2015 CAA Recipients

Bowling Green State University is proud to recognize outstanding, notable and accomplished alumni at the

2015 College Alumni Awards

Please join us in congratulating the 2015 College Alumni Award recipients:

Sara Lioi ’83
College of Arts and Sciences

The Honorable Sara Lioi ’83 is an Article III Federal Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. She joined the Court in 2007 after being appointed by President George W. Bush. Lioi graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1983 with her bachelor’s degree in political science and received a Juris Doctor degree from The Ohio State University Law School in 1987. While at BGSU, she received the Distinguished Undergraduate Political Science Major award, the prestigious Nordmann Award, and was recognized by numerous honor societies. She practiced law at Day, Ketterer, Raley, Wright & Rybolt, Ltd. in Canton, Ohio from 1987 to 1997. In December 1997 she was appointed by Governor George V. Voinovich to fill a judicial vacancy on the Stark County, Ohio Court of Common Pleas.  The following year she was elected to the position and served on that court until she received her commission to serve on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on March 14, 2007. She is a member of the Federal Judges Association, Federal Bar Association, American Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association and Stark County Bar Association. Lioi is chair of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton Board of Directors and also serves on the Walsh University Board of Directors and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law National Advisory Council.

Michael McGranaghan ’80
Schmidthorst College of Business 

In a career at Johnson & Johnson spanning more than 32 years, Michael (Mike) McGranaghan ’80 made significant contributions to the enterprise, including senior Finance leadership roles in each segment of the business as well as Procurement. After graduating from BGSU magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, he earned an M.B.A. with high honors from The Pennsylvania State University. McGranaghan joined Johnson & Johnson in 1982 as a senior financial analyst in the Corporate Finance Group and rapidly ascended to leadership positions across the Consumer, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Devices and Diagnostics businesses. He was promoted to chief financial officer for iOlab in 1994, served as the chief financial officer for the Johnson & Johnson Merck OTC Joint Venture in 1995, and was appointed the chief financial officer for Ethicon Endo Surgery in 1996. In 1999, McGranaghan was promoted to vice president, Group Finance for the Medical Devices and Diagnostics segment, where his leadership was instrumental in shaping the business into a world-leading competitor. He also served as the vice president, Group Finance for the Medicines and Nutritionals business from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, McGranaghan was named Johnson & Johnson’s first chief procurement officer. In 2009, he joined the Pharmaceuticals business as vice president, Group Finance, where he played a key role in leading the successful transformation of the business to one of the most innovative and fastest growing pharmaceutical businesses in the world. In addition to his significant contributions to the business, McGranaghan was an outstanding developer of talent and mentored many Finance and Business leaders and employees at all levels and across multiple functions in the organization. He currently serves on the BGSU Schmidthorst College of Business Leadership Council. 

Debra McCurdy, Ph.D., ’81, ’82, ’85   
College of Education and Human Development

Debra McCurdy, Ph.D., ’81, ’82, ’85 serves as the president and chief executive officer of Rhodes State College in Lima, Ohio. In this role, to which she was appointed in 2006, she is responsible for providing the leadership and executing the strategic planning and vision for the College. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from BGSU and her doctorate in higher education administration and supervision. Dr. McCurdy previously served as provost and chief operating officer for Georgia Perimeter College from 1997 to 2006. Prior to that, she was associate provost at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta. Dr. McCurdy previously served as vice president for academic affairs for Paul Quinn College in Waco, Texas, and assistant dean of academic affairs at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. She is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American Association of Community Colleges, American Association of University Women, and Presidents’ Round Table for African American CEOs. Dr. McCurdy has received a number of awards such as the Georgia Association of Educational Office Personnel Administrator of the Year award, Georgia Perimeter College Atlas Presidential Award, Clark Atlanta University Distinguished Service Award and was named an Outstanding Young Woman of America in 1985. She is chair of the Lima Memorial Hospital Audit committee and also serves on the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce Board, Lima Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, and National Articulation Transfer Network, among others.

