally from Wisconsin, she earned her bachelor’s degree at Drew, her M.A. with Honors from San Jose University in 1982, and completed graduate work at George Washington University, and Harvard.

Janet progressed from her time working in the Drew library to research roles at The Brookings Institution and the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress. She then worked for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, becoming a senior international relations officer, and then joining the US Department of State, from which she ultimately retired as a senior U.S. Diplomat in the field of civil nuclear energy and nonproliferation.

A published author, Janet served on the White House Sub-Interagency Policy Committee on Civil Nuclear Energy Policy, representing the State Department . As a staff member of the State Department, she received both the second highest and the highest Civil Service Meritorious Honor Awards.

In retirement, Janet continues to give of her time and talent in Prince William County, northern Virginia, where her involvement has ranged from the Historical Preservation Foundation and the League of Women Voters to the Executive Women of the State Department, and beyond.

About 10 years after she graduated from Drew, Martha “Marti” Denny C’67 found herself sitting in a Moscow prison. A Foreign Service officer, she had been arrested by the KGB and accused of spying for the CIA. She was questioned, released, and expelled from Russia by way of the first plane back to the US.

Marti ultimately published a memoir, The Widow Spy, after retiring from a 32-year career in which she was, in fact, a CIA case officer, for whom Foreign Service work in Moscow had been a cover. It was her time at Drew that ultimately led her to the CIA. After Drew, Marti earned a master’s degree at UNC-Chapel Hill while maintaining contact with a fellow Drew student, John Peterson, who was serving with the Army in Vietnam. The couple married in 1969. John joined the CIA. By 1972, Marti found herself a CIA widow, and decided to join the agency herself.

Marti continued to serve after being sent home from Russia. She eventually remarried, had two children, and was honored with intelligence awards, including the the William J. Donovan Award and the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counter-terrorism.

Cathy was be honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2021.

Growing up in Jersey City, Catherine “Cathy” Zbyszynski Brennan’s concept of the public sector was one of rough and tumble politics. But after earning a Master’s Degree in Economics from the Graduate Faculty Division of the New School for Social Research, eight years after graduating from Drew, she discovered the world of professional public service.

Nearly three decades later, Cathy now serves as New Jersey’s Deputy State Treasurer in the Administration of Governor Phil Murphy, following almost 25 years with the Office of Legislative Services, the professional, non-partisan staff of the New Jersey State Legislature. Throughout her tenure, Cathy has played a role of increasing responsibility for every annual State appropriations act since Christie Todd Whitman’s first budget in 1994. Tapped for her current role at the beginning of the Murphy Administration by State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio, Cathy transitioned to the Executive branch in 2018 where, among other responsibilities, she oversees the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Revenue and Economic Analysis within the New Jersey Department of the Treasury.

A first-generation college graduate, Cathy has remained an engaged alumna, grateful for the transformational experience the “University in The Forest” afforded. She’s conducted admissions interviews and attended college fairs on Drew’s behalf, connected Drew students with jobs and internship opportunities and last year hosted Professor McGuinn’s PoliSci class in Trenton where students had the opportunity to meet with Governor Murphy and State Treasurer Muoio.

Working on State budget legislation, Cathy has had to pull her share of “all-nighters” under the State House dome, requiring a very supportive spouse. Fortunately, Cathy met and married Dan Brennan, the high school best friend of fellow Drew alum Neil Sheridan (C’86). Together, they have raised two sons, Connor and Colin, Cathy’s greatest sources of joy and accomplishment.

Ben was posthumously honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award at Reunion 2019.

Benjamin D. Davol, 58, of Mystic, Connecticut passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, September 8, 2018 at Yale New Haven Hospital. Ben studied political science at Drew and pursued a career in political consulting. Ben’s father was a career naval officer who knew John McCain’s father. From age seven, Ben was aware of McCain’s imprisonment in Vietnam and eventually watched his 1973 release on television. Ben went on to run McCain’s successful 2000 presidential primary campaign efforts in Connecticut and New Hampshire. The campaign relied upon the tireless efforts of hundreds of volunteers, and Ben was credited with coordinating the troops with no money. McCain died in August 2018, and Ben was interviewed about him on National Public Radio. It was not anticipated that Ben would outlive him by only two weeks. Ben was also a writer, contributing to The Hartford Courant, The New London Day and other periodicals. The good qualities that were evident during Ben’s time at Drew—those of a caring and loyal friend—persisted into his career, setting Ben apart. He is remembered for the increasingly rare quality of spanning all politics, having friends of every political stripe. Of Ben’s many accomplishments, he was proudest of his role as father to Emily (of Washington, D.C.) and Charles (of Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts), who survive him.

Barry was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award at Reunion 2019.

Barry Fenstermacher graduated from Drew in 1969 with a religion major. He also was the College social chair and assisted his roommate in producing several notable rock concerts at Drew, including The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Chuck Berry, and Blood, Sweat and Tears.

Barry briefly attended Yale Divinity School. During the 1970s, he taught, had an insurance business and qualified for the Million Dollar Roundtable, an industry award. Barry was also committed to social service work in Brooklyn and Queens, and he started a program to place developmentally disabled adults in small residential homes instead of larger state institutions.

From 1980-2016, Barry worked at two independent schools in Westchester County, New York, serving as headmaster of The Harvey School in Katonah for thirty years (1986-2016). Barry also volunteered at the Bedford Correctional Center for women for 12 years and was trustee of three organizations: the New York State Association (NYSAIS),  the Glenholme School in Connecticut and The National Sports Academy in Lake Placid, New York. Barry directed the NYSAIS Experienced Teachers Institute and Beginning Teachers Institute and conducted numerous accreditation/evaluation visits to over 16 NYSAIS member schools.

After graduation from Drew, Barry served as president of the College Alumni Association Board for four years, was a trustee for eight years and assisted the Admissions Office in recruiting independent school graduates from Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. Barry also arranged a speaking engagement for Drew President, Governor Tom Kean, as keynote at the NYSAIS annual meeting and hosted a luncheon at The Harvey School for President Kean to meet with more than 25 local independent school heads. Over time, Barry has successfully recruited approximately 15 students to enroll at Drew from the schools he served.

Barry is married to Rowena Fenstermacher, a retired classics teacher and author. They divide their time between their home in Dutchess County, New York and Rose Bay, Nova Scotia. He is an avid boater in Nova Scotia and a local community volunteer in New York.

Jim was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2018.

After graduating from Drew in 1968, James Freeman, together with several Drew classmates, entered the Graduate School at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he received a Master’s degree in 1971 and a Ph.D. in 1973, both in philosophy. He then taught at IU Bloomington, Butler University in Indianapolis, and Bloomfield College in New Jersey. In 1975, he went to the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia as a research associate. In 1978, he joined the faculty of Hunter College of The City University of New York and became a professor there in 1993. He served as acting chair of the department, 1989-90, and chair, 1992-1998.

While at Hunter, Jim has authored four books, Thinking Logically, (Prentice-Hall, 1987, 1993),  a text for a basic course in logic and critical thinking, and three monographs, Dialectics and the Macrostructure of Arguments (Foris Publications. 1991), Acceptable Premises (Cambridge University Press, 2005), and Argument Structure: Representation and Theory (Springer, 2011). He has also written many journal articles and book chapters. He received the 2010 Award of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation (ISSA) and was a keynote speaker at the Seventh Conference of ISSA, Amsterdam, 2010.

Karen was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2017.

After graduating from Drew in 1968, James Freeman, together with several Drew classmates, entered the Graduate School at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he received a Master’s degree in 1971 and a Ph.D. in 1973, both in philosophy. He then taught at IU Bloomington, Butler University in Indianapolis, and Bloomfield College in New Jersey. In 1975, he went to the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia as a research associate. In 1978, he joined the faculty of Hunter College of The City University of New York and became a professor there in 1993. He served as acting chair of the department, 1989-90, and chair, 1992-1998.

Karen Hunter C’87 can only be described as one of Drew’s hardest working, distinguished and most visible alumni—and is a testament to the power of a liberal arts education. She is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, a celebrated radio talk-show host, is the co-author of numerous New York Times bestsellers and hosts the Karen Hunter Show on SiriusXM.

After graduating from Drew with a degree in English, she began her career as a sports writer for the New York Daily News in 1988, becoming the paper’s first African-American female columnist. She served four years on the Daily News’ four-member editorial board and, in 1999, was a member of news teams that won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Polk Award. In 2002, she became a professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College, where she is currently a distinguished lecturer. In 2007 she founded Karen Hunter Publishing, an imprint of Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster.

Karen is also an advocate for social change: She initiated the petition that led to the South Carolina legislature’s vote to remove the Confederate Flag from the South Carolina Statehouse.

Maryann was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2016.

After graduating from Drew in 1968, James Freeman, together with several Drew classmates, entered the Graduate School at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he received a Master’s degree in 1971 and a Ph.D. in 1973, both in philosophy. He then taught at IU Bloomington, Butler University in Indianapolis, and Bloomfield College in New Jersey. In 1975, he went to the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia as a research associate. In 1978, he joined the faculty of Hunter College of The City University of New York and became a professor there in 1993. He served as acting chair of the department, 1989-90, and chair, 1992-1998.

Karen Hunter C’87 can only be described as one of Drew’s hardest working, distinguished and most visible alumni—and is a testament to the power of a liberal arts education. She is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, a celebrated radio talk-show host, is the co-author of numerous New York Times bestsellers and hosts the Karen Hunter Show on SiriusXM.

After graduating from Drew with a degree in English, she began her career as a sports writer for the New York Daily News in 1988, becoming the paper’s first African-American female columnist. She served four years on the Daily News’ four-member editorial board and, in 1999, was a member of news teams that won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Polk Award. In 2002, she became a professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College, where she is currently a distinguished lecturer. In 2007 she founded Karen Hunter Publishing, an imprint of Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster.

Karen is also an advocate for social change: She initiated the petition that led to the South Carolina legislature’s vote to remove the Confederate Flag from the South Carolina Statehouse.

George was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2015.

George Burrill began with an interest in farming, added a Drew education, and took both around the globe.

While he grew up on a farm in Ticonderoga, New York, George was active in the Methodist Youth Fellowship, where local pastors led him to Drew. He immersed himself in his political science major, benefiting from the inspired teaching of “Prof” Smith and Julius Mastro, and began to explore the world. He not only enrolled in the London and Washington Semesters, but in 1961–62, he and six other students spent 13 months in a 28,000-mile goodwill tour of Latin American universities, postponing George’s graduation for a year.

Karen Hunter C’87 can only be described as one of Drew’s hardest working, distinguished and most visible alumni—and is a testament to the power of a liberal arts education. She is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, a celebrated radio talk-show host, is the co-author of numerous New York Times bestsellers and hosts the Karen Hunter Show on SiriusXM.

After graduating from Drew with a degree in English, she began her career as a sports writer for the New York Daily News in 1988, becoming the paper’s first African-American female columnist. She served four years on the Daily News’ four-member editorial board and, in 1999, was a member of news teams that won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Polk Award. In 2002, she became a professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College, where she is currently a distinguished lecturer. In 2007 she founded Karen Hunter Publishing, an imprint of Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster.

Karen is also an advocate for social change: She initiated the petition that led to the South Carolina legislature’s vote to remove the Confederate Flag from the South Carolina Statehouse.

Barry was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2014.

Barry Thomson started his college years in the hectic days of the Vietnam War era. It was a difficult time to decide on one’s life, but to Barry, coming to Drew from his home in Peapack-Gladstone, N.J., studying the liberal arts was a perfect choice. He fully benefited from the close community and individual attention from the faculty, especially from Julius Mastro, John von der Heide and Perry Leavell in political science and history.

Rob was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2013.

If you’ve found yourself searching for colleges with your kids, and no one can make a choice, you probably haven’t paid enough attention to Robert Franek. He devotes his professional life to finding the answer.

Jennifer was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2012.

Jennifer McJunkin has already achieved recognition in fiction, nonfiction, and screenwriting, and she will be the first to tell you how important Drew has been to her career.

Jennifer grew up in Richmond, Indiana, where her father was an administrator at Earlham College.  He suggested Drew, where Jennifer found the special, close community she was seeking.  She is grateful for Drew’s excellence, and she especially remembers professors Geraldine Smith-Wright and Frank Occhiogrosso, who helped shape her writing.  She took advantage of some very special opportunities:  not only did she study film and television for two semesters at Southern Methodist University, but she also did an independent study with James Earl Jones.  Following graduation, she enrolled in the American Film Institute, where she received the Colin Higgins Award for Screenwriting and an Emmy award upon completing her Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting in 1995.

Laura was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2011.

It may seem unusual for someone who studied theatre in college to land in a behind-the-scenes, business-oriented communication role—running a major radio station or managing the brand of a growing college system. But Laura Morris C’81 says it’s precisely her theater background that gave her all the skills she has ever needed to be a successful communicator.

“Studying theatre at Drew taught me how to tell a story,” she says, recalling that the emphasis on writing in Drew’s theater department gave her a solid foundation for her long career in communication. Her theater background also taught her critical business skills—like how to develop a project and bring it to life.

Robert was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2010.

Many people don’t think of the military in conjunction with the liberal arts, but Major General Robert Schmidle can prove them wrong any day.  His life has continued to include scholarship, as he has progressed from a history major at Drew to high-ranking service in the U.S. Marines.

A short stint in the business world after graduation did not inspire Robert; he had always wanted to serve his country; and he wanted to fly.  After his first assignment to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 333, he served as instructor pilot, Operations Officer, Aircraft Maintenance Officer, and, in 1990, as Executive Officer in Southwest Asia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.  In 1993 he deployed to Aviano, Italy, as the Commanding Officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251.  He led the squadron flying missions in support of Operations Deny Flight, preventing the Serbians from flying in Bosnia, and Provide Promise, delivering goods to Bosnian Serbs in snow-bound mountains.  In 1998 he commanded the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force, responsible for conducting warfighting experiments.

His staff appointments have included Military Secretary to both the 32nd and 33rd Commandants of the Marine Corps, and Director of the Expeditionary Force Development Center.  He served as Commanding General, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing from June 2007 to July 2008, before becoming Assistant Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources and the Marines’ lead for the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review.  He has received numerous medals and commendations.

Scholarship is a continuing part of Robert’s life.  He is a distinguished graduate and former faculty member of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College—where he realized how well Drew taught him to write. He is also a distinguished graduate of the Marine Corps War College.  The author of numerous publications, he earned an M.A. in philosophy from American University, and is now pursuing a interdisciplinary doctorate combining social psychology, philosophy, and literature at Georgetown University.  His greatest satisfactions, aside from family, have come from the challenges of command; from reading, writing, and publishing; and from serving our country.

Robert and Pamela Jutkus Schmidle C’74 live in Washington, D.C.  Pamela, a special education teacher, is now on the faculty of George Washington University.  They have two sons:  Nicholas (married to Rikki), a prize-winning journalist specializing in terrorism and Middle Eastern affairs, and Captain Christian Schmidle, USMC, who is moving to the Special Forces after serving two tours in Iraq.  It’s clear that “Drew and Do” has been vital to Bob’s and Pam’s lives, and they have passed on the ideal of thoughtful public service to their children.

Kevin was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2009.

When Kevin Murphy graduated magna cum laude from Drew with honors in Theatre Arts, people in The Forest thought he was a creative young man who would do well.  His two musicals had been produced on Drew’s mainstage, and he had written two television scripts.  Drew was right—he has expanded upon his College theatre experience with great success.  And Kevin is especially grateful to Drew because he has continued to work with two classmates:  his television writing partner, Ed Ferrara C’89, and his musical theatre partner, Dan Studney C’89.

Kevin spent nine months waiting tables in Los Angeles before he landed his first television staff writing job.  Since then, he has spent 19 years as a writer/producer of television series and TV movies.  He was co-executive producer and head writer for the first three seasons of the smash hit “Desperate Housewives,” which won two Golden Globes, an Emmy nomination, a People’s Choice Award, and a Satellite Award, all for Best Comedy; Kevin’s individual contributions were singled out with a Prism Award and two consecutive Writers Guild Award nominations for television comedy script of the year.  He co-created the syndicated TV version of Disney’s “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and the CW’s “Valentine,” and his credits also include the CW’s “Reaper,” NBC’s “Ed,” “Get Real,” “Jack & Jill,” “Weird Science,” “So Weird,” “Dennis the Menace,” and a revival of the “Munsters” TV franchise for Fox.

Much as he enjoys writing for television, Kevin’s first love is musical theatre.  In 1998 he and Dan Studney co-wrote the book and provided lyrics for a musical adaptation of the 1936 movie Reefer Madness.  Kevin and Dan produced Reefer Madness: The Musical in Los Angeles in 1999 and off-Broadway in New York two years later, and also produced a film version for Showtime.  The stage productions have won five Ovation Awards, seven Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, seven Garland Awards, the Helen Hayes Award for Best Musical, and a Drama Desk nomination for lyrics.  The film version, which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Festival, won two Satellite Awards, was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards (winning in the category of Outstanding Music and Lyrics), and won the Audience Award at the Deauville Festival.  He is currently workshopping two new stage musicals:  an adaptation of the beloved comic strip “Dennis the Menace,” and an adaptation of the seminal 1989 black comedy “Heathers.”

Kevin was awarded an honorary degree by Drew in 2006.  He and his wife Noreen, a television producer, live in Los Angeles with their 21-month-old son, Carter.

Paul was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2008.

Paul Boren loves public and community service, and working in national security.  He says he owes his success to a liberal arts education, which taught him to think and communicate in a variety of situations, and to appreciate the arts.

After Paul graduated cum laude with honors in history, double majoring in history and political science, he went on to George Washington University (M.A. 1984), American University, National Defense University, and Defense Acquisition University.

Paul has had a 25-year Department of Defense career dedicated to national security, with emphasis on combating weapons of mass destruction (WMD).  His jobs included arms control, international disarmament, non-proliferation, strategy, construction, program management, international development, and supporting combatant commanders. From 1992 to 2006, he worked cooperatively with other countries to secure or eliminate nuclear storage bunkers, bio labs, strategic bombers, submarines, and cruise and ballistic missiles. He helped secure Russian nuclear weapons and destroy bio-agents in the former Soviet Union, constructed chemical demilitarization and missile elimination plants, built over 1000 housing units in Ukraine and Belarus to help demobilize the 43^rd Strategic Rocket Army (the largest nuclear force aimed at the United States), converted over 20 WMD firms into commercial fields, and negotiated with commercial, political and military leaders.

Paul is currently deputy associate director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, where he provides planning, assessments, and technical support for combatant commanders and other government agencies as they combat WMD around the world.

Paul is committed to Drew and to community service. In 2004 he was the first alumnus to speak at Drew’s Janet T. Siler International Affairs Forum, and two years later became the first alumnus to teach at Alumni/ae College.  Also in 2006, he organized a reunion in London of Drew London semester students and faculty.  He has served Drew as class secretary, on Reunion Committees, and in Alumni/ae in Admissions and other Drew posts.  At home in Vienna, Virginia, he has led and volunteered in Scouting, sports, theatre, and many other community efforts.

Paul is very happily married to Drew classmate, Marla Friedman Boren (C’78), and they are incredibly proud of their two sons.  David (24) and Mike (18), grew up thinking it was absolutely normal for Dad to go to Siberia or Belarus for a week or two, as long as he made it back in time for the Cub Scout meeting.  After all, Dad was the Den Leader, and that’s a really important job.

Liz was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2007.

The theater has claimed Liz Timperman’s allegiance since childhood.  She fell in love with Drew’s campus at first sight, but what really lured her to The Forest from Manhasset, New York, was Drew’s excellent Theatre Arts department.

The 80s and early 90s were an exciting time to be at Drew, where the arts gained from then-President Thomas H. Kean’s enthusiasm for the arts and his keen interest in the theater.  Liz, who was the first recipient of the President’s Award in Theatre Arts, majored in theatre arts and political science and was active in the Drew University Dramatic Society (DUDS).  She has wonderful memories of the late Joseph Patenaude’s inspired teaching and mentoring.

It was not long before Liz began to make a difference in the theater world in a series of award-winning companies.  By 1995 she and two friends had founded Pure Orange Productions, a non-profit theater production company committed to staging new plays by emerging playwrights at affordable prices.  A year later, Liz joined Danny DeVito’s Jersey Films to manage their New York office.  In 1998 she produced a short film, Why Don’t You Dance, which was selected for the Hamptons Film Festival.  After major production responsibilities with The New Group and the Signature Theater Company, she began a five-year stint as executive director of New York Stage and Film in 2002. There she managed all operations, from script selection to fundraising, marketing, and hiring all artistic, production, and administrative staff, to produce 12 to 20 new plays and musicals by emerging and established artists annually. She recently became executive director of Olympus Theatricals, where she looks forward to continuing her work as a theater producer.

Liz has stayed in touch with Drew, serving first on a Theatre Arts panel and then, in 2004, speaking on performance theory and regional theatre differences as a Traphagen Distinguished Alumni Series speaker.  She and her husband, attorney Benjamin Malin C’90, live in New York City with their one-year-old daughter, Sally Rose.

David was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2006.

When David Audretsch came to Drew from Poughkeepsie, New York, he hoped to be a physicist –until Professor Jerome Cranmer introduced him to economic thought.  Thirty years after graduation, as an award-winning economist and prolific scholar, he is outspoken in thanking Drew for preparing him for an impressive career.

After graduating magna cum laude, David went on to the University of Wisconsin.  In 1980, after earning M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in economics, he joined the faculty of Middlebury College.  In his career he has constantly handled multiple responsibilities involving teaching, research, publication, and consulting.

While at Middlebury David became involved with the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin fuer Sozialforschung; David lived in Berlin for 12 years and served as acting director of the organization from 1989 to 1991.  Since 1998 he has held Indiana University’s Ameritech Chair of Economic Development and directed Indiana’s Institute for Development Strategies, to which he has added the directorship of the Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group of the Max Planck Institute of Economics (since 2003).  He also teaches geography at Indiana, and is actively involved with three other organizations in Germany, London, and The Netherlands.  In addition, he serves as consultant to the Science, Technology and Economic Policy Board of the National Research Council at the National Academy of Sciences and consultant at the World Bank.  He has consulted with a wide range of corporations and government agencies at home and abroad.  His most recent book, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth, was just published in April 2006 by Oxford University Press.  His list of publications is extensive.

David takes great satisfaction in having introduced a new field in economics:  the study of entrepreneurs.  And he is quick to praise the liberal arts at Drew for equipping him to reason, to question, to make new connections, to think creatively in a way that has enabled him to develop new areas of economic thought and to be a positive force all around the globe.  Most significant among his awards was the 2001 International Award for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Research, given by the Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research.  But if you ask him his greatest professional satisfaction, he is quick to mention his selection as an outstanding teaching assistant when he was a graduate student.  And as Traphagen Speaker at Drew in 2003, he brought his expertise back to The Forest.

Other satisfactions include music, hiking, and, above all, his family.  David and his wife, Joanne, live in Bloomington, Indiana with their three sons, Alex (15), James (11), and Christopher (7).

Robert was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2005.

Peter was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2004.

Kirk was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2003.

Kirk Igler’s life was marked by great integrity and great enthusiasm, and his death has been a loss to his family, his profession, and the Drew community.

Kirk, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, came to The Forest because Drew offered excellence without requiring mathematics.  An allergy to numbers did not keep him from studying science, and Robert and Florence Zuck guided his botany major.  He was also close to Julius Mastro and worked in Mastro’s shoe store during and after college.  A brief return to science, as an entomologist for Penick Drugs in Orange, New Jersey, ended with a call from Ward Landrigan C’63.

