Gary B. BS ’68, and Pamela S. Williams, BS ’68, were featured on live broadcasts and in several articles following the February 3 announcement of their $10 million commitment to The University of Akron. For the couple’s generosity, the Honors College was renamed The Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Honors College.

Anthony J. Alexander, BSA ’72, JD ’75, former president and CEO of FirstEnergy Corp., is the 2016 recipient of the H. Peter Burg Award, which recognizes local business leader who have worked to enhance local and regional economic and community development. The Greater Akron Chamber will present the award to Alexander during its 109^th annual meeting on March 23 in Akron.

Robert Budinsky, JD ’78, with the 7^th District Court of Appeals, is retiring after 37 years of service. A court administrator since 1987, Budinsky has supervised the court’s support staff, overseen its $2.2 million annual budget, handled public outreach and communications, set case schedules, answered lawyers’ questions, and served as court bailiff.

Elizabeth A. Crosby, BA ’79, a partner with the Buckley King law firm, was distinguished among the “Top 25 Women Lawyers in Cleveland” and in Super Lawyers’ “Top 50 Women Lawyers in Ohio.”

Thomas W. Kostoff, BA ’75, JD ’79, was unanimously appointed as the new law director for the city of Munroe Falls, Ohio.

Ronald B. Lee, BS ’74, JD ’78, a partner in Roetzel’s Akron office, has been named a 2016 Ohio Super Lawyer in the field of class action by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine.

John R. Adams, BSBA ’88, earned the prestigious 2016 Central Regional Financial Security Award from Northwestern Mutual, where he is a wealth management advisor. The award recognizes Adams for an outstanding year with the company, serving the financial security needs of clients and policy owners throughout the region.

Paul E. Barnett, BS ’85, is the new director of public services for the city of Brunswick, Ohio. Barnett has more than 25 years of experience in public works management, including 18 years as public works manager with Akron.

Bapi M. DasGupta, MS ’81, PhD ’85, was promoted to president, surface protection, for the PE Films Division of Tredegar Corporation. With the company since 2007, DasGupta most recently served as a vice president. Tredegar, based in Richmond, Va., is a manufacturer of plastic films and aluminum extrusions.

Paul L. Jackson, BSA ’85, JD ’88, a partner in Roetzel’s Akron office, has been named secretary-treasurer. He also was named a 2016 Ohio Super Lawyer in the field of employee benefits by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine.

Rev. John Thomas J. Lane, BM ’87, the pastor of Saint Paschal Baylon Catholic Church in Highland Heights, Ohio, was the focus of a news story about the church’s installation of digital bell technology. The new system, made possible by a gift from the Bourgeois family, replaced bells that had been nonfunctioning for 30 years.

Anthony J. Margida, PhD ’84, CEO of Akron Global Business Accelerator, was spotlighted in the ‘Source Lunch with…’ feature of Crain’s Cleveland Business. Margida is steering the accelerator during a time of ever-increasing focus on entrepreneurship as an economic catalyst.

Steven, BSA ’82, and Jeannine T. ’96 Marks, AAS ’91, BA ’96, co-founders of the Akron Marathon, were the featured guests at the March 10 ‘For Women, Forever’ annual dinner hosted by The Women’s Endowment Fund of the Akron Community Foundation. Since founding the Akron Marathon in 2003, the couple has grown the race into a world-class event that annually generates more than $8 million in economic impact for the Greater Akron community and to date has raised more than $1 million for local charities.

Janice L. Marshall, BS ’82, was unanimously approved as administrator for Copley Township. She previously served as the township’s fiscal officer.

Michael D. McKee, BSIM ’80, was hired as the city of Massillon’s budget director and income tax administrator. McKee, a former U.S. Air Force colonel and finance officer, most recently worked as a senior business consultant with Accipiter Systems, of Wexler, Pa. Previously, he was employed as a program manager and business development manager with Lockheed Martin in Akron.

William J. Roth Jr., JD ’83, began his sixth term as mayor of Fairlawn, Ohio, on January 1, 2016. With 20 years in the office, Roth is now the longest-serving mayor in Fairlawn and Summit County.

Bruce R. Schrader II, BA ’84, a partner in Roetzel’s Akron office, has been named a 2016 Ohio Super Lawyer in the field of creditor debtor Rights by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine.

Gary L. Spangler, MS ’88, known locally as ‘Mr. Art,” was featured in a Canton Repository story about his longtime association with the Massillon Museum. An art teacher for more than 40 years, Spangler now teaches a number of art and photography classes at the museum.

Richard J. Steinle, JD ’81, was profiled by the Daily Legal News about his role as in-house mediator for the Common Pleas Court in Portage County. The county’s civil mediation program has a 97 percent settlement – among the best in Ohio. Steinle previously worked as a writer/photographer in the Air Force, a lawyer in private practice, and a public relations specialist at The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Laura K. Thompson, BS ’87, MBA ’92, was interviewed by WKYC-TV about her time at The University of Akron and the professional experiences that have assisted her in her role as CFO for The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Michael P. Batchik, AAS ’98, among other awards, was named the Stark County Police Officer of the Year and earned Ohio’s Distinguished Law Enforcement Valor Award after his heroic rescue of a man from a burning vehicle.

Tonya A. Block, BA ’91, MSW ’05, director of community health services for Summit County Public Health, was appointed to the Summit Metro Parks board as a park commissioner.

