UNIVERSITY LIGGETT SCHOOL \ ALUMNI
\ ALUMNI
Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes a living alumna/us for their leadership, professional achievements, civic contributions within their local community, the state or nation, service to University Liggett School, and/or other qualities that elicit pride from others who attend University Liggett School.
Previous Recipients
Nona Yehia '89
We were honored to recognize Nona Yehia ‘89 as our 2024 Distinguished Alumna during Alumni Weekend on May 17 & 18, 2024.
Nona is a passionate advocate for local food and a pioneer in controlled environmental agriculture (CEA). She co-founded Vertical Harvest in 2016 as a way to bring fresh produce to communities.
An accomplished architect with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s from Columbia University, Yehia designed the Vertical Harvest greenhouses to grow “up” (instead of out). Completed in 2016, the company’s facility in Jackson Hole, WY, was the first vertical greenhouse in North America. The three-story greenhouse sits on just a tenth of an acre but can produce as much food as five acres of traditional farmland.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Vertical Harvest will bring CEA to Detroit. In partnership with Bedrock, the company will build a 60,000 sq. ft. facility in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood. Slated to open in 2025, the 74-foot-tall farm will use 95% less water than traditional farms and produce around 2.2 million pounds of fresh vegetables and greens year-round. Seventy percent of that produce will stay local, being distributed within 100 miles of Detroit to schools, hospitals, restaurants, and local grocery markets.
A key priority for Yehia and Vertical Harvest is inclusivity. The company strives to create inclusive, customized employment opportunities for people with physical or intellectual disabilities. At the Jackson facility as well as the new Maine and Detroit facilities, 40% of positions will be reserved for people with disabilities and those needing career growth assistance.
Yehia has received national recognition for her work. She was named a CNN Champion of Change, and Vertical Harvest has twice been named a finalist for Fast Company's Best Places to Work for Innovators.
Nona Yehia '89
Architect, Vertical Harvest Co-Founder
Adam Levinson '88
Adam Levinson ’88 was honored as our 2023 Distinguished Alumnus during Alumni Weekend – May 19 & 20, 2023.
Adam Levinson is the founder, managing partner, and CIO at Graticule Asset Management Asia (GAMA), an independently owned Singapore-based alternative investment management firm with offices in Singapore and New York. Before that, he was a Principal and member of the Management Committee of Fortress Investment Group.
At Fortress, he served as the chief executive officer of Fortress Investment Group (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., chief investment officer of the Fortress Asia Macro Funds, and co-chief investment officer of the Fortress Macro Funds.
Prior to joining Fortress in June 2002, Levinson was a fund manager at Tudor Investment Corporation and a proprietary trader for ten years at Goldman, Sachs & Co., moving between Hong Kong, Tokyo, London and New York managing portfolios of G10 and emerging market risk. Additionally, Levinson was the Head of Foreign Exchange at Goldman Sachs Japan from 1998 to 1999.
Levinson is a former member of the Singapore Foreign Exchange Market Committee (FXEMC) and serves on the advisory board of Greater Pacific Capital LLP and as an External Member of the Investments Sub-Committee of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is also the co-founder of Revolution Cannabis a privately-held craft MSO based in Chicago.
In addition to his successful accomplishments in global finance, Adam is a generous philanthropist who is an avid supporter of education, especially in the City of Detroit. In 2014 he founded the Detroit Children’s Fund, which is a nonprofit focused on improving educational outcomes in the city through investments that expand already successful schools and improve those that are substandard. The ultimate goal is for every child in Detroit to receive a top-notch education. He and his wife also endowed the China Asia Pacific Studies program at Cornell University.
Levinson received a B.A. in government, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University. He lives between Singapore, Tokyo and Los Angeles with his wife, Brittany and their three children.
