“George Mylander was instrumental in the success of BGSU Firelands from the very beginning and a strong supporter of both of our campuses,” said President Mary Ellen Mazey. “His vision, commitment and generosity have meant so much to our University, the community, and most importantly to the generations of students who received support from the scholarships he established.”

Mylander earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1958 and a master’s degree in education in 1970 from BGSU. In 2003 the University awarded him an honorary doctorate in public service. In addition to his campus leadership and philanthropy, he established three scholarships that aided 157 BGSU students in reaching their academic goals. For his accomplishments and contributions to the University, Mylander received the BGSU Alumni Community Award and BGSU Accomplished Graduate Award, both in 1997. He was also named to the BGSU 100 Most Prominent Alumni list in 2010 and received a 50th Anniversary Award from BGSU Firelands in 2015.

Per Mylander’s instructions, he was laid to rest in his University regalia from when he received his honorary doctorate and with his BGSU lapel pins that he always proudly wore.

George Kuzoff ’50, Bowling Green, Ohio, has retired to Florida after practicing law in Bowling Green for a number of years. He served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Service during World War II.

Lia Staaf ’55, Rocky River, Ohio, was recently honored with the Freedom Award at the American Nationalities Movement of Ohio’s Christmas Event in Garfield Heights, Ohio. The American Nationalities Movement was launched in the 1950s by a former Cleveland mayor to lobby for those nations trapped behind the Iron Curtain and continues to support nations fighting for their freedom.

Robert Gold ’56, Jacksonville, Fla., recently published his first novel.

A well-known and acknowledged expert in financial services, Rahe was featured in Vanity Fair magazine as one of “America’s Most Influential Women-200 Legends, Leaders and Trailblazers.”

BGSU will recognize Rahe’s accomplishments at May 2016 Commencement. She will be presented with an honorary doctorate of business administration.

Donald Scherzer ’71, Shaker Heights, Ohio, has been named a 2016 Ohio Super Lawyer in the category of Criminal Defense: White Collar by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine.

Michael Skinner ’74, Mount Pleasant, S.C., retired from the College of Charleston as a professor of special education and professor emeritus.

Philip Wolfe ’74, Duluth, Ga., is president and chief executive officer for Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, Ga.

Paula Miller ’75, Waterville, Ohio, is a retired teacher. In 2015, she was recognized for her lifelong efforts to educate the public on local history with the Ohio Local History Alliance’s Outstanding Achievement Award.

Robin Yocum ’78, Westerville, Ohio, is a writer and the president/owner of a public relations and marketing firm in Westerville. His next novel, “A Brilliant Death,” will be released in April.

Lisa Bowman ’79, LaGrange, Ohio, is director of the Elyria Parks and Recreation Department.

Linda Hartley ’79, Centerville, Ohio, is associate dean of undergraduate learning for the School of Education and Health Sciences at the University of Dayton.

Susan Kampe ’79, ’81, Waterford, Mich., is the chief information officer for Cooper Standard. She is responsible for leading the transformation of the company’s information technology function to be consistent with Cooper Standard’s profitable growth strategy.

Rena Thomas ’79, Upper Arlington, Ohio, retired from Battelle Memorial Institute after 32 years of service.

Heminger, a senior division manager for Honda of America Inc., said Dr. Chan Hahn, Distinguished University Professor and Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus of Management, provided a significant building block in her education, and ultimately in her highly successful career, with that course.

“Reflecting back on it now, it was the best course of my career, bar none,” she said. “His instruction and guidance were remarkable.”

Heminger, who was recently named one of the leading women in the auto industry by Automotive News and honored at a ceremony in Detroit in November 2015, said technology is allowing companies such as Honda to develop flexible work schedules that make it more feasible for women to have successful careers while also raising a family.

“The increase in technology in the workplace is a real asset, and if we can use it properly as a company, this will definitely provide our associates with more flexibility in the workplace, and meet the needs of not only the individual, but also the company,” she said. “This is an important opportunity not just for women, but for anybody who is balancing the demands of life
and work.”

Heminger joined Honda in 1996 as a purchasing buyer and has risen through leadership ranks to her most recent assignment as division manager for Honda of America’s business division. She has served as a guest speaker at BGSU and has been very involved in the University’s Supply Chain Management Institute.

