2017 Academy of Distinguished Alumni honored during Homecoming

BGSU recognizes Gregory L. Forte ’76, Asim Husain ’95, Robert “Bob” B. Rothermel ’65, Julie A. Schmelzle ’86, Dr. Tom Shehab ’90

Description: The 2017 Academy of Distinguished Alumni ceremony was held on Oct. 12 in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Recognized were Gregory L. Forte ’76, Asim Husain ’95, Robert “Bob” B. Rothermel ’65, Julie A. Schmelzle ’86 and Dr. Tom Shehab ’90. 

The Academy of Distinguished Alumni was created in 2011 by Bowling Green State University and its Alumni Association. The award is one of the highest honors 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 2017 Academy of Distinguished Alumni ceremony was held on Oct. 12 in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Pictured above, from left to right with BGSU President Mary Ellen Mazey, are the inductees:

Asim Husain ’95, computer information systems, is a vice president of engineering at Google. He leads an engineering productivity organization that is responsible for Google's Advertising and Cloud Platform. Husain’s team consists of more than 700 engineers distributed across the United States, Europe and Asia who provide software innovation and enable Google to deliver high quality products with speed and predictability. Using advanced computing techniques such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, his teams build systems that provide support to businesses that generate more than $80 billion in revenue.

Before joining Google, Husain held positions of increasing responsibility at Oracle and Peoplesoft, ultimately serving as senior director for Oracle’s Application Server and Middleware Platform. Over a 20-year career, Husain has helped build and scale teams responsible for industry-leading products and platforms like Google AdWords, Google Compute Platform and Oracle Fusion.

Husain lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Sabah, and their 2-year-old daughter, Isla.

Dr. Tom Shehab ’90, biology, is a physician and health care leader who now works in the field of health care investing. Shehab joined Arboretum Ventures, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based health care venture-capital firm, in 2014 as a principal, and became a managing director in 2017. Shehab draws upon his extensive clinical, health care administration and operational experience to invest in medical device and IT-enabled health care companies that focus on improving patient outcomes while decreasing health care costs. He also provides strategic support to Arboretum’s portfolio companies, and served as chief medical officer for ArborMetrix. Shehab currently serves as board director for Aira Tech, nVision Medical and Lucina, and is a board observer for PEAR Therapeutics and ArborMetrix.

Prior to joining Arboretum, Shehab spent 12 years as a physician executive and practicing physician specializing in gastroenterology. He was involved in a number of entrepreneurial health care-related ventures and held multiple senior leadership roles. Most recently, he served as chief of staff for more than 1,000 physicians at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor and as the chair of medicine for Integrated Health Associates, a multi-specialty group of more than 300 providers. During his career, he has served operational and board of director roles in single specialty, multispecialty and integrated delivery network settings. Currently, he is engaged as a board member or adviser for several health care- and innovation-focused organizations, including the Cleveland Clinic Medical Device Advisory Council, the Center for Machine Learning and Health at Carnegie Mellon University, and the Michigan Venture Capital Association.

Shehab graduated summa cum laude from BGSU with a 4.0 grade-point average. He is the recipient of myriad awards, including the President’s Award for the Outstanding Scholar-Athlete at BGSU (1990) and the BGSU Athletic Department Distinguished Alumnus Award (2003). He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Wayne State University and performed his residency, chief residency and fellowship training at the University of Michigan Medical Center. He received his master’s degree in medical management from the Heinz School of Management at Carnegie Mellon University. Shehab and his wife, Joslyn Shehab, M.D., have three children, and their family resides in Dexter, Michigan.

Robert “Bob” B. Rothermel ’65, business, retired after 37 years of client service and leadership responsibilities with Deloitte & Touche. He was the global leader of the firm’s Enterprise Risk Services practice, which focuses on helping clients manage risk and control throughout the organization. Under his leadership, the practice was established and ultimately grew to more than 5,000 dedicated professionals in 25 countries.