Adam Levinson '88
Investment Professional and philanthropist
Lisa Black '77
Professional Experience
Nuveen, a TIAA Company, NY, NY
Senior Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer, 2012 - 2018
Head of Taxable Fixed Income team
- Led team of 90+ investment professionals managing over $235 billion of fixed-income assets
- Charged with setting vision, evaluating the skills of staff, and keeping senior management apprised of important developments within investment mandates
- Worked with business partners in Actuary, Auditing, Client Portfolio Management, Financial Reporting, Human Resources, Investment Services, IT, Law & Compliance, Marketing, and Risk Management
TIAA, NY, NY
Chief Investment Officer - TIAA General Account, 2014-2015
Served as interim CIO of $265 billion TIAA General Account
- Responsible for determining asset allocation among public fixed-income, private debt, alternatives, and commercial real estate
- Member of the TIAA Asset Liability Committee that sets guidelines for yield targets, capital adequacy, liquidity, and risk appetite
Managing Director, 1996 - 2012
- Head of Portfolio Management (2003-2010; 2011-2012)
- Head of Fixed Income Trading (2010-2011)
- Lead Portfolio Manager of several Bond Accounts (1996-2003)
Volunteer Experience
University Liggett School Board of Trustees, 2009 – 2015
Investment Committee, 2010-Present
- Chair, 2010-2015
- Treasurer, 2012-2015
- Lead Donor: Muriel Brock Field Initiative
Smith College, Trustee, 2021 – Present
- Resources & Operations Committee
- Audit & Risk Committee
Licenses & Certifications
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), CFA Institute, Issued May 1991
Education
- University of Michigan, Ross School of Business, MBA Accounting & Finance, Class of 1987
- Smith College, BA Economics, Class of 1981
- University Liggett School, Class of 1977
Lisa Black '77
Investment Professional and philanthropist
Kristen Feemster '91
EXPERIENCE
City of Philadelphia – Department of Public Health, Division of Disease Control
- Medical Director- Acute Communicable Diseases and Immunization Programs | Oct 2017 – Present
- Medical Director- Immunization Program Jan 2016 – Oct 2017
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Affiliate Physician | Jun 2018 – Present
- Attending Physician, Division of Infectious Diseases | Jul 2010 – Jun 2018
- Physician Fellow - Pediatric Infectious Diseases Jul 2008 – Jun 2010
- Pediatric Resident | Jun 2005 – Jun 2008
Research Director
- Vaccine Education Center, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia | Nov 2013 – Present
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
- Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics Apr 2018 – Present
- Division of Infectious Diseases – The Children’s Hospital of PhiladelphiaAssistant Professor of Pediatrics,
- Division of Infectious Diseases | Jul 2010 – Apr 2018
Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar
- University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Jul 2005 – Jun 2008
Training Coordinator
Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership Dates Employed 1995 – 1997
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Medical School
MD – 2002 Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY
Residency
Pediatrics – 2008 The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Fellowship
- Post-doctoral Fellow - The Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Post-doctoral Fellow - Division of Infectious Diseases, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Board Certification
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Pediatrics
Undergraduate Degree
- BS - Yale University, New Haven, CT, Class of 1995
Graduate Degrees
- 2001 Master of Public Health - Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY
- 2008 MS in Health Policy Research - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- University Liggett School, Class of 1991
PROFESSIONAL & ACADEMIC TITLES
- Director of Research, Vaccine Education Center
- Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
PUBLISHED WORK & WRITINGS
Books
- Vaccines: What Everyone Needs to Know, 1st Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Chapters
- Influenza. In: Schwartz MW, Bell LM, Bingham PM, et al., eds. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 7th Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2015.
- Vaccine Adverse Events. In: Schwartz MW, Bell LM, Bingham PM, et al., eds. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 7th Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2015.
- Influenza. In: Schwartz MW, Bell LM, Bingham PM, et al., editors. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008.
- Human Papillomavirus. In: Schwartz MW, Bell LM, Bingham PM, et al., editors. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008.
Papers
- 2013 – Present: Kristen has written almost 50 papers and articles on vaccines and vaccine hesitancy.
Editorial Positions
- 2013-Present: Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, Associate Editor
- 2012-13: Special Focus on Vaccine Acceptance, Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, Guest Editor
Reviewer
- 2013-present: JAMA Pediatrics
- 2012: Cochrane Protocol: Interventions for informing/educating parents about early childhood vaccination.
