Alumni National Awards 2023: Marquette University alumni, friends honored for excellence

MILWAUKEE — Marquette University’s Alumni National Awards honor distinguished alumni, parents and friends who embody Marquette’s mission through their character, personal and professional achievements, and their impact on the community and others.

Award recipients include individuals from each of the university’s colleges and professional schools. They embody Marquette’s spirit and mission in searching for truth, discovering and sharing knowledge, fostering excellence, promoting faith, and developing leadership through serving others.

The National Alumni Awards celebration is a part of Marquette’s Alumni Reunion Weekend. The Alumni Association welcomed graduates from undergraduate class years ending in a 3 or 8 and its First Reunion (Class of 2022) to Milwaukee, June 2-4.

Short profiles of the honorees are available on Marquette’s Alumni National Awards webpage.

ALL-UNIVERSITY AWARD RECIPIENTS

Alumnus of the Year Award
Thomas H. Werner
Los Altos, California

Werner started his educational and career path with high aspirations and specific goals — the type of dreams and opportunities he now hopes to empower for others. He recognizes how fortunate he has been to receive the education and achieve the professional success that has shaped his life, and he’s made it a personal mission to enable the same experiences for future generations of Marquette students.

Professional Achievement Award
Rajesh Vashist
Los Altos Hills, California

Vashist believes in the power of innovation — in technology, business and culture. He believes that all three factors are required, and they must be in balance for a company to grow and prosper over decades. He also believes that one way to make the world a better place is to provide the people in his company an environment where they can become the best version of themselves.

Service Award
Dr. Howard L. Fuller
Milwaukee

From his early days as a grassroots activist, Dr. Howard Fuller demonstrated his skill as a leader — and his instinctive ability to develop the leadership potential in others. His capacity to find and nurture this potential in people catalyzed the success of the many movements he has initiated.

Spirit of Marquette Award (achievement before age 40)
Elizabeth Feste McCostlin and Adam M. McCostlin
Evanston, Illinois

Today, Adam and Beth McCostlin credit Marquette for igniting their passion to make a difference and equipping them both with the determination to “go forth and set the world on fire.” Neither can imagine having chosen a different academic path. But as teens preparing to submit college applications, Marquette hadn’t been on either of their radars.

COLLEGE, PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL AND AFFINITY AWARD RECIPIENTS
The names of the alumni who will be honored are below. Visit the Marquette University Alumni National Awards webpage for additional informational on each award winner.

Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award — Dr. Patricia F. Golden-Beckmann
Professional Achievement Award — Dr. Songzhou Hu
A Person for Others Award — Pardeep S. Kaleka
Young Alumni of the Year Award — Elizabeth Warmuth Ryan and Stephen J. Ryan, Jr.

Association of Marquette University Women
Mary Neville Bielefeld Award — Dr. Susan Moser Mountin
AMUW Ignatian Leadership Award — Heidi H. Schuler
AMUW Nora Finnigan Werra Faculty Achievement Award — Dr. Louise A. Cainkar

College of Business Administration
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award — Robert W. Hau
Service Award — Richard A. Broeren, Jr.
Entrepreneurial Award — Patricia A. O. Trompeter
Professional Achievement Award — Marcelo Bartholo

William and Mary Diederich College of Communication
Communicator of the Year Award — Coreen M. Dicus-Johnson
Byline Award — Jeffery J. Gerritt
Professional Achievement Award — Maureen A. FitzPatrick
Young Alumna of the Year Award — Dr. Shirley J. Knowles
James T. Tiedge Memorial Award — Maryann Lazarski

College of Education
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award — Emily Doyle Iland
Young Alumnus of the Year Award — Michael A. Derrick

Opus College of Engineering
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award — Dr. Jennifer Schilling Connelly
Professional Achievement Award — John P. McCarty
Entrepreneurial Award — David R. Mayhood
Young Alumnus of the Year Award — Matthew W. Trautschold

College of Health Sciences
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award — Dr. Jane Eichten Gunther
Professional Achievement Award — Katherine Wolske Brewer
Service Award — Fabiola Torres Boche
Young Alumna of the Year Award — Dr. Monica R. Krcmarik Edwards

College of Nursing
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award — Jennifer Burdick Minhas
Professional Achievement Award — Dr. Chris Winkelman
Service Award — Ann Wagner Kolshak
Young Alumna of the Year Award — Ellen C. Carlson

Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award — Wesley D. Matthews IV
Young Alumna of the Year Award — Ashley Baird-Gaare
Friends of Marquette Athletics Award — Nancy Geenen and Dr. Joseph E. Geenen
M Club Hy Popuch Memorial Service Award — Aaron J. Baker (posthumously)
Robert L. and William P. McCahill Award — Hunter S. Eichhorn

Institute for Women’s Leadership
The Institute for Women’s Leadership Excellence Award — Claire L. Rolfs

Law School
Alumnus of the Year Award — Mark L. Thomsen
Lifetime Achievement Award — Patricia A. McGowan
Howard B. Eisenberg Service Award — Isioma O. Nwabuzor
Charles W. Mentkowski Sports Law Alumnus of the Year Award — Andre N. Salhab

Pedro Arrupe Award
Pedro Arrupe Award — Viviana Bojorquez

School of Dentistry
Distinguished Alumnus in Dentistry Award — Dr. Donald J. DeNucci
Outstanding Dental Service Award — Dr. John L. Scheels
Young Alumna of the Year Award — Dr. Sarah H. Blair

About Marquette University

Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee that offers a comprehensive range of majors in 11 nationally and internationally recognized colleges and schools. Through the formation of hearts and minds, Marquette prepares our 11,100 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional students to lead, excel and serve as agents of positive change. And, we deliver results. Ranked in the top 20% of national universities, Marquette is recognized for its undergraduate teaching, innovation and career preparation as the sixth-best university in the country for job placement. Our focus on student success and immersive, personalized learning experiences encourages students to think critically and engage with the world around them. When students graduate with a Marquette degree, they are truly prepared and called to Be The Difference.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.