2015 ADA Recipients

The Academy of Distinguished Alumni was created in 2011 by Bowling Green State University and its Alumni Association. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the University and was established to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of alumni who have made significant  contributions to their chosen professional field and/or through their community involvement. The University is proud to honor those alumni who have inspired their country, state, community and BGSU.

The  2015 Academy of Distinguished Alumni ceremony was held on Oct. 15 in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. The inductees were Pamela Beall ’84 , Antonio Daniels ’97, Peter Engelhart  ’75 and John Mitchell ’78.

Pamela Beall ’84

She began her career with Marathon in 1978 as an auditor and held positions with the corporate risk and environmental affairs and domestic funds organizations before transferring to USX Corporation as general manager for treasury services in 1985. She was vice president and treasurer of NationsRent Inc. and OHM Corporation, and served on the boards of directors of System One Services Inc. and Boyle Engineering.

Beall rejoined Marathon in 2002, as manager of business development for Marathon Ashland Petroleum. She was named director of corporate affairs in 2003 and appointed director of business development in 2005. She then served as organizational vice president for business development - downstream for Marathon Petroleum Company in 2006. Beall was named vice president of global procurement for Marathon Oil Company in 2007, vice president of products, supply and optimization for Marathon Petroleum Company in 2010, and vice president of investor relations and government and public affairs in 2011. She assumed her current positions with Marathon Petroleum and MPLX in 2014.

Beall graduated from The University of Findlay with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1978. In 1984, she received her master’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University. She was licensed as a certified public accountant in Ohio in 1984.

Antonio Daniels ’97

He is fourth in career scoring at Bowling Green with 1,789 points, second in career assists with 563 and seventh in career steals with 162. Daniels was an AP Honorable Mention All- American in 1997 as well. He was selected to the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2007 and won an NBA crown with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.

After 13 seasons in the NBA and two more in the D-league, Daniels turned his attention to success in another arena with the Daniels Family Foundation. With his wife, Sonia, he combines his three key passions in life – faith, family and fitness – to improve the lives of children and families in San Antonio and across the country.

Antonio and Sonia met in 2002 through an introduction from a mutual friend. Although it took some time for Antonio to muster the courage to ask, the two shared a first date at a local 24-hour diner. A short courtship later, the couple wed in 2004 and now have two daughters, Jada and Jordyn. Faith and fitness have proved to be the cornerstone of their marriage and family life, so they have dedicated themselves to sharing the message of healthy lifestyles and relationships with as many people as possible through the Daniels Family Foundation.

The foundation provides opportunities to improve fitness, develop faith-based practices and foster healthy families, and to attend low-cost summer basketball camps. The Daniels also serve as spokespeople for San Antonio Parks and Recreation. In addition, Antonio is a personality on the San Antonio ESPN Radio Show. He was named the 2015 San Antonio Magazine Radio Personality of the Year.

Peter Englehart ’75

This began a 25-year career in the sports television business where he earned six Emmy Awards at ABC Sports and ESPN. Among his production credits were assignments at four Olympic Games, the America’s Cup, French and Australian Open tennis championships, NCAA College Football, NASCAR and various other telecasts on ABC’s venerable series “Wide World of Sports.” After more than eight years at ABC, Englehart accepted a position as ESPN’s director of program planning where he oversaw strategic planning and acquisitions for all network programming and led the launch of ESPN2.

In 1995, Englehart founded the Outdoor Life Network (née NBC Sports Channel), along with the Speed Channel. In this role, he was responsible for all creative and financial aspects of the network’s programming and production. He developed properties such as the Tour de France and Professional Bull Riders into the network’s line-up. After Outdoor Life Network reached nearly 60 million U.S. households in distribution, he helped successfully sell the network to the Comcast Corporation.

In 2007 he founded and became president and CEO of the Competitor Group, the world’s largest endurance sports (marathons, triathlons and cycling) company. He expanded the company’s trademark Rock ‘n Roll Marathon Series brand into 34 worldwide locations and controlled media properties in the endurance sector though ownership of five magazines and multiple digital properties. He successfully sold the company in December 2012.

He is currently involved in multiple enterprises and investments. He is chairman of the board of TEN: The Enthusiast Network. TEN is a network of enthusiast brands such as Motor Trend, Automobile, Hot Rod, Surfer, Powder and Grind TV. With more than 50 publications, 60 websites, 1,000 branded products, the world’s largest automotive video channel and world’s largest action/outdoor sports media platform, TEN connects companies with their most passionate audiences.

Englehart also serves as executive chairman of Javo Coffee Beverages, one of the country’s premier providers of ready-to-serve coffee to restaurants and convenience stores. Additionally, he is the executive producer of VStar Entertainment, where he oversees various national family entertainment tours such as “Sesame Street LIVE,” “Discover the Dinosaurs” and the Pro Football Hall of Fame “Honor the Heroes” Tour. At BGSU he was voted Outstanding Senior Man and was president of the Undergraduate Alumni Association. He received the University’s Presidential Distinguished Service Award, was voted ROTC Cadet of the year, was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and earned three varsity letters in lacrosse.

John Mitchell ’78

Before joining Heidrick and Struggles, he led the global private equity practice at a leading executive search firm. Previously, he was the firm’s life sciences practice leader for the Americas and a core member of its CEO and board practice. He also served as the managing partner of another international search firm’s life sciences practice. He was elected to this firm’s board of directors.

A graduate of the BGSU Schmidthorst College of Business Administration, Mitchell has nearly 30 years of experience in executive search, working at the senior executive and board levels, primarily advising companies in health care and life sciences, including global conglomerates, emerging firms, private equity-backed companies and start-ups. He has worked with firms operating in a broad range of investment areas from mega deals to venture capital and the middle-market arena.