- 2012-present: Journal of the Pediatric Infectious
Diseases Society
- 2011-present: Vaccine
- 2010-present: Pediatric Emergency Care
- 2008-present: Academic Pediatrics; Pediatrics; and Journal of Adolescent Health
Kristen Feemster '91
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, Health Services Researcher, Author, Public Health Officer
John D. Evans ‘62 GPUS
- Telecommunications Pioneer,
- Philanthropist & Activist
Career & Professional Accomplishments
Co-Founder of C-SPAN, 1977
- Founding Member of the Board of Directors of C-SPAN, 1978 – present
- Chairman, Executive Committee 1991-1993
- Member of the Executive Committee, 1997-present
- Chairman of the Audit & Finance Committee, 1997 - Present
Chairman & CEO: Evans Telecommunications Co., 1983 – Present
- An investment, consulting, and operating company in the cable television and telecommunications industries
Chairman & CEO: The John D. Evans Foundation, 1994 – Present
- Committed to Social Justice, AIDS vaccine research, protection of the environment, and improving the quality of life through technological innovation, education, and the arts
President, Hauser Communications (HCI) from 1983 to 1994
- Oversaw the day-to-day operations of one of the nation's then largest cable television operations, serving some 500,000 customers in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington, D.C.
- Completed a landmark transaction when they sold HCI's cable properties in the Washington suburbs to SBC Communications (now AT&T), then known as Southwestern Bell. This marked the first time a regional Bell operating company purchased an operating U.S. cable system. This transaction also marked the beginning of the convergence of telephone, computer, fiber optic and coaxial cable technologies
Boards & Advisory Work
- Appointed co-Chair of Dr. Gallo’s Advisory Board 2018
- Inaugural member of the Board of Trustees of the Digital Preservation Network, 2013-2018
- Board Member, Accelerator Technology Holdings Co., Amman, Jordan, a Middle East telecommunications/media investment company, 2005-2016
- Elected to the Board of Directors of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), 2002-2013
- UVA Strategic Planning Initiative’s Technology Group, 2012
- School of Information External Advisor Board, 2010-Present
- College of LS&A Dean’s Advisory Council, 1998-2017
- U of M’s Center for Global Health’s Advisory Board, 2009
- Appointed by the National Science Foundation to review and recommend multimillion dollar grants for NSF’s $200 Million Academic Research Infrastructure Program (ARI-R2), 2009
- Appointed to the Internet2 Board of Trustees External Relations Council, 2008
- Headed up a four-university research alliance - The Waterford Project – to accelerate the development of an AIDS vaccine for the world, 1999
- Appointed to The University of Michigan's President's Advisory Group, 1998
- Served as a U.S. delegate to the conference on Science and Technology for the Caribbean Academy of Science in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 1998
- Served as a U.S. delegate to the Asia-Pacific Conference of Science and Technology Leaders in Beijing as a guest of the Chinese government, 996
- Appointed by Robert C. Gallo, co-discoverer of the AIDS virus, to Dr. Gallo's Advisory Board for the Institute of Human Virology, 1995. Appointed Co-Chair 2018
Honors & Awards
- US Cable Industry Hall of Fame, 2016
- Longest serving Board member on NCTA-The Internet and Television Association, first elected in 1981 and re-elected in 2017
- Awarded the IHV’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in AIDS vaccine advocacy and public service, 2008
- Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association Hall of Fame, 2001
- League of African American Women's Annual Award, 2001
- Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the College of Washington and Jefferson, 2009
- Courage in Business Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, 2009
- Virginia Communications Hall of Fame, 2004
- Appointed to the University's Blue Ribbon Commission on Information Technology, 2004
- NCTA’s Vanguard Award for Young Leadership, 1984
- NCTA’s President's Award, 1981
- During his tenure as Chairman, C-SPAN was the winner of several Golden Cable ACE awards, a Peabody Award, and a Golden Beacon Award
Speaking & Keynote Addresses
- University of Michigan Lavender Graduation Commencement Speaker, 2016
- University of Michigan Communications School Commencement Speaker, 2009
- Sweet Briar College guest lecturer, 2000
- University of Michigan's Institute for the Humanities
- Keynote speaker for Dr. Gallo's annual meeting on AIDS and viruses, attended by more than 1,000 of the world's top AIDS scientists and clinicians, 1998
- Emory University guest lecturer for the "Future Makers Lecture Series," 1999
- University of Michigan, inaugural Socio-Technical Summit for Internet2 Keynote Speaker, 1999
