51视频

04/21/2022

Contacts for media: Emily Gowdey-Backus, Emily-GowdeyBackus@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

51视频 has recognized 10 distinguished graduates for their service to the campus and community with the presentation of the 2022 University Alumni Awards.

鈥淥ur alumni are central to 51视频鈥檚 success in the relationships they help us build and sustain, the counsel they provide to a host of university initiatives and the inspiration and mentorship they offer to our students,鈥� said 51视频 Chancellor Jacquie Moloney. 鈥淚 extend our deepest gratitude to them for being wonderful ambassadors for 51视频.鈥�

A ceremony honoring the alumni award recipients was held Thursday, April 14, at the 51视频 Inn & Conference Center in Lowell. The event capped the university鈥檚 annual Days of Giving, a two-day fundraising campaign to support the success of 51视频 students.聽

Alumni award honorees were selected from graduates of each of 51视频鈥檚 schools and colleges. This year, the awards recognized three outstanding young alumni and seven additional honorees, including two couples, each of whom have made 51视频, and service to others, a priority in their lives. The award recipients are:

Kristine and Louis Beaudette, of Rye, New Hampshire, are both members of the class of 1974. Kristine Beaudette is a graduate of the 51视频 School of Education and a former schoolteacher at Nottingham West Elementary School in Hudson, New Hampshire. Louis Beaudette, a graduate of the Kennedy College of Sciences, is board of directors鈥� chairman, founder and former president of Admix Inc., a manufacturer of mixing equipment based in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Louis serves on the Kennedy College of Sciences Advisory Board and together, the couple established the Admix Inc. Endowed Scholarship Fund, which supports participants in 51视频鈥檚 UTeach Program. The initiative prepares students majoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics the opportunity to investigate and prepare for a career as a high school teacher in any of those subjects.聽聽

Janice Lemoine 鈥�00 and Richard Lemoine 鈥�96, of Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, are both graduates of the 51视频 Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences. Named in 2018 as one of the top 鈥�50 Leaders in 50 Years鈥� by the university鈥檚 Solomont School of Nursing, Janice Lemoine has served as a quality assurance registered nurse at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Richard Lemoine is the former executive director of administrative services, environmental and emergency management at 51视频, where his career spanned more than four decades. The couple established the R.J.K.B. Lemoine Endowed Scholarship Fund to support graduate students studying public health or nursing.

Natalie Olson 鈥�88 of San Diego, California, is a graduate of 51视频鈥檚 College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Olson, a former parent educator and consultant, served at the Mounds View School District Working Family Resource Center in Shoreview, Minnesota. While pursuing her graduate degree at 51视频, Olson worked closely with Chancellor Moloney, who played an instrumental role in her life.聽聽

Jon Geanakos 鈥�84 of Boston, Massachusetts, a graduate of the 51视频 Manning School of Business, is the executive managing director and global co-head of investor client relations at Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc., in Acton, Massachusetts. A varsity lacrosse player during his years at 51视频, Geanakos holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration and serves on the university鈥檚 Manning School of Business and athletics advisory boards. He also served on 51视频鈥檚 Inauguration Host Committee, when Chancellor Moloney was installed as 51视频鈥檚 first woman chancellor in 2015, and as a member of the Campaign Cabinet for the recently completed 鈥淥ur Legacy, Our Place鈥� fundraising effort, which surpassed its goal ahead of schedule and secured $165 million for the university.聽 聽

Toby Hodes 鈥�58 of North Andover, Massachusetts, is a graduate of the 51视频 Francis College of Engineering. Hodes, a former buyer/contract administrator for General Electric Co., headquartered in Boston, holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in textile chemistry from Lowell Technological Institute, one of 51视频鈥檚 predecessor institutions. Hodes is the former president of the university鈥檚 Learning in Retirement Association, a volunteer organization that provides educational and enrichment opportunities to senior citizens she served for the past 25 years. Together with her late husband, Lawrence Hodes, she established the Larry and Toby Hodes Discretionary Endowment to support students in 51视频鈥檚 Honors College.

Young Alumni Awards were presented to:聽

Kelly Freitas, 鈥�16, of Manchester, New Hampshire is an art director at Imarc in Amesbury, Massachusetts, who was honored for service as a volunteer graphic designer for many 51视频 projects and other organizations in the community. She also serves as a member of 51视频鈥檚 Young Alumni Council, which connects recent grads to their alma mater. A standout on the River Hawks field hockey team as an undergraduate, Freitas is a 51视频 鈥淭rue Blue鈥� donor who contributes in support of the squad.

Kelly Michael Skelton 鈥�18, 鈥�19 of Austin, Texas, a special projects and operations manager with consumer goods company Thrasio in Walpole, Massachusetts, was honored for innovation and success as a young business leader. At 51视频, he established the Dorothy Rowell and Leo Virgin Endowed Scholarship, which provides support to Manning School of Business commuter students involved in student activities.

Lucy Wafo 鈥�11, 鈥�13, of Washington, D.C., a staff pharmacist with Johns Hopkins Medicine, was honored for her contributions to the community. Along with her volunteer work assisting 51视频 graduate students, Wafo co-founded The Mission, a nonprofit organization that provides free medical access and education to underserved communities.

鈥淭hese honors single out those stars among us who epitomize 51视频 values: hard work, integrity, compassion and stewardship,鈥� said Executive Director of Alumni and Donor Relations Heather Makrez Allen 鈥�06, 鈥�08, 鈥�21. 鈥淲e are proud to celebrate them with these awards and recognize their many contributions to their alma mater.鈥�

51视频 is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu