Celebrating our alumni achievements and engagement with Johnson
Dear Alumni and Friends:
We have had a flurry of alumni engagement with faculty, staff, and students at Johnson events in the last two months. Students on international treks have met with alumni across the globe, and our annual Predictions Dinners brought alumni together in six cities across the U.S. We look forward to yet another Prediction Dinner in February, in the U.K. I’m delighted to have seen and interacted with more than 1,000 Johnson alumni at events in December and January alone. I have enjoyed the opportunity to speak with alumni about my vision for the future of the school, and I deeply appreciate all the support and strong vote of confidence so many of you expressed in our recent exchanges.
I’m grateful to the many alumni leaders who have participated in events as speakers. I have learned that their willingness to share their time, expertise, and experience is a characteristic shared by many outstanding, accomplished, and generous Johnson alumni. At the Alumni Awards event on January 24, I was proud to particularly honor several Johnson alumni whose involvement and support not only strengthen Johnson and its programs, curriculum, and faculty, but also work to fortify the tangible benefits of being members of such a unique, robust, shared network.
First, H. Fisk Johnson '79, MEng '80, MS '82, MBA '84, PhD '86, CEO of SC Johnson, received the L. Joseph Thomas Leadership Award in recognition of his exceptional vision and leadership, sound business sense, and commitment to community. Fisk is very important to Johnson as an alumnus who embodies the foremost example of ethical leadership and managing a sustainable business. I highly value his input as a member of Johnson’s Advisory Council as we continue to envision and build Johnson’s future.
Henry P. Renard ’54, MBA ’55, executive vice president of Inverness Counsel LLC, received the Samuel C. Johnson Distinguished Service Award, a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his extraordinary, sustained, and exemplary commitment to Johnson and its alumni. Henry is a tremendous champion for alumni affairs and engagement and a long-time supporter of alumni programming. He has subsidized countless alumni events and programs over many years, with particular attention to enabling younger alumni to attend events in the United States and in Europe. I appreciate his vision in understanding the importance of drawing alumni together into a cohesive, interactive whole, as well as the substantial support he has provided for facilitating that goal.
Jeffery Marx Kabel, MBA '97, executive director at JP Morgan, received the Robert J. Swieringa Young Alumni Service Award for his exemplary commitment to Johnson and its alumni, and his continued engagement with Johnson as a volunteer leader in many engagement activities. And finally, the Henry P. Renard, MBA '55 Regional Club of the Year Award went to the Johnson Club of Rochester; Club President Donna Spinella '78, MBA '86, co-founder of AlpenVista, Inc., accepted the award on behalf of her club.
The depth of alumni involvement these awardees exemplify is essential to strengthening Johnson in so many ways. Alumni enrich our curriculum by coming back to speak; you provide financial support for faculty research, new faculty hires, and endowed professorships; you provide scholarship support so that we can attract the best and the brightest to our programs; and you hire our graduates. In return, alumni benefit from belonging to the Johnson community of scholars, business leaders, community leaders, and entrepreneurs who are shaping tomorrow’s world.
In closing, I would like to acknowledge my appreciation for all the Johnson faculty who have participated as speakers in so many alumni events around the world. I know how much our alumni enjoy seeing them and hearing about their research, and we are well aware that the most successful alumni events involve some combination of alumni, faculty, and students. Alumni appreciate not only the academic enrichment our faculty offer, but also the opportunity to engage and exchange ideas with them informally. So I am personally grateful to Johnson faculty members for taking the time to stay involved with their former students by attending and speaking at alumni events.
Soumitra Dutta
Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean
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