Regents celebrate CU luminaries with slate of annual awards
The University of Colorado Board of Regents has announced the 2024 list of individuals receiving Honorary Degrees, Distinguished Service Awards and University Medals.
Upon the recommendation of the Regents Awards Selection Committee, the full Board of Regents in November approved the nominees. Each recipient has been invited to attend a campus commencement ceremony to accept an award; the dates and locations are to be announced.
Honorary Degrees recognize outstanding achievement in one or more of the following areas: intellectual contributions, university service, philanthropy and/or public service. Distinguished Service Awards recognize those persons whose achievements and contributions are particularly associated with the state and/or nation. University Medals recognize those persons whose achievements and contributions are particularly associated with the university.
The 2024 recipients are:
Honorary Degrees
Marvin Caruthers (CU Boulder)
Ted Harms (CU Anschutz)
Ann Smead (CU Boulder)
Distinguished Service Awards
Katy Anthes (CU Denver)
Ned Calonge (CU Anschutz)
Gary Kring (CU Denver)
Apolo Ohno (UCCS)
Ellen Zentner (CU Denver)
University Medals
Jane Butcher (CU Boulder)
Richard Rokos (CU Boulder)
Read more on each honoree below:
Honorary Degrees
Marvin Caruthers (CU Boulder)
Through remarkable professional achievements and philanthropic contributions, Marvin Caruthers has created tremendous impact at the University of Colorado Boulder, in the local community and throughout society. A Distinguished Professor of biochemistry, he joined the faculty in 1973, first in the Department of Chemistry and continuing later when Biochemistry became a division and ultimately an independent department. Caruthers played a critical role in this academic evolution, with his scientific credentials and collaborative spirit proving pivotal in recruiting other DNA and RNA scientists to CU Boulder. Caruthers helped ignite the genomic revolution in biology and medicine by making critical advances in DNA synthesis. Without these advances, entire fields of research and classes of medicine would not exist today. A generous, forward-thinking donor to CU Boulder, Caruthers’ contributions include a transformative gift to support the construction of the world-class Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building, named in memory of Caruthers’ late wife, a former adjunct professor in CU Boulder’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and researcher in the Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology department. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2006, he was awarded the National Medal of Science, the highest national honor bestowed on American scientists and engineers.
Ted Harms (CU Anschutz)
An accountant by trade but a philanthropic champion at heart, Ted Harms has worked tirelessly toward achieving a vision to ensure philanthropy is a catalyst for change. As executive director of The Anschutz Foundation since 2010, he leads one of the largest private foundations in Colorado and guides its philanthropic investments throughout the state in a variety of areas, from youth development and cultural programs to education and health care. Harms serves as a philanthropic liaison to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus and UCHealth, sharing the vision of campus leadership to elevate CU Anschutz even higher among the best academic medical campuses in the country. Harms’ leadership on behalf of the foundation to invest in key areas has made that a reality, from investments to recruit extraordinary talent in novel therapeutics, orthopedics and mental health, to accelerating innovation in bioinformatics and personalized medicine. Harms served as an active board member for the National Mental Health Innovation Center, turning the Foundation’s concern with Colorado’s mental health crisis into scalable solutions for addressing this critical need. He also has been a vocal supporter of CU Anschutz’s increasing engagement with underserved populations in the Aurora community.
Ann Smead (CU Boulder)
Ann Smead built a distinguished career as an engineer, executive, educator, community leader and philanthropist. She enjoyed a pioneering professional chapter in systems engineering before going on to excel in real estate ventures, earning two professional designations, becoming a partner and leader in property management, and managing property for industry. She shared her knowledge by teaching financial analysis of real estate courses in the U.S. and in Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In recognition of Smead and her family’s steadfast and generous support of aerospace engineering at CU Boulder, the campus named the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences in honor of Ann and H.J. “Joe” Smead, a CU Boulder engineering alumnus, industry executive and Ann’s husband prior to his passing in 2003. Ann Smead is a member of the University of Colorado Boulder Engineering Advisory Council and an enthusiastic supporter of CU Buffs athletics and student-athletes. A resident of the Vail Valley since 1999, Ann Smead was honored in 2013 as Vail Valley’s Citizen of the Year. She is especially passionate about education, supporting outdoor educational programs and scholarships for students from preschool to Ph.D.
Distinguished Service Awards
Katy Anthes (CU Denver)
An inspirational leader for educators across the state, Katy Anthes served as the Commissioner of Education for the state of Colorado for seven years. Anthes is a two-time alumnus of CU, having earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs. She joined the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) in 2011. When she was named commissioner in 2016, Anthes became Colorado’s first female commissioner in 65 years. She exemplifies exceptional leadership through her remarkable ability to listen to diverse voices and support common-sense solutions. As commissioner, she consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to inclusivity and collaboration. She recognized the importance of engaging stakeholders from all walks of life, from educators and parents to policymakers and community members, in shaping education policy. Keeping students’ best interests as her top priority, she focused on providing high-quality expertise and support to districts and educators, overcoming many of the especially difficult challenges during the COVID pandemic years. Anthes was instrumental in the launch of Universal Preschool’s efforts to work more closely with districts and administrative units, and she led CDE’s efforts to support and retain highly effective educators in Colorado.