- University of Utah's Siciliano Forum Lecturer, 1998
Education/Military Service
1966-1970 Lieutenant, US Navy
- Served aboard the aircraft carriers USS America and USS John F. Kennedy
- Television Project Head for SEALAB
- Manager, Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) Television Special Project, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations at The Pentagon
1966 University of Michigan, BA
1962 Grosse Pointe University School
John D. Evans ’62 GPUS
Founder C-SPAN, LGBTQ advocate
Keith Richburg ‘76
Washington Post Assignments
- Bureau Chief, Bejing, 2009-2013
- Bureau Chief, New York, 2007-2009
- Foreign Editor, 2005–2007
- Bureau Chief, Paris, 2000-2007
- Bureau Chief, Hong Kong, 1995-2000
- Bureau Chief, Nairobi, 1991-1995
- Journalist-in-residence, East-West Center, Hawaii, 1990-1991
- Bureau Chief, Manila, 1986-1990
Honors & Awards
- 2014 (Spring) Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University
- 2013 Harvard University Institute of Politics Resident Fellow
- 1998 George Polk Award for Economic Reporting, Asian Economic Crisis
- 1997 President, Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club
- 1995 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Journalism Award for essay "Continental Drift"
- 1994 Overseas Press Club Award, Citations for Excellence, for Dispatches from Africa
- 1993 National Association of Black Journalists First Place for International Reporting for coverage of Somalia
- 1993 George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting for coverage of Somalia
- 1992 Overseas Press Club Award, Citations for Excellence, coverage of Somalia
- 1992 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Somalia coverage
Published Works & Recent Articles
Books
- Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa, published 2009, Basic Books
- Dispatches D2: Beyond Irag, published 2008, Dispatches Corporation
Articles
Keith has written more than 3,000 articles over the last 30 years, here are just a few that have been selected as a cross section from some of the places that Keith has covered including China, North Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well as Western Europe:
Asia
- "Reclusive North Korea Opens Its Door a Crack for Tourists," The Washington Post, 2011
- "China’s Other Transition: Military to be Led by New Generation," The Washington Post, 2012
Africa
- "Chasing the Story," Foreign Policy, 2011
Europe
- "Europe’s Minority Politicians in Short Supply," The Washington Post, 2005
Middle East
- "Iraqis Say Lynch Raid Faced No Resistance," The Washington Post, 2003
- "Unhappy Trails: A Trek Through the Mountains To the Taliban Front Is a Chilling Experience," The Washington Post, 2001
Media Appearances & Panel Participation
- MSNBC, CNN, The Washington Post, Al Jazeera, C-SPAN, Sky News, and France 24
- The Overseas Press Club in New York
- The East-West Center in Hawaii
- Tsinghua University in Beijing as well as academic and professional panels in Washington, DC, New York, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong
Teaching
- The University of Hong Kong: Director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre and Professor of Practice
Education
- 1980 B.A., Political Science & History, University of Michigan
- 1984 M.A., International Relations, The London School of Economics
Follow Keith Richburg
Keith Richburg ‘76
Washington Postforeign correspondent
Stanley W. Bryant ’64
Military and Career Accomplishments
37 years of distinguished service in the United States Navy
- Began in the US Naval Reserve in 1964
- Commissioned Ensign, US Navy, 1969
- Naval Flight Officer, 1970
- Retired as a Rear Admiral in 2001
- Spent the majority of career at sea flying tactical aircraft, primarily the
A-6 Intruder, from aircraft carrier decks - He also commanded several large operational Navy units
Combat, Training, and Command Experience
- Flew 137 combat missions over Vietnam from the deck of the USS Enterprise CVA (N) – 65
- Served in VA-65 Fighting Tigers as both Maintenance and Operations Officer
- Command of the Warhorses of VA-55, standing the squadron up in October 1983; with this group won the Battle Efficiency “E” and the McCluskey Award in its first year of competition following commissioning
- Upon completion of the Navy’s Nuclear Power Training in 1987, he went on to become both the Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of the Pre-commissioning Unit for the USS Abraham Lincoln, CVN-72
- Command of the USS Ponce (pronounced Pon-say) (LPD-15) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) followed with the TR winning the Battle “E”, the Battenburg Cup, and the Golden Anchor under his command in 1993
- Promoted to Flag rank in July 1994; As Rear Admiral, Stanley Bryant commanded the Iceland Defense Force in Keflavik, Iceland
- Returned to Norfolk in August 1996 to command Carrier Group Four from until December 1998.
