2021 Award Winners

Edie is a role model, skilled leader, and a tremendous advocate for the Institute and its community. As an MIT undergraduate, she joined the varsity fencing team and the MIT Sailing Club, and developed a growing curiosity and life-long interest in political science that carried into her volunteerism. In 1992, she became a member of the Corporation Visiting Committee for Political Science and was subsequently elected to the MIT Corporation, which she became a life member of in 2003 and a life member emeritus in 2020. Edie chaired the Visiting Committee for Political Science for twelve years, and Corporation Visiting Committee for Linguistics and Philosophy for ten years . She also served as a member of the Visiting Committee for Political Science, the Visiting Committee for the Dean for Undergraduate Education, The Visiting Committee for the Libraries and the Visiting Committee for Chemistry. This unique breadth and depth of service to the Corporation and its visiting committees, and commitment to enriching the MIT community, distinguish her as an exceptional volunteer and representative for the Institute.

Charlene has been a dedicated and effective volunteer and an excellent advocate for MIT for many years. After becoming a member of her reunion gift committee, she went on to serve the Corporation Development Committee for nearly 20 years now. She was also a member of the Annual Fund Board from 2004 to 2007 and subsequently sat on reunion gift committees. Her service, still today, on the Visiting Committee for the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science dates back to 1998. She chairs that committee today She was later asked to join the Corporation Nominating Committee, where as chair in 2013 she provided insight and nominated other female members. In 2013, she became a life member of the Corporation. She served on the Association’s Board of Directors and became president in 2020, leading in a most difficult year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Charlene’s sustained volunteer excellence and combination of strategic thinking, genuine desire to support the Institute, and steady humble services distinguishes her from her peers.

Over the past 45 years, Ted has thrived in numerous volunteer roles, through service to his class, the MIT Clubs of Boston and Palm Beach, the Educational Council, and as chair emeritus of the Cardinal & Gray Society (C&G Society) from 2009 to 2019. Under Ted’s leadership, C&G Society outreach expanded across the country, and his expertise led to the development of successful programming that continues to attract robust crowds today. As a long-time member of his class reunion committees and chair for the all-important 50th reunion, he has advocated for combining tradition with innovation while accommodating traditional class activities.He formed a collaborative relationship with the Alumni Association to strengthen marketing and outreach efforts to his classmates, which led to record-breaking individual event attendance for the MIT Class of 1956. As a leader in the MIT Club of Palm Beach, he continues to develop strong and popular programming. He is a long-time educational counselor who truly enjoys being part of and welcoming others into the MIT community, epitomizing all that the Bronze Beaver represents.

Maroula exemplifies service to MIT through her important roles within the MIT Club of San Diego for more than 15 years now, serving as president, vice president of communications, treasurer, and director. In 2018 and 2019, Maroula helped identify future leaders by overseeing the club’s nominating committee. She has also served on the MIT Club of San Diego Gala Dinner committee and as vice-chair of the San Diego Educational Council since 2014 and member since 2005. Maroula is a leader in her class on reunion planning and gift committees, setting an example for ongoing volunteer excellence. She is truly deserving of the Lobdell Award.

For the past 15 years, Mark has been an integral part of the MIT Crew Alumni Association and its board of directors. After serving the allotted maximum number of years as allowed in the bylaws, Mark stayed on the board in the role of special director. In addition to attending monthly meetings, he has assisted with and attended nearly every local MITCAA event. Maybe his most significant achievement, though, has been his dedication to the production of the MIT Crew Alumni Association Bulletin. This publication is the source of news and noteworthy goings-on with respect to rowing at MIT, from the current undergraduate teams and their coaches to alumni events and fundraising efforts. Mark is a tremendously talented volunteer leader and thoughtful ambassador for the Institute. He is a most deserving recipient of the Lobdell Award.

Inge has a sustained history of service to the Institute as current and long-time class president for the MIT Class of 1985. Inge’s commitment and leadership as president has not only kept the Class of 1985 connected and engaged with the Institute. She has also helped set new reunion records and fundraising goals. Outside of class leadership, Inge has been a director of the MIT Club of Washington, DC, while serving as well as an educational counselor. More recently, she has been a valued member and thoughtful contributor to the Annual Fund Board, Finance Committee, and the Alumni Association Board of Directors. This award honors Inge’s enthusiasm, generosity, and tireless volunteer efforts on behalf of the Alumni Association and MIT.