Audrey Shafer ’74, ’76
Firelands College

A two-time graduate of BGSU, Audrey Shafer attended BGSU Firelands as a nontraditional student and earned her bachelor’s degree in general business and her master’s degree in education. Shafer has held numerous jobs in the private sector with firms such as Periodical Publishers’ Service Bureau, General Motors Corporation, New York Life Insurance Company, Sears Roebuck & Co., and Cedar Point Resorts. In 2002-03, she self-published and promoted a book about her second husband’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease titled, “Where Does the Wind Go?” Shafer was the owner and operator of Das Shafer Puppen Haus Doll Museum, where a majority of the proceeds benefitted the Shriner’s Organization from 1989-1993. She volunteers at Stein Hospice and Parkvue Retirement Community, where she founded the library media center. Shafer has also served on numerous boards within her community such as the advisory committee for EHOVE Joint Vocational School, Erie County Senior Center, Sandusky City Human Relations Commission, and the board of directors for the Perkins Community Schools Program. In 2013, Shafer was recognized by the Sandusky Register as one of three Erie County residents who have significantly helped the community in recognition of her efforts to repair a veteran’s memorial at Oakland Cemetery. She also received the 2014 Ben M. Herbster Award from United Church Homes. Shafer is a champion for the importance of education and recently established the William C. Shafer Scholarship at BGSU Firelands in honor of her first husband.

Beth Rudloff ’84
College of Health and Human Services

Beth Rudloff was appointed chief operating officer of UF Health Cancer Center – Orlando Health in Orlando, Fla., in February 2011. UF Health Cancer Center is a fully integrated statewide cancer treatment and research program with University of Florida Health that provides cancer care to more than 80,000 patients. Prior to becoming chief operating officer, she was the chief nursing officer for Orlando Regional Medical Center. Rudloff previously served in other leadership positions for the health care organization including chief quality officer, director of Care Management, and executive director of Healthchoice. She holds a master’s degree in business administration specializing in health care administration from Northcentral University, and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Bowling Green State University. She is also a Certified Nurse Executive – Advanced. She serves on the board of directors for Shepherd’s Hope and J4 leaders.

Erik Rönmark ’01
College of Musical Arts

Erik Rönmark came to the United States from his native Sweden in 1996 to continue his musical education. A classical saxophonist by trade, Rönmark is the general manager and artistic administrator of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and has extensive performing experience in both chamber music and orchestral settings. He has performed in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on several occasions, as a guest in Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, and regularly appears in the contemporary group New Music Detroit, of which he is also co-founder and executive director. Recently, Rönmark was featured with the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, culminating a national tour with the Pacifica String Quartet. Rönmark is a first-prize winner of both the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Coleman Chamber Music Competition. He is also the recipient of the American-Scandinavian Foundation’s award for establishing valuable relationships between Sweden and America. He has collaborated and assisted artists such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Terry Riley, Matthew Barney, Shara Worden and Branford Marsalis, and has commissioned and premiered more than 30 new works for saxophone. Rönmark has been a part of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra administration since 2005. Rönmark holds degrees in fine arts and music performance from Northern State University and Bowling Green State University, as well as a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan.

Patrick Hansford ’83
College of Architecture, Applied Engineering and Technology

Patrick Hansford is an architect, planner and former educator. Originally from Troy, Ohio, he graduated from BGSU with a bachelor’s degree in technology and holds a master’s degree in architecture from Miami University. Hansford has been practicing architecture since 1986. He began his career working for several award-winning firms as a project designer. Prior to starting his own firm, Hansford was the senior project architect for an internationally contracted engineering/architecture firm based in Dayton, Ohio. With nearly thirty years of professional practice, his project experience includes governmental, commercial, industrial, residential and historic preservation projects. Hansford has also taught architectural design, construction technology and building codes at the collegiate level. Hansford is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and currently licensed to practice architecture in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Since 1994, Hansford has practiced through his own firm, Patrick Hansford Associates. The firm’s mission is to provide contextual design solutions for the unique environment of the American small town. He  served the city of Centerville for 13 years as a member of the Board of Architectural Review and Planning Commission and vice chair for the Planning Commission. Hansford has also served on the boards of the Dayton-Miami Valley chapter of Construction Specifications Institute and the Centerville-Washington Township Historical Society. He is currently chair of the Board of Trustees of the Landmarks Foundation of Centerville-Washington Township. Hansford has served on the BGSU College of Technology and Cooperative Education Advisory Board and the Advocates Board for the College of Technology.