Alumni recognized for professional achievements, public service

Fourteen alumni were honored Oct. 12, with the Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement which recognizes distinguished alumni who graduated within the last 20 years and have exhibited great promise in their professional or public service activities.

President David P. Roselle welcomed the recipients, their families and friends to the afternoon ceremony in Mitchell Hall. The recipients were presented by Robert Davis, vice president of development and alumni relations.

Honored were Antoine J. Allen, Leslie Green Bowman, John C. Carney Jr., Craig M. Cutler, Kevin J. Gregson, Melissa Deifer Hicks, Franklin W. Kelly, John H. Markels, Margaret L. Meharg, Karen L. Olmstead, Gurudatta M. Parulkar, Philip M. Reich III, Claire W. Sawyers and Debra Chambliss von Koch.

Allen, who earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and a doctorate in urban affairs, is president of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League (MWUL), an affiliate of the National Urban League. The Urban League works to advance the interests of people of color in education, economic development and collaborative partnership.

He and his son, Antoine Jr., live in Wilmington.

“The University is where I became aware of my best self and where I learned hard lessons about myself and the world, lessons that remain a significant part of my life,” Allen said. “To me, this will always be the place where I grew up and first stood for what was right and fair—the essence of my work today. UD paved the way.”

Bowman, who received her master’s degree from UD’s Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, is director and CEO of Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Wilmington. Opened to the public in 1951 by founder Henry Francis du Pont, Winterthur includes the foremost collection of decorative arts made in early America, a naturalistic garden and a research library.

Bowman has published numerous articles and books, including American Arts & Crafts: Virtue and Design, for which she was awarded the Charles F. Montgomery Award of Decorative Arts Society of the Society of Architectural Historians. Bowman coauthored American Rococo, 1750-1775, Elegance in Ornament, and was a contributing author for The Arts and Crafts Ideal in California: Living the Good Life and Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopedia of Silver.

She lives in Delaware with her husband, Courtland Neuhoff, and their daughter, Haley.

“I was 20 when I got the call that I had been accepted into the University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in Early American Culture. I can still remember the jubilation…I knew that this was a life-changing decision—I was right,” Bowman said. “I have been blessed with many successes in my career, and everyone can be credited to the extraordinary opportunities afforded me in that program. If I have achieved any distinction that brings honor to UD, it is small recompense for all that I have gained from it.”

John C. Carney, who graduated from UD with a master’s degree in public administration, is now lieutenant governor of the state of Delaware, a position in which he serves as president of the Delaware State Senate and the Delaware Board of Pensions. Carney also served as the state’s secretary of finance and was deputy chief for then-Gov. Thomas Carper, who is now a U.S. senator. An all-Ivy League football and lacrosse player, Carney also returned to Delaware to coach freshman football at UD in 1984. An active member of the community, Carney coaches boy’s lacrosse at St. Marks High School in Newark, and also is a member of the Board of Directors of Delaware Special Olympics and has volunteered at the Emmanuel Dining Room in Wilmington.

He lives in Wilmington, with his wife, Tracey, and sons, Sam and Jimmy.

“My inspiration to pursue a career in public service came from my parents, who dedicated their lives to educating Delaware’s children and raising nine of their own,” Carney said. “My experience as a graduate student at UD in what was then the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy helped me decide how to channel that inspiration and provided the necessary academic background to do so. The most important aspects of my experience in the MPA program was the practical experience provided by the summer internship in the president’s office at UD and participating in the Legislative Fellows Program…which led to my ultimate decision to run for lieutenant governor.”

A graduate of the Department of Art’s Visual Communication Program, Cutler opened his own Manhattan studio in 1985, where he has produced photography for a wide variety of clients, including IBM, Lexis, Mercedes Benz, RCA, Revlon, Rolex, Tiffany’s and The New York Times. His photographs have appeared in numerous magazines, including the double issue new millennium issue of Life, and in six issues of the The New York Times Magazine.

He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Joanne.

“Looking back, I can almost remember the day…as a visual communications major at UD…when it suddenly occurred to me that anything was possible—that I could do it, that I would do it,” Cutler said. “My real heroes are two men (Raymond Nichols and Bill Deering) who dared to challenge me, to ask me ‘Do I want the best?’ These men inspired me and many of my classmates to reject mediocrity and recognize the real potential inside each of us.”

With a bachelor’s degree in political science, Gregson is a partner in charge of the Global Human Capital Group at Ernst & Young, where he collaborates on nontraditional financial measures and global human capital management. His invention of Vi^2 (Value Integrated Intangibles Software Tool) and consulting methodology resulted in only the third business process patent in the 100-year history of Ernst & Young. He has served as president of the Alpha Tau Omega Alumni Association at UD and as a member of the board of supervisors at the Glen Mills School in Pennsylvania.

He lives in Chappaqua, N.Y., with his wife, Michelle, and his son, William.

