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 Retired
Army general. Future Olympian. Disney executive. Criminal justice expert.
Lifelong Anteaters.
The list of alumni and friends who will be honored during the 38th annual Lauds
& Laurels awards ceremony is as varied as it is distinguished.
Eighteen Anteaters will join the ranks of more than 600 outstanding prior
recipients of the UCI Alumni Association’s highest honor during the 2008
ceremony in recognition of their heartfelt dedication and commitment to the
University of California, Irvine.
An annual tradition since 1971, Lauds & Laurels is the signature fundraiser for
UCIAA with event proceeds benefiting the association’s incoming, transfer and
continuing student scholarship programs.
The 2008 Lauds & Laurels awards ceremony will be hosted May 8 at the Hyatt
Regency Irvine. Information regarding ceremony tickets and table sponsorships is
available by calling the association: 949-UCI-ALUM.
For a complete list of past Lauds & Laurels honorees, visit:
www.alumni.uci.edu/assets/pdf_files/landl_past_recip.pdf.
2008 Lauds & Laurels Awardees
EXTRAORDINARIUS AWARD
Roy Dormaier ’69
School of Social Sciences
Vice Chancellor for Planning and Budget, UC Irvine
UC Irvine vice chancellor and lifelong Anteater Roy Dormaier ’69 will be honored
with the 2008 Extraordinarius award, Lauds & Laurels’ most prestigious
recognition that honors those extraordinary individuals who have prominently
contributed to the advancement of the UC Irvine campus and support the
university’s fundamental mission of teaching, research and public service.
Dormaier, a member of UCI’s charter class, began his life’s work shortly after
graduating from UCI in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In the
spanning four decades, he has shaped the university – from overseeing the
university’s budget office to developing UCI’s land assets programs. He’s
created the Campus Asset Management division and presently serves UCI as its
vice chancellor for planning and budget. In his role, Dormaier is responsible
for the university’s more than $1.5 billion operating budget and oversight of
more than $2 billion of capital construction.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS
Ted Walter Kryczko, M.F.A. ’78
Claire Trevor School of the Arts
Vice President, Walt Disney Records
Kryczko has earned 14 Grammy-nominations and
two awards as both a vocal artist and producer of film-based CDs including award
winner’s “The Lion King Read Along” and “The Muppets”. He’s an active mentor to
current UCI students and recent graduates and recently hosted a scouting
audition at UCI resulting in 11 students earning opportunities in upcoming
Disney recording projects.
Ed Low Chang ’84
School of Biological Sciences
Co-founder, Cayenne Medical
A founding member of the school’s mentoring
program, Chang is a serial entrepreneur successfully launching three bio-medical
device companies in his 24-year career. Among his numerous successes has been
the development of a minimally invasive breast biopsy needle that reduces the
need for open surgical biopsies used for the early detection of breast cancer,
and a novel device to allow for total arthroscopic rotator cuff surgeries in
sports medicine.
Leon J. LaPorte, M.S. ’77
The Paul Merage School of Business
Retired General, U.S. Army
Well known as a leader while a student at UC Irvine, LaPorte carried forward
those skills while rising from the rank of captain to four-star general in the
U.S. Army. After serving his country for more than three decades, he retired
from his post directing both United Nations and U.S. forces stationed at the
border of North and South Korea in 2006. LaPorte earned numerous military honors
including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross for
his contributions to the defense of both the U.S. and world at-large.
Robert Pletka, Ed.D. ’07
Department of Education
Superintendent of Schools, El Centro School District
Finding ways to inspire students to become involved in their education is a
consistent theme weaved throughout Pletka’s career. His first book project, My
So-Called Digital Life, engaged more than 2,000 students who documented their
daily lives using 300 cameras. Divided into teams, the students selected, edited
and compiled the book which has received critical acclaim.
Goran Matijasevic, M.S. ’85, Ph.D. ’91
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering
Director of Research Development, UC Irvine, University Advancement
Matijasevic returned to UC Irvine in 2001 and has worked tirelessly to ensure
that many of UCI’s engineering and technology programs are the beneficiaries of
much needed governmental and industry funding. His efforts helped UCI to develop
a $7.2-million DARPA-funded center to study micro- and nano-fluidics – the
science and technology of preparing and handling small amounts of fluids on
microchips. Matijasevic holds four patents as an electrical engineer and is an
active volunteer, including the engineering school’s advisory council, Orange
County Engineering Council and board member of the Life Sciences Industry
Council.
Christine Dormaier ’70
School of Humanities
Retired, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Resource Planning and Administration, UC
Irvine
Dormaier has served UC Irvine as an alumna, staff member and volunteer. During
her tenure as Chief Financial Officer for the UCI Foundation, Dormaier’s
leadership helped to grow the university’s endowment more than 133% topping $100
million. She served as treasurer of the UCI Staff Assembly, president of the
Academic and Professional Women organization and president of the UCI
Chancellor’s Club.
Nancy Kim Yun ’82
Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences
School of Social Sciences
Director, Integrated Shipboard Systems, Boeing Missile Defense
Yun has made the most of both of her UC Irvine undergraduate degrees, ICS and
psychology, as a director at Boeing leading a team of 120 highly skilled people
while maintaining one of the highest rates of employee satisfaction and one of
the lowest rates of employee turnover at 2%. Her rise in the male-dominated
world of aerospace technologies positions her well as a mentor to young women
and girls struggling to find their own niche; a responsibility Yun embraces
without reservation as a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Anaheim.
