AHS alumni are changing the world every day in speech and hearing science; health and kinesiology; recreation, sport and tourism; and disability advocacy. The college recognizes inspiring individuals each fall with the College of Applied Health Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award, the Harold Scharper Achievement Award and the Young Alumni Award.
All AHS alumni are encouraged to participate in our awards nomination process. Learn more about the nomination process below.
AHS Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award was established in 2007. It honors the diverse achievements of alumni from our college.
Distinguished Alumni Award recipients
Titles and professional affiliations are as stated at the time of the award.
2024
Dr. Peter Hancock, Ph.D. ’83
Provost, Distinguished Research Professor
University of Central Florida
2023
Dr. William Haskell, Ph.D. ’65
Professor Emeritus
Stanford University School of Medicine
Walter Johnson, B.S. ’58
Director, Great Lakes Region (Retired)
National Recreation and Park Association
2022
Trevor M. Bates, M.S. ’04
President, Wilmington College, Wilmington, Ohio
2021
J. Robert Rossman, M.S. ’75, Ph.D. ‘81
Dean, College of Applied Science and Technology, Illinois State University, Bloomington, Ill.
2020
The awards ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019
John M. Consalvi, CCC-SLP, M.A. ’91
CEO and Founder, SPEDhunters LLC, Winnetka, Ill.
2018
Tara K. Scanlan, B.S. ’69, M.S ’71, Ph.D ’75
Professor Emerita and Research Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles
2017
Mannie L. Jackson, B.S. ’60
Chairman and Managing Partner, Boxcar Holdings LLC, Las Vegas
2016
Suzanne Beauvoir Jackson, B.S. ’97
Chief Executive Officer, John Randolph Medical Center, Hopewell, Va.
2015
Tom Scotty, B.S. ’86, M.S. ’88
Chief Operating Officer, RedShelf, Chicago
2014
John Greenleaf, B.S. ’55
Scientific Consultant, Palo Alto, Calif.
2013
Richard Schroth, M.S. ’74
Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Insights, Ltd., Rockville, Md.
2012
Bryce G. Rutter, M.F.A. ’81, Ph.D. ’87
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Metaphase Design Group, Inc., St. Louis
2011
Richard A. Anderson, B.S. ’69
President and Chief Executive Officer, St. Luke’s Hospital, Bethlehem, Pa.
Susan E. Gwyn, M.A. ’74
President, SunDance Rehabilitation Corporation, Boston
Frank D. Lupton, Jr., M.S. ’58, Ph.D. ’72
Founder, Wilderness Education Association, and Professor Emeritus, Western Illinois University, Lake City, Minn.
Karl M. Newell, M.S. ’70, Ph.D. ’73
Department Head and Professor, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.
2010
Frank J. Hayden, M.S. ’58, Ph.D. ’62
Professor Emeritus and Special Olympics Visionary, McMaster University, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Laura Kann, B.S. ’82, M.S. ’83
Chief, Surveillance and Evaluation Research Branch, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta
Hitoshi Nishino, Ph.D. ’97
President, Tokai University Fukuoka Junior College, Munakata, Fukuoka, Japan
Donald J. Schum, B.S. ’82
Vice President of Audiology and Professional Relations, Oticon, Inc., Somerset, N.J.
2009
Deborah G. Blue, A.M. ’74, Ph.D. ’78
Vice Chancellor, Contra Costa Community College District, Martinez, Calif.
Mary Ann Carmack, B.S. ’73, M.S. ’78
Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Palo Alto, Calif.
James R. Gillespie, B.S. ’67, M.S. ’68
President and Chief Executive Officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation, Parsippany, N.J.
John R. Seffrin, M.S. ’67
Chief Executive Officer, American Cancer Society, Atlanta
2008
Joseph J. Bannon, M.S. ’58, Ph.D. ’71
President, Sagamore Publishing, Champaign, Ill.
Alina de la Paz, B.S. ’82, M.S. ’83
Executive Director and Founder, Center for Bilingual Speech and Language Disorders, Inc., Miami
Tim D. Romani, B.S. ’84
President and Chief Executive Officer, ICON Venture Group, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Harold P. Wimmer, B.S. ’77, M.S. ’78
President and Chief Executive Officer, American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest, Chicago
2007
C. Alvin Bowman, Ph.D. ’79
President, Illinois State University, Normal, Ill.
Ann E. Cody, M.S. ’92
Director of Partnerships and Public Policy, BlazeSports America, Washington, D.C.
Rainer Martens, Ph.D. ’68
Founder and President, Human Kinetics, Inc., Champaign, Ill.
Douglas A. Michels, B.S. ’78
President and Chief Executive Officer, Orasure Technologies, Inc., Bethlehem, Pa.
Harold Scharper Achievement Award
Harold Scharper was the first paraplegic to attend the University of Illinois. Friends and the Delta Sigma Omicron (Disabled Student Organization) created two awards in his honor. In 2012, these awards merged into one annual award from AHS. This award honors Mr. Scharper and Tim Nugent for their work in Disability Resources and Educational Services. They aimed to create equal opportunities for people with disabilities on campus. This work began well before Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1991. The awardees reflect Mr. Scharper’s achievements and dedication. They show his commitment to excellence and his advocacy. They also work to create more opportunities for people with disabilities.