Dave has been a dedicated volunteer to MIT in numerous areas for almost two decades. He joined the MIT Club of South Texas Board in 2001 and quickly rose through the ranks, serving as vice president of programs and as president. He chaired the club’s Educational Outreach Committee before taking over as vice president of communications. In this role, Dave publishes a biweekly newsletter, handles regular communications to members, and has spent countless hours overseeing the launch of a new website, all of which is of critical importance to keeping members connected to one another. In addition, Dave recently served on the Alumni Association Selection Committee and was an educational counselor for 15-plus years. The Lobdell Award is a fitting tribute that recognizes Dave’s outstanding dedication and tremendous commitment to MIT.

Yolanda is an exceptional leader, advocate, and volunteer for the MIT community. She has made a significant difference through her service in numerous roles, including Class of 2002 president, president of the Club of Baltimore, AMITA vice president for membership, reunion planning committee chair, educational counselor, treasurer and secretary for the Club of Hawaii, and co-chair of the MITAA Club Council. Likewise, she has excelled as a Board member of the Alumni Association and as chair of its Program Committee, where her leadership has been transformational. Yolanda is also co-moderator of the 4,000-plus-member alumnae Facebook group Women Backing Women, where her leadership has given voice to important concerns while encouraging members to remain connected to MIT. This award recognizes Yolanda as a model volunteer with a passion and commitment to the Institute-wide community.

Henry is the consummate volunteer and an inspiration to those around him. Almost without exception, he is involved in the planning and execution of every function by the MIT Club of Hartford. Henry is passionate about education, and through his leadership, the club is a sponsor of the Connecticut Science Fair and the Connecticut Invention Convention. He also oversees the club’s sponsorship of the annual Science and Engineering Colloquium for Teachers as well as the scholarship for a local teacher to attend the MIT SEPT program. Henry was integral to the planning of the club’s 100th anniversary in 2005, and he continues to lead the planning and execution of the annual Admitted Students Dinner. Henry’s service is truly impressive, and the Lobdell Award recognizes his many years of distinguished service to MIT.

Nelly’s outstanding leadership qualities and Institute-wide service are unparalleled, especially as her services relate to documenting the MIT Black experience since the Institute opened its doors in 1865. She has contributed to major campus organizations, including the Black Alumni/ae of MIT (BAMIT), Club Latino, Minority Introduction to Engineering and Sciences, National Society of Black Engineers, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineering. Nelly was instrumental in revamping the BAMIT website and was involved in all aspects of the process, from choice of web platform to content and layout. She also continually posts information about alumni or events and materials of interest on the BAMIT Facebook page, and she is the web content team lead for the MIT Black History Project. Nelly is unparalleled in the energy, initiative, and commitment she brings to her work for the Institute. She is a most deserving recipient of the Lobdell Award.

Nasheed was an MIT fundraising volunteer with the MIT10 Committee from 2011 to 2014, the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) Fundraising Committee from 2016 to 2017, and her 10th and 15th reunion gift committees (RGC). In Fiscal Year 2020, she co-chaired her 15th Reunion Gift Committee. As RGC co-chair, Nasheed helped set ambitious fundraising goals for the campaign, strategized for gift committee calls and committee engagement, and developed class-specific language in reunion marketing appeals to maximize results. As an extremely responsive, strategic, and enthusiastic leader for her class gift committee, she helped the 15th reunion gift campaign raise over $10 million (a 15th-reunion record) and increased participation. This award honors Nasheed’s enthusiasm and her enduring commitment to her classmates at MIT.

Kate is an experienced and dedicated fundraising volunteer for MIT specializing in class fundraising initiatives for the Alumni Association. Kate co-chaired her 35th and 40th reunion gift committees, was a member of her 15th, 25th, and 30th reunion gift committees, has been a 24-Hour Challenge Ambassador and has taken on the role of class fundraising agent. Kate has also served the Institute in other fundraising roles, including as a current member of the Corporation Development Committee and the Office of Gift Planning Advisory Council, and previously as a member of the Annual Fund Board. She is a reliable, diligent, and humble leader with a deep belief in giving back to MIT. This award recognizes Kate’s service to MIT and her commitment to giving back through fundraising.