- Did a tour as the Atlantic Fleet Requirements Director (N8) and afterward became the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Naval Forces, Europe in London, the post from which he retired in August 2001.
Civilian Sector/Defense Industry
- International Business Development Executive for Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems (IDS).
- Business Development Director for Future Naval Capabilities in IDS, including Raytheon’s three billion dollar DDG 1000 contract
- Director, Naval Aviation Programs Lockheed Martin, where he was the corporate business development field representative for the promotion of aviation programs with the Navy; was also charged with keeping the Joint Strike Fighter Program sold with the Fleet.
- Institute for Defense Analyses, where he directed the Norfolk office of the Institute’s Joint Advanced War Fighting Program (JAWP) and was the principal liaison between JAWP and the United States Atlantic Command in promoting joint service experimentation and the operationalization of new war-fighting technologies
- RADM Bryant is now an independent military and aerospace consultant and President of IDDEAS L.L.C. He is also a Council Member/Expert at Gerson Lehrman Group Council.
Awards and Accolades
- Distinguished Service Medal
- Three Distinguished Flying Crosses (combat awards)
- The Individual Air Medal (combat award)
- Eight Strike/Flight Air Medals
- Four Legions of Merit
- The Meritorious Service Medal
- Fifteen other personal, service, and campaign awards representing the exceptional service of those teams
- One of only two Americans to be presented the Order of the Falcon by the Government of Iceland, its second-highest civilian award
- In his military aviation career, he accrued 1058 carrier arrested landings and over 4000 hours in military aircraft
- A licensed civilian pilot and AOPA member, RADM Bryant is a lifetime member of the Navy League of the United States and a member of the Tailhook Association
- He is a facilitator and guest speaker for the U.S. Naval Academy’s Capstone Leadership and Ethics Program, given to Midshipmen in their fourth year at the Academy
Education
- Grosse Pointe University School, 1964
- United States Naval Academy, 1969
Stanley W. Bryant ’64 GPUS
Rear Admiral (Ret), United States Navy
Richard Baron '60
Career and Professional Accomplishments
Co-founder, chairman, and CEO of McCormack Baron Salazar: a real estate development company focused on revitalizing urban areas throughout the United States. The firm, founded in 1973, has developed 182 communities with more than 20,000 residential units and 1.4 million square feet of retail/commercial space with development costs in access of $3.5 billion. Its management portfolio is in excess of 30,000 apartment units.
- Projects include Orleans Landing, a mixed-use development with 278 new residential units along Detroit’s riverfront due for completion in early 2017, and the Strathmore apartments in Midtown, a historic rehabilitation project of 124 mixed income apartments.
- His company has developed in 39 cities, including St. Louis, Kansas City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Columbus, New Orleans, San Antonio, Miami, and Pittsburgh.
- His company creates new communities with a focus not only on residential development but also on schools, early childcare, job training, and summer youth employment.
- He created the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) in St. Louis in 1986, which serves more than 50,000 children and adults a year. It is one of the most important community art centers in the United States.