Harold Scharper Achievement Award recipients
2024
William Waller, B.S. ’99, MHRIR ’01
Chief Executive Officer
National Wheelchair Basketball Association
2023
Saul Morse, B.S. ‘69, J.D. ‘72
Attorney
Brown, Hay and Stephens
2022
Michal J. Nowicki, J.D. ’18;
Associate, Marashlian and Donohue, Chicago, Ill.
2021
Anjali Forber-Pratt, B.S. ’06, M.A. ’07, Ph.D. ‘12
Director, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, Washington, D.C.
2020
The awards ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019
Dr. Patricia Barett Malik, M.S. ’82; Ph.D. ’88
Director (retired), Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services, Champaign, Ill.
2018
Kevin A. Fritz, B.S. ’10
Associate, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Chicago
2017
Jean Driscoll, B.A. ’91, M.S. ’93
Senior Director of Development, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill.
2016
Brad Hedrick, Ph.D. ’84
Director Emeritus, Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services, University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill.
2015
Kareem Dale, B.S. ’95, M.B.A. ’99, J.D. ’99
Director and Senior Counsel, Discover Financial Services, Deerfield, Ill.
2014
Mark Goldhaber, J.D. ’77
Founder and Principal, Goldhaber Policy Services, LLC, Raleigh, N.C.
2013
Parviz Parhami, B.S. ’74; M.S. ’76; Ph.D. ’79
Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Scientific Applications and Research Associates, Cypress, Calif.
2012
The Harold Scharper Achievement Award and Harold Scharper Humanitarian Award merged into one award.
Tiana Tozer, M.A. ’93
Professional Speaker and Humanitarian Aid Worker, Portland, Ore.
2011
Harold Scharper Achievement Award
Yusef A. Dale, B.S. ‘93, J.D. ‘96
Federal Prosecutor, US Attorney’s Office, Chicago
James W. Gallo, B.S. ‘84
Managing Partner, Gallo Associates, LLC, Schaumburg, Ill.
2010
Harold Scharper Achievement Award
Carl Suter, A.B. ‘77
Chief Executive Officer, Retired, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Bethesda, Md,
Thomas R. Brown, B.M.E. ‘71, M.S. ‘72
Director, National Veterans Wheelchair Games, San Antonio
2009
Harold Scharper Achievement Award
Dr. James A. Kutsch, Jr., Ph.D. ‘76
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Seeing Eye, Inc., Morristown, N.J.
Martin I. Morse, B.S. ‘84, M.S. ‘87
Olympic and Paralympic Coach, University of Illinois, Champaign
2008
Harold Scharper Achievement Award
Steven M. Herbst, B.S. ‘88
Business Analyst Manager, Allstate Insurance, Northbrook, Ill.
Richard W. Kommers, A.B. ‘69, J.D. ‘73
Retired Advisor to the Counsel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore
2007
The Harold Scarper Awards become part of the Distinguished Alumni Awards program in the College of Applied Health Sciences.
Harold Scharper Achievement Award
Gerald W. Kortness, B.A. ‘65
President, G. W. Kortness and Associates, Inc., Spooner, Wis.
Clifford D. Crase, Jr. (deceased)
Editor/Publisher Paraplegia News; Senior Editor Sports ‘N Spokes, Phoenix
Young Alumni Award
The Young Alumni Award began in 2021 and honors a recent AHS graduate who has achieved early success in their profession. This award honors leadership, community service, and contributions to the university. The recipient must be 35 years old or younger during the award year.
Young Alumni Award recipients
2024
Amy Zengotita, M.S. ’18
Parks and Recreation Director
City of South Daytona
2023
Michael Leach, B.S. ‘09
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
The White House
2022
Manu I. Edakara, B.S. ’14
Program Director – iVenture Accelerator, Champaign, Ill.
2021
Jennifer L. Jacobs, B.S. ‘09
Assistant Professor, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Ill.
AHS Alumni Awards Nomination Guidelines
- Complete the AHS alumni awards nomination form. We encourage, and welcome, self-nominations. If the nominee is selected as a finalist, you will be contacted to provide additional information that will support their candidacy. Additional information may include comments about how the nominee has demonstrated the University of Illinois mission, letters of support and any additional documents that may be useful in supporting a nominee’s candidacy.
- Nominees must be able to attend the awards activities the weekend of Homecoming (TBD).
- All nominations will be kept and considered for two (2) years. It is encouraged that nominations are updated if a candidate is not selected in the first year.
- Award recipients will be approved by the Dean of the College of Applied Health Sciences. The recommendations of the AHS Board of Visitors will be carefully considered in the decision process.
- Nominations are due by January 30, 2026.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Saathoff in the AHS Office of Advancement at ksaathof@illinois.edu or 217-244-8408.