Kudos & Commendations

Over the course of the 2021–22 and 2022–23 years, alumni and University friends were recognized for their achievements and service, both to their communities and to the institution. The ceremonies took place both on and off campus at University events.

Arts, Sciences & Engineering

Dean’s Medal

Arthur Miller ’56, ’08 (Honorary): A University Professor at New York University, Miller is a distinguished legal scholar and commentator who received an Emmy Award for his work on the PBS series The Constitution: That Delicate Balance.

Dick ’63, ’66 (MS) and Vicki Proschel Schwartz ’62: Active University volunteers for more than 60 years, Dick is a retired senior optical engineer, and Vicki is a former teacher and past director of student activities at the University.

James S. Armstrong Alumni Service Award

Jason Buitrago ’07, ’14W (MS): The executive director of enrollment management and strategic initiatives for graduate programs at Case Western Reserve University’s medical school, Buitrago has served as a volunteer on reunion, diversity, and other advisory councils.

Ashley Campbell ’09, 10W (MS): The director of equity and inclusion research and research education with the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the Medical Center, Campbell is a national cochair of the University’s Black Alumni Network. She is also a faculty member at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where she earned her PhD.

John N. Wilder Award

John Zabrodsky III ’82: The founder, managing director, and president of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Zabrodsky is also a strategic investment partner with private equity ventures. Elected to the Universi-ty’s Athletics Hall of Fame, he is an active member of reunion committees and serves in other volunteer roles.

Abigail Zabrodsky ’14, ’19S (MBA): The global platform manager at Rich Products, a global food manufacturer based in Buffalo, Zabrodsky is a member of the University’s Alumni Board. A cochair of the 2022 Volunteer in Partnership Conference, she has held several leadership positions on alumni councils and programs.

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Michael Alessandri ’85: The executive director of the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, Alessandri has earned recognition for work to develop educational programs for students with autism.

Scott Pomerantz ’81, ’83S (MBA): The chief executive officer at FocalPoint Technology Partners, Pomerantz has been an important advisor to the Hajim School, the Simon School, and the Parents Council.

School of Medicine and Dentistry

Dean’s Medal

Richard Burton ’64M (Res): The inaugural Marjorie Strong Wehle Professor in Orthopaedics at the University, Burton has held leadership roles at the Medical Center as well as among his peers nationally.

John N. Wilder Award

James Aquavella: The Catherine E. Aquavella Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at the Flaum Eye Institute, Aquavella was instrumental in developing laser therapy and extended wear contact lenses for myopia as well as other treatments for cornea disease.

Robert Newman ’63M (MD) Humanitarian Award

Stephen McLeod-Bryant ’80, ’84M (MD): A faculty member at the Miller School of Medicine, part of the University of Miami Health Sciences Center, McLeod-Bryant was named president-elect of the Black Psychiatrists of America in 2022.

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Joseph Serletti ’82M (MD), ’88M (Res): The Henry Royster–William Maul Measey Professor of Surgery, Serletti is also chief of the division of plastic surgery and vice chair for finance in the department of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania.

Alumni Achievement Award

Irene Georgakoudi ’99M (PhD): A professor in the biomedical engineering department and cell, molecular, and developmental biology program at Tufts University, Georgakoudi has earned recognition for research to develop noninvasive methods of clinical diagnoses.

Alumni Service Award

Gina Cuyler ’92M (MD), ’95M (Res): The vice president of health equity and community investments for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Cuyler cochairs the University’s Black Alumni Network and has other volunteer roles with the University and its service organizations.

School of Nursing

Dean’s Medal

Mary-Therese Dombeck ’78N (MS), ’89 (PhD): A professor emeritus of nursing, Dombeck has 40 years of experience in clinical, educational, administrative, and leadership roles at the School of Nursing. Those roles include teaching courses on cultural diversity, religious and spiritual issues in health care, and group and family psychotherapy.

Margaret Kearney: A professor emerita at the School of Nursing, Kearney joined the faculty in 2005, serving as the school’s PhD program director and later as dean of graduate studies for the University.

Humanitarian Award

Kathy Hiltunen ’78N, ’91S (MBA): An assistant professor of nursing at the School of Nursing and manager of nursing services at the Monroe County Department of Public Health, Hiltunen provided clinical coordination to Monroe County–led vaccine clinics and testing sites during the pandemic.

Kim Urbach ’98N (MS): A retired assistant professor of clinical nursing and pediatric nurse practitioner at the School of Nursing, Urbach directed School-Based Health Center Clinics for 15 years. She led the center’s successful efforts to receive state and federal funding to partner with the Rochester City School District.

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Jacquelyn Campbell ’86N (PhD): A professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing since 1993, Campbell is the Anna D. Wolf Chair and Professor. She is a national leader in the field of domestic and intimate partner violence.

Dianne Morrison-Beedy ʼ93N (PhD): Chief talent and global strategy officer and centennial professor of nursing at Ohio State, Morrison-Beedy is an elected nursing fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the National Academies of Practice, and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.

Sally Ellis Fletcher ’10N (PhD): An associate dean for students, Fletcher also oversees committees and councils for diversity and inclusion at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing and Health Studies.

Legacy Award

Dennis Kitzman: Kitzman established the Dennis L. and Harriet J. Kitzman Endowed Fellowship Fund in memory of the career of his late wife, Harriet Kitzman ’61W (MS), ’84N (PhD). The couple have earned recognition for their contributions to the School of Nursing and the Rochester community.

Elizabeth Marie Nolan ’78N (MS): A retired nurse and administrative leader for the University of Michigan Health System, now Michigan Medicine, Nolan initiated a patient education program and served as director of patient education during her tenure. She has earned recognition from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

Simon Business School

Alumni Service Award

Lynne Amerson ’09S (MBA): Senior portfolio manager at Northern Trust Wealth Management in Colorado, Anderson is a member of the Simon Alumni Board and chairs the Simon Women’s Alliance Board. She also is a former chair of the Simon Regional Alumni Network in Denver.

Dion Chay ’98S (MBA): Senior vice president and business strategy and initiatives manager for Bank of America in Boston, Chay is a member of the University’s Alumni Board and the Simon Advisory Council as well as cochair of the Boston Network Leadership Council.

Juan Jones ’88S (MBA): Executive vice president of global support renewal sales at Oracle, Jones was named a University trustee in 2022. He has served on Simon’s National Council and is a former member of Simon’s Executive Advisory Committee. The Executive Board Room at Simon is named in recognition of his support for the school.

Warner School of Education and Human Development.

James S. Armstrong Alumni Service Award

Herbert Miller ’62, ’64W (MA): A retired education and training consultant whose clients included IBM, Microsoft, Kodak, Xerox, and other companies, Miller has earned recognition from the International Society for Performance and Instruction and other groups and organizations to improve individual performance, productivity, and workplace organization. .

Ellen Genrich Rusling ’66W, ’79W (MA): A retired school psychologist and family therapist for Monroe County’s Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Rusling became ordained through the spiritual organization Fellowships of the Spirit. In recognition of the support provided by her and her husband, Tom, the Genrich-Rusling Room, a flexible study and meeting space in LeChase Hall, was named in honor their family, part of the couple’s history of support for the school.

Eastman School of Music

Distinguished Alumni Award

Kevin Puts ’94E, ’99E (DMA): A Pulitzer Prize– and Grammy–winning composer, Puts has been commissioned to create work for the Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, and other leading performance organizations around the world. He has collaborated with renowned artists such as Renée Fleming ’83E (MM), ’11 (Honorary) Yo-Yo Ma, and others.