2018 Alumni Achievement Awards

The College of Arts and Sciences at Western Michigan University is proud to announce the 2018 Alumni Achievement Award winners and to celebrate the outstanding contributions made by these 20 influential alumni. They were recognized at our Alumni Achievement Awards reception on Friday, Oct. 5.

 

Departmental Awards

Dr. Jack J. Manis, BS '70, Retired Pharmaceutical Research Scientist and Manager, Pfizer, Inc.
Department of Chemistry

Michael Steele, BS '74, President and Chief Executive Officer, Advantage Communications, Inc.
School of Communication

 

 

Dr. Dustin J. Byrd, BA '00, MA '06, Associate Professor of Religion, Philosophy and Arabic, Olivet College
Department of Comparative Religion

 

 

Emily Kastner, BA '05, Children's Author, Illustrator; Co-founder, Read and Write Kalamazoo
Department of English

 

 

Dr. Roger C. Steininger, BS '64, Consulting Geologist, Steininger Consulting
Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences

 

 

Diana R. Bergwin, BA '06, Staff Director, Oversight and Management Efficiency Subcommittee, US House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security
Global and International Studies program

 

 Alan Holck, BA '68, Vice President, Wells Fargo Insurance, Inc.
Department of History

 

 

Dr. Nicholas Scoville, BS '03, MS '05, Joseph Beardwood III Chair of Mathematics, Ursinus College
Department of Mathematics

 

 

Mark Rochon, BS '80, Partner, Miller & Chevalier, Washington, DC
Department of Philosophy

 

 

Ryan Findlay, BA '04, Chief Executive Officer, American Soybean Association
Department of Political Science

 

 

Dr. Iser "Willie" DeLeon, MA '93, Professor of Psychology, University of Florida
Department of Psychology

 

 

Judith Huth, BA '75, MPA '79, Retired Executive Director, Volunteer Kalamazoo
School of Public Affairs and Administration

 

 

Dr. Kevin Fuchs, MA '02, Foreign Language Faculty, Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Department of Spanish

 

 

Loren Heun, BS '66, MS '72, Master Faculty Specialist, Western Michigan University
Department of Statistics

 

 

Sarah J. Murray, BA '09, Associate Director, Office of International Development, Indiana University
Department of World Languages and Literatures

 

 

Pillar Awards

Discovery Driven

Dr. William Waller, BS '78, MA '79, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Economics, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Department of Economics

Globally Engaged

Dr. Theresa Crimmins, BS '97, MA '99, Assistant Director, USA Phenology Network; Associate Research Scientist, University of Arizona
Department of Geography

 

Learner Centered

Kathy J. Mirakovits, MS '98, K-12 Educator, Forensic Science
Mallinson Institute for Science Education

Distinguished Alumni Awards

Dr. James M. Olson, BS '84, Brain Cancer Researcher
Department of Biological Sciences

 

 

Edward L. Gordon III, BS '82, Journalist and Broadcaster
School of Communication