Kenneth J. Shouldice Achievement Award
Dr. Shouldice served as Lake State’s first chancellor and president from 1966 until his retirement in 1983. During his tenure, Lake State grew from a two-year extension of Michigan Technological University to an autonomous four-year college. Enrollment grew from 700 students in 1965 to some 2,800 in 1983. The Norris Center, Cisler Center, Library and other campus projects were completed under his guidance.
This award recognizes personal and professional successes that serve as outstanding examples to LSSU graduates. The award highlights significant achievements of alumni who serve as leaders in our region, state and nations.
2023 – Anita Saluja ’92
- Anita started as a student at LSSU when she was just 10 years old, and graduated in 1992 Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at the age of 15.
- Following her graduation from LSSU, she earned her medical degree at the age of 20 from The University of Michigan, where she was a member of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
- After her internship, Anita received three years of dermatology specialty training at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, helping her become an expert dedicated to skin
- She is board-certified in dermatology by the American Board of Dermatology since 2001, and is also an Assistant Volunteer Professor at the University of Central Florida School of Medicine.
- Anita moved to Melbourne, Florida in 2001, where she was part of physician owned multi-specialty group MIMA (Melbourne Internal Medicine Associates) for 11 years. After MIMA was acquired by Health First healthcare system, she continued for another 4 years.
- In March 2017, she founded her modern, synergistic dermatology practice, Dermatology + Plastic Surgery in Melbourne, FL, alongside her partner and fellow LSSU grad, plastic surgeon Rebecca (Johnson) Novo, MD ‘04. They are two specialist physicians with one shared mission — to help patients achieve their best selves through prevention, treatment and maintenance.
- Anita is the daughter of long-time LSSU professor emeritus, Madan Saluja and his wife Karuna Saluja, who is a retired school teacher. She is married to Raj Gutta, an emergency medicine physician, and they have two children, son Sajan (22), daughter Priya (19).
2022 -Sophie Chandauka MBE ’00
- Sophie graduated from LSSU in 2000 with a BSc in Political Science – Pre Law (Summa Cum Laude).
- She was the student respondent for her graduating class and received the Paul Ripley Young Alumnus Award in 2008.
- Sophie is the Head of Americas Risk Management and Intelligence for Meta, parent company of Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram and Oculus.
- Prior to working at Meta, she was the Global COO of Shared Services and Banking Operations at Morgan Stanley, as well as the Head of Group Treasury (Legal) at the Virgin Money Group.
- A campaigner for diversity, equity and inclusion, Sophie is Head of Race Equity Strategy for the 30% Club; member of The Executive Leadership Council; Chair of The Network of Networks (TNON); Chair and Executive Founder of the Black British Business Awards.
- Sophie is a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow and has served on boards including Sentebale, founded by Prince Harry for children affected by HIV and is an Advisory Board Member of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.
- In 2021, Sophie was honored by HM Queen Elizabeth II as a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for services to diversity in business.
2021 – Cynthia Williams ’76
- Williams is a magna cum laude graduate with a B.A. in English from LSSU who also earned a Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
- She is the former executive director of the Michigan Education Special Services Association (MESSA)
- She retired in 2016 after 16 years with the organization, which was founded in 1960 and is the largest provider network in Michigan.
- She served on the LSSU Foundation Board of Directors in 2011 completing her term that including service on the Prospect Development Committee in 2019.
- She also is a member of the Planning Commission of the City of East Lansing and was a member of the Michigan Children’s Trust Fund Board of Directors from 2009 to 2012.
- Williams was appointed to LSSU’s Board of Trustees to a term that runs from July 10, 2020, to Jan. 27, 2028.
2019 – Wendy (Menard) James ’74
- CEO of The Better World Group
- Has built and managed coalitions that were successful in numerous initiatives such as saving and strengthening California’s zero emission vehicle standards; plastic bag ban in California; implementing the state’s groundbreaking low carbon fuel standard; building nearly 30 state-of-the art playgrounds, designed to serve children 5 and under, in some of the most park-poor communities in the country located in Southeast Los Angeles; and building community gardens across Los Angeles County, serving disadvantaged communities.
- Accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America and is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
- Throughout her career, Wendy has served in leadership roles on countless nonprofit Boards including a Founding Board Member of the Sault Tribe (Chippewa) Business Alliance.