Philip Robert Fischer ’76, M.D. ’81
School of Medicine
School of Biological Sciences
Medical Director, Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic
Fischer continues to travel the world two decades after completing his medical
degree to improve healthcare for infants, children and adolescents. A missionary
doctor in Africa, Fischer tackles bone health of children from Minnesota to
Zaire and treatment strategies for malaria worldwide. He’s won numerous medical
teaching awards, including the 2000 Teacher of the Year award at the Mayo Clinic
from the department of pediatric and adolescent medicine.
Joan Petersilia, Ph.D. ’90
School of Social Ecology
Director, UCI Center on Evidence-based Corrections
An internationally acclaimed criminology scholar, Petersilla founded UCI’s
Center on Evidence-based Corrections to help policymakers apply evidence-based
approaches to reforming our criminal justice and corrections policies and
programs. She has been a key member of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Strike Team on
Rehabilitation programs, guiding the state on both policy and practice reforms.
Outside of her research, Petersilla serves the community as a victim’s advocate;
earning her the Maud Booth Annual Service Award from Volunteers in America.
Jill Bolton ’82
School of Social Sciences
Director for Community and Education Relations, Disneyland Resort
A 14-year veteran of Disneyland Resort, Bolton fulfills the company’s very
visible commitment to community service. During her tenure, she’s developed a
strategic plan for philanthropic support valued at more than $10 million. The
number of Resort employees participating in volunteer opportunities has
increased 35% in response to her leadership and the number of volunteer hours
donated has tripled. As a university volunteer, Bolton was instrumental in
connecting UCI’s ArtsBridge program with Disneyland Resort; resulting in
much-needed program support and student internship opportunities.
FACULTY ACHIEVEMENT
Michael J. Prather
School of Physical Sciences
Professor and Fred Kavli Chair, Earth System Science, UC Irvine
Prather’s research includes predicting how human activities and natural
phenomena such as volcanoes can alter the global distribution of trace gases in
the atmosphere, affecting climate change and the quality of the air we breathe.
He led the last international assessment of the climactic impacts of aviation,
wrote the chapters on atmospheric chemistry for two Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change assessments (1996 and 2001), and was a lead author on the 2007
assessment that earned the IPCC the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize (in conjunction with
Al Gore) for its work to alert the world to the threat of global warming.
STAFF ACHIEVEMENT
Susan Csikesz
Campuswide Honors Program
Senior Academic Counselor, Campuswide Honors, UC Irvine
Set to retire in December, Csikesz has been counseling University of California
students for more than three decades. She came to UC Irvine from UC San
Francisco in 1986 and with her efforts has helped the Campuswide Honors Program
grow from 88 students to more than 650. Csikesz has been active on campus,
serving on Celebrate UCI planning committees, overseeing Honors Convocation and
as a board member of UCI’s Toastmasters chapter.
John Speraw
Athletics
Director of Volleyball, UC Irvine
Described by his nominators as a visionary and superb mentor, Speraw may be best
known for bringing UCI’s first NCAA Championship volleyball title home. His
accolades are many, including 2006 AVCA National Coach of the Year as well as
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year. He
has been a finalist for National Coach of the Year three of the last four years.
Off the court, Speraw is a popular motivational speaker and committed mentor to
young athletes.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Jenna Otter
Claire Trevor School of the Arts
School of Biological Sciences
A double major in dance and biology, Otter is a Regent’s Scholar, member of
UCI’s Campuswide Honors Program and maintains a 3.91 GPA. She’s set to complete
both degrees in just four years, after overcoming unbelievable odds. One month
before her freshman year, Otter survived a near-fatal bear attack and witnessed
the violent attack that almost killed her father. Otter took that experience and
refocused her education, deciding that one day she’d be a surgeon able to help
others like she was helped. Otter is an active volunteer, both on campus in
student organizations and in the community at Hoag Hospital.
OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT
Roberto Gonzales, M.A. ’04
School of Social Sciences
Graduate student, Department of Sociology, UC Irvine
Expected to earn his doctoral degree in the coming months, Gonzales is examining
social and economic mobility and civic engagement impacting the lives of adult
children of unauthorized Mexican migrants. His research has earned him a
National Academy of Sciences Ford Dissertation Fellowship, a UC MEXUS
Dissertation Research Grant Award and has been identified as having significant
policy importance to California by the state’s Public Policy Institute.
Additionally, Gonzales has earned his department’s Outstanding Graduate Student
Instructor award twice, was co-founder of UCI’s DREAMS, an organization of
primarily undocumented immigrant students at UCI and is co-director of UCI’s
Labor Studies Group.
OUTSTANDING ATHLETE
Tim Hutten (Men’s Water Polo)
School of Social Sciences
Hutten, who was Player of the Year in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation,
led UCI with 75 goals this season and topped the nation and MPSF with an average
of 3.75 goals per game. He’s earned 2007 MPSF Academic All-Conference team
honors and is a top-three finalist for the prestigious Peter J. Cutino Award,
given annually to the outstanding male and female collegiate water polo players
in the nation as voted by the coaches of the Division I universities. A
political science major, he maintains a 3.08 GPA and is projected to earn a spot
on the 2008 Olympic Team.
OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE
Sasha Strauss ’99
Managing Director, Innovation Protocol
As a student, Strauss often transformed himself into UCI’s beloved Peter T.
Anteater mascot bringing enthusiasm to the campus at-large. He’s grown that
enthusiasm into a career in brand strategy and motivational speaking, taking
UCI everywhere he goes. Strauss is a popular figure on campus, serving as a
keynote speaker, lecturer and mentor to students and alumni. Off campus, he’s an
active member of Big Brothers & Big Sisters and Jewish Family Service. In the
office, he’s implemented an expectation of philanthropy, with each of the firm’s
associates serving at least one non-profit at all times and nearly 20% of the
firm’s resources allocated to pro-bono clientele.
-- Michelle Williams, UCI Alumni Association
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