Le Moyne College’s Alumni Association Board has selected nine individuals to recognize for their personal and professional achievement, and service to their alma mater. Those selected will be honored on Saturday, June 4 as part of the
College's Reunion Weekend on campus.
Selected to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award is S. Rick Fedrizzi ’76, chief executive officer and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a membership-based nonprofit organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings and communities are designed, built and operated. As the founding chair of the USGBC, Fedrizzi is recognized as a global leader in the green building movement. During his distinguished tenure, he has tripled the USGBC’s membership, broadened its influence, and cemented its role as a leadership voice in the global sustainability movement.
USGBC’s LEED green building program, the cornerstone of Rick’s efforts, now has more than 75,000 registered and certified commercial projects spanning nearly 15 billion square feet and more than 200,000 residential units around the world. With 1.85 million square feet of building space earning LEED certification every day, more than 200,000 LEED professional credential holders are engaged in advancing this global movement.
A native of Syracuse, Rick attended Christian Brothers Academy before graduating from Le Moyne in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in accounting.
Eight alumni will also receive Ignatian Awards, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a high degree of accomplishment in their vocation, exhibit a concern for society as measured by voluntary community projects, and reflect a commitment to Le Moyne’s Jesuit traditions.
Young Alumna – Kristin B. Dupre, Ph.D. ‘06
Kristin is a post-doctoral fellow in the Neurophysiological Section of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Le Moyne in 2006, and has remained an active member of the College community, recently speaking as part of the Social Science Seminar Series. Her talk was titled “Brain Activity in the Neurological Disorder of Parkinson's Disease." Additionally, she has served as an admission volunteer for Le Moyne at college fairs in the Washington, D.C., area.
Community Service – Paul W. Tonnesen ‘86
Paul is president of Fiskars Americas, a manufacturer and marketer of consumer and commercial products, in Madison, Wis. He also serves as a member of the company’s executive board. Paul currently serves as a national trustee for the Midwest Region of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and is a member of the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and secretary of the board of trustees of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Paul graduated from Le Moyne in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management information systems. Paul is also a member of the Madden School of Business Advisory Board at Le Moyne.
Service to Le Moyne – Larry Egan ‘71
A member of the Le Moyne College class of 1971, Larry Egan earned his bachelor’s degree in economics. He spent 31 years with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a special agent with the Criminal Investigation Division. Larry has worked tirelessly for his alma mater, serving as a dedicated volunteer in a number of capacities over the years. He has hosted alumni events in his home state of New Jersey; assisted the Office of Admission with recruiting future generations of Dolphins at student receptions, college fairs, and other events; consistently served as a lead volunteer on his reunion committees; and has been integral in keeping members of his class connected with each other and the College. Larry has served as a member of the Le Moyne College Alumni Association Board since 2008 and currently serves as president of the board.
Service to Le Moyne – Jack W. Rade ’66 and Linda Ryan Rade ‘66 (received their awards during the class of 1966 reunion over commencement weekend)
Jack Rade is president and chief executive officer of PeopleSystems in Syracuse, which provides cost-effective personnel support services designed to protect employers' interests. Linda Rade is the human resource director at PeopleSystems. Jack graduated from Le Moyne in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, while Linda graduated from Le Moyne the same year with a bachelor’s degree in history. Jack formerly served on the board of regents at Le Moyne from 2003 to 2009. He is currently a regent emeritus. The Rades have served as Reunion Gift chairs for their 2001 reunion, and also served on the 2006, 2011 and 2016 Reunion Committees. In 2009, the Rades agreed to serve as co-chairs of the general phase of the Achieving New Heights capital campaign at Le Moyne. Previously, they served as volunteers with the Tradition With Vision capital campaign.
Professional Achievement – Joseph K. Samuels, Ph.D. ‘66 (received his award during the class of 1966 reunion over commencement weekend)
Joseph K. Samuels is a technical representative for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford clean-up site in Richland, Wash. The Hanford site sits on 586 square miles in Southeastern Washington state, and was used to produce plutonium for the bomb that brought an end to World War II. In his current role, Joe serves as beryllium subject matter expert. Previously Joe was a population health analyst at HPMC Occupational Health Services, a small, woman-owned business that provides specialized services to federal government clients and their contractors. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in occupational medicine and industrial hygiene programs. Specializing in occupational medical program development and industrial hygiene programs and field testing, he is nationally recognized by the American Society of Testing and Materials, having participated on the Air Quality D-22 Committee for over 25 years. Joe has been an active member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association for 30 years, and has participated in numerous committees, most recently as the vice chair of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Committee. He has also served as a board member and treasurer for the Lower Columbia Basin chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers. In 2013, the chapter named Samuels its 2013 "Safety Professional of the Year."
Professional Achievement – Russell P. Tracy, Ph.D. ’71
Russ is a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and biochemistry at the University of Vermont (UVM) College Of Medicine in Burlington, Vt. Russ also serves as director of the Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry Research (LCBR) at UVM College of Medicine. Administratively, Russ served as senior associate dean for research and academic affairs in the UVM College of Medicine for a decade and currently serves as vice chair for research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Russ specializes in cardiology. In the mid-1980s he began work in cardiovascular clinical trials, and in the late 1980s added epidemiological science, which has become his major area of interest. Russ’ research focuses on the molecular and genetic epidemiology of the coagulation, inflammation and adaptive immune systems in cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases. In November 2015, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) named Russ a 2015 Distinguished Scientist. In 2009, Russ was named University Scholar by UVM. It is the institution’s highest academic honor; and in 2014 a Distinguished Investigator of the Cardiovascular Institute of Vermont. Russ graduated from Le Moyne in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.
Honorary Alumnus – Steven W. Kulick
Steve is the director of foundation and government relations in the office of Institutional Advancement at Le Moyne. Since joining Le Moyne in 1997, he is responsible for managing and stewarding the College’s relationships with foundations and government entities. In his career at Le Moyne, Steve has helped secure millions of dollars in funding, which has helped the College continue to grow and evolve into what it has become today. Prior to joining Le Moyne, Steve enjoyed an 11-year career working for the City of Syracuse, where he assisted in writing grant proposals and also worked for a number of years at Cornell University and at several non-profit organizations in the Syracuse area Steve currently serves as chair of the Syracuse City Planning Commission and as treasurer of the board of directors of the Central New York Land Trust and the Atlantic (New York State) Chapter of the Sierra Club. Additionally, he is vice president of the board of directors of the Friends of the Central Library and represents Le Moyne College as one of the managing partners for the Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County. Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Syracuse University and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.