FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gita Brown, 401-456-8465, gbrown@ric.edu
Suzy Alba, 401-456-9625, salba@ric.edu
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island College’s 2018 Alumni Awards Dinner will be held on Thursday, May 3, at 6 p.m. in RIC’s Donovan Dining Center. The event will be co-hosted by Mike Montecalvo ’84, award-winning journalist and co-anchor for WPRI 12 and FOX Providence, and by Hillary Costa ’14, South County Health marketing specialist and Alumni Association board member.
Alumni awards are presented annually for personal and professional achievement, community service and commitment to Rhode Island College and/or the RIC Alumni Association.
Recipient of the
John Nazarian ’54 Alumnus of the Year Award is
Robert Berlam ’58, a retired educator, administrator and U.S. Air Force colonel. A resident of Naples, Florida, Berlam is being recognized for his outstanding service to the college and to the Alumni Association.
Other alumni award winners are:
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Cranston resident Makna Men ’90, an author and senior academic counselor at Bristol Community College, will receive the Alumni Service Award for his outstanding contribution to the state and to the nation, reflecting the ideal of service to humanity.
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Cranston resident Marcy Reyes ’12, a Rhode Island College adjunct professor and manager of small group rating and operations at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, will receive the Young Alumni Award for giving of her time, talent and resources to the college.
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Providence resident Donald Deignan ’72, a professional historian, writer and disability rights activist, will receive the Charles B. Willard Professional Achievement Award for his distinguished achievements in the field of history and disability rights advocacy.
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Providence resident Judith Lynn Stillman, a RIC professor of music and artist in residence, will receive the Alumni Faculty Award for a distinguished international career as a pianist, composer, choral conductor, music director and artistic visionary.
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North Providence resident Patricia Nolin ’84, M.A. ’87, Rhode Island College coordinator of college events and conference services, will receive the Alumni Staff Award for giving of her time, talent and resources to the college.
In addition, Alumni Honor Roll Awards will be presented to graduates who have achieved success in their field and whose success demonstrates the value of a RIC degree:
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Representing the Faculty of Arts and Sciences – Communication Department:
Providence resident David Johnson ’85, associate professor of video game design and development, and co-designer and mentor for the Master of Science in Applied Design Program at the New England Institute of Technology.
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Representing the Faculty of Arts and Sciences – Theater Department:
Los Angeles, California, resident Christopher Soley ’06, show systems designer at Walt Disney Imagineering.
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Representing the Faculty of Arts and Sciences – Studio Art Department:
Warwick resident Anthony Tomaselli ’76, fine artist and co-founder of T’s Restaurant Group.
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Representing the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development – Music Education Department:
Lincoln resident Christine Noel ’00, artistic director of the Providence Singers and founder and artistic director of the Rhode Island Children’s Chorus.
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Representing the School of Business – Management Department:
Coventry resident Thomas Fitzgerald ’99, senior vice president/team leader of commercial lending at BankRI.
- Representing the School of Nursing: Cranston resident Diane Brady ’84, public health nurse consultant for acute infectious disease epidemiology at the Rhode Island Department of Health.
- Representing the School of Social Work: Wakefield resident Melissa Neri O’Donnell, M.S.W. ’99, director of patient and family experience at Women & Infants Hospital.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Social Work, the School of Management and the School of Nursing. Visit www.ric.edu.
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