Landrigan lured him to Parke-Bernet Galleries (now Sotheby’s) to manage antique and classic car sales; Kirk then branched out, heading Sotheby’s European furniture and oriental rug departments after gaining experience in London.  In 1974 he left Sotheby’s to become a retail dealer of English furniture and related decorative arts with Vernay & Jussell.  The next year he went on to a partnership with Landrigan and John Stair, and ultimately worked on his own as Kirk A. Igler, Inc., specializing in fine and decorative arts, appraisals, and advising private clients on purchases.  He continued his association with Sotheby’s as a consultant and senior appraiser.  His knowledge, amazing memory, “good eye,” sense of style, delight in his work, and absolute integrity earned him the trust and respect of all.

Kirk and Roberta Acocella C’66 married in their junior year.  They lived in New Providence and Mendham, New Jersey, for many years, and kept in touch with Drew friends through Jared McDavit C’64’s annual Bastille Day picnic.  Kirk’s enthusiasm for his work was mirrored in his private life by a love of family, cars, motorcycles, his dogs, and golf.  Golf was a passion; he played, practiced, and read golf, built golf clubs, and collected antique clubs.  The Iglers moved to Vermont and semi-retirement in 2000 to be near family and to play golf in a quieter setting.

Kirk died on December 11, 2001, at the age of 57, in an automobile accident.  He is survived by Roberta, their sons Keith and Matthew, and their granddaughter Anna, all of whom Kirk adored.  A second grandchild, born after Kirk’s death, bears his name.  We honor Kirk for his character and achievements and wish he could have been with us today.

Amy was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2002.

Karen was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2001.

William was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 2000.

Peter and Michele were honored with Achievement in the Liberal Arts Awards during Reunion 1999.

Christian was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1998.

Roger was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1997.

Edward was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1996.

Arturo was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1995.

Robert was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1994.

Henry was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1993.

Jean was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1992.

Joseph was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1991.

Mary was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1990.

Ilona and John were honored with Achievement in the Liberal Arts Awards during Reunion 1989.

Erica was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1988.

Rand and Sondra were honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1987.

Julius was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1986.

William was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1985.

Heisse was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1984.

Llewelyn was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1983.

Samuel was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1982.

Marion was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1981.

John was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1980.

Vernon was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1979.

Richard was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1978.

John was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1977.

Sol was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1976.

Joseph was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1975.

James was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1974.

Alastair was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1973.

James was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1972.

William was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1971.

Theodore was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1970.

Alfredo was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1969.

Dan was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1968.

Harold was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1967.

Frank was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1966.

Frank was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1966.

Leonard was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1965.

Guy was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1964.

Harold was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1963.

Joseph was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1962.

Robert was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1961.

John and June were honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1960.

Richard was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1959.

Herman was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1958.

Ralph was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1957.

John was honored with the Achievement in the Liberal Arts Award during Reunion 1956.

Vivian was honored with the Achievement in the Arts Award during Reunion 2023.

Vivian T. Chiu C’93 is the 2023 recipient of the Alumni Achievement in the Arts Award. Vivian majored in music and math at Drew and went on to graduate work in musicology at Stony Brook University. She then began her career with Columbia Artists Management, where her roles included Tour Manager for violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and Associate Manager of Tan Dun, a leading figure in contemporary classical music.  Vivian later worked as an assistant to Maestro Andre Previn.

Vivian attained production credits in several recordings, including the Grammy-nominated Sweeney Todd: Live at the New York Philharmonic. 

She then joined Steinway & Sons, the world’s leading piano maker, based in New York City, as Steinway’s Director of Cultural Partnerships and Artist Services. Vivian collaborates with international artists, piano competitions, and festivals, as well as cultural and educational institutions, while promoting the legacy of Steinway. She remembers her time at Drew fondly, acknowledging the support of Dean Paolo Cucchi, President Thomas Kean and especially the late Dr. Lydia Ledeen.

Omar was honored with the Achievement in the Arts Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2021.

Robert was honored with the Achievement Award in the Arts during a virtual ceremony in June 2020.

Drew was honored with the Achievement Award in the Arts at Reunion 2019.

Dan was honored with the Achievement in the Arts Award during Reunion 2018.

Janet was honored with the Achievement in the Arts Award during Reunion 2017.

Chris was honored with the Achievement Award in Business during Reunion 2023.

Chris Holland C’88 is the 2023 recipient of the Alumni Achievement in Business Award. After studying political science and economics at Drew, Chris earned an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Chris served for 15 years with JPMorgan, where he was vice president and helped to grow the healthcare investment banking practice. He then spent nine years with ARAMARK Corp., where he played a critical role in a management-led buyout that took ARAMARK private. Thereafter, Chris became chief financial officer at C.R. Bard, a leading medical device company. During his nearly six year tenure the company achieved an accelerating period of growth and strong financial performance, culminating in the $25 billion acquisition of Bard by Becton Dickinson. Chris retired following the transaction, and today sits on the boards of Jabil Inc. and STERIS plc.

Throughout his busy career, Chris has also been known to prioritize his family, give back to his local community, and to Drew. One Drew classmate observes that Chris has lived the Drew motto, “[f]reely have you received, freely give.”

Jason Winder C’92 is the founder and CEO of Sonogen Medical, a Maryland-based medical devices company working to commercialize patent-pending ultrasonic bone fracture healing technology.

Prior to Sonogen Medical, Jason was the founder and CTO of Aerstone, a cybersecurity consultancy which is one of five firms, worldwide, certified for vulnerability assessment work by the National Security Agency (part of the Department of Defense). As a national intelligence officer, Jason provided extensive cybersecurity support to the US military and intelligence community, and to international organizations and private industry.

Devyani will be honored with the Achievement Award in Business during a virtual ceremony in June 2021.

Devyani Gupta Morris is Principal of Cronheim Mortgage Corporation, the largest privately owned real estate investment banking firm in the Northeast. Her role as a producer has led to the placement of over $2 billion of commercial debt for all income-producing property types. She is also a managing member of the firm’s affiliated Channel Real Estate Funds, which secures leveraged investment capital for value-add real estate opportunities. Having joined the firm in 1996, as an entry-level analyst, Dev learned the commercial real estate investment business from the ground up. Within 3 years she quickly became a major contributor to the firm’s revenue and continues to play a key role in the firm’s leadership and development. Dev has also been integral to the firm’s growth as an asset manager for its institutional clients. Although most of her time is spent in new production, she spends considerable effort training and mentoring associates, most of whom are taking a similar career path in learning the industry from the ground up.

Dev holds a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Finance from New York University and graduated magna cum laude from Drew University, which she attended on a full academic scholarship, with a B.A. in Economics and French. Ms. Morris resides in Mendham, NJ with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

David was honored with the Achievement Award in Business during a virtual ceremony in June 2020.

David Lippman is President and Chief Executive Officer of TCW. Mr. Lippman joined TCW in 2009 during the acquisition of Metropolitan West Asset Management LLC (MetWest), previously leading the Fixed Income group and TCW’s sales and marketing activities. Prior to joining TCW, Mr. Lippman led MetWest’s strategy and operations as CEO, and was a member of both the credit committee (which determined strategies for corporate securities) and the structured products committee (which determined strategies for mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities).

He was also the president and principal executive officer of the Metropolitan West Funds. Prior to joining MetWest in 2001, Mr. Lippman was managing director of structured product sales at Credit Suisse First Boston in New York. Prior to that, he was a managing director at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, where he headed mortgage sales.

Prior to joining DLJ, Mr. Lippman worked at Drexel Burnham Lambert in Beverly Hills from 1985 to 1990. Mr. Lippman also holds a JD from Hofstra University.

Lou was honored with the Achievement Award in Business at Reunion 2019.

Lou Eccleston is chief executive officer of TMX Group Limited. He joined TMX Group on November 3, 2014. Lou is a member of the TMX Group board of directors, as well as a member of the board of directors of several TMX Group subsidiaries, including TSX Inc., TSX Venture Exchange Inc. and Montréal Exchange. Lou has more than 30 years of extensive experience gained in senior leadership roles in the information services, financial technology and capital market services sectors.

Chip was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2018.

Known by his friends as “Chip,” Lewis Andrews graduated from Drew in 1968 with a BA in political science and spent the next 40 years working with the state and federal government or trade associations. Chip’s last position was Associate Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. During his tenure, he successfully executed space realignment which in fiscal year 2006 saved more than $2.2 million, developed and completed the agency’s competitive sourcing plan (part of President George W. Bush’s management agenda), and transformed the agency’s executive secretariat into one of the federal government’s best.

Prior to Chip’s appointment to the SBA, he served as President of Glass Packaging Institute, an international trade association representing manufacturers of glass containers, successfully leading the association through industry consolidations, globalization and downsizing of the industry. During his time at Glass Packaging, Chip improved efficiencies, saving over $500,000 annually by replacing bloated and costly committee structures with task force systems and outsourcing specific staff functions. Additionally, Chip created an effective grassroots lobbying system, repositioned glass package as environmentally friendly by building a national recycling network, and improved the glass packaging image as the national media spokesperson and through award winning public relations/advertising campaigns.

Earlier in his career, Chip held increasingly important positions in state and federal government, including serving as Special Assistant to Rogers Morton (Secretary of the Interior under Presidents Nixon and Ford), as Deputy Commissioner, Department of Commerce, Connecticut Development Authority, and as a key advisor to Thomas Meskill during his campaigns and terms of office as a member of the U.S. House of Representative and Governor of Connecticut.

Chip was a member of Drew’s Board of Trustees for over twenty years, serving as Chair for five years. He and his wife, Christina, reside in Venice, Florida and Alexandria, Virginia. They have two children, four grandchildren, and a standard poodle.

Paul was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2017.

Many Drew graduates begin their careers the moment they walk off stage at Commencement, but Paul began his investment career even before that. As a senior, he secured an internship at Merrill Lynch, turning that into a position at a newly opened Merrill Lynch Futures office in Washington, D.C.

A few years into his financial career, Paul moved from the futures market into more traditional banking and investment, and in 1993 he joined R. Seelaus & Co., where he continues to meet the financial planning and investment management needs of high–net worth individuals, business owners and corporations. Since 2013, he has served as the executive vice president of Granite Springs Asset Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of R. Seelaus, and has been recognized as a FIVE STAR Professional Wealth Manager for the past five years.

Paul graduated from Drew in 1982 with a degree in economics. He remains active in the Drew community, particularly with the Center for Civic Engagement, serving both as an adviser and as a participant in its Civically Focused Alumni Networking program. He is also active in his community, as a former board trustee and current adviser for Furniture Assist and as a trustee for the Henry S. & Agnes M. Truzack Foundation. He met his wife of 31 years, Valerie (Russo) C’85, while on campus, and lives in Westfield, New Jersey, with his three children, Matt, Drew and Emma.

Chris was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2016.

Christopher Smith didn’t go far from home to Drew, and he still lives a few miles from Madison, but his talent and his education are taking him around the world.

Chris chose Drew for its close community of students and faculty and its proximity to New York City. His freshman seminar with Professor Don Cole not only involved him in critical thinking but helped him to see economics as his chosen field. While at Drew, he also took advantage of many opportunities the College offers, including internships; served as advertising manager of the Acorn; and was a resident assistant for two years.

During the next few years after graduation, Chris joined MetLife, then worked with several other firms while pursuing a graduate degree. He earned an MBA with honors, with a concentration in computer and information systems, at Rutgers Graduate School of Management in 1998, and he is also qualified as a chartered financial analyst. He returned to MetLife Investments in a variety of positions with increasing responsibilities, excelling in this leading insurance company which extends worldwide. He became vice president and chief of staff to the chief investment officer in 2006 and led the department’s communications during the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

By 2010, Chris was vice president and chief enterprise strategy officer. The next year, he became senior vice president and chief of staff to MetLife’s chairman, president and CEO, while also chairing the Board of MetLife Foundation. Since 2013, Chris has been executive vice president and head of global operations, founding this company division by uniting over 40 independent operating groups, leading over 14,000 associates, to transform MetLife’s operations into one unified global organization to be a powerful advocate for its customers while creating the capacity for the company’s growth.

Chris has been an increasingly involved Drew alumnus, and he has hosted Drew’s Wall Street Semester’s year-end reception at MetLife. Since 2014, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees, serving on several committees including Student Affairs, where he enjoys interacting with current students.

Summit, New Jersey, is still home. He and his wife, Heidi, a nurse in St. Barnabas Hospital’s neonatal ICU, enjoy living in the small city where Chris grew up. Their son, Josh (21), is a senior majoring in graphic design at Boston University, while their daughter, Abby (18), will enter Lafayette University in the fall. Chris’s greatest interest is his family, and he enjoys his work with Drew.

Leo was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2015.

It’s not every day that Drew is grateful for sports injuries, but that is what brought Leo Grohowski to the Forest. We’d hate to have missed him.

When Leo graduated from New Jersey’s Livingston High School, he thought that Drew was just too close to home. But at Franklin and Marshall, he had athletic injuries severe enough to bring him home to recuperate. While he healed, he visited high school friends at Drew, and transferred during his sophomore year. Leo gained a solid education that determined his career, and became a two-year baseball co-captain and MVP in his senior year. Drew gained a committed alumnus.

Leo’s interest in economics preceded his arrival at Drew, but he says that Vivian Bull kickstarted his career, inspiring him in the classroom and finding internships that helped him to relate his studies to real life. Following his magna cum laude graduation at Drew, Leo earned his MBA at New York University’s Stern School of Business in 1985. He began his career at the Princeton Bank and Trust, then moved to the Marine Midland Bank (which soon became HSBC), where he became chief investment officer in 1993. In 1996 he joined Bankers Trust as senior trust investment officer of the Private Bank and head of the U.S. Investment Strategy group. He served as CIO at Deutsche Bank and U.S. Trust Company. By 2007, he was at BNY Mellon Wealth Management, where he is currently executive vice president and CIO, overseeing $200 billion in assets while serving on the Operating Committee, the Benefits Investment Committee, and Compliance, Ethics and Conflicts.

Despite his significant career responsibilities, Leo has been very active at Drew and in his community—so active that he received Drew’s Volunteer Award in 1994. He served on Drew’s Board of Trustees for 12 years and chaired the Investment Committee; has lectured in Drew’s Wall Street Semester, has been active with admissions and is a frequent attendee at Drew functions. His strong support includes the Grohowski Family Scholarship for economics majors, The Fund (which allows economics majors to experience real investment decisions), the Ehinger Center, the Thomas H. Kean Visiting Professorship of History and Political Science and Drew’s baseball facilities.

In addition to his Drew activities, Leo was a trustee at the Far Hills Country Day School for six years, was involved in coaching his children’s sports and is currently on the Investment Committee at Blair Academy. He is grateful that he has been able to maintain balance and perspective, enjoying family, friends, volunteer work and a demanding career.

Leo and Nancy, who met at Marine Midland Bank, live in Far Hills, New Jersey, with their three sons: 18-year-old twins Andrew and Matthew, who are seniors at Morristown-Beard School, and Evan, 15, now at Blair Academy.

Paul was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2014.

The chance to play baseball in a liberal arts college brought Paul Cunningham to Drew. Who would have guessed that years later he would start a new career making unique balls?

Paul grew up in Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, so you might say that baseball was in his blood. He played baseball for three years at Drew, and his summer break job at the Hall of Fame’s library related well to his American studies major.

After graduation, Paul worked as a photo researcher with FPG International, in the days when stock photography was in great demand. His experience in photography and baseball allowed him to move to Major League Baseball Properties in 1995, as a photo editor.

By 2006, Paul was yearning to make something tangible; he enjoyed working with his hands, having worked for many years with leather as a hobby. He began to make baseballs, “Lemon Balls,” named for the lemon-shaped cross-stitched balls used in the 19th century, and they sold well. But could he base an entire business on a unique baseball?

He started to think hard about the NFL’s official football. It was too large and too firm for Paul to enjoy throwing. What would happen if he made a new football? So he designed a ball that was smaller and easier to grip, using soft leather that was a joy to work with and to handle in play. It was an immediate success. By 2011, Paul’s Leather Head Sports company came to the attention of the Wall Street Journal, which featured it just before Christmas; so many orders came in that Paul was unable to fill them all in time for Christmas.

How many of us would have voluntarily left a steady job in 2008, when Paul did, to become an independent craftsman and create a unique business? Lehman Brothers vanished, real estate foundered, Wall Street was crumbling. But Leather Head Sports meshed with a renewed craft movement and a worldwide appreciation for sports. Paul provides unique products—some with exotic leathers—and continues to expand his line, which now includes basketballs, medicine balls, rugby balls and baseball gloves. He sees his products as boutique items, not just sports equipment, and his public appreciates them (President Obama has approved their sale in the White House gift shop). He now has five employees and several part-timers. He is delighted that he can create jobs, and that he and his staff can take pride in their work.

Paul and Michelle Cunningham, and their daughters Grace, 15, and Lucy, 11, live in Glen Rock, N.J. The demands of Leather Head Sports keep Paul busy, but he has volunteered in local baseball, while Michelle works at Bayer Corporation and coaches their girls’ softball teams.

Susan was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2013.

When Susan Crowley arrived on campus from New Lenox, Illinois, Drew saw a brilliant student with a very promising future.  Her achievements so far prove the wisdom of those early assessments.

Susan, a Drew Scholar, was already interested in international affairs in high school, and her interest inspired her to major in political science and Russian area studies.  An enthusiastic student of Douglas Simon’s courses, she participated in the United Nations Semester and studied in Moscow with a Dickinson College summer program.  By the time she graduated summa cum laude, she had been elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to honor societies in both her majors, and had been active in The Forest, especially in the Gibbons Pre-Law Society, the Russian Studies club, events on campus, and intramurals as captain of Women’s Ultimate Frisbee.

From Drew, Susan went to Georgetown University Law Center, where she earned a J.D. cum laude in 1996.  Her next step was the law firm Foley & Lardner LLP, where she was an associate in the Washington D.C. office, and became senior counsel in 2003 and partner two years later.  In February 2007, Susan joined the law firm of Bryan Cave LLP and was elected partner in January 2011.  At Bryan Cave, Susan specializes in international trade.

For her clients, Susan interprets the legal complexities of international trade laws and regulations and the means of complying with them.  Her work includes matters concerning International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Export Administration Regulations, trade sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. anti-boycott laws, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  She designs and implements compliance programs, holds training sessions, designs and leads internal audits and reviews to ensure compliance, and conducts due diligence reviews related to export controls, trade sanctions, and anti-corruption matters.  She represents clients in civil and criminal enforcement proceedings.  She is a frequent speaker on compliance issues, and she has published articles in her field.

Most of Susan’s volunteer activities are centered on professional organizations.  Among others, she has been active in the International Law Section of the District of Columbia Bar Association, where she has chaired the Steering Committee; the International Practice Section of the Virginia Bar Association, where she is a member of the Board of Governors; and the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia.  She has been a board member and treasurer of the Women’s Bar Association Foundation.

Susan is married to Scott Kovarovics, who works in conservation and outdoor recreation as executive director of the Izaak Walton League of America.  They live in Arlington, Virginia, with their children, Ryan (12) and Kara (10).  Outside of the office, Susan enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, and keeping up with her family.

Gale was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2012.

Drew gave Gale Eisner everything she wanted in a college. It was close – but not too close – to her home in Roslyn, Long Island, and convenient to New York City. Above all, Drew offered the opportunity to learn from dedicated, accessible professors who could provide genuine mentorship. She emerged from Drew with majors in political science and psychology, an exciting London Semester experience, memories of tennis as team captain, and lifelong friends.

Gale’s family’s work on Wall Street caught her interest, and she began her career in investment banking with Gruntal & Co. shortly after graduation. In the early 1980s women did not find it easy to advance in the field; Gale found that a female “sales assistant” was basically a secretary. It was not until her third position, at McKinley Allsop Inc., that she found a company that would sponsor her license, allowing her to be a full sales person. There she was able to demonstrate her abilities, creating a significant amount of new business as vice president of institutional sales in the southeastern territory.

With an M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance from the Fordham Graduate School of Business (1988), Gale moved to increasingly responsible positions in alternative investments. Her career has included 14 years with Citigroup, where she was director of sales for all Citi Wealth Management financial advisors, institutional consultants and family office advisors in New York and New England from 2002 to 2009. She is currently co-head of alternative investments at Corinthian Partners LLC, where she specializes in hedge funds in a firm that stresses individualized service. She is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst and is a member of 100 Women in Hedge Funds.

A demanding career has not prevented Gale from pursuing additional interests. She has volunteered with cancer services at City of Hope and young people’s welfare at Inwood House, fed the homeless at Yorkville Pantry, and facilitated charity events in her synagogue. At Drew, she has been a 1982 Class Host, is on the 2012 Reunion Committee, and has been active in fundraising, serving on the Gift Committee in 2007.

Asked the greatest satisfaction in her life, Gale says, “My children, of course!” She and her husband, Robert Blum, who owns and operates a medical sales and marketing company, live in New York City with their two sons. Andrew (14) and Evan (5) are enrolled in the brand-new Avenues: The World School that stresses international learning and prepares its students for globalization.

So far as her career goes, Gale is proud to be a woman who has achieved recognition in a largely male-dominated field. She is even more proud that she has accomplished all her efforts with integrity, and that she is able to educate her clients: “My most memorable moments are when I can teach people the information that I have learned and see it have a positive impact on their lives.”

Sanjay was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2011.

D

Dean was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2010.

Anthony was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2008.

In the course of creating exceptional living environments for his clients, Anthony Ingrao has created a considerable reputation for talent and imagination.  His interest in the decorative arts has provided him with an absorbing career on two continents.

Tony came to Drew from Bronxville, New York, majored in economics, and took advantage of Drew’s opportunities for European study by participating in the London and Brussels semesters.  A winter session course in water color revealed his gift for the arts and made a major change in his career direction.  Following his instructor’s recommendation, Tony pursued graduate studies, with a concentration in architecture, at the Rhode Island School of Design.  He set up his own studio upon graduation, and then headed to Paris.  There he started a branch of his design business and educated himself in what would be a lifelong quest for fine European antiques.  Twelve years of work in France, restoring a variety of grand houses and chateaux and deciphering the intricacies of European design, shaped his design philosophy.  His favorite project there was the restoration and decoration of an 11th-century monastery in the Luberon Valley.

In the 90s, Tony returned to the Upper East Side of New York.  He established his business, which provides unique architectural and design services to a select group of private clients.  From there he has built and decorated many great estates in California, Connecticut, Florida, Long Island, Maine, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.  He has completed architecture and interiors for clients including Howard Stern, actresses Goldie Hawn and Kim Cattrall, producer Marty Richards, and businesspersons Jack and Suzy Welch, Richard Rainwater and Darla Moore, Steven and Alex Cohen, and Dan and Jane Och, as well as the chairman of The Related Group, and Steve and Kara Ross.  Tony’s work is frequently featured in art and design periodicals.

A designer who is equally adept with homes, commercial sites, and landscapes and gardens, Tony works in a variety of styles, from traditional French, English, and American to contemporary and modern.  He is known for intriguing and often playful designs, and is never afraid to combine seemingly disparate elements to achieve a result that combines the client’s taste with his own intuitions and expertise.  His designs blend a fresh, contemporary approach with old-world classicism, and he succeeds in uniting the timeless with the practical in an integrated environment.

The opening of the Ingrao Antiques & Fine Arts gallery on Manhattan’s East 64th Street was one of the Manhattan design world’s major events of 2003.  In the gallery, Tony has brought new drama to the antiques field by displaying fine art and antiques in a stark, minimalist setting, a move which the art world has found both startling and refreshing.  His expressed aim is “to present important works of art in a non-museum setting, and to open a fresh dialogue between art and objects with architecture.”

Joseph was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2007.

Joe Beneducci has achieved major success in the insurance business, but his greatest priority is the same as his greatest pride—his family.

After growing up in Staten Island and attending North Hunterdon Regional High School in Annandale, New Jersey, Joe was being recruited for soccer by Division I schools.  He just happened to stop by Drew, and it was a natural:  strong academics, a beautiful campus, and a good soccer program.  Joe majored in political science, minored in business management, and played soccer and basketball.  Seeking business experience, he applied for an internship with Chubb and Son, Inc., then stayed on in commercial underwriting and marketing for eight years after graduation.