Board Memberships & Community Service
- Former Trustee at St. Louis University
- Former Commissioner of the New York City Housing Authority
- Emeritus member of the Board of Trustees for the National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Former member of the Executive Committee of the Saint Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association
- Established the Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania
- Past-board member of John Burroughs School
- Past-member of Washington University's George Warren Brown School of Social Work National Council
Awards & Accolades
- The 2004 Urban Land Institute J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. The Nichols Prize was established by the Nichols family in 2000 to recognize individuals whose career has demonstrated a commitment to the highest standards of responsible community and real estate development
- Medal of Achievement Award from the University of Pennsylvania – Penn Design
- Honorary Degrees from Oberlin College and St. Louis University
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree, Oberlin College, 1964
- Master’s Degree, Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, 1965
- Juris Doctor, University of Michigan Law School 1968
Richard Baron '60 GPUS
Community Leader Co-Founder and Chairman, McCormack Baron Salazar
Denise Ilitch '73
Career & Professional Accomplishments
- Owner of Denise Ilitch Designs
- Co-Owner and Publisher of Ambassador Magazine
- Current President, Ilitch Enterprises, LLC
- President, Ilitch Holdings, Inc., 2002-2004
- President, Olympia Development, LLC, 1996-2004
- Assisting with the development of a $600 million side-by-side sports stadium project in the heart of Detroit
Current and Past Boards, Civic Organizations & Community Service
- Co-chair, 2009 Detroit Crisis Turnaround Team
- ACLU Advisory Committee Member
- Trustee, Skillman Foundation
- Regent on the University of Michigan Board of Regents; member of the Health Affairs Committee
- Current or Past Board Member: Detroit Branch of the NAACP; NStar Community Bank; Clockwork Services; Detroit Branch of the Federal Reserve of Chicago; Major League Baseball; Detroit Renaissance; Karmanos Cancer Institute; Starfish Family Services; Kids Kicking Cancer; the Detroit Conservancy; and March of Dimes Walk for America
- Detroit Red Wings Alternate Governor for the National Hockey League
- Founder Of: Ilitch Charities for Children, The Lovelight Foundation; Atanas Ilitch Osteosarcoma Foundation
- Established the Denise Ilitch Scholarship Fund at Walsh College
Honors & Accolades
- Michigan Chapter of the Crohns & Colitis Foundation of America, Honoree at the 36th Annual Gala 2013
- Woman of Power Award, S.T.A.R. Foundation 2013
- Breakthrough Spirit Award, New York-Presbyterian Hospital Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation 2012
- Powerful Women of Purpose Honoree, Rhonda Walker Foundation 2012
- Trillium Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Michigan Women’s Foundation, 2011
- Clara Barton Award, American Red Cross 2007
- Alumnus of the Year, University of Detroit School of Law, 2007
- Honorary Degree, Central Michigan University
- Named one of Michigan’s Top Business Women, Corp! Magazine 2004
- Named one of the 100 Most Influential Women, Crain’s Detroit Business Magazine2002 & 2003
Education
- Undergraduate Degree, University of Michigan
- Law Degree, University of Detroit School of Law
Denise Ilitch '73
Community leader, philanthropist, owner of Denise Ilitch Designs, 220 Merrill, magazine publisher
Bill Shelden ’68 GPUS
William W. Shelden, Jr. is a member of the Grosse Pointe University School class of 1968. He attended GPUS until high school, and finished his primary education at Choate. Mr. Shelden is a graduate of Stanford University, where he received a Bachelor of Art in History in 1973. He continued his studies at Dartmouth University, earning a Master’s in Business Administration in 1975.
Professionally, Mr. Shelden spent 32 years at the National Bank of Detroit, and its successors, supporting small and large corporations alike with their credit and banking needs. He held many positions throughout the years, including senior vice president.
Mr. Shelden is president of the Elizabeth Allan and Warren Shelden Fund, a position he has held since 2002. The Shelden Fund directs its contributions to human services, arts and conservation and healthcare almost exclusively in the Detroit area.
Mr. Shelden, along with his wife Sally, believes that private education is vital to the community, and they are loyal supporters of various schools including Mr. Shelden’s alma mater Stanford University and University Liggett School. Mr. Shelden is a former trustee of University Liggett School, and served as board president from 1991-1993. While on the board he worked on several improvement projects including the renovation of McCann Ice Arena. His passion for University Liggett School was fostered by the dedication of many great faculty members that he had over the years, including Earl Kimber, Mary Thorn and Francis “Coach” McCann.
Currently, Mr. Shelden is a trustee of the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, the McGregor Fund and an honorary trustee of the Detroit Institute of Arts. The McGregor Fund is an organization that Mr. Shelden is particularly passionate about, having served on the board since 2001. The McGregor Fund supports the people of southeastern Michigan with emergency housing, food, clothing and other direct aid. In addition, the McGregor Fund generously contributes to education, healthcare, arts and cultural organizations in the metro Detroit, tri-county area.