2018 – Julie Vincent ’83
- Professor, Chair and Chief in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at Columbia University
- While serving as Director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, she was responsible for overseeing the development of first State-of-the-Art Pediatric Hybrid Catheterization Lab in the Southwest
- While serving as Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, she was the first to implement/build a pediatric interventional subspecialty team of credentialed physicians
- Inaugural inductee into the Academy of Clinical Excellence, Columbia University Medical Center in 2017
- Listed in America’s Most Honored Professionals – Top 5% (American Registry), 2016-17
2017 – Galen Rashard Duncan ’94
-
Vice President of Kings Academy and Professional Development for the Sacramento Kings
- Former Senior Director of Player Development for Detroit Lions
- Consulting Therapist for Wayne State University and University of Detroit Mercy
- Psychologist for NBA Rookie Transition Program
- Counselor/Mentor for National Basketball Players Association
2016 – Mark M. McLeod ’84
- Brigadier General with the United States Air Force
- Commander, Defense Logistics Agency and Energy at Fort Belvoir, Virginia
- Responsible for providing the U.S. Dept. of Defense with comprehensive energy solutions
- Formerly served as Director of Logistics, Engineering and Security Cooperation for U.S. Pacific Command
at Camp Smith, Hawaii.
2015 – Jean Pierre Rasaiah ’93
- Managing Consultant/Technical Sales at 4D Systems
- Formerly Engineering Manager and Program Manager for AMT
- 18 years experience as engineer, sales person, engineering manager, project manager and program manager
- PMP Certified
- Pioneered robot simulation in the automotive industry using both Delmia and Tecnomatrix software
- Donated engineering software and robotics hardware to LSSU
- Spearheaded multiple engineering senior projects with LSSU
2014 – Mary Jane Alexander ’81
- Author of two books: Salt of the Red Earth: A Century of Wit and Wisdom from Oklahoma’s Elders, and Portrait of a Generation – Children of Oklahoma: Sons and Daughters of the Red Earth
- Photographer who documents people and places of the American West.
- Portraits have been exhibited in US and abroad, from Toronto to Tonkawa.
- Honored by the Center for Fine Art Photography and featured in 10 solo shows, including at the Main Gallery of the International Photography Hall of Fame.
- Portraits featured on the cover Ms. Magazine and Writer’s Digest
- Only American to win a documentary prize at the 2009 UNESCO-sponsored World Humanity Photography Awards in Guangzhou, China
- Veteran of The Associated Press in New York City and former head of the journalism department of St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
- With her husband, composer Edward Knight, she has created two full-length musicals; one was commercially recorded by the Kiev Philharmonic and the Chamber Choir Kyiv.
- Alexander and Knight’s song cycle, Tales Not Told, is based on her poems exploring the viewpoints of six American ancestors of the composer. The work has been performed in New York, Oklahoma and California
2013 – Rick Comley ’71
- Bachelor’s in Political Science, LSSU, Masters in Education, NMU ’73
- Head Hockey Coach at LSSU 1973-1976
- Head Hockey Coach at Northern Michigan University 1976-2002
- Head Hockey Coach at MSU 2002-2011
- National Championship Hockey Coach LSSU ’74, Northern Michigan University ’91, Michigan State Uiversity ’07
- Recipient of Spencer Penrose Memorial Award as college hockey’s Coach of the Year ’80 & ’81
- CCHA Coach of the Year ’80 & ’81
- WCHA Coach of the Year ’89 & ’91
- Member of LSSU Athletics Hall of Fame, NMU Sports Hall of Fame, Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame
- Honorary Chairman of the American Lung Association Asthma Walk
2012 – Thomas W. Ewing ’73
- General Manager at Sovereign Communications, LLC.
- Received the Senior Award at the inaugural UP Service Awards, 2010
- Elks Citizen of the Year, 2009
- United Way Volunteer of the Year, 2009
- Involved with the Elks for 23 years and a Rotary Club member for 29 years
- Member of Board of Directors of Sault Area Chamber of Commerce
- President of the United Way Board of Directors
- Participated in Alumni Speed Networking in March 2012
2011 – Major Gen. Genaro “Gino” J. Dellarocco ’78
- LSSU’s Commencement speaker, 2008
- Product Manager, Petroleum and Water Systems, US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI, 1997-2000
- Chief, Capabilities and Acquisition Division, J8, the Joint Staff, 2005 -2006
- Director, US Army Acquisition Support Center
- Deputy Commanding General for Systems Integration, US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
- US Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM) for Missiles and Space
- Program Executive Officer, Missiles and Space, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama., 2007-2010
- Received second star, April 24, 2010.