Dom served as co-chair for the Class of 1999 20th Reunion Gift Committee, which set a new dollar record. The campaign was a true example of his collaboration and hard work and his passion for MIT. Strategizing and designing a plan to reach new reunion giving goals, Dom and the group inspired 321 donors to give over $7.3 million around the reunion, landing 13 new donors and 40 leadership donors. Additionally, 153 class members renewed their gift to the 1861 Circle in honor of the 20th reunion, the class’s highest renewal rate in history. The Kane Award recognizes Dom’s leadership, ability to motivate fellow volunteers, and tireless advocacy in support of MIT.

David was instrumental in starting the tradition of organizing and executing the MIT Club of Hong Kong 24-Hour microchallenges in 2019. The effort has supported the MIT Club of Hong Kong Scholarship Fund, the Greater China Clubs Fund for MISTI China, and the MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node. David also played a significant role, with other clubs and regional communities, in working with MIT Medical to procure PPE for frontline health care workers at Boston-area hospitals during the early days of the Covid pandemic. Alumni ultimately raised $100,000 to purchase and ship 15,000 N95 respirator masks and 1,000 medical gowns to Boston, plus an additional $17,000 for MIT’s Covid-19 Response funds. The Kane Award recognizes David as an important contributor, collaborator, and leader of the MIT community.

Yehoram joined the Educational Council in 2014 and is its regional chair for Orange County, California, where he oversees more than 70 educational counselors (ECs). He successfully assigned ECs to 179 early action applicants and 232 regular action applicants. This past year, he also served as an EC representative to the MIT Club of Southern California, due to an unprecedented number of applications in the region. In this role, Yehoram recruited 100 educational counselors to help with the increased workload and assisted regional chairs from other territories in their recruitment efforts. This award recognizes Yehoram as a talented volunteer, dedicated educational counselor, and leader.

Sue joined the Educational Council in 1978 and is still an exemplary representative today. Among the many interviews she conducts each year, for the class of 2025 she has interviewed 146 applicants. Sue is always willing to go the extra mile, by interviewing overflow applicants beyond her assigned region of San Francisco—from every continent except Antarctica ―and by supporting students who respond late to interview requests. Sue is a tireless advocate and excellent ambassador for prospective students, and she is extremely deserving of recognition with the Morgan Award.

Alex has been an educational counselor since 1993, serving at one time as vice-chair for the Chicago area. For 10 years, Alex has been regional chair for Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, where he oversees approximately 100 educational counselors, this past year working with 994 applications. He approaches his work thoughtfully to ensure all applicants receive an interview and that ECs are not overloaded. Alex has also played an integral role in recruiting new ECs in the area, due to the increase in applications. This award recognizes Alex as a proud graduate who is committed to helping prospective students realize their dream of attending MIT.

Margaret joined the Educational Council in August 1999 immediately following graduation. She is currently vice-chair of the Peninsula Subregion within San Francisco, an area that generates one of the highest applicant pools to MIT. This year alone, she has been responsible for assigning ECs to 200 early action applicants and 182 regular action applicants. As the EC office transitioned to a new portal in 2020, Margie played a key role by learning the system quickly, suggesting helpful improvements, and leveraging new features. The Morgan Award honors Margie’s attention to detail and her care for applicants, distinguishing her as an exceptional educational counselor.

Stephanie, now the regional chair of the Greater Seattle area in Washington, joined the Educational Council in 2012. She ensures that each of the region’s many student applicants receives an interview with one of her 130 educational counselors. With an organized approach, this year she successfully assigned ECs to all 258 early action applicants and, already, almost all of the 307 regular action applicants. Stephanie has been a guiding voice to the Educational Council as the new portal was brought online in 2020. This award recognizes Stephanie as a strong leader whose passion for MIT has benefited prospective students and the Institute alike.

In honor of the 120th anniversary of AMITA and the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution granting women the right to vote, in 2019 AMITA developed a timeline marking the achievements of MIT’s female students and alumnae. A team of alumnae, led by the AMITA archivist, poured hours of work into creating this informative online exhibit celebrating the admission of women at MIT for 150 years now. The AMITA web committee made an effort to integrate the updated content with the MITAA Encompass platform. The Committee provided easy, interactive navigation of these historical archives from previous award-winning AMITA exhibits, allowing others to add to the timeline in the future. This award honors the tremendous and inspiring efforts of extremely dedicated and talented volunteer leaders.  

