Honoring Alumni
As Retriever Fever spreads across campus for UMBC’s Homecoming Celebration, October 13-16, it’s an opportunity for alumni to reconnect with their alma mater, reminisce about the past and see firsthand how much campus has grown.
It’s also an opportunity for alumni to reflect on their UMBC education and how it helped them succeed. The Alumni of the Year Awards Reception, an annual ceremony presented during Homecoming by the UMBC Alumni Association, honors former students in three categories: Alumnus/Alumna of the Year, Distinguished Service and Young Alumni Rising Star.
Jenny O’Grady, director of alumni and development communications, said the event represents “an array of alums from all the disciplines, showing us that a UMBC education really takes you places.”
The Alumnus/Alumna of the Year award recipients certainly demonstrate that diverse educational array as they continue to thrive and succeed in an equally diverse spectrum of careers.
Michael George ’87, information systems, is a vice president at Amazon.com and is named on several patents related to payments, the marketplace and group buying business processes and technologies.
Vikki Valentine ’96, English, who graduated magna cum laude, is a science journalist and lead editor of NPR’s environment, energy and climate coverage.
Michael I. Nishimura ’80 BA, ’84 MS and ’89 PhD, biological sciences, pioneered approaches for cancer therapy and is vice chair for research in the department of surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Chad Cradock ’97, psychology, led UMBC’s men’s swimming and diving team to nine consecutive conference championships, including seven straight America East titles, and the Retriever women have won four conference crowns.
Dean Alexander ’88, visual arts, has won nearly 100 international awards for his photography. He has captured a wide variety of subjects, from Oprah Winfrey, Lady Sutherland and Baltimore’s homeless to a variety of corporate and non-profit clients.
This year’s Distinguished Service Award goes to Gene Trainor ’86, health science and policy and economics. He is the chief operating officer of Foundation Capital, a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California. He serves on the board of Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a non-profit organization.
Aaron Merki ’05, political science is this year’s Young Alumni Rising Star. While attending the University of Maryland School of Law, he founded the FreeState Legal Project, an organization that provides legal services to low-income LGBT clients around the Baltimore area. He is also an associate at Venable LLP, where he serves a range of clients from corporations to low-income individuals.
The Alumni of the Year Awards will be presented Thursday, October 14, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a reception for the campus community. More information is available online.
A complete Homecoming schedule and registration are available online.
(10/12/10)
