State's Stars
Ellen Jo Baron, Ph.D., ‘68, clinical professor of medicine and technical operations director of the Clinical Microbiology and Virology Laboratories at Stanford University Hospital, Palo Alto, CA, has been awarded the 2000 bio-Merieux Sonnenwirth Award for Leadership in Clinical Microbiology. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, and Wadsworth VA, Los Angeles. Baron has been on the faculties at Columbia, Cornell, Ithaca and UCLA. She serves as a consultant for various hospitals and medical centers.
Steven P. Briggs, Ph.D., ‘M.A.. ’80, Ph.D. ’83, president of the Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute, Inc. (NADII), San Diego, CA, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). NAS was created in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln to advise the federal government on matters of science and technology. Membership in NAS is one of the highest honors for a U.S. scientist. Before joining NADII, Briggs worked at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Des Moines, IA and at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York.
James Burba,’77, senior managing director for Insignia/ESG Hotel Partners, has been named worldwide director of advisory services at Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo, Newport Beach, CA. Burba has 25 years experience in hospitality consulting. He was president of the Travel & Tourism Marketing Association. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Educational Institute of the AH&MA and recipient of its Lamp of Knowledge Award. Burba co-founded and chairs UCLA Extension’s Annual Hotel Industry Investment Conference.
Warrick L. Carter, M.A. ’66, Ph.D. ’70, director of entertainment arts for Walt Disney Entertainment, has been named president of Columbia College, Chicago, IL. Carter was at Governors State University, University Park, IL , from 1971-84 beginning as a music professor and later as chair of the division of fine and performing arts. Prior to joining Disney, he served as provost/vice president of academic affairs at Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA. As a composer, he received commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Chicago Symphony, and the Chicago Chamber Orchestra.
Charles Conaway, ’82, president of CVS Corp., RI, has been named chairman and CEO of Kmart, Troy, MI. Conaway was co-founder of Reliable Drug Stores, Indianapolis, IN, in 1989. He joined CVS in 1992 and was responsible for all merchandising, advertising, store operations and logistics and ecommerce. He was named president and COO in 1999. He also served on the board of directors of Linens’N Things, Streamline.com and Health Connections.
Dana Cooke, ‘97, former MSU First Team All-American volleyball player and assistant coach for men’s volleyball at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, has been name head coach of the team. Before coming to McMasters, Cooke was the head trainer for an Italian men’s professional team. Earlier, she served as assistant coach and trainer for an elite amateur team in the Netherlands. She also currently works for All-American Volleyball Camps where she is in charge of part of the camp curriculum. At MSU, Dana made All-Big Ten, Academic All-Big Ten, and Academic All-American.
James Cunningham, ’74, director of training for Starr Commonwealth, Albion, MI, has been named the recipient of the Oneness of Humankind Pioneer Award. Cunningham has served Star Commonwealth, a school modeled after “Boys Town,” for more than 25 years in a variety of positions. He currently manages the Training Resource Center, which provides clients with speakers and training services. He serves on the board of the National Association of Peer Group Agencies.
Michael Dinkins, ’76, president and CEO of Access Worldwide Communications, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, has been named chairman of the board of directors. Dinkins had a 17 year tenure at General Electric where he held numerous senior financial positions, including at GE Capital, and taught several courses in GE’s Financial Management Program. He was president of Cadmus Communications’ Graphics Communications Group. He join Access Worldwide in 1997 as senior vice president, finance and human resources and CFO.
Marlene Dubas, ’73, a lawyer in private practice specializing in managed care, government contracting and pricing regulations for pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, has been named legal counsel and corporate secretary for Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Lincolnshire, IL. Dubas spent 17 years with G.D. Searly & Co., Chicago before going into private practice. As chief legal counsel for Takeda, Dubas will be responsible for managing all aspects of the company’s U.S. legal affairs.
Michelle Fedurek, ‘83, a director at Wendy’s, Dublin, OH, has been named vice president, media and consumer marketing for Wendy’s International, Inc. She joined Wendy’s in 1989 as senior media analyst. In 1997 she received the R. David Thomas Outstanding Management Award for her many contributions to Wendy’s. Fedurek has served on the Television Committee of the Association of National Advertisers, and represents Wendy’s on the ANA Family Friendly Programming Forum with the WB Network.
Timothy Gargaro, MBA ’84, vice president of finance for Lear’s Ford division, Dearborn, has been named senior vice president and CFO of Delco Remy International, Inc., Anderson, IN. Gargaro has held several senior financial positions at Allied Signal Corp., Southfield; PHM Corp. a national home builder, Bloomfield Hills; and Ring Screw Works, Troy. He joined Lear in 1993 and served as director of audit, vice president of finance for Lear’s Chrysler division, and CFO of European operations, Frankfort, Germany.
G. Jay Gogue, Ph.D. ’73, provost of Utah State University, Logan, UT, has been named president of New Mexico State University, Las Cruces. Gogue was chief scientist and head of the National Park Service’s Division of Interpretation, Park Protection and Natural Resource Management. He later was professor of forest and recreation resources at Clemson University, Clemson, SC. He was named vice president for research and their vice president for agriculture and natural resources. He became provost at Utah State in 1995.
Larry Lage, '95, beat writer for MSU sports at the Lansing State Journal, has been named Michigan sports editor for the Associated Press. He will cover Detroit's four professional teams, MSU, Michigan, auto racing, golf and all major sporting events in the state. Lage handled the radio play-by-play for MSU's women's basketball team from 1995-97 and was a frequent guest host on WVFN Radio in East Lansing. He has written for many football publications. In 1993-94, he performed as the Student Alumni Foundation's Sparty mascot.
Patrick Lynch, ’88, a floor trader in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s Eurodollar pit, has been named to the board of directors of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s International Monetary Market Division. The board consists of 25 elected members from four divisions of the Exchange. Lynch started as a spread clerk on the floor in the Eurodollar futures pit and became an independent local in 1990. He purchased an IMM seat in 1994. He currently serves on several committees of the Exchange.
Don Nugent, ’65, MSU Board of Trustees member and president and CEO of Graceland Fruit, Inc., Frankfort, MI, has been named the 1999 Michigan Manufacturer of the Year. Two months later his company was named the national Agricultural Marketer of the Year. Nugent has developed Graceland Fruit, Inc. from the ground up. He founded the Graceland Fruit Cooperative, Inc., with local farmers in 1973. The company developed the first shelf-stable cherry through a continuous fruit drying system. Don and his wife, Gail, are members of MSU’s Presidents Club.