Recipients include Joan Coyne ’87; Dorothy Curtis ’73; Carol Hooker ’67; Susan Kannenberg ’61; Sze-Wen Kuo ’73; Christine Kuta ’83; Sarah Simon ’72; Sandra Yulke ’74, SM ’77; Coleen Smith ’87

The vision for BCAP originated during the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Black Students Union at MIT. The goal of BCAP is to support MIT’s efforts to build a better world by connecting students of color with underserved communities in the US and around the globe. The program funds MIT undergraduate and graduate student public-service projects that address challenges and make meaningful differences for communities in need. A particular focus was placed on STEM-related projects addressing architecture, cultural awareness, education, environment, health, urban planning, and other disciplines. The project team dedicated themselves to operationalizing the program and initiating a fundraising strategy in 2019. The Great Dome award is given in recognition of the team’s hard work and commitment to the success of the BAMIT Community Advancement Program.

Recipients include Jeffrey Anderson ’91; Lawrence Bass ’75, EE ’78, SM ’78; Darryl Fraser ’80; Elaine Harris ’78; Michelle A. Harton SM '83; Marie Harton ’10; DiOnetta Jones; Eric McKissack ’75; Devan Monroe; Olumuyiwa Oni ’04; Cordelia Price ’78, SM ’82; Nelly Rosario ’94; Albert Tervalon ’65; Emerson Yearwood ’80

Since the pandemic shelter-in-place began locally in March 2020, the MIT Club of Northern California has organized and hosted 161 virtual events with 8,349 total registrants. In an effort to drive continued connection among the MIT community, the club held each event free of charge to all alumni in any MIT club, in turn increasing membership in MIT clubs worldwide. The Club of Northern California also instituted requests for donations to a Covid fund, in lieu of event registration fees, which raised $32,833. The virtual events, later uploaded to YouTube, drew 25,000 views. As a result of these efforts, club leadership successfully shared best practices across virtual event formats, registration, and engagement at the 2020 Alumni Leadership Conference.

Recipients include Ernest Aguayo ’97; Tahir Ahmad; Afsana Akhter ’98, MEng ’99; Gal Antonovsky MBA ’17; Thalita Berpan MBA ’19; Clinton Blackburn ’08; Jesus Bolivar ’04; Rohini Chakravarthy MBA ’99; Serena Chung; Mark Cramer ’90; Shan Dahl ’99; Sudeb Dalai ’02; Rizwan Dhanidina ’99; Pegah Ebrahimi ’02; Jason Escamilla MBA ’02; Scott Globus ’84; Adam Goldstein ’10; Gaile Gordon ’85, SM ’86; Maisha Gray-Diggs ’99; Irena Hwang ’11, MEng ’12; Harbo Jensen PhD ’74; Mohanjit Jolly ’91, SM ’93; Shuja Keen ’99; Reshma Khilnani ’03, MEng ’04; Joowon Kwak SM ’15; Yi-An Lai ’13, MEng ’14; Theodore Lee MBA ’17; Nelson Lin SM ’87, PhD ’91; Patricia Liu ’95, MEng ’96; Andrew Mairena MBA ’19; Anjuli Mehotra ’99; Shishir Mehrotra ’00; Atif Mian ’96, PhD ’01; Anvisha Pai ’14; Ekaterina Paramonova ’13; Kashif Riaz ’98; Syed Abid Rizvi ’96, MBA ’97; Karen Robinson ’02, MEng ’03, ’04; Arun Saigal ’13, MEng ’13; Shantanu Sinha ’01, MEng ’05; Parul Somani ’04; Ira Summer ’83; Li Sun MEng ’09; Kevin Tu ’16; Wendy Wen ’09; Julia Yoo ’10, MBA ’14; Wendi Zhang ’09