“As a global adviser to multinational businesses, I can now more fully appreciate the characteristics that make Delaware a unique blend of old and new, large and small. I especially value the charm and wit of professors like Jim Soles and Jim Magee,” Gregson said. “Jim Soles taught me power of a well-articulated idea, and Jim Magee, with understated eloquence, taught the value of exchanging contentious opinions with diplomacy and regard for the opposing view. UD’s core values of diversity of thought and intellectual rigor have served me well, and I am certain they will continue to serve me far into the future.”

Since graduating from UD with a bachelor’s degree in individual and family studies, Hicks has distinguished herself as a child-life specialist, working with children and their families through the initial diagnosis of a serious disease, the prognosis and pain of the disease and its treatment and outcome. She also is actively involved with the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Network’s programs for children and has started a private practice, working with children who have chronic illnesses and their families. She also is working on a series of children’s books, dealing with such topics as cancer—from diagnosis to going back to school, managing pain and the death of a friend.

She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Henry.

“I remember clearly making the decision to go to UD—upon visiting the campus, I knew I found my home—the place to gain a high quality education while not feeling like just another student lost in the shuffle,” Hicks said. “When I arrived at UD, I knew that I wanted to work, in a therapeutic way, with children affected by illness, but I was not clear on how to achieve that goal…then I met Dene Klinzing, who pointed me in the direction of my passion. I took a course on the hospitalized child and knew that was to be my life’s work. She guided me on the path to become a child-life specialist and has supported me ever since, both as a mentor and a friend. Each time I work with a child and family, I realize the significant contribution that UD made toward the foundation of my skills and the professional I have become.”

Franklin W. Kelly, who earned his doctorate in art history from UD, serves as curator of American and British painting at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and as an associate professor of art history at the University of Maryland. A historian of American art, with particular expertise in the study of 19th-century landscape painting, Kelly is the author of Frederick Edwin Church and the National Landscape and organized a 1989 exhibition of the artist’s work at the National Gallery. A frequent lecturer on American topics at museums and universities throughout the country, he also is conducting research for a book, In the Realm of Landscape: Essays on Thomas Cole, and for an exhibition on international romantic landscape painting.

He lives in suburban Washington, D.C.

“I came to UD in the fall of 1979 to pursue a doctorate in the history of art. I had decided to specialize in the field of American art, and the University, then as now, had an outstanding reputation in that subject. I could not have made a better choice,” Kelly said. “ The professors were not just great experts in their chosen fields, but also great teachers who were encouraging, supportive, challenging and when necessary, hard taskmasters. They taught us all well, and I am proud to have studied with them.”

With a bachelor’s degree from UD in chemical engineering, Markels is executive director of pharmaceutical engineering and technical services for Merck. He leads the central science and technology support for all Merck solid, non-sterile liquid and sterile liquid dosage drug production worldwide, from biobatch planning through final process validation and approval. He also directs pharmaceutical process engineering and is responsible for process design for all Merck pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities around the world. Markels heads Merck’s chemical engineering recruitment team, recruiting UD students to join the company, and he also serves on the executive advisory committer for UD’s engineering outreach program.

He resides in Lower Gwynedd, Pa., with his wife, Rosalind, and daughter, Michaela.

“When I look back at the life decision I made to attend UD, I am reminded of the confluence of good fortune that decision has brought me. My calculation and my heart told me that chemical engineering at UD, unlike other top programs in the country, had a broad, more balanced and nurturing campus environment, while providing maximum academic challenge and training,” Markels said. “At Merck, I have mentors and friends who are also alumni and have strong bonds with UD. I also have been fortunate for many years to be the Merck recruiting team captain for chemical engineering at UD, providing a vehicle for me to join others at Merck in our mission to save lives through breakthrough medicine. My relationship with professors and administrators, old and new, has grown steadily over time. Like a good friend, UD is still with me. What a wise decision I made 20 years ago.”

Meharg, who earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education, is head coach of the University of Maryland’s field hockey team, leading the Terps to NCAA titles in 1993 and 1999. Her teams have won four Atlantic Coast Conference championships and made five national semifinal appearances. Entering the 2001 season, Meharg, a two-time field hockey All-American during her playing career at UD, is 14th on the all-time NCAA field hockey coaching list, with a 207 wins in 13 seasons, and is a three-time NFHCA and ACC coach of the year honoree. She has tutored 48 All-Americans on the field and has developed 31 players who have competed internationally.

She lives in North Potomac, Md., with her children, Andre and Eugene.

“As a UD student in physical education/health and an athlete in field hockey and lacrosse, I could not have been more prepared by any other Division I university in the nation,” Meharg said. “While a student-athlete at UD, I had the honor of winning two NCAA National Championships and competing for the University in four NCAA final four appearances. I was prepared to play on both field hockey and lacrosse USA National teams. UD provided the perfect blend of proud people, rich in tradition and excellence. I cherish these times and now recognize just what an incredible privilege it was to be a Blue Hen.”