- Became commanding general, U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, Alexandria, VA, July 2010
2010 – Timothy A. Farmer ’79, Ph.D., CPA
- Received the USML Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Service in 2010
- Director of General Education for the University of Missouri-St. Louis Office of Academic Affairs
- Generous supporter of Lambda Sigma Beta Scholarship and School of Business, Entrepreneurial, and Legal Studies
- Associate professor of Accounting in UMSL’s College of Business Administration
- Served as chair of the UMSL Faculty Senate and University Assembly from 2006-2008
2009 – Bill Rothwell ’74
- Oversees 500 scientists and engineers in five technology centers across the world & leads Shell’s research in areas like petrochemicals, biofuels and CO2 removal.
- Vice president and general manager of a $1.5 billion global chemical business for Shell.
- Headed up Shell Chemicals global Portfolio Strategy and Planning group
- Pioneer in non-medical applications of MRI.
2008 – Claude H. (Bud) Denker III ‘80
- Senior Vice President, Penske Corporation
- Given the Cadillac Award by the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau January 2008.
- Chairman of Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix which returned world-class racing to the motor city in 2007
- Previously worked as Director and Vice President, Brand and Marketing Development with Eastman Kodak Company
- Spent 13 years with PepsiCo Inc., in marketing and management positions
2007 – Kevin Borseth ‘76
- Named head women’s basketball coach for University of Michigan, 2007
- Led three women’s basketball programs – Gogebic Community College, Michigan Tech and Wisconsin-Green Bay – to 13 regular-season titles, 8 league tournament titles and 14 NCAA Tournament appearances
- 12-time conference coach of the year – 7 Horizon League & 5 GLIAC
- Naismith National Coach of the Year finalist, 2003
- Head coach of the University of Michigan Women’s Basketball team
- Horizon League Coach of the Year honors in all but two of his nine seasons at UW-Green Bay
- 2002-2003 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Region VI Coach of the Year
- Finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year award
- Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2004
2006 – Dr. Richard Gray ‘91
- Assistant professor of surgery at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale since 2002
- Teaching at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale since 1999
- Leading researcher in breast cancer
- Dozens of presentations at medical conferences nationwide
- Mayo Foundation Scholar
- Mayo Clinic Educator of the Year in Surgical Specialties
- Mayo Clinic Excellence in Teaching award five times
2005 – Tom Farnquist ‘62
- Executive Director and curator of Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society since 1985
- In 1994, the museum was designates as Chippewa County’s Business Organization of the Year
- Received the Charles Follow Award from the Historical Society of Michigan for outstanding work in historic preservation for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
- Taught at Sault Area Public Schools 1968-92
2004 – Cyd Shields Teare ‘82
- Hospital manager and senior veterinary technician at White Oak Conservation Center, FL, one of the world’s premiere centers of its kind
- Published more than a dozen articles
- Twice honored by the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) with the Presidential Service Award, 1991 and 1994
- Initiated an intern program for post-graduate veterinary technicians to give them hands-on experience with exotic animals in a captive setting
- Part of a two-person team with her husband, Andrew Teare, DVM, in shaping the future of animal medicine through the Medical Animal Record Keeping System (MedARKS), software designed for keeping medical records in a zoo
- Lifetime member, LSSU Anchor Club (Alumni Association)
- Current LSSU donor
2003 – Dr. Collette Coullard, ’80
- Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Services (IEMS) at Northwestern University (Illinois)
- Received several honors for excellence in research and teaching including the distinguished Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence from 1996-1999.
- Holds both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University
- Research interests include modeling, solution techniques and the fundamental mathematics of combinatorial optimization
- Efforts focused on network optimization and network-based modeling, polyhedral theory and matroid theory.