Mr. Shelden is also a proud member of several conservation groups including Ducks Unlimited, Rough Grouse Society and Trout Unlimited.
The Shelden’s have three children, Jeffrey, Kristin and Andrew, all proud alumni of University Liggett School.
Bill Shelden ’68 GPUS
Community leader, philanthropist and past ULS Board of Trustees president
Nita Stormes '72
- Nita is the presiding magistrate judge for the Southern District of California. She was appointed to this position in 2000.
- Prior to taking the bench, Nita was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California for 16 years.
- In addition, she has worked at law firms Sternberg, Eggers, Kidder & Fox and Jenkins & Perry.
- Judge Stormes is a Master of the Enright Inn of Court, a member of the Rules Committee for the Federal Magistrate Judges Association (FMJA), appointing authority for the Southern District of California’s Appellate Panel, a Sustaining Member of Lawyers Club of San Diego, and a regular presenter on civil discovery and settlement issues at Federal Bar Association (FBA) Programs and the annual Judith N. Keep Civil Practice Seminar in San Diego.
- Judge Stormes graduated summa cum laude from Ohio Wesleyan University and received her law degree from Duke University.
Nita Stormes '72
Federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Miles O'Brien '77
- O’Brien is a 30-year broadcast news veteran.
- He is the chief correspondent for the National Science Foundation series "Science Nation" and the Discovery Science Channel series "Innovation Nation."
- He also appears on the radio as a frequent guest anchor of "The Takeaway" and "The Leonard Lopate Show" on WNET/New York.
- He is the Managing Editor of "This Week in Space," - a popular webcast.
- O'Brien is also an advisor to NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. He serves as Chairman of the Education and Public Outreach Committee of the NASA Advisory Council.
- For nearly 17 years, he worked as a correspondent, anchor, and producer for CNN based in Atlanta and New York. He was CNN's science, space, aviation, technology, and environment correspondent at various times.
- He also anchored a myriad of news and talk programs, including Science and Technology Week, CNN Saturday and Sunday Morning, Talkback Live, Headline News Primetime, CNN Live From…and CNN American Morning.
- O'Brien has covered every major space story in the past twenty years: the repair missions to the Hubble Space Telescope; the shuttle dockings at Mir; the launch of the first space station crew from Kazakhstan; several robotic landings on Mars, and the private sector endeavors of Burt Rutan and others.
- In February of 2003, he led the network's acclaimed coverage of the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia. He was on the air live for 16 solid hours, helping guide a shocked and saddened country through a national tragedy.
- O'Brien has received three Emmys, a DuPont and Peabody, and numerous other prestigious awards over the years for his coverage of hurricanes, wars, and politics, in addition to his coverage of space, aviation, science, technology, and the environment.
Miles O'Brien '77
Broadcast news journalist for CNN and PBS
Gretchen Valade '45 CDS
Résumé:
- A granddaughter of company founder Hamilton Carhartt, Valade joined the Carhartt board in the 1960s and became chairman in 1998.
- Started Mack Avenue Records in 1999.
- In 2006, created the Gretchen C. Valade Endowment for the Arts and took over management of the Detroit Jazz Festival.
- Opened the Dirty Dog Jazz Café in Grosse Pointe Farms in 2008.
- Opened coffee shop Morning Glory, also in Grosse Pointe Farms, in 2011.
Valade turned her passion for jazz into a personal mission to introduce as many people as she could to the music she loves.
Valade is the largest sponsor of the Detroit Jazz Festival and owns two restaurants in Grosse Pointe Farms: the Dirty Dog Jazz Café and Morning Glory, a coffee shop.
But if you ask her, Valade will tell you her most important contribution was ensuring the Detroit Jazz Festival remains free.
Valade became involved with the festival in 2003 after a lunch meeting with the festival's founder, Bob McCabe.
Valade donated $15 million to the jazz festival and is now its biggest sponsor.
Valade's love of music led her to form the jazz record label Mack Avenue Records in 1999 with Tom Robinson.