With a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in entomology from UD, Olmstead is professor and chairperson of the University of South Dakota Department of Biology. The focus of her work has been on increasing undergraduate research opportunities, strengthening faculty research programs and modernizing the undergraduate curriculum. Olmstead’s research on restoration ecology has been published in numerous journals and textbooks, and she has been working on the restoration of a wetland and tall grass prairie near the University of South Dakota Campus.

She lives in Vermillion, S.D., with her husband and their children, Margaret and Lincoln.

“As a graduate almost 20 years removed from UD, it seems impossible that a meeting with professor Roland Roth has proven so important. I was a sophomore then, uncertain about a major and hardly thinking about career, when I met with Prof. Roth,” Olmstead said. “It was a routine adviser-student meeting, but I emerged with a sense of direction that steered me into classes and participation in research projects that led to a 15-year-and-counting career as a scientist and now a university administrator. Every time I chat with a student, I am aware, as was Prof. Roth, of how important these meetings—or any routine day at a university—can be.”

Graduating from UD with a doctorate in computer science, Parulkar in now editor of the ACM/IEEE Transactions on Networking, a prestigious journal in the field of computer networking, and is entrepreneur in residence for New Enterprise Associates, a premier venture capital firm. Combining his entrepreneurial and educational skills, Parulkar served as an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where he and two colleagues designed and implemented a new type of communication system that permits routers to step up and handle optical network speeds. The company, Growth Networks, was purchased by CISCO in April 2000, for $335 million.

He resides in Los Altos, Calif., with his wife, Kalpana, and daughter, Nikita.

“My four years of graduate studies at UD were a very enriching experience. I benefited a great deal from one of the best research programs in computer networking, especially considering this was well before the emergence of the Internet,” Parulkar said. “I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with professors Dave Farber, Adarsh Sethi and Paul Amer. I developed tremendous respect and appreciation for Bob Caviness and his style of leadership. My participation in the graduate student association helped me understand my department’s operation within UD and helped me to chose a career in academia, which is one of the best things that happened to me.”

Graduating from UD with a bachelor of science degree in medical technology, Reich is senior marketing manager in the cholesterol-reducers business group at Merck & Co. Throughout his professional career, Reich has worked to educate the pubic on health care issues while remaining active in the community, volunteering for the United Way, American Red Cross, AIDS Fund, American Cancer Society March of Dimes and Muscular Dystrophy Association.

He lives in Maple Glen, Pa.

“The journey of growth is sometimes not a straight pass…what is difficult is maintaining the balance at any given point. I am grateful for the overall experience at UD, as it provided me with an excellent foundation for both personal and professional development. My professors challenged me to set high standards for performance, to experiment and to take risks,” Reich said. “Their inspiration encouraged me to strive and grow technically, scientifically and professionally. I also have the utmost respect and admiration for my medtech classmates who served as mentors. Furthermore, I built strong, lasting relationships with many of them, as well as with my fraternal brothers (Phi Kappa Phi) and so many others whose paths crossed mine.”

A graduate of UD with a master’s degree in ornamental horticulture, Sawyers is director of the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, where she works to maintain beautiful gardens in the midst of a busy college campus. Sawyers was instrumental in helping the arboretum, which exhibits more than 4,000 ornamental plants, to be among the first public gardens to receive accreditation from the American Association of Accreditation.

Her articles have appeared in more than 40 national publications, including American Horticulturalist, American Nurseryman and Fine Gardening. She lives in Media, Pa.

“My educational experience at UD was the result of a synergism between the University and Longwood Gardens. Capitalizing on unique opportunities, the University created the Longwood Graduate Program in the 1960s, and since then has produced many graduates who have become leaders in the field of public horticulture,” Sawyers said. “In my current position as director of the Scott Arboretum, I’m also part of a synergistic relationship between an institution of higher learning and a public garden. Both UD and Swarthmore College realized unique collaborations, which have benefited American horticulture in substantial ways. UD should be glad how, through the Longwood Graduate Program, it has shaped public horticulture in America.”

Graduating from UD with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public administration, von Koch now serves as associate director for the U.S. Department of Treasury, where she plans and administers the Government Debt Issuance and Management Program. The program supports the development of market-based means of public finance in emerging and transitional market economies by providing technical assistance advice and assistance. She also designs U.S. Treasury Department technical assistance strategies, advancing United States international and financial policy by interaction with foreign ministers of finance and central banks.

Though she works in Washington, D.C., she maintains her residence in Landenberg, Pa., with her husband and UD alumnus, Alexander.

“My experiences at UD, particularly as a graduate student, have deeply influenced my professional endeavors. As a result…I embarked on a fascinating career in public finance—first in state government, then in teaching, and now in the international arena,” von Koch said. “Most notable about my UD experience, however, was the incredible level of guidance and support I received from my professors in what was then the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, now the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy. More than 15 years later, they continue to be a source of support, for which I am grateful.”

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