Keith A. Cline, BS ’92, MBA ’02, was appointed president and CEO of La Quinta Holdings after serving as in interim in the position since September 2015. Cline joined La Quinta in January 2013 as executive vice president and CFO and helped lead the company through its initial public offering. Prior to joining La Quinta, Cline served in a variety of executive and senior leadership roles at Charming Charlie Inc., Express Inc., The J.M. Smucker Company, FedEx Custom Critical, and L Brands. Cline began his career at Arthur Andersen & Company.

Aaron A. Hively, JD ’99, will be the first mediator for the 7^th District Court of Appeals following the launch of a new program by the court.

David E. Krabill, BA ’93, MBA ’98, has been promoted to vice president of information services and chief information officer for the Swagelok Company, where he interned as an undergraduate and worked for many years.

Sean E. Leuthold, JD ’95, a judge of the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio, was featured in Crawford County Now about his changes to the court, including the speed of trials and time spent in county jail.

Steve C. Porpora, BS ’95, MS ’97, was highlighted in an Akron Beacon Journal article about his graduate research and passion for Ohio’s abandoned coal mines.

Matt R. Sabo, AAS ’97, was profiled by The News Herald about his appointment as the new fire chief for Concord Township. Sabo has been with the department for more than 15 years and most recently served as the assistant chief.

Anthony A. Sterns, MA ’91, PhD ’01, a Fellow of UA’s Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology and a senior lecturer for the College of Business Administration, Department of Psychology, School of Nursing, and the Department of Family and Consumer Studies, reported that iRxReminder, the company he founded and serves as CEO, won the North Coast Opportunity Tech Fund from Cuyahoga County. The company will receive $125,000 to advance its technology platform, which ensures patient medication and care compliance. The award will supplement “A Novel Method for Improving Adherence with Oral Oncolytics,” a project at the University of Michigan Cancer Center funded by the Hematology Oncology Pharmacy Association.

Donald “DeWayne” Trainer, MM ’97, a tenor with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, performed as a soloist February 27-28 during a Shakespeare Festival concert by Hans Graf and the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and Orchestra. Trainer, who works as a project leader in help desk support at Edward Jones, was “honored” by the opportunity and noted the soloist role is rarely given to a member of the chorus.

Nathan A. Wheatley, JD ’99, joined the Weston Hurd as a partner. He will lead the law firm’s Creditors’ Rights and Insolvency Group.

Ed D. Whitmore, MS ’90 – retired Fairless High School principal, teacher, coach – was featured in an IndeOnline article about his life, which also included four years in Air Force.

Aaron M. Drews, BS ’08, MS ’09, is a professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, where he teaches CENG 4 Experience Chemical Engineering Seminar to provide students with hands-on experience in chemical engineering.

Luke J. Getsy, BS ’07, is rising in the ranks of NFL coaching. After positions with several teams around the country, he recently was named the wide receivers’ coach for the Green Bay Packers and already has earned support from many of the players.

Laura Miller-Hannah, BA ’02, a class instructor chef at the Portage Lakes Career Center, was interviewed by The Suburbanite for a story about the center’s strong culinary arts program.

Jacilyn K. Ledford, BA ’08, a school teacher in Georgia, was the lead actress in a film shot in the Akron area in 2008. She recounted the experience in a story published by the Akron Beacon Journal.

Sculpture Joseph A. Nanashe, BFA ’03, exhibited his work at the Volta Art Fair in New York City March 2-6.

Jon A. Oldham, JD ’02, was elected an Akron Municipal Court judge, a six-year term, in November 2015.

Joanne Thanos Priest, AAB ’00, was featured in The Suburbanite after she performed lifesaving CPR for a neighbor. Priest was reunited with the woman she saved in early January.

Andrew C. Voorhees, BA ’01, JD ’04, was named a 2016 Ohio Rising Star after a highly selective process for local attorneys. Vorhees practices in commercial collections with Weltman, Weinberg and Reis Co. in Cleveland.

Jerad J. Zibritosky, JD ’09, vice chair of the Akron Bar Association’s Real Property and Environmental Law Section, generated interest and exposure about the oil and gas industry area of law to the bar and its members. Zibritosky, now a shareholder at McNamara, Demczyk Co., focuses on oil and gas matters, as well as business and probate law.

Brian W. Anderson, MBA ’13, was featured in USA Today and the Los Angeles Times for his work as chief financial officer of WiseWear, a line of luxury smart jewelry.

Frederick J. Hirschman, BFA ’14, is a photographer whose work recently was featured in Aint-Bad magazine, an independent publisher of new photographic art based in Savannah, Ga. Hirschman is pursuing his MFA in photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design. To see more of his work, visit fredhirschman.com.

Sarah D. Krieger, BA ’14, was named executive director of Teen Leadership Corps, the only U.S. nonprofit that helps high schools implement leadership classes by providing educational training, instructional resources, and financial support.

Marcus H. Pryor II, MBA ’15, JD ’15, argued his case before the Ohio Supreme Court only months after graduating and passing his boards.

Jarrod Tudor, LLM ’13, was named dean and chief administrative officer for the Kent State University Burton Township Campus in Geauga.

Matthew D. Wasserbauer, BSA ’10, joined the Siegfried Group LLP in its Cleveland market as a senior associate. Most recently, he was with Ernst & Young, where he gained four years of audit experience with a primary focus on manufacturing.