Rothermel also served a broad range of clients in a variety of industries. He served as the lead partner for major corporations, including Sears Roebuck & Co., American Hospital Supply Corp., and two global manufacturing companies. He was lead partner in providing additional professional services in IPOs, corporate acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings. He also has had extensive experience in litigation services, where he has provided expert testimony regarding a range of issues such as patent infringement, insurance coverage and management fraud.

During his career, Rothermel served as a member of the Deloitte & Touche Board of Directors, the firm’s global assurance and advisory management committee and the U.S. management committee, and chaired the firm’s Partner Compensation Committee.

He currently serves as a board member and chairman of the audit committee of Medcor Inc., a privately held on-site health and wellness services company. He also is a board member and audit committee chair of Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corp., listed on the NASDAQ Exchange.

He served as a partner with CroBern Management Partnership, a private investment and management firm, which invested exclusively within the health care industry. He has also served as an advisory board member of an internet security company and various not-for-profit boards, and has been a guest speaker in business classes at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Julie A. Schmelzle ’86, public relations, is a senior vice president and senior client manager responsible for corporate client relationships within the middle market sector primarily serving south Florida. She works with a diversified client base in the general industries segment of middle market banking. Her areas of expertise include agribusiness, retail, health care and financial intermediaries.

Since joining Bank of America in 1989, Schmelzle has served commercial client segments in a variety of roles from credit analyst, relationship manager, team leader and senior client manager. She is also the Surburban Market Integration Champion for southwest Florida and a founding leader of the Fort Myers/Naples Chapter of LEAD for Women. She has been recognized for her accomplishments with several awards, including the 2015 Commercial Banking APEX Award, Award of Excellence in Commercial Banking, Award of Excellence in Partnerships, Most Innovative Solution and her participation in multiple leadership forums. 

Schmelzle has been actively involved in organizations supporting education, economic development and workforce housing. She currently serves as a long-term trustee and vice president of the Community School of Naples Board of Trustees and chairman of the advancement committee and is a founding member of the Seahawk Football Program. She also is chairman of the Partnership of Collier’s Future Economy, a subsidiary of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce. Leadership roles throughout Schmelzle’s community placed her on the Top 54 Power Players by “Gulfshore Business” in 2011.  She is a recipient of AUWA recognition, Gulfshore Business 40 under 40 and Opportunity Naples Volunteer of the Year. She has been selected for the 2017-18 Leadership Florida program. 

In addition to her pubic relations degree, she also earned dual minors in economics and political science at BGSU. She is married to George C. Schmelzle, CEO and president of Insurance and Risk Management Services, a locally owned independent insurance agency. They have three children, Megan (23), Lauren (21) and George (19). 

Gregory L. Forte ’76, business, has more than 35 years of professional experience in managing, leading and developing growth strategies for organizations. Forte was most recently a director and consultant at Management Performance International, where he worked with clients to drive strategic growth through improved work systems, management training and organization development.

Prior to MPI, Forte worked as director of development for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. The development team that Forte led delivered record revenue and endowment growth while significantly reducing operating costs for the Freedom Center. Forte was a senior executive with the Procter & Gamble Co., where he spent 32 years with increasing responsibilities, which included leading the P&G’s northeastern U.S. sales organization while being headquartered in Philadelphia. He eventually led the operations group responsible for North America.

At P&G, Forte helped pioneer common practices seen in many companies today, including customer business teams, using data-driven systems for decision making and targeted selling strategies that resulted in a competitive advantage during his tenure. In addition to Forte’s corporate experience, he was also a successful entrepreneur, having owned fast food franchise operations in Michigan where he resided early in his career. He is president of OE-DE Investment Group, which is focused on investing, uplifting the community and enabling higher education for youth. OE-DE’s members are Omega Psi Phi Fraternity brothers from Forte’s time at Bowling Green State University. 

Forte is a member of the Leadership Council for Student Affairs at the University. Before BGSU, he attended Wittenberg University and was on its Division III National Championship football team his sophomore year. He and his wife, Lovey, and their family reside in Montgomery, Ohio.