In 1998, Joe began a nine-year association with the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company in California.  Beginning as senior vice president, he became executive vice president in 2002 (with a title change to president in 2006), serving also as chief administrative officer and then as chief operating officer.  By 2004 he was responsible for the strategic direction, business strategies, and most operations of all the company’s business units (personal, commercial, and specialty insurance), with a total of $6 billion in premiums written and over one million customers nationwide.  By 2007 he was president and chief executive officer, responsible for all aspects of the company’s performance and success.  His efforts to modernize the insurance industry have included testimony before the United States Senate.

Working with the Fireman’s Fund was a special opportunity for Joe, the son of a New York City firefighter.  It also gave him a unique way to put his strong feelings about corporate philanthropy into practice—the Fireman’s Fund had been known in the past for its social mission to disabled firefighters and their families.  Today’s firefighters’ families are better provided for, but the firefighter’s greatest need now is professional support.  Joe is proud that he revived the Fireman’s Fund’s commitment to philanthropy and oversaw donations of more than $12 million to local fire departments for equipment, tools, and training.

As the next step in his career, Joe hopes to fulfill his dream of founding his own company.  In the meantime he is, and always has been, adamant about putting family first.  He and his wife, Bonnie (Ethridge) C’88, live in Santa Rosa, California, with their children, Joseph (11), Jason (10), Jared (8), and Jessica (6).  The whole family enjoys a variety of sports, especially skiing from their second home in Lake Tahoe.

Thomas was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2006.

Tom Collamore began his career in public service.  In the corporate world, he still concentrates on serving the public good.

A native of Bloomfield, Connecticut, Tom was hooked on political science early in life.  As a student of Julius Mastro, Douglas Simon, David Cowell, and Perry Leavell, he pursued his love of American history and his political science major, and was active in political campaigns.  He worked in the George H. W. Bush campaign in 1979 and arranged for Bush’s visit to Drew in 1980.  After completing his degree magna cum laude—also with four years of baseball—he was invited to join the new Secretary of Commerce, Malcolm Baldridge, in Washington, D.C.  In 1985, after four years as Baldridge’s special assistant, Tom received the Commerce Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Achievement.  He then served in the White House on Vice President Bush’s senior staff for four years.  He traveled extensively with the Vice President and was senior traveling aide during the campaign that led to Mr. Bush’s election as President in 1988.  In the George H. W. Bush administration, he served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration and later as Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary of Commerce.

The 1992 national election results marked the time for Tom to join the private sector, and he has made a graceful transition from success in public service to success in business.  In 1992 he joined Philip Morris Companies Inc.—now Altria Group Inc.—as Vice President for Corporate Affairs Policy and Administration, and became Vice President for Corporate Public Affairs three years later.  At Altria he is responsible for the strategy, direction, and management of the company’s public policy, public affairs, charitable and political giving programs, and outreach.  He develops and manages efforts that exemplify Altria’s commitment to corporate responsibility, including programs on hunger and domestic violence, support of the arts, and promotion of employee volunteerism.  He finds the ability to steward Altria’s philanthropy exciting, and is enthusiastic about applying his public service experience in a different sphere.

Tom’s commitment to public affairs does not end when he leaves Altria’s doors.  He is a former Drew trustee and currently serves on Drew’s Board of Visitors, and has also been active in the College Alumni/ae Association and in admissions support.  He serves on the boards of organizations involved in hunger, health, the arts, and domestic violence in several states and is on the advisory board of the George Bush Presidential Library in College, Station, Texas.  He and his wife, Jacqueline, live in Chevy Chase, Maryland with their four children, Thomas Jr. (11), Pauline (10), Sally Ann (9), and Katherine (6).

Michael was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2004.

Timothy was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2002.

Dona was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2001.

Harris was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 2000.

Stephen was honored with the Achievement in Business Award during Reunion 1999.

Joshua Drew, PhD C’98 is the 2023 recipient of the Alumni Achievement in the Sciences Award. After graduating from Drew in 1998, he earned a master’s at the State University of New York at Albany and a doctoral degree at Boston University. Marine biodiversity and conservation have figured prominently in his research.

Josh is presently an assistant professor of vertebrate conservation biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He spent several years as a lecturer at Columbia University. He also taught at East West University in Chicago while doing postdoctoral research on a National Science Foundation fellowship at the Field Museum in Chicago. Josh has published extensively.

In the Drew tradition, Josh has mentored numerous undergrad and graduate students who have come through his lab. In the course of his work on marine biodiversity, he advised the government of Fiji on a national system of marine protected areas. He also undertook to build grassroots support for conservation, both now and in the future, by establishing a groundbreaking program that engaged high school students from both Fiji and Chicago in his research for the Field Museum. Currently, he has projects with undergraduates working with communities in Fiji and with the Onandaga Nation in New York.

A lifelong resident of northern New Jersey, David Cennimo C’97 majored in biology and chemistry at Drew, and then proceeded to New Jersey Medical School in Newark, becoming a medical doctor in 2001. After completing residencies and fellowships, he began practice in infectious diseases, which he continues today. He is also an associate dean and associate professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

While David loved his science studies at Drew, he credits his broad exposure to other liberal arts — and his involvement in Drew student activities — with honing his abilities in critical thinking, writing, negotiation, and coordination of events and processes. He found all of these strengths very useful in medical school and beyond.

David notes that practicing and teaching infectious disease medicine in a pandemic has been an unusual and challenging experience. It it is fair to say that he “Drew” much strength from his continuing, lifelong Drew University friendships along the way.

Kathleen was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2021.

Looking back, Kathleen’s two influential professors at Drew were Dr. Joy Phillips for Anatomy and Embryology, and Dr. Harold Rohrs for Physiology.  Can you tell she was a Zoology major? She recalls when students came to embryology class, Dr.  Phillips required them to have colored pencils to mark the three cell layers – she taught them how a fertilized egg becomes a chicken by drawing the movements of the cell layers with the yellow, blue, and red colors, which they copied with their pencils.  They visually learned how the numerous migrations of cells and their interactions all precisely occurred within 21 days to create a perfect hatchling. Quite an amazing story.

After some years of working at startup company in Massachusetts on a project developing an optical cell sorter instrument, Kathy learned that a PhD was necessary if one wanted to be in the lead and win grants.  She funded her PhD studies in Cell Biology at Tufts Medical School by instructing medical students in the Anatomy Lab. Actually, Dr. Phillip’s class came in handy, because if you can recall some embryology, less memorization is needed; it’s all connected.  She earned her PhD with research in cellular biology, studying cells in the immune system.  To get a PhD in Science, it’s not a matter of taking more courses.  Instead, you must discover something nobody else has ever known before!  And that’s what makes the science so interesting.

Afterwards, Kathy did go back to working at another R & D company but was beginning to get interested in teaching. At that time, the Harvard Graduate School of Education had a program designed for retooling scientists into science teachers, so she attended while working part-time.  Now with a master’s in science education at the age of 40, she decided that 6^th grade was the most important grade to teach, not high school.  Why?  Because 6th grade is the first year that kids experience “science” as course.  It’s typically the time a student decides whether or not they “like” science.  So, 16 years later, working at a public school where educational innovation was supported, Kathy was very glad she did make the move to teaching.  It was extremely rewarding.  She also received a lifetime achievement award by being Inducted into the Massachusetts Science Educators Hall of Fame by the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers (MAST) November, 2011.

Perhaps surprisingly, teaching sixth grade science helped qualify her for her next career, working at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Here, being able to explain complex scientific information in an understandable way was a requirement for the position of Community Engagement Core Director for the Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS). This Center is a collection of researchers studying how the environment affects human health.  For example, some chemicals from the environment can get stuck on a cell’s DNA, damaging the DNA.  To help explain these concepts, she created tactile educational models to show both what molecules look like and how these molecules function.  The audience for these patented, hands-on models include secondary school and collegiate classes  (https://edgerton.mit.edu/DNA-proteins-sets).  For middle school and for informal science learning, she also has created a way to model the chemistry of climate change (https://edgerton.mit.edu/molecule-set), a change that will profoundly impact human health.

Kathy wishes to thank her husband J. Kim Vandiver and children Amy, Ben, and Alex for their support, as they have contributed greatly to these accomplishments, and Drew University for an excellent academic start in the field of Biology.

Kathleen Finley also received a 4 year Rose Memorial Scholarship and would like to thank Drew University for this support.

Bryon was honored with the Achievement Award in the Sciences during a virtual ceremony in June 2020.

With the emergence of COVID-19, epidemiology has become a national fascination. But in 1989, discussion of epidemiology was rare. Bryon Backenson, a junior biology major, spent spring break visiting graduate ecology programs at several universities, but Professor Linda Van Blerkom’s spring semester medical anthropology class introduced Bryon to epidemiology–and he was hooked.

He attended the School of Public Health at the University at Albany because of its partnership with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) which provided internships and experience in the practical (as opposed to academic) side of public health.

Working on tracking the spread of Lyme disease in ticks and wildlife for NYSDOH, he experienced vector-borne diseases and moved on to working on basic pathology of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, discovering an emerging relapsing fever pathogen in Spain, developing novel statewide surveillance systems to collect and test ticks for several pathogens and streamline the reporting of human cases of Lyme disease.

He authored the national Lyme disease surveillance case definition and sits on several panels that advise the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on issues regarding tick and mosquito-borne diseases.

In 2009, coinciding with the discovery of H1N1 pandemic influenza in New York, his role at NYSDOH expanded to cover investigation of all communicable diseases and their outbreaks in the state. He coordinated efforts to respond to H1N1, Ebola, Zika, vaping illnesses and novel coronavirus.

The part of epidemiology and public health he enjoys most is communication—the teaching and translating of data and principles. He often speaks with the media and gives numerous seminars.

Backenson has been an assistant professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Albany since 2005, teaching Infectious Disease Epidemiology. He lives in Clifton Park, NY with his wife, and his fantasy baseball league that started with classmates at Drew in 1988 is still going strong in its 34th year!

Steve was honored with the Achievement Award in the Sciences at Reunion 2019.

Stephen Casey is a professor of mathematics and affiliate professor of computer science at American University (AU). He also currently serves as the chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Steve graduated from Drew University in 1979 with a major in mathematics. He also studied physics, philosophy and classical studies at Drew.

After college, Steve taught physics for a year at the Delbarton School in Mendham, NJ and then decided to attend the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, based on the advice of his advisor at Drew, the late Dr. Norma Gilbert.

Steve pursued his doctorate under the guidance of David Hamilton. His doctoral thesis, The boundary of the universal Teichm ̈uller space and the Bers space of Schwarzians, developed mathematics that is used in string and superstring theory. He received tenure-track job offers from 12 schools, and chose American University in Washington, D.C.

Steve’s research focuses on complex analysis, harmonic analysis and number theory with applications to signal and image processing. He is a founding member of the Editorial Board for Sampling Theory in Signal and Image Processing and an associate editor of The Journal of Signal and Image Processing. He was also unanimously selected by the SampTA Steering Committee to be the chair of SampTA 2015, the 11th biennial international conference on Sampling Theory and its Applications, and was named guest editor-in-chief of Sampling Theory in Signal and Image Processing from 2015-2017. He was invited by Springer-Birkhäuser to co-edit a book in their Applied and Numerical Harmonic Analysis Series based on the SampTA papers and talks.

Steve has been a visiting research professor at the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland and a Visiting Research Professor at the Norbert Wiener Center for Harmonic Analysis (NWC) at the University of Maryland. He spent three weeks in the summer of 2018 as a guest of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Acoustics Research Institute, working on signal processing problems in non-Euclidean geometries. He will be visiting research professor at the NWC at the University of Maryland for academic year 2019-2020.

Steve has published nearly 50 articles, and is completing work on two invited books; has given over 100 talks, lecturing at various universities in Europe, Asia and North America; and his research has been funded by 20 research grants and four contracts, including grants from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Army Research Office and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Steve also received two patents for his work in adaptive signal processing. Steve has also been active in the classroom, receiving several awards, and developed AU’s program in Computational Science.

Larry was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2018.

Born in South Orange, NJ, Larry attended Delbarton School. Larry graduated from Drew as an Applied Mathematics major in 1983 with the late Dr. Alan Candiotti as his first academic advisor. He stayed an additional year at Drew taking all the physics courses required for graduate school with Dr. Bob Fenstermacher C’63, his second academic advisor. After Drew, Larry was accepted into and attended The Pennsylvania State University Department of Physics Ph.D. Program, but after 5 consecutive years of undergraduate studies and then 2.5 years of graduate work, he decided to hit the “off ramp”, completing instead the Master’s Degree with Thesis Option in 1986. Larry is a Chartered Engineer in the United Kingdom (closest to a PE or Professional Engineer in the U.S.) and a Member of the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing.

After Penn State, Larry returned to Delbarton, becoming the Chair of the Science Department after only one formal year of teaching and at the ripe old age of 26. While he loved teaching, his real passion was for hands-on lab work, research and experimental development, so after 4 years at Delbarton and with deep emotional attachment to his alma mater, he painfully departed Delbarton when the US Army came calling and entered US Government service in 1991. Larry’s first assignment was as a Health Physicist protecting on-post radiation workers from harm. After having mastered this in about 5 years, an opportunity arose to work alongside Dr. Paul Willson, a renowned and respected physicist at Picatinny Arsenal doing development of x-ray based technology, sources and detectors to better serve our war fighters who put themselves in harm’s way every day.

In 2006, when troop strength in Iraq and Afghanistan was over 100,000 and still growing, the lab was approached to determine the feasibility of creating a capability that at that time did not yet exist–an inspection system to test the ballistic integrity of the ceramic body armor insert plates that were issued to our soldiers. What would under any other circumstances be a 5-10 year project from conception to deployment was completed within 18 months, at which time the first prototype Armor Inspection System (AIS) was deployed into Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait in 2008. Following great success, some 15 additional units were purchased by the US Marine Corps, US Navy and US Air Force and were deployed the world over by 2011 with units in South Korea, Japan, Germany and Kyrgyzstan.

This particular program was a project of a lifetime–a career capstone–to be able to have an unlimited budget, personnel, access to technology and deep sense of commitment from all involved because of the very nature of the goal here: to ensure that if or when our troops are fired upon in battle they would be assured that their body armor would not fail them. This program and these systems are now in sustainment mode with no further R&D required, but there is, and always will be, a new program. Currently, that program is the detection and identification of roadside bombs, better known as IEDs (improvised explosive devises). With a new application of an old method, Larry is very much involved in the new challenge. When the history books are finally written on the war on terror, we will look back and realize that the greatest single threat to the United States’ security is the current inability to detect energetic materials when they are well hidden, but the new program means there will be an end to that threat once and for all.

Jonathan was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2017.

As a transfer student, Jonathan Russin didn’t begin his college career as a member of the Drew community, but quickly made The Forest his home. He graduated cum laude with a degree in psychobiology, played lacrosse—a consistent starter on the Rangers’ 2000 ECAC Championship team—and went on to receive a master’s degree in medical humanities from the Caspersen School in 2002.

Jonathan currently serves as assistant professor of neurological surgery and associate director of the Neurorestoration Center at the University of Southern California. He specializes in neurological surgery with a focus in treatment of epilepsy-related conditions. In 2016, he made headlines for completing the Los Angeles Marathon alongside a woman whose life he saved through a rare and complicated aneurism removal procedure.

After leaving Drew he received his MD from Rutgers University, and lives in Southern California with his wife, Rebecca, and three daughters, Ava, Jules and Florence.

Rhonda was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2016.

After growing up in a peripatetic Navy family, Rhonda Rush wanted stability, and she looked for a school where she could pursue her educational goals. She says her choice of Drew was “random,” but there were two reasons that informed her choice: Drew was a place where she could stay for all four years, and its community would see her as a scholar as well as a woman.

Rhonda greatly enjoyed her chemistry major and received the freshman chemistry award. She was also active in student governance – as president of Hoyt-Bowne, she made many visits to the legendary Vice President John Pepin, when she requested improvements in the dorm. As a member of a military family, she was uncomfortable with the campus unrest in 1970.

From Drew, Rhonda gained a fellowship at Iowa State University, where she earned the Ph.D. in chemistry in 1975. A semester at Argonne National Laboratories encouraged her interest in industrial chemistry. She began her career as a researcher at Proctor and Gamble, moved on to Perkin-Elmer as an engineer, and then spent the rest of her career at S&C Electric Company, first as an analytical chemist and finally as a senior materials scientist. In mid-career, she also earned an MBA at Northwestern University. She says that not only did Drew prepare her for graduate study, but gave her a “window on knowledge” that has always helped her relate to non-scientific activities.

Rhonda’s work was chiefly in plastic engineering, a challenging field, and she is an expert in the analysis of plastics, rubbers and greases. She published numerous articles in her field, and twice received a membership award in the Society of Plastic Engineering. She has been active in several professional societies.

Working in a strongly male-dominated field was always a challenge, and Rhonda is keenly interested in assisting young women scientists. As a member of Drew’s New Founders Society, she has created the Women in Chemistry and Physics Scholarship, for women preparing for a non-medical career in industrial science. She has also created the Chemistry Scholarship for Women at Iowa State; the scholarship’s first award was made in 2015.

Rhonda’s retirement in 2011 has brought her some special joys. She and retired elementary school teacher Rosemary Casey were married in 2012, and they immensely enjoy their house and garden in Chicago, Illinois. Rhonda volunteers in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and, as Flotilla Commander, she is very busy in recreational boater safety in the Chicago/Lake Michigan area.

Kathryn was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2015.

Kathy Cottingham’s parents never told her that they wanted their daughter to attend Drew. Thanks to the Governor’s School in the Sciences, they didn’t need to.

Kathy arrived from Medford Lakes, New Jersey, in July 1985 for the Governor’s School, which has now brought talented New Jersey high school students to Drew each summer for 30 years. For Kathy, the experience set her life on a different trajectory. Once admitted as a Drew Scholar, she plunged into academics and athletics, and assisted with the Governor’s School in the summers as a student counselor. She majored in biology and mathematics—she says she enjoys biology’s “messiness,” meaning that there are no definite answers, always leaving something more to learn, while math is “clean,” appealing to her appreciation of order. Kathy earned a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude; she also received numerous awards as a scholar-athlete in both lacrosse and field hockey. She was elected to Drew’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Kathy is grateful to Drew’s science faculty, and is particularly thankful for Lee Pollock’s guidance that took her to the University of Wisconsin at Madison for graduate school in zoology. At Wisconsin, Kathy earned her MS in 1993 and PhD in 1996, and went on to the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis for two years of postdoctoral work. In 1998 Kathy was appointed assistant professor at Dartmouth College, where she has been co-chair of the graduate program in ecology and evolutionary biology since 2009 and professor of biological sciences since 2011. She is enthusiastic about her students in Dartmouth’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

Kathy has received many fellowships and research grants. Her list of publications and presentations is impressive, as is her record of service to professional organizations. Her awards include Dartmouth’s Graduate Faculty Mentor Award in 2013. Her scholarly interests are diverse, centering on ecology and limnology (the study of freshwater lakes) but also include projects in environmental microbiology, epidemiology and public environmental health. One of her public health interests is the occurrence of arsenic in nature, and in rice consumption in particular, with consequent effects in utero, in breast milk and in infant foods; a publication she co-led in this area was named the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ “2011 Paper of the Year.” She enjoys doing research that can directly affect people’s lives.

Kathy and her husband, Bob Mosdal, enjoy living in Hanover, New Hampshire. Bob, a professional librarian, currently concentrates on home and family, including their two sons, Thomas, 10, and Martin, 7. They all enjoy the local hiking trails. In her limited spare time, Kathy coaches and cheers for the boys’ soccer teams, and is active in the Lake Sunapee Protective Association.

Carrie was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2014.

As a senior at Drew, Carrie Hendrickson chaired the Student Government Association’s Food Service Committee. Now she is a Consumer Safety Officer in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, making sure that our food is safe. Could there be a connection?

Carrie came to Drew from Aliquippa, Pa., but she lived “all over” in her childhood while her family moved six times with the Air Force. She found Drew when visiting a friend on campus. Drew gained an excellent student: a Drew Scholar who was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude, with a major in biology and a minor in biochemistry. Carrie appreciated Drew’s science faculty and the opportunities for research, especially in RISE, and her involvement in two Governor’s School summers. She says that Drew always provided her with a “learning summer.”

After Drew, graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania occupied Carrie until she earned her PhD in cell and molecular biology in 2002. After Penn, she interned with several federal organizations during her tenure in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ two-year Emerging Leaders program. Upon graduation from the program, she began her current position.

Carrie’s role as a regulatory scientist is to ensure that new food ingredients, especially foods from bioengineered crops and those “generally recognized as safe” (or GRAS), are not only safe but meet regulatory standards. In addition to helping companies assure the safety of their food products, her office emphasizes communication of the science used in regulatory decision-making. In the past year, she has taken on new responsibilities in her office, helping to make sure that its responses to media requests for information about food ingredient safety and regulation are both clear and scientifically accurate. Among Carrie’s other projects, she has served on the Codex Committee on Food Additives, whose purpose is global harmonization of standards of use for food ingredients; she is pleased that she can interact with other countries, discussing the use of science to assess ingredient safety and to set regulations.

Carrie continues to appreciate the support she received at Drew from the Drew Scholars program and other scholarships, and she has been delighted to discover that she can support the university herself. In 2013, she created the Carrie Hendrickson McMahon Summer Research Fellowship, providing invaluable assistance to biology and biochemistry students in the Drew Summer Science Institute. In the same year, she was the keynote speaker in the annual Drew/Fairleigh Dickinson Biology Research Symposium.

Carrie and her husband, Bryan McMahon, live in Baltimore, where they met when she joined the rowing club in which he was member. Carrie’s science experiments these days include trying out different jam and marmalade recipes. In her free time, she volunteers with a local high school and with her community’s parks and beautification efforts.

Robert was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2013.

Robert Phyliky was the envy of his classmates: he had a car on campus. His 1929 Model A Ford brought him from Morristown to Drew, and helped him take many off-campus jobs. Bob credits professors Joy Phillips, his mentor in biology, and Stanley Baker, for his success in pursuing science as a career.

After Drew, Bob earned his Doctor of Medicine degree at Albany Medical College in 1965. He then entered the U. S. Medical Corps, completing his residency in internal medicine at Brooke General Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. In laboratory work—moonlighting to support a growing family—he discovered his interest in hematology while he reviewed blood counts and evaluated patients. He completed a hematology fellowship at the New England Medical Center, and is board certified in both specialties. Although he had expected to remain in the Army, the end of the Vietnam War allowed Bob to return to civilian life in 1975, with the Meritorious Service Medal. He had been chief of hematology at Brooke for two years, as well as assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Texas Medical School. He received the 1975 ALCADE Award in San Antonio for his role as medical advisor for the Bexar County Anemia Association.

His hematology studies gave Bob the chance to work with a colleague who had trained at the Mayo Clinic, paving the way for Bob’s own career at Mayo—a career that has spanned 38 years. His chief interest has been in leukemia in several of its forms, and he has helped develop clinical protocols for the management of leukemia patients. He was named a Distinguished Mayo Clinician in 2003, received the Peter Jay Sharp Distinguished Clinician Award in 2004, and has been named one of the Best Doctors in America. He has been a visiting professor at multiple colleges of medicine and has spoken in numerous conferences. His list of publications is impressive.

Bob is currently a consultant in Mayo’s Division of Hematology, and also serves on the Mayo Medical School’s admissions committee. He is very comfortable with the Clinic’s philosophy—a triad comprising research, patient care, and education with patient care foremost. He is pleased to be part of the great progress in leukemia treatment, which has made some types of the disease a nuisance rather than a tragedy.