Mack Avenue Records acquired Los Angeles-based Artistry Music Group and Rendezvous Music. Mack Avenue currently has 35 jazz artists, many of whom are Grammy winners.
In 2008, Valade opened the plush Dirty Dog Jazz Café, where the cuisine is rivaled only by the jazz. The 60-seat restaurant is styled as a jazz club where the music, rather than the food, is the main attraction.
Valade said she came up with the idea for the restaurant but put Chef André Neimanis in charge of running the operation.
Gretchen Valade '45 CDS
Carhartt owner/founder and BOT chairperson
Ralph Wilson '36 DUS
Ralph Cookerly Wilson Jr. (October 17, 1918 – March 25, 2014) was an American businessman and sports executive.
He was best known as the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, a team in the National Football League (NFL). He was one of the founding owners of the American Football League (AFL), the league with which the NFL merged in 1970, and was the last of the original AFL owners to own his team. At the time of his death, he was the oldest owner in the NFL, at age 95, and the third-longest tenured owner in NFL history at over 54 years. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Ralph Wilson '36 DUS
Founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills
Jeffrey Eugenides '78
Jeffrey Eugenides is an American novelist and short story writer. He has written numerous short stories and essays, as well as three novels: The Virgin Suicides (1993), Middlesex (2002), and The Marriage Plot (2011). The Virgin Suicides served as the basis of a feature film, while Middlesex received the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in addition to being a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the International Dublin Literary Award, and France's Prix Médicis.
Eugenides was raised in Detroit, Michigan, and cites the influence of the city and his high-school experiences on his writings. He has said that he has "a perverse love" of his birthplace. "I think most of the major elements of American history are exemplified in Detroit, from the triumph of the automobile and the assembly line to the blight of racism, not to mention the music, Motown, the MC5, house, techno." He also says he has been haunted by the decline of Detroit. In 1986, he received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship for his story "Here Comes Winston, Full of the Holy Spirit." After living a few years in San Francisco, he moved to Brooklyn, New York and worked as secretary for the Academy of American Poets. While in New York he made friends with numerous similarly struggling writers, including Jonathan Franzen.
From 1999 to 2004, Eugenides lived in Berlin, Germany, where he moved after being awarded a grant from the German Academic Exchange Service to write in Berlin for a year. Eugenides lived in Princeton, New Jersey, since the fall of 2007, when he joined the faculty of Princeton University's Program in Creative Writing.
In 2018, Eugenides joined New York University's Creative Writing Program as a tenured full professor and the Lewis and Loretta Glucksman Professor in American Letters.
Awards and honors
- 1986 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
- 1991 Aga Khan Prize for Fiction for "The Virgin Suicides" [short story] (The Paris Review)
- 1993 Whiting Award
- 1994 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 1994 & 1996 MacDowell Fellowship
- 1995 Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award (American Academy of Arts and Letters)
- 2000–2001 Berlin Prize Fellow (American Academy in Berlin)
- 2002 National Book Critics Circle Award finalist (for Middlesex)
- 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (for Middlesex)
- 2003 Welt-Literaturpreis
- 2004 International Dublin Literary Award shortlist (for Middlesex)
- 2011 Salon Book Award (for The Marriage Plot)
- 2011 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 list (for The Marriage Plot)
- 2012 National Book Critics Circle Award finalist (for The Marriage Plot)
- 2013 International Dublin Literary Award longlist (for The Marriage Plot)
- 2013 Named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 2013 Fitzgerald Prize (for "The Marriage Plot") - French prize rewards a novel, or a new French-language or translated in English reflecting the elegance, wit, style and taste of the lifestyle of the American writer Scott Fitzgerald.
- 2014 Awarded honorary Doctorate of Letters from Brown University
- 2018 Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters
Jeffrey Eugenides '78
Pulitzer Prize-winning author2021, University Liggett School.
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University Liggett School is a nationally recognized, independent Early Childhood–Grade 12 college preparatory school in Metro Detroit, known for its innovative academics, arts, and athletics.
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2021, University Liggett School. All Rights Reserved.
University Liggett School is a nationally recognized, independent Early Childhood–Grade 12 college preparatory school in Metro Detroit, known for its innovative academics, arts, and athletics.