Ned Calonge (CU Anschutz)
A Colorado native and alumnus of the CU School of Medicine, Ned Calonge’s contributions over a career spanning almost four decades have advanced public health across Colorado, the region and the nation. Among the many key health positions he has held in Colorado are Chief Medical Officer for the state and President and CEO of The Colorado Trust, a private grantmaking foundation dedicated to achieving health equity for all Coloradans. Calonge is a superb educator, drawing on his wealth of experience to share in the classroom, and has trained and mentored many of those holding key positions in the state. He currently serves as associate dean for public health practice at the Colorado School of Public Health, where he also is a visiting professor of epidemiology. His past faculty appointments at the CU School of Medicine and Colorado School of Public Health include associate professor of family medicine, associate professor of preventive medicine and associate professor of epidemiology. Calonge’s key positions nationally include member and chair of committees as part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Gary Kring (CU Denver)
For Gary Kring, enhancing educational experiences and opportunities for students has been a lifelong pursuit. A Denver native, Kring earned his bachelor’s degree at CU Boulder and his master’s degree at CU Denver, and had a long career as a CPA. For decades, he has been a champion and partner in supporting higher education at CU. He holds leadership positions at two Denver-based foundations, the Schramm Foundation and the Clarence V. LaGuardia Foundation, the generosity of both of which is evident across CU. Via Kring’s stewardship, the Schramm Foundation and Clarence V. LaGuardia Foundation have funded nearly 1,000 scholarships, many benefiting those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the spring of 2022, the Schramm Foundation made possible 69 scholarships for students whose homes were destroyed in the Marshall Fire. Kring has played a pivotal role in the development of CU Denver’s new Engineering College Building by serving on the building development committee and making significant lead gifts. Kring also serves on the CU Planned Giving Advisory Council and is a board member at the Colorado School of Mines.
Apolo Ohno (UCCS)
The most decorated American athlete in Winter Olympic history, Apolo Ohno was a student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in the College of Business during his training days at the Colorado Springs Olympic & Paralympic Training Center (CSOPTC). After winning eight Olympic medals in short-track speed skating during the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Games, Ohno put his global fame to work. He established himself as a thought leader on building resilience, a successful author on change management, and a public speaker and strong advocate for disadvantaged populations. Ohno is a frequent visitor to children’s hospitals around the country and serves as a global Special Olympics ambassador. He supports current Olympic and Paralympic athletes and serves on the Salt Lake City bid committee for the 2030 Winter Games. Among Ohno’s victories away from the Olympics: winning the fourth season of TV’s “Dancing With the Stars.” His most recent book is “Hard Pivot: Embrace Change. Find Purpose. Show Up Fully.”
Ellen Zentner (CU Denver)
Ellen Zentner’s prominent career as an economist took root at CU Denver, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in economics. Currently chief U.S. economist at Morgan Stanley, Zentner has made significant contributions to individuals, companies, nonprofits and states. After graduating from CU Denver, Zentner worked in the Revenue Estimating Division for her native state of Texas, developing her acumen, navigating a male-dominated environment and providing important insights to inform policy. She later became the senior U.S. economist for the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and then at Nomura Securities. In 2013, she joined Morgan Stanley, where she is also a member of Morgan Stanley’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. Demonstrating her skills as an economist and ability to lead a high-performing team, Zentner’s group received the Lawrence R. Klein Award in 2018 and 2020 for most-accurate forecasts over four-year periods. Zentner continues to share her time and expertise with the Denver business community, including delivering the keynote for the CU Denver Business School’s Annual Economic Forecast each April.
University Medals
Jane Butcher (CU Boulder)
Jane Butcher has dedicated over 50 years of her time, talent and support to CU. A CU Boulder alumna, she went on to become one of the original members of the BioFrontiers Scientific Advisory Board, where she continues to serve today. Because she and her late husband, Charlie Butcher, shared a passion for the potential of bioscience and biotechnology to improve human lives, they established the Butcher Seed Grant and Butcher Award programs, which leverage CU’s research strengths to break down barriers between academic disciplines to find solutions to humanity’s most pressing health challenges. Butcher was a leader and champion for CU Boulder’s Conference on World Affairs, serving as co-chair. For four decades, she helped drive the conference’s success, drawing speakers, participants and devotees from across the country and around the globe. A current member of the CU Foundation Board of Trustees, Butcher also served on the Dean’s Advisory Board for CU Boulder’s College of Arts and Sciences, which she chaired for several years. Her broader civic engagement includes serving on the boards for Local Theater Company, the Boulder Community Health Foundation, the 10.10.10 Board of Denver, and the Foundation for National Progress, which publishes Mother Jones magazine.
Richard Rokos (CU Boulder)
Richard Rokos is one of CU’s most accomplished head coaches of all time. After 31 years as head skiing coach, Rokos retired after the 2021 season as the third-longest-tenured head coach in CU Boulder history. He coached the Buffaloes to eight national championships, the most by any head coach at Colorado, and 14 Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association titles. His teams qualified for the NCAA championships in all 31 of his seasons as head coach. In 2013, he was inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as CU Boulder’s head coach. Rokos received numerous Coach of the Year honors, both nationally and regionally, and was inducted into CU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021. During his tenure, the men’s and women’s teams regularly achieved GPAs upward of 3.5, both for individual semesters and cumulatively; his 250 student-athletes attained a graduation rate of over 95%. Before putting down roots in Colorado in 1982, Rokos and his family had escaped communist Czechoslovakia just two years prior.