Bob and his wife, Julia, who also studied at Drew, live in Rochester, Minnesota. They have been married for 53 years and have four married daughters, including a writer, an artist, a teacher, and a marine biologist, and 11 grandchildren. Bob enjoys golf, especially with his Drew friends, and is delighted that several of his family join in his passion for fly fishing.

Susan is married to Scott Kovarovics, who works in conservation and outdoor recreation as executive director of the Izaak Walton League of America.  They live in Arlington, Virginia, with their children, Ryan (12) and Kara (10).  Outside of the office, Susan enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, and keeping up with her family.

Bruce was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2012.

After two years at the University of Maryland, Baltimore-raised Bruce Goldberger knew he wanted a smaller school. He chose the college closest to his parents’ home, which then was Parsippany, New Jersey. At Drew’s intimate community, he found learning and direction that has guided his life. He especially speaks of faculty members Joy Phillips in biology, and James Miller, who made analytical chemistry so clear and compelling that Bruce has made it his own life.

After graduating from Drew as a zoology major, Bruce earned M.S. (1985) and Ph.D. (1993) degrees in forensic toxicology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. By 1994 he had moved to the University of Florida College of Medicine. He is now a full professor and director of toxicology in the Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, directing the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine and the Forensic Toxicology Laboratory, which supports medical examiners’ offices in six Florida districts. He has just been named director of the University of Florida Racing Laboratory.

Bruce’s work can truly be described as multifaceted. He has extensive teaching responsibilities, involving levels from undergraduate to post-doctorate in the College of Medicine, and administrative responsibilities in several University divisions. He is active in many professional associations, especially the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, of which he was president in 2007-2008, and is currently president of the American Board of Forensic Toxicology and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Analytical Toxicology. The extent of his research, which has largely concentrated on addictive substances, is reflected in an impressive list of publications. His has received numerous honors, including the Sunshine Award and the Alexander O. Gettler Award from the Toxicology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (1988 and 2006), the Outstanding Scientific Achievements by a Young Investigator Award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (1994), and the Outstanding Achievement Award from Florida Association of Medical Examiners (2008).

As a qualified expert witness and consultant in forensic toxicology, Bruce serves the State of Florida and is in demand from numerous public and private organizations, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of State. He has testified in over 220 trials in federal, state, military and Canadian courts, including the Casey Anthony case and the 2012 Roger Clemens trial. He has been featured many times in local, state and national media.

Bruce finds great satisfaction in his career, particularly because it allows him directly to affect people’s lives as a public servant. He is proud of his family: his wife of 27 years, Arlene, and their children, Sarah (22), a 2012 University of Florida graduate, and fifteen-year-old Jacob.

Josh was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2011.

Imagine a world where any object you wanted could simply be formed before your eyes in mere seconds.

With Utility Fog, a concept invented by independent scientist and author J. Storrs “Josh” Hall, it could happen. Hall is a futurist. His work in areas like artificial intelligence (AI) and nanotechnology lets him examine how research today impacts tomorrow.

“Nanotechnology is based on the concept of tiny, self-replicating robots,” he explains. “The Utility Fog is a very simple extension of the idea. Suppose, instead of building the object you want atom by atom, the tiny robots linked their arms together to form a solid mass in the shape of the object you wanted? Then, when you got tired of that avant-garde coffee table, the robots could simply shift around a little and you’d have an elegant Queen Anne piece instead.”

Ask Hall when cars will be operated by robots instead of humans, and he’ll tell you they already exist. The question, he says, is actually a matter of perfecting the technology and sorting through legalities. Hall thinks it will happen in his lifetime.

A mathematics major at Drew, Hall feels his career was largely inspired by what he calls “the amazing intellectual ferment in computer science” on campus during the 1970s.

“I first understood that there was such a thing as an intellectual life while at Drew—that there were people who spent their time and made their living creating new ideas, and not just teaching ones they had learned from someone else,” says Hall. That notion combined with the exposure to computer science at Drew had a major influence on Hall’s work.

Hall’s biggest passion is AI, and he is a seminal figure in the field of machine ethics. In his most recent book, Beyond AI: Creating the Conscience of the Machine (Prometheus 2007), the first full-length text examining machine ethics, he looks at what may be an imminent development of artificial intelligence and examines the ethical need to build those machines with a moral center.

“When a machine can decide things on its own, it’s essentially smarter than you are,” he says. “And that’s when you don’t know what it’s going to do next.”

The book reflects Hall’s strong Drew roots as it’s dedicated to two of his professors, Charles Lytle (math) and Jerome Cranmer (economics). “Both were not only brilliant but wise, accessible and fun, they made their respective fields fascinating,” recalls Hall. “Both died while I was at Drew, and I promised myself I’d write a book and dedicate it to them.”

During his subsequent graduate studies at Rutgers University, Hall found the field of nanotechnology. His first book, Nanofuture: What’s Next for Nanotechnology (Prometheus 2005), won the Foresight Institute’s Communications Prize and Drew University’s Bela Kornitzer prize.

A personal book collection numbering over 5,000 is proof of Hall’s eclectic interests. One of his greatest loves—pouring through old books in used bookstores—is dying out because of, oddly enough, technology. While he mourns the decline in small, privately owned used bookstores, Hall still loves that his iPad can hold more than 10 times the number of books in his collection.

Hall and his wife, Sandy, live in Laporte, Penn. In his spare time, he’s building a robot, a project incorporating countless ideas he’s had over the years. In the rest of his spare time, he enjoys traveling, history, fine wine and tennis.

Jonathan was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2010.

Jonathan was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2009.

Robert was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2008.

Stewart was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2007.

Kenneth and Nancy were honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2006.

Howard was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2005.

Jay was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2004.

Craig was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2003.

Craig Stanford’s work has taken him a long way from New Jersey, and deep into relationships among apes and between apes and humans.

When Craig came to Drew from Roselle Park, New Jersey, he already knew that he wanted to study animal behavior, and that Drew offered the opportunities he needed.  Now, after years of experience at large universities, he is more than ever convinced that the best environment for learning and socializing is found at small liberal arts schools.  At Drew he majored in anthropology and zoology, and Lee Pollock, Leedom Lefferts, and Phil Peek became his mentors and role models.  Further study led to a master’s degree from Rutgers in 1980 and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990.

After teaching at the University of Michigan from 1989 to 1991, Craig returned to the West Coast, joining the faculty of the University of Southern California.  He is now professor of anthropology and biological sciences, chairs the Department of Anthropology, and co-directs UCS’s Jane Goodall Research Center.  He has conducted field studies of primates in India, Bangladesh, Peru, Tanzania, and Uganda.  He is best know for his work in collaboration with Dr. Jane Goodall on the hunting behavior of wild chimpanzees, and he currently directs the Bwindi Impenetrable Great Ape Project in East Africa, a study of mountain gorillas and chimpanzees which includes a strong emphasis on conservation.  His publications include six books, the latest entitled Significant Others:  The Ape-Human Continuum and the Quest for Human Nature, and nearly 100 articles on his research on human origins and the behavior of the great apes.  He has received numerous research grants and teaching awards.

In addition to teaching and his usual twice-yearly visits to his research sites,  Craig’s main interest is his family, which he “tries hard to make the center of everything.”  Outdoor activities, especially camping and Little League, are important in his life.  His wife, Erin Moore, a former lawyer, is a cultural anthropologist at USC, and the family—including daughters Gaelen, 13, and Marika, 9, and son Adam, 6–has also accompanied her research trips, chiefly to India and Mexico.

Drewids should watch the coming issues of National Geographic, which sent writer Rick Gore to accompany Craig’s January 2003 trip to Uganda.  The story of Craig’s work on chimpanzees and gorillas will appear early in 2004.

Christopher was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2002.

Da Hsuan Feng was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2001.

Walter was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 2000.

James was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1999.

Timothy was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1998.

Ronald was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1997.

Peter was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1996.

Leonard was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1995.

Lawrence was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1994.

J. Laurence Kulp was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1993.

Elizabeth was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1992.

William was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1991.

Oscar was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1990.

Ferdinand was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1989.

Oscar was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1988.

Oscar was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1987.

Ely was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1986.

Robert was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1985.

Albert was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1984.

Richard was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1983.

John was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1982.

Joseph was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1981.

Mary was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1980.

Leonard was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1979.

Robert was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1978.

Melville was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1977.

George was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1976.

Morris was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1975.

Samuel was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1974.

Ruth was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1973.

Richard was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1972.

Marion was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1971.

Ray was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1970.

Carl was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1969.

Peter was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1968.

Frederick was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1967.

Tom was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1966.

Douglas was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1965.

Douglas was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1965.

George was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1963.

Lionel was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1962.

Solomon was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1961.

Francis was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1960.

Everett was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1959.

Alexander was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1958.

Albert was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1957.

Philip was honored with the Achievement in the Sciences Award during Reunion 1956.

Xiomara was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2023.

Xiomara Guevara C’98 is the 2023 recipient of the Frances B. Sellers Award. She majored in political science and Spanish and minored in Latin American Studies and Jewish Studies at Drew, and was a founder of the Drew Honduras Project. Xiomara earned the Juris Doctorate at Rutgers Law School in Newark, and a master’s in public administration at New York University.

Xiomara spent over 15 years as executive director of the nonprofit Morris County Organization for Hispanic Affairs. She founded a center for citizenship and legal immigration there, which was named the 2015 innovative program of the year by the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. Today, she is the first Latina to serve as executive vice president, chief operating officer, and chief legal officer for Greater Bergen Community Action, a large nonprofit fighting poverty in northern New Jersey, where she oversees a staff of over 600.

Xiomara’s career originally began when she served as an elementary school teacher at the Discovery Charter School in Newark. She continues to express her enthusiasm for teaching by finding time to work as an adjunct professor at Drew.

Raúl Rosales C’99 grew up always knowing that he would teach. His parents were fully supportive, although their life experiences in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution of 1959 did not include college for themselves. They successfully established their family in northern New Jersey, and sent Raúl to St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City.

After Drew, Raúl went on to Columbia University, earning two master’s degrees and a doctoral degree. He is now a professor of Spanish at Drew. His research explores the intersection of autobiographical theory, self-representation, and memory discourse in contemporary Latinx fiction and Cuban diasporic narrative.

A professor’s encouragement led Raúl to study abroad with Drew. This kindled a love of travel, which Raúl has shared with others by leading Drew study abroad programs himself. He was awarded the Drew University Presidential Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2016, and the Drew University Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Social Justice in 2019.

Debra was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2021.

Debra Moody Bass graduated from Drew in 1978 with a degree in Religion. She continued her education with a Masters in Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and Masters in Philosophy from Drew. Debra went on to earn a Ph.D. from Drew University in Old Testament Studies, as well a Certificate of Completion: Introduction to the Ecumenical and Interreligious Movements, which she received in Centro Pro Unione, Rome, Italy.

Debra was married Richard O. Bass, Sr. who was Bishop in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, from 1995 until his passing in 2005. Together the couple had one son, Joshua.

Debra began her 40 years of ministry service in her sophomore year of college. She has worked with the A.M.E. Zion Church in both the New Jersey and Northern Alabama conferences. She is currently the pastor at Mt. Hermon A.M.E. Zion Church in Tarrant, AL. She also has experience in many different positions within the Church including: Director of Ethnic Cooperation and Institutional Ministries; Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Harrisburg, PA; and Executive Director Ohio Council of Churches, Columbus.

In addition to her service within the Church, Debra has also worked in higher education. She was an adjunct professor at Hood Theological Seminary’s Greenville Campus and was the Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Miles College in Fairfield, AL where she was voted teacher of the year. Upon her departure from Miles College in 2003, she became the Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she is currently a tenured professor.

Debra has also published many works including: God Comforts Israel: the Message and Audience of Isaiah 40-55, Preaching through the Liturgical Year and other Occasions, Journaling Through the Year with God: a Believer Talks to God about Daily Encounters, The Female Prophets: Who were they and what was their message? Fall 2018, and Lessons from the Bible: Vol 1 – Genesis-Malachi, Fall 2019. Her most recent work, Lessons from the Bible: Vol 2 – Matthew-Revelation, was published in January 2021.

Along with many of Debra’s accomplishments, she has traveled extensively. Internationally she has visited many countries and islands including: Australia, Canada, Egypt, England, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland, Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the states, Debra has traveled to 44 states, excluding North and South Dakota, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Idaho.

John was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during Reunion 2008.

We all know that some of Drew’s most notable faculty members have become living legends.  Drew also has legendary alumni/ae, and one of them is John Cunningham, who has become a legend in his own time by bringing us the facts.

John has always seen himself as a journalist.  He began writing for the Morris County Daily Record as a Morristown High School student, continuing while he was at Drew, and later spent 23 years as a reporter for the Newark Sunday News.  He approaches history with a journalist’s quest for truth and a style that engages non-historians.  His accuracy, his knowledge of New Jersey, and his appealing style have earned him recognition as “New Jersey’s popular historian,” as he was named by the New Jersey Historical Association.

It is hard to imagine an aspect of New Jersey history untouched by John’s pen.  He is now preparing the fifth revision of his first book, This is New Jersey (1953), which has never gone out of print.  Other popular titles include New Jersey:  America’s Main Road; The New Jersey Sampler; NEWARK; and Railroads in New Jersey.  His magazine articles, including a cover story in National Geographic, have covered the state’s natural wonders.  Thousands of young people have learned their New Jersey history from You, New Jersey and the World and On the Go in New Jersey, written for third and fourth graders.  New Jersey:  A Mirror on America is widely used in secondary schools and colleges.  He has made over 20 documentary films, receiving an Emmy for his film on immigration, Dreams of Distant Shores, and he has been honored by the American Association for State and Local History, the New Jersey Audubon Society, and the Great Swamp Watershed Association.  He co-founded the New Jersey Historical Commission, and has served as its chair and as president of the New Jersey Historical Society.

John has not forgotten that Drew is an integral part of New Jersey.  His University in the Forest, first published in 1990, has been revised twice.  He and Regina Diverio G’96 published a pictorial survey of Drew in The College History Series (Arcadia, 2000). This past April he held a Drew audience spellbound on the subject of his 50th and latest book, The Uncertain Revolution:  Washington and the Continental Army at Morristown.  His planned gift to Drew will fund a College of Liberal Arts scholarship in his name and that of his late wife, Dorothy.

Nor has Drew been unaware of John.  This is his third Alumni/ae Achievement Award, following the Award in the Arts in 1955 and the Service Award in 1980.  He was the first alumnus to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and received one of his eight honorary degrees from Drew in 1976. Rutgers has called John “Mr. Jersey,” but as we present him with the Lifetime Achievement Award, we are proud to call him “Mr. Drew.”

Victor was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2020.

Víctor A. Pérez Flores came to New Jersey in 2004 from the Dominican Republic and settled in his new hometown, Plainfield. While in high school, he had many caring and supportive teachers that encouraged him to continue onto higher education. One of them, Ms. Mary M. Banta, may she rest in peace, introduced and guided him onto the right path to the verdant and charming forest that is Drew University. Once on campus, the Educational Opportunity Scholars (EOS/EOF) further supported him academically, financially, and emotionally as he began and continued his trek through this educational forestry.

In his time on campus, Víctor majored in Psychology and Spanish; he is grateful for the support and guidance he received from his advisors and mentors, Drs. Cermele, Jennings, and Rosales. While earning his degrees, Víctor also held multiple roles, such as working as an instructional technology servicer for classroom equipment, tutor, peer counselor, peer mentor, interpreter, receptionist, transcriber, driver, and student staff for on-campus events. Moreover, he was a member of honor societies such as Chi Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Delta Pi.

There were many adventures outside the forest as well; Víctor participated in many international programs while at Drew University. During his four years there, he scaled from member to board member, and later co-chair of the Drew Honduras Project (DHP). While in DHP, Víctor was able to volunteer his time and energy, working with children of lower economic resources, both in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. He attended a semester abroad in Seville, Spain, and had the opportunity to travel to and learn about nearby European and African countries. He later participated in a Drew International Seminar (DIS) to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

After graduating in 2013, Víctor went off to work as a community support service provider and senior case manager for Hope House, a division of Catholic Family and Community Services. There, he took on several roles assisting the communities within Morris County and adjacent. His primary role was working with individuals infected with HIV to remove barriers to care and achieve viral suppression. Víctor’s desire to help and to become a competent provider led him to seek further training. In 2014, while working full-time, he started a Master’s program in Counseling, with a focus in Clinical Mental Health.

Víctor completed his program from Kean University in 2017 and received his diploma in May 2018. Since then, Víctor has worked as a bilingual clinician in Morris County, and as an Intensive In-community Clinician, working with children, adolescents, and their families throughout New Jersey. At the time of this writing, Víctor is enrolled as a full-time doctoral student at Kean University for a Ph.D. program in Counseling and Supervision; there, he also works as a doctoral assistant and holds a co-teaching internship.

Since graduation at Drew, Víctor has maintained a strong connection with the forest; he has returned for intramural volleyball tournaments, guest presented for the EOS summer program, DHP events, and has maintained great friendships with fellow alumni.

Keisha was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award at Reunion 2019.

Keisha Higgs began her career at the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in February 2000 as a community justice intern while completing her senior year at Drew University. Upon graduation from Drew with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and philosophy, she joined the office full-time. Initially hired as a municipal court advocate in the Victim Witness Unit, Keisha worked with victims of domestic violence. She was a tireless advocate for victims’ rights and helped them navigate their way through the criminal justice system.

Keisha worked her way through the ranks within the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and was promoted to the role of detective in August of 2004.  She attended the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice Academy and graduated in December 2004. Since then, Keisha has been assigned to work in several investigative units, including General Investigation, Narcotics/Special Enforcement, Domestic Violence, Weapons Return, Bias Crimes, Juvenile, Missing Persons and Community Affairs.

In August 2016, Keisha was promoted to the role of detective supervisor and was assigned to supervise both the Juvenile and Missing Persons units. In September of 2017, Keisha was promoted to Sergeant of the Family Division, where she currently supervises the Domestic Violence, Weapons Return, Bias Crimes, Juvenile, Missing Persons and Community Affairs units.

In addition to her regular assignments, Keisha is a certified crisis negotiation team member, a field training officer, a certified police instructor and a member of the Morris County Rapid Deployment Team (RDT). The RDT’s role is to provide law enforcement support to local law enforcement commanders during a critical incidents.

Keisha is currently the vice president for the New Jersey Police Community Affairs Officers Association, and a member of the Police Benevolent Association Local 327 and New Jersey Women in Law Enforcement Inc. In the past, she has served on the executive boards of the Morris County Urban League, the Calvary Baptist Church Community Development Committee, the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Executive Committee and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) Northern New Jersey Chapter.

Throughout her career, Keisha has been widely recognized for her community involvement and has received awards from the Morristown Neighborhood House, New Jersey Women in Law Enforcement, New York/New Jersey Asian American Law Enforcement Advisory Committee, the Phi Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., NOBLE Northern New Jersey Chapter, the Morris County Branch of the NAACP, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Detectives Clinic of Metropolitan New Jersey and New York.  She has also received numerous commendations and letters of recognition for both her investigative work and her dedication to the community.

Cordelza was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2018.

Joel was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2017.

Joel Núñez, PhD C’96 came to campus with a goal to build a foundation for a life of service. His dedication and commitment to those facing life challenges has resulted in just that—a career that has improved the lives of countless individuals.

After graduating with honors in psychology—and giving the student address at his class’ Commencement ceremony—he went on to receive his PhD in psychology from Pennsylvania State University, where he was awarded the prestigious Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. After receiving his PhD, he completed a pre-doctoral clinical internship at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/UMDNJ, then went on to work as a bilingual clinical psychologist at an inpatient psychiatric hospital, later earning his license to practice psychology in 2006. He then served as a consultant psychologist at a residential facility in Totowa, New Jersey, treating adolescents and adults, while also providing clinical supervision for psychologists-in-training at an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Today, Joel owns and operates Prov 205 LLC, a group psychotherapy practice in Bayonne, New Jersey, where he and his team of psychologists treat individuals, couples and families facing various challenges in life.

Joel is a published author and public speaker appearing locally and nationally on topics of mental health, self-care and optimizing human performance. He serves as an elder at the Cityline Church of Jersey City, where he teaches and provides professional pastoral counseling. He lives in Summit with his wife, Deyanira, and his three children Nia, Lucas and Mateo.

Miguel was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2016.

Barbara was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2015.

Many students fall in love with Drew’s campus, and Barbara Camacho was one of them. The green grass, the trees, the arboretum all called to her, but so did the realization that there was no limit to what she could learn and do with a Drew education. She relished the opportunity to learn from people more diverse than she knew at home in Jersey City. She says that her experience as a Drew Educational Opportunity Scholar gave her a whole other way to look at life.

Barbara was inspired by volunteering at Drew, becoming part of a community that would speak against injustice and make a difference, and was active in the Honduras Project and KUUMBA. English Professor Sandra Jamieson took an interest in Barbara’s development, helping her to acquire the tools that have served her well. The Drew International Seminar to Russian was “incredible,” and Barbara’s dream is to found a study-abroad scholarship to give more students an international experience. She graduated with a major in sociology and minors in English and Russian Studies, as well as membership in two honor societies. Twannah Ellington of the EOS Office guided her interest in law, although Barbara initially pursued an MBA program at St. Peter’s College.

Upon receiving the JD degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2007, Barbara clerked for a presiding judge at the Superior Court of New Jersey in Morris County. She then spent three years as an attorney with the American Friends Service Committee’s KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) Fellow program, providing free and low-cost legal services involving immigration—work that helped her to fully realize her deep need to give back to the community. In 2011 she moved to Fragomen Worldwide, where she had worked as a paralegal before her law degree. Fragomen, which specializes in immigration law, appointed Barbara as a three-year Fragomen Fellow, enhancing the pro bono immigration services offered by the City Bar Justice Center in New York City. In October 2014, she was named Fragomen’s first pro bono manager, responsible for coordinating, training and mentoring Fragomen attorneys in its 17 offices throughout the United States as they assist clients with such problems as asylum, deportation and immigration benefits. Barbara is active in attorney associations relating to immigration.

Barbara still lives in Jersey City, with her husband, David Wiggan, a quality control manager for Columbia Group, and their 5-year-old daughter, Taina Imani. Barbara is involved in community issues, keeps David company when he fishes, and enjoys church, museums and family time. David’s mother, a retired high school principal in Jamaica, makes Barbara and David aware of the many students there who drop out for lack of school fees, and in consequence they have created the Wiggan Family Scholarship for high school students there.

Janice was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2014.

Dorothea was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2012.

Christopher was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2011.

Christopher Chambers C’91 expects a lot from the students he teaches at Northeastern University in Boston. He gives tough readings and asks tough questions.

Based on comments from his students, his teaching methods are successful. “I absolutely admire you as a professor,” one student wrote in a recent email. “You are always engaging my peers and myself in thought-provoking conversations, challenging our pre-conceived notions, and offering us great texts to read.”

Chambers teaches courses in sociology and African-American studies, covering topics like race and ethnic relations; race, class and gender; and race and social identity. He is also the head faculty adviser for undergraduates in Northeastern’s sociology department.

“I am most proud that I am capable of making an impact on those who I teach,” says Chambers, who is finishing up his second year at Northeastern.

As an undergraduate at Drew, Chambers saw himself working for the U.S. State Department one day. A political science major and student government vice president, he came to Drew as a transfer student largely because of the United Nations semester. But when he worked as a resident adviser, he was inspired to follow a career path working with college students instead.

A master’s degree in student personnel management from the University of Maryland accelerated Chambers’ career in student affairs. As he moved from positions at Maryland to Dartmouth, he found himself continually leading programs for students, faculty and staff on the topic of diversity. It left him wondering: why didn’t diversity training facilitate change in an institution? He questioned what he was doing and why; he questioned how universities did diversity work. He wasn’t seeing a transformation, and that frustrated him.

Simultaneously, Chambers enrolled in a sociology class at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. “I discovered that sociologists were asking those same types of questions,” says Chambers. “Sociology offered a raw honesty that appealed to me. It offered an opportunity to think a lot about the structures and systems. In that moment, I saw where I needed to be.”

