Chreist, Shepard among Alumni Association honorees
A University of Colorado Boulder admissions officer and dean are among 10 prominent alumni, faculty, staff and students who will be honored by the Alumni Association at its 83nd annual awards ceremony Nov. 1.
Ryan Chreist, who oversees recruitment for all undergraduate programs, and Lorrie Shepard, dean of the School of Education, will receive the Robert L. Stearns Award in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the university.
Chreist earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 1996 and a master’s in public affairs in 2009. Shepard, an alumna, received her master’s in education in 1970 and her doctorate in 1972. She also is an education researcher.
The tradition of honoring the University of Colorado Boulder’s best began in 1930. Other awards that will be handed out during the ceremony and winners are:
George Norlin Award, honoring outstanding alumni: Michael Brown, a 1990 graduate with a CU-Boulder bachelor’s in geography who is one of the world’s most accomplished adventure filmmakers. Gene Lucero, a 1978 graduate with a bachelor’s in business who is a civic leader, particularly in the Chicano/Latino community, and who won the Denver Realtor of the Year award in 2004.
Alumni Recognition Award: Roe Green, who earned her bachelor’s in communications and theater in 1970, funded the department’s first fully endowed faculty position and is the chief executive officer of the Roe Green Foundation, which supports victims of domestic violence, Jewish federated giving and performing arts programs and the arts, particularly arts education. Bill Harris attended CU-Boulder in the early 1960s. He is an avid supporter of all things Buff and a community leader. He served with great distinction as both the director of the Alumni C Club (a group of lifetime supporters of Colorado athletics who are CU letter winners) and assistant athletic director before retiring in 2009. Rebecca Roser earned her master’s degree in speech, language and hearing sciences in 1975 and was a faculty member who supervised graduate students and directed clinical services at the speech, language and hearing sciences clinic. After retiring she and her husband funded the Roser Visiting Artist Endowment at CU-Boulder and made other contributions to the university.
Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Alumni Award: Todd Mosher, who earned an aerospace master’s degree in 1995 and a doctorate in 2000, has mentored more than 20 summer interns in his various jobs and has hired many CU alumni. He’s one of the men and women behind the Dream Chaser, the space vehicle that will carry astronauts to and from a low orbit.
Leanne Skupa-Lee Award for admissions assistance: Brian Corcoran, who earned a bachelor’s in business in 1990, has been a tireless participant in college fairs across eastern Massachusetts during the last decade.
Forever Buffs Student Award: Brittni Hernandez, the CU student government president, has volunteered many hundreds of hours in the community.
The free ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. with registration and light appetizers. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a reception with hors d’oeuvres, dessert, a complimentary drink and a cash bar at 7 p.m. The event will be emceed by Chris Vanderveen, a 9News reporter who received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from CU in 1996.
Attendees to the free event are asked to register at http://www.cualum.org/back2boulder/.