Michigan State University Alumni Association Honors World-changing Spartans

EAST LANSING, Mich., Nov. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan State University Alumni Association will recognize 11 of its top-achieving alumni and donors worldwide at the annual Grand Awards Gala Nov. 9, 2018 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.

"It is a privilege to honor this group from the many deserving members of the Spartan Nation, not only for their outstanding achievements, but for the far-reaching impacts they have on the lives of others and our world," said Bob Thomas, interim associate vice president for Alumni Relations. "The 2018 Alumni Grand Award recipients exemplify how Spartans put their innate talents, entrepreneurial spirit and world-class education to work for a better tomorrow."

Distinguished Alumni Award

• Dr. Roger N. Beachy, professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis who developed the world's first genetically modified food crop.
• Patricia Geoghegan, former co-head of the Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Tax Department and head of its Executive Compensation Group.
• Dr. David Patrick Kelly, CFA is currently managing director and chief global strategist of JPMorgan Asset Management.
• Gloria Santona had a 40-year career at McDonald's Corp. where she served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary. She is currently of counsel at Baker & McKenzie LLP.
• Manoj Kumar Saxena is executive chairman of CognitiveScale and founding managing director of The Entrepreneurs' Fund IV. He previously served as the first general manager of IBM Watson, where his team built the first cognitive systems.

Alumni Service Award

• Marc Sherwood Conlin , a member of the MSU community for 54 years, is currently business/personnel manager and budget officer for MSU's Department of Physics and Astronomy.
• Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Shanahan is an associate vice president for administration and operations at DePaul University. She was previously consultant to MSU's to executive vice president for administrative services and led the Society of Women Engineers.

Young Alumni Award

• Jennifer Ann Heemstra is founder of the Kolkata Classics Trust in India, which provides free health services and exposes the citizens of Kolkata to classical music. In 2017, she founded the Pitch Pipe Foundation, a U.S.-based NGO through which Heemstra organized 50 concerts to support Veterans Affairs medical facilities.
• Shannon L. Wilson has served as executive director of the African American Health Institute since 2010. She is currently an adjunct faculty member of both Grand Valley State University and MSU's Colleges of Human Medicine.

Honorary Alumni Award

• Sandra Elaine Pierce is senior executive vice president, private client group and regional banking director, chairman of Michigan, Huntington Bank Detroit, where she leads Huntington Private Bank, Huntington Insurance Agency, Huntington Auto Finance and RV/Marine.

Philanthropist Award

• Dr. John Reed Koza is being recognized for his $12.7 million commitment to MSU's College of Engineering and BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action – the largest individual gift in the college's history. Koza is a consulting professor in the Departments of Medicine and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University.

Recipients will be available for media interviews in the Kellogg Center's Galaxy Room from 4:30-5:30 p.m. prior to the ceremony.

About MSU Alumni Association: The MSU Alumni Association embodies Michigan State University's world-grant mission to make the world a better place through collective Spartan power. Through engagement and continuing education, MSUAA fosters lifelong connections with more than 500,000 Spartans around the world. For more information, visit alumni.msu.edu.

SOURCE Michigan State University Alumni Association

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http://alumni.msu.edu