He went on to earn graduate degrees in sociology from the University of Florida and from Texas A&M, studying under one of the most renowned scholars of race in the field of sociology, former American Sociological Association president Dr. Joe Feagin. Campbell’s doctoral dissertation—“Reclaiming Blackness: Narratives of Racial Kinship in Black Gay Men’s Sexual Stories”—was completed in 2010.

Chambers credits his time as an undergraduate at Drew with making him who he is today. “When I came to Drew, I became enamored with its more progressive communities of people,” he recalls. “I saw people who knew who they were, people with integrity. It was exactly what I wanted to have, and it allowed me to come out of my shell and begin to define myself. I wouldn’t be the person I am without Drew.”

He fondly recalls two Drew professors—Bill Messmer and Doug Simon—for inspiring him, demanding that he do his best and having faith in him; he also is grateful for the then-assistant director of student activities, Pat Peek, someone, he says, “who could help you locate a miracle when you needed one.”

De’Andre was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2010.

When De’Andre Salter followed his sister, Cynthia Salter-Lewis  C’88, to Drew, who knew that he would ultimately succeed in not just one, but multiple fields:  business, philanthropy, ministry, and scholarship?  And when Cynthia won the Frances B. Sellers Award in 1998, who knew that they would keep it in the family?  But although De’Andre may have followed in his sister’s footsteps, his achievements are very much his own.

De’Andre says his economics professor, Dr. Vivian Bull, was a major influence in his life; she encouraged him to embrace culture while teaching him international economics in the Brussels Semester.  It was not his economics major, however, but 1992’s sour economy that drew him into the insurance field—he was interested in a Wall Street career, but Chubb, where he had interned, offered him a job.  From there he moved to Crum & Forster, where he developed, launched, and managed the directors and officers line of business.  He is now chief executive officer of his own firm, Professional Risk Solutions LLC, based in Somerset, New Jersey, specializing in directors and officers liability insurance for publicly traded companies.  Since its founding in 2001, his company has grown to gross written premiums of $70 million and opened offices in Pennsylvania and Florida.  De’Andre, who was named to The Network Journal’s 40 Under Forty in 2005, is often quoted in the press, is in demand as a conference speaker, and also serves as an expert witness in directors and officers litigation.

His successful business career is not the whole story.  For years De’Andre resisted the call to Christian ministry, but he finally embarked upon a five-year apprenticeship in 2001.  Five years later, following his grandmother (Newark’s first woman pastor) and his mother, he became a pastor, and now serves without compensation as senior pastor of The Tabernacle, a non-denominational ministry in South Plainfield, New Jersey.  He holds a Masters in Biblical Studies from The Kings Seminary in Los Angeles, and since 2007 his summers have included studying theology as a Fellow of Keble College, Oxford.

In 2007, De’Andre and his wife, novelist Terry Jones Salter, created the Salter Foundation for Hope.  The Foundation, still in its formative stage, helps to spur economic development by providing opportunity to those in need, and supports Christian institutions that do likewise.  De’Andre says he gains his greatest satisfaction from being able to help others by creating jobs and treating people well, and he especially enjoys the connectivity of ministry.

De’Andre and Terry live in Chester, New Jersey with their four children:  Dejahn (13), Destiny (12), Dorian (10), and Davin, newly adopted from Ethiopia at age five.  They all enjoy traveling, especially in England, Italy, and Hawaii.

De Lacy was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2009.

De Lacy Davis been intimately involved with Newark, New Jersey, all his life, but he has also taken his Drew education with him around the world.

De Lacy credits his Newark Performing Arts High School music teacher, with inspiring him to attend Drew under the Educational Opportunity Scholars program that Frances B. Sellers so ably served.  The Drew experience, he says, changed “the trajectory of his life.”  He found Professor Julius Mastro’s mentoring invaluable as he coped with campus life in a very new environment.

Emerging from Drew with an English major, De Lacy joined the East Orange (N.J.) Police Department, where he became sergeant in 1998 and continued until his retirement in 2006.  He taught at the Essex County Policy Academy, served as president and vice president of the Police Benevolent Association, Local #16, and has been executive director of the East Orange Police Athletic League since 1999.  Disturbed by the nation’s high incidence of police brutality, he spoke out against police officers who used brutal means to enforce the law.  In 1991 he founded Black Cops Against Police Brutality, and is the author of best-selling Black Cops Against Brutality:  A Crisis Action Plan.  In 1993 he was invited to serve on Governor Jim McGreevey’s Transition Team for the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

In 1994 De Lacy received the prestigious Renault Robinson Award by the National Black Police Association, which he later served as the Northeast Region President of the Association for four years.  In 1997 he led a Northeast delegation to Washington, D.C. to testify before the Congressional Black Caucus’ Committee hearings on police brutality, and he has also served as an expert witness. He has appeared many times in the news media and in films and documentaries. He has received three United States Congressional Awards, as well as awards from New Jersey, New York, and California.

De Lacy has also established strong connections abroad.  In 1994 he traveled with a Newark delegation to establish a sister city relationship with Kumasi, Ghana, and traveled again to Ghana in 2001 as a guest of President John A. Kufuor.  Three years later, visiting Ghana with 26 young people from East Orange, De Lacy was enstooled (installed) as a chief in the Village of Anum Apapam.  He has also traveled to Rome to meet with Pope John Paul II on behalf of juvenile offenders, and to Cuba and South Africa.

De Lacy, who earned a Master of Administrative Science degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2002, has returned to Drew to respond to student needs and requests, including celebrations of Black History Month and Kwanzaa.  Currently he is School Leader of the Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School in Newark.  He still lives in Newark, where his daughter,

A-La, has graduated from Arts High School with a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music.  His four adopted children, Jarisa Brannon-Davis, Karim Cockrell, LaJuan Henry, and Mahogany Gray, are all in their 20s.

Teresa was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2008.

Rochelle was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2007.

Rochelle Galiber has proved that she is not afraid of change or challenge, and that she is always ready to work for the welfare of others.

Rochelle couldn’t wait to be challenged by college.  This native of St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, chose Drew because she could be admitted at age 16, without a high-school diploma.  After graduation, she used her chemistry major at Drew Chemical in Boonton, New Jersey.  When a paralegal course sparked her interest in the law, she pursued the J.D. at night at Rutgers Law School while continuing as a chemist.  She earned her degree in 1986 and worked in environmental litigation for almost 20 years, initially with Lowenstein Sandler in New Jersey.

Life changed again when Rochelle adopted her niece, Derryle Marie.  Seeking an optimal environment for a sheltered island preteen, Rochelle moved to Ashland Petroleum Company in Kentucky in 1990 and then to Marathon Ashland Petroleum in Findlay, Ohio.  She has wonderful memories of this time of raising Derryle, and of a fulfilling legal career with unique and challenging cases that provided opportunities to work with excellent colleagues.

An early retirement in 2003 and another major career change have allowed Rochelle to spend more time with her aging parents in the Virgin Islands and Ohio. Drawing on her memories of baking for pleasure and profit in middle school through college, she established www.AuntiesRumCakes.com.  She enhanced her mother’s recipe to produce a quality product that is rapidly gaining in reputation and popularity on line, in the Virgin Islands and in the United States.

Rochelle has never lost sight of her desire to volunteer—to “give until it hurts,… and then give some more.”  She has served on the board of many organizations, including her church, condo, the NAACP, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Leadership Tri-State, performing arts foundations, the Lupus Foundation and the American Heart Association.  She has also initiated diversity networks and facilitated diversity initiative programs.

Rochelle continues to divide her time between Ohio and St. Thomas.  Auntie’s Rum Cakes are made for individuals and restaurants in both locations . . . the delightful aroma permeates her Findlay home and the Crystal Palace Bed-and-Breakfast.  She rejoices in new Drew connections—her cousins!  Zachary Gundel is a freshman and Tiphanie Yanique has just become assistant professor of English. Of course, both are fans of Auntie’s Rum Cakes!

Wendy was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2005.

Angela was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2004.

Lorna was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2003.

Lorna Hines-Cunningham’s career is a success story.  Through her work, she can enable others to write their own success stories–surely an endeavor that would have earned her the approval of Frances B. Sellers.

Lorna describes her choice of Drew as a “total accident.”  Dissatisfied with her Bronx high school’s guidance counseling, she consulted a friend at the Harlem College Assistance Project who led her to Drew.  Although she found a significant and “scary” difference in environment between The Forest and the Bronx, she plunged into studies and activities–from Hyera to Educational Opportunity Scholars events, from the Acorn to Students Against the Vietnam War–that made her a consummate student advocate and profoundly affected her life.  She speaks enthusiastically of her sociology major and the influence of Inez Nelbach, Joan Steiner, James Mills, Alton Sawin, Sara Griebel of Drew’s counseling center, and Jim O’Kane.

It was O’Kane who directed Lorna toward Columbia University School of Social Work, where she earned a master’s in social work with honors in 1975.  During an extensive and successful career in behavioral health she has acquired additional credentials and training in psychoanalysis, family systems treatment, cultural competence, trauma, incest, and child sexual abuse.

Since 2000 Lorna has been network director for behavioral health at the Generations Plus Manhattan Network, after two years as associate executive director.  Currently she is responsible for clinical and administrative oversight of behavioral departments within Harlem, Lincoln, and Metropolitan Hospitals in New York City.  She came to Generations Plus from the Brooklyn Children’s Psychiatric Center, where as deputy director she had major administrative and clinical responsibilities.  She also has a private psychotherapy practice, and since 1989 she has been adjunct associate professor at New York University’s School of Social Work.  She claims her greatest professional satisfaction from developing a residential care center for long-term psychiatric patients at Rockland Psychiatry Center in 1989, and from initiating and developing an outreach program, “A Time for Healing,” to assist the Generations Plus community in coping with the World Trade Center disaster.  Her list of publications, chiefly on family violence, child sexual abuse, and trauma, is extensive.

Lorna and her husband, Paul Cunningham, live in Teaneck, New Jersey with their three children:  Jennifer, 20, a junior at Penn State; Joiselle, 18, entering Duke University in the fall, and Michael, 8.  They describe themselves as devout members of Christ Episcopal Church in Teaneck.

Arthur was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2002.

George-Harold was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2001.

Michelle was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 2000.

Cynthia was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1999.

Alice was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1998.

Nishica was posthumously honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1997.

Jo was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1996.

Leon was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1995.

Domitilia was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1994.

Angie was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1993.

Rosa was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1992.

Yvette was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1991.

Jose was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1990.

Ethel was honored with the Frances B. Sellers Award during Reunion 1989.

Rob Benacchio C’98 is the 2023 recipient of the Alumni Service Award. He graduated from Drew, majoring in political science and economics, and then he graduated from Seton Hall Law School in 2001 and clerked for The Hon. Peter Verniero, C ’81, of the New Jersey State Supreme Court. After 15 years in private practice, he became a founding member of Commercial Realty Partners LLC, a commercial real estate brokerage and development firm, where he now serves as Vice President and General Counsel.   

Despite Rob’s demanding career, he always made time for Drew. He joined the executive board of the College Alumni Association upon graduation and completed a four-year term as president in 2019. He grew the Board and implemented a committee-based structure. Board developments during Rob’s tenure include a volunteer admissions network, career-related programming to supplement the offerings of the career services department, the creation of a Drew Law Network, and greater diversity on the Board.

Rob lives in Westfield with his wife Michele and three children, Layla, Kara, and RJ.  He is a soccer, basketball, and softball coach and was elected to the Westfield Board of Education in 2021.

Peggy was honored with the Alumni Service Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2021.

At Drew, Peggy was Secretary of her freshman class, and as a political science major, she participated in both the London and Washington Semester programs. She was Academic Assistant to Dr. Robert Smith during her senior year as well as a dorm counselor.

After graduating cum laude in 1965, Peggy received a Richard King Mellon Fellowship from the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She graduated with a Master of Regional Planning degree in 1967 and spent the next 4 years as Deputy Director of Planning at the Urban Redevelopment Authority in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Peggy returned to Drew in 1971 with her then husband and Drew graduate Dr. Edward Domber who was beginning his career teaching at Drew in the Psychology Department. She was active in the Faculty Wives Club. While raising their two sons, Peggy spent 6 years as Executive Director of the Chatham, NJ Chamber of Commerce and then returned to full-time work in 1984 as an Assistant V.P. and Director of the Advisory Council at the Chatham Trust Company. As a Senior Vice President at Chatham Trust, she serviced the Drew University account. On the day of the Mead Hall fire [8/24/1989], Peggy came to the campus and assured Interim President Scott McDonald that the payroll would be put through without the necessary paperwork and that any financial requests would be quickly reviewed by the Bank.

From 1992 to 2006, Peggy served on the Board of the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey located on the campus of Drew University. She was President of the Board for 5 years and was instrumental in the successful $7.5M Capital Campaign to expand and completely renovate the old Bowne Theater into the state of the art F.M.Kirby Shakespeare Theatre.

Throughout the mergers of Chatham Trust into Summit Trust Co., Fleet Bank and finally Bank of America, Peggy continued as a SVP and Director of the expanded Advisory Council which was composed of attorneys and accountants who referred new business prospects to the Bank. The success of this incentive program resulted in her selection by the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence to serve on their inaugural Advisory Council and to participate in meetings in the USA, Europe and Asia.

Peggy retired from Bank of America in 2005 in order to enjoy her 4 grandchildren and to travel extensively with her fiancé Emil Baur in the USA, Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Africa. Sadly, Emil died in December, 2019. She has continued researching her family history and currently serves on the Board of the Morris Area Genealogical Society.

Richard was honored with the Service Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2020.

Richard Jordan Rice lives in Interlaken, N.Y,, in the beautiful Finger Lakes, with Nancy, his wife. They are just two days short of their 63r d wedding anniversary. They have four children, three of whom have Drew degrees: David, C’81, Elin, C’84, and Martha, T’13. John graduated from American University in 1982. Richard and Nancy also have nine grandchildren.

Richard is attending his 66t h Drew reunion. He graduated from Brothers College in 1954 and from Theological School in 1958. He also received a Master of Sacred Theology with emphasis on urban ministry from New York Theological School in 1973. He was ordained as a Deacon in 1957 and an Elder in 1959 and served his entire ministry in the New York Annual Conference. His appointments were to Gaylordsville, Ct., Grace, Brooklyn and St. Paul’s Brooklyn, Stony Brook, N.Y., and Newburgh, N.Y., He served as District Superintendent of the Metropolitan District and Associate Executive Director of the United Methodist City Society. In retirement he served four churches—Nichols in Trumbull, Ct., Katonah, N.Y., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and Park Avenue in Manhattan—and one year as interim Superintendent in the Long Island East District.

His alumni involvement with Drew began with his filling a vacancy on the Board of Directors in 1999. He served on the Board of Directors for many years and was elected President in 2001. During that time the Board engaged in a process of self-reflection. Out of that study came many changes to the operation of the Board, the establishment of a new committee, the Alumni College, and the development of new regional Drew Clubs. He enjoyed his association with the NYC Club. He served on The Alumni College committee for several years setting up weekend trips to various historical areas and arranging for classes taught by professors at the annual reunions. One of the favorites was a panel presentation on election years. He also was a member of the Nominating Committee, with special attention to those being nominated to the College Hall of Fame.

Charley was honored with the Service Award at Reunion 2019.

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Charley Berg lives in Huntington, Long Island, where he practices law across a range of legal specialties including: foreclosure, bankruptcy, professional malpractice, criminal defense and family/matrimonial law. A large segment of his time is spent in Surrogate’s Court litigating wills, estates and trusts. In arguments before the New York Court of Appeals in Albany, Charley has established legal precedents including a minimum one-year standard for statutes of limitations and inclusion of real estate appraisers into the class of professionals subject to malpractice under New York’s statute.

After Drew, Charley completed his master’s degree in 1976 at SUNY Stony Brook which included interdisciplinary research under Professor of Physics Dr. Thomas F. Irving. His research topic, “the Role for Corporations in Environmental Management”, included then emerging concerns such as aerosol propellants, non-phosphate detergents, waste disposal, excess packaging and recycling. Nascent and visionary in 1976, these product concerns have increasingly figured into all discussion of our planet’s future.

After a 20 year career managing the family food service business started by his father, Charley received his Juris Doctorate from the Fuchsberg School of Law at Touro University in 1993 and passed the bar examinations in New York and New Jersey that same year.

Admitted to practice in various federal districts, Charley was sworn into the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1999. As an officer of the Suffolk (County) Academy of Law Charley has lectured on various topics. One nine-hour, three-part series, “Getting Paid; Collecting What’s Due Without Jeopardizing Your Professionalism or Your Clients’ Well-Being”, is still accessible and requested seven years after its initial airing. A sought-after editor, Charley is currently researching “The Statute of Limitations in Foreclosure Actions; Restarts, Recommencements and De-accelerations in Mortgage Foreclosures”.

Charley is a lifetime member at the South Huntington Jewish Center where he serves variously as lay cantor, associate choir director and shofar blower. As the business manager and frequent performer with the Smithtown Community Band, Charley was instrumental in fundraising beginning in 2007, which saved that season’s concerts and has elevated the band to a respected cultural institution. They perform weekly every summer for more than 2,000 concertgoers each season. Charley also serves as corporate counsel to the Long Island Choral Society. Currently in their 90th season, the Choral Society is Long Island’s oldest, continually performing artistic group.

As a Drew undergraduate, Charley was a member of the University Chorale, Performing Ensemble and Varsity Tennis Team. He also re-founded and co-chaired the Jewish Students’ Organization, participated in both the London and Washington Semesters and starred in “Guys and Dolls” as Nathan Detroit.

Since graduation, Charley served 17 years as a member of the College Alumni Association Board and chaired various committees, including the Reunion committee for the first two college reunions under then newly installed University President Governor Thomas H. Kean. Charley was an admissions volunteer and represented Drew at college fairs across Long Island.

In 2000, Charley served as the University’s delegate at the inauguration of The Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III T’82 as president of the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury. Alongside Jon Schwieger C’65, Charley also began a Long Island regional club that successfully sponsored well-attended social/cultural events.

Gary was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2018.

Dr. Gary C. Powell is a Learning & Development Innovator, Human Centered Designer and Big Thinker with over 25 years of progressive experience developing and implementing robust training solutions.  Gary is a solution-oriented technical expert and analyst on complex training programs addressing organizational issues.  Dr. Powell has been recognized for outstanding communication skills, flexibility, keen political savvy, creativity, resourcefulness, and leadership abilities. Gary is also skilled in design thinking, user experience, ideation and innovation in government.  Currently, Dr. Powell serves as the Training Officer of the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (a part of FEMA).

Professionally, Gary is described as being highly creative, resourceful, solutions-oriented, bold, upbeat, entrepreneurial, and positive — all with a philanthropic spirit and global perspective.  At home, his family just sees him as a loving, Christ-centered, husband and dad.

Dr. Gary C. Powell is married to Kiris and has three children: Gable (10), Edyson (15) and Nia (25).  He lives, plays and serves in Reston, VA.  Gary is the Public Relations Chair & PTA Liaison of Reston Cub Scout Pack 32, where Gable is a Webelos.  He is has been the Chair of the DC Drew Alumni Club for the past three years.  Gary works with several local non-profit organizations, such as the OKK Foundation, Cornerstones, the Reston Chamber of Commerce and the Imagination Stage Theater.  Gary has been a financial member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. since 1996.  He grew up in East Orange, NJ (where his parents still reside), and graduated from Drew in 1987 with a degree in Psychobiology.  At Drew, Gary was probably most known for being a DJ on (and General Manager of) WMNJ-FM, and for being the weekend DJ in the pub.  His handle was “Gary C. in the place to be spinning live on the wheels of steel!”

Bill was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2017.

For more than 50 years, Bill Stanford C’62 has provided extraordinary service and dedication to his classmates, Drew University and the world at large. Before earning his degree in political science, he participated in nearly 10 clubs and two varsity sports, and has long served his classmates as a champion of reunion outreach and fundraising.

After graduation, he served four years in the Navy as a destroyer gunnery officer, afterwards remaining in the Naval Reserve until 1978, leaving with the rank of Lieutenant-Commander. Once his active duty was over he returned to Drew as an admissions counselor, visiting 322 high schools in 11 states over a 23-week period. From there he moved on to Lehigh University, where he stayed for 34 years as the director of Financial Aid.

Currently, Bill serves as volunteer chair of Drew’s New Founders Society, and along with his wife, Mimi, he established the William E. and Mimi A. Stanford Scholarship Fund in 2013. He has two sons, Jason (who is married to a Drew alumna), and Graham, and lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Steve was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2017.

Bruce was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2016.

Erin was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2015.

Joe was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2014.

Tom was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2013.

Tom was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2013.

Harry was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2011.

Michelle was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2010.

Michelle Hampton’s dreams for college came true, and she has spent her life helping others achieve their own dreams.

As a child, Michelle was fascinated by Drew’s stone wall when her family passed through Madison every year during their summer vacation.  When the time came, she applied nowhere else.  She has wonderful memories of staging and acting in theatre productions under the tutelage of Buzz McLaughlin and Dan LaPenta, of psychology classes with Phil Jensen and Jim Mills, of the smell of autumn leaves late at night on the campus, of bandit squirrels raiding the bookstore’s nut-laden candy bars.

Michelle went into retail sales after graduation, but a vacancy in Drew’s Admissions Office lured her back to campus in 1987.  She spent four years here before moving on to increasingly responsible positions in admissions at Catawba College, Rider University, and Pennsylvania Institute of Technology, interrupted by a two-year stint as college counselor at the Wardlaw-Hartridge School.  All her counseling work was driven by her desire that all students, no matter what college they chose, would feel the way she did about Drew:  that their college was the right one for them, and that it was a wonderful experience.

In 2003 she looked for a job closer to home in Ewing, New Jersey, and joined the Educational Testing Service.  After three years as client service coordinator for the Advanced Placement, PSAT/NMSQT, CLEP, and SAT tests, she moved to her current work with the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  As associate director of client relations, she helps educational institutions understand the TOEFL and keep up with changes in the test.

Because Michelle had earned a Gold D for her involvement in Drew’s student life, she was quickly recruited by Alumni Relations.  Over the years she has been invaluable to many of Drew’s alumni efforts.  She served a long stint as Class Secretary, and she has been very active in CAA as a member of the Board, the Reunion Committee, and the Alumni College Advisory Board, and as chair of the Admissions/DART (Drew Alumni Recruitment Team) Committee.  Inevitably, perhaps, she has found her work with prospective students the most rewarding.

One would think that work and Drew would leave Michelle with no leisure time whatever.  On the contrary, the extensive travel involved in her job gives her great opportunities to enjoy her favorite activities – theatre, museums, galleries, shopping – around the world.  At home, she enjoys staying in close touch with family and friends.

Linda was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2009.

To call Linda Eaton Connors a long-time Drew librarian doesn’t say it all.  Her attachment to the Drew library extends back to her College days, and she has also devoted an appreciable part of her personal life to Drew’s benefit.  As she says, “the luckiest of us don’t have to leave.”

Linda arrived at Drew from high school in Cranford, New Jersey, after a childhood in Maine.  Her enthusiasm for study and research drew her to the library, where she soon convinced Library Director Arthur Jones to hire her as a part-time student employee.  After graduating cum laude with a history major, she returned to the library’s Order Department.  She began library school at Rutgers in 1966 and earned her M.L.S. degree in 1970.

Linda served as Catalog Librarian and Acquisitions Librarian before heading the Acquisitions Department in 1973.  She was named Head of Acquisitions and Collection Development in 1986, Associate Librarian in 1996, and Senior Librarian in 2006, still with primary responsibility for collection development.  She is celebrating her very recent retirement.

