2012 Seventh Annual
Distinguished Achievement Awards

Saturday, October 27, 2012 ⋅ Newport Marriott, Newport, R.I.

The Distinguished Achievement Awards honor
those alumni who personify URI’s tradition of excellence
in achievement, leadership, and service. 


See photos and video from the 2012 ceremony

2012 PRESIDENT’S AWARD RECIPIENTS

150203_Neil_KerwinCornelius M. Kerwin, M.A. ’73, Ph.D.
President, American University
Cornelius Kerwin is president of American University and a nationally recognized specialist in public policy and the regulatory process.  The founder of American University’s Center for the Study of Rulemaking, he is the author of Rulemaking: How Government Agencies Write Law and Make Policy and co-author of How Washington Works: The Executive’s Guide to Government.  He was named a Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine in 2009, and Irish Voice named him one of the most influential Irish educators in the U.S. and Canada. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and member of the boards of directors of the American Council on Education and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Ernest Mario, M.S. ’63, Ph.D. ’66, Hon ’91
Chairman and CEO, Capnia
Ernest Mario began his career in the pharmaceutical industry as a research scientist in 1966 and later went on to lead four drug companies as CEO: Glaxo, Alza, Reliant, and his current company, Capnia. In addition to serving on the boards of companies public and private, Dr. Mario devotes considerable time to philanthropy. A past trustee of Duke, Rutgers, URI, and Rockefeller universities, he was awarded the Remington Medal, pharmacy’s highest honor, in 2007, and is namesake of the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, his undergraduate alma mater.

Blanche R. Murray  ’41, Hon. ’88
Retired Educator, Tolman High School
Blanche Murray was the first female president of both the URI Foundation and the URI Alumni Association, and she served two terms on the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education.  A former home economics teacher in Pawtucket who was named R.I. Home Economics Teacher of the Year in 1977, she received an honorary degree from the University in 1988 and was inducted into the College of the Environment and Life Sciences Hall of Fame in 2003.  She has served on numerous URI committees, including a Presidential Search Committee, and boasts of 10 family members who also received URI degrees.

Thomas Wroe, Jr. ’72, Hon. ’06
Chairman and CEO, Sensata Technologies, Inc.
Thomas Wroe is chairman and CEO of Sensata Technologies, formerly the sensors and controls business of Texas Instruments, where he started his career in 1972 as a manufacturing engineer. During his long tenure at TI, he held management assignments in operations, engineering, marketing and business development. He has been an instrumental supporter of the URI International Engineering Program, especially the Chinese IEP, and he has established an endowed scholarship to support students in that program. He serves on many boards, including the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Cape Cod Healthcare, Chase Corp., and Boston College’s Carroll School of Management.

 

2012 CORPORATE AWARD RECIPIENT

Sensata Technologies, Inc.
Attleboro, Massachusetts

2012 DEANS’ AWARD RECIPIENTS

Learn more about the Deans’ Award recipients here.

ALAN SHAWN FEINSTEIN COLLEGE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
Jay Spitulnik, Organizational Consultant, Lifespan Learning Institute

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Richard K. Pyle Sr. ’67, M.A. ’69, Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Department of State, Intelligence Community
Therese A. Rando ’74, M.A. ’75, Ph.D. ’80, Clinical Director and Founder, The Institute for the Study and Treatment of Loss
Douglas M. Rosie ’51, Assistant Provost, Chair and Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, University of Rhode Island

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Robert J. Alvine ’88, President and General Manager, Premier Subaru and Premier Kia
Keith M. Moore ’74, Ph.D. ’04, Managing Director, Event Driven Research, MKM Partners LLC

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Carl C. Engle ’65, Vice President and Chief Engineer, Cardi Corporation
Rear Admiral Daniel R. May, M.S. ’84, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired

COLLEGE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND LIFE SCIENCES
Jonathan L. Feinstein ’77, M.C.P. ’79, Senior Vice President, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
Captain Tom A. Marnane, M.M.A. ’70, U.S. Navy, Retired; Vice President of Facilities, Matson Navigation Company, Inc., Retired

COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCE AND SERVICES
John Wardle ’78, Senior Vice President of Client Services, CVS Caremark

COLLEGE OF PHARMACY
Dr. Keith P. Lewis ’76, Professor of Anesthesiology, Boston University School of Medicine; Chairman of Anesthesiology, Boston Medical Center

COLLEGE OF NURSING
Kristen M. Swanson ’75,  Dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor, School of Nursing, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Carrie Byron, Ph.D. ’10, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Matthew Ortoleva, M.A. ’03, Ph.D. ’10, Assistant Professor of English and Writing Center Director, Worcester State University

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF OCEANOGRAPHY
Mary A. Voytek, M.S. ’85, Director, NASA Astrobiology Program