2002 – Paul MacDonald, ’81
- Chief Financial Officer for the Detroit Red Wings
- Earned CPA certificate
- Started out in manufacturing, first as a controller and within five years promoted to president of Prestole Corporation, a stamping plant and steel service center
2001 – Daniel J. Pepin, DDS, ’72
- Opened own practice in Birch Run following graduation from the University of Michigan Dental School
- Retired from dentistry in 1991
- Now teaches anatomy and physiology at North Central Michigan College as well as Florida Gulf University
- Lives in East Jordan with wife, Penny and three children Joshua, Amanda and Tammy
2000 – Ian Ward, ’76
- Vice President of the Investment Department for Auto-Owners Insurance Company based in Lansing
- Responsible for all investment activities of all companies in the Auto-Owners Insurance Group; assets total more than $6 billion
- Received Chartered Financial Analyst designation by the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, 1984
- Awarded Certificate of Achievement from the ICFA, 1988
- Chairman, Investment Committee of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, 1994 to present
- Member and past chair of the Investment Committee of the Michigan Automobile Insurance Placement Facility
- Serves on the Investment Committee of the National Association of Independent Insurers
- He and his wife Toni have two children, Brad and Brittany
1999 – Napoleon A. Chagnon ’57
- Currently on leave of absence from the University of California at Santa Barbara; temporarily living in Traverse City.
- His long-term and repeated field trips to the Yanomamö Indians of the Venezuelan-Brazilian border have made him one of the most accomplished anthropological field researchers in the history of modern anthropology
- Has also been a pioneer in the application of Darwinian theory to students of human sociobiology
- Has published some 100 technical papers and book chapters, four books and 21 documentary films
- Has been a guest lecturer at many of the world’s major universities including Cambridge, Oxford, London, Rome, Tokyo, Harvard, Chicago, Berkeley and UCLA
- Has also appeared on local and national TV and radio talk shows
- In 1991, ABC’s Prime Time Live earned an Emmy Award winning program that focused on his successful efforts to encourage the Venezuelan government to lay aside a tract of land to safeguard the Yanomamö and their tropical forest environment from development and commercial exploitation
1998 – Ezio DiEmanuele, ’78
- Deputy director for Agriculture and Agri-food Canada
- Formerly served the Canadian High Commission in London as a representative for agriculture and fisheries
- Elected chair of the International Grains Council, June 1997
- First position out of graduate school was as an assistant to a member of Ontario’s Parliament
- Invited to join the Ministry of Agriculture as a junior policy advisor in 1980
- Promoted to senior international trade office in 1984, and again to trade commissioner for Agriculture and Fisheries in 1988
- Assigned to Japan as First Secretary for Commercial Affairs at the Canadian Embassy, 1990
1997 – Dr. Robert W. Blackstock, ’74
- Provost of Hillsdale College
- Professor of Law at Hillsdale College
- Has taught at Hillsdale since 1977 and was twice named “Professor of the Year”
- Has published articles in the Wall Street Journal and the Journal of Business and Economics Perspectives
- Founded the Hillsdale Hostel summer seminar series that explores the roots of American freedom
- Appointed by then-governor John Engler to the Board of the Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority and Loan Authority
- Member of State Bar of Michigan and Hillsdale County Bar Association
- He and his wife Jackie (Old), also a Sault Ste. Marie native, have three children, Thomas, Christopher and Sarah
1996 – James A. Booth ’70
- President, J.B. Insurance Services, Inc
- Vice President, Interpose, Inc
- One of the youngest ever to achieve Million Dollar Round Table status in the insurance business; now lifetime member
- Past President, Life Underwriters Association of Canada
- Chartered Life Underwriter
- Chartered Financial
- Consultant
- Working with LSSU Alumni Association to establish chapter in Toronto
- Inducted into LSSU’s Athletic Hall of Fame, 1997
1995 – William Adams, PhD., ’69
- Vice President for Environmental Toxicology and Managing Director for ABC Laboratories in the United States and Europe
- Responsible for technical operations and business direction of ABC’s environmental Toxicology program
- Leads team of 42 associates in the US and seven in Europe in contract environmental research
- Earned numerous award for his work, including Exceptional Service Award by the Committee on biological and environmental fate, American Society for Testing and Materials
- Recipient of Achievement Award from the MIC National Aquatic Monitoring Program
- Presented at the first Industrial Chemical Engineering Symposium, Cambridge, England and at the ASTM Aquatic Toxicology Symposium
- Appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board’s Ecological Processes and Effects Committee
1994 – Gerry McGuire ’66
- First recipient of the Kenneth J. Shouldice Achievement Award
- President and CEO of Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
- Member of Rotary Club, Sault, ON Chamber of Commerce and the Sault Ste. Marie Community Action Team
- Served six years as city alderman, 1970-76
- Serves on City Planning Board, Algoma Health Unit, Children’s Aid Society and Algoma District Mental Retardation Working Group
- LSSC Student Government President, 1965-66
- Earned bachelors degree at CMU in 1971; masters at MSU in 1981; pursuing PhD in higher education management from MSU