Andrew Scrimgeour, Dean of Libraries, remarked upon Linda’s career in the Spring 2009 library newsletter, Visions:  “Like works of art, superior academic libraries are . . . the cumulative triumph of careful choices . . . requiring the skills of a scholar-librarian-bibliographer-diplomat-economist-alchemist.  The Drew Library stacks . . . are eloquent testimony to Linda Connors’ persistent artistry over thirty-five years.”  Linda is proud of achieving a notable collection with limited resources, always working for the benefit of the library and the entire University.

Linda’s contributions go far beyond the library.  A devoted alumna, she has been part of the College Alumni/ae Association since 1994, and has served on its Executive, Nominating, and Admissions Committees.  She was instrumental in launching Alumni/ae College in 2003, has chaired its Advisory Board and recruited faculty for the Board and as session presenters, and has consistently advocated for its programming.  Alumni/ae College quickly reached a critical mass in 2004 and continues to draw graduates back to Drew.

Linda has not forsaken her love of history.  She earned M.A.(1981) and Ph.D. (1994) degrees in history from Rutgers, and has published articles and presented papers in her field of interest, the 19th-century British periodical press.  She and Mary Lu MacDonald, a Canadian historian, are completing a book on the role of early 19th-century periodicals in forming national identity in Britain and Canada.

Linda and Frank Connors were married in 1963.  They live in Madison, and enjoy their family:  sons Daniel and Martin, and Daniel’s wife, Anna, and their daughter, Victoria.

Carolyn was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2007.

When Drew University talks about preparing students for service through the liberal arts, Carolyn Knox immediately comes to mind.  Her desire to serve others extends around the world.

Carolyn followed her great-grandfather, James G. Johnston T’1877, and her father, Charles T. Benjamin C’43, to The Forest, and she in turn was followed by two sisters, Marilyn Benjamin Wassmann C’71 and Jacalyn Benjamin Johnson C’76.  Carolyn graduated with a zoology major and served Drew for three years as Admissions Office counselor and synchronized swimming coach.  Realizing that her heart was in science, she earned an M.S. in nursing in 1972 from New York Medical College’s Linehart School of Nursing.  During this time she met and married William Tyndale Knox IV, then a Harvard Law School student.  Leaving hospital nursing because she preferred longer-term relationships with patients, she returned to Drew as the infirmary’s head nurse.

After her daughter, Emily (C’96), was born in 1974, Carolyn spent 16 years concentrating on her family, which grew to include William V and Jonathan.  She remained active as a volunteer with Sunday School and Scout groups, and in synchronized swimming at Drew and also at the Somerset Hills YMCA, where she received the volunteer of the year award for 28 years of synchro coaching.  On Drew’s College Alumni/ae Board, she worked hard for six years to enhance Reunion.  When Emily became a Drew theatre arts major, Carolyn actively gathered properties and costumes for DUDS performances, just as she had done when Emily was younger.

Especially notable is Carolyn’s connection with foreign exchange students—she has hosted over 80 young people to date, sometimes several at a time as her former guests return to visit.  They keep in touch:  Carolyn has attended seven weddings around the world and is “Grandmother USA” to 15 children.  She dreams that the relationships formed at her kitchen table may in time foster peace.

As her children grew Carolyn returned to nursing, working with some of New Jersey’s special-needs children at the Matheny School in Peapack and later at Bonnie Brae School in Liberty Corner.  Now retired, she has just spent a month volunteering in Papua New Guinea, nursing in primitive villages deep in the jungle and at a coastal hospital.  When her husband retires they plan to build a house on Italy’s Adriatic coast.  In the meantime, she enjoys being a grandmother to Emily’s daughter, Sophia, and assisting Emily’s work with international AIDS conferences.

Andrew was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2006.

Andy Hershey likes to make friends.  His life reflects his pleasure in making new friends and meeting new challenges, and so does his work on behalf of Drew.

A native of York, Pennsylvania, Andy realized after a year at Old Dominion University that he wanted a different school.  Drew’s size, the Computer Initiative, and the proximity of New York lured him to The Forest.  After growing up in a very homogeneous area, he was fascinated and challenged by Drew, where his horizons grew, his mind opened, and he learned how to move into the real world.  He thrived on campus, especially enjoying his economics major and political science courses and the influence of Vivian Bull, Barbara Salmore, and then-President Kean.  In the 1989 Brussels Semester, he had the heady experience of seeing the Berlin Wall come down.

Upon graduating cum laude, Andy was drawn to a career in technology, just as he had been attracted by Drew’s emphasis on applying technology to academics.  After a first job with a printing company, he fulfilled his desire to work in technology sales by joining Hitachi Software in California.  In 1998 he moved to Computer Associates International, first in the San Francisco area and then in Virginia.  In 2001 he joined OPNET Technologies, where he is currently regional sales director for the Metro New York region.  In sales, he says, he gets paid to make friends, and he enjoys building new teams, developing new territories, and helping people solve problems through technology.

Andy is articulate about his love of Drew, his obligation to those who made Drew a special place for him, and his desire to advance Drew’s reputation.  He actively applies his talents with people and team-building to his work as an alumnus.  He helped to initiate the Drew San Francisco Bay Club and chaired its steering committee until his move to Virginia, where he now co-chairs the Washington D.C. Club steering committee.  He has been active in the College Alumni/ae Association since 1993, when as a participant in the Second Leadership Conference he gave a thoughtful evaluation.  He has chaired the Undergraduate Relations and Technology Committee for several years, and has been involved in the Development Committee, as well as serving as an economics volunteer and a Career Online Mentor.  He has been extensively involved in admissions support, and has been a Reunion Class Host and volunteer.

Until Andy met Maggie Angell, he thought coming to Drew was the best decision he ever made.  Since their marriage, he says, it runs a very close second.  Andy and Maggie, a lobbyist for the technology industry, live in Arlington, Virginia and enjoy the challenges of traveling.

Jonathan was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2005.

Joann was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2004.

Ely was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2003.

For Ely Gonick, a Drew education has helped him build bridges between the worlds of science and the humanities.

In 1941, Ely was a high-school graduate in the rural community of Walden, New York, working to earn money for college, when Drew offered him a four-year scholarship.  War intervened after his first year, but the Navy brought him right back to Drew for a year in the V-12 program.  After serving on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, he returned, graduating in 1948 with a chemistry major “and with minors in just about everything (the benefit of a liberal arts education).” He speaks eloquently of the way in which Drew enlarged a farm boy’s horizons and gave him a breadth of knowledge that has enriched his work and his life.

After earning a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at Penn State, Ely joined E. I. duPont de Nemours as a research chemist.  He was soon lured into management, ultimately becoming research director.  After 29 years with duPont he moved to International Paper in New York, where he retired as senior vice-president for technology in 1990.  The move from research to management was initially a struggle for a passionate scientist, but he found that added responsibilities enabled him to maintain his interest, draw from other fields of science, inspire others to fully capitalize on their talents, and interpret science and technology to people with more limited training.  Drew recognized his career achievements with an Alumni/ae Achievement Award in Science in 1985.

Living in New York City helped Ely to be more closely involved with Drew, and he served on the Board of Trustees from 1984 to 1990.  He was national chair of the alumni/ae phase of the Drew Dimension campaign, has served on the Alumni/ae Development Council, chaired the Drew Society/Special Gifts Committee, and is currently honorary chair of the Philadelphia Committee for the Gateways to the Future campaign.  He was Reunion gift chair in 1993 and is currently a member of the 2003 Reunion Gift Committee.  In retirement, he has taught science students at Drew (most recently a class in entropy in 2000-2001) and participated in the Alumni-in-Residence program.

Ely has especially appreciated the breadth of his Drew education since retirement has placed him in a society where few understand science.  He has always been keenly interested in music, along with philosophy and literature.  He has been energetic in raising funds for Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s Pennsylvania Academy of Music, a pre-Juilliard type of school for the nation’s most gifted musicians of all ages, and he is director emeritus of the National Choral Council’s National Chorale. Ely and his wife, Abbie, live in Lancaster and enjoy keeping up with two children, five grandchildren, and Bert the Siamese cat.

Edward was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2002.

Ronald and Steven were honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2001.

Nancy was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 2000.

Rory was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1999.

Julius was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1998.

Brenda was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1997.

David was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1996.

Lloyd was honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1995.

Eugene and Linda were honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1987.

Robert Kopech and Robert J. Bredin were honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1986.

Lewis, Richard, Robert and Aiden were honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1985.

John and Philip were honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1981.

Johnston and Vernon were honored with the Alumni Service Award during Reunion 1980.

Mike was honored with the Community Volunteer Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2021.

Mike graduated Drew in 2006 with a degree in Political Science and went on to earn his Master of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and his Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law. He has spent his professional career in the fields of public policy and the law, which have afforded him the ability to serve the community through various channels and causes.

As a Director in the Government & Regulatory Affairs Department of Gibbons P.C. − one of the largest law firms and the top lawyer-lobbying firm in New Jersey, as well as a top 200 firm in the country − Mike is an active participant in the firm’s pro bono program. He has represented or is currently representing numerous individuals at the state and federal levels in cases that involve the expungement of prior criminal records, child custody matters for a domestic violence survivor, an appeal of the denial of Medicaid insurance coverage, and the petition for asylum on behalf of an unaccompanied minor fleeing violence in their home country. He has worked with the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey’s Reentry Court Program (ReNew), where he assisted program participants with certain legal issues that may be barriers to their reentry into the community.

Mike also volunteers on the Boards of several organizations. Since 2017, he has served on the Board of Trustees for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Jersey. CASA of New Jersey is the statewide organization that supports a network of county-based CASA programs that operate in each of New Jersey’s judicial vicinages. Working through community volunteers, these programs advocate on behalf of children in foster care and other out-of-home placements to ensure their well-being and ultimate placement in safe and nurturing permanent homes.
In addition, Mike was appointed this year to the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Clean Communities Council: a comprehensive, statewide litter-abatement program created by the passage of the Clean Communities Act in 1986. He is an active member of the Board of the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s High School Mock Trial Competition and has served as a judge for the contest. And lastly, in his most adventurous volunteer effort to date, Mike is the coach of his 5-year-old son’s tee-ball team.

None of Mike’s volunteer service would be possible without the support of his beautiful wife Erin, whom he met at Drew. Mike and Erin live in Bridgewater with their two children and dog.

Ann was honored with the Volunteer Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2020.

Ann graduated from Drew in 1970 as a political science major and participated in the Washington, D.C. and London semesters. Recognizing the importance of these specialized semesters, Ann and her husband, David, have established an endowed fund to help finance the newly created New York Semester on Social Entrepreneurship. After Drew she received an MLS from the University of Maryland and joined the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston as a librarian/archivist. In 1978 she received an MBA from Simmons College in Boston and began a banking career in corporate lending with the First National Bank of Chicago in their Chicago, Dallas and Boston offices and then with Bank of New England in Boston.

Ann’s volunteer activities have been many and varied. She has volunteered in her local schools and church, was an elected Town Meeting Member and a member of Wellesley’s financial Advisory Committee.

Ann’s longest volunteer service and one of the most rewarding has been her association with Newton-Wellesley Hospital, a 313-bed acute care medical facility which is part of the Partners Healthcare network. She joined NWH as a member of the Board of Advisers in 1993 and the following year was elected to the Board of Trustees where she served on the Audit, Community Benefits and Resource Development Committees. In 2001 she became a director of the newly-formed Charitable Foundation, the purpose of which is to raise philanthropic funds for the hospital and she continues to serve on that committee. In 1999 the hospital had its first annual fund raising gala and since then she has served on most of the gala committees. Ann and her husband have been very supportive of the Palliative Care Service and in 2016 were co-chairs of the 17th annual gala which raised funds specifically for palliative care. That year a Palliative Care Council was formed and she became one of the co-chairs. The council is comprised of interested citizens who want to learn more about palliative care, become goodwill ambassadors and help raise funds dedicated to providing and expanding the palliative care service.

Ann and David now live in South Natick, MA. and continue to enjoy domestic and international travel. Close to home they love Maine and spend many weeks a year there.

Pete was honored with the Volunteer Award at Reunion 2019.

Pete Headley was an economics major at Drew and graduated in 1959. Pete was born in Sussex County, New Jersey, where there were more dairy cows than people until the mid-1950s. Pete came to Drew because his brother, Rich, was enrolled and said Pete could make the varsity basketball team. Both Pete and Rich lived with their maternal grandparents in Whippany, New Jersey, and commuted to classes on their Triumph motorcycles. Not only does Pete credit Drew for an excellent education, but he also met and fell in love with his wife of 59+ years, Jodi C’60. Pete and Jodi have four children and five grandchildren.

Immediately after college, Pete enlisted in the U.S. Army. Jodi joined Pete in in the town of Saitozake in southern Japan, located on the the island of Kyushu, where they lived for two years while he served in the U.S. Army Security Agency-Communication Intercept (MOS-059) at Hakata Station.

From 1962-1968, Pete was employed in various roles, including as an insurance agent, chief agency officer, senior vice president of marketing (including the management of New York State insurance companies) and marketing coordinator for the Teledyne Group of life and health insurance companies in Los Angeles, CA. He received his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson in Florham Park, NJ in 1969.

Pete has more than four decades of experience in life, health and disability insurance management and marketing and served on the board of directors of six insurance companies/organizations. He retired after almost 16 years as chief executive officer, president & chief marketing officer of the AMA Insurance Agency, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, a for-profit subsidiary of the American Medical Association (1988-2003). Pete started the AMA Insurance Agency, which performs all functions of an insurance company including product development but risk assumption. Pete was personally licensed in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

Pete has engaged in community service his entire life. For his church, he served on the board of trustees, administrative board and finance and building fund committees. He was a Sunday school teacher and church service greeter. Pete also is a former member of the Core Work Building Group for church-sponsored Habitat/Appalachia Service Project houses and currently serves on missions feeding the homeless and other poor segments of society. He also referees in an Upward Basketball program for children and is a Prison Mission participant for Christmas service and dinner for inmates

In 2010, Pete joined Rolling Thunder, Inc., a military veterans organization committed to helping American veterans from all wars. He is a board member, co-chaplain, assistant coordinator for Wreaths Across America for the northeast Tennessee chapter, and on the Funeral Honor Guard for veterans buried at the Mountain Home National Cemetery in Tennessee. The group makes weekly visits to the local VA hospital to see patients, play cards, conduct pizza socials and more. His chapter conducts approximately 140 events/activities for veterans annually, and in each of the past four years, Pete have participated in more than 100 of these.

Pete also is a former board director and treasurer of his Homeowners Association. He also has served the Boy Scouts for many years in troop, district and council leadership roles. Pete is an Eagle Scout with gold palm and Vigil Member of the Order of the Arrow, serving as vice chief two years and chief two years in the local lodge. He was Council Camp staff from 1951-1957, spending his last two years serving as camp program director.

For Drew University, Pete has been a fundraising volunteer, soliciting gifts from his classmates and other alumni for contributions to the Annual Fund. He also assisted the Class of 1960 in exceeding the minimum required financial goal for their Internship Fund, and established the Headley Brothers Commuters Scholarship.

Pete and Jodi now live in Johnson City, Tennessee. Pete continues to ride a motorcycle, now on a Can-AM Spider, with Jodi on the back. They travel the foothills of the Great Smokies some 10,000 miles a year.

Eleanor was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2018.

Education has been a major focus of Eleanor’s life. Inspired by her elementary school teachers, she decided to become a teacher, something that her Drew University “adventure in excellence” enabled her to pursue. After Drew, Eleanor received an MA in European History from Hunter College of the City University of New York. After six years as a teacher in various schools in New York and New Jersey, in 1968, Eleanor joined Mountain Lakes School District and over then next 26 years served in several roles. A classroom teacher (high school social studies) for 15 years, in 1983, Eleanor became a guidance counselor and ultimately, in 1988, Director of Guidance. While in that role, she was an integral part of the Child Study Team and also served as Supervisor of Instruction.

Following retirement in 1994, Eleanor continued to volunteer as a broadcaster at the Electronic Information and Education Service (a broadcasting service for the visually impaired). She then added the roles of docent at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm and Museum and tutor of English as a Second Language for Literacy Volunteers of Morris County. When Eleanor’s husband needed a heart transplant in the 1990’s, she became active at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center as a visitor for inpatients, an informal counselor, a co-editor of a newsletter, and a participant in Hearty Hearts (a support group for candidates, recipients and families). Expanding on her new passion for organ donor awareness, she joined the NJ Transplant Association where she eventually became president.

Currently, Eleanor continues her 25-year association with Beth Israel Medical Center as a patient advocate on the Institutional Review Board. In addition she supports the education of women as a member of the Philanthropic Education Organization, NJ Chapter.

Eleanor served as a member of the College Alumni Association Board in the 1980s. In her free time, she loves to travel and has been to been countries, including Russia, China, Kenya, Mexico, Ireland, England, Scotland, Italy, Spain Portugal, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Canada.

J.D. was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2017.

J.D. graduated from Drew in 1997 with a degree in political science and a lifelong dedication to volunteerism. While on campus, he was responsible for re-starting Pi Upsilon, Drew’s chapter of the Alpha Pi Omega service fraternity, which has given hundreds of Drew students the opportunity to develop leadership skills by volunteering on campus and in the community.

Since leaving campus, his commitment to leadership and service has only grown. He has spent the last 24 years in continuous service as a volunteer to the Boy Scouts of America, has been a board member to his local Selective Service System since 2006, is on the Board of Managers for the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and is pending appointment as a trustee to the Community College of Baltimore County. He has received a litany of service awards, including the Boy Scouts’ Silver Beaver Award for distinguished service to youth and the President’s Volunteer Service Award, the nation’s premier volunteer award.

After graduation, J.D. received his MBA from Johns Hopkins University, and works as a senior project manager for Edwards Performance Solutions. He lives in Baltimore with his wife, Michele, and his two children, Trey and Julianna Drew.

Emily was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2016.

Emily Knox came to Drew not only to follow family tradition.  She is proud of her Drew legacy (from her great-great-grandfather to numerous other relatives over the generations), but the greatest attractions for Emily were Drew’s digital and international opportunities.

A theatre arts major and anthropology minor, Emily traveled with the first Drew Second-Year Seminar to Thailand, then completed a semester in London.  When on campus, she was a DUDS member and officer, and a Drew Ambassador; she recalls that showing the campus to prospective students offered opportunities to “fall in love with our forest all over again.”

Upon graduation, Emily joined Peace Corps as a community health volunteer in rural Zambia, an experience that influenced the rest of her life.  The HIV epidemic had struck the country.  Emily says, “going to five funerals in one day changes you.”  Her career moved seamlessly from volunteering to employment in aid agencies, doing her part “to make the world a better place.”  With certifications in project management from University of Liverpool, humanitarian operations from Oxford Brookes University, and UN Protocol, she has established herself as a skilled, multicultural project leader with global expertise in implementing large conferences and high-level events.

Emily’s first conference, immediately following her Peace Corps service, was the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa. She returned to the US to work with Population Council in Washington, DC, then left again to join the XIV International AIDS Conference secretariat in Barcelona.  For nearly a decade, she directed program development for the International AIDS Society’s conferences, based first in Amsterdam and later in Geneva.  She then launched into five years of consulting, organizing major global health events for UN and non-governmental organizations, managing delegations and leading advocacy projects in Africa, North America and Europe.

Currently, Emily is global director of conferences and summits at the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.  She works in Paris, but lives in Switzerland with her husband, painter Hanne Blitz, and daughter Sophia. Like her parents (2007 Service Awardee Carolyn Benjamin Knox C’67, and Drew Trustee Bill Knox), her family loves to open their home to international students or young professionals interning with nearby organizations. Since 2004, she has volunteered for Democrats Abroad Switzerland.  She is proud of her role in the game-changing, global response to AIDS, fulfilling her goal to “do something” about what she witnessed in Zambia as a volunteer decades before.

George was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2015.

Members of Drew’s Class of 1960 know George Hayward as their long-time Class Agent, who always writes a special personal note to his class each year. What many don’t know is that George has been an active volunteer wherever he has lived.

George came to Drew from Morris Plains, New Jersey, just down the road. Drew’s baseball coaches impressed him by inviting him to work out with the Drew team—he enrolled, and played baseball, basketball and soccer for the Rangers. Sports continued to lure him; he tried out with the (then) Milwaukee Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals baseball teams after graduation and later coached basketball at Johns Hopkins University. He was inducted into Drew’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. Academically, George gravitated to the sciences, majored in botany, was elected to Sigma Xi and earned his master’s degree in life sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

George found his true career in university administration and fundraising. He joined the admissions office at Bard College in 1962, becoming director three years later; by 1967 he was at Johns Hopkins, first as director of admissions and then as associate director of development. In 1974 he became vice president for development, public relations and alumni affairs at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland; in 1983, he went on to direct annual support at the University of Houston for the system’s 13 schools. Four years later he became a senior campaign director with J. Donovan Associates in Salem, Massachusetts, working in hospital fundraising and public relations. In 1997 he moved to Emory and Henry College as director of development and foundation and corporate relations. He has received numerous citations for achievement in educational development.

Wherever he has lived, George has been active in his community. In Chestertown, Maryland, he was vestryman in the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, served on the Zoning Appeals Board, was a director of the Chester River Yacht and Country Club and was active in Kent County charities. He received the Mayor’s Service Citation in Chestertown, where he also received the Kent County Commissioners’ Service Citation. He was a county caucus delegate in Harris County, Texas, and served on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Virginia.

And, of course, George has been active at Drew, notably as a faithful Class Agent for the Annual Fund and the primary contact for the Class of 1960 Internship. The fund, created in 2010, will support academic internships in all the college’s academic divisions in rotation. He is a member of the New Founders Society.

Today, George lives in Abingdon, Virginia, near the Tennessee border. In retirement, he enjoys helping friends and neighbors with various projects, and playing golf. He keeps in touch with family members in New Hampshire and New Jersey.

Emily was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2014.

The amount of service Emily Litman provides is staggering. She seems to move seamlessly from her vocation—teaching—to her avocation—volunteering. The number of people whose lives she affects is beyond an easy calculation.

When Emily arrived at the Forest from Hoboken, N.J., she had already had a high-school year in Argentina. At Drew, she majored in political science as well as minoring in Latin American studies and Mideast studies, and engaging in the United Nations Semester. What Drew probably remembers her best for, however, is her participation in the first Honduras Project, which has annually sent students and faculty to assist the Honduran people ever since.

Drew taught Emily to love learning and gave her the desire to pass it on to others, and the Honduras experience inspired her to volunteer there for a year to teach in an orphanage after graduation. Next she taught career education and life skills in Boston’s El Centro del Cardenal Alternative High School. She taught fifth grade and English as a Second Language in P.S. 70 from 2003 to 2006, while she followed New York City’s Teaching Fellows program. The program, an alternative route to teaching certification, subsidized her master’s degree in elementary education at Mercy College, which she received in 2005.

Since 2006, Emily has taught fourth and fifth grades at the Learning Community Charter School in Jersey City, N.J., where she has also taught Spanish from grades one through eight. In addition to teaching standard subject areas, she designs enrichment programs in science, literature and community service to encourage students to be aware of their local and global communities, and coordinates the eighth-grade students; this amounts to 1200 volunteer hours annually. Helping children to appreciate and engage in volunteering is important to Emily, and her homeroom does one community project every month.

After daily responsibilities like hers, most of us would yearn for a nap, but Emily’s day as a volunteer has only begun. She is president of her school’s local chapter of the New Jersey Educators Association. She is one of the founders and teachers of the Open Door, offering free ESL classes to adults in Hudson County, N.J. In Jersey City Lacrosse, she is co-founder, vice-president and coach. She is the New Jersey outreach coordinator in Cantigas Women’s Choir in Hoboken. In the Liberty Humane Society, she helps facilitate supply and fundraising collections, as well as adoption counseling, and has fostered numerous orphaned kittens in her home in Jersey City. And she has not forgotten Drew: She is one of the creators of the Jake Stults ’01 Memorial Fund, which remembers a Drew friend by providing resources to the students of the music department.