The 50th Reunion Gift Campaign by the Class of 1970 became a true example of collaboration, hard work, and passion for MIT. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and shortly before their milestone reunion, the Class of 1970 50th Reunion Program Committee pivoted and embraced the opportunity for virtual connection, and delivered a world class online celebration to their classmates. The Reunion Gift Committee carefully strategized and, through spirited committee calls and a year-long participation challenge, designed a plan to reach new reunion giving heights. Ultimately, the group inspired 466 donors to donate over $5.6M in honor of the reunion, including 19 new MIT donors and 59 leadership donors. Moreover, in honor of the reunion, 206 members of the class renewed their gifts to the 1861 Circle. Thanks to these incredible efforts, the Class of 1970 set a new all-time 50th reunion class participation record with 61.56 percent participation. The Reunion Program Committee also stimulated a 19% increase in attendance over average 50th reunions. The Great Dome Award is given in recognition of the group’s hard work, dedication, and commitment.

Recipients include Gregory Arenson ’70; Karen Arenson ’70; Reid Ashe ’70; Warren Atkinson ’70; Stephen Barr ’70; Monroe Benaim ’70; Cynthia Bloomquist ’70; Robert Bowden ’70; James Brasunas ’70; Robert Busby ’70, SM ’73; Philip Byer ’70, SM ’72, PhD ’75; Steven Carhart ’70, SM ’72; John Carroll ’70; Edward Chalfie ’70; Alan Chapman ’70; Eric Clemons ’70; John Compton ’70; Robert Dennis ’70, SM ’71; Laura Eisenmann ’70; Eduardo Elejalde-Arena ’70; Thomas Halket ’70, SM ’71; Jeffrey F. Hankoff ’70; Albert Harlow ’70, SM ’72; Tim Heatwole ’70; Jesse Heines ’70; Howard Hoffman ’70; Sydney Jackson ’70; Monib Khademi ’70; William Kindel ’70; Peter Kramer ’70; Peter Lee ’70; Charles Lieberman ’70; Enrique Lombrozo ’70; Wesley Moore ’70, SM ’73; Laurie Nisonoff ’70; Julia Norton ’70; Hilarie Orman ’70; Norman Payson ’70; Anthony Picardi ’70, SM ’72,ScD ’75; Walter Price ’70, SM ’71; Kenneth Sills ’70; Alan Silverstein ’70; Steven Sondheimer ’70; Julie Sussman ’70; Richard Tavan ’70; Michael Titelbaum ’70; Deborah Trice ’70; Guillermo J. Vicens '70, SM '72, PhD '74; Pamela Whitman ’70; Sandra Wilcox ’70; Jill Wittels ’70, PhD ’75

Early last spring, as the US began shutting down to stop the spread of Covid, efforts were being made to collect PPE for Massachusetts by MIT alumni groups in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Taiwan. As the regional leaders connected, realizing the widespread interest in helping MIT and its surrounding community, they joined forces in an unprecedented effort. Local clubs created a task force of nearly 40 alumni, dividing volunteers into fundraising, communications, and sourcing/logistics groups. They raised funds from alumni in every region, sourced materials and manufacturers, addressed legal issues, and then ensured the materials arrived safely at MIT for distribution. The Great Dome award honors the vision, collaboration and execution of this unique program, which made a meaningful impact at MIT and in the surrounding community.

Recipients include Yu-Ying Chao MBA ’11; BiKui Chen MS ’00, SM ’00, MBA ’09; Hang Chen PhD ’16; Jun Chen SM ’03; Xin Chen MF ’13; Rui Deng MBA ’15; Jay Zengjun Dong MBA ’16; Benjamin Jen SM ’02; Tong Li SM ’00; Xiaoli Liang MBA ’00; Chee-Kiang Lim ’95, SM ’95; Chao Luo MBA ’13; Samuel Ngai SM ’02, PhD ’05; Howard Pan ’95, MEng ’99, MBA ’01; Mi Peng MBA ’11; Xiaoyuan Ren SM ’16, SM ’17; George Tan MBA ’95; John Tan ’93; Frank Wang SM ’98, SM ’99; Nan Wang ’12; Elaine Wong ’97; David Wu ’90; Siyao Xu ’14, MEng ’15; Kenneth Yeung ’88, SM ’89; Jin Yi PhD ’04; Elaine Yi-Ning Zhang MBA ’95; Tan Zhao MBA ’13; Xi Zhao MBA ’09; Yue Zhou MBA ’13