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On October 31, Southern honored seven of its best and brightest at the 2008 Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Awards. The Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest honor given by the Alumni Association to a Southern graduate, was presented to Paul A. Kobasa, M.S.L.S. ’77, vice president, editorial, and editor in chief of World Book, Inc., the publisher of numerous leading resource materials, including the top-selling encyclopedia in print. In addition, six alumni — including a graduate from each of the university’s six schools — received the Outstanding Alumnus/a Awards. The honorees included Richard T. Illingworth, ’71, vice president of employee relations for Pfizer’s Global Manufacturing Division (School of Arts and Sciences); William J. Grize, ’74, the retired president and chief executive officer of Ahold USA Retail, which oversees Stop & Shop and other leading U.S. grocery operations (School of Business); Leslie B. Burger, ’73, director of the Princeton Public Library and former president of the American Library Association (School of Communication, Information, and Library Science); Dr. Karen L. Mapp, M.S. ’81, 6th Yr. ’82, a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (School of Education); Dr. Barbara B. Shadden, M.S. ’73, director of the Communication Disorders Program and co-director of the Office for Studies on Aging at the University of Arkansas (School of Graduate Studies); and Dr. Leslie D. Mancuso, ’78, president and chief executive officer of Jhpiego, an international health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University (School of Health and Human Services).
Richard T. Illingworth may be mathematically inclined, but it’s the workings of the human mind that truly spark his imagination. As a Southern student, Illingworth switched his major from math to psychology because he loved working with people. He has been at Pfizer for almost 20 years, steadily working his way up through the ranks. Since 1998, he has served as the vice president of human resources for Pfizer’s Global Manufacturing Division, with responsibility for more than 35,000 colleagues based in 40 countries. Raised in New Haven, Conn., Illingworth was the first in his family to attend college and, like many current Southern students, worked part time to finance his education. Southern was one of only two schools he considered attending, and his alma mater remains dear to his heart. He met his wife, Janice, ’71, while attending the university. Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1971 to 1977. Illingworth has been a member of the Southern Connecticut State University Foundation Board of Directors since 2001. He is also involved with the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Samaritan Inn.
A true business success story, William J. Grize launched his career as a part-time employee at Stop & Shop. Armed with talent, determination, and a business degree from Southern, he made the most of his experience. In December 1997 he was named president of Stop & Shop. Three years later he became president and chief executive officer of Ahold USA Retail, which oversees Stop & Shop and other leading U.S. grocery operations. In April 2001, he was appointed to the Ahold Corporate Executive Board, a position he held until his retirement in December 2004. In support of the industry, he has served as a member of the Executive Board of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), chairman of the FMI Industry Relations Council, and chairman of the Retail Trustees of the Joint Labor Management Committee. His past service also includes work with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. In 2004, he was honored by the Network of Executive Women at the Food Marketing Institute’s annual convention.
Leslie B. Burger has been the director of the Princeton Public Library since 1999. But her influence in the library field extends far beyond the state of New Jersey. From 2006 to 2007, Burger was president of the American Library Association, which represents more the 64,000 members, and is the oldest and largest library organization in the world. As the founder of a consulting firm, Library Development Solutions, she has worked with more than 100 libraries across the United States, among them the Reader’s Digest Foundation, New York University Libraries, and, in Connecticut, the Darien Public Library. Her impact at the Princeton Public Library has been profound; from 1994 to 2004, she oversaw the planning and funding of a new 62,000 square-foot building. Burger is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Princeton YWCA Tribute to Women Award and The New York Times Librarian Award for 2004. She also was honored by the University of Maryland, where she received her master’s degree, as the CLIS Alumna of the Year in 2005.
In January 2005, Dr. Karen L. Mapp, an expert on families and communities in education, joined the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) as a lecturer, an appointment heralded with appropriate fanfare by the venerable institution. “Karen Mapp brings an enormous amount of experience in how to best engage families, communities, and school systems,” said Ellen Condliffe Lagemann, Charles Warren Professor of the History of American Education and dean of the HGSE. Mapp joined Harvard after serving 18 months as the deputy superintendent for family and community engagement for Boston Public Schools (BPS). While working with BPS, Mapp continued to fulfill her duties as president of the Institute for Responsive Education, which conducts research on how school, family, and community partnerships effectively support children’s educational development. A published author, she also is the recipient of a Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship.
A professor at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Barbara B. Shadden has used her education to serve countless individuals — from the undergraduate and graduate students she mentors to those she helps through numerous support groups. Having joined the university in 1979, she is currently director of the Communication Disorders Program and co-director of the Office for Studies on Aging, which she co-founded in 1999 with Professor Ro Di Brezzo. Shadden’s impact in the community has been deep and far-reaching. She developed and facilitated an ongoing Stroke Support Group, as well as a support group for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association for individuals with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Most recently, she initiated a communication group for people with aphasia, the loss of the ability to speak or understand language due to a disease or injury to the brain. The endeavor was so successful it has grown from a single group to three in several years. Shadden speaks extensively on various health issues, and also facilitates a Life Stories group that helps stroke survivors.
Since 2002, Dr. Leslie D. Mancuso has been president and chief executive officer of Jhpiego, an international, nonprofit health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University. Having graduated from Southern with a degree in nursing, Mancuso has credited the university with preparing her for her career. “The faculty taught me to believe in nursing and to understand the responsibility that comes with being a nurse,” said Mancuso. “Southern taught me to be a leader.” At Jhpiego, she oversees programs in 50 countries and a budget of $40 million and a staff of more than 270 professionals. Prior to joining Jhpiego, Mancuso spent 13 years at Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere), an international health education and humanitarian assistance organization. Mancuso rose to the position of Acting Chief Executive Officer of the organization, overseeing a wide variety of outreach efforts during her tenure, including the establishment of the first children’s hospital in China to meet international standards. |