It is good to know that Emily does take vacations—recently to Guatemala. We know that her pleasure trip, like everything she does, will ultimately enrich everyone she knows.

Paul was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2013.

Many people volunteer because they feel that their working lives don’t connect with people’s needs. Paul Abend doesn’t have that problem. Both his professional and his personal lives directly provide new opportunities to others.

From Mountainside, New Jersey, Paul followed his older brother (David C’80) to Drew. He thinks he could not have made a better choice. He was enthralled by John Ollom’s stories about working on the atomic bomb, and grateful for the way Drew nurtured his development as a scientist and expanded his interests in literature and religion. A hard-working student whose only recreation was rugby, he was admitted to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) – New Jersey School of Osteopathic after graduating from Drew.

After Paul became board certified in family medicine in 1990, he completed another residency in the emerging field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. In addition to his medical practice, specializing in non-surgical spinal treatment, sports injuries and neuropathy, he is now clinical associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Kessler Institute, UMDNJ –New Jersey Medical School, as well as clinical assistant professor in the Departments of Medicine and of Family Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He has held many leadership positions in his profession, and has been named one of “America’s Top Doctors” annually since 2001.

In their first week of medical school, Paul met Lori Brand, his lab partner, and they have been married since 1987. Within their family they have become involved in the issues of autism, creatively developing new medical and social opportunities. As he coached their children’s sports, Paul recognized the needs of special needs children. He began by including special children in his teams; then, with his daughter, started the Abend Sports Clinic for Special Needs Children. The clinic works intensively in soccer, basketball, and baseball, focusing on reintegrating children into neighborhood teams and other activities.

For complex medical issues, Paul created the non-profit Comprehensive Autism Medical Assessment and Treatment Center of New Jersey, bringing medical experts together via tele-medicine. Because traveling to specialists can be difficult, Paul and Lori, with generous donors, have developed Autism Escapes, providing private and corporate air transport for families to meet with autism specialist Dr. Timothy Buie at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. The Abends’ work has earned multiple awards, including Paul’s New Jersey Governor’s Jefferson Prize in 2011.

Looking to the future—a pressing concern for parents of children with autism—Paul has recently created Mt. Bethel Village, featuring a variety of assisted-living options for those who are ready to leave home. The Village is close to Paul and Lori’s home in Warren, New Jersey, where they live with their children, Alexandra (22), who plans to continue her work with autism issues after law school; Daniel (18); and Michael (15).

Jeffrey was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2012.

If you’ve come to a Drew Reunion in this century, Jeff has added to your enjoyment.

Jeff thanks his high school principal for suggesting Drew.  His family was in Puerto Rico at the time for his father’s work in international sales.  The school principal, a Methodist minister, sent Drew a student who has became one of The Forest’s most devoted alumni.

His years at Drew were formative.  He says that James O’Kane’s teaching in sociology (Jeff’s major), James Mills’ tutelage in psychology, the roles he played in theater productions, and his activity in the Social Committee all gave him skills that have been invaluable throughout his life.  Above all, at Drew Jeff realized how much he loves learning.  Today, his quest to expand his knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of human experience has never been stronger.

Jeff, like his father, has made marketing his career.  He joined Brown & Bigelow, a nationwide company known for its promotional marketing and recognition products and incentive programs, soon after graduation.  He has filled increasingly responsible positions over the years, and has been national accounts manager since 2003.  His work has earned numerous honors.  His highest level of satisfaction at work comes from the appreciation of clients whom he has helped to solve their problems and achieve their marketing goals.

Jeff’s activities, both professional and volunteer, have been closely related to his working life and reflect his interest in promoting the welfare of others.  He spent years with Business Network International, including seven years on their Chapter Leadership Team.  When he lived in Hayward, California, he was involved in Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, and other national executives’ organizations.  He founded the Hayward Business Expo and served as chair from 1983 to 1991, when he was also a Salvation Army Board Member.

Drew has benefited from Jeff’s experience and his ability to make numerous campus events memorable.  Not only has he hosted his class at Reunion, but he has generously provided large numbers of articles—well into the thousands—that alumni can take home as a remembrance, not only of wonderful Reunion weekends and other events, but of their entire Drew experience.  We are also grateful for his thoughtfulness and generosity in joining the New Founders Society, ensuring that his affection will benefit Drew in years to come.

Jeff is proud of his entire family.  He and Christine King have been married since 1978.  Christine, who spent 12 years teaching special education, is now her husband’s co-partner in marketing in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Their children include Diana (32), a nurse anesthetist who, with her husband, have a toddler and a newborn, while son Jonathan (31), a storage architect and trainer at Dell Computer, and his wife expect their first child soon; Matthew (30) is currently studying for his M.F.A. in Taiwan.

Jim was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2011.

Jim De Angelis’ dad took him to his first baseball game at Yankee Stadium in 1962. Today he says he wakes up each morning pinching himself—the game that he came to love decades ago has become his career, and he can’t believe how lucky he is.

As the Director of Community Relations for the Philadelphia Phillies Single-A farm team, the Lakewood Blue Claws, De Angelis is in charge of connecting the team with the people and businesses in the surrounding areas, as well as managing the team’s charitable giving. He’s been named minor league baseball’s community relations director of the year three times.

In their relatively young life (their ballpark opened in April 2001), the Blue Claws, who’ve won their league’s championship three of the last 5 years, have become a key community player on the Jersey Shore—and De Angelis is largely responsible for building that reputation. Their Community Partners Program, which gives local non-profits like the Girl Scouts and the Salvation Army chapter an opportunity to raise funds through ticket and concession sales, is growing by leaps and bounds.

“We had 28 charities last season, and we’re already at 42 at the start of this season,” says De Angelis, who manages the program.

Blue Claws staff members are represented on the boards of each participating non-profit with De Angelis sitting on 12 of them himself. “And I’m active on all of them,” he says. “I don’t want to just be a name on their letterhead. I want to help them make a difference.” He’s found many cases where his connections in minor and major league baseball have helped him do just that.

De Angelis studied chemistry at Drew, and he taught high school biology and math after graduation. But he eventually realized that wasn’t his calling. So, he networked his way to a job with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997. “I took an internship at the age of 42,” he says, laughing.

It paid off. The following year, he landed a paying position with the Phillies, working with their scouting department. When the Blue Claws team was formed, it was an opportunity for him to move back to the Jersey Shore where he spent summers as a child and teenager. “I’m really where I want to be now,” he says.

De Angelis credits his parents and his education—both at the Peddie School and Drew University—with making him the man he is today. Despite the many awards he’s earned for community service, the single personal item hanging on his office wall is a black and white photo of his Jersey Shore lifeguarding team from the summer of 1976. “It brings back some really good memories,” he says.

Claudia was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2010.

When she’s asked how she came to Drew, Claudia Luecke says that Drew found her.  After a year at the University of Texas she sought a smaller school; then she came down Madison Avenue from the College of St. Elizabeth to take a particular German course at Drew.  She was so happy in The Forest that she transferred after one semester.

An activist at Drew, Claudia was involved in the anti-apartheid student groups that successfully protested Drew’s investment in South Africa.  After graduation, she worked as a paralegal in New York City before earning a J.D. degree from the University of Richmond Law School in 1994.  Her career as an attorney began with Bell Atlantic (now Verizon Wireless), where she worked for seven years before a post-9/11 layoff.  After two years with a small law firm in her native Westfield, New Jersey, she realized that she preferred being in-house corporate counsel.  She has worked with Citigroup since 2006.

Claudia’s experience in activism has served her well in her post-Drew volunteer work.  Of Lithuanian descent, she was enrolled in summer courses at the University of Vilnius when Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia were trying to emerge from Soviet domination.  After volunteering there, she lobbied the United Nations and the U.S. government as director of the Baltic Appeal to the United Nations in support of freedom.  As she says, she helped liberate three countries!

A major challenge was still ahead.  At the age of 31, Claudia was diagnosed with breast cancer, an event that has profoundly shaped both her volunteer interests.  She has been active with the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s affiliate in Summit, New Jersey, where her involvement has included the Pink Tie Ball, now the largest non-political fundraiser in New Jersey.  She has also served on the board of the New Jersey Chapter of the Young Survival Coalition, which focuses on supporting women who, like Claudia, develop breast cancer early in life.  She has spoken at numerous New Jersey colleges, including Drew, to advocate early detection.  Now that her cancer has returned, she finds herself increasingly interested in cancer research.  Her primary involvement is now with the Institutional Review Board of the New Jersey Cancer Center, where she reviews study proposals and works to ensure that women participating in clinical trials, as she herself hopes to do, understand what their participation will involve.

Claudia has not allowed her illness to keep her from traveling the world (next stop, Southeast Asia).  At home, she lives in Westfield with her parents.  She appreciates their support, and that of her sister Nicole, a physician.  She is still strongly connected with her Drew friends.

Joyce was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2009.

Barbara was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2008.

Barbara Herber Jordan has spent her life helping others make the most of their lives and their communities.

After Drew, Barbara earned a Master’s in guidance and political science and a Professional Diploma in administration and supervision at St. John’s University.  She had a long career at Memorial Junior High in Valley Stream, New York, where she taught social studies for four years before becoming a guidance counselor and then head of Pupil Personnel Services.

Barbara says, “Thanks to Dr. Robert Smith, political science professor at Drew, my life has been filled with politics of every kind.”  Early in her teaching career she became active in the Teachers Association, served on the team which gained the first teachers’ contract in Valley Stream history, and ultimately became president of the district union of over 700 teachers.  Following “Prof” Smith’s advice, she joined the local minority political party and ran for public office in Nassau County on the Conservative line.

In 1986 Barbara left Memorial to move to East Hampton, Long Island with her late husband, Rudi.  Although she enjoyed fishing and boating with her newly-retired husband, Barbara sought volunteer activity.  She was a counselor for Catholic Charities, and over the years she has taught English for the Literary Volunteers of America.  She currently heads the trustees of her church, and is active in all aspects of church life.

An invitation from the League of Women Voters gave Barbara’s life a new direction.  Soon she was organizing voter registration drives, moderating debates, and working on housing advocacy.  She has served as president of the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons and is active on the county level.

As the League’s affordable housing chair, Barbara created and produced a video and booklet, “Trouble in Paradise:  The Affordable Housing Crisis on the South Fork.” The film, designed to encourage a more positive public response, was made widely available in the community.  Barbara has served on the Housing Committee of the Town of East Hampton’s Comprehensive Plan and the East Hampton Town Housing Authority, on a state legislator’s task force on affordable housing, and is now serving a five-year term on the East Hampton Housing Advisory Board.

Barbara has wonderful memories of Drew and has been in close touch with Drew friends for 50 years.  In that time, she says she has become “a woman who is never afraid to speak her mind for anything and everything she believes in.”  We are sure “Prof” Smith would have been as proud of her as we are.

Mary was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2007.

Mary Drake Wickliffe was surrounded by natural beauty as she grew up in rural Western Kentucky, but she could find art only in books.  She has spent much of her life making art available to others.

Mary majored in art at Sullins College (now King College) in Virginia, earning an Associate in Arts degree in 1948.  She taught elementary-school art back home in Greenville, Kentucky while continuing to study at Western Kentucky State University.  Upon her marriage to Paul Wickliffe, Jr. in 1951, the couple moved to New Jersey, where the Wickliffes raised their son, Paul III, in Summit.  In 1974 Mary entered Drew’s Continuing University Education program.  After taking full advantage of the opportunities available to art majors and writing an honors thesis on the symbol of the snake in ancient Greek art, she earned her B.A. degree summa cum laude in 1977.

Volunteering has been an integral part of Mary’s life.  The most notable of her art-related volunteer activities has been her 50 years of effort for the Summit Art Center, now the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.  She chaired committees beginning in the 1960s and served a term as secretary and one as president.  She co-managed an outreach program for nursing home residents, and joined the all-volunteer Gallery Committee.  From 1980 to 1984 she was the gallery’s head curator, then remained on the committee and curated exhibitions for the next 15 years.  She designed and wrote catalogs, created relationships with New York galleries to bring “big city” art to the suburbs, and guided the gallery though the American Association of Museums’ accreditation process, always using her Drew experience to make the center’s exhibitions more ambitious and produce them more professionally.  In 1999 she wrote a history of the center for Summit’s Centennial Exhibition.

Mary also developed her own painting, self-taught at age 11, by taking many classes at the center over a 20-year period.  Her work, featured at numerous New Jersey exhibitions, took a back seat to other activities for years.  More recently she has been painting again.  Mary continues to live in Summit since Paul Wickliffe’s death in 2006.  She keeps in close touch with their son, a recording engineer, and his wife, Roseanna, a jazz singer.  Mary’s granddaughter, Sarah, who continues the family interest in the arts, has just won a student Oscar for her animated film, Art’s Desire.

Mimi was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2006.

The Reverend Mimi Hollister believes in ‘taking on the world wherever it comes to you.”  What better philosophy for a volunteer?

Mimi learned in childhood that the world can come to you unexpectedly.  Born in China to second-generation Methodist missionary parents, she fled China with them during World War II and again during the Maoist Revolution in 1949, finally settling in New York City.  For college, Mimi chose Drew, a “nice Methodist school.”  Although at the time she did not anticipate becoming an ordained minister, she later found her Drew religion major very helpful.  She speaks of James Pain, now Dean of the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, as a “wonderful guide and teacher.”

Marriage followed graduation, and Mimi and her husband raised two girls and a boy in California.  She volunteered in her children’s activities and in her church, and became involved in a support group for the Los Angeles Master Chorale.  Her commitment to environmental and social concerns led her to the San Fernando Valley’s Fair Housing Council, and to educating the public about nuclear power plants.  She also completed an M.A. in marriage, family and child counseling at Immaculate Heart College and engaged in pastoral counseling.

Returning to New York City, Mimi enrolled at Union Theological Seminary and immediately realized her call to ministry.  She was ordained in the United Church of Christ after completing her Master of Divinity degree in 1991.  While in New York, she worked for sustainable development and socially responsible investing through connections with the World Council of Churches, encouraged Riverside Church to invest responsibly, and became an advocate for the homeless.

Mimi’s second marriage to the Reverend William Hollister, a Presbyterian minister, took her to Marblehead, Massachusetts.  After moving to New Hampshire, Mimi initiated a global partnership between the United Church of Christ’s New Hampshire Conference and the UCC of Zimbabwe and served as the partnership’s part-time minister in mission.  The partnership has grown rapidly, and 40 New Hampshire churches now have sister churches in Zimbabwe.

In recent years Mimi has worked hard for Drew, especially as a strong leader of the Class of 1956’s spectacular success in funding their class scholarship.  Now retired and widowed, Mimi is back in Marblehead.  She is still taking on the world, continuing as a consultant to the global partnership and educating her broker in responsible investing!

Anne was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2005.

Cornelius was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2004.

Gary was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2003.

Fred was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2001.

David was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 2000.

Arthur was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 1999.

Timothy was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 1998.

Joan and John were honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 1997.

Stuart was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 1996.

Louis and Mindy were honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 1995.

Alfred and Leo were honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 1994.

Edward and Joseph were honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 1994.

Paul was honored with the Volunteer Award during Reunion 1994.

Brittany Barreto C’13 is the 2023 recipient of the Young Alumni Award. In her undergraduate days as a Drew biology major, Brittany came up with the idea of a genetic-based dating app. She went on to earn a doctoral degree in molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. While at Baylor, she co-founded Pheramor, a company that offers a DNA-based dating app, using both physical chemistry and social alignment to forecast compatibility.

Highlights of Brittany’s career thus far include a discovery that she made at Baylor of a small RNA that regulates genomic mutation rate; a patent on predicting personality from DNA; and her involvement in the launching of venture capital funds. Brittany noticed how underserved the women’s health (“femtech”) industry is, and so she set out to bring awareness and capital to the area. She launched a boutique consulting firm, FemTech Focus, and co-founded an early stage femtech investment firm. 

Brittany also enjoys her volunteer efforts, which include mentoring other female entrepreneurs, and the very hands-on endeavor of fostering dogs as they await adoption.

Shamila Kohestani C’12 played soccer for Drew while studying political science and sociology. Shamila grew up in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, and first began to play soccer when girls gained that freedom after the Taliban were removed from power. She established the first Afghan Women’s National Football Team between 2006 and 2007, becoming captain of the team and winning the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2006 ESPY Awards ceremony.

Today, she is a global public speaker, an advocate for women and for the value of sports and fitness in women’s lives. In 2020, she launched a YouTube channel in collaboration with a national television channel in Afghanistan, teaching fitness to women exercising at home. The fitness program was cancelled when the Afghan government collapsed in 2021.

Shamila works as a senior program manager for DT Institute, a non-profit organization focused on global peace and development. She frequently helps Afghan refugees in need of assistance, and serves as a mentor, both locally and internationally.

Madeline was honored with the Young Alumni Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2021.

Madeline Lederer graduated Summa Cum Laude from Drew in 2016 with a degree in Chemistry. She was a member of the Baldwin Honors Society and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year. She additionally was the president of the Chemistry Honors Society and graduated with honors in Spanish. During her time at Drew, she worked for the admissions department both in operations and as a Coordinator of the Drew Ambassadors (the tour guides). Her honors thesis research was published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry and received a research award at the Gamma Sigma Epsilon national conference.

After graduation, she started medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia as a part of the St. Luke’s clinical campus program. She spent her first year of medical school in Philadelphia and the next three years at the St. Luke’s Health Network in Bethlehem, PA. In medical school, she was the student government representative for her class at St. Luke’s, she served on the curriculum committee, and started the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group with other students interested in lifestyle medicine. Through her interest in lifestyle medicine, she started a cooking class at a local elementary school where she taught middle school students and their families how to cook plant-based meals and encouraged medical student involvement in the Lehigh Valley community. Prior to graduation she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society for her academic achievements in medical school. Her research in medical school has been published in Innovations and presented at multiple national conferences for both Surgery and Family Medicine. She received her MD in May 2020 and matched into a Family Medicine Residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Madeline is currently an intern at U. Penn and has worked during the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a part of the Healthcare Leadership in Quality Track where she will be mentored by administration leaders within U. Penn and work on departmental quality improvement projects. Her interests in leadership and research have carried through her entire academic career.

Morissa was honored with the Young Alumni Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2020.

Morissa Schwartz graduated from Drew University in 2015 with a major in English and a minor in writing, and again in 2020 with her D.Litt concentration in writing and dissertation topic on Nihilistic Libertarianism in Popular Culture. Morissa also received a Masters from Monmouth University in 2017. During her time at Drew, Morissa was incredibly active as the president of Sigma Tau Delta, an executive member of the student conduct board, a writer for ‘The Acorn,’ two-time winner of the Chapman Prize in Poetry, a Baldwin and Dean Scholar, an executive member of the Grad Students Association, and a member of several clubs and volunteer at many events.

Morissa started GenZ Publishing, a book publishing company that has released many powerful books on current events, innovative ideas, and young adult literature. They have published a 7 certified Amazon Bestsellers, and their books are read around the globe. Upon the company’s success, Morissa has gone back to Drew to give other students the experience of working in a book publishing company.

Morissa also owns Dr. Rissy’s Writing and Marketing , which was ranked in the top 2 social media marketing companies in New York.

Morissa was honored with the Young Alumni Award during a virtual ceremony in June 2020.

Morissa Schwartz graduated from Drew University in 2015 with a major in English and a minor in writing, and again in 2020 with her D.Litt concentration in writing and dissertation topic on Nihilistic Libertarianism in Popular Culture. Morissa also received a Masters from Monmouth University in 2017. During her time at Drew, Morissa was incredibly active as the president of Sigma Tau Delta, an executive member of the student conduct board, a writer for ‘The Acorn,’ two-time winner of the Chapman Prize in Poetry, a Baldwin and Dean Scholar, an executive member of the Grad Students Association, and a member of several clubs and volunteer at many events.

Morissa started GenZ Publishing, a book publishing company that has released many powerful books on current events, innovative ideas, and young adult literature. They have published a 7 certified Amazon Bestsellers, and their books are read around the globe. Upon the company’s success, Morissa has gone back to Drew to give other students the experience of working in a book publishing company.

Morissa also owns Dr. Rissy’s Writing and Marketing , which was ranked in the top 2 social media marketing companies in New York.

Brooke was honored with the Young Alumni Award at Reunion 2019.

Brooke Gagliano graduated from Drew University in 2014 majoring in business with a minor in biology and art. She was a collegiate athlete playing field hockey, softball and lacrosse. She was on the All-American and All-Conference team for field hockey, All-Conference team for lacrosse and was named the Athlete of the Year in both high school and college.

After college, Brooke had a passion for athletic training and nutrition. She started her own personal training business and was training sports teams and clients until she was introduced to açai.

While on a trip out west, Brooke had her first açai bowl, and the idea for Frutta Bowls was born. With the support of her friends and family, she opened her first store May 21, 2016 in Howell, New Jersey at age 23. The Frutta Bowls dream started as a local idea with two locations. It has since grown into a nationwide concept, continuing to positively affect many lives along the way. Frutta Bowls sets itself apart by not only its commitment to providing healthy and delicious food, but also by its involvement in the communities surrounding each location.

Mallory was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2018.

Mallory Mortillaro entered the Forest in 2009 with the class of 2013, graduating magna cum laude a semester early in December of 2012. Upon entering Drew University she intended to major in English, but one semester of art history had Mallory pursuing a double major. While at Drew she excelled in the arts, serving as president of the Art History Club, a peer mentor for the art history department’s freshmen seminar, and a member of Sigma Tau Delta. She was granted the Kirk Igler Scholarship for Excellence in the Arts, was a finalist for the Academy of American Poets Prize, and received honorable mention for the Chapman Prize of Poetry.  

Drew University enabled Mallory to gain hands on experience as a curatorial intern.  She spent two summers in New York, one at the Hebrew-Union College Museum, and another at the International Center of Photography.  Through these experiences, Mallory learned how much she liked giving tours and working with museum’s education departments, which prompted her to pursue a higher degree in education through Drew’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.  While studying at the Caspersen School, she was nominated for the New Jersey Distinguished Student Teacher of the Year award.  Upon graduating she was honored with the Dean’s Master of Arts in Teaching Prize.

It was during the time that Mallory was working on her MA in Teaching that she was hired by the Hartley Dodge Foundation.  Never one to pass up an interesting side job, she had answered an ad for a part time, temporary, art cataloguer.  The foundation, which oversees the preservation of Madison’s historic town hall, needed an inventory of the building’s historic photographs and art. The building was decorated with a number of items from the collection of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, yet there were no records detailing what the contents were, or how they had gotten there.  Shortly after her hire, Mallory was examining a piece of art in the building and noticed a signature on the large marble bust of Napoleon that read “A. Rodin”, as in Auguste Rodin, one of the most renowned sculptors in history.

Finding the signature was only the first step.  It took her a year of research, and consulting with experts, to have the sculpture authenticated as an official work by Rodin. Largely through her determination, the piece was authenticated as Napoléon Enveloppé Dans Son Rêve, a marble sculpture lost to the art world since the 1930’s. When news broke that Madison’s town hall had been home to an unknown masterpiece for more than 80 years the story became an international sensation. Malloruy’s s discovery was featured in hundreds of articles, news segments, and radio broadcasts. Working with the Hartley Dodge Foundation, she secured a loan of the piece to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  The piece that was lost in plain sight for so long, is now on view in Philadelphia, and was unveiled in November 2017 to commemorate the centennial of Rodin’s death.

Mallory’s inquisitive nature and determination have been lauded across the globe, but by none more so than the Hartley Dodge Foundation’s board of trustees.  What started as a temporary part-time job, has turned into an avocation for Mallory as she continues to research and oversee the collection of the Hartley Dodge Foundation.

Mallory juggles her art historical sleuthing with teaching 6th grade Language Arts in Summit, NJ.  When not teaching, or researching lost works of art, she enjoys crafting and working on her Etsy shop, running, and spending time at the barn with her horse.

Lynn was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2018.