“We have quite a few Bowling Green graduates here that are just really successful,” she said. “There are a number of them that had to go through Dr. Hahn’s class, and they all received that solid foundation.”

David Anderson ’97 and Jodi ’97, ’02, Bowling Green, Ohio, initiated the Heart of BG Project. Through their efforts multiple automated external defibrillators have been placed throughout the Bowling Green community.

Kevin Boyd ’98, Eastlake, Ohio, received the Adele Knight Excellence in Teaching Award for the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District. He was also nominated for the BGSU Educator of the Year Award in 2015.

Cheri Budzynski ’98, ’01, Grand Rapids, Ohio, joined the Toledo law firm of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP. She serves as a partner in the environmental practice group.

Richard Marble ’99, Stanwood, Mich., serves on the board of directors for the Michigan branch of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science.

Adan Garcia ’00, ’06, Albuquerque, N.M., was one of five individuals at the University of New Mexico to receive a 2015 Gerald W. May Staff Recognition Award in appreciation of significant contributions to the university.

Robert Fraley ’01, Independence, Ky., is the engineering/build lead for 84.51° where he is responsible for managing a development operations team that supports continuous integration and deployment of software development.

Abbey Duggins ’02, Batesburg, S.C., published her first book, “Using Quality Feedback to Guide Professional Learning.”

Lauren Herzak-Bauman ’04, Lakewood, Ohio, received a 2016 Creative Workforce Fellowship. The fellowships support artists in the disciplines of craft, dance, design, literature, media arts, music, theater and visual arts and are made possible by the Cuyahoga Community Partnership for Arts and Culture.

Caroline Keating ’07, Cincinnati, is client lead for 84.51°. In this role she is responsible for assisting suppliers to utilize the company’s data to drive a customer-first strategy.

Josh Womack ’07, Gates Mills, Ohio, is part of the Laugh Staff team of comedic writers. They have been featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business and on cleveland.com and have partnered with Sparkology, an online dating company.

Spencer Headworth ’08, Chicago, is completing his Ph.D. in sociology at Northwestern University. He has accepted a position as an assistant professor of sociology at Purdue University.

David Hotler ’08, Newport News, Va., is the curriculum integration technology teacher for Hampton City Schools. He is one of 34 educators worldwide selected for the Google for Education Certified Innovator Program.

Elizabeth Kovar ’08, Willoughby Hills, Ohio, has released her first travel memoir, “Finding Om: An Indian Journey of Rickshaws, Chai, Chapattis and Gurus.”
It is available on lulu.com.

Lindsey Krause ’08, Oxford, Ohio, participated in Miami (Ohio) University’s Earth Expeditions global field course, where she studied key species reintroduction efforts of the great steppe in Mongolia. She is a sixth-grade English and language arts teacher at Talawanda Middle School.

Jeremy Norden ’08, Louisville, Ohio, is a supervisor for Rea & Associates, New Philadelphia, Ohio. He specializes in government services, including government auditing and accounting standards, internal controls and data mining and analysis.

Eli played on Falcon teams that won three Mid-American Conference East Division titles, two outright conference regular season crowns, and two MAC Tournament championships. In her
four years at BGSU, she also played in two NCAA Tournaments and in two WNIT events.

Eli, who is the only female sports anchor in the Houston market, is also, at 24, the youngest sports anchor in a top 10 television market. She credits her BGSU experience for helping prepare her for the demands of such a high-profile career.

“This is a very fast-paced and high-pressure role, and there are challenges every day, but I think I was ready for that type of thing,” she said. “We were challenged every day in practice to maintain the very high standard the program had set and challenged to also get the job done to a high standard in the classroom and in our other activities. It was tough, but I’m convinced I wouldn’t be where I am today without having that experience.”

She said Curt Miller, the head women’s basketball coach for most of her career, provided her with the opportunity to gain that valuable broadcasting experience while continuing to play for the Falcons.

“I had to balance basketball and school and my broadcasting responsibilities, but Coach Miller gave me some leeway so I could do that. I might be late for practice once in a while, but I got to do all of those things. Bowling Green was fantastic in allowing me to do that, so I was preparing for my career after college at the same time I was attending college and playing basketball.”