Saturday, October 20, 2018
Newport Marriott  •  Newport, Rhode Island

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

Award recipients are selected by a committee of representatives from the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, Communications and Community Relations, the URI Foundation and the URI Alumni Association, and by the academic deans from each of the colleges.

Enjoy photos from the weekend events and the 2018 awards ceremony.

Watch the video.

2018 Distinguished Achievement
Awards Recipients

President’s Awards

Michael D. Fascitelli ’78, Hon. ’08, Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Vornado Realty Trust; Founder, MDF Capital; Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Imperial Companies

Michael D. Fascitelli is the founder of MDF Capital and co-founder and managing partner of Imperial Companies. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of Vornado Realty Trust and continues to serve as a trustee. Before joining Vornado, he was a partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He holds an M.B.A., with highest distinction, from Harvard Business School, and a B.S. in industrial engineering, summa cum laude, from the University of Rhode Island. In 2008, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from URI. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Child Advocacy Award from the Child Mind Institute, the Business Statesman Award from Harvard Business School Club of New York, and the NYU Real Estate Institute’s Urban Leadership Award.

Frederik W. Mowinckel ’88, Eco-Industrialist

Born and raised in Bergen, Norway, Frederik W. Mowinckel served in the Royal Norwegian Navy before earning his bachelor’s degree in business at the University of Rhode Island. He began his career in Taiwan, setting up a trade business to help Norwegian companies sell products to Asia. He currently serves as chairman of the board at Hunton Fiber, a leading Nordic supplier of wood-based insulation materials for the building industry. Over the past 30 years, he has owned, operated, bought, and sold sustainable businesses and products in more than 100 countries and territories. He is passionate about nature and the environment and is a sought-after mentor for small companies in the environmental technology sector. He and his wife Louise live in Lisbon and are the parents of sons Edward and Benjamin.

Louise M. Mowinckel ’88, Coach Psychologist

A native Rhode Islander of Wampanoag Indian, Cape Verdean and African-American descent, Louise Mowinckel is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island’s Talent Development Program. Having earned a B.S. in accounting at URI, she went on to work for Xerox Corporation in McLean, Va., as a financial analyst before moving to Hong Kong where she became regional head of accounts for Computer Power International, a computer software company. In 1996, she relocated to London, married Frederik Mowinckel ’88, and devoted the next 20 years to raising their sons Edward and Benjamin. In 2012, she pursued a master’s degree in psychology at the University of Westminster. She currently works as a performance coach psychologist specializing in stress management and psychological well-being in London, Lisbon, and Bergen.

Neil D. Steinberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rhode Island Foundation

Neil D. Steinberg is president and chief executive officer of the Rhode Island Foundation, the largest funding source for the state’s nonprofit sector. Previously he served as vice president of development for Brown University and as chairman and chief executive officer of the former Fleet Bank Rhode Island. He holds a B.A. in applied mathematics and sociology from Brown University and has received honorary degrees from the New England Institute of Technology (2018), Johnson & Wales University (2017), and Bryant University (2015). A civic leader and sought-after authority on philanthropic issues, he has also been recognized for his commitment to improving the quality of education in Rhode Island. Annually since 2013, he has been named one of the 10 most influential people in Rhode Island by Providence Business News.

 

Corporate Award

Amgen Inc., headquartered in California, with a 75-acre campus in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, is one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies. Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing, and delivering innovative human therapeutics. They use advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world’s leading independent biotechnology companies, reaching millions of patients around the world and developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential. Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people’s lives.

Rising Star Award

Presented by the Graduate School
Karen Hyun, Ph.D. ’08, Vice President for Coastal Conservation, National Audubon Society

Athletic Director’s Award

Mark Cruise ’81, M.B.A. ’84, Partner and Founder, The Virtus Group

Deans’ Awards

Graduate School of Oceanography
Rear Admiral Richard D. West, U.S. Navy, Retired

College of Arts and Sciences
Mark Ross ’64, Hon. ’05, Retired Vice President, Ross-Simons
Donna Ross

College of Business
Christopher J. Wolfe ’91, Chief Investment Officer, First Republic Bank

Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies
Carolyn Hunter ’56, Philanthropist and Volunteer

College of Engineering
Shivan S. Subramaniam, Hon. ’12, Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
FM Global

College of the Environment and Life Sciences
Gary W. Oates ’73, Senior Vice President and Strategic Client Development Director, Environmental Science Associates

College of Health Sciences
James Prochaska, Director, Cancer Prevention Research Center, and Professor of Psychology, University of Rhode Island

College of Nursing
Stephanie Chafee, Hon. ’04, Founder, Rhode Island Free Clinic

College of Pharmacy
Gregory Cianfarani ’92, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, RXinsider and CORE Higher Education Group