Lynn Schmitt is a native of Buffalo, NY, where she attended high school at Immaculata Academy for Girls, which fostered a love for Chemistry. Upon arrival to Drew University in 2009 she pursued this passion as a chemistry major, and in her sophomore year she began researching under Professor Mary Ann Pearsall, with whom she studied the unique bonding between carboxylic acids and triosmium carbonyl complexes. She participated in the Drew Summer Science Institute for the following two summers and later presented her research at a national American Chemistry Society annual meeting. Throughout her time at Drew, she was also active in clubs, namely Students for Sustainable Food (SFSF) and the Drew University Chemistry Society (DUCS).

After graduating from Drew in 2013, Lynn entered graduate school at the State University of New York at Binghamton, where she is completing her dissertation on the excited state chemistry and characteristics of rhenium carbonyl systems under the guidance of Dr. Alistair J. Lees. Through this work, Lynn has developed a unique system that undergoes a dramatic color change when exposed to sulfite. This enables one to exact the concentration of sulfite in a particular solution. This development has applications in the food, wine, and pharmaceuticals industries, where sulfites are added as a preservative. She is in the early stages of developing a business revolving around consumer product analysis using this and other tests.

Lynn lives in Binghamton, NY with her husband, and fellow alum, Duncan Lyle C’13. She enjoys gardening, baking, and spending time with their dog, Puck.

Buist was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2017.

Buist Bickley graduated summa cum laude in 2007 with a degree in theatre arts, and almost immediately began making his mark in the theatre world. Ten years later, he’s worked on more than 35 Broadway productions, collaborated on two Tony Award–winning scenic designs and has helped to raise the profile of Drew’s Department of Theatre and Dance in New York and beyond.

Four years of working in the state-of-the-art Dorothy Young Center for the Arts prepared Buist for a career on theatre’s brightest stage. As a freelance props master for Broadway productions, he has worked on shows like The Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper and The Audience, starring Helen Mirren. He is currently working on the productions of Dear Evan Hansen, The Glass Menagerie starring Sally Field, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the national tour of Fun Home.

A former President’s Award winner as the graduating senior who represents the best of the Department of Theatre and Dance, Buist lives in Queens with his husband, Brandon Fralix G’07.

Michelle was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2016.

Michelle Orloski’s high school teacher’s recommendation, plus a meeting with the softball coach, brought Michelle to Drew from Mountain Top, Pennsylvania. She expected to major in political science, with an eye to law school; then Perry Leavell taught her freshman seminar on the history of New York City, and a new history major was born. She minored in business management and in art, was active in softball and music, and received the William G. Hosking Prize. She combined her interests in history and the arts, writing her honors thesis on the conflicts between music and politics in Phil Ochs’ life.

After graduating magna cum laude, Michelle enrolled in the Temple University Beasley School of Law. She was a member of the Law Review, won the Temple University Kranzel Writing Award and the Library of Congress 2009 Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing, and received her J.D. degree cum laude in 2009. Again, she was able to combine her academic work and her interest in the arts, publishing a paper dealing with legal issues concerning a painting, The Gross Clinic, by Thomas Eakins. She interned at the U.S. District Court (District of New Jersey), at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, and at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young in Philadelphia. After graduation, she became an associate in Stradley’s Litigation Department.

Michelle’s interest in public speaking attracted her to the law, and to litigation. She enjoyed her six years in the Litigation Department, but she found herself increasingly drawn to a different aspect of the firm’s work. Since August of 2015, she has been director of professional development. Here she oversees the orientation, integration, training, and retention of the firm’s attorney, administrative and legal support staff. She works closely with the firm’s management, hiring, diversity, and associate compensation and evaluation committees. She develops policies and procedures, as well as programs and curricula for continuing education, and she acts as liaison between the Associates Committee and firm management.

Michelle has met with Drew Pre-Law Society members, and has been a panel member discussing law school and legal career opportunities. Her husband, John McGrath, is also a Temple graduate, whose practice with Pepper Hamilton in Philadelphia involves issues of health care mergers and acquisitions. They live in Philadelphia, where they enjoy concerts and outdoor activities. Michelle is captain of the Stradley softball team.

Greg was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2015.

Greg Townsend hasn’t had very long to make a difference in the world, but he’s doing it—in two fields, no less. He divides his attention between state government and music, and he’s having a blast.

When Greg arrived at Drew from Annandale, New Jersey, his main interests were history and music, and he soon realized that his real interest in history was statecraft. He accordingly majored in political science, and particularly enjoyed Professor Douglas Simon’s courses and the Semester at the United Nations. The quality of his work gained Greg a cum laude diploma, with honors in his French minor. He then specialized in foreign policy analysis at Seton Hall University’s John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy, completing a master’s in international relations in 2007.

Following his graduate degree, Greg gained experience in contracting at the municipal level. He is grateful for the several years he spent at Spectraserv, which was primarily involved in municipal construction contracts. Greg’s work as project administrator took him to wastewater treatment plants in Philadelphia and Parsippany-Troy Hills, where he acted as a liaison between plant operators, project engineers and the main office.

By 2010, Greg was ready to move to the state level, becoming director of briefings in the Office of Governor Chris Christie. His group coordinated with Governor Christie’s scheduling team and developed multifarious documents and policy summaries needed each day by the Governor and his Senior Staff—a demanding and rewarding endeavor. In 2014, Greg became more directly involved with policy, as a policy adviser. Through daily coordination with Cabinet officials and the Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel, he provides guidance to the Governor’s Senior Staff on a broad portfolio of issues involving transportation, motor vehicles, labor and workforce development, and the state treasury. He greatly enjoys being in the thick of significant issues, determining new policies and managing existing ones.

The other area of Greg’s life—you might say its counterpoint—is music, as it has been all his life. At Drew he was music director of the a cappella group All of the Above, and started teaching himself guitar. For the past 10 years, music has absorbed most of Greg’s free time. He has been a professional musician with several bands, including Running Red Lights and Desoto Jones, co-writing and recording several albums between 2008 and 2012. He has taken great satisfaction in playing with some of his musical heroes, most notably Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots.

Greg is married to Cristina Zozzaro, who also works with the State of New Jersey as a manager of large capital construction projects. They live in Flemington, where Greg plays soccer when work and music permit.

Amanda was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2014.

A Drew International Seminar changed Amanda Johnson’s mind, and changed the direction of her life.

Amanda, a Boston-area native, was attracted to Drew by its international study programs. In addition to her major in art history and minors in Spanish and writing, she enrolled in two Drew International Seminars—one in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and one in Eritrea. It was the Eritrea seminar that significantly changed her thinking. She says it really opened her eyes to the world, and taught her that she would find her own fulfillment in working toward the greater good. Although Amanda had expected to work in publishing after Drew, the Eritrea experience led her toward education. Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) drew her to Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she earned a master’s degree in applied linguistics in 2008.

Amanda did not suspect that her 12 years of figure skating (before college) would connect with her interest in education. While at Teachers College, she discovered Figure Skating in Harlem, a pioneering nonprofit after-school enrichment program that uses the discipline of figure skating to help girls achieve academic success, physical health and emotional well-being. She began as a coach; by 2007 she was the assistant skating director, then academic coordinator in 2009 and director of programming the next year. During these years she also was an adjunct lecturer, teaching ESL in several colleges of the City University of New York, at Pratt Institute and at the American Language Institute at New York University.

Within a few years, Amanda had achieved significant knowledge and expertise in educational nonprofit management. At Figure Skating in Harlem, she worked with students in the Oliver Scholars Program, an organization that seeks young people of African and Latino descent in New York City and enables them not only to gain admission to, but to succeed in, leading independent schools and colleges. The goals of the Oliver Scholars Program appealed to Amanda, and at Oliver she now has another opportunity to aid deserving students as they work toward success in their academic and future lives. She began at Oliver in 2013 as chief of staff, with significant responsibilities that included project coordination, communication, organization, financial oversight, recruitment and fundraising. When the organization began to seek a new executive director, she was chosen to serve during the interim, revealing just one measure of her success.

Amanda, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., is grateful for her parents’ encouragement, and for the opportunity to see young people grow and develop through her work. She is a sports fan, loves to travel and does freelance photography when time allows.

Maryann was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2013.

Maryann Zaleski wasn’t planning to come to Drew—she wanted to go farther from her home in Edison, New Jersey. Drew wasn’t even on her list, but Fate had other plans. Ira Miller, then Drew’s tennis coach, spotted her and recruited her at an event for high school tennis players. By the time Maryann had spent a night on campus, she was hooked.

Maryann thrived at Drew, where the liberal arts philosophy allowed her to balance her interests in academics, sports, and dance. In tennis, she led the team as captain and Most Valuable Player, and she was part of the Dance Club. As a major in economics and a minor in business management, she speaks with great appreciation of Professor Don Jones, who created new fields of inquiry in ethics, and she found his classes in business ethics and sports ethics compelling. Maryann took advantage of two special programs: a month in Italy for Italian cinema, language, and travel, and the Wall Street Semester. She is still enthusiastic about the Wall Street Semester experience. One of the speakers inspired her interest in banking, and through the program she gained her first interview as she prepared for life after graduation. She is especially grateful to Drew Trustee Rory Corrigan for his help in landing interviews.

After Drew, Maryann was a registered marketing associate at Smith Barney for three years. Then she moved to J. P. Morgan as an associate, became a vice president in 2009, and is now an executive director. As a private banker—a role she immensely enjoys—she brings new wealthy clients to the organization and manages their financial needs, from banking and investments to trusts and balance sheet management. Most of her clients are hedge fund managers. Her role is to simplify their lives, as well as to strategize with them, with an eye to the tax implications of their actions, about their general financial well-being.

Outside the office, Maryann has been active in several charities. With the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she has been a “wish grantor,” meeting with children and their families and making arrangements to fulfill their wishes. She has run marathons for Fred’s Team, which raises funds for pediatric cancer at Sloan-Kettering Hospital, and Achilles, which facilitates recreational running for the disabled. Not the least is her work with Drew, where she again connected with the Wall Street Semester as a speaker. She is also on the College Alumni Board, has participated in “Life After Drew,” and volunteers with fundraising.

Maryann currently lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. She enjoys her friends and her family, including her parents, who own a store in Roselle, New Jersey; her brother, an electronic engineer; and her sister, a high school mathematics teacher.

Jennifer was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2012.

Jennifer Marsico feels very lucky – she is doing exactly what she wants to do.  She not only has an absorbing career, but it is what she hoped to do when she was a student.

When her high school counselor recommended Drew, Jennifer thought Drew’s atmosphere, size, location, and reputation for political science made a winning combination.  Commuting to her home in Wyckoff, New Jersey, did not prevent her from being involved in campus life, where she was a leader in the Drew College Republicans.  Nor did it prevent her from achieving academically:  she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to national honor societies in both history and political science.  In political science she has wonderful memories of classes and working on her undergraduate thesis with Joseph Romance and Philip Mundo, and research with Carlos Yordán.  She cannot say too much about Perry Leavell’s courses in history, or Fred Curtis’s in economics.

Participating in the Washington Semester in her junior year gave Jennifer a taste of living independently, and in D.C. she found her interest in public policy.  After graduating summa cum laude from Drew with a major in political science, minors in history and economics, and honors in political science, she elected to go directly to graduate school.  At Georgetown University she pursued an accelerated program which allowed her to graduate with a Master of Arts in American Government in August 2008.  The Georgetown experience gave her an appreciation of “think tanks,” and a connection to the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) in Washington, where she has worked since September 2008.

Jennifer appreciates having a challenging job at a time when so many young people cannot find satisfying employment.  Her work as a senior research associate is very flexible, and she finds her mentors exceptional.  She conducts research for political and social policy, participates in interviews with television, radio, and print outlets, assists in monthly newsletters, and plans events for the AEI’s Political Corner conferences. As a part of the generation that was in high school during 9/11, Jennifer is particularly interested in planning for governmental continuity, and enjoyed being assistant director of the AEI-Brookings Continuity of Government Commission.  She has contributed to recent studies on Supreme Court continuity, as well as voter registration modernization, and civic participation in the digital age.

Her position allows Jennifer to write freelance articles, which she especially enjoys doing as this election cycle progresses.  The number of her contributions, in both print and online publications, is unusual for one who has graduated from college so recently.  As she reviews the last five years and compares her educational experience with that of many of her peers, she is keenly aware that her years at Drew have been vital to her progress so far.

Moniza was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2010.

Moniza Khokhar chose Drew because it was close to home, but she had traveled thousands of miles before her first birthday.  Her parents moved from their native Pakistan to her father’s workplace in Saudi Arabia, where Moniza was born.  A few months later the family was in the United States, and ultimately settled in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

It didn’t take Moniza long to know that she was in the right college.  Every single one of her professors—not just those in economics and political science, her major and minor—was outstanding, she says, and their attention, friendship, guidance, and support made all the difference.  She obviously communicated her enthusiasm to her brother Affan, a member of the College Class of 2009.

Post-graduation, Moniza went to work for Azizah Magazine and Routledge Journal:  Studies in Conflict and Terrorism while earning a master’s degree in Islamic Culture Studies from Columbia University.  Most of her writing focused on the Muslim American diaspora, and she realized that there was a demand for more positive stories about Muslims and a need for a neutral platform for Muslim Americans to discuss issues and celebrate their achievements.

Moniza was laying the groundwork for a new venture.  In 2008, she made publishing news by launching her own magazine:  elan:  The Guide to Global Muslim Culture, now an online publication.  Elan has developed into an online phenomenon, where young professional Muslims from around the globe log on to share, celebrate, and discuss Muslim culture.  Articles offer national and international news, culture, politics, entertainment, even a link to halal recipes.  Commentary from elan has appeared in Huffington Post, the Houston Chronicle, and USA Today.  Moniza has appeared on ART’s “What’s Happening,” an Arab-American television talk show, and Radio Tahrir.

Moniza comes from a long line of businessmen and women, all leaders in their respective fields, and she is taking her place among them.  Her achievements, in only five years since graduation, are remarkable, and the work of a young woman who sought a college near home is now expanding in all directions.  Elan is only the first step:  Moniza expects her two-year-old company, Wahid Media Ventures, to provide a variety of media outlets for young Muslims by expanding into radio, television, and print or online publishing.  So far, the creation of elan has been her greatest satisfaction.  She remains close to her family in Basking Ridge.

Steve was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2009.

That Steve DeLuca has come a long way in only ten years probably does not surprise anyone who knew him at Drew.  A political science major, business management minor, and magna cum laude graduate, Steve speaks warmly of the mentoring he received from Julius Mastro, Philip Mundo, and Douglas Simon, and everything he learned as a John H. Ewing Fellow and a Board of Visitors Student Fellow.  He is especially fond of Drew’s international programs, which enabled him to intern at the Parliament of Victoria, Australia during senior year.  He finds his Drew experiences enabled him to develop many broad skills applicable to any situation.

Steve moved to Richmond, Virginia after graduation to join Capital One, now one of the nation’s largest banks, as a project manager.  Eventually, he became chief of staff for the senior vice president of the Payments business, where he helped build a 100-person start-up division and was a speechwriter for the president of US Card.  He is now director of state government relations, Capital One’s chief lobbyist in Virginia and New Jersey, representing the company’s interests to the executive and legislative branches, trade groups, and community organizations.   He takes special pride in his current position, for which he lacked formal qualifications but was able to make a convincing case for the value of his in-house experience.  Capital One has recognized his work with three Circle of Excellence Awards.

As a volunteer, Steve is an active firefighter with Hanover County Fire Department Engine Co. No. 10 and chairs the company’s Board of Directors; as he says, “both of my jobs involve putting out fires.”  He has twice been named Firefighter of the Year and has received a Presidential Volunteer Service Award.  He is also on the Board of Directors of the North Richmond YMCA and is active in the Government Relations Committee of the Virginia Bankers Association and the New Jersey Bankers Association.  With a view to greater effectiveness and possible future elected office, he is a 2008 graduate of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, which offers an immersion in Virginia politics and policy making.

Steve, who was named one of Richmond’s “Top 40 Under 40″ in 2007 by Style Weekly Magazine, has also stayed in close touch with Drew.  A College Alumni Association Board member, he has served on the admissions, development, and nominating committees and as a Class of 1999 gift chair.

Steve is married to Kristin P. Walinski, a labor and employment attorney who is now a freelance editor and adjunct professor at the University of Richmond Law School.  They live in Richmond with their dog and cat.

Patrick was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2007.

Patrick Aylward became active in government service while he was still at Drew, and he hasn’t stopped.  He has been our man in Trenton, in Washington, and in Iraq, and now he’s our man in the West Wing.

Patrick’s parents taught him the importance of public service as he grew up in Linden, New Jersey, and he chose Drew for its strength in political science.  He was involved in many Drew organizations, served in Student Government Association all four years, and was SGA vice-president as a junior and president in his senior year.  In his last two college years, with the help of Professor Julius Mastro, he interned in Trenton as a legislative aide to New Jersey Senator Jack Ewing.

After graduating magna cum laude, Patrick went on to Georgetown University, also working part time as a communications associate for President Clinton’s Initiative on Race.  When he completed his Master of Public Policy degree in 1999, he began a seven-year stint, still in the White House complex, with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  Here he assisted in formulating funding levels and policies and managing federal agencies’ execution of resources to enforce the President’s priorities, with special attention to bioterrorism preparedness.

Patrick was closely involved with the Bush administration’s response to the events of September 11, 2001, and the anthrax incidents thereafter.  He participated in the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, represented OMB in the White House’s efforts to achieve legislative priorities, and found great satisfaction in working on projects so vital to the national interest.  In the summer of 2004 he traveled to Iraq to provide technical assistance to the Iraqi Ministry of Finance and then, after the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq, to lead in critically evaluating the progress of the reconstruction effort and proposing reallocations of U.S. appropriations.  By 2005, when he won his fifth OMB Professional Achievement Award, Patrick was special assistant to the OMB director.  A year later he was in the West Wing, first as assistant to the White House Chief of Staff and now as director of the Office of the Chief of Staff.  He finds a broad liberal arts education and training in critical thinking invaluable as he helps to sort and carry out presidential priorities.

Life in the West Wing doesn’t leave much free time, but Patrick, an Arlington, Virginia resident, occasionally plays golf, travels, and enjoys seeing friends from Drew and Georgetown.  He hopes to continue in government service and, perhaps, to run for office himself someday.

Allen was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2006.

Major Allen Walker comes by his professional interests honestly—he was an Army brat.  His father’s teaching post at West Point meant that the family did not move quite as often as many military families, but Allen started high school in Belgium before completing his secondary education at West Point.  Appreciation of the small high schools he attended whetted his interest in Drew, and the campus’s beauty clinched his choice.

Allen attended Drew on an ROTC Scholarship, which involved attending the Seton Hall ROTC program two days a week throughout his four years in The Forest.  For the first two years he was the only Drew ROTC student.  He honed his logistical ability by achieving fame—or notoriety—as one of the enterprising students who moved all the chairs in the Commons to the building’s roof one memorable night.  A computer science major, Allen worked at the Computer Aide Station for most of his Drew career.

Immediately following graduation, Allen was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Artillery, and transferred to the Signal Corps a year later.  In 2000, after his promotion to Captain, he completed the Officer Advanced Course at Fort Gordon, Georgia.  He then became battalion communications officer with the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg.  His unit deployed to Ghana to teach communications to the Ghanaian Army, returning early in 2001.  After 9/11, his battalion deployed to Afghanistan, where Allen taught communications to the newly formed Afghan National Army and supported operations against the Taliban.

Returning home, he was assigned to the 112th Signal Battalion (Airborne), which supports all Army special operations.  As Company Commander, he was responsible for a company divided among 10 different locations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Qatar.  Allen is now stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he is Headquarters Company Commander and also Assistant Operations Officer.  He is assigned to the United States Army Systems Performance Office, which tests the latest communications equipment for the Army.  He currently lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his sister, who recently graduated from the College of William and Mary.

Allen has a solid record of achievement in the Army, beginning with his graduation in the top ten percent of his Seton Hall ROTC group.  He was salutatorian for his class in the Officer Advanced Course.  He has received the Major General Newman Award for Leadership, the Army Achievement Award, the Army Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Bronze Star.  Recommendations for these awards, and his recent promotion to Major, indicate that Allen is an outstanding officer.

Wojciech was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2005.

James was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2004.

Kevin was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2003.

In 1994 Kevin Hagan turned Drew down, and accepted another admissions offer upon graduating from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.  But soon he realized that Drew was better suited to his interests, transferred during his sophomore year, and graduated in 1998 with a major in history and a minor in education.  He’s glad he came.

Indeed, Kevin is enthusiastic about the education and mentoring he experienced at Drew.  He speaks first of the overall leadership of President Thomas H. Kean, and also of the influence of his basketball coach, Mark Coleman, from whom he learned that hard work and teamwork were essential but took second place to academics.  He learned important lessons in quality and discipline from Perry Leavell, and Lillie Edwards fostered his growth both in the classroom and through off-campus opportunities.  Just as important, he thinks, is the camaraderie of a small learning environment in preparing graduates for the real world.

And in only five years since his graduation cum laude, he has made a name for himself in New Jersey politics, using his skills in communication, organization, and management in combination with well-known personal integrity.  As assistant to the mayor of Woodbridge, New Jersey, he organized monthly town hall meetings and responded to the concerns of local residents.  In 2000, convinced of James McGreevey’s ability to provide the quality leadership New Jersey needs, he became political director in McGreevey’s campaign for Governor, with major responsibilities for communication, coordination, and staff and volunteer enlistment.

Upon McGreevey’s election he joined the Governor-elect’s executive staff.  In January 2002 he became the Governor’s deputy chief of staff, serving as primary liaison with elected officials in New Jersey and Washington, and managing four of the office’s nine divisions.  In a short leave of absence in 2002 he managed Frank Lautenberg’s successful campaign for the United States Senate.  As of mid-February 2003, he is chief executive officer of New Jersey’s Democratic Party, running day-to-day operations “while putting together a team and a plan which will elect Democrats in November and for many years to come.”  The rapid development of his career speaks well for his own abilities and Drew’s preparation.

A Lawrenceville, New Jersey resident, Kevin is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at Rutgers.  This former Drew team captain still plays basketball, spoke at last year’s weekend retreat for incoming Drew athletes, and is on the C’98 Gift Committee.  We’re glad he came to Drew, too.

Jack was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2002.

Uriel was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2001.

Craig was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 2000.

Raymond was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 1999.

Desha was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 1998.

Suzanne was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 1997.

Robert was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 1996.

Dale was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 1995.

Martha was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 1994.

Jeffrey was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 1993.

Gilbert was honored with the Young Alumni Award during Reunion 1992.

Allen I. Laskin, a RISE Fellow at Drew from 1989 to 2011, is the 2023 recipient of the Friend of Drew Award. Allen earned a PhD in Microbiology in 1956 and an MA in Microbiology in 1952, both from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BS in Biology from City College of New York in 1950. 

It was Drew’s good fortune to welcome Allen as a RISE Fellow in 1989. He brought award-winning insight and expertise to campus, which he shared generously with Drew students.

With a wealth of more than 33 years of experience in biosciences research at Squibb Institute for Medical Research, Exxon Research and Engineering and Matrix Laboratories, a small start-up Biotech company, Allen founded Laskin/Lawrence Associates, an independent biotech and microbiology consultancy. 

Allen has been active in Engineering Foundation Conferences; has authored numerous publications, owns a number of US patents, edited and co-edited many books and professional journals in the field of microbiology.  He has been affiliated as a member or officer with several Microbiology Societies.

Allen has been awarded Fellowships from the American Academy of Microbiology, the Society for Industrial Microbiology, the New York Academy of Sciences and the Dana Research Institute.  

Allen’s hands-on time as a RISE Fellow may have ended in 2011. But he and his wife, Barbara Lawrence, went still further for Drew, establishing two named funds to support undergraduate research, particularly in the areas of microbiology, molecular biology, or biochemistry.