UW-Whitewater celebrates 147th anniversary with Founders Day awards
April 03, 2015
Six alumni who have achieved significant professional success will be honored as the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater celebrates its 147th anniversary. The annual Founders Day event, which will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 18, in the James R. Connor University Center, includes the presentation of scholarships to outstanding UW-Whitewater juniors.
The Outstanding Recent Alumnus award this year goes to Mathew T. Benson, League City, Texas, a 2002 management computer systems and physics graduate, currently a software engineer at Odyssey Space Research. Since graduation, Benson has also been employed as a test engineer at Boeing, where he worked on the International Space Station, and a software engineer at Honeywell. He received the Johnson Space Center Software Excellence Award for 2014.
Recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Awards for Professional Achievement include:
Karen L. Ahlgrim, Allen, Texas, a 1973 graduate in biology and chemistry. Ahlgrim is a market research professional with experience in financial services, telecommunications, logistics, utilities, aerospace, consumer packaged goods, restaurant, hotel and biopharma/healthcare. She received an MBA from the University of Dallas in 1985 and is currently employed with Strategy & Insight Solutions. Ahlgrim serves on the UW-Whitewater Foundation Board.
Shawn M. Eichorst, Lincoln, Neb., a 1990 graduate in business. A former UW-Whitewater director of athletics (1999-2003), Eichorst has been the director of athletics at the University of Nebraska since 2012. He received a law degree from Marquette University in 1995, and has also worked at University of Miami, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of South Carolina. At Nebraska, Eichorst leads an athletic program comprising 24 intercollegiate teams, more than 600 student-athletes and over 300 full-time employees.
Donald R. McIlnay, Mooresville, N.C., a 1972 graduate in marketing and, in 1973, a master's degree in business administration. He is co-founder and COO of Mac Business Advisors, Inc. McIlnay's career includes more than four decades in consumer and industrial companies in worldwide markets, including 22 years with S&P 500 companies. McIlnay currently serves on the UW-Whitewater Foundation Board.
Major General Grant R. Mulder, Libertyville, Ill., a 1963 graduate in history. Maj. Gen. Mulder is the vice director of logistics, U.S. Joint Forces Command. In addition to having a master's degree in business administration from Roosevelt University, Chicago, he is a graduate of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. A commercial pilot with more than 12,000 flight hours and a command pilot with more than 5,000, Mulder flew 700 combat hours in Vietnam. He has received numerous decorations, most recently the Defense Superior Service Medal.
Jaydev H. "Jay" Raja, Carrollton, Texas, a 1975 graduate with a master's degree in business administration. Raja was the founding president and CEO of Coca-Cola India (1992-95) and managing director and CEO of Iridium India Telecom (1996-99), both in Bombay. The entry strategy he executed to re-establish Coke in India now serves as a classic case study in several graduate business schools. Since 2000 he has served as a management consultant for Commence Concepts, Inc.
This year's Outstanding Juniors at UW-Whitewater will receive $1,000 scholarships. They are:
• Colton E. Larsen, Arts and Communication
• Kiefer C. Bennett, Business and Economics
• Kerri M. Grundl, Education and Professional Studies
• Hannah T. Lee, Letters and Sciences
For more information and to register for the Founders Day event, visit uww.edu/alumni/founders-day.
To nominate UW-Whitewater alumni who have been outstanding in their career, profession, community or daily life, go to uww.edu/alumni/awards/nomination-form.