Linda Forte ’74

Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer,
Comerica Bank     

For Linda Forte ’74 of Detroit, the best part of being a senior executive at Comerica Bank is empowering her colleagues nationwide to improve their local communities. As part of her dual roles as senior vice president of business affairs and chief diversity officer, she leads the institution’s community service, philanthropy and diversity initiatives.

Comerica employees in Michigan, Florida, Texas and California dedicate hundreds of hours of their own time to preparing meals for the homeless, mentoring youngsters, and offering financial literacy lessons to the public. An internal website helps employees track the impact of their service. Forte shares her own time as a volunteer on several non-profit boards.

Forte has had an important role in building Comerica’s corporate culture of diversity and inclusion. She was named by Crain’s Detroit Business among southeast Michigan’s Most Influential Women in 2007 and among Detroit’s 100 Black Business Leaders in 1998.

The accomplished bank executive said she never considered a career in finance as a college student until a faculty member in the College of Education and Human Development praised her affinity for numbers and financial matters. She took his advice to heart, and weighed her career possibilities in business and in her major, secondary education. Her first job was at Detroit Bank and Trust Co., since purchased by Comerica, and she never looked back. “I not only liked it, but I loved it,” Forte said of finance. “It fulfilled a passion in me for helping people.”

As a BGSU student, Forte built her leadership skills as an officer of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and Panhellenic Council, and as a member of various student groups.  As an alumna, Forte serves on the BGSU Student Affairs Advocates Board. She hopes current students will develop their own skills and interests through co-curricular involvement.

“Be sure to involve yourself in those areas that interest you deeply and passionately,” she said.

Ray Braun ’80

Dean, BGSU College of Business Administration

Ray Braun ’80 applied his BGSU bachelor’s degree in accounting and economics as a CEO and educator. Now, his experience has led him to become dean of the BGSU College of Business Administration.

Before returning to his alma mater in a professional capacity, Braun was CEO of Cogdell Spencer Inc., a public company in Charlotte, N.C., specializing in medical office buildings and president of Health Care REIT Inc., of Toledo, a health care real estate investment trust. Braun helped lead the two organizations to new levels of success and has extensive nonprofit and corporate board experience. He has also led task forces and strengthened fundraising.

“Ray brings a sound and current working knowledge of today’s business environment and practices,” said Dr. Rodney Rogers, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
Braun earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1983. He was the lead instructor of finance, underwriting and investment analysis of seniors housing and care at the Erickson School, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in 2005-06. He also holds a certificate in strategic decision and risk management from the Stanford Center for Professional Development.

Braun follows Dr. Madhu Rao, interim dean of the college, who has retired from BGSU.

“I am delighted to be serving my alma mater,” Braun said. “I look forward to working with faculty, staff and students and reaching out to BGSU alumni and the business community to further elevate the academic programs of the college.”

Chris Hawley ’95

Pulitzer Prize recipient   

The BGSU study abroad program and experience on staff at the BG News helped prepare Chris Hawley ’95 for success as a foreign correspondent and as part of the Associated Press team that captured the ultimate recognition — the Pulitzer Prize.

Hawley and a team of AP reporters were recognized for their exposé of the New York Police Department’s (NYPD)involvement in counterterrorism efforts after 9/11. Hawley’s contributions related to the NYPD’s reach to college campuses and religious organizations located well beyond city limits.

A high school teacher first encouraged Hawley to exercise his talent for writing, so the BG News was an important part of his decision to attend BGSU as a national merit scholar, he said. Hawley credits both BG News Adviser Bob Bortel and journalism faculty at BGSU for playing a major role in developing his approach to reporting. “Dr. Catherine Cassara had a very methodical way of teaching reporting that I thought was great, and Dr. Ray Laakaniemi brought a lot of passion to what he taught,” Hawley said.

During his career with the AP, Hawley served as Caribbean desk editor and international desk editor, where he helped manage coverage of the 9/11 attack and resulting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. After winning the Pulitzer, Hawley chose to explore his longtime interest in aviation and now works as managing editor of digital content for Raytheon, an aerospace and defense company.

William “Chip” Carter ’94

Dean, University of Pittsburgh School of Law     

William “Chip” Carter ’94 developed an interest in constitutional law as he studied education at BGSU. Now, both of his passions have converged. He will now lead the University of Pittsburgh School of Law as dean.
Though his path to become an educator seemed to diverge with his decision to pursue law, Carter was always eager to mentor students and lead in the classroom.

“I had no idea that my path would lead me in this direction,” he said. “I planned to teach, so when an opportunity in legal education came up, it made perfect sense.”

Carter has taught constitutional law, civil rights, critical race theory and international human rights law at the Temple University Beasley School of Law since 2007. He earned his juris doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1998. He worked for several years at law practices in Washington D.C., before returning to Case Western to teach.

Several BGSU faculty in history and sociology stoked Carter’s interest in constitutional law, but former faculty Conrad Pritscher was a major influence, he said.

“He (Pritscher) was the first person that enlightened me about some of the writing and books that shaped my thinking about issues in race and social justice in the law,”
he said.

Carter’s experience at the University changed his career goals and his future. He hopes that incoming Falcons will be open to the new possibilities they may discover at BGSU.

“Work hard and enjoy the opportunity to expand your mind and explore opportunities,” Carter said.

Lynn Child ’90

Ohio entrepreneur with a global perspective

She is the founder and chairman of CentraComm (centracomm.net), an Internet network security company. The venture has grown exponentially since its inception in 2001. Her 22 employees now monitor corporate networks on four continents, in 23 countries and 29 states. Child also is CEO and chairman of Aardvark Inc., a multimedia and website development firm. Both businesses are based in Findlay, Ohio, and she is firmly committed to continuing to build her team in the Buckeye State. She hires interns for both companies, and CentraComm has vacancies in sales, and networking or security engineering.

Child’s lessons in entrepreneurship expanded beyond her master’s degree in business education from BGSU. Her late husband and retired BGSU professor of philosophy, Dr. James W. Child, operated Hancor, a plastic tubing manufacturer and distributor that catered to the agriculture industry. When he sold in the late 1980s, the company had been in the family for 99 years. She credits her late spouse among her mentors, and continues to support a scholarship in his name at BGSU.

“No matter how many doors slam, you have to be tenacious. Stick with it,” she said, offering advice to would-be entrepreneurs. “To make your dreams a reality, just persevere and work at it daily.”

Academy of Distinguished Alumni

BGSU is proud to recognize the inaugural class of honorees to the Academy of Distinguished Alumni, who will be formally welcomed at a ceremony on Sept. 27 during Homecoming 2012. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the University and was established to celebrate the extraordinary contributions of alumni to their professional field or through philanthropic endeavors.